G Plus Vol 7 Issue 33 by G Plus

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

INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 33 Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020 Price `10 Online Exams, Job Uncertainty loom large over IIT-G final year students

Covid-19 Update: Assam crosses 2100 cases after recording highest single day spike of 285

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GU professors, staff made in-charge of quarantine centre without prior notice

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Amid Covid-19, district health Web based media channels officials gear up to fight mushrooming in vector-borne

Assam as election comes closer Swapnil Bharali @swapnilbharal

he number of web based news media channels in Assam has been mushrooming lately as the state assembly elections are just a few months away. According to an estimate,

there are over 100 pages on Facebook and other social media channels from Assam positioned as media organisations and are disseminating information of all kinds. Almost all of them do not have any kind of license or approval from any authority to run a media organisation. Some of these outlets have created a web-based portal for publishing news content. However, most of them are operating as merely social media handles on various platforms. In an infodemic era, when the menace of fake news is at an all time high, most of these so-called media outlets go unregulated. The

state government has claimed that it is planning to regulate them only after it receives the guidelines regarding the same from the Centre. Talking to G Plus, the media advisor to the chief minister of Assam, Hrishikesh Goswami said, “We know that all (news portals) are not genuine. People are opening up channels just sitting at home and many are spreading fake news. It will be regulated once we have the guidelines from the Centre.” Needless to say, the media industry has been badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic resulting in a number of layoffs; salary cuts have been reported in many organisations across the country. In Assam too, many news organisations have reportedly laid off employees and shut down operations. But amidst this chaos in the industry, there are a number of news portals coming up in the state. Media industry experts expressed that before every election in Assam many miniscule “media houses” come up which are directly or indirectly funded by politicians. After the advent of social media, the process has become further easy as the cost of production and dissemination of news is much lesser compared to electronic or print media houses.

Read Full Story Page No - 05

diseases Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

t a time when the state is busy battling the dreaded coronavirus, the Kamrup (M) health department is going all out in order to ensure a decline in the number of dengue cases this year in the district. The authorities are focusing on door-to-door survey and blood slide collection in order to prevent rise in the number of vector-borne diseases like dengue, malaria and Japanese encephalitis cases in the city. “We are taking precautions much ahead of time this year and hope that the measures taken by us will show results and we see fewer cases this time. We are conducting community surveillance for coronavirus as well as vectorborne diseases, especially in containment zones and buffer areas,” the joint director of Kamrup (Metro) district health services, Dr Ganesh Saikia, informed G Plus . Government of Assam has taken a pro-active step of conducting community surveillance program at village level across the state. As such, the health workers are visiting homes to identify minor flu like cases / respiratory infections. If the attending doctor advices for collection of blood samples for a particular test based on the symptoms, the test is carried out. Altogether 1,800 doctors, 9,000 auxiliary nurse midwives, 3,000 multipurpose health workers, 650 community health officers, 1,100 lab

technicians and 30,000 accredited social health activists (ASHAs) are involved in the mission. Community Surveillance Programme (CSP) would help in detection of COVID-19 related symptoms at an early stage, said Dr Saikia. While there have been no cases of full-blown cases of vector-borne diseases in Kamrup (M), districts from different parts of Assam have so far reported at least 84 cases of malaria, 14 cases of dengue and 79 cases of acute encephalitis syndrome. There have been three cases of Japanese encephalitis as well. However, no deaths have been reported so far this year. It is to be mentioned that in 2019, Assam recorded a total of 2307 cases for Malaria. Further, the state saw 167 cases of Dengue, 2652 positive cases for acute encephalitis syndrome and 642 cases for JE, as per the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme. According to experts, the vector-borne disease is characterized by high fever, severe headache, rashes, muscle and joint pains, nausea and vomiting and loss of appetite among other symptoms. Dengue is a viral disease which is transmitted by the bite of Aedes Aegypti mosquito. Further, the symptoms of the disease do not become apparent immediately and the patient only develops them after 5-6 days. Dengue occurs in two forms namely the dengue fever and the dengue hemorrhagic fever- which is a

more severe and fatal form of the disease. Malaria is a vector-borne disease which is transmitted among humans via mosquitoes and insects. It is caused by Plasmodium parasite and some of its symptoms include fever, chills, vomiting, headache, seizures and sweating combined with a loss in red blood cells. Experts say that the inaccessibility of health services in the remote areas of the state result in more number of cases being reported in the state. Additionally, humidity and a relatively warmer climate further promote the breeding of the vectors. Officials from the state health & family welfare department informed that as part of their sensitization creation measures, they ask residents to keep their surroundings clean and to keep clean water covered in their houses. We are making efforts to ensure that the health services reach maximum people and to sensitize the masses about various vector-borne diseases including Malaria, Dengue, Chikungunya and Japanese Encephalitis,” said a source the National Health Mission, Assam. On the other hand, officials of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) informed G Plus they undertake fogging on a continuous basis to check the breeding of mosquitoes throughout the year.

2 In The News

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Online Exams, Job Uncertainty loom large over IIT-G final year students Rifa Deka @dekarifa

ith the Coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of abating all across the globe the students of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati are faced with uncertainty over their exams, jobs and future. The cyclone ‘Amphan’ had devastated the states of Odisha and West Bengal where some of these students reside. The desert locust attack in many parts of India has added to their misery as students from families of agricultural background seem to be disturbed due to the series of unfortunate events. Above all, most final year students have complained of having lost their jobs that they had clinched through the campus recruitment process, while many are on the verge of losing the same given the prolonged effects of the pandemic. A few recruiting companies have deferred the date of joining by almost 6-7 months and there is a lot of uncertainty as to how students would sustain till then. The delay is further adding to the stress as students fear deterioration in their overall health and well-being. In addition to these problems, a lot of students are residents of Red Zones and Containment Zones with ailing parents or siblings or on-duty family members who need to go to hospitals regularly; living under such risk, students believe that the stress is also taking a toll on their mental health.

The Incomplete Grading factor

A few other students who feared losing their placement opportunities due to the “Incomplete Grading” approach of the University took their complaints to the Students’ Welfare Board. Incomplete Grading would mean that the students would have to come back to the University and give their exams at a later date which would further mean delayed results. “We had an end semester exam but due to a technical glitch, I couldn’t submit the assignment on time. Despite the guidelines issued by the Dean of Academic Affairs (DOAA), the professor gave us only 3 hours for the exam,” said a student under condition of anonymity. “He declined our request to consider sheets sent by mail and the weightage of the exam was only 10 marks. I’d be okay if he

gives me a zero but he says he will give me an ‘I’ grade and I will lose my job if I do not get my degree on time,” the student added, requesting the welfare board to bring up the issue with higher authorities over the confusion being caused by the new grading system. To find out more, G Plus contacted Professor PK Iyer, Dean, Public Relations, Branding and Ranking of IIT, Guwahati who thereafter, in consultation with concerned authorities, issued an official statement to clear the air around the same. “Students may opt for ‘I’ (Incomplete) grade if there are serious difficulties in Electricity/ Network or Physical/Mental issues. Once the institute resumes academic activities, based on the convenience of the instructors, reassessment for ‘I’ grade will be completed,” read the statement released by the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati. Further, the institute informed, “An ‘Academic Grievances Cell’ has been formed by the institute for handling all grievances of students related to examinations and other academic difficulties arising due to the Covid-19 pandemic and institute is looking for the well-being of its students.”

Allegations of poor response to students’ difficulties

The student community, on the other hand, seemed to be worried due to poor response from the institute authorities when the Students’ Welfare Board approached them with problems being faced by students. “The IIT Guwahati community is diverse with students of a variety of financial and geographical backgrounds. There is a disparity in financial capacity of different families. Some cannot even afford reliable internet. Students residing in rural areas or in areas with very poor connectivity and power cuts are suffering greatly,” said Aaditya Sanwal, General Secretary of the Students’ Welfare Board, talking to G Plus. “The Institute conducts assessments with short deadlines (1-3 hours) and it is becoming too much for many students to bear. The students are facing many such problems resulting in them not being able to submit on time. The environment at home is not academically productive for all this. In these difficult situations there are students who have even not reached their homes and are stuck at some relatives’ place for more than 50 days. The productivity in such conditions

is bound to decrease,” added the student leader. He went on to say that, in a similar scenario, other IITs have announced relaxations for their students to relieve stress in this difficult time. On the other hand, these short duration submissions are adding to the stress of students of IIT Guwahati. The students are stressed and had requested for a minimum of 24 hours’ time for any submission. Since this was not implemented, the students had requested for an assurance that no student would be made to fail this semester, considering the current critical scenario. “Similar provisions have been made in IIT Kanpur and ISM Dhanbad. The problems may be difficult to even imagine for someone living in a controlled environment like IITG campus but they are very real and at the same time the requests from the students is the very least the administration can accommodate, to ease up some stress in this difficult scenario for us,” said the general secretary of the students’ welfare body who had been approached by a number of students suffering from these problems.

Various problems being faced by students

G Plus also got in touch with a student who is a part of the batch that is 800 students strong. The student narrated problems faced by him and his fellow batch mates. “A series of incidents had been taking place but the main trigger was when there was a course ‘MA 102’ in which the professor had announced a quiz due to which students had to arrange for their internet connectivity because they were initially told that the marks from the test would be carried forward towards their end semester grading. Some students managed to appear somehow but after the quiz, the professor announced that this was a surprise test for our self assessment and that this would not be used for evaluation of end semester exams,” he said. “Students already have limited

File photo of IIT Guwahati | G Plus photo resources back home; we’re all not from the same background. Some of us reside in Kolkata and parts of Odisha where Amphan has caused immense devastation. Despite that, we have online assessments and it got difficult for most students to sit for these due to connectivity issues post the cyclonic storm. The institute had taken feedback earlier from students and it was clear that most students would find it difficult to appear for such online tests despite which a series of tests have been being conducted by the authorities,” alleged the student. Another student of the institute from the same batch, a resident of Pune, Maharashtra said, “The locality where I reside is in the Red Zone. Every 4 days, we are screened and our temperature is taken. Any person with slightly high temperature is straightaway quarantined. A couple of days ago when my temperature was slightly high, I was quarantined. During that time I had two assignments to complete and one paper was part of the end semester exam. I tried explaining my problem to the professors but they absolutely refused to listen to my problem.” “My father is in the Insurance sector and has to keep visiting hospitals which is another issue of concern for us given the current situation and my mother has to be taken to the hospital regularly because of her ailments. I have recently missed one assessment because I had to take my mother to the hospital. What other option did I have? I had to choose between the online assessment and my mother so I obviously chose the latter,” said the student expressing his distress.

