G Plus Vol 7 Issue 23 by G Plus

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INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 23 Mar 28 - Apr 03, 2020 Price `10 Assam health dept steps up efforts to combat COVID-19

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Coronavirus lockdown: Tormenting times for the tea industry of Assam

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Fake news litters ‘Whatsapp University,’ incite Assam’s Coronavirus fears further

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The Man of HOW WILL THE GOVT the Moment recover economic losses Himanta Biswa Sarma

post lockdown?

Assam is set to lose Rs 400 crores in the 21-day lockdown in excise revenues. Government to decide if wine stores can be opened as in Punjab and Kerala. Excise VAT likely to increase to recover losses post lockdown. G Plus News @guwahatiplus

Ensuring Assam is ahead in combating COVID-19 Full Story PAGE - 02

ith fresh Coronavirus cases on the rise in India, the nation has started witnessing the effects made towards containing the spread of the virus - a complete halt to economic activity. The 21-day lockdown announced by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is to combat the dreaded virus Covid-19. But the impact is showing in loss of crores of rupees. The business class, middle class, daily wage earning class, state/union governments and all are expected to suffer huge losses. But how will the government recover these losses? Assam excise, fisheries and forest minister Parimal Suklabaidya, talking to G Plus said, “In 21 days the excise department will lose around Rs 300 crores as excise revenue and also the forest and fisheries department will incur huge losses.” Amid the Coronavirus scare, several states and union territories across the country have imposed a strict curfew on people's movement in a bid to stop the spread of the virus. Shops, except for those selling essential items, have been closed. However, according to media report, liquor shops in Kerala and Punjab continue to operate in spite of the lockdown. On similar lines, the excise minister of Assam was asked if he has such plan, and the excise minister said, “We will certainly lose huge revenue but we do not want to encourage liquor sale.”

But the minister expressed that because of the lockdown there are reports coming in that the sale of illicit liquor which is illegally made is gradually increasing. He said, “Within a day or two we will decide if we should open the wine stores.” A senior official in the excise department said that including VAT and other taxes the state will lose around Rs 400 crores as excise revenue in 21 days. The excise department in any state is one of the highest revenue generating departments. In 21 days Guwahati will lose Rs 21 crores as excise revenue. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman described Modi’s Tuesday evening announcement of the national three-week lockdown as an unforeseen natural disaster that her ministry quickly stepped up to address. “We’ve immediately responded within 36 hours of the lockdown,” Sitharaman said, at a press briefing to announce a financial package of welfare services. 80 crore people, or 800 million, will get 5 kgs of wheat or rice and 1 kg of pulses for the next three months, for free, over and above the 5 kgs of wheat or rice that they already do. This can be collected in two instalments. The government will cover the entire Provident Fund contribution, including that of workers and employers, for certain categories for the next three months. Healthcare workers will be given Rs 50 lakh medical insurance. Similarly, the union finance minister announced

many such packages as a relief to the citizens of the country. Even the state governments across India announced some or other relief. But all these reliefs will add up to the burden of the government. Though there are Prime Minister’s Relief Fund and Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to deal with situations, during the lockdown period, even the government will lose huge amount of revenues. To recover such losses, a city based chartered accountant Manoj Nahata opined that the government is likely to announce some economic stimulation measures soon. Nahata said, “The government, after the lockdown period is over, might increase cess or tax by a little amount so that general people are not affected and the government also recovers the losses.” The business class will be mostly affected as they have to pay fixed investments like rents, salaries, tax and many other such things. Therefore, the government should provide some subsidy to the small and medium business sectors so that no one suffers. State excise minister Parimal Suklabaidya said that VAT on liquor might be increased after lockdown to recover the revenue loss. Executive member of the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Rajkumar Tewari, said no one knows the lockdown is for 21 days or if it will be further extended, but everyone will suffer. “It will be difficult for the government to recover the losses.”

Cover Story

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Ensuring Assam is ahead of other states in combating Covid-19 from page 01 G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he total number of Coronavirus cases in India has climbed to 724 today; more than 85 cases were reported from the various parts of the country on Thursday — the highest official single-day count so far. Out of the total patients, 677 are Indians and 47 are foreign nationals. In such a scenario when there is an outbreak of the disease across the world, Assam has not yet reported a single positive case and the state is prepared to combat the disease even if there is any positive case detected in the state or if there is an outbreak. The pro-activeness of the state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is being lauded from all corners as the minister is not only known for his political strategies but for his efficiency in work as well. The leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia, talking to G Plus said, “I am happy with the initiatives taken by the state health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to combat the disease.” But Saikia was also quick to add that the other departments of the state government lack coordination. Similarly, a prominent activist and senior journalist, Manjit Mahanta, who is known for taking anti-government stands has also praised the health minister saying, “With the limited resources at his disposal the health minister is doing a great job.” He also asserted that the coordination between other departments of the government should improve. More than 5,00,000 people around the world have now contracted the novel Coronavirus. Over 83,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the US, higher than China, Italy or any other country which have faced the brunt of the disease. The US has recorded 1,178 deaths, while the global death toll stood at 23,293. Starting from Tuesday midnight, India came under a 21-day lockdown in its attempts to curb the spread of novel Coronavirus. Only the essential services like grocery shops, medical outlets remain functional during the

lockdown. But comparing the preparedness of Assam against other states, Assam looks far better than all. India is not testing nearly enough to rule out community transmission, reported by media on March 19, 2020. If the country’s testing numbers are not consistent with the rest of the world then India needs to do better, said Om Shrivastava, an infectious diseases specialist at Jaslok Hospital in Mumbai. Since then, India has expanded the testing criteria so that in addition to people who have travelled internationally in the last 14 days, contacts of confirmed cases, and symptomatic healthcare workers, patients with severe acute respiratory illness (who have fever and cough and/or shortness of breath) and people who have no symptoms but are in direct and high-risk contact with confirmed cases, can get tested. India has also opened more testing centres to take the number to 131. Yet, states with higher populations than Assam are conducting fewer tests. For instance, West Bengal which has a population of 91 million has so far tested just two persons per million people. Odisha, home to 42 million people, has conducted only three tests for a million people. As far as testing centres are concerned, Assam is doing better than others. Assam has lesser population (3.10 crores) than many other states but has 4 testing centres and two more hospitals (Tezpur and Barpeta hospitals) will soon start testing taking up the number to six. Being the national capital, Delhi has only 2 testing centres. Maharashtra, which has the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases, also has just 2 testing centres. Tamil Nadu has 4, Uttar Pradesh has 3, Uttrakhand has 1, West Bengal has 2, Madhya Pradesh has 2, Kerala has 4, Karnataka has 5, Gujarat has 2, Haryana has 2, Himachal Pradesh – 2, Jammu & Kashmir - 3, Jharkhand - 1, Odisha – 1, Punjab - 2 and Bihar - 1. In northeast, Manipur has 2, Tripura has 1, Meghalaya has 1 and all other states are depending on Assam which is set to have 6 testing centres. In the northeast, 2 positive cases have been reported,

Himanta Biswa Sarma (L), Pijush Hazarika, MoS Health taking stock of facilities at GMCH | G Plus Photo

Himanta Biswa Sarma explaining a point at Sarusajai Stadium, the upcoming quarantine facility | G Plus Photo one in Manipur and one in Mizoram. The samples of the Mizoram patient were tested in Guwahati. According to sources, Assam government even helped the Mizoram government in tracing the people who were in contact with the Mizoram patient who tested Covid-19 positive. The health minister also came up with imaginative strategies like stamping all incoming passengers (both national and international) so that after coming to Assam, they remain quarantined for 14 days and even observed if

they generate any Covid-19 symptoms. Even before the Prime Minister announced a lockdown, the health minister did it but after Modi’s announcement the lockdown announced by Himanta Biswa Sarma just got extended. The Assam government has further started making dedicated Covid-19 hospitals. Also, all the government hospitals will treat only Covid-19 patients while all other diseases will be treated by private hospitals. For making the Covid-19 hospitals, the government is

not depending on the Centre; rather it is creating its own funds by seeking helps from all the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members of Parliament for their funds, business people and all the government employees. Within 7 days many dedicated Covid-19 hospitals with ICU and ventilators will be readied to combat the disease. Other states in the country had started acting only after they reported Covid-19 positive cases but Assam is prepared even before reporting a single positive case.

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Lead Story

Assam health dept steps up efforts to combat COVID-19 Temporary COVID-exclusive hospitals, MBBS students’ training, are part of Assam’s preparedness to fight against coronavirus Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

he state health and family welfare department has taken several preparedness measures to combat the spread of the virus in Assam, should such a need arise. The state government has decided to build five temporary hospitals. Assam state health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on March 27 that these hospitals will only be utilised to treat COVID-19 patients and will be completed within the next two months and will have 300 bed capacity ICUs. According to the minister, per hospital cost is estimated to be at Rs. 40 to Rs. 45 crores. He added that one hospital will be setup at Guwahati and the other one at Dibrugarh and the remaining three locations are yet to be finalized. “Government expenditure won’t be required for the same as donations from state employees are flowing in and that would be sufficient,” said Sarma. It is to be mentioned that Rs. 1 crore has already been collected through public donation and almost all employee associations have come forward to donate one month’s salary. Further, except the health department, others have donated their one day’s salary. In a welcome move, even the RS MPs of Assam have made contributions which will help to cover the construction of one hospital in the state. It is to be mentioned that a total of 308 samples for COVID-19 have been collected in Assam till March 27 and 31 results are awaited. Out of this, and rest 277 samples had all tested negative.

GMCH readied exclusively for COVID cases

Further, the state government has decided to ready Gauhati Medical College & Hospital (GMCH) to exclusively treat coronavirus patients. This was announced by state health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on March 27 while addressing a press meet. “To control spread amongst hospital staff and attendants and

to prevent confusion, private hospitals are asked under PM Ayushman Bharat scheme and Atal Amrit Scheme to either give their hospitals for rent or take the normal OPD patients so that government hospitals are left for corona treatment. Now almost 100 percent hospitals and clinics have agreed to take the entire load of GMCH,” said Sarma. He added that from March 28 onwards, all patients of GMCH will be redirected to private hospitals and nursing homes. However, cancer treatment would continue at GMCH and maternity and emergency ward also would be running until a positive case is found for coronavirus. An MoU has been signed for the same, the validity of which is two months, he said. A total of 36 hospitals will share the load of patients from government hospitals including, Marwari Hospital, Nemcare Hospital, Shankardev Netralay, Sanjeevani, Agile Hospital. Pratiksha, Excel Care, Ayursundra, Swagat Hospital have also been included in the agreement. He added that there are 4,000 dedicated beds if GMCH, Dibrugarh and Silchar all could be brought together only for COVID. The minister said that PM Narendra Modi had ordered states to provide one hospital exclusively for corona patients. Further, reiterating the need to maintain social distance, he said it must be maintained at hospitals too. The minister added that Dibrugarh and Silchar hospitals will be visited on March 28 and similar decisions can be expected there too. Additionally, a few other hospitals of Guwahati with 3040 bed capacities will also be dedicated for corona while MMCH has been dedicated exclusively for coronavirus patients from immediate effect.

