G Plus Vol 7 Issue 4 by G Plus

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

INSIDE

Volume 07 | Issue 04 Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019 Price `10 Google Search Engine a money minting hub for cyber criminals in Guwahati

PG 05

Midday meal controversy occupies centre stage in Assam politics Education minister, Siddhartha Bhattacharya, offers an explanation for the move and claims that the protests are backed by vested interest; CITU suspects anomalies in allotting the work to NGOs. Photo is of the protest on GS Road in front of the minister’s residence.

Story ON Page 13

After ordinance on ‘checking’ entry of outsiders, Meghalaya govt says it welcomes all

PG 08

ASTC fails to pay retirement dues despite suicides, legal cases by exemployees

PG 09

Bridge Which Will ‘murder’ 250 Trees...

Are Guwahatians Ready For It?

Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

Comprehensive story on Page 02-03

Cover Story Snippets

Guwahati’s Karabi Gogoi to be posted in Russia as Defence Attache

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Guwahatians apprehensive about bridge that will cost Rs 1,925 Cr, over 250 trees From Page 01

he Indian navy has selected Lt-Commander (equivalent to an Army Major) Karabi Gogoi, for the post of the assistant naval attaché at the Indian embassy in Russia. Gogoi is a naval engineer currently posted at the Karwar base in coastal Karnataka. “Lt-Commander Gogoi will finish her Russian language course this month. She is likely to take over the new post in Moscow in December after requisite approvals,” said a source. It is to be mentioned that earlier Indian Air Force had selected IAF posted Wing Commander Anjali Singh as the deputy air attaché at the Indian embassy in Moscow. Lt-Commander Gogoi, who grew up in Guwahati, was commissioned into the Navy in 2010. Her husband, Lt-Commander Pranjal Handique, is also a gunnery officer in the Navy.

Durga Idol made out of wires enters Assam Book of Records

n idol of Goddess Durga made out of waste electrical wires weighing 160 kgs during the Durga Puja in Dhubri, Assam entered the Assam Book of Records. The creator of the idol Sanjib Basak, a field officer employed with the Assam State Disaster Management Authority displayed the idol at the Rashmi Sangha Durga Puja Committee in Dhubri in October. It is to be mentioned that Basak collected the waste electrical wires from roads, dustbins, waste collectors and accumulated more than 140 kgs to give a shape to the idols which took him more than sixty days to complete. The Assam Book of Records (ABR) congratulates Basak and honours him with a World Record Certificate.

ith the Assam government’s decision of constructing a stateof-the-art, ambitious bridge connecting the south and the north banks of Guwahati from the vantage point of Bharalumukh, apprehensions are running high among a certain section of people residing in south Guwahati. The proposed multicrore rupee project which was cleared by the cabinet has almost set the wheel spinning towards mowing down 250 odd tress located on the south bank of the Brahmaputra River in Guwahati. Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has engaged consultant SMEC India Pvt Ltd, member of the Subrana Jurong Group, a subsidiary of the government of Singapore for preparation of feasibility study and the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the bridge across Brahmaputra River through a competitive international bidding process. The feasibility report for Guwahati-North Guwahati across Brahmaputra River was completed in December 2017. The alignment from the Bharalumukh point at Guwahati to North Guwahati landing point at Majgaon was approved by the state government and the DPR was completed in May 2018 offering a project construction period of four years. Environmentalists claim that the age-old trees that have been instrumental in developing an ecosystem around the Brahmaputra have already been marked and numbered by the state government to be cut down for the construction of the bridge. In the meanwhile, residents including senior citizens and children of Guwahati formed a human chain on November 10 last demanding redesign of the proposed bridge in order to protect the Sankardev and Azan Pir parks, the trees at the Bharalu Basin and the Brahmaputra riverfront stretching from Bharalumukh to Kalipur areas of the city. The bridge would start from

Bharalumukh on the south bank and end at NH-31 near Gauripur junction on the north bank. The citizens of Guwahati have formed a co-ordination committee – Citizens’ Coordination Committee - which is leading the way to save the ageold trees from getting killed. One of the members of the committee, Retd Col RK Choudhury, speaking to G Plus said, “Around 250 tress have

to the general public before making the DPR which normally a government should do. It is to be mentioned that in entire south Guwahati on the MG Road, the Azan Pir Park is the only park wherein senior citizens can go for a morning walk and the youth gather around with friends and family in the late afternoons. According to reports, if the bridge is built, around 60 percent

associated with it. The state government, on the other hand, along with the forest department has taken up an initiative to replant saplings in and around Guwahati to maintain the ecological balance. “We all know the condition of the Assam government and there is no place left in Guwahati to plant such a huge number of trees. Only planting a tree will not solve the issue as the trees

Guwahatian public register a protest against the probable tree cutting in front of Shankardev Udyan | G Plus photo been numbered starting from Azan Pir Park to Kalipur in which there are trees behind the Sonaram Field which are more than 100 years old and others most likely 50 plus years of age.” “If the trees are cut down, it will automatically impact the ecological conditions with soil erosion to take the brunt,” he added. The committee has requested that an alternative plan of construction of the bridge be taken into consideration which would basically save the trees from being cut down. However, the state government has already prepared the DPR and is in the process of clearing the land for the construction to go ahead. Citizens alleged that although the bridge is important for developmental goals, the state government should have spoken

Around 250 tress have been numbered starting from Azan Pir Park to Kalipur in which there are trees behind the Sonaram Field which are more than 100 years old of the Azan Pir Park along with the trees will disappear and another whopping 80 percent which is more or less the entire portion of the Shankardev Park will be impacted. A MoU has been sent to the Assam state government by the representatives of the region to try and stop the mowing down of the age-old trees and also expressing the sentiments

will have to be nurtured for years to bring back the current state of the environment,” said an environmentalist. In the yester years, Guwahati witnessed many migratory birds on banks of the Brahmaputra and Bharalu rivers. However, with the passage of time, the Bharalu River got polluted, and is now considered as a drain only from where water-borne diseases emanate. While the authorities claimed the saplings would be planted, residents of the area say even this action could affect the birdlife that had made the trees their home. According to sources, a lot of trees were cut during the construction of the Guwahati passenger ropeway which is soon to be operational from Kachari Ghat of Pan Bazar on the southern side to the northern bank of Dol Govinda Temple.

Cover Story

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Impact of the Guwahati-North Guwahati Bridge: Environment Vs Real Estate

ith the citizens in Guwahati coming out in large numbers to save the trees, this movement indeed reflects the current condition in Maharashtra where more than 2,000 trees of Aarey Colony a green area amid the urban sprawl of Goregon - were chopped down in October for a metro car shed. Here in Guwahati, if this ambitious project could be altered, it would save hundreds of trees; the importance of

allowing old trees to stay cannot be undermined. Such trees sequester a good amount of carbon during their lifetime that can be used to mitigate the harmful effects of climate change. Cutting them down will result in a huge loss that cannot be offset by planting new saplings. The study published in the journal, Environmental Science & Technology, highlighted that it is the plants and not technologies for cleaning the air near a number of industrial sites, roadways, power plants,

commercial boilers and oil and gas drilling sites, that too in cheaper ways. Long-term survival is key for trees because for them to be able to offset the greenhouse gas emissions humans generate, they need to live for at least 100 years — roughly the amount of time that the carbon they capture would have stuck around in the atmosphere. Protecting those trees for the next century can be pretty precarious in the midst of political wrangling.

A human chain being formed in protest against tree cutting | G Plus photo

From the real estate point of view

he bridge, on the other hand, is set to bolster the real estate development in North Guwahati which, otherwise, continues to present a rural environment despite its proximity to the sprawling urbanscape of Guwahati. At the moment, North Guwahati can be reached only by the Saraighat Bridge by way of surface transport and by crossing the Brahmaputra

River on a ferry. Both situations have dissuaded real estate development in North Guwahati as it is considered economically unfeasible. “The bridge will totally alter the real estate scenario in North Guwahati,” said a prominent builder of the city adding, “The bridge will considerably reduce the travel time between the north and south banks. In essence, North Guwahati will become a prime

destination for new apartment buildings and residential bungalows. Coupled to this new development, commercial development will surely kick in and that will alter the entire lifestyle and character of North Guwahati.” Hence, the bridge will, in all likelihood, be a boon for the real estate industry which is otherwise suffocating to provide “good locations” in the already saturated Guwahati.

About the multi-crore Extradosed Bridge

he total length of bridge on the river is 1,600 metres measured from the south to the north bank of Brahmaputra. Out of this 1,240 metres will be designed as a multispan extradosed bridge with individual span length of 200 metres between consecutive pylons. The extradosed bridge is being considered because of superior technology which reduces high numbers of foundations in the river over the conventional bridge design, good aesthetic view and less construction time. An extradosed bridge employs a structure that combines the main elements of both a prestressed box girder bridge and a cablestayed bridge.

Landing:

At south bank it forms a Y-junction with two rotaries at Bharalumukh. The arms are designed with rotary end 30 m dia and connected by a new 3-lane road along the river bank designed as 3-lane one way box girder bridge. Junction 1 meets AT Road near the Bhootnath Temple. Junction 2 meets the meets the MG Road at Sankardev Udyan Park on the bank of the river near the Pragjyoti ITA Cultural Complex. The bridge lands at north bank at a distance of 460 m west of Aswaklanta temple at Majgaon. The length of viaduct

An extradosed bridge employs a structure that combines the main elements of both a prestressed box girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. is 1,150 m from, Majgaon landing to Abhaypur village. From the viaduct end at Abhaypur village-1 the road meets the Abhaypur village-2 at college junction and goes towards the north along the Abhaypur main road and meets NH-31 at Gauripur junction. The total length of the road is 4.2 kms. The project has already received clearance from Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The Environmental Impact Analysis has been prepared as per the Terms of Reference (ToR) received from State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Assam. The land assessment for the project has been completed by the Kamrup District Authorities.

File photo of Guwahati’s real estate skyline

4 City

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

GMC Union stages protest in Ghy, demands resolution of grievances Nehal Jain @NehalJain96

»» Demands of the protest Regularization of the jobs of contractual daily wage labourers of GMC Promotion of employees on the basis of seniority and eligibility All pension-related issues to be sorted Removal/transfer of the present GMC Commissioner

he Guwahati Municipal Karmi Sangha (GMKS) has started a series of protests in support of the demand to regularize the jobs of 939 contractual daily wage labourers of GMC and to clear all pension-related issues. “The GMC was supposed to regularize the jobs of daily wage labourers starting from January 2014. However, they have been delaying the process,” a member of the GMKS informed G Plus. Over 1,000 employees of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) including technical staff, water supply workers and sanitation workers took part in the protest that was staged in front of the GMC office in Pan Bazar on Friday, November 15. As part of the protests, the Sangha will stage a twohour sit-in-demonstration on November 16 as well. The Sangha has announced the protest program as the higher authorities of the GMC did not respond to their demands even after repeated requests. On November 1, the Sangha approached the GMC

Commissioner Debeswar Malakar with their demands for the last time and demanded that action be taken within 14 days, but did not get any proper answer till date. The Sangha has demanded promotion of every employee of the GMC as per seniority and eligibility by clearing all loopholes of existing staffing pattern of the Corporation. It has also opposed the outsourcing of manpower and demanded that the state government hold the GMC election at the earliest. Further, it has demanded that the retired personnel be given pension benefits that they have been wrongly deprived off. “We are prepared to take further actions if the authorities do not respond to the peaceful demonstrations,” warned Chandan Sarma, General Secretary, Guwahati Municipal Karmi Sangha (GMKS) while speaking to G Plus. Reacting to the proposed protest program, GMC Commissioner Debeswar Malakar was reported as saying that all the demands raised by the Sangha are under consideration of the state government. However, members of the GMKS have now asked for the transfer/removal of Malakar from the post of GMC Commissioner based on his reaction. “If the state government has to make all the decisions, there is no point of having a commissioner in place,” said a leader of the union. Amidst these protests, there have been talks of the transfer of Malakar in December 2019, prior to his retirement in March 2020. “Although there’s no official notification yet, Debeswar Malakar’s tenure as the GMC Commissioner is certain to end really soon,” internal sources at the GMC said, speaking to G Plus in the condition of

GMC workers staging a protest outside the GMC HQ at Kachari Ghat | G Plus Photo anonymity. GMC ward elections remain uncertain Even after the term of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) council ended more than a year ago, there still seems to be a lot of uncertainty about the next date of elections and many are calculating that it might be a political motive to delay the elections. A former BJP councillor talking to G Plus on the condition of anonymity said, “In the area sabha and ward level, many workers are eyeing BJP tickets. If one gets the ticket, another aspirant will be unhappy; therefore there might be a strategy by the political leaders to delay the elections so that it doesn’t affect the 2021 Assembly elections vote banks.” The councilor also said that this time there are many criteria like a councilor post aspirant can’t have more than two children, graduation must be the minimum qualification and many more such rules, which will upset many old party workers creating a chaos.

