G Plus Vol 3 Issue 19

Who gained from AGP-BJP ‘breakup?’

PG 12

VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 19 FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

PRICE `10

“Eternal vigilance is the price of security and freedom”

PG

02 Mukesh Sahay DGP, Assam

In Conversation

Negligence of city hospital leads to death of 6 year old

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Gauri Goswami New Chic on the block

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

In Conversation

Eternal vigilance is the price of security and freedom

rahul chanda

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984 batch IPS officer, Mukesh Sahay, has handled many profiles in his police career and takes every case as a challenge. Sahay became the DGP of Assam a few months back and talks exclusively to G Plus regarding the changes he would want to see in the police department.

Please tell us about your education and when you decided to take up a career with the police?

I was born in a village in the Chapra District of Bihar, Chainwa.

I did all my studies in Patna - my school, college, university, everything.

I did my masters in Physics and later I did my LL.B. in Delhi from Delhi University while in service. I also have some diplomas in intellectual property law and cyber laws. So this is my basic education profile and I am a policeman by default.

As DGP it’s been quite some months. What are the main challenges you are facing in Assam?

Policing is always a challenging subject. You meet one challenge even as new challenges keep coming. The South Asian Games was a challenge and now the elections are coming. So, we are facing challenges all the time.

In a changing society, crime pattern has been also changing. Assam has been fighting insurgency since the last 30 years. While things are much better and militancy is down, it is not yet rooted out. So that remains a challenge. Crime control is a challenge, traffic management is a challenge and taking people on board - because people are the first line of security - taking them on board is the most important challenge. Capacity building of police personnel to handle new laws, new types of problems are also great chal-

Mukesh Sahay, DGP, Assam

lenges.

see that traffic infrastructure improves as well as discipline improves and for that very active support of the people is the key. No amount of policing can help in these areas unless there is voluntary, willing and active support of the people.

Can you prioritise the changes you want to drive in the state policing system?

Police priorities are already set in the constitution and the law. The same things have to be done in a better way.

It’s not that you have to do new things, but you have to find new ways of doing the old things in a better way by better training, by factoring in technology, by taking people on board, by better innovative methods of policing.

Our problems remain the same but we have to look at new ways to try and address them which are less man power intensive, driven by technology, using all stake holders including the society as a force multiplier. These are the main challenges.

Do you think a city like Guwahati can have any kind of ISIS or jihadi threat?

As of now we are very alert to it and so far we have not found any signals of ISIS on the ground. While there have been some cases of people showing some interest in cyber space, in the physical space we are yet to come across any tangible evidence. But still we are alert. We are taking all counter measures and we are also building capacity to handle the problem if at all it arises in the future in both the physical space as well as cyber space.

There is still some gap between police and the public.

How will you improve policepublic relationship and when will the public take the police as their friends?

The only way is to be a better professional and improve your personal ethics. You have to live up to the expectations of the society - meet their ever rising expectations - and in personal life, show ethics and ethical behaviour. So it is good personal ethics and professional competence. These are the only two ways of improving police-public relation. There is no other way.

As a top official you may think so, but at the grass-root level, no one wants to easily go to police as a fear factor is always there.

There are two ways as I told you - improving the personal conduct, professional competence and use of

CCTV surveillance is not there in the city entirely and even the artificial intelligence is not that strong. Do you have any plans?

technology because it is not necessary that for everything you have to go to the police. Today in the IT age, a lot of services can be delivered without going to the police. We are trying on both levels to see that our professional image as well as our personal image improves.

Talking about extremist groups, what is the scenario in Assam and which group is powerful enough to be a continued threat to the state?

These are all dynamic things.

As you see just now the South Asian Games have concluded despite all the threats. Everyone is satisfied so this shows that overall, militancy is well under control. But as I told you it’s still not out so the pressure has to be on. If the pressure is let off from any group, it can always rise from its ashes. Eternal vigilance is the price of security and freedom.

After Anup Chetia joining the peace talks, do you think Paresh Baruah will ever join the peace process?

I will not like to comment on this issue but Anup Chetia joining is definitely a very welcome step and it will definitely help the process. But which individual will go where is not possible for me to comment on.

Guwahati is the main city of the state. What threats do you feel are the primary ones and is there any specific kind of weakness that you think Guwahati has?

Guwahati is not only a main city of Assam but it is also a gateway to the entire northeast. So obviously it is very important. It is growing very fast, a large chunk of floating population is here and connectivity has improved tremendously. So it helps all of us. But it also helps the criminals and we have to respond to that. Traffic is a big issue in Guwahati. Definitely we have to

It is going to improve. CCTV surveillance is there a bit and you must have seen a much improved CCTV surveillance during the Games. A lot of that is going to continue and the analytics based on this surveillance is also going to continue. I agree that artificial intelligence is not very strong because these are futuristic things and we are yet to improve.

It’s been quite some time now that Assam Police has been facing manpower problems and the issue does not seem to be ending any time soon. What is the way forward according to you?

Recently we have recruited 4000 people. 2000 more people are going to be recruited shortly. So this will reduce the gap between the available and the actual strength to a great extent.

During South Asian Games, 500 trained traffic personnel were pulled from across the state and deployed in Guwahati. Can’t this continue?

This is not possible. If you have a function at home you cook a different kind of menu. Do you cook the same menu every day? It was a great event of national importance and not just for Guwahati. India’s prestige was at stake.

Everyone shared and we did it. But we will try to see what can be sustained.