Further shedding light on the deteriorating condition of students of the institute, who are unable to take the academic stress, he said, “In my area itself, we suffer from 12-hour long power cuts and I am still from a relatively privileged family, I have friends from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar who are from remote villages where they face too many problems. They barely have electricity. Doing assignments and submitting these assignments within a 3 or 4 hour time frame is next to impossible. We have also asked for extension of the time to submit, at least a 24 hour window but our professors think that we’re making excuses!” “Those sitting inside the campus have all facilities, right from electricity to internet connectivity; one or two of the hostels get converted into Quarantine Centres and the entire Institute is worried about their safety but some of us are living in Containment Zones here and other places without such privileges, What about us?” questioned another student of the same batch.

The Institute’s response In response to such queries and allegations the Institute authorities replied saying, “All the students are given sufficient options by the institute regarding completion of online assessment. All Course Instructors are instructed to provide sufficient time (not strictly 3-4 hours as in conventional exam, may even allow 24 hours if need be) for the submission of all the types of online assessment including assignment, open-book examination and term paper for the benefit of the student.”

Polls

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Guwahatians believe India can replace China in becoming the next global manufacturing hub No: 22% Total votes: 1.5K Rifa Deka @dekarifa

rime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call to be “Vocal about Local” and “Made in India, made for the world” has become a slogan that is ringing in the ears of Indian consumers. But are tightfisted Indians ready to give up the reasonably priced products made in China? G Plus conducted a poll on its social media channels and asked Guwahatians whether India could become the manufacturing hub of the world replacing China. More than 1,500 people participated in the poll. On the one hand, the results showed that 78 percent of people believed India had the capacity to take over from China and become the next global manufacturing hub, whereas, 22 percent of voters said that the same will not be possible anytime soon. Netizens actively commented on G Plus’s post on social media platforms after casting their votes in the poll conducted on June 3. In response to the question asked in the poll, one Twitter user, Khanjan, expressed his views, “It’s not about ‘can’; it is about ‘should’. India should become a manufacturing hub for the world. I think India should be self-sufficient with its own production rather than becoming a service to the world. Being the ‘Hub’ brings bad consequences like unnecessary pollution and stuff.” Another Facebook user, Imdad Hussain, opined, “For this to happen the government has to stop imports from China. People of India don’t go to China to buy Chinese products. If the government stops import then these goods will not be available in the market. The government should boycott export and import of goods to and from China; that is the only solution.” There were others who had contradictory views about the same and soon comments began to flood of those who voted ‘No’ in the poll. One netizen Amiya Deka on Facebook said, “Missiles are coming from Israel, aircrafts are coming from France, ammunition from Russia, IT hardware from Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore and China, garments come from Bangladesh, Vietnam. Above all this, antibiotics along with things as small as hair pins, bathroom slippers, Diwali diyas (lamps); you name anything and it all comes from China. Social media users

Given PM Modi’s ‘Made in India, Made for the World’ pitch, can India become the manufacturing hub of the world replacing China? need to address the root problems of not being able to competitively manufacture good/acceptable quality of goods in India rather than getting jingoistic and obsessing over China.” “We are in no position to compete with China; we have to first compete with Vietnam, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand to become manufacturing hubs,” he added to the comment. In response to Amiya Deka’s comment on the social media platform, another active netizen, Badhan Sen said, “Amiya Deka rightly pointed out; China is still a pioneer in assembly of electronic products and electricals. Let us be frank, all corporates having manufacturing facility need to be diverted to India, provided government provides them with subsidies.” Based on the responses from the poll, about half the population would prefer not going to malls as they suggest that a visit to the mall could be life threatening. With people still anxious about stepping outside their homes for leisure activities, with shopping and watching a movie at the bottom in that list, even if malls were to reopen, there is much uncertainty over the amount of business that they would get. With the hashtag #BoycottChina trending on almost all social media platforms, a majority of netizens asked people to boycott Chinese products but there were others who believed that Indians must first compete with other countries producing commodities that Indians purchase and then compete with the Dragon. Janasanyog No. 746/20

Yes: 78%

Representative image of a car assembly plant

4 In The News

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Covid-19 Update: Assam crosses 2100 cases after recording highest single day spike of 285 Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

he total number of coronavirus cases in Assam has crossed the 2100-mark. Corona positive cases in Assam reached 2115 on Thursday, June 4 after 285 cases were recorded in 24 hours. This was also the highest single-day spike in coronavirus cases recorded in the state. Out of the new cases, 79 cases have been reported from Hojai district while 45 from Dhubri, 36 from Udalguri, 24 from Barpeta, 21 from Tinsukia, 16 from Kamrup, 15 from Lakhimpur, 14 each from Dima Hasao and Dhemaji, 10 from Nagaon, five from Morigaon, four each from Darrang, Bongaigaon, three each from Kamrup (Rural), Nalbari, Goalpara, two each from Baksa, Golaghat and Jorhat district. The total number of cases in Assam as on July 5 stands at 2153 with 1648 active cases. While 498 persons have been cured and discharged, 4 deaths have been recorded till date in the state. Further, 3 persons have migrated to other states.

Addressing the media, Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “We are prepared to take in 5,000 positive patients.” “There’s not much to be worried about since most of the positive cases in Assam are imported and not home-grown,” he added. However, the rising number of cases teamed with the relaxations in lockdown has created a panic situation among the citizens. “Situation is getting grim. Rethinking on new strategy from the government is the need of the hour,” opined Biswapriya Syam, a resident of Assam. Similarly, another citizen said, “It’s high time to increase a strict lockdown. When there were 4/5 case then strict lockdown and when there is increase in cases lockdown is only for name. No idea what’s the government’s ideas and plans are.” The total number of COVID-19 positive cases in India rose to 2,26,770 with 9,851 new cases and 273 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours. The country now has 1,10,960 active cases as per the latest data released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Maharashtra with 77,793 cases

Swab being collected for Covid-19 testing at GMCH G Plus photo is the worst-affected state by the disease, followed by Gujarat with 18,584 cases. The tally of COVID-19

positive cases in the national capital stands at 25,004 with 650 deaths recorded in New Delhi so

far. In the south, Tamil Nadu has reported 27,256 cases with 220 deaths so far.

Ghy Central Jail declared Containment Zone after inmate tests positive for COVID-19 An inmate of Central Jail in Guwahati tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus on June 4, 2020. Following the inmate testing positive for the virus, the district authorities on Friday, June 5 sealed the complex with immediate effect to contain spread of the virus. The district authorities on Friday have sealed the complex with immediate effect to contain spread of the virus. The Covid patient, identified as Jintu Nath hails from Beltola and was arrested in a case of theft by Dispur Police on June 1; the patient is now undergoing treatment. Confirming the report, Guwahati Commissioner of Police, Munna Prasad Gupta said, “The man was arrested by Dispur police on June 1 in a theft case

and police sent him to jail. He was tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.” The patient was in isolation from the time of arrest with 7 other inmates of which 2 have tested negative and reports of other 5 are yet to arrive. The Covid-19 patient was shifted to hospital from the jail. Four police personnel of Dispur Police Station have also been quarantined as they had arrested Jintu along with a bike from the Jalukbari area on June 1. It should be mentioned that the prison authorities had created coronavirus wards in all the jails of the state after lockdown began on March 25. This step was taken to ensure that the new inmates did not interact with other people of the jail and hence prevent the spread of coronavirus.

File photo of CEntral Jail Guwahati | G Plus photo

Cover Story

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Web based media channels mushrooming in Assam as election comes closer

he social media head of a prominent print and digital publication in Assam, talking to G Plus said, “You just need a computer and an internet connection to start a new media channel. There is no paper work required.” He also said that even if a website is not in place, people are running news channels using social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. “This of course comes with its own problems of disseminating incorrect information, amateur news content and plagiarism. A lot of these ‘self regulated’ media organizations buy a couple of equipments and walk into press conferences and meetings because the validation of attendants at these meetings are also not in place in most cases,” he added. It is to be mentioned that plagiarism in several countries is a punishable offence and can attract hefty penalties. However, by media standards, plagiarism is most often dealt with the

‘offender’ resigning from their posts. The punishment and prevention of plagiarism needs to be clearly outlined. It needs to be mentioned that before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a news portal floated in Nagaland just for a few days did a story against a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader who had visited Nagaland. Very soon the news portal was shut down and the news was tagged “fake.” But till date, it has not been found who the scribe was who had written the particular story. Similarly, many pieces of fake news are uploaded and targeted to go viral, causing unrest in the society. Talking to G Plus, the general secretary of Guwahati Press Club, Sanjoy Roy said, “I think it’s high time for the government to devise a mechanism to regulate the web news portals which are mushrooming thick and fast.” He further said that in the absence of any guidelines or regulation specific to news portals and their operation, it is only encouraging

the culture of paid news in the country. Like print and electronic media, the accountability quotient seems to be missing when it comes to most of the digital news platforms, Roy said. A retired IAS officer from Dispur, talking to G Plus, explained that the regulation on social media is possible only after the Centre decides the framework of the process. It is a huge task, he said. The information and broadcasting ministry (MIB) had formed a committee with representatives from various ministries to draft regulations for digital media companies in 2018. Registrar of Newspapers for India (RNI) is a statutory body of the information and broadcasting ministry of the government of India for the registration of publications such as newspapers and magazines, which regulates and monitors their printing and publication based on the PRB Act and the Registration of Newspapers (Central) Rules, 1956. In 2019, the central

Representative Image government had proposed a bill to regulate social media. The draft Registration of Press and Periodicals Bill, 2019, seeks to replace the Press and Registration of Books (PRB) Act, 1867, that governs the print and publishing industry in the country. The retired bureaucrat said that

once the bill which at present is under discussion, is passed in the Parliament, the regulations can be expected to kick in. But till the regulations are implemented, many more news portals, especially in Assam, can be expected to come up as the assembly elections are in 2021.