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“Although there’s no official notification yet, Debeswar Malakar’s tenure as the GMC Commissioner is certain to end really soon,” internal sources at the GMC. It should be noted that the commissioner of GMC, Debeswar Malakar, was also unsure of the probable date of elections. He informed G Plus that the elections do not look likely to take place within the next two months. For the overall development of the city, the urban local body requires to be guided by representatives of the citizens. However, due to the absence of a ward council, several places in the city are suffering from garbage and sanitation issues.

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Some of these areas include Ulubari Volvo point which is consistently littered and a pungent smell emanates from the area which is home to a number of restaurants, hotels and guest houses which are mostly occupied by national and international tourists. Residents claim that the area has acquired a permanent stink because of the dustbins which are always full of garbage. KC Patowary Lane of Manipuri Rajbari is another locality which lies in a poor state. Residents complain that nearly two years ago, the entire area of KC Patowary Lane was broken down in order to replace the pipes for supply water passage. Since then, there hasn’t been any initiative regarding the reconstruction of the roads. Residents of various localities have also complained of the irregularity in garbage collection – while some said that the NGO workers visit their locality once in three days, others said they visit once a week or sometimes even later than that.

Crime

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Google Search Engine a money minting hub for cyber criminals in Guwahati Atiqul Habib @guwahatiplus

n the age of internet, cybercriminals are the new entrepreneurs in these days of smartphones and e-payment gateways in India. Guwahati is no different and the most commonly and blindly used Search Engine – Google is playing havoc. It is to be mentioned that cybercriminals are like entrepreneurs of the 21st century who have identified innovative ways to capitalise on others’ failings. They succeed because the attack surface is expanding and cyber security hasn’t caught on in India so far as it should have. Going by the order of the week, in Guwahati on November 15, a city resident, Monsoon Doley’s three bank accounts were fraudulently transacted on after the victim gave a call to an online shopping customer care number for a refund as the victim failed to get any contact numbers from the shopping app. According to reports, the victim called the number available after a Google search and the customer care executive said that due to some technical glitch they will not be able to refund the money via e-wallet and hence would require the victim’s phone number for payment via Google Pay. However, the customer allegedly refused to share her phone number but the sleightminded executive asked her to call back from her registered phone number. There they sent her a link wherein she had to fill in the details like Transaction Id, Name and Phone Number. Upon clicking the link and on filling the form she got a notification from SBI that her account had been debited and within 3 minutes money was debited from her HDFC bank account as her phone number was linked with all the accounts. Hence, she lost over 1 lakh rupees to cyber criminals. Although she has lodged FIRs in Bhangagarh and Basistha police stations, a positive response is yet to be received. On November 14, a resident of Guwahati was cheated after she tried to book a table at Isle Natura, a popular resort in Panikhaiti. Around Rs 10,000 was fraudulently withdrawn from her account when she called the

resort’s number, as listed on Google (7632098518). Talking to G Plus, Pathak said, “I found the number on Google, which showed that it was of Isle Natura, Panikhaiti. After receiving the call, they asked me to transfer Rs 900 and also had sent a form where I had to fill my details along with my ‘BHIM UPI’ number, as a part of an advance towards booking the table. In a short while, I received a message that Rs 10,000 was deducted from my account.” “I also went to the bank and took out the details of the account and have submitted it to the police station but till now I have not received any update about the case,” she added. Hemen Sarma, Owner of Isle Natura, stated that they were not aware about the fraudulent number registered in Google listings. He also assured his full cooperation in the case. Again on the same day, a Guwahatian became a victim of another phone scam after Rs 35,000 was fraudulently withdrawn from her account when she tried to order food from a city-based cafe through food ordering app, Zomato. The victim has been identified as Yasmin Begum. She alleged that she had placed an order from a popular cafe through the food delivery app. Soon after, she was

notified that her order has been cancelled and an amount was deducted. She called the Zomato customer care by taking the number from Google listings. “The Zomato customer care executive stated that I will receive a call back regarding the matter. Instantly, I received a call from another number and the person said that he will text me a link of a form which I will have to forward to a different number for the refund. In the particular form I also had to fill my ‘Google Pay UPI’ number details. I trusted the call and did as per the instructions as I had found the number on Google listings,” said Begum talking to G Plus. “Soon after around Rs 35,000 was deducted from my account,” she added. Meanwhile, the victim has lodged a complaint at the Dispur Police Station and more details in this regard are awaited. Cyber criminals not only target internet users via website but also by app-based chat boxes like WhatsApp among others. Experts feel although endto-end encrypted messaging platforms Telegram and Signal may have found traction among users after the alleged spyware attack on Facebook-owned

Representative Image WhatsApp recently, cyber security researchers say it is a fallacy to think these platforms are not vulnerable to threats. Both Telegram and Signal provide multiple features that offer an additional layer of privacy to chats, but experts say they still are not immune from cyber attacks. According to reports, cyber crimes reported in India rose 19 times over the last ten years (2005 to 2014), from 481 in 2005 to 9,622 in 2014, and India is now ranked third – after the US and China – as a source of “malicious activity” on the internet and second as a

source of “malicious code.” In the meanwhile, a more holistic approach should be taken to tackle cyber crimes via training and increasing cyber awareness for all citizens using technology for daily use. According to the Online Trust Alliance, 93% of all breaches in 2017 could have been prevented by basic cyber hygiene. Initiating regular short training sessions for the entire workforce, exploring topics such as phishing – so that employees are primed to recognise a threat and know who to alert – is a must-do activity.

6 Concern

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Are the city’s school buses fit enough to ensure the safety of our children? G Plus raised this question on its digital channels following the recent accident of two school buses of Delhi Public School, Guwahati. The following responses make for pertinent reading. G Plus News @guwahatiplus

Mehsina

Marin Nope! They are regular buses just driven to the institutions. There are no proper rules or regulations whatsoever. And God bless the hike of monthly fares. Also it is sometimes crowded and very sadly, have uncomfortable seats which can cause back problem in a long term to the kids. Sadly, the schools never care about these things.

Uddiyan

Our buses from Sai Vikash are just the worst. One day the emergency door on the back of the bus came off. Honestly, never felt safe while travelling in school buses. Neither the school nor the government has ever pressurized the school administrations to take some strict actions.

Jit Kamal Deka

Don’t know about children but a few days back I saw a bus of DPS Guwahati giving out black smoke. This is a very serious threat to the environment as it as it creates air pollution. These schools should replace such buses in the first place. They charge hefty amount of fees from parents but don’t provide good school buses.

Hiya Barman

Buses are safe but what’s really unsafe and scary is the way they’re driven. Who gives licenses to these drivers? And if they are found guilty of

driving recklessly then their licenses should be cancelled immediately.

Ratan Jain

The buses are pretty good as they seem. I’ve noticed some school buses even have real time GPS enabling the parents to access live location of the children. I am just worried with the bad driving and road sense of the drivers. Guess obtaining the driver’s licence should be made tougher, stricter and more expensive.

Debashish Ghosh

A lot of things are to be considered. Firstly, the roads need to be broadened which might reduce the congestion near schools or maybe some different lanes for plying school buses are required. Secondly, routes should be specified, no alternative route should be taken by the buses and most importantly the critical followup of drives and conductors should be done regularly. Polls and reviews should be taken from the school students regarding the quality of driving and their attitude towards the students.

Mrinmoy Kumar Sarmah

Forget about the safety of students. The way they drive no one is safe. Driving by the drivers of Delhi Public School buses are very rash and risky. The way they overtake they don’t think about anyone else. Just don’t understand, do they think themselves to be on a race track?

Madhurjya

School buses parked within the premises of a city school | G Plus photo First of all school buses charges bus fees even during summer break and even from board’s applicant, after absence for almost 3 months. This is the reality. What more do u expect? All the school administrations care about is money. That’s it!

Hemangajyoti Talukdar

Firstly, the drivers are not skilled enough to ply school buses. Buses are not state-of-theart like other countries. Many buses are overcrowded by the school authorities themselves in order to earn heavy amounts in short period thereby putting the

life of students at risk.

Himangshu Kalita

Alayman

As the topic of school buses came, I would like to highlight the issue of traffic they cause. There are some areas in Guwahati that have schools which are very nearby to each other or have the same meeting point, for example Garchuk. DPS, RGS, SBOA, Holy Home, NPS, STG are some schools in nearby areas and trust me the traffic they create is unbearable. A few schools have come up with the idea of changing

their timings. Like SBOA have decided to depart buses about 5-10 minutes earlier than DPS so that the traffic gets less in some way. All schools that are in a particular area should decide and negotiate so as to lessen the traffic so caused. This is really important.

Nayanjyoti Dutta

School buses are advertisements of the school. They are just increasing in numbers without considering the safety of the students. I hope to see a change as G Plus has tried to highlight this issue.

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Partly Cloudy

Sunny

Partly Cloudy

Sunny

29°19° C

28°19° C

28°17° C

SATURDAY Mostly Sunny

29°21° C

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

In The News

50-year-old Guwahati woman runs 150 Kms to spread awareness about breast cancer Amar Jyoti Das @guwahatiplus

inkathon Ambassador, Irina Baruah, a resident of Guwahati is running a distance of 150 km to raise awareness about women’s health and breast cancer. The run named as ‘Spirit of Pinkathon’, is happening from Tezpur to Guwahati and Baruah will cover the distance in a span of three days. The run was flagged off by Milind Soman and Anita Konwar in Tezpur on November 14. The couple also ran along with Baruah and covered a distance of 20 kms. Fifty-year-old Irina covered a distance of 55 kilometres on the first day and stopped near Nagaon at around 5 pm as it was dark. She took to her Facebook account and uploaded a video stating, “I had targeted 60 km today, but I could do only 55 km for today. I started at 6.15 am and ended at 5.15 pm.” On the second day, she covered a distance of around 54 kilometres and halted at Jagiroad on Friday night. She will arrive in Guwahati on Saturday, November 16, a day ahead of the 5th edition of Guwahati Pinkathon. Irina has completed several

Mekhela Chador runs and the Tata Mumbai Marathon 2019 barefoot. She credits Pinkathon with bringing tremendous changes in her lifestyle and health. She is not a trained athlete or an elite runner. She is just an ordinary woman who took up running for health and fitness and aims to spread the message across the nation. Baruah took part in the first edition of the Guwahati Pinkathon in 2015, where she ran 10 kilometres. After being motivated by her endeavour she took up the habit of running and thereafter in five years she is running to complete a distance of 150 kilometres. The runner is being supported by a team of crew and medical officials to ensure an injury-free run. Pinkathon is the largest women’s running event in India. The event aims to encourage and promote fitness and health among women and create awareness of women’s wellness and breast cancer. The fifth edition of the event will be held on Sunday, 17th November 2019 at Ganesh Mandir Indoor Stadium Field, Khanapara. Currently, registration for the event is on.

Irina Baruah posing for a photpograph

8 Governance Snippets Strict action to be taken against traders selling Banarasi clothes in name of Sualkchi silk

ssam state Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, while speaking to media in a Raas Mahotsav in Baihata, Assam, said that strict action will be taken against traders who are selling Banarasi clothes in the name of Sualkuchi silk. Assam government has instructed Kamrup SPs to take action against those traders who have been selling Banarai or machine-made clothes in the name of Sualkuchi silk. “We have given clear instruction to the Kamarup Districts SPs if anyone is found selling Banasari clothes in Sualkchi on pretext of Sualkuchi silk should be held and all clothes should be seized and punished,” said the minister. “We cannot stop anyone to sell clothes in Assam but if anyone is selling in the name of Sualkuchi silk or machine-made clothes or even imported from other countries can be held and punished,” he added.

Chief Justice of India’s office under RTI Act: Supreme Court

he Chief Justice of India is public office under the Right to Information Act, said the Supreme Court on November 13. The verdict was pronounced by a five-judge bench led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi. Reading out the judgment, Justice Sanjiv Khanna said judicial independence and accountability go hand in hand. It is to be mentioned that the Apex court had reserved its verdict in the case in April after it heard a plea filed by the Supreme Court secretary general challenging a landmark 2010 Delhi High Court order bringing the CJI’s office within the ambit of the Right to Information Act, 2005. The Supreme Court added that some protection should also be given to the judges as right to privacy, confidentiality clauses come under the Act.