And secondly, today’s traffic should be automated. Our attempt is to try and get it automated in the coming days and the most important thing will be the support from the public. People

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

3

In Conversation as well. So it is difficult to single out a particular case. But yes every case to me is a challenging case and it gives me a kick. Detecting a case gives me a great kick.

have shown that during SAG. People had given total support to us and for that I must thank Guwahati. I extend my heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the people of Guwahati who have shown tremendous sense of discipline, hospitality and everything.

As a DGP what is your message to the public?

How do you think the commissionerate has changed the law and order situation in the city?

Thanks Guwahati, thanks people.

Keep supporting us, keep guiding us and keep correcting us.

Tell us about your family and your hobbies?

The Games again has shown that a compact system has helped a lot. There was smooth conduct of the Games where security was to everyone’s satisfaction. It was good and at the same time not aggressive. It has helped and in any case the commissionerate is a very new experiment. We are just one year into it. So you have to give it time to settle down.

Even after the formation of commissionerate people opine that police works in favour of the political party which is in power especially after the Rajiv Bhawan chaos. Can’t the police work independently?

I don’t agree. Police generally works independently. Whatever police did was strictly as per law and strictly to the satisfaction of the court. Police is not an absolute entity in itself. For every action the police department is accountable to the court including

higher courts and you will find that every court has endorsed the action taken by the police. So there is nothing political about it. Police has to be unbiased because it is accountable to the court. For every action police has to report to the court and the court can always determine whether the action is correct or not.

As the elections are just round the corner how is the police preparedness?

We are prepared. We have already

done our homework with the guidance of the election commission and with the active support of the state and the central governments. We are fully committed and confident of delivering a fair and peaceful election.

we take very severe action. There are hundreds of criminal cases going on against police officers who were delinquent in this matter. We do not tolerate any corruption and if ever such things are brought to our notice we take the severest possible action.

Police is always at the receiving end of the corruption blame game. How will you get rid of it?

Which was the most challenging case in your policing career?

Corruption as a disease in government departments is there but whatever cases come to our notice

Every case is a challenging case.

In CBI, I have handled many cases. In CID here I have handled many cases

My wife works in a school. She has written some books also. Now she is here with me. She is doing some research now. I have two sons.

The elder one is working with a company and right now he is in Germany.

The younger one is working in Hyderabad. I like physical activity which is very important for me. I have played a lot of football. My doctors have advised not to do so anymore but I still do it individually. I like long walks and I like reading books. I even like reading all news papers. I read everything except tender notices.

Some weird hobbies are also there like waiting at railway platforms, at airports when I have nothing to do and meeting people.

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Buzz

KALYAN DEB

C

urtains came down on the 12th South Asian Games 2016, held in Guwahati and Shillong on the evening of Tuesday last. With the involvement of around 4500 participants including around 2600 athletes in 22 disciplines the Games witnessed participation by men and women in all disciplines for a record first time in the 12-day sporting extravaganza. The 12th South Asians Games also saw a record medal haul by India. Out of a total of 789 medals won by athletes, India won a record 308 medals, which is almost 40% of all the medals that were on offer. 12 new records were created in Athletics, out of which 10 belonged to India. Out of the 28 records created in Swimming, 19 belonged to India.

This indicates that sustained efforts by Government of India to boost sporting excellence through expansion of sporting infrastructure and support programmes for various sporting disciplines in the country is bearing fruit.

However, despite months of preparation prior to the Games there were certain snags that left the fans facing a hard time as also a sour taste in the mouth.

The flip side of the SAG success

Non-availability of tickets Long ques were a sight that could be seen right from Day 1 of the Games. While many lined up for passes/tickets for the opening ceremony for which tickets were sold at Rs. 150 and Rs. 250, all tickets offered online were shown “sold” and viewers queuing up at the ticket counters at the venue had to return dejected as only few tickets were available there which were grabbed quickly. A similar scenario continued right through the Games as well.

Meanwhile the Games organising committee claimed that people did not get tickets at the counters since most tickets were sold online. While in many events the venues had hardly a handful of spectators even during the finals, most stands were found empty right through the Games. The “sold out” but empty spectators’ galleries has certainly puzzled the general people. There were also reports that tickets were sold in black during the opening ceremony of the Games. However, the organising committee has dismissed

A view of the closing ceromony of tjhe 12th South Asian Games at Sarusajai Sports Complex

The Games that saw Indian dominance and brought laurels to the nation also witnessed empty stands the same saying that a large number of complimentary tickets had been given to the government and sponsors of which many did not turn up. “It is not like everywhere stands were empty. All hockey matches and the football finals saw packed stadiums. The tickets for the India-Pakistan hockey match were sold out long back. There were also people who bought tickets and did not turn up. Overall, this was a well-conducted event and that too, within such a short span of time,” said DJ Narain, Director Communications, Organizing Committee.

Meanwhile, following the reports of spectators finding it difficult to buy tickets for the events in Guwahati from both the counters and the online

SAI ground undergoing upgradation after the venue of men’s football was shifted

portal, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has ordered a probe into the ticketing scheme for the 12th SAG. It has also been informed by officials of the organising committee that a probe is underway and the findings will be ready within the next three to four days. A compiled account of distribution of all kind of tickets will be provided soon.

Shift in men’s football venue The shifting of the men’s football venue from Nehru Stadium to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) ground came as a blow to the football fans. Following the shift, only a privileged few were able to watch football matches during the group stages.

Tickets for football, one of the most popular sports in the northeast, were not on sale as the venue for the men’s event could only hold 1,000 people.

This was a result of the football field at the original venue for the group games, the Nehru Stadium in Ulubari which is a 10,000-seater stadium, could not be readied because in the race against time, the company assigned the task of relaying the turf, was over generous with the use of chemicals resulting in a brown field.