HSLC Pass Percentage Shows Doctor Removes Charging Cable from Inconsistent Graph Over Last 10 Years Man’s Bladder

he pass percentage of students this year in High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) examinations has gone down as compared to ten years ago in 2011. A total of 70.38 % students passed the examinations in 2011 while this dropped to 64.80 % this year. The HSLC results were declared on Saturday, June 6. However, the percentage of students passing the examination has improved consistently over the past three

n a bizarre incident, a 30 year old patient from Guwahati approached a medical practitioner complaining of severe pain in his lower abdomen. The patient informed the doctor of having accidentally ingested earphones. On conducting an X-ray, the doctor found that the patient had a two feet long mobile phone charging cable stuck somewhere inside his body. “Usually, when you ingest something, it comes out through excretion. We gave him laxatives to help clear his bowels but that didn’t work on the patient; we even performed an Endoscopy on the patient but nothing was found in his intestines,” narrated Dr. Walliul Islam, the surgeon who conducted the surgery, talking to G Plus. Doctors had to resort to

using the IITV machine, which is a special X-ray machine found in Operation Theatres. “On scanning with this, it was found that the object was stuck in his Urinary Bladder,” said the surgeon. Doctors claimed the incident to have been a case of psychological perversion called Instrumentation. This type of Instrumentation is called Urethral Sounding. In Urethral sounding, a person inserts a toy into the urethra. The practice originally started by medical practitioners to clear urethral obstructions is now also used by some people as a satisfying form of sexual play.

years. A total of 56.04 % students had passed the examination in 2018, which increased to 60.23 % the next year and this further improved to 64.80 % this year. The trend of pass percentage saw a consistent rise from 2011 to 2013. This then dipped in 2014 and in 2017. The year 2017 saw the lowest pass percentage over the past many years with merely 47.94 % students successfully passing the

examination. This year for male students, pass percentage is 66.93 %; female stands at 62.91 %.

Himanta Biswa Inaugurates Chemotherapy Unit at AMCH

ssam Health and Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated a chemotherapy facility at Assam Cancer Care Foundation at Assam Medical College Hospital (AMCH) in Dibrugarh.

Taking to the Twitter, the minister wrote, “Pleased to share that I inaugurated the chemotherapy facility at Assam Cancer Care Foundation at

AMCH, Dibrugarh in presence of my colleagues. Happy that linac based radiation will also begin from September.” Further, a 50-member team including a medical oncologist,

radiation oncologist, nurses and other staff have been engaged to start the service.

6 In The News

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

GU professors, staff made in-charge of quarantine centre without prior notice Gauhati University staff given charge of quarantine centre sans PPE kits; made to work at unconventional hours Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

he Assam government had requisitioned a number of facilities to be developed as quarantine centres to accommodate the lakhs of returnees to the state. Amongst the lodging facilities requisitioned in Guwahati are six boys’ hostels of the Gauhati University. The requisition order was issued on 25th May and boarders were asked to collect their belongings before 27th May. “It is strongly advised that they collect their necessary items at the earliest without waiting for the last date as the Disaster Management Authority (Kamrup Metro) may take possession of the hostels at any moment,” read the notice. If this was not enough to distress the boarders and the management, Kamrup Metropolitan District Administration issued another order on 28th May last with a list of six officers-in-charge and six supporting staff against each of the six hostels that were converted into quarantine centres. The officers-in-charge are assistant professors from different departments of the university. Reportedly, they have been chosen from the Zoology, Biotechnology and Physics departments. The six supporting staff members are originally office assistants under the Registrar. Sources in the university informed that a Whatsapp group was formed on the night of 30th May and all the selected people were added to the group. The order, having their names as well as contact details, was uploaded in the list. After this, they got individual calls asking them to be prepared for service by the next day. “I got a call at about 11:00 PM on 30th May and was asked to be prepared for the next day. The authorities said that about 300 people would be arriving and we are to be responsible for proper documentation of all,” said one of the university staff members under the condition of anonymity. “I thought it was a wrong number as I was never informed of any such possible responsibility that would be assigned to me,” he added. The members were asked to report to the Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) the next morning. On 31st May, they were briefed about the responsibilities

by the ADC and the first batch of people reportedly arrived by afternoon. The staff members alleged that even the university management was ignorant about the development when reached out for details by the concerned members. Sources have further alleged that the administration had not provided them with any of the necessary protective gears, be it masks, PPE kits or even sanitizers. One of the staff members told G Plus, “We are all making do with whatever we had with us. Yesterday, the management provided us with a package containing gloves, masks and sanitizers.” It has been alleged that there is no fixed timing of work and there is no concept of shift duty being followed. “We are expected to work whenever we get a call saying that a new batch has arrived or whenever there is a problem. Most of us do not stay in the campus. We were not allocated any quarters earlier. I am living in a rented flat in Beltola and given the curfew hours and limited transportation, it has become difficult for me to commute. Although I go back at night, I am expected to always be just a phone call away,” said a staff who has been working without rest for hours. Furthermore, these appointed members are to take care of their own food and other necessities during their hours of stay at the university campus. “There is no food or anything available as the whole campus is closed due to the lockdown. I have not informed my house owner that I am working in the quarantine centre. God forbid, if I happen to contract the disease by any chance, what will happen to the people around me?” he added. The staff members who are appointed to hold charge of the quarantine centres were not at all associated with the hostels prior to this. The means of their appointment remains a mystery even to them. “We still do not know how the authorities chose us or got our numbers. Even the university management claims to be unaware,” said one. It should be noted that some of the appointed staff members have family members who are below the age of 12 years or are senior citizens. “I am not complaining about the work. We are getting a noble chance to serve the people in such times of crisis. But we have families too. At least we could have been informed earlier and

the necessary arrangements made for our safety,” added a supporting staff. Allegedly, there are not enough security personnel deployed in the six quarantine centres of Gauhati University and there is every possibility of the people under quarantine to roam about. People residing in the campus claimed that as the centres are originally boys’ hostels, they do not have proper high fencing and gates as in the girls’ hostels. As such, it is easier for the people to jump the fence without being noticed. Speaking to G Plus regarding the same, one of the officersin-charge said, “I don’t have to be physically present at the quarantine centres but the supporting staff member is expected to make visits and inspect the centres.” The supporting staff instead said, “I have to go receive the people when they arrive and also keep check on the workings of the containment centres. Although I don’t go near the people, but I do come in contact with the security personnel guarding the quarantine centres.” Replying to these allegations, Chinmoy Nath, ADC Kamrup (M), speaking to G Plus said, “The staff members are only required to keep records of the number of people, check on the necessities, inspect the timely supply of food to the people. They don’t have to go inside the centres. So it’s just managerial work.” It should be noted that on 1st June, 33 persons quarantined at the RCC 4 boys’ hostel of Gauhati University were tested positive of COVID-19. These persons were among the 98 air travellers from Kuwait to Guwahati. Reportedly, the university management has distributed packages of protective gear amongst the members of the staff on that very day. However, there is still no supply of PPE kits for them. Akhil Ranjan Dutta, President of Gauhati University Teachers’ Association, speaking exclusively to G Plus said, “In an Executive

File photo of Gauhati University | G Plus photo Committee Meeting held on 2nd June, the issue has been raised. We have expressed concern that the district administration had not consulted the administration before recruiting the staff members. We are cooperating with the government but the administration should have consulted us. The university is an autonomous institution and even under epidemic situations the district administration should have kept the autonomy and sanctity of the institution in mind. We would like the university administration to see that the same does not happen

again.” “The teachers involved have expressed concern regarding their own security and we have resolved to apprise the university management of the same and ensure their safety. Also, the university management will be asked to ensure that the teachers are not forced to work beyond hours. The duty hours need to be looked into,” Dutta added. The GU Teachers’ Association would be raising these issues with the University authority - the head of the autonomous body - and not with the district administration directly.

News This Week

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

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

Music composer Wajid Khan of Sajid-Wajid duo dies at 42

Bollywood music composer Wajid Khan, of the music composing duo Sajid-Wajid, died at 42 on June 1. The music composer, who had multiple issues, had recently undergone a kidney transplant. He was on ventilator for the last four days after his condition began to deteriorate. The composer made his contribution in music for various blockbusters in Bollywood and mentored various singing reality shows. “He had multiple issues. He had a kidney issue and had a transplant a while ago. But recently he got to know about kidney infection… He was on the ventilator for the last four days, after his situation started getting worse. Kidney infection was the beginning and then he got critical,” music composer and close friend Salim Merchant told media.

Massive oil spill in arctic circle, Putin declares emergency in Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a state of emergency after 20,000 tonnes of diesel oil leaked into a river within the Arctic Circle. The incident took place when a fuel tank collapsed last Friday at a power plant near the Siberian city of Norilsk. The accident happened when the pillars supporting a fuel tank at a power plant began to sink. The leaked oil turned the Ambarnaya river crimson red about 12 kms away from the accident site.The cost of cleanup is estimated to go up to 100 billion roubles (Rs 10,901 crores) and could take between 5 to 10 years to complete.

Boiler blast in Gujarat chemical factory kills 8

An explosion at a chemical factory in Gujarat’s Dahej killed 8 workers. The flames from the fire sparked by the boiler blast engulfed the entire chemical factory leaving some 40 people injured on June 3. Those injured by the boiler blast were immediately taken to a hospital in Bharuch. People residing in villages close to the industrial area have also been evacuated to safety.

US to ship first tranche of 100 ventilators to India next week

The United States is all set to ship its first tranche of 100 ventilators in donation to India which is expected to arrive next week. US president Donald Trump, during a conference call, informed Prime Minister Modi about the same. The two leaders discussed the G-7 summit, response to COVID-19 and other regional security issues according to sources from the White House. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter saying, “The richness and depth of India-US consultations will remain an important pillar of the post-COVID global architecture.”

G20 pledges more than $21 billion to fight coronavirus

In a statement the G20 group on June 6 said that the Group of 20 rich and emerging economies has pledged more than $21 billion to fight the coronavirus. “The G20, with invited countries, has coordinated the global efforts to support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, G20 members and invited countries have pledged over US$21 billion to support funding in global health,” the group said in a statement. The pledges will be directed towards diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics, and research and development, the statement added. Saudi Arabia, the current G20 chair has pledged $500 million to support global efforts to combat the pandemic.

US has 2 million coronavirus vaccine doses ‘ready to go’

Bollywood film producer Anil Suri dies of COVID-19

US President Donald Trump on June 5 said that the US has already produced two million vaccine doses for the coronavirus disease that are “ready to go” if they “check out for safety”. “We had a meeting on vaccines yesterday. We are doing incredibly well. We can have some very positive surprises. Tremendous progress is being made on vaccines,” Trump said. Further he added, “In fact, we are ready to go in terms of transportation and logistics. We have over two million ready to go if it checks out for safety.” The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the US currently stands at 1.87 million.

Bollywood producer Anil Suri passed away due to coronavirus on June 4 at the age of 77. His brother film producer Rajiv Suri said he had fever on June 2 but his condition worsened the next day with breathlessness. “He was rushed to the top hospitals, Lilavati and Hinduja, but both denied him a bed,” Rajiv claimed. “He was then taken to Advanced Multispeciality Hospital on Wednesday night. He had COVID-19. On Thursday evening, they said something is amiss and he was put on ventilator. He died around 7:00 pm,” Rajiv told PTI. Rajiv had produced several films including Karmayogi, Manzil and Raaj Tilak. Besides Rajiv, Anil is survived by two children and wife.