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

After ordinance on ‘checking’ entry of outsiders, Meghalaya govt says it welcomes all G Plus News @guwahatiplus

n what appears to be turning into a tricky issue, the Meghalaya government’s move to oppose the Centre’s bid to amend the Citizenship Act to bring in an ordinance that makes registration on entry mandatory for visitors who intend to spend more than 24 hours in the state is not moving too fast. Facing flak and anxiety of people planning to visit the Pine city, the government came out with a clarification which said, “Meghalaya welcomes all domestic and international travellers.” It clearly shows the nervousness of the government which is trying to enact a law on the lines of Inner Line Permit (ILP) which is now applicable in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. It may be mentioned that in 2013, the protests demanding the permit turned violent, killing four people. Adding to the headache of the government is also Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy who seems to be toeing a different line in regard to the ordinance passed by the Meghalaya government. Notably, chief minister Conrad Sangma is leading the fight against the contentious Citizenship Bill, which the Centre proposes to introduce soon. In a way, to pass the ordinance about making entry registration mandatory for outsiders was a checkmate move by the Conrad Sangma-led government against the Citizenship Bill. But the reaction of the move appears to have pushed the government onto a sticky wicket as many have termed the move as regressive. Secondly, it will badly affect the booming tourism industry in the state which now is the mainstay of the economy of the hill state after coal mining was banned. On the other hand, pressure groups demanding for an

File photo of the Nohkalikai Falls of Meghalaya Inner Line Permit regime in Meghalaya will continue. Mere registration is not enough, they say. Although the specifics of ordinance are yet to be worked out, it does not lay down a time limit for visitors entering the state. Temporary Inner Line Permits, issued to tourists, are granted for a maximum of 15 days to 30 days, depending on the state they are applying to. Regular Inner Line Permits may be granted for up to six months, provided there is a sponsor who is a “bona fide indigenous resident” of the state to which the visitor desires entry. The Inner Line Permit, which flows from the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, was put in place in 1873 by the British government. It was not meant to protect vulnerable tribal communities but to exclude them. The Inner Line purported to discourage the hill tribes from entering these commercial spaces. Conversely, no “British subject or foreigner” could also cross the inner line without permission.

Hill communities made periodic incursions into tea gardens and other commercial areas within the inner line and pillaged them as an act of defiance. After Independence, the Indian state stuck with the regime. The phrase “British subject” was replaced with “Indian citizens” and “excluded areas” beyond the pale of administration now became “protected areas” whose distinct identity had to be preserved. But critics allege that the government used the Inner Line Permit for its own ends, much like the colonial administrators. For instance, the government cited the inner line protection to prevent journalists from covering the insurgencies – and alleged excesses by Indian security forces – in Mizoram and Nagaland. But is restricting entry of visitors the panacea of all problems in a global village where distance is getting shorter by every passing day with social media penetration beyond unimaginable limits? Sadly, the image of Meghalaya

as music and tourist capital has taken a hit with many travel operators fearing that the tourist footfalls will come down heavily if the ordinance ultimately becomes a law. Meghalaya has emerged as an important tourist destination. The booming tourism industry has also generated jobs for the locals. But influential organisations like Khasi Students’ Union which prides itself as the protector of indigenous people of the state is of the opinion that brining in strict law to restrict the entry of outsiders is the only solution to control influx. However, by pushing with their demands, they would hurt the booming tourism industry and the image of the state to the outside world. Even Assam and Manipur, states where tribal communities are not the majority, have seen agitations demanding it. The permit system has a curious history in the states of the northeast. Many of the communities which now demand it resented and actively violated it when it was first introduced.

Concern

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

ASTC fails to pay retirement dues despite suicides, legal cases by ex-employees Amar Jyoti Das @guwahatiplus

etired officials of Assam State Transport Corporation (ASTC) are facing hardships as the organisation has not paid them their dues ranging from a few lakh of rupees to more than Rs 30 lakhs across different segments of employees. “I retired in the year 2016 and it has been three years. I should have got around Rs 20 lakhs from the department, but till now I have not received any amount. My family is facing a cash crunch as last year my son got married and most of our savings went into it,” a retired ASTC official told G Plus . “Since 2016, every year

got married this year for which I had requested our Managing Director Mr AP Tiwari to grant me Rs 2 lakhs out of my total dues. He agreed to give me Rs 1 lakh for the marriage but later I received only Rs 50, 000 for the marriage.” G Plus has not been able to independently verify Bashiya’s claim. “As I didn’t receive my retirement dues, I had to take loan from people for the marriage. Now I am struggling to repay the amount. We don’t have any pension; I would like to ask Mr Tiwari how he expects us to run our families,” Baishya said. Recently, 62-year-old Anil Kalita, another retired ASTC official, committed suicide while his family members were out enjoying Durga Puja.

verge of shutting down, several employees committed suicide after the government failed to pay salaries for more than six months. It has been almost 5 years since ASTC has stopped giving retirement benefits to its employees. There are more than 500 retired employees who have not yet received their dues. Many of them have taken the matter to Gauhati High Court following which some of them have received mere amounts of as low as a few thousand rupees from the organisation. Talking to G Plus , MD AP Tiwari said, “We have paid dues of all those who retired between 2008 and 2014. From 2015 to 2019 the retirement dues are pending. We are trying our best to resolve this in a phased manner.”

Buses parked at the ASTC HQ at Paltan Bazar in Guwahati ASTC receives around Rs 25 crores from the government. They are investing money in electric buses but are failing to do justice to the retired employees who worked with the organisation for decades”, he further added. Bhupendra Nath Baishya, an official who retired on 2015 said, “After continuously pressuring the authorities, till now I have received around Rs 2.5 lakhs only out of a total due of around Rs 13.5 lakhs.” He further said, “My daughter

As per reports, Kalita was finding it difficult to bear the expenses of the four-member family since he was yet to receive his retirement benefits. This is not the only case. In September, two retired ASTC officials from Jorhat and Lakhimpur also committed suicide after going through a financial crunch as they didn’t receive their dues from the organisation. Suicides and ASTC have a long relation. Back in 2002, when the ASTC was on the

Further he added that Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) was also not paid to the employees from 2013. However, without mentioning the period, he stated that ASTC has paid Rs 43 crores as CPF to employees. Recently,

ASTC filed an application to the court requesting to extend the time to pay the retirement dues. The application states that, “ASTC shall pay the retirement dues of all the employees of ASTC, who had superannuated up to 31st March 2018, within 31st December 2019.” An official of Assam State Transport Retired Employee Workers’ Parishad stated, “There is very less chance that we will get the retirement dues. More than 50 people have filed cases against

ASTC MD Anand Prakash Tiwari ASTC. AP Tiwari has already paid a fine of Rs 50,000 after missing the hearing three times. What can we expect from this?”

10 News This Week

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

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

President’s Rule Imposed in Maharashtra

President’s Rule was imposed in Maharashtra after the approval of President Ram Nath Kovind on November 12. Earlier, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has recommended President’s Rule in the state. According to reports, Koshyari gave time to the NCP till 8:30 PM, November 12 to prove that it has the numbers after the Shiv Sena on November 11 failed to get letters of support. It is to be mentioned that the Union Cabinet has recommended President’s rule as no political party has been able to form a government post assembly polls last month.

128-ft tall with 212 pillars and 5 entrances: VHP proposes Ram Mandir structure

The Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas along with the help from VHP is likely to start the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on Ram Navami, which falls on April 2, 2020. Although the doors and pillars are being carved in Ayodhya, the sanctum sanctorum needs to be built, with great details, where Ram Lalla, the deity will be placed and worshipped. A total of 212 pillars will be required across the temple. It will be assembled in two stages with 106 pillars each. Almost half of the pillars are ready while half are yet to be carved. The assembly of pillars will take place in two tiers with the top tier having a roof.

Chief Justice of India’s Office under RTI Act: Supreme Court

The Chief Justice of India is public office under the Right to Information Act, said the Supreme Court on November 13. The verdict was pronounced by a fivejudge bench led by CJI Ranjan Gogoi. Reading out the judgment, Justice Sanjiv Khanna said judicial independence and accountability go hand in hand. It is to be mentioned that the Apex court had reserved its verdict in the case in April after it heard a plea filed by the Supreme Court secretary general challenging a landmark 2010 Delhi High Court order bringing the CJI’s office within the ambit of the Right to Information Act, 2005.

CBSE revises passing marks for class 10, 12 board exam

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has released a revised list of assessment for passing class 10 and 12 examinations from 2020. As per the new circulation, now students studying in class 10 and 12 will now have to clear each component separately by obtaining 33 per cent marks in each of them. The revised list of the assessment for both the classes has been released by the board and it is now mandatory for students to pass in each section of assessment per subject. For every subject, there are two to three assessment components— theory and practice or project or internal assessment.

SC refers Sabarimala temple case to 7-judge bench

In a major verdict, CJIRanjanGogoi and Justices AM Khanwilkar and InduMalhotrahave decided to delay the pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding the entry of women into the Sabarimala Temple. They also added that restrictions on women to enter religious places are not restricted to Sabarimala alone and are prevalent in other religions as well. It is to be noted that the verdict did not say anything contrary against the apex court’s September 28, 2018 decision which allows women to enter the temple nor did it stay the earlier judgement. Hence, there is no clarity whether women can enter the shrine, which is scheduled to open on November 17 for worship.

Ayodhya Verdict: Disputed site goes to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, Muslims to get alternate land

The long and complicated Ayodhya land dispute which has been dragging on in various courts for more than a century finally came to its conclusion. The Supreme Court stated that the Centre will formulate a scheme in three months to set up a board of trustees for construction of temple at the disputed structure. Meanwhile, the SC directed allotment of alternate land to the Muslim community. The case was being fought between three main parties - two Hindu groups and the Muslim Waqf Board, which is responsible for the maintenance of Islamic properties in India. Before reading the judgement CJI Gogoi stated that “the court must accept faith and accept belief of worshippers. Court should preserve balance.”

IPL: Ankit Rajpoot traded to RR; Trent Boult traded to MI

Fast bowler AnkitRajpoot will represent Rajasthan Royals in the VIVO IPL 2020 after a successful trade by Kings XI Punjab. Rajpootjoined KXIP in 2018 and has played 23 IPL matches and has taken 22 wickets. In one of his most memorable bowling performances ever he claimed 5/14 in a league game in the 2018 against Sunrisers Hyderabad where he also earned Man of the Match award. New Zealand leftarm fast bowler Trent Boult will play for Mumbai Indians in the upcoming season after being traded by Delhi Capitals. He made his IPL debut in 2014 and played for DC in the 2018 and 2019 season. He has 38 IPL wickets from 33 games.

Facebook launches Facebook Pay

Following the footsteps of Google and Apple, Facebook has recently launched Facebook Pay, which will provide people with a convenient, secure and consistent payment experience across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp. In an official blogpost, Deborah Liu, VP, Marketplace & Commerce at Facebook, said, “People already use payments across our apps to shop, donate to causes and send money to each other. Facebook Pay will make these transactions easier while continuing to ensure your payment information is secure and protected.” The blogpost also mentions that Facebook Pay will begin rolling out on Facebook and Messenger this week in the US and over time, they plan to extend it to Instagram and WhatsApp too

CJI Gogoi to retire on November 17; Justice Bobde to take oath as new the CJI on 18

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi is set to retire on November 17; however November 15 will be his last working day at the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Bar Association will organise a farewell ceremony in the evening. It is to be mentioned that CJI Ranjan Gogoi led bench delivered several historic decisions during his tenure since October 2018 including the Assam NRC dispute, Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid title dispute case, the ‘Entry of women to Sabarimala Temple’ row, and the Rafale deal controversy among others. On November 18 Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde will take oath as the next Chief Justice of India (CJI) which will be administered by President Kovind.

Wikipedia Co-founder comes up with Facebook & Twitter alternative

After the failure of ‘WikiTribune’, Wikipedia Co-founder Jimmy Wales is relaunching ‘WikiTribune’ as “WT:Social”, a social-networking and news sharing platform. WikiTribune was launched as an online publication meant to combat fake news with original stories by reporters and “citizen journalists”. Wales said he hopes WT:Social, which will be funded by user donations and not advertising, will be an alternative to Facebook and Twitter. Like other platforms, WT:Social will let users share articles. “The business model of social media companies, of pure advertising, is problematic,” said Wales. WT:Social will be free to join, but at the moment, you either have to sign up for a waitlist, donate or invite friends. Just a month old, it already has 50,000 users, Wales added.