“The event could not be shifted to Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium as it would have clashed with other sporting events. Thus the SAI ground, which is a FIFA recognised football facility, was chosen as the venue. In

the Nehru Stadium, not only did the grass not grow but the ground turned brown,” said Dr. Subhash Basumatary, Director, SAI. “The SAI centre facility was prepared in less than two days’ time and has all the technical facilities to hold an international football event. A three-tier wooden rafter was assembled and replicated the atmosphere at the SAI facility. Currently we are preparing to hold the upcoming U-17 World Cup,” Basumatary added.

Reportedly, it was only decided in mid-October that the men’s football event will be held at the Nehru Stadium and it was hoped that the ground would be prepared within scheduled time. An approximate amount of Rs. 1 crore was spent for the up-gradation of the Nehru Stadium and an amount of Rs. 4 crores was sanctioned to provide a facelift to the RG Baruah Sports Complex.

The Games conclude It was only six months ago when the two cities, Guwahati and Shillong, were finalised as venues. The successful conduct of these Games with just a few hiccups has certainly set a benchmark for conduct of future games. It has also given an astounding boost to the north-eastern region to host much bigger international sporting events in future.

The Games have also provided a huge boost to the sports infrastruc-

ture in Guwahati and Shillong for sportspersons in this region to hone their sporting skills. However, it remains to be seen how well-maintained the venues will be as the Games have concluded. Government of India is considering cash prizes for the Indian medal winners. Award of Rs. 3 lacs for Gold medal winners, Rs. 2 lacs for Silver medal winners and Rs. 1 lac for Bronze medal winners are being considered by the Government.

It has also been decided that existing shooting equipments which required expensive repair in Guwahati would be taken up as part of legacy plan by the organising committee.

Further, Tikhor Parks are being considered to be created at Guwahati University and North Eastern Hill University at Shillong.

While all this is good for Indian sport, what turned out to be an irritation and an eyesore was the constant surveillance kept on the citizens

by Tarun Gogoi and Sarbananda Sonowal through the large number of hoardings all over the city with every single one unfailingly having either of the two gentlemen in a seeming competition to outdo each for visibility.

The public was left wondering whether such acts do actually contribute in allowing better mileage to politicians or whether the brazenness is actually counter-productive. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Negligence of city hospital leads to death of 6 year old

Avneet Singh Hora lost his life in International Hospital last Sunday due to doctor’s negligence Juthika Baruah The negligence of doctors in the private hospitals of the city is increasing and one such act of negligence led to the death of a six year old boy on 14th February at International Hospital.

Avneet Singh Hora, a six year old, was admitted to the International Hospital on 14th February at around 6.30 pm as he had complained of headache and had a mild temperature but due to the doctor’s negligence the child had to lose its life. “My son was playing for the whole day and in the evening he complained of headache.

He had a mild temperature for which we immediately took him to the hospital. He had always been treated by Dr. Prakritish Bora since he was a baby but as Dr. Bora was not available at that time in the hospital, Dr. Abid Ahmed examined him and admitted him to Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). I called up Dr. Bora repeatedly but he didn’t receive the call nor did he reply to my messages. I asked Dr. Ahmed to call Dr. Bora as he might have known my son’s problem better having been my son’s paediatrician

since his birth but Dr. Ahmed misbehaved with us saying that if we did not want to treat our child under him then we might as well leave,” said Mrinali Borbora, mother of the victim.

Borbora said that at about 3 am his condition worsened and he couldn’t even breathe and therefore they put an oxygen mask on him. Unfortunately the hospital did not have the smaller sized children’s oxygen mask. “When we asked them to bring the children oxygen mask they refused saying that it was too late and they cannot bring the mask. I sent my driver to GMCH to bring the oxygen mask. At that time when I asked the hospital staff to call for the doctor in-charge, no doctors were available and Dr. Ahmed also said that his duty was over at 8 pm.

My child was critical and the doctor said that his duty was over which just showed their sheer irresponsibility towards the patient,” said Borbora.

She further informed that the hospital staff said that her son had many problems and that his lung had become white. “My son didn’t have any problem and if he had a lung problem

International Hospital - File Photo

how could he play for the whole day?

In fact, he also did a lot of cycling on that day. When I repeatedly asked them to take the matter seriously they did nothing. Rather the three lady doctors who were present forcefully put my son into ventilation and immediately thereafter he took his last breath at 9.15 am in the morning,” she added.

Borbora add, “The hospital management is very bad. They don’t take

a booking and issue the ticket until and unless the amount demanded by them is deposited. They don’t bother to start treatment until the ticket is made. The ARPG group is doing nothing but business in the name of providing treatment to the patients.

The ARPG group which consists of Dr. Amit Saha, Dr. Rekha Borkataky, Dr. Prakritish Bora and Dr. Geetanjali Saharia Khound is making money for themselves rather than providing the

In The News basic care and treatment to the patients.”

The family of the victim has also lodged an FIR with Dispur Police Station against the ARPG group and Dr. Abid Ahmed and Dr. Tanmoy Das. The victim’s family will also move the Gauhati High Court seeking justice.

Talking to G Plus Joint Director of Health, Kamrup (M), Ganesh Saikia, while commenting about the health scenario said, “There are many factors which needs to be studied and till date no research has been done as to why the health system of the state has not been improved and why such mistakes repeatedly take place in the hospitals.

The people who alleged that due to negligence of the doctor or the technician or the hospital authority patients lose their life cannot be quantified.

Sometimes when we enquire into such cases we find that the negligence which we think of is not true after all and the matter takes a different turn eventually.”

Saikia said the research is a long process and that the health department will think on the issue as to why the people of the state have to go to outside for treatment although there are many hospitals in the city.