India far from the peak: ICMR expert on COVID-19

UPSC prelims to be conducted on October 4

In a joint briefing of the ICMR and Ministry of Healthon June 2, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) expert Dr Nivedita Gupta said India is far from the Covid-19 peak. “Instead of the use of the word ‘community transmission’, we need to understand the extent of the spread of the disease. We are far from the peak. Our measures to curtail the disease are effective. India has been very good in the reduction in mortality,” she said. During the briefing, Ministry of Health, joint secretary, Lav Agarwal said that the Covid-19 fatality rate in India is 2.82%, one of the lowest in the world.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released a revised schedule of Civil Services Preliminary Examination today, June 5. The exam will be held on October 4, 2020 and Civil Services main exam will be conducted on January 8, 2021. Earlier, the preliminary examination was scheduled to be conducted on May 31 which stood postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. UPSC exams are one of India’s most desired examinations with over 7 lakh candidates registering for the exam every year. Around 10 lakh candidates have registered for the Civil Services Preliminary examination this year.

Union HRD Minister releases alternative academic calendar for HS

Union Human Resource Development Minister, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, released the alternative academic calendar for higher secondary stage (Classes XI and XII) in New Delhi on June 3. The calendar has been developed by the NCERT under the guidance of the MHRD to engage students meaningfully during their stay at home due to COVID-19 through educational activities with the help of their parents and teachers. Speaking on the occasion, the HRD Minister said that the calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological tools and social media tools available for imparting education in fun-filled and interesting ways. This Calendar contains class-wise and subject-wise activities in tabular forms. This Calendar includes activities related to four languages as subject areas, i.e., Hindi English, Urdu and Sanskrit.

8 G Talk E

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020 T

Back to the old normal?

s Unlock 1.0 makes India sprint back to normalcy, all the weeks that humanity’s self destructive habits were kept repressed is starting to burst out. People are back out on the streets spitting, urinating and defecating. As nature’s vacation comes to a halt, the open roads, chirping birds and cool air is getting replaced with jammed streets, honking cars, rising temperatures, filthy roads and soon enough, Earth will be back to the version we’ve known for decades. With humans locked-down, nature was undergoing a beautiful rejuvenation which many couldn’t enjoy out of sheer paranoia and rightly so. But nature’s much deserved vacation has been cut short and this is going to haunt us. Let’s accept it; a lot of us miss the lockdown. Maybe not the part where we were cooped up at home, but we certainly miss the calm. The chaos in our neighborhoods, the bustling marketplaces, the hour-long commutes all were a part of an uneasiness that we learned to live with – and this is why we value holidays and weekends so much. It breaks the cycle. Now imagine you are earth, where you have to work all week and instead of breaks on weekends, you have to double your efforts. This is why the lockdown was earth’s much deserved vacation. Apart from the COVID pandemic, just last week’s headlines would tell you that things have gone really wrong this year and there’s more likely to come. While Indians kept talking about “Black Lives Matter”, a lot of us at home ignore hate crimes, caste murders and mob lynching. After having changed our social media photos to a black background, we go on to call our friends, Momo, Hakka Chow, Miya, Chinky, Madrassi, Kalua and this list gets extremely creative to a point where everyone seems to have accepted this ‘casual racism’. A friend of mine said to me, “The problem with casual racism is that it blurs the line between offensive and acceptable...” My friend, nothing about racism is acceptable! As he put it, with ‘casual racism’ ingrained in us, we are the last authority to be speaking on ‘Black Lives Matter’. Indian history, pop culture and commercials have taught

us the Brahmin-Dalit divide, the fairness cream ads fed on insecurities, the Bollywood movies gave acceptance to patriarchy. All of these have given space to ‘casual racism’. And we’ve used and abused it like it is a birthright. The second headline that attracts attention is much closer to home. We are barely halfway into 2020 and there are fires that have been going on for the last 14 days here. Vegetation, homes, forests have all been gutted and this is not even the full extent of the damage that is expected if the fire is not contained. We’ve all seen the image of the dolphins which have died because of the oil spill – imagine that photos that have not made their way to your WhatsApp groups. Consider the fire as climate change and the line still stands true – if it is not contained, it will only worsen. This damage can neither be assessed and after a point, neither can it be contained. A lot of people see climate change only as a diversionary tactic. You already see your groundwater running out, temperatures soaring higher, animal species dying out, forest cover decreasing and landslides and earthquakes becoming stronger. So can you really ignore climate change? Maybe the US Government did this to divert attention from the rising number of deaths because of the Coronavirus and maybe the Indian government’s Chinese stand-off hints at the same. But neither of the countries is close to recovering from the damage they’ve taken in the past 3 months. The question that remains is how long can the earth bear the damage we’re doing to it and how long can humanity share content on social media garbed with fake concern and long captions and be only concerned with how many likes and hits their stories got? It is unfortunate that ‘remove Chinese apps’ and ‘Ban TikTok’ became a movement for Indians while thousands of migrants lost their lives, millions lost their jobs and lakhs have fallen sick and no one questioned the government’s statement about being ‘aatmanirbhar’ and where our donation for PM Cares funds will be used.

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Devotion VS Education

verywhere is His hands and feet, eyes, heads and faces. His ears too are in all places, for He pervades everything in the universe” - Bhagavad Gita Verse 13.14 India took its first step forward towards unlocking the COVID-19 lockdown from 1st June with the focus on reviving the economy of the country. One of the major steps taken by the Ministry of Home Affairs was the re-opening of places of worship. But what is bothering the conscious citizens of India is how feasible it is to open temples and keep educational institutions shut? Is devotion

Countries like China, Japan, Denmark, Norway and Germany have started reopening schools with new safety measures. India should adopt safety measures in line with these countries and reopen schools to begin with formal education again. more important than education? Governments around the world have closed schools and colleges in an attempt to contain the spread of coronavirus pandemic. These nationwide closures have impacted almost 70% of the world’s student population. It has been around 3 months since schools have remained closed in more than 190 countries, affecting 1.57 billion children and youth. As per the data provided by UNESCO, 100 countries have not yet announced a date for schools to reopen. In India alone, more than 320 million students have been impacted by the lockdown. To maintain the pace of studies and to close the gap of curriculum-drivenlearning most of the schools have resorted to online teaching. The

Indian government as well as the state governments, responded positively to the situation and started online classes. The Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) has made several arrangements such as apps, online portals, and websites for students. Even the Assam government has taken considerable steps to continue the flow of studies while staying home to contain the virus. But the basic necessity of online teaching is a proper internet connection and I am afraid that the light of education will not reach the marginalized sections of society due to lack of internet facility. Lack of access to technology or good internet connectivity is an obstacle to continued learning. And another aspect which we cannot ignore is that most parents do not let their wards to own their personal mobile phones because it exposes them to the vulnerabilities of the virtual world making them prone to cyber crime victims. And a study by a scholar from Indian Statistical Institute, Delhi shows that urban people’s access to the internet as compared to their rural counterparts widens the gap between one student from another. With less than 75% of total literacy rate of India in the last 2011 census, millions are entirely denied their fundamental right of education and we can only imagine how high this statistics will reach after the COVID-19 pandemic. Undoubtedly the steps taken by our representatives are commendable but we cannot lend a blind eye to the marginalized sections of society, who will be further exposed to exploitation. Those sections of the society, who cannot meet their day’s end, send their children to school for learning as well as for getting proper food because of midday meals. But the World Food Programme estimates that 370 million children are not receiving proper nutrition due to school closure. School closures have impacted not only students, teachers and parents but have had far-reaching consequences on social and economic front. The shutting down of schools is also posing a threat on proper

rDomestic violence on the rise

O pinion Shilpa Roy

childcare, especially in cases of working parents. If secularism is a constitutional right, so is the right to education. With educational institutions shut and places of worship open are we not preaching inequality? Even though the social distancing norms will be followed, proper sanitization and hand washing facilities will be made, but keeping in mind the scenario in our religious places can we be sure to be safe from virus transmission? According to UNESCO, till date 40% of schools have reopened globally. Countries like China, Japan, Denmark, Norway and Germany have started reopening schools with new safety measures. The measures range from keeping windows open for ventilation to spacing desks six feet apart and resuming classes for students of a certain age. India should adopt safety measures in line with these countries and reopen schools to begin with formal education again. If the wheels of economy need to move and India’s economy has to rise, the role of education cannot be denied at all. We cannot keep schools shut and the future of the nation indoors until a vaccine is developed; we have to learn to live with the virus. The best interest of the children shall be the main priority. This is the time where we can make education more inclusive, more dynamic and more practicality-oriented rather than exam-oriented. Nothing can be more suitable than a pandemic situation to revive the education system with new colours of hope and strength. I think it’s feasible to unlock the temple of learning in Lockdown 5.0, rather than the temple of the Almighty itself. (The author is a lawyer and an amateur writer. The views expressed are her own)

Letter to the Editor

uring these days of lockdown, many cases of domestic violence are springing up. Some husbands are beating their wives and somewhere wives beating their husbands. It may sound funny but this is serious matter to be looked into. Recently, I found out while talking to a female labourer that her husband was beating her up very badly. He was running after her and following her to beat her while she was running towards the market to save herself even as people didn’t intervene to save her. Her husband was drunk and wanted all her money to gamble. However, she found enough strength to save herself and come to us. I request the men to please respect women and women to respect men too and not beat each other up or ill-treat each other. Respect a woman and she will respect you too. Respect a man and he will respect you too. Neha Singh Tezpur

In Focus

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Violators of quarantine to face non-bailable charges: HBS A ssam Health Minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma, has warned of strict action against those flouting rules of quarantine. Cases have been brought to light across the state, of people violating rules of quarantine. On June 3 the Hojai Police took to Twitter to inform, “Two cases (Police & RPF) have been registered against 61 nos of passengers who deboarded at Hojai station after chain pulling in LTT- DBRG ShramikSpl train. 05 of them have been apprehended by Hojai Police today morning on their way to home.” Later, it was informed that the rest of the 56 passengers were also detained. The tweet of Hojai Police read, “Rest 56 nos were detained last night at Railway station itself. Now all passengers are in quarantine centers. Police, VDPs, Gaon Buras and NGOs are searching for any one who is still at large.” Violators will be slapped with “non-bailable” charges and “attempt to murder,” said the health minister at a press meet. The minister held a review meeting with officials of health and police departments and the district administration on

Sarusajai Quarantine Centre | G Plus photo

Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma | G Plus photo COVID-19 at Biswanath Chariali on June 4. Guwahatians took to the social media handles of G Plus and shared their views on the decision of strict action against those flouting rules of quarantine. Deepak Bajoria said, “No guidelines of quarantine in curfew are followed in towns like Tezpur Dibrugarh etc. Home quarantine rules are being broken and all the family

members are roaming in public.” Narendra Kumar Bhutoria said, “Rules are made but not implemented strictly. If strictly implemented and followed, we all may defeat the coronavirus easily.” Questioning the government, Debojyoti Dhar said, “Where to complain? No one is available, 104 says we don’t know about it and asked to contact the OC but who will go around police

stations?” Pranjal Dutta said, “Putting them in jail will be a problem for other inmates.” Tanisha Dev said, “We should question why they are flouting the rule? Is there any mismanagement in the services?” Appreciating the health minister of Assam Raju Dutta said, “They should respect and appreciate your restless work

towards betterment of Assam.” Moromee B Sarmah said, “This is a very good step but it should have been taken earlier.” Several netizens appreciated the decision taken by Himanta Biswa Sarma. As on June 4, Assam has registered 2,115 coronavirus positive cases, out of which 1,649 cases are active, 459 have recovered and 4 deaths have been reported.