City

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

G Plus Guwahati Theatre Festival to be held from 6th – 8th December Amol Palekar, Rakesh Bedi, Avijit Dutt, Anant Mahadevan, Dilnaz Irani amongst others to feature G Plus News @guwahatiplus

uwahati’s premier English weekly, GPlus announced the fourth season of the Guwahati Theatre Festival which shall be held from 6th December8th December 2019, at Pragjyoti ITA, Machkhowa. The fourth edition will present 3 nationally acclaimed plays during the 3 days festival. The festival will feature Rakesh Bedi’s hindi play Patte Khul Gaye featuring veteran theatre personality Avijit Dutt, Anant Mahadevan and others on the opening day. The second day of the festival will have the bilingual play, The devil wears Bataa featuring Danesh Irani, Sajeel Parakh, Dilnaz Irani, Darius Shroff and others and directed by Meherzad Patel. On the final day, is a brand new thriller play in hindi - Kusoor, (The mistake)

performing groups to showcase their performances amongst new audiences infusing freshness and vivacity. We are overwhelmed at the support we have received from our city’s audience who have repeatedly come to make the most of this festival.” said Mr. Sunit Jain, Festival Chairman and Publisher of the weekly tabloid. “Along with the plays, this festival also promises to provide learning G Plus editor Swapnil Bharali addressing the media with Abinash Sarma (L) and Koushik Hazarika opportunities to the local youth through workshops and interactions 2016 in the cultural landscape which is featuring veteran actor that have been planned with of the region. The purpose of Amol Palekar. visiting experts from the field this unique festival is to provide “Guwahati Theatre Festival of performing arts,” added a platform in the region for a has become a landmark event Swapnil Bharali, Editor of diverse range of world-class after its first edition in the year

North East Book Fair ends with record breaking sales

he 21st edition of the North East Book Fair concluded successfully in Guwahati on Tuesday, November 12. The fair broke sale records of previous years with an overall business of Rs 4 crores. Last year, the book fair had recorded a sale of Rs 2. 5 crores and in 2017 it earned Rs 3.10 crores. Director General of Police (DGP) and eminent writer Kuladhar Saikia, speaking at the concluding event, stated that the success of book festivals is a reason for

celebration for the entire society. “Good books are like sweet smelling flowers, wherever they are present, they attract the book lovers spontaneously. However, merely buying books is not enough, reading them is all the more important,” he said asking parents and senior members of society to lead by example in making book reading a part of the culture. “There is no point blaming the youngsters, if the senior members of society don’t do enough to promote book reading in their families,” he added.

File photo of crowds thronging the NE Book Fair

GPlus. The workshops are organised through Brahmaputra Foundation with support from NRL and North Eastern Council, Ministry of Doner. Eminent Playwright Avinash Sarma also on the occasion. This year, Guwahati Theatre Festival has also associated with Agora to promote theatre amongst the local youth through colleges and universities and running a youth fest for performing arts alongside. One of the best local youth groups would also be invited to perform during the festival. The fourth edition of the festival is initiated by GPlus in association with The Assam Tribune and Ballantine’s Golf retreat. The festival is supported by Assam Tourism, Apollo Hospital, Purabi Milk, Bank of Baroda, Indian Oil and Life Insurance Corporation. The tickets of the event will be available at leading restaurants and coffee shops in town as well as on bookmyshow.com.

12 Art

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Desires of the flesh: Aamis Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri critiques an Assamese film that is currently making waves Asha Kuthari Chaudhuri ashaakc @gmail.com

hakespeare’s Juliet uses different oxymora to express her feelings about Romeo in what is probably the most well known love story of all time. Opposites pitted together to reveal inherent paradoxes that threaten to destabilise their very existence. The raven is dove-feathered, the lamb has the voracious appetite of the wolf; the spirit of the fiend can pervade and take over paradise. Such are the ways through which the oxymoron works. Cut to another kind of ravening – a love story that is currently the toast of the film festival circuit the world over – Bhaskar Hazarika’s Aamis that is tellingly sub-headed ‘The Ravening’. Subverting given ‘norms’ in edgy and grotesque ways, Aamis speaks about desires of the flesh, in more senses than one. It explores forbidden zones of being through phenomenologically embedded spaces of human corporeality – hunger, sexuality and its appeasement and deploys all manner of oxymora, much like its Shakespearean counterpart. Food – in this case meat – as a trope has been used often enough in cinema. So has the concept of amour fou or ‘mad love’. What makes Hazarika’s film special is the manner in which he combines the two. That the director is exploring the margins through food is obvious and in some sense is also his way of cocking a snook over dominant food cultures. All of this is built up through contradictory layers into a pitch that begins to slowly sear, set within the familiar landscapes of Guwahati and Gauhati University.

“Dove-feathered raven, wolvish-ravening lamb! ... ... O nature, what hadst thou to do in hell When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend In moral paradise of such sweet flesh?”

The film commences in very ordinary, normal terms: a PhD scholar studying Meat-Eating practices of the Northeast, Sumon, meets paediatrician Nirmali, and pays her fees through home-cooked meat dishes. The lead pair played by Lima Das and Arghadeep Baruah bond over their love for all things carnivorous. Their loving rendezvous with the more esoteric varieties of meat shies short of taboo areas; an analogous flirtation where nothing ‘illicit’ happens as Sumon declares that he has never laid a finger on her. Nirmali takes pride in her moral

high ground when pitted against her promiscuous friend (Neetali Das). She will not use her fingers to eat even in the remotest of village eateries that she visits with Sumon, but inexorably finds herself tearing and slurping into a drumstick with her hands much to the befuddlement of her husband (Manash K. Das). The cinematography picks up on the sometimes sluggish, sometimes rapid pace of the screenplay, and the music is adequately playful or restive. Always, there is the wildcat that lurks in Nirmali’s green eyes that light up when there is new food to explore, the

light that dies when she is in the humdrum, run-of-the-mill routine existence. This duality is brought out beautifully by the debutant actor, and one must expect great things from Lima Das. Arghadeep Baruah has innate charm and humour that permeates into the texture of the film that makes you smile even as you cringe as it plunges headlong into the dark. Sagar Saurabh is excellent as Dr Elias who cares deeply for Sumon, in a veiled suggestion that this could be more than it seems. When the realist mode turns surreal the unutterable must be articulated. Desires

have to be satisfied; Sumon has to penetrate into Nirmali, some way or the other. So he goes ahead and makes the transgressive crossing with what he knows best – meat of a more intimate kind. This is the stuff that Nirmali finally cannot resist; this is the stuff that is both orgasmic and addictive. Boundaries are broken, bridges are burnt. There is no going back. Here was the logical place for the film to end, but Bhaskar Hazarika chooses to dig deeper into the grotesquery. While Nirmali opens up to him, Sumon cannot indulge in a reciprocal act: this could be read in a number of ways. He becomes her self-appointed satisfier, capable of literal blood-letting for her pleasure. Around this point, one finds the film turning back to the banal. Law-enforcement agencies, the media etal draw us back to the mundane, and the film ends in the now clichéd Truffautian hand-clasp. If we think of the film that both uses and is an oxymoron, one could justify the rather hackneyed ending of Aamis in cinematic terms. The popular ‘meet-cute’ turns into visceral and searing desire, the latent becomes the dominant; the real turns surreal, and then returning to the real, sinks into the mundane again. The film comes full circle. Bhaskar Hazarika had remarkably pushed boundaries in Kothanodi; he goes further in Aamis in his explorations of the dark, grotesque and bizarre edges of the human psyche. (Disclaimer: This review was earlier published in The Assam Tribune on 10th November last and has been reproduced here with due permission) The author is professor at the Department of English, Gauhati University. n

NRL inks agreement with Dr B Barooah Cancer Institute

n Agreement was signed on November 08, between Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) and Dr. B Barooah Cancer Institute (BBCI), Guwahati. Under the agreement NRL will provide support to the tune of Rs. 2 Crore to set up a Pediatric Oncology Ward at BBCI. Director BBCI Dr. A

C Kataki and Sr. CGM (HR & Legal) NRL Mr. D Choudhury signed the agreement in presence of Sr. CGM (Mktg & BD) NRL Mr. B. Ekka and senior representatives from both the sides at NRL Corporate Office. The Pediatric Oncology Ward will consist of a 15 bedded ICU, 10 bedded day care chemotherapy unit and a recreational cum

creativity area. This is another noble cause taken up by the Company under its CSR program to support children suffering from cancer.

Lead Story

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Midday meal controversy occupies centre stage in Assam politics G Plus News @guwahatiplus

he government has at last chastened down somewhat with education minister Siddartha Bhattacharya, in a facesaving exercise, put up a brave front alleging that the ‘midday meal controversy’ is the creation of vested interests of a certain section of people. The protest, which engulfed his residence on the arterial GS Road, was against the government move of handing over the charge for distribution of midday meals in schools to NGOs. It left the whole city stranded and brought the issue to the centre stage of political discourse in the state. Bhattacharya, who is facing flak from various quarters, told G Plus that the protests are backed by people with vested interests. Talking to G Plus, Bhattacharya said, “Anomalies by school authorities in midday meals is not new, and now if the NGOs serve midday meal, many people

will not be able to siphon off the money which is to be spent only on providing nutritious food to children.” Talking about allegations of anomalies in the process of selection of NGOs and the questions on the quality of the food served, the minister said that an enquiry has already been ordered. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal recently directed principal secretary of food and civil supplies and consumer affairs department, Biswaranjan Samal, to conduct an inquiry into the allegations of the meals being of poor quality and thereafter, to submit a report within a month. He also instructed to go back to the previous arrangement of mid day meals being provided by school authorities instead of NGOs till the enquiry is complete. Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU) has alleged that the government has failed to explain why such a decision was taken. General Secretary of CITU, Tapan Sharma, talking to G Plus said, “There must have been a

huge amount of commission calculation with the NGOs before the work was allotted to them. Else why has the government not explained the reason for engaging the NGOs for the work till now?” Sharma also alleged that the poorest people of the society are getting affected with such a move as the people get only Rs 1,000 per month for preparing food for the children. Countering the allegations the education minister said that the decision was taken by the Centre after various researches and as the education is handled by the state government, the Assam government received a notice from the Centre in 2017 to engage NGOs for the purpose. Many states have already implemented the idea and many states are taking the help of NGOs even before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) formed government in the centre. He explained that since 2015 Akshaya Patra has been distributing midday meals in Kamrup (Metro) and they have

been doing a very decent job. He said that in 2017 after receiving the Centre’s notice, a committee was formed and after thorough study it was decided that NGOs should be involved. Accordingly, through expression of interest some NGOs were involved in 25% areas of Assam. Now the vested interests are staging protests and trying to prove wrongly that the quality of food is not good. Regarding reports of Tinsukia school children getting sick, he said it is a story that has been wrongly “cooked.” He said in Hojai the vested interests had poured excess water in the dal and similar activities are going on across the state. He lastly claimed that the enquiry will disclose all the facts soon. Meanwhile, a school

Minister Siddhartha Bhattacharya headmaster, talking to G Plus claimed that it is difficult to siphon off money as Rs 4.15 is given per student per day. Even the menu is decided by the government. Two days in a week Khichdi has to be served, two days dal, vegetables and rice and two days it has to be paneer or egg. It is impossible to siphon off money with such a menu these days, he added.