Moreover, the victim’s family urged the Chief Minister and even the Governor’s intervention into the health scenario and also asked the public to come forward to fight for justice and said that the entire health system needs to be changed so that people do not have to lose their life due to the negligence of the doctors. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

City

Kamrup (M) administration withdraws extension date of analog cable TV system

The administration has withdrawn the extension date which was set till 29th February. The High Court had ordered extending the cut-off date by 60 days from 31st December last Juthika Baruah The cut-off date of the analog cable was extended by 60 days which has been withdrawn by the administration The Ministry of Broadcasting had set the deadline as 31st December, 2014 which was extended till December 2015 and was further extended by another 60 days The cable TV operators have provided substandard set top box to the consumers

T

he Kamrup (M) District Administration has ordered the cancellation of the 60 days extension of the analog system, the cutoff date of which was 29th February, 2016 and as per the decision of the Greater Guwahati Cable TV Operators Association the analog system will be withdrawn from 1st March, 2016.

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India had made a rule that people will have to install the set top box and the Ministry had set the deadline of 31st December, 2014. The time thereafter, was extended to 31st December, 2015 which was again further extended by another 60 days with the order of the High Court in most of the states. But before the extension dates got over, the Kamrup (M) district administration

has ordered withdrawal of the extension date with immediate effect.

Speaking to G Plus, General Secretary of GGCTOA, Swarupananda Bharali said, “The district administration cannot go against the order of the High Court and the court order should be followed by all. We will discuss the issue with the administration as to why they have taken the decision to withdraw the extension date. They might have taken the decision as it was the decision of the Centre and as the earlier date was extended by one year which was again further extended by the High Court by another two months. The centre’s decision should be followed throughout the country and this might have prompted the administration to take the decision.”

The Government has taken the decision to make cable TV trans-

mission digital through which they will have the information as to how many households are having cable connections. The Government will collect entertainment tax accordingly and the pay channels will also get the advantage out of it. The pay channels will get to know how many households are viewing which channels and accordingly they will fix their rates. Through th existing cable system they are getting just a minimum amount but after digitalization they will be able to charge fees according to channels from the Multiple System Operator (MSO) and the MSO will, in turn, charge from the cable operators.

In Guwahati, 50% of the people have installed set top boxes till 31st December, 2015.

While the digitalizing process is on, the installation of the set top boxes

have given way to complaints by people stating that many channels are not being displayed. Replying to it Bharali said, “According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) there are two systems: analog control room and digital control room. While some channels are included in the analog system, the MSOs are responsible for some channels which are not available are in the analog system. We subscribe from MSO for which the channels are not available and if there are any problems we consult the MSO. Now that the people are not getting some channels, the MSO says that the digital boxes are not working for which the channels are not available,” said Bharali.

On the other hand, people have alleged that the cable TV operators have provided sub-standard set top box-

es for which they have to face many problems including interruptions in telecasts. “The set top boxes do not have any quality and sometimes it gives huge problems. The public is being harassed while implementing the new rules and the customers’ problems are being neglected. We have installed the set top box as the cable line has been withdrawn but the boxes are not good. While there was the analog system we didn’t face any problem but now the box gives many problems and we are not aware where the problem is.

When we inform the cable TV operator they also do not come for repairing and have to be informed repeatedly,” said one of the consumers, Dipti Das.

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

Weather report for the week SAT 20 February

SUN 21 February

MON 22 February

TUE 23 February

WED 24 February

THU 25 February

FRI 26 February

Sunny

Sunny

Mostly sunny.

Sunny

Sunny

Sunny

Sunny

12 / 25 °C

12 / 26 °C

11 / 25 °C

12 / 27 °C

12 / 29 °C

15 / 31 °C

16 / 30 °C

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

City private school association files case in GHC against the administration

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Concern

The private school association filed a case in GHC as they don’t want to implement the Assam Non-Government Educational Institutional (Regulation & Management) Act, 2006 Juthika Baruah

T

he Kamrup (M) Private English Medium School Association has filed a case in Gauhati High Court (GHC) against the Government’s decision of implementing the Assam Non-Government Educational Institutional (Regulation & Management) Act, 2006.

The district administration had conducted a workshop a few months back for the private schools of the Kamrup (M) where they compelled the schools to implement the Act. “It was last year when the Education Minister, Sarat Borkataky, said that the special law will be made to make a uniform fee structure for the private English medium school as the schools charge very high fees while failing to provide the necessary facilities to the students and that the private schools are an easy way to make money through a simple business,” said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M), Mukta Nath Saikia, while speaking to G Plus.

The Education Minister had also discussed the issue with the Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi, in the last budget assembly session and instructed the school inspectors to collect the names of private educational institutions that are running the schools without the permission of the concerned authority and without registration under Assam Non-Government Educational Institutions (Regulation & Management) Act, 2006. The Act said that it is mandatory for all private schools, irrespective of their board affiliation recognition from CBSE, ICSE or state education boards, to be registered under the Act. ADC Saikia said that the administration was about to enforce the Act on the schools but as the private school association has filed the case it has been kept in abeyance and only after the court gives the order the action would be taken against the schools.

“There are more than 200 private schools in the city and many of the schools do not have even registration. It is an easy way to make money as people open a school in the home itself without taking the permission,” said Saikia.

Inspector of Schools, Kamrup (M), Kabir Ahmed said, “The private schools charge fees according to their wish while failing to provide proper facilities to the students. The schools do not follow any guidelines nor do they provide any facilities to the students which they assure during the time of admission. There are many schools that do not follow the norms and action will be taken against them after the court’s order.”