As per the new COVID-19 protocols issued by the Assam government on 1st June, barber shops and parlours have been allowed to reopen from 1st June, maintaining social distancing. Guwahatians react! Avinash Saxena

If you check the history of the infected, most of them are the people who came from outside. So I don’t think there will be any threats to go to a barber shop now. All patients are from quarantine centres and community transmission hasn’t started yet. So I think if we take proper precaution measures, we’ll definitely be safe. Whatever, I am very happy that the barber shop is open so now I’ll get a haircut. I am done with this long and ugly hair style.

Vivek Kumar

Rajit Roy

Community transmission will start now. This is much more dangerous than the number of cases of Covid till now in Assam. Government should not be in this hurry in opening everything. Cases are increasing and if other countries are not able to control this deadly virus then just imagine what will be our condition as we still lack best medical facilities. This decision will lead to more cases in Assam. They should clearly rethink on this.

For everyone who has been saying that opening of salons and parlours will increase number of cases - what good has opening of other things done? Shops were open with conditions that two shops had to be closed in between. Did that help? Rather, did anyone follow? So what could the government do by marginalising just this particular business? So, they got them opened too. Even they have the right to earn. For the very same reason malls have been allowed. And how many of us actually followed safety protocols? Hardly 50% I say. Just look at the scene at petrol pumps, shops, ATMs; nobody maintains distance. Administration has collected fines in lakhs for rule violations in every aspect. It’s upon us to stay safe in whatever way we can. We are nobody to become hurdle in someone’s earning source. And if you guys really want these closed than take the responsibility of families of these owners and their staff. You will step back for sure and comment that the government should look after them. And even if government looks after them, where do you think the money will come from? Your taxes. Are you ready to shed more?

10 Trotter

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Punjab cop’s TikTok video helps Telengana man reunite with family

Punjab policeman’s TikTok video has helped reunite a missing man with his family. Punjab police constable Ajaib Singh shared a video of his interaction with R Venkateshwarlu on the video streaming platform in March. The video was intended to encourage people to help the less fortunate, but it also served to reunite Venkateshwarlu - who has hearing and speech difficulties - with his family after two years. According to a daily, Venkateshwarlu had ended up in the city of Ludhiana in 2018 - hundreds of kilometres away from his native state of Telangana. After his video was shared by Singh, a friend noticed him

The video has gone viral with over 12.4 million views and more than 1.8 million ‘likes’ on TikTok. Thousands of people have flooded the comments section with praise for Singh and well wishes for Venkateshwarlu since the story of the reunion emerged a few days ago. “I burst into tears when I first saw him,” his son, R Peddiraju said. He explained that in 2018, his father, a labourer, had boarded a truck to another village to find work. However, he fell asleep and was dropped off in the middle of the road by the truck driver. Alone in an unfamiliar area, he asked another truck driver for a lift and ended up in Ludhiana. Though his family tried to find him with

and informed his family which had been looking for him with no success. The family then contacted police in Punjab, who helped them get in touch with the missing man. The TikTok video that facilitated the reunion shows police constable Ajaib Singh offering food to Venkateshwarlu under a flyover in Ludhiana. The Telangana native was filmed indicating that he could not speak or hear while offering his thanks to the policeman.

help from police in Telangana, they were unsuccessful until the TikTok video was brought to their notice. After obtaining a special permit to travel during the ongoing nationwide lockdown, Peddiraju reached Ludhiana to fetch his father. Later, the two returned to their village. “The first thing we’ll do now is feed him homemade hot rice,” said his son. (Source: ndtv)

Cobbler innovates social distancing shoes, each 2 1/2 feet long

Romanian shoemaker is promoting social distancing with his latest innovation: a pair of “Size 75” shoes that are each about 2 1/2 feet long. Grigore Lup, a cobbler from the city of Cluj, said he was inspired to create the long-nosed leather shoes when he saw people failing to follow social distancing guidelines amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Lup’s shoes, which are available online for roughly $115 per pair, are each about 2 1/2 feet long and are listed as a European size 75. The shoemaker said the shoes are designed so two people facing one another

would be forced to keep a distance of about 5 feet. (Source: upi)

Netflix impressed by woman’s ‘genius’ hack to steal ex-boyfriend’s account

ocial media users have been left impressed by a woman who used her ex-boyfriend’s account to watch Netflix for two months before anyone got wind of the fact. While multiple users sharing a Netflix account is common, this woman managed to use her ex’s account secretly - and her ingenious hack to do so has impressed even the streaming giant itself. Recently, Twitter user ‘@yellowgengar2’ took to the micro blogging platform to explain how his brother’s ex-girlfriend managed to steal Netflix from them by disguising her account name as “Settings.” “My brother’s ex had been stealing our Netflix for the past two months now by disguising her account as ‘settings’ and honestly I ain’t even mad,” he wrote. “I’m just really disappointed in myself for actually believing that an account named “settings” would legitimately be Netflix settings,” he added while

sharing a photo of the Netflix landing page where an account named “Settings” and showing a buffering icon sits next to an account for “Norman.” Since being posted two days ago, the tweet has gone viral with over 2.7 lakh ‘likes’ and hundreds of comments from netizens impressed by the woman’s hack. Netflix itself weighed in on the discussion. “Respect,” the streaming platform wrote. Others were of the opinion that the woman should be allowed to keep stealing Netflix from her ex for coming up with the hack. (Source: republicworld)

Guinness world record awarded for highest library book fine paid

mily CanellosSimms has received a Guinness world record for the largest book fine ever paid at more than $345. Cannellos-Simms paid the $345.14 fine even though she wasn’t the one who actually borrowed the book. She found the book, Days and Deeds, a book of children’s poems in her mother’s house that was due back at the Kewanee Public Library in Illinois on April 19, 1955. The fine had accumulated at two cents a day when she paid it 47 years later. Though the fine was the largest ever paid, some books have taken longer to return to the library. George Washington

had borrowed a book, The Law of Nations, from the New York Library after becoming president and never returned it. The Mount Vernon estate returned it 221 years later. (Source: upi)

Guest Column

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Rainwater Harvesting: Digboi Refinery Shows the Way C

GUEST COLUMN

irca 1901–Digboi Refinery, presently one of the world’s oldest operating refineries was commissioned on 11th December, 1901. More than a century later, the refinery continues to fuel the economy of India and also lead in many other ways, including harvesting and use of rainwater. Blessed with an undulating landscape, several natural and man-made ponds and dams at different elevations around the refinery facilitate capture and storage of large amount of rainwater. The annual rainfall in and around Digboi is about 2,400 mm; nature’s bountiful gift!

for development of facilities for utilization of this huge amount of stored rainwater, the option chosen was to construct a unique and innovative structure called “Storage cum Percolation Pond” (SCP) along with its allied facilities. This process not only meets the water demand but also gradually enhances the quality and quantity of ground water in the entire locality. The facilities were commissioned on May 1, 2017 and gradually water from the SCP is being taken into the refinery system as partial replacement to the supply from Nazirating. Digboi Refinery plans to become water neutral by the year 2021 – indeed a

section of residents of the city. The relentless extraction of ground water with progressively reducing recharge of the aquifer is resulting in falling water tables. As a result, extraction of ground water in large parts of the city is no longer viable. With the falling water table, the scepter of fluoride/arsenic contamination of the ground water being extracted also loom large. The Assam Gazette Extraordinary, Notification dated 20th February, 2014 has detailed the installation of Rainwater Harvesting Facilities in various types of buildings. Thirsty Guwahati city, is crying for stringent implementation

to the water load in the drains. The precipitation run-off can be largely arrested within the hills, thereby facilitating the recharge of the aquifer and also attenuating the flooding problem to a certain extent. Sikkim has successfully rejuvenated its primary source of water, the springs and the ponds, through such an initiative. Guwahati would do well to take a leaf out of Sikkim’s experience. Furthermore, there needs to be a moratorium placed and strictly administered on filling-up of low lying areas and wetlands in and around the city. Recharging of the aquifer is of utmost importance, as even if the much delayed and maligned piped water system

the first state government in the country to decide to launch the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) adopted by the United Nations at its General Assembly on September 25, 2015. There are 17 SDGs and SDG 6 envisions: Ensure Availability and Sustainable Management

laudable vision and effort. Today, the dammed ponds have become the abode of a large number of migratory birds and ducks. They thrive in the sylvan surroundings and clear waters, born of nature and humans conspiring together to create a better world. Several ponds have also been created along the iconic 18-hole undulating Digboi Golf Course in order to arrest and store surface run-off rainwater to facilitate watering of the golf course as well as recharge of the aquifer. These are classic cases of sustainable development where rainwater harvesting and its utilization are central to the initiatives. Similar efforts on rainwater harvesting need to be made in order to use nature’s bountiful offerings in these parts of the country, especially in water stressed areas like Guwahati city. Following the Covid-19 induced lockdown, the rather empty streets of Guwahati highlight one stark reality. The large number of water laden three/four wheelers moving up and down the streets ferrying water supplied by water vendors have become essential to quench the thirst of a large

of this statute in order to recharge the aquifer. However, with the government turning a blind eye, a large section of builders in Guwahati are flouting this very important notification with impunity. New buildings are coming up without the statutory rainwater harvesting facilities. It is time that the government initiates corrective actions and ensures that builders incorporate rainwater harvesting facilities in all upcoming buildings or proposed to come up and erring builders also made to retro-create this facility, at their own cost, in buildings where they were to have been put-up but not provided. The hills in and around the city also provide an opportunity to trap/soak up the precipitation and facilitate the recharge of the aquifer. Today, much of the flooding travails of the city are as a result of the rainwater runoff down the hills and adding

finally sees the light of day, a large section of the populace would continue to be largely dependent on the underground water sources. Perhaps the immense potential of rainwater harvesting to at least partially ameliorate the hardship associated with non-availability of water is not appreciated adequately and hence not taken seriously and acted upon. Government of Assam was

of Water and Sanitation for all. While efforts in this direction are on-going, it is important to look at all options available to achieve the goal and rainwater harvesting is a powerful option that needs to be considered and acted upon. (With 38 years of rich and diverse experience in Energy & Sustainability areas, the author retired as Executive Director of IOCL. The views expressed in the article are his own)