PATTE KHUL GAYE [ HINDI COMEDY ] Director: Rakesh Bedi Cast: Rakesh Bedi, Avijit Dutt, Kishwer Merchant, Anant Mahadevan, Rupa Ganguly

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THE DEVIL WEARS BATAA

6-8 DECember in association with

PRAGJYOTI ITA CENTRE

[ ENGLISH POLITICAL SATIRE ] Director: Meherzad Patel Cast: Danesh Irani, Sajeel Parakh, Dilnaz Irani, Darius Shroff, Jigar Mehta, Siddharth Merchant, Mihir Mehra, Danesh Khambata

MACHKHOWA, GUWAHATI tickets 84860 00330 & info 84860 02303 www.guwahatitheatrefestival.com

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KUSUR,

THE MISTAKE [ HINDI THRILLER ] Director: Amol Palekar Cast: Amol Palekar

SUNday, 8 december TICKETS AVAILABLE AT

Supported by:

14 G Talk E

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019 T

Consume with caution

onsumerism is at its peak in Guwahati it seems. And a whole lot of consumerist activities are being done over internet – as is the way of life these days. Unfortunately, it has become quite clear that a fair bit of such consumer transactions are fraught with risks and remaining gullible or ignorant about the pitfalls in such transactions is not an option for a consumer any more. Take the recent cases of a spurt in cyber crimes where gullible consumers have been defrauded of amounts in thousands siphoned straight out of their bank accounts when they tried to order food through the various food delivery apps or book a table at a city café or restaurant online. It seems, the loopholes in the existing transaction systems have been neatly identified by professional cyber criminals. The G Plus digital desk has been carrying some discomforting pieces of news of several citizens being defrauded off money nicked straight from their bank accounts and the police are quite clearly at sea while even trying to get a grasp of the situation leave alone solving the crimes. Most of these fraudulent activities seem to be related to the food industry. Citizens have been defrauded while

ordering food online or while trying to book tables through the information provided by Google. Calls on phone numbers, as they appear or are listed on a Google search for a particular restaurant, reach some undesirable location even as the caller has no reason to suspect that something is amiss. There is a total breach of trust as the gullible caller shares his or her private information (in many cases it has been their Google Pay UPI number) and no one’s the wiser as within moments, his or her respective bank account is wiped clean through some neat internet banking transactions. In the process of reporting the news, the restaurant or the food delivery app’s name is often mentioned and this leads to an unnecessary misunderstanding by the reader leaving the restaurant or the delivery app’s name being sullied without any fault of theirs. The police needs to gear up about this issue and so does the consuming public. People need to be smarter and not be as gullible as it appears to be. The flipside of the ease and comfort of internet transactions is clearly not very savoury and people need to be alert. Swapnil Bharali (Editor) @swapnilbharali

Bidding adieu to SM fakers Rahul: Aur batao, kya chal raha hai? Abhijit: Bhai, aaj kal toh fog chal raha hai... Rahul: Please, it’s mid-November, and there’s no sign of winter anywhere. Abhijit: Haan, because Game of Thrones ended, and so everyone stopped saying “Winter is Coming.” Rahul: Then again, if only you’d stop making Tik Tok videos all night, you’ll wake up at 5 in the morning and see some fog around. Abhijit: That my friend can’t be done coz I’m going to be the next big influencer, the next big star! These bloody influencers with their fake numbers have ruled Social Media for far too long. Now even Instagram has decided to end this menace. Now only good content will thrive. People faking it will fade away and the real people will stand out. Rahul: Wow, that’s a deep thought for someone hoping to make it in an industry filled with vanity. Abhijit: Whatever, for now, check out these cool shades that I got at the sale. I’m gonna be wearing these, a lot! Here, take my photo and I’ll upload it today on my profile. Rahul: My advice? You should buy a pair of swimming goggles, cuz the way you’re planning your life, you’re gonna drown soon. Abhijit: I am Gen Z. I am cool and indestructible. Rahul: Ok, Ek kilo pyaaz leke aao market se. Abhijit: Sorry bhaiya, paise nahi hai. 80 bucks is a little too steep to spend from my pocket money.

Sidharth Bedi Varma @sid_bv

Mind Power - an amazing force within

uman mind is something which cannot be defined as an entity on its own. It is a part of the senses of our physical body. It is something which cannot be treated as a separate entity as such. Mind is influenced by various external and physiological factors depending on the particular environment we live in. It is always restless and jumps from place to place like a monkey. Different thoughts and ideas keep coming and going. It is extremely difficult to keep the mind stable. Like water it has a tendency to move out of our

The most critical aspect of the human mind is the subconscious part of it. Our success or failure in everything we do is dependent on it. This aspect of the mind is extremely sensitive to what we think, what we see and what we do. hand very easily in spite of the best efforts to retain it under our control. The physical appearance of an individual and the reactions to certain situations in life are also indications of a person’s state of mind. A happy person with a positive and constructive mindset brings about joy and happiness to everybody around him. A group or a community of such people can contribute a lot to the growth of a healthy and progressive society. The most interesting aspect of a human being is nobody is born with a constructive or a destructive mindset. The innocent smile and the looks of a small child bring testimony to this fact. Everybody is happy around an innocent child irrespective of his social or financial status because his

rAll rhetoric

mind is free from all impurities and complexities. During the process of growing up the child gets exposed to various environments and situations which make him what he is at a later stage in life. It is needless to say that the role of the parents, teachers and the society during this process of his growing up is of utmost importance. Since no human being is born with a certain mindset, it can be easily shaped in the way we desire. However, changing somebody’s thinking process needs a good deal of effort depending on the social, academic and the environmental factors. In general, people are of the belief that children of educated and enlightened parents are bound to be good. This is not always true unless the parents take adequate care in bringing up their children in a right atmosphere and devote quality time with their children in their formative years. The most critical aspect of the human mind is the subconscious part of it. Our success or failure in everything we do is dependent on it. This aspect of the mind is extremely sensitive to what we think, what we see and what we do. Our subconscious mind is ever active and goes on working day and night. The question that often comes to our mind is how does one keep his subconscious mind in its proper shape and make the best use of it. This is a subject which is researched and studied among various social and intellectual circles. Among the various tools and techniques adopted for controlling our mind, the most ancient practice of yoga and meditation is found to be very effective. Yoga originated in India around five thousand years ago. Many different forms of yoga have been developed in

O pinion Jayanta Madhav Barua

different parts of the world over the years. Yoga is not merely a physical form of exercise as many people presume it to be. On the other hand, mediation is a technique to control the breath which is directly linked to the

mental state of a human being. Yoga combined with meditation yields numerous mental health promoting effects. Oriental forms of meditation have also become popular in the West such as transcendental meditation apart from Tai and Chi - a Chinese form of meditation. Buddhism has also the systems of meditation which is gaining popularity across the globe. It is of utmost importance to note that the initiation to the practice of any form of yoga and meditation must be done under the guidance and supervision of an experienced trained teacher only. Faulty yoga postures and breathing techniques may lead to complicated mental and physical health issues. Let us all join hands together and contribute to the well being of a beautiful society in this world with a positive and constructive mindset. jayanta.barua09@gmail.com (The author is a free lance writer, a motivational speaker and a mechanical engineer by profession)

Letter to the Editor

Since so many years we all have been hearing that our state education department would bring in some reforms among the private schools. Nothing has been done in reality though. The private schools continue to tax the gullible parents at their whims as 95% parents do not question the school authorities fearing repercussions. It has been observed that in the name of renewal fees the schools charge astonishing amounts which is beyond any justifications. All this is happening because our government schools, barring a few, are all in poor state. Those parents who can afford to send their children to private ones ignore the government schools. In western countries the best schools are the government schools. The citizens make a beeline to admit their wards in those schools. Unless and until government does something on ground rather than lecturing rhetoric the business-minded school authorities would continue to take the guardians for an easy ride as they know the parents have no other options. Even the play schools are not far behind; they too charge exorbitant fees which are beyond the facilities and infrastructure provided by them. Gaurav Chowdhury, GNB Road, Guwahati

In Focus

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Assam Muslim body offers Rs 5 lakhs for Ram Mandir construction

ost the Ayodhha verdict, an organisation of 21 indigenous Muslim communities of Assam, will offer Rs 5 lakhs for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Speaking to media, Mominul Awal, chief convenor of the Parishad and chairman of Assam Minorities Development Board said, “The Supreme Court today removed the hurdles in the construction of Ram Mandir through a historic judgement. We welcome it. The indigenous Muslim communities of Assam have 21 organisations and their coordination forum is Janagosthiya Samannay Parishad, Assam. It will offer Rs 5 lakhs to the trust which will be formed for the construction of the Ram Mandir.” The All India United Democratic Front honoured the judgement and appealed to people in Assam to maintain peace and harmony. Settling the issue once and for all, the five-member Supreme Court bench ruled that the land on which the Babri Masjid stood will be given to the Hindus and a temple will

be built there. Muslims will be allocated five acres of land elsewhere in Ayodhya. The Ayodhya issue is a political, historical, and socioreligious debate in India, centred on a plot of land in the city. The SC had held final hearing on the case from 6 August 2019

to 16 October 2019. The bench reserved the final judgment and granted three days to contesting parties to file written notes on ‘moulding of relief’ or narrowing down the issues on which the court is required to adjudicate. In the final judgement the apex court ordered the land to

be handed over to a trust to build a Hindu temple. It also ordered the government to give an alternative 5 acres of land to the Sunni Waqf Board for the purpose of building a mosque. Reacting to the verdict, Guwahatians mostly gave a positive reaction and shared their views on G Plus social

media channels. Rimi Phukon wrote, “This is what we call humanity and brotherhood. Assam proves it’s cultural and religious harmony yet again by setting a positive example of love and peace.” Another citizen added “That’s Assamese! That’s the reason I always maintained the status quo. It’s since ‘Miya’ came, Assamese society got divided into Hindu and Muslim. Previously there was nothing as such. Hail to our teachings and bond.” A citizen asked the Hindu people’s hand to help the Muslims to build a masjid. He wrote, “Helping each other is humanity. Hindu brothers should also support Muslim brothers to build a masjid on the allotted land.” Joining the opposition Nayan Jyoti Daimary wrote, “People and organisations have money for temple and masjid but no one gives an eye for homeless people. They need medical facilities and education. I can see more child labourers these days in Assam. If you are speaking of humanity than do something for humans.” n

Commuters face a harrowing time getting stuck in traffic jams due to the ongoing Brahmaputra Pushkar Mela at Sonaram field. G Plus followers comment: Joydeep Choudhury

It’s not because of the Pushkaran mela. It’s because of the hopeless management of traffic and lack of common sense on the part of those who are responsible for traffic management. Why do you need to have the bus stop at the turning? Take it a few metres forward, it’ll reduce the bottleneck. Why only Bharalumukh? One will get a bus stop at almost every police point. These people cannot control the city buses, why? If you come from Jalukbari there’s a mess. Maligaon is the worst. The Maligaon Chariali stop extends over a distance of about 1 km. But they are mute spectators. One needs 20 minutes to cover a distance of 1 km. Just one suggestion, bring in the public transport system under control and more than 50% of the city’s traffic problem will be solved.

Devarun Chaki

This is bound to happen. Organise such fairs like the Bramhaputra Pushkar, and make life horrible for normal citizens while the ministers are all smiles by making their bosses happy at Delhi. This is the reality which people don’t have the guts to speak about.

Sanjay Varshney

It is because of the sheer ‘brilliance’ of GTP. They need to be taught basic traffic control norms, 1. Main tracks are blocked most of the time and U-turn is a priority. 2. City buses are parked all across the MG Road from Bharalu to Sukleswar. 3. Main track traffic is being blocked just after passing of 4-5 vehicles. In Guwahati citizens say: No traffic police, no traffic jam. If there is a traffic jam there will be our great traffic police surely.

Manish Tandon

Reconstruction of footpath, divider is cherry on the cake. They should invest the money for cleaning drains and maintaining strict laws to catch whoever throws plastic bottles etc or spit on roads. Invest more on traffic police. Seems like we got less police people on roads. The dividers and footpaths are already there. Focus more on floods, traffic control, city buses, cleaning of drains. Please don’t make our life more miserable by adding more woes by constructing what is not required in the current scenario. Every road is full of dust and traffic. We need our green Guwahati back.

16 Buzz

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

City poet’s work selected for publication in Sahitya Akademi journal

wo of city-based poet, Saikh Md Sabah AlAhmed’s poems, have been selected for publication in the November-December issue of Indian Literature, Sahitya Akademi’s prestigious bimonthly journal. Sabah, who has been penning down his verses since his high school days at Don Bosco School, Panbazar, Guwahati is a young international award-winning poet. In July this year, he was awarded the prestigious Reuel International Prize for Poetry – 2019 in the Best Upcoming Poet from the North East of India category. The Reuel Prize is an International Prize for excellence in writing and literature that had its inception in 2014 and concentrates on poetry that encourages writers to produce their best work by giving them a beginning to aim higher. Prior to this, Sabah was also awarded the ‘Certificate of Excellence’ by the United Nations Association (UNA) – Assam for his outstanding

literary achievements in the field of poetry and journalism, a first of its kind recognition for a poet from the Northeast. The certificate was conferred by Dr Aswini Sarma, Secretary General, UNAAssam at its regional office at Khanapara in March this year.

City school organises ‘Say no to Plastic’ campaign

xel Public School, Guwahati organised a ‘Say no to Plastic’ campaign on the occasion of kids fest on November 9 last. The school produced 2500+ cloth bags and distributed them among the people living in Beltola area.

Students held placards and raised slogans while trying to spread awareness on the harmful use of plastic products. Recently, the government of Assam had imposed a complete ban on the use, manufacture, import, supply, store, transport, sale or distribution of

plastic bags less than 50 microns, plastic cups with diameter less than 60 mm and thickness less than 50 microns, as well as short life PVC, in the premises of the state secretariat, Janata Bhawan.