14-day quarantine for doctors after 7 days of work State health and family welfare minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on March 27 that all doctors will be sent for 14 days of quarantine after attending seven days of work to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

“Hotels would be arranged for them and they won’t be sent home because then they might contaminate their family members,” said the minister. Similarly, the same would be done for nurses and sweepers. Further, in another preparedness measure to combat COVID-19, the department will train 620 final year MBBS students from March 28 Quarantine facility being readied at Sarusajai Stadium complex | G Plus Photo onwards. They will be called arises that doctors be called from patients. back to hospitals and will be villages and private hospitals. It is to be mentioned that an given seven days intensive The quarantine facilities will apartment has also been rented training to treat COVID patients. be completed within the week by the government near the Further, final year nursing, and would accommodate all quarantine facility at Sarusajai dental students and ayurvedic family members of any person stadium to accommodate at students will also be trained. testing positive for COVID-19. least 200 doctors if the situation Sarma mentioned that health department will hold meeting with principals of medical colleges to map out resources and plan the training soon. The food and lodging for trainees will be provided by the government and four teams will be made which will work for 8 hours each. “14 days circle has been planned, the entire plan will be shared soon by the health department,” said Sarma. “In case of urgency, additional 600 doctors working in rural areas might also be called if required. Even if these 600 doctors are called, the present healthcare situation won’t be disrupted,” assured the minister. Apart from this, the government has decided to convert Nehru and Sarusajai stadiums in Guwahati into temporary coronavirus hospitals. “Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati will be used to quarantine at least 1,000 people. Nehru Stadium will also be used for the same,” said the health minister. Meanwhile, IDSP hospital at Guwahati’s Kalapahar, Model Hospital at Singimari, Government Ayurvedic College Hospital will also be used for treatment of coronavirus

4 In The News

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Indian police punish lockdown offenders with violence Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

s India began its threeweek lockdown on Wednesday, dramatic photos and videos started to surface showcasing police across India using extreme force against violators of the country's coronavirus lockdown. Similar was the case in Guwahati and other parts of the state. In the footages circulating on various social media platforms, the liberal baton-wielding cops wearing surgical masks can be seen beating those breaking the rules. From using bamboo sticks to beat the offenders to punishing them into doing sit-ups or rolling on the floor, police can be seen taking extreme steps to enforce the lockdown. One such footage is from TRP Road (galla patty) in Fancy Bazaar area of Guwahati. In the short video, police can be seen forcing violators of the lockdown to roll on the road instead of walking. This particular video has been widely circulated by individuals living in the area as well as by various media houses. In many cases, the innocent and ignorant citizens have been targeted by the police. Footages also surfaced where human dignity was snatched without reason. If media reports are to

be believed, in some cases, the police have gone to the extent of beating essential service providers despite showing ID cards to enforce lockdown. In West Bengal’s Howrah district, a man died on Wednesday after he was allegedly beaten up by the police for violating lockdown guidelines. His wife alleged that her husband had gone out to buy milk and was among the crowd that the police batoncharged. He was taken to a local hospital where doctors pronounced his death. However, the Howrah City Police deputy commissioner refuted allegations that the victim died of injuries caused by the lathicharge. From the footages being shared on news and social media platforms, it seems that the police in India have failed to explain the lockdown and its importance to the public, assuming that all members of the public know about the lockdown just hours after it has been announced. Such has been the policing scenario of the country after Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered a 21-day-long nationwide confinement to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. While some people have condemned the acts of the police, others have also praised them for taking strict action against offenders and doing their duty in times of crisis. “Assam police are beating

A scene of police lathi charge at Jalukbari on Day 1 of Lockdown| G Plus Photo people without asking properly, even those going for essentials. This is lockdown not curfew. If this continues Assam police will lose all public support, because every family shall go out in 21 days and they'll get beaten up,” said a citizen of the state. In the same vein, a resident of Guwahati said, “The police should be less cruel to public. No humanity is being shown here. The old, the daily wager rickshaw person is being harassed.” On the other hand, praising the police for its actions,

Tushar Roy said, “I thank our Assam police for giving all their efforts to save people from the effect of corona virus. They are our real heroes, patrolling all over the state. Salute to the police and to the CRPF jawans.” However, speaking to G Plus, commissioner of police Munna Prasad Gupta denied the allegations of Guwahati police beating people even though there was documentation of the incidents. “Guwahati city police has been urging citizens to abide by the rules of lockdown. We are not beating them up. The

videos circulating online may be fake,” he said. The commissioner of police further informed G Plus that as of March 25 midnight, a total of six arrests have been made in three different cases in Guwahati for defying lockdown orders. It needs to be mentioned that within these strange brutalities surfaced certain footages of the same police force showing kindness to a section of poor people. In the footages, police can be seen providing the poor with basic amenities such as water and food.

Police to act Lighter toughandonfaster those spreading rumours, fake news: DGP Scan the QR code Assam director general of police (DGP) Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta on Wednesday, March 25 warned people against spreading rumours and misinformation during the ongoing lockdown due to coronavirus. “This is not an ordinary

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time, the police is trying it's best to ensure lockdown,” mentioned the DGP. He added that the Disaster Management Act has applied and if anyone disobeys, they can be put in jail for a year, which will be a non-bailable offence.

“People spreading rumours and misinformation will also be punished. They will be booked under IT Act as well as the Disaster Management Act,” said Mahanta. The DGP also stated that various citizens have been lying to the police and

roaming around even during lockdown. “I went to field to take stock of the situation and found people in drunk state creating ruckus in spite of lockdown orders. I urge such people to act responsibly because if the police finds out that you’re

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lying about your whereabouts, you will be charged as per law,” he announced. The punishment for first time offenders is Rs 1000 or jail term of 6 months or both and that for second time offenders is jail term of 2 years, non-bailable.

In The News

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Lockdown: What have been classified as essential commodities & services Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

s Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day country-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19, beginning March 24 midnight, here’s a list of essential services and commodities which will be available during the lockdown. The central government has exempted the following essential commodities and services which the citizens will be able to access during this period:

The offices of defence, central armed police forces, treasury, public utilities (Including petroleum, CNG, LPG, PNG), disaster management, power generation and transmission units, post offices, National Informatics Centre, Early Warning Agencies. Offices related to electricity, water, sanitation, municipal bodies Hospitals and all related medical establishments, including their manufacturing and distribution units, both in public and private sector, such as dispensaries, chemist and medical equipment shops. Further, laboratories, clinics, nursing homes, ambulance etc. will continue to remain functional. Shops including ration shops (under PDS), dealing with food, groceries, fruits and vegetables, dairy and milk booths, meat and fish, animal fodder. Banks, insurance offices, and ATMs. Print and electronic media, telecommunications, internet services, broadcasting and cable services. Delivery of all essential goods including food,

City pharmacies open during the lockdown | G Plus Photo pharmaceuticals, medical equipment through e-commerce has also been allowed. Petrol pumps, LPG, petroleum and gas retail and storage outlets. Power generation, transmission and distribution units Capital and debt market services as notified by the Securities and Exchange Private security services Manufacturing and transportation of essential goods has been exempted Hotels, homestays, lodges and motels which are accommodating tourists and stranded persons.

Dist admin fixes timing for wholesale, retail stores In order to make the purchase of essential commodities hassle free for the customers and to make it easy for the retailers to stock the items, the Kamrup (Metro) district administration has fixed the opening and closing timing of wholesale and retail shops including fair price shops, departmental stores, grocery section of shopping malls in Guwahati. The wholesale shops will remain open from 8.00 am to 4.00 PM whereas the retail outlets will remain operation from 9.00 AM till 6.00 PM.

Further, the district administration has ordered the owners to sanitize their shops at regular intervals and also to ensure social distancing for the staff and customers. It is to be mentioned that during the first day of the nationwide lockdown announced for coronavirus, retailers failed to connect with wholesalers in the city as a majority of the wholesalers in Fancy Bazar had shut their shops. Further, the district administration had earlier announced that the grocery section of malls and departmental will be exempted from the lockdown.

How to purchase essential commodities during lockdown?

Authorities have stressed that people should not venture out too far to purchase the essential commodities during lockdown and must only go to their nearest grocery story, pharmacy or ATMs to avail the services or buy goods. For this, the officials have asked citizens not to take out their cars and to go walking to their nearest store. Further, while addressing a recent press meet, Assam DGP Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta emphasised on the need to maintain social distancing and said that police officials across the state are making sure that there is no crowd of people in grocery stores and to buy other essential items. “We have demarcated places outside essential shops where

people should stand at proper distance while purchasing these items and should not crowd the shop. We have deployed adequate personnel to ensure the same,” said Mahanta. He added that no more than four people would be allowed to move or gather in a group together to ensure that social distancing is being followed by residents. Further, Assam chief secretary Kumar Sanjay Krishna said that the administration is looking to make sure that food and civil supply is running smoothly. They have also appealed to the people not to hoard items as all essential items will continue to remain available during the lockdown period. It is to be mentioned that the disaster management act has also been invoked in the state. The DGP also mentioned that the police is trying its best to control the lockdown. Additionally, the chief secretary on Wednesday March 25 said that Assam has enough food stock for the next three months and assured that there is no need to panic. Addressing a press meet, he said, “A total of 3.90 lakh tonne of rice in Assam is enough for the next three months and more stock is coming.” He added that grocery shops

allowed to remain open which will stock vegetables and dairy. Further sources have been notified to maintain supply. The chief secretary said that DCs have been asked to make sure that essential supplies are distributed in areas with no grocery shops. Currently, 500 tonnes of sugar, 10 metric tonnes of pulses is available, he added. Assam DGP, Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta on Wednesday, March 25 said that during the lockdown period, all essential shop owners will have to carry valid ID cards. While addressing a press meet, he said, “Those who are working in government offices must carry a letter from the office.” He also urged people to act as responsible citizens, “Police will question people on roads, and those found to be lying, they will be charged as per law.” Further, in order to facilitate the movement of persons in "exempted category" and to control the movement of unauthorized persons during the lockdown period, the Assam police has decided to issue identity cards to such persons. If one belongs to any one of the exempted categories, they can approach the local police station/ outpost for an "essential service pass".

6 Business

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Coronavirus lockdown: Tormenting times for the tea industry of Assam Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

n all India lockdown for 21 days from 25th of March, that is what the Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered on 24th March as a preventive measure to combat the spread of COVID-19. Lockdown refers to shutting down of all kinds of markets, businesses and offices except the essential ones like grocery stores, pharmacies, petrol pumps as well as offices of the electricity board and health sector apart from the police and fire brigade who are never off duty whatever be the situation. Other than these, no citizens are allowed outside their houses. Also to buy essential commodities, people cannot step out of their respective localities as violators will be charged under section 270 of IPC. Now, there is a major business sector of the state whose workings during this time of lockdown has not yet been addressed - the tea industry of Assam. In the 21-day lockdown the ministry of home affairs has exempted a few services and businesses. As per point number 5 of the order no. 40-3/2020 dated 24th March of the ministry, industrial establishments are to remain closed. The exceptions to this closure are: a. Manufacturing units of essential commodities. b. Production units, which require continuous process, after obtaining required permission from the state government. Despite being a continuous process of plantation and manufacturing, the tea industry of

Assam has not been exempted from the lockdown. As per the Directorate of Welfare of Tea Tribes, Government of Assam, there are 803 tea gardens in the state. The total number of tea garden workers in this industry is numerous, given that this sector employees the largest number of labourers and daily wage workers. Impact on the workings of the industry The plucking season of the buds for manufacturing of tea has just begun from the first week of March. As per information the best produce is to be collected during this initial period. The shutting down of operation would mean complete destruction of the second round of plucking that would have been of the finest quality and distributed throughout the world. So given the fragile and perishable nature of the tea plants, the Assam Valley Branch of Consultative Committee of Plantation Associations had requested the Labour Commissioner to exempt specific operations of the industry. The application requested that tea gardens be allowed to work for the protection of the plants by spraying of pest repellents and pest killers as there might be huge and permanent damage to the plants during such a long closure period. Further, irrigation of plants is to be continued, given scanty rainfall during the period. As per an order issued by

Social distancing being practiced at an Assam tea garden | G Plus Photo the Chief Secretary of Assam and the Assam State Disaster Management Authority on 27th March, the above mentioned request had been granted for plantations to ensure essential plant protection, spraying work for pesticide, weedicide, etc. However, only those workers who are willing to work and are medically checked are to be employed and complete protection of them is to be ensured. Further, disinfectant spraying in the labour lines is also to be undertaken. “Given that the tea plantation and manufacturing business is a continuous process, the state government should have exempted us from the lockdown,” said Dipanjol Deka, Secretary of Tea Association of India. Nazrana Ahmed, President of