Barun Barpujari

The author writes on how the management of Digboi Reinery has successfully implemented rainwater harvesting for the entire town and how Guwahati should adopt the same policies for its own good. The main source of water for refinery operations and drinking water is from Dibru River at Nazirating, about 15 kms away from Digboi. In early 2013, Digboi Refinery Management decided to create an alternate source of water for refinery operations, the IOCL Township and Digboi town using the captured rainwater. Three dams located at higher reaches deep inside Dehing forest were reconstructed. These dams had been built during the early days of Digboi Refinery and had since gone into disuse. In order to reach material to these dam sites, help of elephants had to be resorted to, reminiscent of the elephant that led to the discovery of crude oil in this part of the country! With recommissioning of these three dams, there are, in all, four dams and five ponds around the refinery. It is estimated that the total quantity of run-off rainwater stored for potential use is approximately 50 lakh kilolitres (KL) per annum. This would translate to average daily consumption rate of 13,699 KL or 570 KL per hour the year round; this is significantly higher than the present requirement. Amongst a number of options

12 Guest Column

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Public Transportation Post-COVID Won’t Really Be That Different

GUEST COLUMN

Prassenjit Lahiri

Concepts like shields and partitions aren’t coming to modes of public transport. States have to figure out a way to make the transit safe and favorable for the people who have no choice but to use them.

s India reopens, loosening the tough lockdown restrictions, it seems the rush-hour metros and buses won’t be as packed. It is difficult to social distance on a crowded bus or metro. Despite all of its risks, public transport will remain crucial for enabling people,

There has been a lot of talk about farefree transport as a way of reducing touch points. Although it does make sense, it entails huge costs as well. That is a lot of revenue a state has to give up. And with the lockdowns and drop in public transportation usage, the states and transit systems are already under a massive financial strain.

actually be not that different from what it used to be. The purpose of public transport is to move a lot of people, to the same destination at the same time. So, the likelihood of shields or partitions, or effective space for distancing inside the coaches, is not too high and is also contradictory to its purpose. And that is exactly where the risk starts to increase. In the best case scenario, what could be different are – the number of touch points a person needs to come in contact with on their commute (including payment for tickets or passes), the availability of sanitation kits such as mask dispensers or hand sanitizers, the frequency and routes of buses and trains and finally the responsible behavior of each and every passenger. This is certainly a critical situation with people concerned about being able to maintain distancing on public vehicles, but also highlighting the same issues of public transportation. Are there enough services available for people for them to get where they need to go? Public transport ridership has dropped considerably in India post the pandemic, but it isn’t going to stay that way for too long. Increased capacity needs to be built for transporting the commuters safely to and from their destinations. This coronavirus crisis is fast changing the primary role of public transport. Prior to the pandemic in India, public transportation served two major markets – getting people to the densely packed business hubs where traffic bottlenecks and availability of parking is a challenge, and as a crucial mobility for those without access to private vehicles. But now with a huge number of people working from home and many expressing

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Get the G Plus app an interest in buying a private car, new or used, post the pandemic, the second use case will play a major role coming out of this crisis. In that scenario, the cost and frequency could turn out to be more crucial than ever to make sure the people who need public transport actually can, but those changes could be at odds. There has been a lot of talk about fare-free transport as a way of reducing touch points. Although it does make sense, it entails huge costs as well. That is a lot of revenue a state has to give up. And with the lockdowns and drop in public transportation usage, the states and transit systems are already under a massive financial strain. A huge loss in fare revenue could result in lesser or cut service or get additional revenues to cover

Representative Image the shortfall. So the question everyone is faced with is: does a fare-free transport actually benefit more number of people or enable more frequent service? There are still a lot of uncertainties and unknowns about what needs to be done, or even can be done, to make city commute and public transport safe and efficient, especially in a post-COVID world. Not everyone has the luxury of switching to their personal vehicles to look out for themselves. This holds true for all cities and states, but more so for the metropolitan cities. The cities will be in a total state of chaos if a huge share of commuters decide to drive and stop using public transportation. Cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi already had a traffic issue before the pandemic, with extremely slow commute speeds

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especially lower-income citizens – to get around. For them, public transport is not an option or convenience. And it won’t be long before we see crowds inside metros and buses, hanging on to straps, even before the coronavirus has been contained. So, what does the future of public transport look like? Public transportation, in a Post-COVID world, might

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and times. Public transport systems are the arteries of India’s economy, connecting the workers with employers and customers with businesses. It is a slow transition back to normal, or the new version of it and the looming question is – What will happen to the longer-term changes? Are the empty seats going to be replaced by other people, making other kind of trips on the same system? Or will they not be filled at all? I tend to lean towards the former but if there’s anyone out there saying they know for sure at this point, don’t know what they’re talking about. (Prassenjit Lahiri is the Director of Social Friendly, a consulting firm working out of Southeast Asia. The views expressed in the article are his own) Prassenjit tweets at @prassenjit

Guest Column

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

How to make everyday a World Environment Day O n Friday, June 5, people all over the world will celebrate World Environment Day. Since its inception in 1974, this day has developed into a global platform for raising worldwide awareness and action to protect our environment. But why should we leave thoughts on environmental awareness to just one single day of the year? The year 2020 has been a roller-coaster ride with the impact of the pandemic having far-reaching effects and we have not even covered half of it. Humans have been tampering with nature for a very long time and now nature is trying to send us a message.

On World Environment Day today, the author writes about some basic changes of habits and lifestyle at the micro-level of the individual human being that would go a long way in making everyday an environment day and the world a better place. But nothing will change until we all see ourselves as part of the problem and part of the solution too. How can we as responsible citizens of the world make a difference every day? Let’s talk choices: Every day we make choices that affect the environment. We can start making small lifestyle changes today for a better tomorrow.

Drive less: Drive greenwalking, cycling, carpooling or using public transport wherever possible. Invest in an electric vehicle instead of a conventionally fuelled car.

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Ragini Goswami

Use energy efficient appliances: Invest in energy efficient appliances or star rated equipments to save energy. Let’s talk waste: How we dispose off wastes is ultimately the root cause of our environmental problems.

Segregate waste: Segregate your waste into wet (biodegradable) and dry (paper, plastic etc) which can streamline our waste collection systems and reduce waste going to the landfill.

Representative Image Take the staircase: Considering the large amount of time we spend sitting, why not skip the elevator and take the stairs once in a while? Say no to plastic: Carry your own cloth or paper bags for grocery shopping, a reusable water bottle, reduce the use of plastic toothbrushes, refuse plastic containers/cutlery during food delivery, use eco-friendly menstrual products, among others. Shop local: Shopping for local and organic food will not only support local business and promote health but will also reduce transportation costs. It doesn’t get more local than fresh vegetables from our backyard or terrace/ balcony gardens.

Every product we buy has an environmental footprint, so opting for conscious shopping with minimal packaging options is good. Let’s talk water: Water is undoubtedly a critical resource for a country - especially India and we can save water every day at our individual capacity.

Save water: Make conscious water saving choices like shorter showers, not leaving water running during brushing or cleaning our face, fixing leaky toilets and taps, using low-flow water fixtures, using native or drought-tolerant plants and avoiding lawns in our landscaping.

Lighter and faster Harvest rainwater: Harvest

rooftop rainwater for future use along with ground water recharge which can go a long way in preventing urban flooding.

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Go paperless: Whenever possible, don’t opt for receipts, receive monthly bills over email and avoid unnecessary printing at workplaces. Shop only when required:

Reuse water: Reusing excess water from water purifiers, water collected by placing a bucket under our shower, water with

which we washed our vegetables, water from washing clothes, excess water after cleaning cars. This water can be used for cleaning floors, flushing, gardening and other purposes. Let’s talk energy: One of the easiest ways to be more sustainable in our daily routine is to reduce our consumption of household energy which will lighten our electricity bill too.

Switch off: Turn off the lights and air conditioning when leaving the room. Switch off or unplug appliances and plug sockets when not in use.

Use LEDs: Opt for energy efficient LED lights. Increase your AC temperature: Increasing the air-conditioner temperature setting by just 1 degree Celsius can save about 6 per cent of electricity consumption, according to the Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Maintain a temperature of 24° C or higher.

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Compost food waste: Prevent food waste by buying only what is needed. Convert unavoidable food waste into compost and reuse as manure. • Don’t litter in public: Keeping a litter bag in our vehicle, making use of public waste bins, not dumping thrash in water bodies or drains and above all educating others on the ill effects of littering is the way forward. It can be incredibly daunting to fight for climate change and voice our opinions especially when we see how minuscule we are compared to the vast human population. But when you break it down into small steps, we realize we have more power than we thought. Making lifestyle changes are not easy, but are achievable over time. Only if we celebrate each day as environment day, will we be truly able to create an environment which will be worth leaving behind for our generations to come. (The author is an architect and Green building consultant and owns a firm, ECOSPACE in Guwahati. The views expressed in this article are her own.)