Talk on Japan as a higher education destination held at CU

talk on “Opportunity for Higher Education in Japan” by University of Tokyo and Ritsumeikan University was organised on the 11th November last in collaboration with Cotton University (CU), at Sudmersen Hall, Cotton University. The program had delegates from the Embassy of Japan

other significant information regarding Japan Education Fair 2019, Japan-India “Special Strategic and Global Partnership” and related information from the embassy. The university hall was packed with students from various universities and colleges of the state and was also attended by the Registrar of the university, Prof

in India, University of Tokyo and Ritsumeikan University respectively. Masahiro Kobayashi, First Secretary from the Embassy of Japan in India explained the Japanese government scholarships and

Diganta Kumar Das and the Dean of Student Welfare, Prof Debojit Sarma. The program was a firstof-its-kind in this university and it ended successfully with an interactive session between the students and the delegates.

DPS Guwahati bags runners up spot in CBSE national U-11 girls’ chess championship

elhi Public School Guwahati bagged the runners up spot in the CBSE National Under -11 Girls’ Chess Championship, held in New Delhi from 9th to 12th November last. The event was held at Mount Abu Public School, Rohini. The winners’ names are Chaarvi Choudhury, Daisy Dutta, Kabyashree Sarma Saikia and Khyati Kashyap.

The students are from the Gauhati Town Club Chess Foundation, and were accompanied by their school coach Padma Gogoi who is also a coach of the foundation. Altogether 20 schools affiliated to the CBSE board, including schools from Dubai, Muscat, Sharjah and Al Ghubra, participated in the championship. The competition is organised by CBSE every year.

Feature

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Smoking, drinking and the Indian woman T he society we live in demonizes females who smoke and drink. Drinking or consumption of alcohol and smoking of cigarettes is as harmful to the male as it is to the female. Yet here is a word of caution to all young girls and women out there. Do not go and buy a pack of cigarettes from that store near your house or in your locality

In a country such as ours where women are smoking to get a sense of liberation, are we still going to judge a woman’s character on this very criteria? Does this somewhere show that we still want to show women ‘their place’ in society? girls! For, your character is at stake. Do not drink alcohol and stir out in the open, because your character will be judged and don’t you dare smoke out in the open because again, your character will be judged! The same men standing outside a paan shop will judge young girls for buying a pack of cigarettes, but who will go home and smoke in front of their wives and children thereby making them passive smokers. Similarly, the same women that judge other women for smoking

Representative Image will not say a word if their son comes home with a matchbox in his bag. Such is the hypocrisy of the society that we live in. If a woman was to hold a cigarette in her hand, it would cause raised eyebrows because it would make her look unfeminine, unseemly, bold and progressive. At a time like this, when there is so much heightened consciousness around health, this trend must be downward for both men and women. It is time we create some gender-neutral norms which serve both sexes become better versions of themselves. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, female cigarette smoking exists mainly among the urban elite classes of cosmopolitan cities which may reflect women’s

aspiration to be considered ‘equal’ to men in the Indian society. Over 12 million women smoke in India and this number is not a small one at all; in fact the number of female smokers has significantly risen over the past decade as compared to a relative decline in the rate of rising male smokers in India. Studies have shown that women are more likely to be portrayed drinking or smoking to control their emotions, for sex appeal or for power manifestation on the silver screen. Some women are also shown to be smokers just to enhance their self-image or for a sense of independence and liberty. Men on the other hand, who are shown smoking or drinking, reinforce a more masculine identity and

Guwahati based MMA fighter to fight against England’s Martin Hudson in Hyderabad

uwahati based Mixed Martial Artist, Bhabajeet Choudhury has signed with one of Asia’s biggest fighting promotions, ‘Brave Combat Federation’. Choudhury will compete with England’s Martin Hudson in his upcoming bout under the

promotion at Hyderabad on November 23. Bhabajeet competes in the Welterweight category (77 kg) and is also the team captain of Gujarat in the Super Fight League. Talking to G Plus, Choudhury said, “There are a lot of talented fighters in the northeast, but

the public awareness and the coverage of the sport is very low.” Choudhury dons a Professional MMA record of 8 wins and 3 losses and is one of the most successful fighters from the northeast. He goes by the nickname, ‘Stretcher’, as after his fights his opponents often leave on a stretcher.

establish a character of power and significant authority on television and in films. A phrase that emerged during a PR campaign in the early twentieth century rightly referred to cigarettes as “Torches of Freedom.” Cigarettes were depicted as symbols of emancipation and equality with men. It described the natural desire for women to smoke and this phrase used by Edward Bernays encouraged women to smoke in public despite social taboos associated with the act. Women were hired to march, smoking cigarettes in a parade marking Easter Sunday in 1929. This was during the first wave of feminism. We are currently witnessing the third wave of feminism, yet women still strive hard every single day to fight

RIFA DEKA such social barriers. To this day, a woman who smokes or consumes liquor is considered rebellious, immoral or a threat to other women. If not all that, then these acts are associated with glamour, seduction or a symbol of sexual allure. Can these habits not just be left alone as habits which are hazardous to health for both men and women? In a country such as ours where women are smoking to get a sense of liberation, are we still going to judge a woman’s character on this very criteria? Does this somewhere show that we still want to show women ‘their place’ in society? Is this judgement another one of our many ways to oppress women? We are slowly witnessing the gender, the wage and the thigh gap narrow in a country like ours, inch by inch every day, and it is now time for us to broaden our mindsets too alongside all that. Let’s not forget that even Eve was judged for eating that forbidden apple. Had it been Adam in her place, even God would have let that pass. Having said all that, it does not mean that women must be given a free pass to smoke or drink excessively. These are bad habits indeed and judgement if any at all must be restricted to its implications on one’s health rather than association of the same with anybody’s character. Till the time we judge women who smoke or consume alcohol and assassinate their characters, we will continue to be a sorry lot! (The author is a Mass Comm student of Royal Global University. The views expressed are her own)

18 Review

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Starring: Sidharth Malhotra, Sidharth Malhotra, Tara Sutaria, Rakul Preet Singh Director: Milap Milan Zaveri

Marjaavaan

odunga bhi or todke jodunga bhi” (I will break you and I will repair you too). With those bombastic words, Sidharth Malhotra, clad in a leather jacket in the Mumbai heat, proceeds to pound a gang of goons and simultaneous bandage their wounds (we kid you not). This is Malhotra’s introduction scene as the righthand man to water mafia don Anna (Nassar). Perenially in a bandana, often with said leather jacket, Malhotra plays Raghu, an abandoned child adopted by Anna and raised as the son he always wanted. His

real flesh and blood is the threefoot Vishnu (Riteish Deshmukh), who compensates for his height by wielding his inherited power while constantly seeking his father’s approval. Vishnu sees Raghu as a rival and threat and makes it his mission to destroy the latter’s life. This conflict is the crux of the Marjaavaan, a vengeance story that pits loyalty against blood, and love against everything else. Writer-director Milap Zaveri pulls in every 1980s Bollywood movie trope to present a film designed to elicit whistles from the frontbenchers.

At the close of the 2010s, it’s not an easy aesthetic to embrace. Right from Raghu’s retro hero entry to Vishnu’s henchmen and manipulative character of a mute do-gooder who fashions a change in the bad guy, this is the quintessential throwback movie. In fact, Zoya’s (Tara Sutaria) introduction scene has her playing a harmonium, a prop that must have been retrieved from the bottom of a production box unopened since 1987. Other characters that hover around are ACP Yadav (Ravi Kishan) and bar dancer Arzoo (Rakul Preet). Their purpose is primarily to egg Raghu on. At interval point I felt the film had ended, but there was an hour to go and several scenes dedicated to a grief-stricken Malhotra, much was yet to be endured. The story unfolds in a lawless, somewhat fictitious Mumbai where goons ride around in open jeeps brandishing guns and firing indiscriminately, while the police is content to pander to their reputation of always being late on the scene. Sutaria is adequately sweet and fits in as the pure girl who could convert a career criminal. Malhotra’s tribute to the angry young man of the ’80s falls short even as Deshmukh rises above his stunted character (pun intended). The action scenes are slick and Zaveri remains loyal to the milieu and garnished speeches. It might have worked too, had the story had some heft, some surprises and if one could feel the complexities of the relationships between these flawed characters who remain nothing more than billboard-sized cardboard cutouts. (Review from Scroll.in)

Infinix S5 The Infinix S5 is one of the few phones at this price with a hole-punch display, which helps it stand out. The display is a large 6.6-inch IPS LCD panel with a 20:9 aspect ratio but the resolution is only HD+. At regular viewing distance, icons and text look pleasing enough, but videos aren’t very sharp. The panel itself is quite bright and colours have good saturation,

Housefull 4 (UA) 09:00 AM, 02:50 PM Bala 09:10 AM, 12:00 PM, 02:50 PM, 05:40 PM, 08:30 PM Marjaavaan 09:25 AM, 12:20 PM, 03:15 PM, 06:10 PM, 09:05 PM Charlie’s Angels (English) 09:45 AM, 03:30 PM, 09:15 PM Motichoor Chaknachoor 12:00 PM, 08:35 PM Ford v Ferrari (English) 12:20 PM, 06:05 PM Epaar Xipaar (Assamese) 05:50 PM

Anuradha Cineplex, Noonmati 0361 2656968 Marjaavaan 10:30 AM, 05:45 PM Charlie’s Angels (English) 01:00 PM Ratnakar (Assamese) 03:15 PM Bala 08:15 PM

Grande Cines, Paltan Bazar 09854017771 Marjaavaan 10:00 AM, 03:15 PM, 09:00 PM Bala 10:30 AM, 12:40 PM, 06:00 PM, 08:45 PM Charlie’s Angels (English) 01:00 PM

reach. We also liked that the camera module doesn’t protrude too much.

Specifications

The Infinix S5 is a recent offering in the sub-Rs. 10,000 segment, boasting of a large hole-punch display, four rear cameras, and generous helpings of RAM and storage. At Rs. 8,999 for the sole configuration on offer, is this good alternative to phones such as the Redmi Note 8 and the Realme ? Let’s take a look.

Design

Cinepolis, Christian Basti 09435025808

but the lack of an ambient light sensor is very disappointing. The camera hole itself isn’t too distracting, and the display has relatively slim bezels all around except for the chin at the bottom. The body is built entirely of plastic and the back has a glossy finish, which is a big magnet for fingerprints. The back has a “feather” pattern, which looks nice and gives the effect of having a glass back. The fingerprint

sensor at the back is differently textured from the rest of the body and is easy to

In terms of power, the Infinix S5 packs an entry-level MediaTek Helio P22 SoC, which does a decent job powering the HD+ display but is not as powerful as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 or Helio P70, which are also found in phones in this price segment. The S5 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and there are no variants at the time of this review. Other features include Bluetooth 5, dual-band Wi-Fi, FM radio, GPS, and USBOTG. The ambient light sensor might be missing, but a compass and gyroscope are present. This phone has only Widevine L3 DRM certification, which is not a

Ford v Ferrari (English) 03:20 PM Motichoor Chaknachoor 06:20 PM

PVR Cinemas, Dona Planet 08800900009 Bala 09:10 AM, 03:10 PM, 08:40 PM Charlie’s Angels (English) 09:45 AM, 09:15 PM Marjaavaan 12:20 PM Ford v Ferrari (English) 06:00 PM

PVR Cinemas, CITY CENTRE 0124 470 8100 Bala 09:00 AM, 10:15 AM, 01:05 PM, 03:55 PM, 06:45 PM, 09:35 PM Ford v Ferrari (English) 09:45 AM, 03:35 PM, 09:25 PM Marjaavaan 10:00 AM, 12:50 PM, 03:40 PM, 06:30 PM, 09:20 PM Motichoor Chaknachoor 10:00 AM, 03:35 PM, 08:45 PM Saand Ki Aankh 11:50 AM Maleficent: Mistress of Evil 12:55 PM Charlie’s Angels (English) 01:00 PM, 06:50 PM, 08:20 PM Epaar Xipaar (Assamese) 03:00 PM Ratnakar (Assamese) 05:45 PM Iewduh (Khasi) 06:30 PM

big deal considering its display resolution and price.