NPS School - File Photo

Earlier, the District Administration while inspecting the schools, found many discrepancies in the operation started by a team led by the Additional Deputy Commissioner who was accompanied by officials of the education department, police and transport department. The schools are charging exorbitant fees for which the Government has decided to make the school fees rigid for every school so that they can’t charge abnormal fees from the students. But as the private schools association has filed the case no further action could be taken and according to the ADC, the case will be in favour of the government as it wants to revise the norms and regulations of the schools.

The administration has also instructed the schools to appoint quality teachers as they found that most of the teachers were untrained. The administration will verify the eligibility of the teachers so that students can avail quality education. ADC Saikia further stated that the Assam Non-Government Educational Institutional (Regulation & Management) Act, 2006 has all the norms from the fee structure to the salary to be given to the teachers. “The schools charge high fees but they do not provide a handsome

salary to the teachers and the teachers also agree to do the job at a minimum package.

There are many loopholes in the school administration and we will start to enforce the Act on the schools as soon as the court comes out with its order,” said Saikia.

Section 18 of the Act, which describes the admission and fees, state that a child, who has not attained the age of 5 years, shall not be admitted to Class I, or an equivalent class or any class higher than Class I. A student seeking admission in non-government educational institution in any class higher than Class I shall have to submit original Transfer Certificate from the recognised school where the student studied last to the head of the non-government educational institution where admission is sought. Admission of students in non-government educational institution shall be made without any distinction of religion, race, caste, creed or any of them.

Every recognised non-government educational institution shall reserve 5% seats for admission of meritorious pupils hailing from poor families. Such students shall be selected as per norms to be prescribed.

The students admitted against the reserved

quota as provided in sub-section shall pay such fees as may be fixed by the Director in consultation with the concerned school authority on receipt of an application from the student. juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

8

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Governance

O

n 18th February last, Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister, Food Processing Industries inaugurated the Vibrant North-East 2016 Summit and Exhibition in the city’s Khanapara field.

While addressing the gathering, the Minister said that the central government should encourage and work on development of the northeast as it is the potential of most resources for the country. Badal praised the current government’s efforts to ensure wholesome development of the North-East, to bring modern technology to the farmers here and to introduce them to modern technology driven agricultural practices. She has also however urged the authorities to speed up the pace of developmental projects in this region. According to her, “The northeast holds a lot of potential for food processing as the weather and adequate availability of water are conducive to cultivation and suitable for growing a large variety of fruits and vegetables.”

Towards a step in pursuing development of the northeast through its schemes of Mega Food Park, Cold Chain, Abattoir and development of Food Testing Laboratories, 3 Mega Food Parks have been sanctioned one each in Assam (which has been made operational), Mizoram and Tripura. 5 Cold Chain projects have

Vibrant NE Inaugurated in city - FPI Minister graces occasion

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Harsimrat Kaur inaugurates Vibrant NE 2016 “NE is potential hub for developmental resources”,” Kaur

Smt. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Union Minister, Food Processing Industries inaugurating Vibrant NE 2016

also been sanctioned by the Ministry in the States of Assam, Manipur and Mizoram which have a capacity of 11500 MT of cold storage, 0.75 MT/ per hr of IQF capacity and 68 Reefer Trucks. 8 Abattoirs projects have also been sanctioned in the states of

Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim which are aimed at establishing modern Abattoirs and ensuring hygienic and scientific meat processing. The Ministry of Food Processing Industries has also sanctioned 6 Food Testing Labs in

the States of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura to lay infrastructure for food safety and quality testing. Other than that, the Ministry has also taken up the issue of allowing 100% FDI in Multi Brand Retail for such food which is produced by

the Indian farmers and food products that are manufactured in India.

While addressing media persons, Badal urged the city’s entrepreneurs to come forward and set up food processing industries in the northeast and make use of the financial assistance provided by the government which will usher in a new era of higher income to farmers, employment generation to the youth of this region as well as help in creating necessary infrastructure. More than 300 departments of the Development Industry took part in Vibrant NE 2016 from all over the country. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

Auction of Assam Social work Government stock (securities) of 10 year dominates Bagharbori Saraswati tenure A Puja celebrations

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hile the entire city was celebrating Saraswati Puja last week, the Bagharbori Asomi Mahila Samiti engaged itself in public service. On this day, the Mahila Samiti launched a water supply scheme with the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority to provide clean water to households in the locality. This water supply project has been donated by the GMDA to the Mahila Samiti as part of their social work so that they can provide amenities to the citizens. The project includes the installation of a deep tube-well that can provide water to the Bagharbori locality.

The public water supply scheme was launched by GMDA chairman Dhiren Baruah who addressed the gathering and spoke highly of the Mahila Samiti and their effort. Speaking to G Plus, Baruah said that they were approached by the Mahila Samiti with an idea to provide clean water in their locality. “We helped them dig a deep tube-well that would be equipped to provide clean water to over 100 households. This is a social initiative by the

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Mahila Samiti and it is great work indeed.”

Where the average water expense of any other resident, in any other locality in the city is usually more than Rs. 1000 a month, the residents of Bagharbori are paying just Rs. 200, thanks to the Samiti’s initiative. For a small sum of Rs. 200, these residents are receiving clean water in their houses. The Rs. 200 that is collected is mostly for maintenance charges like pipe expenses, fittings, etc. and will be collected by the people themselves. Along with this, the Samiti will also be given a monthly maintenance from the Municipal Authorities, stated GMDA Chairman Dhiren Baruah.

About seventy households now have access to clean water at a very minimal price. The water pipes have been installed by Municipal Authorities and according to Dhiren Baruah things are going to be up and running. More households are soon to be included under this scheme in Bagharbori, the Chairman added.