14 Fiction

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

The Wedding Reception R amani master, as he was fondly known to all his numerous friends and relatives, had been planning for his daughter’s wedding reception for the entire year. After losing his wife to cancer when both their children were still in school he had to bring them up to adulthood ably combining the qualities of both maternal and paternal love and guidance. Pritam, the elder one had been working with a multinational firm since the last two years in Kolkata and he had taken leave

Pritam and Rima had requested some friends to come with their vehicles and arrange for the distribution of the extra food at three places: at the Burra Masjid at Ambari, the Bhoothath cremation ground and the Sukreswar Temple. for a month to help his father with his sister’s wedding arrangements. Not that Ramani needed much help for he was quite able and disciplined from his long working life in the Sanaguchi College near Barpeta, from where he had retired as the Principal. He had meticulously planned the list of invitees months in advance, requested his aunt and his late wife’s sister to help him in making out the list of clothes, jewellery and other items to be given with the bride. Then he had taken his daughter Rima to Kolkata and stayed there with Pritam to do all the purchases, except for the mekhela chadars and the set of Assamese jewellery, which they bought in Guwahati only. He wanted the family to be together for a holiday before Rima got married for which he had also squeezed in a short holiday to Puri. This was towards the end of February when the talks and rumours of the new pandemic was being talked about quietly in circles amongst friends. The trio returned to their small but comfortable house in the Sarania hillside of Guwahati to spend the last few days, before Rima would leave to make her new life. Back home in the city, Pritam checked the menu list made by his father and

helped him in talking with the caterers for fine tuning the dishes. They had called around six hundred guests, including their relatives from Barpeta and Ramani’s colleagues, teachers and their friends. As he went around distributing the last minute wedding cards with two of his close friends, he also had to check with the tailors for the suit that was being stitched for Samar, his soon to be brother– in-law, as his personal gift. While in the shop he heard some people talk about the virus that had already struck in many parts of the country and the talk of the impending lockdown. That evening he broached this topic with his father and Rima and they all came to the conclusion that marriages planned so many months in advance surely would not be affected. At that point of time it was about a week left for the actual wedding and nine days for the reception, and they were on tenterhooks. Then suddenly there was an announcement for a twelve hour janata curfew when all citizens were asked to stay indoors for twelve hours. By the grace of God their dates were both prior to, and after the selected curfew date. Their close family members arrived from Barpeta and some other places all over the state and checked into their hotels and guest houses arranged for them. Finally, the wedding date of the 18th March arrived and the event passed off well; Rima and Samar were married in the shadow of the various rumours floating around. The caterers had telephoned them to reconfirm the final count for the reception and Ramani decided to decrease the original estimate of six hundred guests to around four hundred and fifty only. Even then he was concerned that the food may run out if all the guests came. In the meantime the trial lockdown on Sunday had passed off well but the news from heartland India was agog with a huge number of persons affected by the virus having been quarantined. Pritam went in the morning to check on the flower arrangements and tent house supplies to the reception venue at the Apsara hotel, on the main GS Road of the city. Around ten in the morning the Government of India came out with a slew of announcements of the rules and conditions to be followed

by everyone in view of the Corona spread and strictly laid down the criteria of limiting all congregations of weddings and meetings to a maximum of one hundred only. All religious gatherings were totally banned and they also announced the total shutdown of air travel for both international and domestic flights. These new guidelines had to be followed with immediate effect. Now the reception itself was in peril as the owners of the hotel had to implement all the new rules or be prosecuted. So they informed Ramani to curtail his guest list accordingly. It was an impossible situation and the family went into a tizzy on how to react. Apart from the huge wastage of food and money, the reception itself would be a disappointing event and there was no way that they could inform all the invitees not to come. They had about fifty odd close family members who themselves all agreed not to attend the reception as they could always get the food

brother and sister telephoned their friends about the problem and requested them to abstain from coming to the reception venue to which they agreed, no doubt with a great sadness for both of them were very popular and well liked by everyone. Ramani was there at the venue with the newlyweds and the groom’s immediate family members waiting for the guests to arrive. They were all very worried at how they would manage if the numbers increased beyond the permitted figure. Fate intervened as the period being one of the main wedding seasons a lot of guests who also had other weddings to attend voluntarily dropped out due to the prevailing mood to attend the receptions of their own close friends and relatives. Pritam, with a few others, were at the reception gate downstairs to try and control the situation and altogether around one hundred and eighty

persons had actually come to attend the reception. By ten thirty the last of the guests had left and there was a huge pile of food left. Pritam and Rima along with Samar had anticipated such a situation for which they had made a plan.

brought to their respective places, but the joy and anticipation of not being able to see Rima so happy on her big day weighed heavily on them. Then the

They had requested some friends to come with their vehicles and

Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

arrange for the distribution of the extra food at three places: at the Burra Masjid at Ambari, the Bhoothath cremation ground and the Sukreswar Temple. In fact by nine thirty when the main rush was over, Pritam had ascertained the possible guest count and alerted his teams to come. Accordingly, the cars with food had already left along with the last of the invitees and Pritam along with his sister and Samar followed to the sites to oversee the distribution. The poor persons and beggars had been alerted in advance and it was heartening to see them eat the food with great relish. Over three hundred poor people could enjoy a tasty and filling meal for which they all blessed the couple and organisers. In this manner, no food was wasted and Ramani master in particular was very happy and contented at the way the reception for his daughter’s wedding went off. With tears in his eyes he blessed his children and offered his prayers silently to his Maker. That night, he had a blissful sleep after months and dreamed of his late wife soothing his tired brow whispering to him that he had indeed done a wonderful wedding for their beloved daughter.

Feature

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

In the Shadow of a Pandemic 9 .48 am, Tuesday: Still in bed after staying up late last night, writing. I am wondering if I should get out for breakfast or slumber on for some time more. As I contemplate, I am faintly aware of the noise in the kitchen, adjacent to my bedroom. Breakfast is being readied for the kids. I am now wide awake as the sizzle of scrambled eggs and the smell of burnt toast completely overwhelm the senses. Upset even before I could get out

The author reflects on the sea of humanity in a mass exodus, some succumbing midway during their journey homeward, the floods inundating homes and the swarm of locusts eroding all forms of greenery in its path even as human life, at the same time, saw a clockwork-like precision adherence to daily life. of bed as my husband has forgotten to switch on the kitchen exhaust, yet again. Grudgingly sitting up on the big bed, taking time to gather my bearings, I head for the toilet. I leave the kitchen holding a tray of sugarless black tea and biscuits along with a warm glass of water. Munching on the biscuit dunked in tea, I recall the conversation with my mother from two days ago, hoping at the same time, the strong tea would ease me out of the morning stupor. I could discern the anxiety in her voice over the cancelled wedding and the accompanying frustration over the inability to decide on a future date for my brother’s marriage. Sipping on the tea, I mentally run the errands and chores that I needed to complete, in my head. Later, after a few phone calls to friends and relatives to check on their well- being, I scroll down along the chats on

WhatsApp. One friend has a birthday while another’s father had just died. I type in the wishes and condolences. Browsing through the pages of the online newspaper, I navigate through the pages of my interest: literature, interviews, movie reviews, news from around the world, the state of the economy and the endless personal tragedies. The world appeared to be in limbo. The news repeated itself every day and nothing much changed. I am distracted by the noise of sanitation workers spraying disinfectants below my apartment. Onto the streets and alleys, the gates and facades of homes and shops, the boundary walls, the public drains. Even a few vehicles parked beside the pavement. The fumigation sounded like a scooter revving up with full acceleration. Amid all this, I witness at least three vendors take up positions below the large mango tree on one of the by lanes of this quiet residential neighbourhood. The workers are dressed in fluorescent yellow vests to mark them out for the job. People steered clear of them as they proceeded with their urgent tasks. The shady tree provided refuge from the mid-afternoon glare just as it appeared to provide momentary relief from the current thoughts of a hostile future. Waiting to sell their produce of vegetables,

fruits, and farm-raised chicken; as they moved out from the regular marketplace, which was no longer lucrative to their business. All three vied for the customer’s attention. Though not too many were around at that time of the day. I head back to the bedroom to pull back the curtains and let in the morning sunshine. Making the bed, my eyes fall on the shopping bags still slumped in a corner. I think of putting the formal shoes and clothes bought for the wedding, inside the wardrobe, away from the dust. The house spruced up, I pull in a chair to the balcony of my bedroom. The residents in the apartment opposite are engaged in their muted activities and conversations, as I look on from afar ensconced in my own private space. Humanity never seemed so distant. I missed most echoing voices of kids playing outdoors, though schools have remained shut for the last many days. A quick breakfast and I am dressed, masked in front of the mirror and ready to head out to the bank and the grocers. I instinctively reach for my lipstick but catch myself to remind that it is one redundant piece of makeup now. Accordingly, I forgo the trinkets which I normally adorn when I am out. The walk back home takes longer than usual although traffic is

Zerine Wahid

sparse. Most of the businesses are closed, including the café I used to frequent with the kids, wore a deserted look. I can almost hear the sighs as I pass by. The schedule at home had been upset: Non-essential shops, offices and most public places had been ordered indefinite closure. There was no timeline to adhere to. The restrictions on venturing outside and the imposition of frequently changing government protocols meant people worked, studied, ordered food, even shopped from within their confines. The rest of the day was filled in by cooking, cleaning, reading, teaching, and yes - the all-consuming phone calls, music apps, streaming channels, social media, and television. Despite the aching monotony of domestic routine, a clockwork-like precision was seen in its adherence. The absence of any sort of recreation or distraction was perhaps a contributing factor. Every household presented a similar story, just like the dilemmas and complaints. All beset with the same worries and doubts, much like a secondary affliction. Provisioning of daily necessities, food and medicines to subsist for some days, became an immediate concern. People hurriedly retreated into their secure abodes thereafter, cautious

not to get caught in the curfew hours. The repeated visuals of despair and loss replayed constantly from across the world. The human race was ubiquitous in its traumatic worst. The casualties began to resemble display boards of flight schedules in airports. In reality, the updates pertained to humankind in various stages of extinction. Citizens relied on their coping mechanisms to survive stress. They dabbled in creative pursuits with the utmost urgency never seen before: dancing, singing painting, gardening, singing, composing, creating, lecturing, blogging et al, anything to keep the mind off the impending doom. I sat glued to videos of curious animals venturing outside their natural habitats into human territory, trying to reclaim lost space. The sea of humanity in a mass exodus, some succumbing midway during their journey homeward. The floods inundating homes and the swarm of locusts, eroding all forms of greenery in its path. The unrest of panic-stricken minds was a catastrophe of biblical proportions. Wondering if life had begun to imitate art after all? Hadn’t we all read about similar apocalyptic horrors in books and watched endless movie versions of it. Paintings and photographs too were etched in our collective memory, depicting pandemics. Except that, this depiction was like some nightmarish reawakening of the past. The more I reflected upon it, the existentialist threat appeared to loom closer. I decide to extricate from the dark thoughts and refocus elsewhere. A few exotic birds made an evening appearance. A lonely wasp got adventurous and attempted to soar further up into the sky. 4.45 pm: Meanwhile, one of the vendors has moved away elsewhere, leaving the other two to engage in some sort of animated conversation, perhaps to ponder over what fate awaited them. The sway of the flowering trees to a sudden breeze cast interesting shadows on the streets below. The fragrance released into the moist air made for a heady mix. I kept staring transfixed.