Verdict

The Infinix S5 is one of the few phones under Rs. 10,000 to sport a hole-punch display, and this sets it apart. However, the rest of its features and capabilities don’t really add up to a very good experience, and in this respect, we feel that phones such as the Realme 5 and the Redmi Note 8 offer better value for a little more money. Real-world battery life is good, even though this phone didn’t do too well in our video loop test, but again, the lack of quick charging is disappointing. Infinix is banking on the four rear cameras as a big selling point but the truth of the matter is that they simply aren’t very good and some of the sensors barely contribute at all. Other things such as the lack of an ambient light sensor, MicroUSB port instead of USB Type-C, and the spammy custom UI make the Infinix S5 not worth recommending. (Review from NDTV Gadgets)

Trotter

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

University offers students grave to lie in to cope with exam stress

university has come up with an unusual method of helping its students to cope with exam stress - a meditation grave. Many have been trying to offer a range of alternative therapies to help students suffering from anxiety during exam periods. Some have offered therapy dog sessions, mindfulness meetings, and even designated quiet spaces, but no university has gone quite as far as Radboud University. Located in the Dutch city of Nijmegen, they recently went viral after an alumnus revealed their unique approach

to managing student stress - a grave. Yes, behind the student chapel is an open grave, and whilst it’s not operational in the strictest sense of the word, people are dying to get in it. Inside the grave is an appropriate sign which says ‘stay weird’.

According to the students, the bizarre project is so popular they had to be put on a waiting list to secure an early grave. Student Sean McLaughlin said, “Me and my housemate were planning on going a week ago, a week and a half ago, and we found that there is a waiting list to actually get into the grave, so it’s quite popular, so we didn’t get the chance yet, but I plan to go sometime soon whenever I move up.” The ‘purification grave, complete with a blanket and yoga mat, allows for comfortable, if a tad morbid, meditation. (Source: mirror.co.uk)

100-yr-old woman dies within 1 hour of her 104-yr-old husband’s death

100-year-old woman died an hour after her 104-year-old husband died in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai district. The couple Vetrivel (104) and Pichayi (100) had been married for 75 years. They were residing in Kuppakkudi Adi Dravidar Colony under Alangudi Taluk. Although they were centenarians, the couple was said to be in good health. On 11th November, Vetrivel complained of chest pain. So, his grandsons and greatgrandsons rushed him to a

nearby hospital in Alangudi. But, doctors declared the elderly man as brought dead. When his mortal remains were taken back to Kuppakkudi for relatives to pay their last respects, his wife Pichayi broke down on seeing her husband’s

lifeless body. “Our grandma cried before our grandfather’s body and fainted. When we shook her to revive her, she did not respond. So, we called a local doctor to check her pulse. The doctor confirmed that our grandma was no more, less than an hour after our grandfather died,” said L Kumaravel, one of the grandsons of the elderly couple. The couple is survived by five sons and one daughter apart from 23 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. (Source: hindustantimes)

Contestant ‘eats’ sausages with bum on German talent show

contestant on the German version of Britain’s Got Talent, Das Supertalent, left the judges, audience and TV viewers shocked with her hungry bum routine. Duckie L’Orange didn’t say a word during her performance - but her actions spoke plenty loud enough. It began fairly innocuously as she took to the stage with a dog cage. However, things took a turn after she disappeared behind a curtain and began barking. As the judges looked on quizzically, she then re-emerged with her trousers lowered, revealing her dog-faced bottom as she pranced about the stage. But while this alone was enough to stun viewers, people really had no

idea what Duckie L’Orange had left up her sleeve/bum. After covering up the dog bum and returning to the character of the pet-owner, she held up a missing dog poster, seemingly distressed by the loss. But then, she clearly had a brainwave, laying a string of sausages out on the floor and disappearing behind the curtain once again. At this point, members of the audience and the judging panel

shot glances at each other, all clearly concerned about what was about to go down. Sure enough, the dog then returned from behind the curtain and proceeded to gobble up the sausages through a pretty disgusting series of buttock clenches, sending the place into meltdown - and judge Dieter Bohlen off his chair. Despite clearly delivering one of the most memorable performances in Das Supertalent history, Duckie L’Orange was denied passage to the next round, with judges evidently not keen to see if the dog could work up more of an appetite. Still, she got some pretty good exposure, that’s for sure. (Source: ladbible)

Pune maid flooded with job offers after her business card goes viral

eeta Kale, a domestic help in Pune, has been flooded with job offers from all corners of India. The reason - a business card that one of her employers, Dhanashree Shinde, designed for her. The incredible story of Geeta Kale and Dhanashree Shinde was shared on Facebook by Asmita Javdekar two days ago, where it has gone viral. In her account, Asmita said that Dhanashree came home from work one day to find her maid, whom she calls Geeta Maushi, looking dejected. She had just lost a job, which meant losing out on a monthly income of Rs 4,000. Dhanashree, Senior Manager, Branding and Marketing at Vilas Javdekar Developers, decided to put her professional experience to good use and designed a business card for Geeta Maushi. “Within twenty four hours, a smart business card was designed and 100 cards printed!” wrote Asmita in her account. She also shared a picture of the business card, which

reads “Geeta Kale, Ghar Kaam Maushi in Bavdhan (Geeta Kale, household help in Bavdhan).” The cheerful blue and green business card lists out the amount that Geeta Maushi would charge for various household chores. Laundry, for example, would cost her employers Rs 800 per month. The business cards were handed out in their neighbourhood with the help of the society watchman and according to Asmita, this “seemingly small step” led to an “unimaginable reaction!” She says that the business card became an overnight internet sensation and Geeta Kale has been fielding job offers since it went viral. “Maushi’s phone just hasn’t stopped ringing! Job offers have been pouring in from every corner of India.” Dhanashree Shinde and Geeta Kale’s story has received over 1,600 ‘likes’ and a ton of comments since being shared online. “Super idea and good description of job. Very thoughtful,” wrote one person. “Excellent work Dhanashri,” said another. (Source: ndtv)

Couple gets married in Texas hospital, groom’s father attends ceremony after emergency surgery

aliyah and Michael Thompson had two wedding ceremonies on September 21. One was at their church, as they’d planned. The other was an impromptu celebration at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Sunnyvale, where Michael’s father was recovering from emergency surgery. The groom’s father, William Thompson, had a staph infection that turned septic and required hospitalization and surgery in the days leading up to the wedding. When it became clear that he would still be in the hospital on their big day, Aaliyah and Michael came up with a new plan to bring the wedding to him. “We immediately went to work and started making plans to be married in the hospital at that point because we knew it was really important for him to be there, and there was no way the doctors were letting him out in his condition,” Aaliyah said. Aaliyah and Michael’s pastor met them at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center in Sunnyvale, Texas, the morning

of their wedding. He performed the ceremony in front of both sets of parents, the bride’s grandmother, the best man, and the maid of honor. The bride and groom both wore plastic hospital gowns and exchanged rings over gloved fingers. Afterwards, nurses brought an assortment of the hospital’s finest offerings. “The nurses wanted to watch it, which was pretty awesome because they’d been the people taking care of him the few weeks he was in the hospital,” she said. “They came in and surprised us with a cake and some flowers and some grape juice and celebrated with us.” After the short hospital wedding, Michael and Aaliyah went through with their original wedding ceremony and reception at their church later that day. William has since made a full recovery, and the newlyweds are glad they were able to include him, after all. “He was really excited about it and really happy that we chose to do that for him,” Aaliyah said. (Source: insider)

20 Fun Jayashree Bose

19th November will be a great day for you to schedule your important meetings and share your ideas with your seniors. 18th November you will be emotionally hurt by your colleagues or superiors. 17th November you could have a fall out with a superior or client or extended family. Avoid a get together or drinking with your workmates or seniors or extended family on 20th November. It will be an amazing week for you. November 18th, 19th, 21st and 22nd 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 hosting any important meetings on 20th November, you are bound to have disagreements. You will have a fall out with your extended family or your workmates on 17th November.

20th and 22nd November will be great days for you to build a rapport with your seniors and people at work, host your important meetings. 18th November avoid any get together with your workmates and/or extended family. Lay low on 18th November, you are bound to have disagreement with people at work or there could be changes in your workplace.

19th and 20th November will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors and build a relationship with them. Host your important meetings on these dates. 21st November be careful of your words and actions, you could have issues at your work place with your seniors or clients.

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

It will be a good week for you. Host a Sunday brunch or a get together either with your extended family or your workmates. Use November 18th, 21st and 22nd November to host your meetings, share your ideas with your superiors, network with your business associates. Avoid hosting any meetings on 19th November, you are bound to have disagreements. On 16th November you will feel others are ungrateful. This week will be good for you. 18th, 19th, 20th November will be excellent days for you to schedule your important meetings. Your seniors will be receptive to your ideas, you could promote yourself on social media, reach out to others and grow your network. 16th November try to keep a low profile, it will be a slow day. Avoid hosting any meetings on 22nd November, you are bound to have disagreements.

You have a good week ahead of you. 18th, 21st and 22nd November will be great days for you to share your ideas with your seniors or simply connect with them. You could schedule your important meetings on these dates. Be careful of your words and actions on 17th November, you could create your own problems. 16th and 17th November will be slow days.

17th and 22nd November will be great days for you to build a rapport with your seniors and people at work. Host your important meetings on 22nd November. Go out for a Sunday brunch or coffee on 17th November, just connect with your parents and/or your superiors. 16th November will be a slow day for you. Avoid promising anything on 21st November, you will have problems.

If you have wanted to go for a short holiday then this is the perfect week to do so. It will be an uneventful week and things will just not move the way you want. If you are unable to take off for the week then avoid doing anything important that might affect your career growth. 19th November will be a slow day for you. 22nd November you will have issues with people at work.

21st November be careful while dealing with your parents and/or your superiors, they might hurt you emotionally. 20th November watch your words and actions as you could create problems for yourself. 20th November will be a slow day for you. This is just not your week but don’t worry next week will be better.

Host a Sunday get together for your work mates and/or your extended family. Be careful of what you promise on 18th November, you will have to uphold it. 20th November you could be emotionally hurt by someone at work or your extended family, avoid trusting others with your secrets. 21st November will be a slow day for you.

You are going to have a good week ahead. 17th and 18th November are ideal days for you to mingle with your seniors and people at work and build your work network. Host a brunch/evening coffee, invite your seniors or just catch up with your parents on 17th November. Avoid hosting any meetings on 16th November, things will not go according to plan. 19th November you could feel hurt by words and actions of someone at work and/or your extended family.

very hard

last week solution

1 8 7 4 5 67 43 24 96 89 58 99 35 11 74 86 12 51 37 23 99 31 63 55 16 22 74 46 69 98 35 57 98 72 61 71 25 17 84 42 43 66 82 28 37 Daily Sudoku: Fri 15-Nov-2019 4 8 9 3 5

2 6 9 3 17 81 5 6 72 64 2 4 99 46 8 7 88 22 7 8 3 1 4 9 6

55 64 33

3 25 38 57

44 13 71 38 92 95 86

5 41 57 19 9 medium 1 2 7 6

Daily Sudoku: Fri 8-Nov-2019

very hard

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Word Word of of the the week week chutzpa knackered British Slang. exhausted; audacity;very nerve.tired

Le Corbusier, it was the name adapted by Charles Edouard

curio-city

Dilbert By Scott Adams

Daily Sudoku: Fri 8-Nov-2019

adjective [nak-erd] noun [hoot-spuh, khoot-] Slang.

Jeanneret, the architect of Chandigarh

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

medium

Identify this famous German director, who ushered in the concept of science fiction and dystopian movies with his 1929 classic ‘Metropolis.’

8 2 5 13 8 9 6 3 5 9

Momo

Yaadon ki Baraat was the debut film of which Bollywood superstar?

Sangai, found in Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur

1 1 2

PT Usha

Which Indian Olympics legend has the nickname ‘ Payyoli Express’?

Aamir Khan

Which animal, found only in a northeastern state, literally means ‘animal in waiting’?

5 8 5 99 4 6 1 1 7 8 5 7 9 7 2 4 46 8 7 98 72 2 4 4 6 8 37 Daily Sudoku: Fri 15-Nov-2019 9 3

The Tibetans call it Mog Mog, what do we call it?

Fritz Lang

What is the French for ‘like a crow’?

1 6

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curio-city 1.

Sudoku

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

Horoscope of the week

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Across

Crossword Down

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

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

Last week’s solution

Fiction

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Ranjan Kumar Choudhury ranjanchou@hotmail.com

Fiction Jaymin spoke about a very strange dream he was having about an old woman who used to come into his room and talk to him sitting on his bed. When he awoke from his nightmare he felt a sharp pain in his chest where he thought the old woman had bitten him.