The scheme was launched on the occasion of Saraswati Puja in the pres-

Bagharbori Asomi Mahila Samiti launches water supply scheme as part of social work Water supply scheme to serve over 70 households GMDA gives full support to the water supply scheme ence of several important citizens like Urmila Chakravarty, President of the Bagharbori Asomi Mahila Samiti and Dr. Chandraprabha Bhuyan, Secretary who spoke during the event praising the local residents of Bagharbori and the GMDA authorities for supporting the Samiti for over three decades. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

s per Govt. notification dated February 18, 2016 it has been stated that the State Govt. of Assam has decided to sell Rs. 350.00 crore worth of Assam Government Stock (Securities) with ten year tenure by auction under Market Borrowing Programme for financial development programmes of the State on February 23, 2016 of which the date of submission of application is also February 23, 2016.

CM bans loudspeakers and microphones in public spaces

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hief Minister Tarun Gogoi, on 15th February last, ordered the Deputy Commissioners to enforce strict restrictions on the usage of loud speakers and microphones all over the State in public spaces after 10 pm. The order has been issued in the interest of the students in view of the ongoing Higher Secondary examinations that started on 15th February and the ongoing High School Leaving Certificate and High Madrassa examinations that commenced on 18th February.

The order has already come into effect and according to Rajib Prakash Baruah, ADC, the order has no deadline and will remain indefinitely. “The order is in effect and will be followed throughout.

We have been issued notices from the DA and R. C. Jain, IAS and Secretary is looking over the matter alongside ourselves.” According to Baruah, the notice reads: This serves in order to provide a better atmosphere so that our students can study without disturbance. Kindly see to it that no loudspeakers are in function after 10 pm.

The Supreme Court had already served a guideline in the past that prohibits the use of loudspeakers and microphones after 10 pm in public spaces without permission.

People who want to continue doing so in case of other personal interests has to have specific permission taken from the District Magistrate and currently the Commissioner of Police as well.

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

9

Crime

Alleged incident of witch hunting on city outskirts dismissed after inquiry

KALYAN DEB

F

ollowing an incident of alleged witch hunting that took place around 12:30 pm on Monday, the Kamrup (M) district administration had ordered an inquiry. As per the order, the Circle Officer of Sonapur revenue circle had been directed by the Deputy Commissioner Dr. M. Angamuthu to submit the findings of the inquiry within 24 hours. During the inquiry it was found that the incident was a tussle between two families where the accused, Arjun Rajgarh (23), attacked Parbati Devi (60) in an inebriated condition after the two families got into an argument.

“The families share the same boundary in the interiors of Jorabat and got into an argument which ingited the quarrel. Had it been an incident of witch hunting there would have been involvent of the masses and locals of the area. Senior police officials including officials of the district administration had visited the spot and it was found that there was no such reports of the victim being a witch,” asserted a police official of Jorabat Outpost. It was also reported that such quarrels are regular affairs in the interiors of the area. However, this particular incident went out of hand as the victim was brutally attacked with a knife.

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Arjun takes his sick son to Parbati for traditional treatment

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Arjun tries to attack Parbati after he had a dream that she was trying to strangle his son.

Despite undergoing treatment, the child’s condition fails to improve.

In the ensuing scuffle, Parbati suffers injuries and was rushed to the hospital by the cops.

Earlier this week it was reported that Parbati Devi, resident of Sankardevanagar, Jorabat under Jorabat Police Outpost, was brutally attacked with a sharp knife at around 12:30 pm by her neighbour Arjun Rajgarh. Reports stated that Arjun’s one-year-old child was not keeping well for the last few days and was being administered traditional treatment by Parbati. But there was no improvement in the child’s condition. On Monday night Arjun apparently had a dream that Parbati was trying to press the child’s neck and suffocate him. The dream prompted Arjun to attack the old woman following which he approached

Parbati’s residence and attacked her.

Police rushed Parbati to GMCH immediately and arrested Arjun on Tuesday afternoon. An FIR was filed against Arjun by Parbati’s family at Jorabat Police Outpost and he has been booked under sections 457, 307 and 326. He is currently under judicial custody. Parbati did not suffer any major injuries, has been declared out of danger and is back home. Assam has been in the headlines several times following incidents of witch hunting. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

In The News

Bipasa Saikia Kashyap

Assamese film fraternity goes to court over lopsided state film policy say on the amendment of the policy would be declared a few days later.

However, the promotional scheme has been formed, according to Borborah. “We have filed the PIL on the matter of distribution and screening of regional films in the cinema halls of the state which have been facing many problems due to the policy. We appealed to the court to amend the policy as soon as possible, so that the producers can get 80% of the entertainment tax as it was prior to 2007.”

The case number is WPC 818/2016 and the judges assigned to try the case are Justice Hrishikesh Roy and Justice Zamir.

Eminent members of the Assamese Film Fraternity take a legal stand to revive Assamese cinema Advocate Arup Borborah to represent the fraternity in legal battle

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he conflict of the Assamese Film Fraternity (AFF) against an apathetic state government took a major turn when the hassled fraternity members filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the Film Amendment Policy, 2007. The PIL was filed by Advocate Arup Borborah and was supported by all the members of the fraternity. This has been the first of many steps that are being planned by the AFF in retaliation against the listless attitude of the state government towards Assamese cinema.

On Monday last, senior members of the Film Fraternity like directors Bani Das and Manju Bora along with actors like Kopil Bora and Zerifa Wahid assembled for a press meet where they reached out to the regional media seeking support to revive the policy of 2007. Addressing the crowded meet, Bani Das stated that they have been trying very hard to exert pressure on the State government to look into the old policy

Important clauses of the New Policy: (L-R) Kopil Bora, Zerifa Wahid, Bani Das, Arup Borbaruah, Manju Borah and Bhupen Uzir addressing media persons in the city

and make some changes therein, but in vain. “The committee was being held under the leadership of Jahnu Baruah, but we never received any sort of feedback considering our demands which is why we have decided to file a case. A specific clause of the PIL is that the old policy should be thoroughly looked into.” Assam charges the highest amount of service charges in the entire country at Rs. 40 on a ticket costing Rs. 100.