Assam Tea Planters’ Association talking about the loses in the tea industry said, “The tea industry was already in a crisis in the last two years, and from the beginning of this year there has been a drop of sale prices in the Gauhati Tea Auction by an average of Rs. 80 to Rs. 90 per kg. Further, the tea industry is dealing with a very fragile and perishable commodity dependent on plant physiology and is infected by pests. The plucking is done on a round of every six to seven days. So during lockdown these plants would grow about a foot long and have to be skiffed as these cannot be used for the manufacture of tea. We have to wait for regeneration of the bushes again. So a lockdown of even five days actually means about a month long lockdown for the tea industry.” Avinash Borooah, Director of Bhergaon Tea Estate, Udalguri informed, “A circular has been given by tea association for skiffing of the buds grown during this period, as otherwise, future production would be hampered.” He further informed that loses cannot be calculated as yet and have to be measured after skiffing of plants have

been done. As informed by Priyanauz Dutta, Secretary of Gauhati Tea Auction Centre, all tea auctions that were scheduled for the coming weeks have been postponed due to the lockdown as samples could not be transported to parties for check. Tea labourers panic about wage payments and ration As per a circular issued by the Tinsukia District Magistrate on 22nd March, the Janata Curfew on 23rd March was supposed to be a paid leave for the labourers of gardens of the district. G Plus enquired about this paid leave with a few garden owners of the district. Bedanta Sen, Assistant Manager of Digulturrung Tea Estate, speaking to G Plus said, “We did not receive any such circular from the Assam Branch of Indian Tea Association (ABITA) under which our company is registered. Until such orders are given we cannot take any decision about the issue of paid leave for labourers.” “As the plucking season has just started, we also have many temporary workers coming in from South India. We are

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| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020 meeting with the DC regularly about awareness programs to be conducted and have also informed authorities about the arrival of people from outside,” Sen added. It has to be mentioned that there are 14 tea estates under the Kolkata based Assam Company India Limited in Tinsukia, and there are around 1365 permanent workers in each tea estate as informed. So how are these many people to survive these times of crisis without regular payment? Further, owners of the smaller tea gardens also said that they were not informed about the circular of paid leave. They further shook off responsibility stating they are very small gardens and do not have many permanent workers. “The matter is under discussion amongst all the stakeholders. The situation is evolving on a day to day basis and action has to be taken as such. As of today there is no pendency of any wages or amenities to be given to the workers. But such pendency will develop in the coming days and the call has to be taken up by all stakeholders,” said Nazrana Ahmed. “It is an unprecedented situation and we are trying to deal with the situation. We also believe the government would facilitate monetary compensation for the workers as well as the industry,” she added. Borooah informed, “We are supporting the complete lockdown of the state. The permanent labourers have to be given complete wages but not the temporarily hired workers. Talking of awareness, Borooah said free sanitizers and masks have been distributed amongst then workers and their families and guidelines explained in detail. A source in a tea estate seeking anonymity said, “We want the people to come for work. Because when we give them leave they stay in close proximity given that the quarters are located very close to one another. Further they are into drinking, playing cards and other such gathering whenever left unoccupied. But at work they have to maintain a certain distance while plucking. As we all know it is very difficult to make them understand certain things so we believe they will be safer at work. Chances of spreading the virus at home are more in case of an outbreak. However, as lockdown is given we are cooperating with the government directives.” Dipanjol Deka, informed, “We are discussing the issue with the government and awaiting clarification from the Labour Commissioner about the wage and ration distribution amongst the tea labourers. If the government does not provide for them then steps have to be taken by the management during these times of closure.” “The 48 hours tea garden lock down announced by the All Assam Tea Students’ Association

(AATSA) prior to the national lockdown has also posed as a major setback given that due to this bandh we are not able to prepare for the actual closure till of three weeks,” Deka added. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on 26th March last announced a list of schemes for the benefit of the poor. A relief package of Rs 1.70 lakh crores was announced under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna to reach out to the poor and the disadvantaged sections directly. Under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana beneficiaries of the scheme are further to be provided with free rice/wheat and pulses for three months. Further, Women Jan Dhan account holders will get Rs 500 per month for the next three months. “There are 63 lakh selfhelp groups for women in the country. They get up to Rs 10 lakh collateral-free loans right now. We are doubling that to Rs 20 lakh,” she added. Employment Provident Fund amendments have also been announced. Do all these schemes reach out to the tea labourers of Assam as well? Higher officials of the tea associations have informed that there are around 8 lakh workers in the industry. Of these, hardly 2 lakh might have accounts under the Jan Dhan Yojana. Allegedly the central scheme usually covers the Scheduled Tribes and Schedules Castes of the BPL (below Poverty Line) class. As most tea garden labourers are either OBC or general caste they cannot avail the benefits. As such the above mentioned schemes might not reach these sections of society. The tea garden managements have reportedly agreed to provide the regular pays and rations for their workers and families. “We use to procure ration through handling agents in the open market. Now shopkeepers are showing non availability of products and charging more than the usual price. As we need in large quantity it is not possible to make such expensive purchases. DCs have asked us to collect directly from the Food Corporation of India but even that would be an expensive procurement process. But we don’t even have funds to pay regular wages due to lack of productivity. So paying higher prices is not at all feasible at such times,” said Dipanjol Deka. It has to be mentioned that given the already prevailing crisis of the tea industry of Assam, the coronavirus lock down is likely to hamper the industry further given that this is the peak season for plucking of leaves and the best quality of tea is produced during this period, as informed. And it’s not just the revenue that would decline but also affect the great masses of generations of workers that are dependent solely on this trade.

Business

A tea garden worker engaged in plucking during a normal season | G Plus Photo

8 Crime

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Fake news litters ‘Whatsapp University,’ incite Assam's Coronavirus fears further Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

n this age of vast social media platforms, a wave of inaccurate information on coronavirus is spreading. From offering unverified home remedies to tackle the virus, to floating fake advisories asking people to avoid foods such as ice cream and chicken besides sharing conspiracy theories, Indians' phones are being flooded with misinformation. With around 400 million WhatsApp users based out of India, one can just imagine the magnitude of misinformation which is floating around the internet in this epidemic crisis. “Since the coronavirus outbreak last December in China, misinformation, especially through WhatsApp, has risen,” said Shachi Sutaria, a fact checker focused on science and health with Boom, one of India's leading fact-checking websites. "Normally, we don't see such high levels of misinformation around health issues in India. Earlier, we would get two to three messages a week on health issues that we would fact check. Now, we get up to five to six messages every day, much of it on coronavirus."

Let us take a closer look at the top most circulating posts on "WhatsApp University" Instance 1

One message, claiming to be an advisory from UNICEF asks people to avoid ice creams and other cold foods and recommends frequent washing of clothes because "corona virus when it falls on the fabric remains 9 hours.” Another recommends heavy Vitamin C intake, yet another

message lists a do-it-yourself (DIY) detection test for the virus. Meanwhile, experts have said there is no established correlation between the variations in temperature and spread of COVID-19. The experts said COVID-19 spreads through human contact. Mass gathering has to be

In Assam too, a recent spinechilling Whatsapp forward is making rounds that a newborn baby after taking birth at Chaigaon warned that the world will be destroyed. The post, where it was claimed that the baby died after asking all to light three lamps outside their homes, went viral on March 24.

Babies With Grown-Up Teeth Look Terrifying. “If you need a chuckle today (or a nightmare tonight), here’s a photo project you can check out. Scroll down to see why it’s a good thing that babies are born without teeth…” On the website, https://me.me, the caption of the picture says: “Thanks. I hate baby’s with teeth.”

Instance 4

avoided and people need to take precautions.

Instance 2

In another instance a post claiming from NASA has gone viral, which states NASA satellite videos LIVE telecast have shown that the cornavirus is retreating in India... The cosmic level sound waves generated have been detected by NASA’s SD13 wave detector and a recently made bio-satellite has shown COVID-19 strain diminishing and weakening.

Like seriously in this epidemic crisis the NASA has decided to track India and leave behind USA?

It is to be mentioned that previously also claims were made by “Whatsapp University” about satellite images of India on Diwali.

Instance 3

The user in the post said: “Pls Everyone Share Its Not a Fake News pls as much u can Share This” (sic). Another Facebook user shared the same news with an image where a baby with teeth is seen smiling. This FB user claimed the baby was born at Nalbari. However, upon fact checking, it was found that there was no truth in such news of a new born baby. Meanwhile when checked for the source of the photo, it was found that the image was taken from the internet. The image where a newborn with teeth is seen with a smile was earlier used by two websites – one is www.sadanduseless.com and the other is https://me.me. The www.sadanduseless.com is a humour site. Uploading the image it was written: “Welcome to the most depressive sad and useless humor site in the world!”

A post has gone viral on various social media platforms claiming that the Chinese doctor who first detected the deadly coronavirus had documented a few case files and proposed treatment for the disease. They claim, “Breaking News from CNN:- Dr Li Wenliang, China's hero doctor who was punished for telling the truth about coronavirus and later died due to the same disease, had documented case files for research purposes and had in the case files proposed a cure that would significantly decrease the impact of the Covid-19 on the human body... What's more shocking is that these complex words that were so difficult for people in China to understand is actually called tea in India, YES, our regular tea has all these chemicals already in it.” Upon checking out the CNN website no such news was to be found. We searched their Twitter handle for breaking news, but no

such thing was reported. Later, a report about China's whistleblower doctor on CNN was found but that article too does not talk about the medication he suggested nor does it talk about the utility of the chemical compounds of tea as claimed by social media users. On Google search too, we found no reports that support the claim. Also, there are no reports that doctors in China are serving tea to Covid-19 patients.

Instance 5

Last but not the end of Whatsapp forwards, a post of a priest is going viral in which the said priest, before dying said, “In order to save oneself from this virus, one must drink black tea soaked in jiggery or bay leaves.... this will save you from all virus.. post which the priest died. The effect of Coronavirus and myth on what to eat and not to, have no relation with virus. The experts and even World Health Organisation (WHO) have repeatedly requested everyone to maintain “social distancing” and use hand sanitizers and masks to tackle this novel virus. Older people and people with pre-existing medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease appear to be more vulnerable to becoming severely ill with the virus. WHO advises people of all ages to take steps to protect themselves from the virus by following good hand hygiene and good respiratory hygiene.

Indian govt launches Chatbot on WhatsApp for COVID-19

he Indian government has launched an official chatbot on WhatsApp to answer any public queries about Coronavirus and clear the myths around it.

The chatbot is called “MyGov Corona Helpdesk” and the WhatsApp number given against it is 9013151515. The helpdesk would provide an automated response to the queries. The news was tweeted

by the government regulatory agency, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority. Earlier, a national helpline number was also being launched by the government. It is to be mentioned that

the union health ministry also launched a web portal for tracking COVID-19 across India state wise. The website is accessible at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/, provides up-to-date infection

statistics for each states. The website provides helpline numbers along with the total number of patients including foreign nationals which is updated every 4 hours.

In The News

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Central govt announces Rs 1.70 lakh crore COVID-19 relief package for poor Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

he central government has come up a relief package of Rs 1.70 lakh crores in the midst of nation-wide lockdown due to coronavirus, said union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on March 26 while addressing a press meet. The Finance Minister announced relief package aimed at providing a safety net for those hit the hardest by the Covid-19 lockdown, along with insurance cover for frontline medical personnel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21day lockdown beginning from March 25, the government has coming up with a slew of measures to combat the economic impact of the lockdown. The urban and rural poor population need immediate help to survive and the 1.70 lakh crore package aims to help them during these times of crisis,â&#x20AC;? stated Sitharaman. Eight major announcements were made during the press meet through which about 80 crore people will get free cereals and cooking gas apart from cash through direct transfers for three months.

1. For the poor

Under the Prime Minister Gareeb Kalyan Yojana (food scheme), around 80 crore poor people will receive 5 kg of wheat/ rice for free in addition to what they are already getting. The government will also be given one kg of pulse to each household under this scheme for the next three months. The beneficiaries can take it these food items in two installments also. Additionally, gas cylinders will be provided free of cost to over 8 crore poor families for the next three months. During this period, a maximum of three gas cylinders will be provided under the Ujjwala Scheme.

2. For Farmers

Under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Yojna, farmers will be given Rs 2,000 in April. The government estimates that this would cover 8.7 crore families and thus the total amount distributed is estimated to be Rs 16,000 crore.

3. For daily wage laborers Under the MNREGA scheme, daily wages have been increased to Rs 202 a day from Rs 182. This will benefit nearly 5 crore families. Sitharaman stated that wage increase will result in additional income of Rs 2,000 per worker

4. For low wage earners

Low wage earners in the organized sector are among the worst hit due to the lockdown and the resultant economic crisis. To help people who fall under this category, the government has decided to pay the entire 24 per cent of their monthly wages into their Provident Fund accounts for the next three months. "Wage earners below Rs 15,000 per month in businesses having less than 100 workers are at risk of losing their employment," Sitharaman said adding that the assistance would help prevent "disruption in their employment". Further, Employees' Provident Fund Regulations will be amended to include 'pandemic' as the reason to allow nonrecoverable advance of 75 per cent of the amount or three months of the wages, whichever is lower, from their accounts.