Unconsummated love and a sickening tragedy I n tea gardens, due to the wide use of agro chemicals and also products like phenyl, there have been several instances where workers, who are under severe mental stress due to problems like penury, old parents being abandoned, young girls getting pregnant and jilted by the men, consume these substances while attempting suicides. The management keeps all these agrochemicals securely locked up at designated storehouses and as a matter of practice the tankers used to be premixed with the required chemicals before being sent to the field for application. These standard operating procedures were made in consultation with the police and union officials and were strictly followed. But then when someone wants to commit suicide by consuming poison he or she could also easily purchase rodent poison and other stuff from the weekly markets. Garden doctors had to keep their gastric pumps handy to try and revive a person after consuming poison but often it was too late when they were found. I was always on guard for this problem as it entailed a lot of work like getting a post mortem done, documenting all details from the family members and at times an enquiry case had to be set up. Frankly speaking, the frustrations and frailties of human nature makes one negative but tea garden employees, for their robust working life in the fields, should not be falling prey to this malady. But then when it happens to someone you knew quite well and shared your time for many years, it does seem very strange and those left behind feel responsible in a way. Jaymin Acheera was a Coorg and he had told me that as per their family custom a gun was fired in the air when he was born; he also mentioned that if he had been a girl then some bells would have been rung. I used to like spending time with him at Dufflaghur tea estate where he was posted as a Field Assistant after five years in the Dooars. As we were both bachelors and keen on hunting and camping in the wilds we got along quite well though he could not come as often as he would have liked to due to his social commitments in the club. He was a very good tennis player and we all wanted to partner him in the matches and in the mixed doubles he was in great demand with the ladies. How he managed to choose between them was hilarious, from picking up cards to tossing a coin. But as people knew one another no one minded losing against him. However, it was in

the main tournaments between the tea clubs that we loved to witness his matches against the best in the industry at that time and I still remember some of his momentous victories. Jaymin was an extrovert and full of fun and threw many wonderful parties for his friends. He would make some great pork dishes and chicken in Coorg style but he never made any pudding which we brought in rotation. One thing I noticed is that he would always pile the food he would eat at one time and he never took second helpings like us who ate the items in courses. When I asked him about this trait he said that being a martial race the Coorg men had to be ready for battle promptly, so dilly dallying over food was not their custom. They were used to eat on the go and this trait must have been passed on in their psyche. A candid person, he spoke straight from the heart and did not brook anyone who could not hold his drink and became too boisterous. But he loved company and was generous in serving the best of food and drinks that he had to the extent that the young newlywed ladies even took his advice regarding menu plans and some signature dish recipes. Everyone opined that the woman who gets to marry him would be indeed very lucky. One fine day Jaymin announced to us that he would be getting married soon as his family had selected a girl for him and they wanted him to come home urgently on a short leave to meet this young woman. We were all quite happy for him and wished him luck. He returned within a week and was brimming with happiness; he was literally radiating so much joy that anyone who came close to him also felt elated. He had a photo of his fiancée who was called Bhavna which he showed us

happily and he told us that she was a teacher in a convent school. The wedding date was fixed to be held in that winter in February in his ancestral village where they were cultivating various spices near Madikeri. He invited his close friends to attend. However none of us were able to make it and it was good in a way as just a week before the wedding date when he was home the father of the bride died in his sleep. He had high blood pressure and was on medication but unfortunately his time on this earth was over. His death cast a pall of gloom on both the households and as usual many members of the family on both sides took this as a bad omen and thought it best to call off the wedding. Jaymin was shattered, and though the young couple liked one another, in a situation like this, their betrothal became more uneasy with time, and the matter was kept in a limbo. He rejoined his duty in Assam as the wedding date would have to be checked and decided upon which would take time. The Coorgs are a martial race and not given to superstition but due to the pressure of others, whenever such alliances were not fulfilled, the horoscopes had to be matched again and the ‘Doshas’ needed to be corrected. This takes time as the constellations had to be matched for a few pujas and Jaymin grew very morose with each passing day. It got to all of us as it was very cruel to see this fine young man break down mentally and though we tried our best to cheer him up the demons in his mind could not be controlled. Rajiv, Sumanta and the other tennis champion in our tea club Aswin, along

with me, spent many evenings in his bungalow or we got him out to visit us but he became very listless. In the meantime, his family informed him that Bhavna’s mother and uncles did not seem enthusiastic about their wedding which depressed him the most. One evening he broke down and told us about some very strange dreams he was having lately about an old woman who used to come into his room and try and talk to him sitting on his bed. When he awoke from his nightmare he felt a sharp pain in his chest where he thought that the old woman had bitten him. He showed us a reddish welt in his body and we did not know what to make of it. About two days later I had to leave for Guwahati on some urgent work that had come up and there I got the news from Sumanta that Jaymin was found dead in his bathroom sprawled out on the floor. It was suspected that he had consumed poison and his body had to be sent to the Civil Hospital at Tezpur for a post mortem. I was shattered with the news and on my way back I dropped in at the hospital where his father and mother along with a few other relatives had come on receiving the news. The parents were devastated and I had no words to console them as they decided to do his cremation there at Tezpur itself. A lot of his friends had also come and all of us present there attended his last rites in sombre silence. It was so strange to think that he had ended his life this way and such a vibrant person dying like this left us all stunned and heartbroken. Whenever I pass through this town I always remember that funeral pyre and the embers climbing into the sky and remember his laughing face telling me not to mourn for him.

22 Lifestyle

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Effect of Vaastu on children There are many types of Pranayama. It literally means intake of prana or life force. The simplest form of Pranayama is done by slow, relaxed and rhythmic

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

veryone has this dream that their children should do well in life and shine more than them. Whenever this is not achieved, there is stress in the family. Parents as well as their wards are under tremendous pressure to perform well, be it in academics, sport or music. Many children and even their parents try very hard to succeed but sometimes some forces beyond our means become invisible obstacles in this pursuit. Vaastu plays a very important factor in this and one should make a Vaastu assessment in such cases. The east and the northeast are the most important directions for all round progress of children. These directions must be lower than the other directions. They should also be free from any kind of blockage. So it is very good to have the water run off naturally towards east and northeast. In case it is not possible, arrangements

should be done to have the same. A lower south and west means the same negative effect and it must be rectified. It is seen that if the staircase of the house is anticlockwise while going up, it may affect the children and business. If the staircase is already built that way, then the help of pyramids and wind-chimes may be taken.

Benefits of Pranayama

abdominal breathing. It can be done by breathing in for 4/6 seconds, retaining for 2/3 seconds and then exhaling or breathing out slowly for about 6 seconds. There should be an empty retention or holding the breath for about 2/3 seconds before starting the next cycle.

This increases the capacity to take in more air. Pranayama helps in supplying vital energy to all parts of the body. By normal breathing this is not possible. Pranayama should be done on an empty stomach or at least four to five hours after taking food. You can learn it form Yoga centres like the Vivekananda Kendra or organisations like The Art of Living, Pranic Healing Foundation etc. Breathing exercises with Yoga are regularly shown on TV also.

Crystals According to Feng Shui, the crystal consists of the earth element. The directions of the earth element in Feng Shui are southwest

Pranayama is an ancient yogic breathing exercise.

and northeast. Vaastu also says that the southwest is the direction of the earth element. By keeping crystals, these directions can be activated and energised. Southwest is responsible for relationships and elders. The northeast is responsible for education, progress and luck. It can be kept in the northeast of the study table. It is also very auspicious to hang crystals near the eastern window so that the morning sunlight may fall on it and then reflected into the room. Crystals can absorb negative energy and so it must be cleansed with salt and water regularly.

Obesity and how to decrease weight Sohini Chatterjee

besity is a fast growing problem of modern world. Usually obesity is defined as 20% or more increase in ideal body weight according to height. In India, more than 135 million individuals were affected by obesity. According to ICMRINDIAB study 2015, prevalence rate of obesity and central obesity varies from 11.8% to 31.3% and 16.9%–36.3% respectively. In India, abdominal obesity is one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVDs). Causes: Genetic inheritance, Lesser physical activities leads to excessive weight gain, Faulty eating habits, Stress and hormonal imbalance Certain conditions like hypothyroidism, hypogonadism, hyperlipidaemia cause obesity. Depression also plays an important role in inducing obesity. Consequences: There are a number of ill effects of obesity like: Physical disability, Insulin resistance leading to diabetes, Hypercholesterolimea, Cardiac disorder, Osteoarthritis, Gall stones, Gout, Sleep apnea, Psychological inferiority

rather than bigger ones will help in portion control and thus weight reduction

Management of obesity: 1. Dietary Modification

Usually lesser calorie with limited sugar and oil is given to obese individuals. Diet containing 1200- 1500 Kcal is generally helpful.

Consumption of water before meal may reduce food intake. Larger meals should be divided into smaller meals for weight reduction.

Consumption of simple sugar, white bread, refined cereals is restricted for obese persons. Instead whole grain cereals, brown rice, legumes, pulses, whole wheat chappati are beneficial. Moderately proteinpacked breakfast is usually helpful to boost up body metabolism thus reducing weight. Consumption of fat should be minimised. Vegetable oil like sunflower oil, groundnut oil is preferred. Skimmed milk or other non-fat milk sources should be the choice. Vegetables provide

and fruits essential

Obese persons should avoid sugary beverages, fruits juice, junk food etc. Intake of salty food items should be limited as sodium present in it retains water.

vitamins like vitamin B complex, vitamin C and other minerals which are essential to the body. 2. Physical exercise At least 45 minutes a day brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or aerobic exercise etc is necessary to reduce obesity. 3. Medications Certain medicines like sibutramine, orlistat along with phentermine are used by the physicians to reduce weight. 4. Surgery

Persons with BMI more than 40 are suggested gastric bypass surgery or bariatric surgery. 5. Mental support Obese persons should always be cheerful and relaxed. They must refrain from overeating due to stress. Meditation, yoga etc are helpful. The persons surrounding should also support them with positivity. There are a few quick tips to reduce weight:

Eating in smaller plates

Stress-free mind helps to reduce weight. Good night’s sleep is necessary. Certain diet plans like Keto diet, Mediterranean diet are there to reduce weight. But most importantly, dieting should be done under proper expert guidance and crash dieting is very harmful. Lastly, obese people should check their weight so that they can understand about weight loss.

Entertainment

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

Five Assamese movies among Best 200 Indian films of the decade

ne of leading and most respected film critics and cinema researcher, Aseem Chhabra has drawn up a list of 200 finest Indian films in the last decade.

This exhaustive list of films includes all the critically good films of the last decade in any of the Indian languages, and from all spectrums, mainstream or alternative. The list includes as many

as seven northeastern films, out of which five are Assamese films. Apart from Jahnu

Barua’s ‘Bhoga Khirikee’, the list also includes both Bhaskar Hazarika’s ‘KothaNodi’ and ‘Aamis’, and Rima Das’s ‘Village

Rockstars’ and ‘Bulbul Can Sing’. It also includes the Haibom Paban Kumar’s Manipuri film ‘Lady of the Lake’ and Dominic Sangma’s Garo film ‘Ma’Ama’. It is worth mentioning here that Assamese-origin film producer, Shahnaab Alam, who is now based in Mumbai, has six films in this list which

have his involvement in various capacities as a producer. From the same list Alam has been a producer on Jahnu Barua’s ‘Bhoga Khirikee’, Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Ugly’, Ritesh Batra’s ‘The LunchBox’, Nikkhil Advani’s ‘D-Day’, Amit Kumar’s ‘Monsoon Shootout’ and Vasan Bala’s ‘Peddlers’.

GPC to screen Iconic Dr Bezbarua to be screened at International Film Chameli Memsaheb in honour of Dr Bhupen Festival of India

he iconic Assamese film Dr Bezbarua that was directed by Brajen Barua will be screened at the 2019 International Film Festival of India (IFFI). This is the 50th edition of the festival and it will be held in Goa

from 20th to 28th November. Dr Bezbarua was released in Assam on November 7, 1969 and soon became a cult classic of the Assamese movie industry. It is to be mentioned that this movie was shot in various locations of Assam.

The movie starred Brajen Barua in the title role along with Nipon Goswami, Renu Saikia, Meghali Devi and Biju Phukan in pivotal roles. The music was composed by Ramen Barua and the lyrics were penned by Brajen Barua and Eli Ahmed.

Hazarika

s a tribute to Bharat Ratna Dr Bhupen Hazarika, popular Bengali movie ‘Chameli Memsaheb’ will be screened at Guwahati Press Club (GPC) on Saturday from 5 pm, November 16. The movie was directed by Inder Sen and was released in 1979. It is a remake of the cult Assamese movie of the same name directed by Late Abdul Majid. Dr Hazarika composed the music for both the versions of the movie. The movie stars George Baker, Rakhee Gulzar, Anil Chatterjee, Gita Dey, Abha Dhulia, Tarun Kumar and

Chinmoy Roy. George Baker and Binita Borgohain were the leads in the Assamese version. Dr Hazarika along with Hemant Kumar, Asha Bhosle, Usha Mangeshkar, and Aarti Mukherji lent their voices to the various songs of the movie.

24 Catching Up

G PLUS | Nov 16 - Nov 22, 2019

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