16 Lifestyle

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Boosting the energy of the house through renovation

xisting structures with Vaastu defects can be corrected by renovation of the old house. Major changes are done by changing the positions of doors, toilets, bedrooms and kitchen etc. But whenever they are not possible or feasible, one can turn into the following measures which will also bring about lot of positive changes: Check for cracks on the walls, seepage and leakage. A fresh coat of paint can totally rejuvenate your space and bring a new lease of energy and good luck.

You can also change the look and face of the interior of the house by painting contrasting colours on the touching walls or going for wallpaper on one wall. It can be in your living room or drawing room. Dark floorings should be avoided. If the flooring had

been dark already,then go for lighter colours on the wall. It can bring about a balance of yin (negative) and yang (positive) energy in the house. Lighting is one of the features of the house which can change the energy of a room. A dimly lit room is devoid of energy. The right kind of lights can energise a place and bring about a change in the environment of the house. It has to be done carefully according to the use of the room. A room for relaxing, a family room, and dining room will benefit with soft warm lighting to make everyone feel happier. Bright white lights are alright for children to study in but they are not suitable in the family room. Mood of the family members can be created by using a regulator

on the switch board. Clubs, bars and restaurants use lighting regulators. Mirrors can create space by virtual images. A mirror with a frame with an antique look can change the style of a room. Concealed lights at the edge of the mirror are another way to change the look of the house. By changing the seating arrangement can also change the energy pattern. The stagnant energies can be moved by re-arranging the furniture. By changing the upholstery of the furniture like the sofa set or adding new furniture can

Hemanta Kumar Sarmah

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

getting a new mattress with new bed sheet or cover. Change old curtains and get new ones. You may go for blinds to bring a shift in the energy levels. To bring fresh energy into the house, change the paintings on the wall, the frames and the artefacts every once in a while.

bring that required change. Dull and old cushions and upholstery can be replaced with bright and floral ones. It may not be always possible to get new furniture. The old ones can be refurbished. For example, changing the top of the dining table or

The exterior of the building should also be painted once in four or five years. Now these days, paints like Weather coat lasts for a very long time but a fresh coat of paint always brings a fresh look. TIP: Tuesdays, Saturdays and Amavasya (no moon) are not considered auspicious to buy furniture. In fact, one should not buy furniture or any wooden items on these three days.

Hand-wash with soap versus using hand sanitizer As we all know under the present situation, frequent hand washing as well as tip to toe sanitization is a priority. Washing hands before and after eating, before and after using toilet, after coming from outside and before cooking is utterly needed now. But it is important to know what one should use under different circumstances. Hand washing with soap water: Undoubtedly, it is always a far better option to wash our hands with soap or hand-wash under running flowing water to remove maximum microorganisms, dirt, dust etc. As per the WHO guidelines there are 7 steps of hand washing: Step 1: Wet hands. Wet your hands and apply enough liquid soap to create a good lather. Step 2: Rub palms together. Step 3: Rub the back of hands. Step 4: Interlink your fingers. Step 5: Cup your fingers. Step 6: Clean the thumbs. Step 7: Rub palms with your fingers. So there are certain advantages of hand-wash like: It makes our hand properly

clean. Chances of removal of microorganisms are very high. It also cleanses our hand from dust and dirt. Disadvantages of handwash: Hand washing is not possible everywhere like in a vehicle or inside office cubicle where there is no tap water available. Along with some disease producing microorganisms, there are some beneficial bacteria too, which are washed off by it.

Use of hand sanitizer: Keeping handsanitizer in every purse, bag, pocket, keychain or satchel has become a necessity now. Advantages: Bullet points below It is very easy to carry wherever we go and we can use it whenever needed. If the sanitizer has good bactericidal composition, it can be really helpful. It helps to reduce the transmission of viruses. Disadvantages: Bullet points below It is not a perfect prophylactic that is not similarly effective against all kinds of disease producing microorganisms. It is especially not much effective against coronavirus. Sometimes it leaves a greasy

Sohini Chakraborty Chatterjee

feeling on hand. So in the end, if we sum up, sanitizers are really good as second alternatives only when soap and water are not nearly available. Hand

sanitizers are great in a pinch and are more convenient, but soap and water ultimately are better. Still we need to carry hand sanitizers always and practice frequent handwashing with soap water or handwash whenever possible and required.

Fun

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

Horoscope of the week

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

6th and 10th June spend time connecting with your seniors or business network, host important meetings on these dates. 8th June avoid scheduling any meetings, last minute changes and disagreements. 9th June you will be emotionally hurt either by your parents or seniors. 11th June your views might not be accepted by others. Other days will be average for you.

7th and 11th June will be ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work and build your work network. Host your important meetings on 11th June. Just avoid dealing with your seniors on 6th, 8th and 9th June. On 8th June, be prepared for last minute changes. On 9th June you will have disagreements with your boss. Other days will be average for you.

It will be a slow week for you. 12th June will be a great day for you to connect with your boss and share your ideas, host all your important meetings. 7th June will be an unpredictable day, you could feel your parents, or your boss doesn’t appreciate your efforts at all. 8th and 10th June avoid hosting any important meetings, things will not be as you planned, and you will face obstacles.

It will be a good week for you. 9th, 10th and 12th June 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. Avoid scheduling any important meetings on 8th June. You could have issues with your seniors or your extended family on 11th June. 6th June avoid trusting anyone with your secrets.

10th and 11th June will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors and build a relationship with them. 12th June you could have issues with your seniors and your parents, avoid hosting any meetings. On 6th June be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems. 8th June just go with the flow and avoid over planning.

This week will be average for you. 10th and 11th June will be an excellent day for you to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas. On 10th June you could feel your seniors and/or your parents are ungrateful, they don’t appreciate you. 7th June will be a slow day for you. 8th June avoid over planning.

8th June be careful of your words and action as you will create your own problems. 9th and 12th June 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. On 8th June avoid hosting any event, there will be last minute changes or plans could get cancelled. Rest of the days will be average.

It will be an extremely slow week for you. If you were planning to take a break then this is the perfect time to go for it. Unless you are willing to uphold your promises, avoid making any on 12th June. 8th June avoid over planning, just go with the flow, there will be last minute changes.

6th and 7th June will be ideal days to share your ideas with your boss or connect with people at work and family. Host your important meetings on 6th June. 7th June interact with your business network, maybe call them or just get in touch. 8th June will be unpredictable, avoid over planning. 10th June will be a slow day for you.

6th and 7th June will be great days for you to build your relationship with your seniors and people at work. Put your best foot forward. Be careful of your words and actions on 11th June, you will create your own problems. 12th June avoid trusting anyone with your secrets, others could betray your trust.

Watch yourself on 6th and 9th June, avoid making any promises or getting into a confrontation. You will have to live up to your promises. You could feel emotionally betrayed by your seniors or parents on 11th June. Avoid over planning on 8th June, things will not go as planned. Rest of the days will be average for you.

9th June is an ideal day for you to mingle with your seniors, people at work and build your work network. Avoid hosting any event on 7th and 8th June, there will be last minute changes or cancellation. 10th June you could get into 4 an argument with your seniors or extended family. Other days will be average for you.

curio-city 1. PH Newby’s “Something to Answer For” became the first recipient of which prestigious award in 1969? 2. Dhunu is the lead protagonist of which coming of age Indian film of 2018? 3. Which popular footballer of the 60s and 70s was known as the “Fifth Beatle” because of his stylish looks?

Word of the week Word knackered of the week

unctuous [ uhngk-choo-uhs ]

adjective [nak-erd]

British Slang. exhausted; very tired

adjective excessively smooth, suave, or smug.

4. What was the US army slang, in the yesteryears, for any new recruit or vehicle?

23 7 6 8 9 4 6 3 2 2 2 3 1 87 9 3 16 4 38 9 8 6 2 5 6 98 6 74 7 4 9 7 9 5 3 4 2 7 5 8 4 5 7 7 6 1 4 8 Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Sat29-May-2020 23-May-2020

veryhard hard

last week solution 11 59 68 34 87 74 95 59 26 42 33 97 52 31 16 65 45 83 77 28 69 98 24 16 78 67 49 82 33 15 82 41 94 26 51 73

23 2 7 59 74 46 8 6 13 22 1 5 8 87 95 7 4 92 38 39 1 9 41 66

68 31 46 89

25 82 3 5 74 17 53 95 6 1 35 43 12 54 7 2 6 89 97 68 9 3 28 51 74

Daily DailySudoku: Sudoku:Fri Sat29-May-2020 23-May-2020

3. George Best across the world in Kamrupi which made waves all 2. Rima Das’ Village Rockstars, shot 1. The Booker Prize

curio-city

Dilbert By Scott Adams

4. Jeep

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

5. Chhena Poda

6. The picture of this gentle giant who was killed heinously last week in Kerala has become viral. In which National Park did this gruesome incident take place?

Sudoku

6. Silent Valley National Park in Palakkad

5. It is a cheese dessert from the state of Odisha in eastern India. It literally means Roasted Cheese and is the only well known Indian dessert whose flavour is predominantly derived from the caramelization of sugar. It is made of well-kneaded homemade fresh cottage cheese, sugar, cashew nuts and raisins, and is baked for several hours until it browns. Identify it?

veryhard hard

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18 Catching Up

| Jun 06 - Jun 12, 2020

PIC OF THE

vIBES

WEEK

The Divine Beckoning | Photo: Surajit Sharma

#maskupguwahati | Art: Rifa Deka

Guwahatiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first streetlights & electricity Barasha Das @Barasha_mi2

odayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guwahati is a metropolitan city. Almost every road and by-lane has streetlight posts, albeit at times without the bulbs and often without electric supply. Do you know when did the city get its first streetlight? History records Guwahati getting its first streetlights around 1888. These were actually gas-lamps. During the early part of the twentieth century, around 1903, streetlights were incorporated in Guwahati on a contractual basis. These were kerosene lamps. Such lamps were reportedly seen at Uzanbazar, on Bharalumukh Bridge, Hedayatpur, Dighalipukhuri, Panbazar, Fancy Bazar and a few other areas. The lamp posts were made of

iron. Electricity was first introduced in Guwahati in 1927. The house for production and supply of electricity was located at Paltan Bazar, near the present Bijulee Bhawan. Opposite to that was the office of the Guwahati Electric Supply Company that supplied electricity to the city. It was majorly owned by Dr Bidhan Chandra Rai, former chief minister of West Bengal (1948-1962) and the mother company was Development of Industries Limited, Calcutta. Rajen Basu was the manager of Guwahati Electrics. Every consumer household had an aluminium plate above the main switch mentioning danger and the precautionary measures to be taken.

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