5. For senior citizens, widows and differently able

There are around 3 crore senior citizens, widows and differently abled people in India who are vulnerable due to economic disruption caused by Covid-19. "Government of India (GoI) will give them Rs 1,000 to tide over difficulties during next three months. Rs 3,000 crore has been provided for this purpose in the PM Gareeb Kalyan Package," the finance minister said.

6. For Self Help Groups (SHGs)

"There are 63 lakh self-help groups for women in the country which have approximately 7 crore households under them. They have been getting up to Rs 10 lakh collateral-free loans so far. We are doubling that to Rs 20 lakh," Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presenting her economic package at New Delhi Additionally, women Jan Dhan Account holders will get Rs 500 per month for the next three months.

7. For construction workers:

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the Centre will direct state governments to utilise the construction workers' welfare fund to support these workers against economic disruption due to the lockdown. The fund created by a central government's Act currently has about Rs 31,000 crore in it. A total of around 3.5 crore workers are registered under the Act.

8. For health workers

One of the major announcements made by Sitharaman was for the health warriors of the country. To protect interests of health workers, the government announced Rs 50 lakh insurance per health worker. The beneficiaries include doctors, nurses, asha workers, paramedic staff and other healthcare workers who are dealing with coronavirus outbreak risking their own lives. "Any health professional

who while treating Covid-19 patients meets with some accident, then he/she would be compensated with an amount of Rs 50 lakh under the scheme," the announcement said. Along with other major announcements, the minister also

announced that the government has directed states to use district mineral fund for the coronavirus medical expenses. States will use district mineral fund for medical screening, facilities, and healthcare needs, she said.

10 City

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Lockdown: Retailers face trouble connecting with wholesalers for essential items Saumya Mishra @saumyamishra03

ven as PM Narendra Modi assured the country of the availability of essential goods throughout the period of lockdown from March 25, the essential commodities market in Guwahati portraits a different scenario altogether. It is to be mentioned that on March 24, PM Modi announced a 21-day country-wide lockdown to prevent the spread of coronavirus. G Plus took stock of the grocery store retailers across the city. On the very first day of the threeweek nationwide lockdown, a few small, as well as departmental stores across most of the localities in Guwahati, were found open, doing regular business, while few other said they would be operating for a few hours every day, during the next 21 days. Speaking about the availability of stock, the most common answer found was, “We are prepared for the next 7 to 10 days.” Kailash Agarwal, running a departmental store in Bharalumukh said, “As the wholesale market is closed, we are finding it difficult to procure stock for the coming days. Some

distributors are open, but there are no vehicles for delivery as the government has not given permission to ply during the lockdown. Further, many delivery boys and other labourers have left for their respective villages, so how are we supposed to collect the loads of products.” He further added, “Most factories like wheat mill and other such mills do not have workers, so we are worried that we might run out of stock within the next few days.” Further, a grocery store owner at Noonmati said, "A majority of the wholesalers have shut their shops in Fancy Bazar and we are facing difficulty in procuring stock. Moreover, today there are hardly any customers as the police is stopping people on the streets and is lathi charging on them. It is getting difficult for people to even come to shop for essentials." He added that people have hoarded goods in the past few days. “Fearing availability of essential items during the lockdown, many customers have hoarded essential items for the next one to two months.” On similar lines, Rahul Goyal a grocery store owner from Beltola Tiniali told G Plus, “My store is open, I opened it around

8:30 am today if the situation is okay I will keep it open till 10 pm. People are coming and getting things of their requirements.” “I asked the Basistha police how to get stock for my store, do I need permission to go to distributors? I was not given any answer due to the non-availability of higher officials. Hence I am not Customer visiting a retail outlet for purchases during the lockdown | G Plus photo able to go out and get my stock as “The wholesale stores have without the availability of army officials are on the road and opened but it is getting difficult enough stock. They have urged they are hitting people.” for us to keep to stock items for the government to provide them Additionally, it is to be a longer period of time. We are with proper guidelines and rules mentioned that many people have currently bringing lesser stock on this matter. stocked up their resources for and operating that way,” he On the other hand, the situation more than a month, although the mentioned. seemed to be improving a little by lockdown has been announced for He further added that the third day of the lockdown. 21 days only and the government a considerable number of Rahul Goyal, a grocery store has been repeatedly assuring customers are coming to buy the owner at Beltola said that by citizens of the availability of essential commodities every day. Friday March 27, the wholesale essential products. “However, people are stores for grocery and other However, due to lack of proper maintaining social distancing at essential items were open and directives to the essential the store and we are not allowing functioning, the problem was to commodities supply and retail more than five persons at a time carry the items to the store in the chain, shopkeepers are unsure at the store,” said Goyal. absence of carry vans. on how to continue businesses

Assam excise dept starts production of 5 crore sanitizer bottles for NE G Plus News @guwahatiplus

s per the directive of Assam State Excise Minister Parimal Suklabaidiya, over 5 lakh litres of sanitizers will be supplied free of cost as part of the CSR activities by liquor companies of Assam. It is to be mentioned that these sanitizers will be produced according to the guidelines set by World Health Organization (WHO) and Essential Commodities Act and Drugs & Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Further, the health department had ordered around 5 crore bottles of 200 ml each and the same will be supplied by the excise factories of Assam on absolute free-ofcost basis. Meanwhile, the sanitizers will be made available in other northeastern states like Manipur and Nagaland as well by its manufacturing units. Till now 11 companies have started producing the sanitizers in Assam.

The objective behind this initiative is to curb the menace of fake sanitizers and black marketing by some unscrupulous traders of the state.

In The News

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Coronavirus: Amidst lockdown Indians stock up on condoms, sex toys; massive sales witnessed Chayanika Das @cdchayanika95

PM announces 21-day lockdown from March 24 midnight Post announcement, people rushed to the stores to stock up on essentials Indians also rushed to the pharmacies to stock up on condoms and contraceptives Sale of condoms, contraceptives and sex toys witness surge in sales World’s largest porn site, Pornhub offers free premium content Site traffic increases by 11.6% WHO releases mental health guide to cope with stress during the times of COVID-19

n order to check the spread of Coronavirus, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 24, declared a nationwide lockdown for 21 days from midnight of the same day. Immediately after the PM’s announcement, people rushed to the stores to stock up on essentials. While many purchased rice, wheat, pulses, vegetable and hygiene products, many rushed to the pharmacies to stock up on not just medicines and masks but condoms and contraceptives as well. People are getting a chance to save the world by just sitting at home and doing nothing. So they have taken the challenge up responsibly. With the normal hectic schedules, one never got enough time to spend with their significant other but now people are making the most of the lockdown. Sources at a leading e-commerce site stated that sales of condoms and contraceptives have jumped

online, said reports.

Sale of condoms, sex toys increase as India goes into a 21-day lockdown Before the lockdown, several companies had offered their employees the option of working from home. It is since then that the sales started to boom. Other occasions when these sectors would see a surge is during Valentine’s Day, Pride month, Women’s day and other festivals. India witnessed a sudden increase in the sale of condoms since the past 10 days. According to a report in The Hindustan Times, in the past week, many retailers have seen sales surge by nearly 25%-50%. Reports also suggest that sale of sex toys have equally increased since the outbreak hit India. Among the Tier 2 cities, Lucknow has topped the chart with the most queries and products bought followed by Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

World’s largest porn sites offer free premium content

It has also been reported that one of the largest porn sites in the world, Pornhub revealed that their worldwide traffic to the site increased by 11.6%. The website has roughly 120 million visitors on a regular day but now almost 134 million people are getting their fix on a daily basis. The website also offered free premium content for Italy, France and Spain which usually costs USD 9.9 a month and offers ad-free HD videos. It saw above-average increases of 57%, 38.2% and 61.3%, respectively for these countries. They even came up with a new section titled Covid-19 content, where people have sex wearing face masks. "Since this is a situation that continues to impact us all, we've decided to play our part in encouraging everyone to stay home and are launching Free Premium worldwide until April 23," Pornhub said in a blog post on March 24.

India goes into a lockdown to combat spread of COVID-19

India has gone into a complete

lockdown since midnight of March 24 to combat the spread of COVID-19. "In order to protect the country, and each of its citizens, from midnight tonight, a full ban is being imposed on people from stepping out of their homes. All the States in the country, all the Union Territories, each district, each municipality, each village, each locality is being put under lockdown," the PM said while addressing the country on March 23.

How to cope with stress in times of COVID-19

After the PM announced the 21-day lockdown, people immediately started panicking. A long period of isolation is indeed very important for India at this stage but it has been acknowledged that it could have a detrimental impact on mental health. On March 12, World Health Organization had released a mental health guide where they had listed ways to cope with stress in times of Coronavirus. “This time of crisis is generating stress in the population. These mental health considerations were developed by the WHO’s Department of Mental Health and Substance Use as messages targeting different groups to support for mental and psychosocial well-being during COVID-19 outbreak,” read the statement. Psychiatrist Hiranya Kr. Goswami told G Plus that everyone needs to adhere to the instructions put forward by the government to fight this disease. He said that this is not the time to panic but to unite and be there for each other. “We are counseling everyone who is coming to us whether they have symptoms

Representative Image of Corona or not. Earlier today, six people had come thinking they have the virus. We talked to them and calmed them down and once they stopped panicking, we sent them home,” said Goswami. “There is no need to panic. We are at a stage where we cannot afford to even step out of our houses to save ourselves and many others. All we need to do is listen to the government and experts and do as they say,” he added. The government on March

23 ordered states to “strictly enforce lockdown” and take actions against those who violate the order. The PM also took to his Twitter handle to urge states to ensure that the directives are followed by people. “Many people are still not taking the lockdown seriously. Please save yourself, save your family, follow the directives seriously. I request the state governments to ensure that the rules and laws are followed,” Modi tweeted in Hindi.

12 G Talk E

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020 T

A Superman among us

n a cold, wintry night of January 2019, I was granted an interview by Himanta Biswa Sarma (HBS) at his Zoo Road residence. I basically wanted to ask a few questions related to the contentious Citizenship Amendment Bill that was set to be passed in the Lok Sabha. In the days leading up to the interview, I noticed a distinct slide in his popularity on mainstream as well as social media to the point where he was the target of massive public anger besides being branded as a “traitor” who allegedly selfishly sought only his personal political gain. He was considered a man who had sold his soul at the altar of Assamese identity. A year later today, Assam is faced with a situation where our existence - and not just our identity - is at stake due to an alien virus emanating from a country notorious for its iron curtain policies and for no fault of ours. As a newsman at the helm of affairs at G Plus and responsible for quick and prompt news dissemination through our digital channels, work over the last week – ever since the Janta Curfew of March 22 – has been brutal to say the least. From early in the morning till late in the night, with minimal breaks in between, what has gone from us is the news of the moment. From the PM’s 8 pm addresses to the nation, FM’s press briefings and her economic packages, HBS’s press briefings onto our Chief Secretary and DGP spelling out food distribution and security plans, we ensured that we covered everything so that our readers could keep themselves informed. We wrote stories, news items, scripts and then made videos and in the process built up enough fatigue each day and yet went through sleepless nights wondering what was in store the next morning. Essentially, we thought we were doing great and hard work. We still do. And yet on this same soil and breathing the same air is one man who is leading the combat against Covid-19 without any trace of fatigue. Everyday has been a story of HBS’s imagination, competence and

commitment to ensure that Assam does not enter even Stage 1 of the Coronavirus pandemic. It has been a story of his ability to be prepared and demonstrate the same without fear. At this point, his leadership leads us to believe that Assam has reached a point where it is quite prepared to put up a solid fight. I am privy to information that each probable positive case is being tracked to the hilt, and concerned people are being quarantined such that Assam is yet to have its first positive case. HBS’s communications over media have been articulate, precise and to the point and he has been eloquent enough to make whoever has listened to him understand the gravity of the situation. On top of that is his ever fresh appearance, whether he is at Dibrugarh in the morning, Nagaon in the afternoon or Guwahati at night, addressing the media or taking stock of situations in the field. HBS has displayed remarkable energy levels and uncannily remains the only face of the Sarbananda Sonowal government in this fight against the deadly threat. Of course, being the health minister, it is his job. But not all ministers show this kind of character when faced with a challenge of this magnitude. Nor imagination. He has brought private hospitals into the ambit, is planning to immediately train up final year MBBS students and nurses and press them into service, is converting stadiums into makeshift hospitals, is seeking to add 4,000 more dedicated beds all across the state and got the same government employees who were protesting against the CAA to donate a month’s salary such that these temporary hospitals could see fruition from this fund itself. Today, with no knowledge of what the future holds for us but for his efforts at ensuring it remains good, what I feel is that this “traitor” of the last year is a Superman among us and the best we can do for ourselves is follow his biding until we see this crisis through. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Tackling COVID-19 Israeli style

rime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned Intelligence agencies in Israel to combat the deadly novel Coronavirus disease. His efforts in controlling the spread of this disease within the country have also involved covert purchase of testing kits from abroad. He is now using an anti-terrorism phone-tracking