This used to be a meager Rs. 4.50 in 2007 which was raised hundred-fold overnight. The second highest service charge is levied in the state of

Maharashtra which charges Rs. 14.

States like West Bengal are charging Rs. 3.50 per ticket even today. Due to this, there has been a massive imbalance in the distribution of revenue which, according to the AFF, is the pivotal reason for the failure of Assamese cinema. Bani Das added that the policy was amended wrongly and that the public was being charged unnecessarily.

According to the AFF, there are about 70 movie halls in the State including multiplexes. Giving a breakdown of the entire scenario, advocate Arup Borborah lashed out that this

is an unfair imposition of burden.

“Earlier the service charge was Rs. 4.50 on a ticket of Rs. 100 which has now shot up to Rs. 40. This entire revenue goes to the State from which a pittance is given back to the producers which is not enough. The producers are entitled to a 50% share of the revenue and that is only fair since they are ones who actually make the movies. We have filed the PIL at the Gauhati High Court against the policy which was amended in 2007. The fraternity also demanded a regional film promotional policy through the GHC so that it can be revived.” Any

1. 1. Service charges should be brought down and the producer should be entitled to a 50% share of the service charges.

2. 2. All the proceedings from the e-box office release should be handed to the producer on the submission of proper taxable documents.

3. 3. The Assamese Film Industry should be considered as a separate individual entity for the revival of arts and that the State government must maintain a separate budget for this. bipasa.saikia@g-plus.in

Top Bangla business tycoon to give Guwahati Rs 10 cr business every year

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he city found itself in a celebratory mood with festivals like the South Asian Games and International Trade Fair bringing a change in the mechanical life of the citizens. The 23rd International Guwahati Trade Fair which kicked off on 29th January, 2016 at Maniram Dewan Trade Centre had provided a good opportunity for the SAF delegates to spend their leisure hours in the trade fair along with

Guwahatians.

Many Indian and international stalls offered various products to the visitors and one of the top companies of Bangladesh, the Halim Group, also set up a stall at the fair displaying sanitary ware receiving more than 10000 sanitary ware orders in the process.

The Managing Director of Halim Group, Azizul Hakim, also visited the city during the fair and decided to extend the company’s business here

in the future. Hakim said, “We have been importing raw materials from places like Gujarat, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Jharkhand. But after the recent trade fair, it seems like we will be benefiting a lot if we import raw materials from Assam.” He said that Halim Group has many companies under its roof like Excellent Ceramic Industries Limited, Excellent Tiles Industries Limited, Excellent Motors Limited, Excellent Properties Lim-

ited, etc. Hakim is also the standing committee chairman of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry. After the success of the 23rd International Guwahati Trade Fair and the response received by the Excellent Ceramic Industries Limited, the MD is encouraged to set up a showroom in Guwahati for which the future planning has to be done.

Hakim has invited entrepreneurs from Guwahati to Bangladesh and he will

rahul chanda

personally help the interested people from his side. Hakim said that at present he is planning to import raw materials from Assam which will give a business of approximately Rs. 10 crores to Assam. He is also planning to export sanitary products to this region. He said that people of Guwahati are very warm and helpful and from now onwards he will be visiting Guwahati regularly. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

BANKING OMBUDSMAN SCHEME FOR GENERAL PUBLIC 1. What is the purpose of Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 and who is a Banking Ombudsman i.e. Banking Lokpal?

The Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 is the amended version of the Scheme introduced originally in 1995 by Reserve Bank of India under Section 35A of Banking Regulation Act, 1949. The Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 enables inexpensive, expeditious and transparent resolution of complaints of bank customers relating to certain services rendered by banks.

The Banking Ombudsman/Lokpal is an officer of Reserve Bank of India in the rank of Chief General Manager / General Manager appointed by the Reserve Bank of India to redress customer complaints against certain deficiency in banking services under the Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006.

2. How many Banking Ombudsmen have been appointed and where are they located?

How does Banking Ombudsman function?

As on date, 15 Banking Ombudsmen have been appointed with their offices located mostly in the State Capitals. The addresses of the Banking Ombudsman offices have been provided on the RBI website (www.rbi.org.in). The Banking Ombudsman shall receive and consider complaints relating to deficiencies in banking services filed on certain grounds mentioned in the Banking Ombudsman Scheme 2006 and facilitate their satisfaction or settlement by agreement or through conciliation and mediation between the bank concerned and the aggrieved parties or by passing an Award in accordance with the Scheme. Banking Ombudsman also considers complaints from Non-Resident Indians having accounts in India in relation to their remittances from abroad, deposits and other bank-related matters.

3. Which are the States coming under the territorial jurisdiction of Office of Banking Ombudsman, Guwahati?

Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura 4. Which banks are covered under the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006?

All Scheduled Commercial Banks, Regional Rural Banks and Scheduled Primary Co-operative Banks are covered under the Scheme.