Shin Bet happens to be retooling spyware to meet any medical emergency and a nationwide digital surveillance program which was originally created to fight terrorism is now being used to locate people at risk of being infected by the virus.

technology to map COVID-19 cases within the boundaries of the Israeli state. The PM of Israel, in a broadcast recently, said that Israel will carry out thousands of tests every day which he believes is vital to protect the citizens of the country and need of the hour. PM’s office said that the Israeli state is utilizing all its capabilities to deal with the novel Corona Virus including bodies like the Mossad. The Mossad, short for Ha Mossad Le Modi’in Ule Tafkidim Meyuhadim, is the National Intelligence Agency of Israel, responsible for intelligence collection, covert operations and counter terrorism. It is one of the main entities in Israel alongside the Aman and the Shin Bet. Mossad has arranged for 1,00,000 kits and expects to bring millions more in an attempt to curb and combat impact of the menace virus. All this is said to be done in an effort to prevent Israel from being affected by the virus like Italy where death toll rose exceeding the numbers in China where the

pandemic first started. The Israeli PM has also ordered a lockdown amid fears of rise in number of COVID-19 cases. The domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, happens to be retooling spyware to meet any medical emergency and a nation-wide digital surveillance program which was originally created to fight terrorism is now being used to locate people at risk of being infected by the virus. This program uses mobile phone data to track people known to be infected by the virus and all those who came in contact with the infected persons. Hundreds of people in Israel received text messages that said, “Hello. According to an epidemiological investigation, you were near someone sick with the Corona Virus. You must immediately isolate at home (14 days) to protect your relatives and the public. This information will be used only for this purpose and will be erased when no longer needed. Sincerely, Public Health Services.” The move is being criticized by some who still look at it as an attempt of PM Netanyahu to ‘stay in power’. This program is being criticized by some law makers pointing towards a ‘breach of privacy’ of the citizens of Israel. But is breach of privacy a bigger concern than finding a solution to a problem such as this where the global pandemic has taken over 23,000 lives worldwide? Similarly, in some Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, authorities are tracking people under home quarantine using their mobile phone signals, electronic wristbands and other data provided by telecom firms. Government agencies across the globe are trying to identify where people are and where they’ve been for the sole purpose of containment of the virus and to stop the disease from spreading further. Despite this, some look at the move as a threat to democratic rights of citizens. Right to privacy is a discussion for later. Had this been done earlier, people in many countries would have been saved from the trouble of being locked down. In India, there have been cases

rKeeping busy during lockdown

O pinion Rifa Deka

of people fleeing quarantine. There was an incident where a person who had fled from Kerala, was caught at the New Bongaigaon Junction in Assam a couple of days back. We can only imagine how many people he must have come in contact with. Similarly, if we look at the case of the renowned Bollywood singer, Kannika Kapoor and many others with a history of recent foreign travel, tracking them would have only helped authorities prevent the spread of this virus. When we have the technology and the resources, should we sit back and watch the global pandemic wreak havoc on our country too? India happens to have one of the most powerful Intelligence Agencies in the world. When we can fight terrorism so efficiently, we sure can fight an alien virus too. This virus will spare no one; it will not assess gender, race, caste, religion or age before entering the host body. The need of the hour is to unite as a nation and learn from countries like Israel. Although the ‘Janta Curfew’, a complete shutdown of the nation and other measures taken by the Indian central and state governments are proving to be effective and people are now practicing social distancing and self-quarantine, are we as a country, ready to battle the COVID-19 pandemic as India swiftly approaches a potentially catastrophic community transmission? With 16 fatalities and over 700 positive cases as of this evening, in a country over 133 crore people large, could using a spyware program to track those affected by the novel corona virus stop India from entering Stage 3? (The author is a student of Mass Comm at Royal Global University, Guwahati. Views expressed are her own)

Letter to the Editor

During these days of lock down many people are sitting at home and they say that they are getting bored because they have nothing to do. So here I have come up with some ideas to do and enjoy while being at home. The things that they can do are: help your mom in work, get back in touch with your old friends, cook for your family, binge watch new content, workout, take naps and power naps, karaoke, clean your room, make DIYs, verify information that is being passed on to you, don’t buy too much grocery, help mom in making pickles, dance, improve your drawing skills, gardening, playing with dogs who are your best companions during your sad and bad times and many more. Neha Singh, Guwahati

In Focus

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Read Between the Lines Gaurav Agarwal

pacity has, since time immemorial, been universally accepted to be a staple of Chinese governance, and it is primarily this fact which makes the vigilance of outsiders trying to peep inside the communist country to find clues for solving the Covid-19 puzzle a non-negotiable. Foreign media has been inundating the world with reports of the ‘Success of China’ in combating the proliferation of the Coronavirus in Wuhan. Now, prima facie those reports do appear to be legitimate, as they are commensurate with the claims of the Chinese government itself, who apart from releasing an official count of only 3,277 deaths from a reported 81,171 infections, have also proclaimed zero new cases, while beating the drum for remaining alien to a potential second wave of infections.

However, a recent report from the Epoch Times makes one seriously reconsider the aforementioned. The report reveals the alarming disappearance of around 21 million cell phone accounts in China over the past 3 months, whichis a number grossly inconsistent with the statistics released by Beijing. This development makes the role of independent agencies as well as of the media imperative in finding out the truth, as curiosity might kill the cat, but the other option entails reading tampered tea leaves in order to find out what really happened in China, and besides, felines are blessed with nine lives anyways. (The author is a student of Journalism & Mass Communication at Royal Global University, Guwahati. Views expressed are his own.)

Nature’s natural indifference

am awakened by the shrill unwelcome sound of my alarm clock. It is 5.30. If only I could sleep little longer... I lay on my bed, eyes open, staring at the ceiling. Should I wake up, or continue to enjoy the morning sleep? Suddenly, the sweet melodious voice of the cuckoo bird falls into my ears. The sound is coming from some distance but it is so sweet and pleasing that I feel myself energised. A deluge of random thoughts flood my mind. The spring season is around. As a young child, copying the voice of cuckoo was one of my favourite games. Today also I want to do the same, but I restrain myself lest I disturb other family members in their sleep. Rongali Bihu is just a few days away. The blooming Kapou phool will add to the glory of Nature. Everything in the Nature seems so ecstatic, so rhythmic. My thoughts shift from Nature to mankind. The entire humanity is going through extremely difficult and trying times. The outbreak of novel Coronavirus has wreaked havoc on the human beings across the world. The casualty figures are rising by the hour. Everybody is so distressed and anxious as if the world has turned upside down. The only topic of discussion, in print or electronic media or in social media is the raging pandemic. But for Nature, quite unmindful of all this, it seems to be business as usual. The cuckoo is singing, sparrows chirping, flowers blooming, the Sun readying to rise in the east. Everything is as usual. As if everything is fine. How can Nature be so indifferent to this unprecedented human tragedy?

Pradeep Jain

Or is it Nature’s quid pro quo for what we have done to it? Aren’t we destroying the ecology, polluting the air and water, resorting to wanton exploitation of natural resources and what not? Did we ever care to think of preserving Nature? Then how can we expect that Nature will care to think for us? We have rightfully earned this tragedy and therefore we will have to suffer this. Thinking of the indifference of Nature, a story by Gurudev Tagore which I read during my school days, comes to my mind - The Child’s Return (Khokababur Pratyabartan). The young child of a rich family is in the care of old faithful Raicharan. He takes the child one day for the usual evening stroll on the banks of Padma River which is in full spate thanks to the heavy monsoon rains. The child forces him to go to fetch a beautiful Kadamb flower while he himself moves near the gushing water of the river despite repeated warnings by Raicharan not to venture near the river. And then there is a loud sound as if something has fallen in the waters, but such sounds are commonly heard on the banks of Padma during rains. The caretaker returns to find the boy missing. His blood freezes, his world turns into a hazy smoke, he screams. But Padma continues to flow unmindfully, as though unaware of anything, and as though it has no time to bother about such trivial worldly matters. Putting a brake on my deluge of thoughts, I get down from my bed. Indeed Nature has no time to bother about such trivial worldly matters as have befallen the Mankind today!

Police cracks down citizens who were loitering around With the police cracking down on the lockdown loiterers with a zealous disposition, G Plus followers had a lot to say about the high-handedness.

Rupak Choudhary

Then why did not the government advise the citizens to purchase groceries vegetables and medicines? If someone goes out for a genuine reason, the police without asking and proving the genuineness start beating. Is it the way? Total madness prevailed among the police personnel in the name of combating virus.

Jyoti Prakash Mahanta

The government should have also done this (when it had enough time) to those who have imported the virus from affected countries and didn’t adhere to precautions. It didn’t bother to allocate enough resources to quarantine those people and prevent the virus from getting into its population from foreign countries. Now the people going for daily needs are being beaten up for no fault of theirs.

Abhishek Soni

Shantanu Sutradhar

Police should be more responsible in this situation. Some people are there who don’t have money in their pocket and with this lockdown they might be confused on what to do now. Then he somehow arranges some money the next day and tries to get some food from the market but in between the police lathi charges him and he is forced to move back home empty handed whereas his family is hungry and expecting some food. This is not the way to treat people. Don’t use your power unnecessarily.

Nargis Ahmed

The public is making a grave mistake. They are not following the orders which have been given by our government repeatedly. It’s completely their fault and off course they will do it to protect it. And by the way why are police not following general precaution measures that doctors said like avoid touching hands? Why are they not using masks and gloves (which is the foremost thing to be used)?

Soni I agree that a lockdown means a lockdown where no one should have to come out of their house. But then as mentioned earlier, the lockdown was supposed to be until March 31. And all of a sudden the government of India announces lockdown for 21 days. I understand that the lockdown is for the welfare of the people. But then these so-called protectors of law fail to have this much amount of common sense that due to increase in number of days of lockdown, the essential items would run short. What good is opening the pharmacies, grocery stores, ATMs when the public can’t even access it. Question the public first whether they are going for buying essentials or not. Or open a WhatsApp number where the public will send a text to these officials before leaving to purchase any essentials. And upon the permit with time validity can only the said person can leave. This way, in case the police question anyone on the street about their presence on the roads, the public will have a proof of confirmation for the same.

14 Feature

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Arjun's chariot A rjun Singh put on his mask. It was black and made in China. He bought two the other day, for eighty rupees and gave one to Kishan, his 18-year-old helper. "Oye Kishan. Ready?" he asked. "Ji Bhaiyya," shouted Kishan peering into and checking the left rear wheels. Arjun and Kishan will be carrying sixteen tons of rice from Guwahati to Dibrugarh. 46-year-old Arjun has been driving trucks since he was 23. He started as a helper. He still remembers his first meeting with Gulshan Sahu. Sahu was a transporter from Kosli in Haryana, about fifteen kilometres from Arjun's village, Bawa. Owner of 18 trucks, Sahu was foul-mouthed but took care of his staff. "Tu toh baccha hain, the milk has not dried on your lips," exclaimed Sahu when Arjun said he wanted work. But Gulshan liked the well-built 17-year-old Arjun and paired

Babu Ram's favourite. The trees passing, one by one, kept beat. At first, Arjun hated the claustrophobic cabin of the truck. He didn't like squeezing and sleeping on the bunk behind the seats. He preferred sleeping outside. But he did not mind cooking. He would take the stove and quickly make food for himself and Babu Ram. In his late fifties, Babu Ram did not make too many demands. But he was strict when it came to maintenance. Every morning, Arjun had to check the whole truck with “eagleiya nazar” as Babu Ram termed it - with the eyes of an eagle! Arjun quickly learnt the rules of the game. Babu Ram told him "Betta, tere bina truck chalegi nahin. You check every piece of the truck and I will keep the truck in one piece." Arjun liked Babu Ram, his grey hair, thick eyebrows, calm demeanour and sharp eyes. One thing Arjun came to accept in life was the abuse

Representative Image him with Babu Ram, a veteran of trucking. Happily, Arjun went home and gave the good news to his mother and two sisters. "Teri parhai ka kya hoga? Your education will be destroyed." His mother, Shyamli was concerned, but knew her son has to work now to sustain the family. Shyamli was getting old and her work was back breaking. Arjun didn't say anything, looked at his mother and smiled. Shyamli had started working in the cotton fields of Ramdyal, a rich farmer, after the death of her husband who worked as a labourer in a fertiliser plant. Arjun's sisters, Anu, 10 and Sonu, 12 were too young to comprehend but were excited because their “bhaiyya” will now earn and bring them gifts. And so his journey began. Young Arjun learnt everything from Babu Ram as he travelled across India. He liked letting his mind wander as he gazed at the passing scenery through the small window. The monotony of the engine noise would sometimes break when Babu Ram softly sang a song. The peppy “Bagar Bam Bam” was

thrown at truckers. At first he didn't understand. It seemed people simply hated truckers. For no reason! He once asked, "Babu bhaiyya, why do people abuse us? They treat us like enemies. Why do they always seem afraid?" Babu Ram simply laughed and started humming “Lya Hat Mane Pakraiye.” "If you want to be a good truck driver, control your anger," said Babu Ram. Arjun got used to it. "Chal chal. Hurry. Have to leave now," Arjun said looking at his watch. "Ho gaya, done," Kishan shouted as he pulled and checked the harnessing rope. Beltola was silent, calm and deserted. Arjun had arrived eight days earlier carrying sugar from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. On the way he heard about the “Chini Bimari.” He remembered his many trips through Bihar when “Japani Bukhar” was on, a few years ago. He had told Kishan to stop smoking. "These bidis will kill you." Arjun never smoked. He

The author presents a fictionalized account of a trucker and his helper stranded in Guwahati in the midst of the Coronavirus lockdown and preparing to expedite a delivery order to Dibrugarh amidst the empty streets of Guwahati.

started drinking only after he got his license and became a driver. Babu Ram hated drunks. Arjun felt guilty the first time he drank in a dhaba. He imagined Babu Ram singing “Bagar Bam Bam” and looking at him. Piercingly! Babu Ram had died a year after Arjun drove his first truck. He was on a trip from Jalandhar to Cuttack and had met with an accident. Spot dead, they had said. Arjun was in Ahmedabad. It was a sad day. They got stuck in Guwahati for five days. He got a frantic call from his wife Preet. "Arrey, they have closed India for 21 days! For the Chini bimari. Now what will you do? Where will you stay? What will you eat?" Endless questions. Arjun felt panic building inside. But kept his voice calm. "Don't worry. We are safe. Koyee dikkat nahi. How are the kids?" "Everything's ok here. But now what will you do"? Preet had a shaky voice. "I will let you know. Something will come up. I have some money with me. Don't worry. Take care of the kids." His wife told him about the hand washing, the mask wearing, staying away from crowds. The whole routine. "Ok ok. I am already doing all that," Arjun said, embarrassed. He had heard people talk about it, but never really bothered till now. He talked to his mother, son Binod, 14 and daughter Divya, 12. All of them asked where he was. All of them told him to come home soon. He said he will. Arjun along with Kishan had put up in Shanti Hotel where he always stayed when in Guwahati. It was cheap and good. Now he is stuck here for God knows how long. The good thing is Narayanji, the owner of Shanti Hotel has his quarters nearby. He arranged food for the few guests. Arjun called up his transport agency manager Amit Das.

Amit told him to stay where he was. "They will require goods to be moved. I will book your truck when there's an order." He then called up his sisters. Both were married and happy. He told them not to worry. Amit called him up yesterday with the news. It was a booking from FCI. "You take the rice to Dibrugarh. Wait there. We will find some order and booking for you there." Arjun wanted to go to his family in Bawa. But there were no bookings out of Assam. He accepted. The money would help. He remembered something his mother used to say. "If you are confused which way to go, stand still. Go only when you are sure. When you go, don't look back." Arjun revved up the engine. Kishan got in and sat beside him. The whole city was closed. Very few cars were plying. "This is called lockdown beta." With a look of consternation Kishan nodded his head. Arjun eased the truck from the parking onto the road. It was eerie. The sound of his truck seemed to echo from all sides. In a flash, Arjun pictured the whole route, from Guwahati to Bawa, the sights, the sounds, the hustle bustle, the traffic, the dhabas. All ghostly silent now. An image of his family standing on the doorway, looking at him, crossed his mind. His stomach felt empty. He jerked up and firmly held the steering. Kishan was looking out of the window at the closed shops. Arjun patted his shirt pocket. His documents were ready. Amit had told him they will be checked regularly. Preet had called him in the morning. "Bimari phail rahi hain. The disease is spreading. Promise you will come back

Pranjal Sarma safely." Her tone was pleading. He accelerated a bit. Ahead, in the distance, he could see the Khanapara flyover. There will be a check post there, he guessed. He had heard a news anchor on TV the previous night, talking about people who were fighting the “Chini Bimari,” it's called Corona, now he knew. The anchor used the word 'yoddha'. A thought struck Arjun, and he suddenly felt good. He too was now a warrior, fighting a Chinese disease. He had always felt proud of Kosli. This town has given many sons for the Indian Army. "Will we survive bhaiyya? Will we die here?" The fear was palpable in Kishan's voice as he looked at Arjun worriedly. Arjun felt his heart wrench a little. This Kishan was a great helper. And a fine cook. Looking straight ahead, Arjun firmed his shoulders. "Listen Kishan. This is how I see it. This is not a truck. It's a chariot. I, Arjun, am the charioteer. And you Kishan, my helper. We have to do this. We have to win. Then we go home. You do what I tell you. Chal Beta. We start from Assam." Kishan sat up straight and smiled at him. Arjun felt good. He started humming. “Bagar Bam Bam." (The author is a resident of Guwahati, is self-employed interested in writing tit-bits)

In The News

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Covid-19 Impact: Northeasterners facing bitter sting of discrimination in mainland India Chayanika Das @cdchayanika95

n the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, the government is doing everything possible to keep the citizens sane, healthy and positive. As the Coronavirus sweeps through countries taking away lives everyday, many people in mainland India seem to have lost their sanity. When people in Italy are spreading love from their balconies by singing, dancing and praying during the time of grief, Indians are going out on the streets spitting on people and harassing anyone with Mongolian features. Several doctors have stated that India has now entered Stage 3 of the pandemic and claim that the government has manipulated the current figures. In this time of stress, instead of standing for one another, some people have chosen the path of hatred. Many incidents of Northeasterners being called ‘Coronavirus’ and thrown out of their homes by their landlords have gone viral on social media. These are the people who prefer living in denial and remain ignorant of the current situation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ‘Janata Curfew’ on March 22. While addressing the country, he asked every individual to come to their respective balconies and stand in solidarity with all the frontline heroes who are risking their lives just to keep everyone safe. Everyone united and once again videos of solidarity took the internet by storm. But soon a few individuals stepped out of their houses to call out on Northeasterners and blame them for the current issue. Similar incidents have happened in the United States and other countries where people with oriental features are being attacked.

Manipuri woman spat on by middle-aged man in Delhi

Even though many such cases went viral on social media, very few were reported by the mainstream media. One such incident that caught the limelight was that of a Manipuri girl who was spat on

by a middle-aged man in Delhi. A picture of the girl with stained shirt went viral on social media. The incident took place in North Delhi’s Vijay Vihar when a man in a two-wheeler called her ‘Coronavirus’ and stained her shirt with tobacco. In no time Delhi police registered a case under section 509 of the Indian Penal Code against the man. The incident drew sharp criticism from all quarters. Delhi police identified the man as Gaurav Vohra, a resident of Gurh Mandi in Model Town and arrested him on March 25. The 40-year-old man works at a pressure cooker manufacturing unit. Highlighting the issue on Twitter, a New Delhi-based advocate and activist Alana Golmei wrote, "Another racist attack on NE girl reported just now in North Campus calling her Coronavirus and spitting on her. Are the concerned authorities waiting for untoward situation to happen again? Incident like Nido Tania should not happen again to any of our NE boys and girls." In another viral video, a few girls from Kolkata were seen being attacked and beaten by their neighbours. They demanded the girls leave the locality immediately. In another, a few girls in Gujarat were asked to vacate the house by their landlord. In the video, the girls can be seen explaining the horrific incident to the police. The police calmed them down and told them no one can stop them from staying in the house, not even the landlords since they are citizens of the country.

Victims share stories of discrimination

Several stories of northeasterners facing discrimination outside their hometown are doing the rounds on social media. While many dared to share the incidents on different social media platforms, many buried their stories within. Students from northeast studying in Kolkata also became victims of such hate crimes. Winnie Phanbuh, a massmedia student of Jadavpur University said she witnessed several incidents in just a matter of a week. Narrating the first, she said, “The first incident took place on March 20, when my sister, her friends

Representative Image and I were heading towards the dental clinic in a rickshaw. An aged man shouted, ‘Dekho dekho Coronavirus hain! (Look, look, they are Coronavirus!).’ We did not say anything since we thought there are so many like him on the streets and it is next to impossible educating each and every one of them.” “Another incident happened on March 23. We were again walking to the dental clinic when an ambulance passed by us and the driver stuck his head out and yelled, ‘Go back home, to China, (in a very disgusting manner).’ This was really sad,” she added. Muanlian from Manipur is currently studying in Kolkata. Sharing his story he said, “On March 20, I had a doctor’s appointment in Sarat Bose Road. As soon as I entered the clinic everyone looked at me with surprise. The lady at the reception sprayed some hand sanitizer on my hand and asked me to sit. After a while she again came up to me to spray another round of hand sanitizer. She then handed me a mask made out of an A4 size paper. There were other patients without masks but she only gave it to me. Everyone looked at me like they disapproved of my presence

there.” “Suddenly I heard the women sitting next to me whisper to her daughter, ‘He is Corona.’ I pretended not to hear anything and put on my earphones. When I went to the pharmacy to collect the medicines prescribed by the doctor, the man at the counter

randomly called me ‘Corona.’ I told him I am from Manipur and not ‘Corona.’ He gave me the medicines and as soon as I turned my back he started laughing and again shouted, ‘Corona.’ Even on my way back home, so many stopped to call me ‘Corona.’”

16 Fun Horoscope of the week

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 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

A 30th March will be a great day for you to schedule your important meetings and share your ideas with your seniors. Avoid any confrontations on 28th March. 29th March you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues, superiors or extended family. 31st March you could have a fall out with a superior or someone at work.

31st March and 3 rd April are ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work and build your work network. 28th March you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors or extended family. Lay low on 29th March; you are bound to have disagreements with others. Avoid making any promises on 29th March and 1st April, you will have to live up to them.

It will be a good week for you especially 1st and 2nd April, for good results host your meetings on these dates, share your ideas with your superiors, network with your business associates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 30th March; you are bound to have disagreements.

It will be a great week for you. 29th, 30th March and 1st, 2nd April will be great days for you to connect with your senior and share your ideas with him/her, you could host your important meetings on these dates. You could have issues with your seniors or your extended family on 31st March and 3 rd April, don’t get into a confrontation.

You have a good week ahead. 30th, 31st March and 3rd April will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors and build a relationship with them. Host your important meetings on these dates. 1st April you could have issues at your work place with your seniors or clients, avoid hosting any meetings.

This week will be better than average for you. 30th and 31st March will be excellent days for you to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. Avoid hosting any meetings especially with your seniors on 2nd April. You are bound to have disagreements.

You have a great week ahead of you. 29th March and 1st, 2nd April 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. Watch your words and actions on 28th March; you could create your own problems. 3 rd April avoid hosting any meetings.

You will have a slow week. 2nd April will be great days for you to build a rapport with your seniors and people at work, host your important meetings on these dates. 1st April avoid making any promises, you will have to live up to them. 29th March will be a slow day for you. 3 rd April you will be emotionally hurt by your seniors or your extended family.

30th March will be a slow day for you. You will have issues at work or with your superiors or clients on 2nd April, try not to get into a confrontation. Share your ideas with your seniors or host your important meetings on 3 rd April.

Watch your words and actions on 31st March; you could create your own problems. 1st April you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or your seniors. Not a day to schedule important meetings. Avoid drinking with your work mates or your extended family on 3 rd April.

You will have an extremely slow week. If you were planning to take a break from work then this is the perfect week to do so. Watch yourself on 29th March, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. 31st March you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or your seniors.

29th March is ideal day for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work and build your work network. 30th March you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors. Be careful with your words and actions on 2nd April you will create your own problems.

Sudoku 1

4 1 95 8 92 3 4 8 5 4

6 5 4 19

3 88 6 2

5 7 16 3 9 2 8 8 34 1

1 9 3 1 1 7 28 4 9 5 7 4 7 1 9 7 7 6

Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Fri27-Mar-2020 20-Mar-2020

7 7

8 6

18 2

3 2

easy medium

last week solution 93 46 87 18 25 59 18 73 32 74 61 95 87 92 23 39 78 15 46 64 64 31 59 27 51 88 75 46 46 67 32 51 19 23 94 82

29 4 3 25 57 61 2 4 68 73 57 6 8 82 34 48 1 7 46 61 82 3 5 9 12

16 49 91 55

73 96 5 1 34 28 87 3 9 71 46 22 14 8 2 57 99 38 75 7 6 13 85 64

Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Fri27-Mar-2020 20-Mar-2020

Dilbert By Scott Adams

curio-city

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

1. Reliance Industries

6. Name the monument built to honor George Washington, the United States’ first president.

2. Tamil Nadu

5. Which state’s glaciers are melting faster in comparison to other Himalayan regions?

noun superficial knowledge.

3. International Monetary

4. Who among the British Royal family tested positive for Coronavirus on March 25, 2020?

British Slang. exhausted; very tired

Fund

3. Which international organisation recently asked the government of India to take immediate steps to rejuvenate its economy?

[ sahy-uh-liz-uhm ]

adjective [nak-erd]

4. Prince Charles

2. Which state government has decided to promote students up to class 9 without exams amid the 21day lockdown announcement?

sciolism

5. Sikkim

1. Which company has set up India’s first 100-bed COVID-19 dedicated hospital?

Word of the week Word knackered of the week

6. Washington Monument

curio-city

easy medium

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

Fiction

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Jogging with Zeenat Aman

t was around the middle of August 1983 when my elder sister received a phone call from the Principal of Wilson College, Mumbai informing her that her son, my nephew Bikram, had been struck down with a sudden illness and he had to be hospitalized. The family immediately rallied round for this emergency and decided that I should accompany my sister to Mumbai to help her in this moment of crisis. I had never been to Mumbai before so I went to meet my dear friend late Nripen Dutta Baruah to consult his much consulted diary to find out if there was anyone there in this big city who was from our school or college. He located the name of another school friend late Kunal Sadhu who was working there with Glaxo and armed with his phone number I was happy that at least there would be one person I knew there. Of course my aunt and cousins were there but I was always happy to find out that a friend was there too. Later that evening as I was packing, my wife Reena told me about her very good friends Ashwini and Sanjana who were in Mumbai but I was hesitant to contact them as Ashwini being the then ADC to the Governor of Maharastra, and residing at Walkeshwar, in my mind would be too busy to help me. But as she had already informed them of my coming there I noted down their phone number and hoped that I would not require calling or disturbing them. Our cousin was at the Mumbai airport to receive us and he took us home to his place at Andheri via the hospital where Bikram was admitted to a general ward. He was not very happy to see us as he realised the cost and inconvenience for his mother to see him like this; she told me quietly that we must get him to a private room. I promised her that I would do something tomorrow as it was already 9 pm then. My cousin had a small two bedroom flat with a common bathroom. My sister stayed in our aunt’s room and they made me comfortable on a sofa in the drawing room. I realised how tough it was for accommodation for the people in Mumbai and I never imagined the cramped life style in a mega city. I decided that I must get out tomorrow and contact Reena’s friends as I saw no alternative to be able to do anything on my own in this big congested city. After breakfast I took my leave with my luggage and left for the hospital with my sister in a taxi genuinely grateful for all the help extended by my cousin. By about 11 am I decided to ring up the number given by my wife and I was surprised to hear Sanjana’s voice exclaim “Hi Ranjan…we were waiting for your call to come and pick you all up yesterday only.. anyway, tell me where you are and Ashwini will go and meet you..” her tone was full of warmth and

a genuine concern as if we were long lost friends. Then the ADC himself came on the line and I told him the hospital address and he simply said “hang on”, and that he would be there in twenty minutes. Somehow I felt as if a big load was off me and I told my sister and nephew to wait and that help was on its way. On the dot of twenty minutes he was there in a chauffeured black sedan in full ADC uniform and he hugged me tight. I gave him the details and I requested him to find a hospital with a paying cabin for Bikram so that my sister could also stay with him as the attendant. He made one phone call, crosschecked my budget and then said, come on, we are going to move him to a private hospital well within your budget and is also known for its competent doctors. Within an hour we moved from the civil hospital to this neat hospital and it was a comfortable upgrade for my nephew. My sister was most happy and after settling them properly I took my leave to find my lodgings for the night ….our cousin had very kindly volunteered to bring her luggage and drop it off in the hospital. Ashwini expected that I would go with him to the Governor’s house to stay with them but I declined saying that I have some tea sale works to attend, which actually I had planned to do both in Mumbai and Surat. We had rented a premises to start a new tea shop in Fancy Bazar Guwahati and that Marwari business family was assisting us to expand the sales. Their main business was the wholesale of clothes in the North east and they had an office in Mumbai next to an iconic location where I was heading to meet the brother there who was running the business in Mumbai. I located the address quite easily and climbed up the stairs to the shop where already there was a Punjabi trader from Imphal and a Bengali dealer from Tripura, comfortably sprawled out on a huge white mattress with a TV on the side. The brother was expecting me and greeted me warmly and offered me lunch in which he also joined and we discussed about the tea sale plans. My luggage was on one side and he very kindly asked me to stay as long as I liked sleeping on the mattress with their traders who used to visit for their annual orders and settlements of the accounts. There was a common bathroom and I could come in any time as there was a caretaker who cooked and cleaned up the place. Here again I declined as I did not quite like the prospect of spending nights with unknown men in such close proximity. I also had this medical problem to solve and I needed my space and quiet to sleep at night. The brother then introduced me to his nephew Suraj and told him to be my guide as long as I wanted in Mumbai which was a big help. So thanking him and taking my leave the nephew and I left in

an auto towards a place called “Kemp’s Corner”, which address I had discreetly obtained from my friend Kunal Sadhu. This was a small B & B lodging place and luckily I got the last room, which was very clean and comfortable. But this place only allotted rooms on a daily basis and there was no guarantee that a room would be available the next day. Anyway I settled down after hopping over to a small shop next door for a drink and some light dinner. This place was literally on a corner with quite some traffic but as the night became longer it got quiet and I had a nice sleep and rest. Next morning I rang up Kunal and he came over to have breakfast with me. He solved my hotel problem at once as he took me to a place called “West End” where I got a good room and there was no bar on my staying there for a longer period. This became my home at Mumbai for about a week, when I attended to the doctor meetings, did the rounds of the various export houses with the help of the Mumbai brother who did try to sell our teas as there would also be a commission for them. Whenever I had any free time Suraj would be there and I remember seeing quite a few sites of interest like the famous Colaba restaurants when we gorged on succulent kebabs and beer. The young man loved to eat meat and have a beer or two but he requested me not to tell his uncle; of course I assured him and we became good friends. In between, Ashwini and Sanjana had offered me to move in with them while I was at Mumbai and I did come over to have a couple of dinners with them. They led very busy lives as she was working with Piramal Industries and he was always busy with the Governor O.P.Mehra on official meetings and trips but they would still take out time to enquire about my well being and offer any assistance. Somehow I just opened up with them and I told them I was looking forward to come and stay with them after my nephew’s medical issues were cleared up. The Governors house was a very well laid out area with its own helipad and state guest house on the campus. It also had a museum and the Governor himself called me over one day for tea as he found out my tea connection and his son was working in Tea in Assam. The Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations were around the corner and I decided to move in with my new friends after spending about a week at the hotel. The first evening itself they told me about the private beach attached to the place where Zeenat Aman used to come for her jogging and exercises and anyone living here had access to this beach and could watch her from a distance. Sanjana also told me that she was scheduled to come at 6 am the next morning and I should go to see her. So next morning attired in my walking shorts and shoes I went down to

the beach and saw that already a small crowd of the staff and a few visitors were all gathered to have a glimpse of the actress. There she was on a chair shaded with an umbrella so that she did not catch a tan and her trainer, hair stylist and personal attendant were all in attendance. She used to get up, jog around a bit and come back and flop down on the easy chair; her face would be gently wiped, the hair stylist set her hair properly and she would have a sip of a fruit drink and repeat the sequence a few times. I watched for around forty five minutes, also walking around to get some exercise but her area was cordoned off so no one could approach her. Later when I met my sister and nephew and told them about my experience and how lucky I was firstly to stay with my new friends at the Governor’s House in Walkeshwar, and jog around in the same beach with Zeenat Aman. The doctor had cleared Bikram and after a few days I booked our train tickets to Surat for the final leg of the tea sale attempt there. Surat had the biggest whole sale clothes market in India and also boasted of the first ever revolving restaurant which we visited on the first day itself. The eldest brother of the Marwari family stayed in Surat and he also hosted us for dinner one evening; he also took me around to meet the big tea dealers like Wagh Bakri and many others and they all evinced interest in our teas. Then we went to see a retail tea shop called No 9 Tea Shop which had the record then of selling over 1500 kg. teas daily on a retail basis. He had readymade packets and there was a line in his counter just like an Amitabh Bachhan starrer! The owner had started his career at Guwahati when the tea auction first started there and he still continued his partnership with a firm owned by one Narayan Das at Fancy bazaar who bought all the

Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com best teas for him at the auctions. Indeed Gujarat was a good market for the superior quality teas produced in Assam along with the many packeteers there. I had to spend about a week more at Mumbai and this time I just went straight to stay with Sanjana and Ashwini and this time they insisted that I bring my sister and nephew with me. They had big high ceilinged guest rooms and we witnessed the Ganesh Charthurthi festival in the Governor’s house itself dancing with the diyas down to the very beach where I had watched Zeenat Aman a week ago. There dancing with the Governor’s entourage we immersed the Ganesha statue in the sea shouting “Ganapati Baba Moriya.” My indoctrination into a Maharashtrian was complete. The best part was getting to know Ashwini and Sanjana. I have never met a couple so friendly, helpful and outgoing and as I was Reena’s husband whom both of them knew from their college days in Guwahati, I was adopted into their inner circle. Indeed meeting them was a blessing for me to make such good friends and happy memories on this journey of life. Now whenever we meet we just take off from where we left and though they are now settled in Dubai where Ashwini has set up his own thriving car leasing business we remain in touch. Of course Sanjana never misses the chance to pull my leg for running off so fast that morning to see Zeenat Aman jogging on the private beach at Walkeshwar!

18 Lifestyle

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Vaastu factors to consider before buying a flat Purchase a flat built in a square or rectangular plot. If a flat has three roads around it, but preferably no road in the south, it is very good. Avoid purchasing a flat opposite crossroads. It is best to buy a flat that has roads all four sides. Do not buy flats that are at

the turning of a road. 6. Do not buy a flat at the dead end of a corridor. It is better to but a flat from people who have been successful and happy in life. The northeast of any flat should not be blocked by a toilet, kitchen or stairs. A flat having roads in east and west is good provided

it has a gate in east. Make sure that all other vaastu parameters are ok before buying a flat having roads in south and west. The southwest corner must be 90 degrees as per the magnetic compass. The apartment complex must have its source of water at northeast, north or east.

The transformer and the DG set should be in the southeast, south or northwest in that order.

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

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

The main door of the flat should not be in front of the staircase or lift.

FACTORS WHILE DECORATING THE INTERIOR OF A HOUSE Placement of furniture in all the rooms Placement of the accessories in the kitchen

and bathroom The colour schemes for paints for different rooms.

The colours of the drapery and choice of materials for different rooms.

Placement of inverter, washing machine, electrical items.

The colour for the exteriors.

Choice and placement of

plants to be put in an area and plants to be avoided in the building.

SOCIAL DISTANCING AND SELF-QUARANTINE Sohini Chakraborty Chatterjee

ocial Distancing is the term which has been quite heard in the past few days in relation to the recent alarming situation globally. This is found to be the only means of preventing the coronavirus from further spreading in the mass till now. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one should maintain at least 1 metre (3 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing because when someone coughs or sneezes, they spray small liquid droplets from their nose or mouth which may contain the virus. If you are too close, you can breathe in the droplets, including the COVID-19 virus if the person coughing has been infected.

The virus spreads through?

Direct close contact with a person while they are infected or in the 24 hours before their symptoms appeared Close contact with a person with a confirmed infection who is coughing or sneezing Touching objects or surfaces (such as door handles or tables) contaminated from a cough or sneeze from

a person with confirmed infection, and then touching your mouth or face A person with travel history is more likely to be a carrier for the virus

What you can do?

First of all, it is our responsibility to be safe and not to infect even others. We have to maintain the basic hygiene. Staying away from people if we are sick. In the current COVID-19 scenario stay more than 1 meter from people who are coughing or sneezing. When at home and if you are sick, ensure you are inside your room – that is the most important thing you can do. Practicing good hand hygiene and sneeze/cough hygiene. Washing hands frequently with soap and water, before and after eating, cooking and going to the toilet. Covering our nose and mouth while coughing and sneezing, disposing off tissues, and using alcoholbased hand sanitizer.

Regularly disinfection of high touch surfaces, such as tables, kitchen floor, and tables and doorknobs.

We must practice pranayama and asanas like uttiyasana, matsasana to boost up our immunity.

Visiting shops sparingly and trying to buy more items at one go, rather than frequently going outside, though we are not supposed to buy entirely the market making food items unavailable.

We must take deep breath to soothe our mind.

The packages coming from outside or from online shopping should be kept as such for at least one day without touching and the package should be cleaned with alcohol based sanitizer before opening it. Stocking the necessary medicines especially critical medicines for elderly persons. Avoiding any kind of outsider like newspaper, milkman, domestic help at least for these few days for the sake of both sides. • Strict no-no to any kind of social gathering.

Apart from these we should keep in mind certain things such as:

As most of us are working from home nowadays, we must maintain our time management accordingly, otherwise our body clock will be disturbed. We may nurture our hobbies like reading books or listening to music to build up positivity within us. We may try different recipes at home involving nutritious food items to make it healthy as well as to reduce boredom.We can try making dry roasted millet chips or sesame-dates-nuts ladoo etc which are nutritious and can be stored too. • We must not panic and must not spread rumours about the disease without getting any information from any authentic source.

What is self-quarantine or self-isolation? People who have been exposed

to the new coronavirus and who are at risk for coming down with COVID-19 might practice self-quarantine. Health experts recommend that self-quarantine lasts 14 days. Two weeks provides enough time for them to know whether or not they will become ill and be contagious to other people. In addition to social distancing steps, this involves: •Strictly staying at home and not going out at all.

Staying away from other people in your home. Try to keep at least 3 steps (2 metres) away from others, particularly people over 70 or with a long-term condition. Sleeping alone is suggested. We, after all, evolved as a species that thrives on human connection and cooperation.Thus it is high time for all of us to be safe and to make the world a safer place.

In The News

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Theatre as a Shrine

t is a great honour for me to write the World Theatre Day 2020 Message. It is a most humbling feeling but it is also an exciting thought that Pakistani theatre and Pakistan itself, has been recognized by the ITI, the most influential and representative world theatre body of our times. This honour is also a tribute to Madeeha Gauhar, theatre icon and Ajoka Theatre founder, also my life partner, who passed away two years ago. The Ajoka team has come a long, hard way, literally from Street to Theatre. But that is the story of many a theatre group, I am sure. It is never easy or smooth sailing. It is always a struggle. I come from a predominantly Muslim country, which has seen several military dictatorships, the horrible onslaught of religious extremists and three wars with neighbouring India, with whom we share thousands of years of history and heritage. Today we still live in fear of a full-blown war with our twinbrother neighbour, even a nuclear war, as both countries now have nuclear weapons. We sometimes say in jest; “bad times are a good time for theatre”. There is no dearth of challenges to be faced, contradictions to be exposed and status quo to be subverted. My theatre group, Ajoka and I have been walking this tightrope for over 36 years now. It has indeed been a tight rope: to maintain the balance between entertainment and education, between searching and learning from the past and preparing for the future, between creative free expression and adventurous showdowns with authority, between socially critical and financially viable theatre, between reaching out to the masses and being avant-garde. One may say that a theatre-maker has to be a conjurer, a magician. In Pakistan, a clear division has existed between the Sacred and the Profane. For the Profane, there is no room for religious questioning, while for the Sacred, there is no possibility of open debate or new ideas. In fact, the conservative establishment consider art and culture out of bounds for its “sacred games”. So, the playing field for the performing artists has been like a hurdles race. They have to first prove their credentials as good Muslims and compliant citizens and also try to establish that dance, music and theatre are “allowed” in Islam. A large number of observant Muslims have hence been reluctant to embrace the performing arts even though the elements of dance, music and theatre are embedded in their daily lives. And then we stumbled on a subculture which had the potential to bring the Sacred and Profane

on the same stage. During the military rule in Pakistan in the 1980s, Ajoka was launched by a group of young artists who challenged the dictatorship through a socially and politically bold theatre of dissent. They found that their feelings, their anger, their anguish, were so amazingly expressed by a Sufi bard, who lived some 300 years ago. This was the great Sufi poet Bulleh Shah. Ajoka found it could make politically explosive statements through his poetry, challenging corrupt political authority and bigoted religious establishment. The authorities could ban or banish us but not a revered and popular Sufi poet like Bulleh Shah. We discovered that his life was as dramatic and radical as his poetry, which had earned him fatwas and banishment in his lifetime. I then wrote, “Bulha”, a play about Bulleh Shah’s life and struggle. Bulha, as he is lovingly referred to by the masses across South Asia, was from a tradition of Punjabi Sufi poets who fearlessly challenged the authority of the emperors and the clerical demagogues, through their poetry and practice. They wrote in the language of the people and about the aspirations of the masses. In music and dance, they found the vehicles to achieve a direct association between Man and God, by-passing with disdain, the exploitative religious middlemen. They defied gender and class divides and looked at the planet with wonder, as a manifestation of the Almighty. The Arts Council of Lahore rejected the script on the grounds that it was not a play but merely a biography. However, when the play was performed at an alternative venue, the Goethe Institute, the audience saw, understood and appreciated the symbolism in the life and poetry of the people’s poet. They could fully identify with his life and times and see the parallels with their own lives and times. A new kind of theatre was born that day in 2001. Devotional Qawwali music, Sufi Dhamal dancing and inspirational poetry recitation, even the meditative Zikir chanting7, became parts of the play. A group of Sikhs, who were in town to attend a Punjabi conference and had popped in to see the play, invaded the stage at the end, hugging and kissing the actors and crying. They were sharing the stage for the first time with Muslim Punjabis after the Partition of India in 1947, which resulted in the division of Punjab on communal lines. Bulleh Shah had been as dear to them as he was to Muslim Punjabis; for Sufis transcend religious or communal divides. This memorable premiere was followed by Bulleh Shah’s Indian odyssey. Starting with a

On World Theatre Day of 27th March, 2020, G Plus carries the full text of the message written by Shahid Nadeem, award-winning Pakistani journalist, playwright, screenwriter, theatre and television director, and a human rights activist. He served as the general manager, program director, and deputy managing director of the Pakistan Television Corporation.

trail-blazing tour of the Indian part of the Punjab, “Bulha” was performed in the length and breadth of India, even in times of gravest tensions between the two countries and in places where the audience did not know a single word of Punjabi but loved every moment of the play. While the doors for political dialogue and diplomacy were being closed one by one, the doors of theatre halls and the hearts of the Indian public remained wide open. During the Ajoka tour of Indian Punjab in 2004, after a very warmly received performance before a rural audience of thousands, an old man came to the actor playing the role of the great Sufi. The old man was accompanied by a young boy. “My grandson is very unwell; would you please blow a blessing upon him.” The actor was taken aback and said, “Babaji, I am not Bulleh Shah, I am just an actor playing this role.” The old man started crying and said, “Please bless my grandson, I know he will recover, if you do.” We suggested to the actor to grant the old man his wish. The actor blew a blessing upon the young boy. The old man was satisfied. Before leaving, he said these words: “Son, you are not an actor, you are a reincarnation of Bulleh Shah, his Avatar.” Suddenly a whole new concept of acting, of theatre, dawned upon us, where the actor becomes the reincarnation of the character he or she is portraying. In the 18 years of touring with “Bulha”, we have noticed a similar response from an apparently uninitiated audience, for whom the performance is not just an entertaining or an intellectually stimulating experience but a soul-stirring spiritual encounter. In fact the actor playing the role of

Bulleh Shah’s Sufi Master, was so profoundly influenced by the experience that he himself became a Sufi poet and has since published two collections of poems. The performers involved in the production have shared that when the performance starts, they feel that the spirit of Bulleh Shah is among them and the stage seems to have been elevated to a higher plane. An Indian scholar, when writing about the play, gave it the title: “When Theatre Becomes a Shrine”. I am a secular person and my interest in Sufism is mainly cultural. I am more interested in the performative and artistic aspects of Punjabi Sufi poets but my audience, who may not be extremists or bigoted but may hold sincere religious beliefs. Exploring stories such as that of Bulleh Shah, and there are so many in all cultures, can become a bridge between us, the theatremakers and an unacquainted but enthusiastic audience. Together we can discover the spiritual dimensions of theatre and build bridges between the past and present, leading to a future which is the destiny of all communities; believers and nonbelievers, actors and old men, and their grandsons. The reason why I am sharing the story of Bulleh Shah and our exploration of a kind of Sufi Theatre is that while performing on stage, we sometimes get carried away by our philosophy of theatre, our role as harbingers of social change and in doing so, leave a large section of the masses behind. In our engagement with the challenges of the present, we deprive ourselves of the possibilities of a deeply moving spiritual experience which theatre can provide. In

Shahid NADEEM Pakistan

today’s world where bigotry, hate and violence is on the rise once again, nations seem to be pitted against nations, believers are fighting other believers and communities are spewing hatred against other communities… and in the meanwhile children die of malnutrition, mothers during childbirth due to the lack of timely medical care and ideologies of hate flourish. Our planet is plunging deeper and deeper into a climatic and climactic catastrophe and one can hear the hoof-beats of the horses of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. We need to replenish our spiritual strength; we need to fight apathy, lethargy, pessimism, greed and disregard for the world we live in, the Planet we live on. Theatre has a role, a noble role, in energizing and mobilizing humanity to lift itself from its descent into the abyss. It can uplift the stage, the performance space, into something sacred. In South Asia, the artists touch with reverence the floor of the stage before stepping onto it, an ancient tradition when the spiritual and the cultural were intertwined. It is time to regain that symbiotic relationship between the artist and the audience, the past and the future. Theatre-making can be a sacred act and the actors indeed can become the avatars of the roles they play. Theatre elevates the art of acting to a higher spiritual plane. Theatre has the potential of becoming a shrine and the shrine a performance space.

20 Catching Up

| Mar 28 - apr 03, 2020

Guwahati Lockdown: The normal times and the Covid-19 scare aftermath

G Plus lenses captured some interesting perspective photographs of the busiest areas and localities of Guwahati during their normal days versus the days when the lockdown was imposed. Photo credits: Surajit Sharma

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