5. What sort of disputes can the Banking Ombudsman consider?

Any person may file a complaint with the Banking Ombudsman relating to certain deficiencies in banking services such as (i) non-payment or inordinate delay in payment or collection of cheques/drafts/bills etc. (ii) non-acceptance, without sufficient cause, of small denomination notes / coins tendered for any purpose, and for charging of commission for this service, (iii) non-payment or delay in payment of inward remittances, (iv) failure to provide or delay in providing a banking facility (other than loans and advances) promised in writing by a bank or its direct selling agents, (v) delays, non-credit of proceeds to parties’ accounts, non-payment of deposit or non-observance of the Reserve Bank directives, if any, applicable to rate of interest on deposits in any savings/ current or other account maintained with a bank, (vi) refusal to open deposit accounts without any valid reason for refusal, (vii) levying of charges without adequate prior notice to the customer, (viii) non-adherence by the bank or its subsidiaries to the instructions of Reserve

Bank on ATM/debit card operations or credit card operations, (ix) non-disbursement or delay in disbursement of pension (to the extent the grievance can be attributed to the action on the part of the bank concerned, but not with regard to its employees), (x) forced closure of deposit accounts without due notice or without sufficient reason, (xi) non-adherence to the provisions of the Code of Banks’ Commitments to Customers issued by BCSBI and as adopted by the bank (xii) non-observance of Reserve Bank guidelines on engagement of recovery agents by banks, (xiii)complaints from Non-Resident Indians having accounts in India in relation to their remittances from abroad, deposits and other bank related matters (xiv) failure to issue or delay in issue of Drafts, Pay Orders or Bankers’ cheques, (xv) non-adherence to prescribed working hours (xvi) delays in sanction, disbursement or non-observance of prescribed time schedule for disposal of loan applications (xvii) non-acceptance of application for loans without furnishing valid reasons to the applicant and (xviii) any other matter relating to the violation of Reserve Bank directives in relation to banking or other services.

6. What is the procedure for filing the complaint before the Banking Ombudsman?

A complainant can file a complaint simply by writing on a plain paper and send it by ordinary or speed post/courier/fax or by hand, if it falls under territorial jurisdiction of Banking Ombudsman, Guwahati at the following address: Banking Ombudsman, Office of Banking Ombudsman, Reserve Bank of India, Station Road, Pan Bazar, Guwahati- 781001 (FAX No. – 0361-2540445) (Tel. No. 0361-2510054) The complaint can also be sent by an email at boguwahati@rbi.org.in The complaint may be filed On-line at https://www.rbi.org.in/commonman The complainant should, however, incorporate all the required information such as name and address of the complainant, the name and address of the branch or office of the bank against which the complaint is made, facts giving rise to the complaint supported by documents, if any, the nature and extent of the loss caused to the complainant, the relief sought from the Banking Ombudsman. The complaint can be filed by an authorized representative (other than an advocate) of the complainant.

7. Is there any cost involved in filing complaints with Banking Ombudsman?

No. The Banking Ombudsman does not charge any fee for resolving customers’ complaints.

8. What are the prior requirements for lodging the complaints before the Banking Ombudsman?

One should make a written representation to the concerned bank regarding one’s grievance and should file the complaint with Banking Ombudsman after his/her representation has been turned down or he/she is not satisfied with the reply given by the bank or he/she does not receive any reply from the bank within a period of one month. The complaint should, however, be made before expiry of period of one year after the receipt of reply from the concerned bank

and in case of non-receipt of reply within one year and one month from the date of making representation to the concerned bank.

Moreover, a complaint cannot be made before a Banking Ombudsman on the same subject matter for which any proceedings before any court, tribunal or arbitrator or any other forum is pending or a decree or award or a final order, has already been passed by any such competent court, tribunal, arbitrator or forum.

9. What will the Banking Ombudsman consider for passing an award?

For passing an award, the Banking Ombudsman is guided by the documentary evidence placed before him by the parties, the principles of banking law and practice, directions, instructions and guidelines issued by the Reserve Bank of India and such other factors, which in his opinion are necessary in the interest of justice.

10. Is there any provision for making appeal under the Scheme against the Award/ decisions given by the Banking Ombudsman ?

Yes, a complainant can file appeal with the appellate authority (Deputy Governor, In charge of the Consumer Education & Protection Department in RBI) against the Banking Ombudsmen’s decision given under certain clauses of the ‘Scheme’.

11. What are the main grounds of rejection of complaints by the Banking Ombudsman?

The Banking Ombudsman may reject a complaint at any stage if it appears to him that a complaint made to him is: i. not on any of the grounds mentioned in the Scheme or ii. demanding compensation in excess of rupees ten lakhs and rupees one lakh in case of Credit cards operations or iii. requires elaborate examination of documentary /oral evidence or iv. is not pursued by the complainant with reasonable diligence 12. What steps your office has taken to create more awareness about this Scheme among the masses?

Apart from issuing advertisements in the newspapers/magazines regarding the Banking Ombudsman Scheme, 2006 we have been organizing Awareness camps / Town hall meets in various parts of all the seven States under our jurisdiction. As a result of our awareness campaign, the number of complaints received under the Scheme has increased from 528 in the year 2009-10 to 1054 at the end of June 2015. By seeing the trend as on date we are hopeful of receiving still more complaints by the end of June this year.

13. What are the nature of complaints, in general, received under this Scheme in your Office?

Mainly grievances pertain to Debit / Credit Card and ATM related transactions.

Complaints pertaining to non-adherence to Fair Practices Codes by the banks were the next in number followed by complaints received in regard to pension related issues.

14. Among the North Eastern States, which is the State from which maximum number of complaints is received by you?

For the last many years we have been receiving the maximum number of complaints from the State of Assam. Last year i.e. during 2014-15, the percentage of complaints received from Assam stood at around 71%.

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Business

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Politicking

Who gained from AGP-BJP ‘breakup?’

While the AGP has refused to ally with the BJP for the upcoming polls, the saffron party still keeps all its doors open for the once dominant regional party

party in the ensuing state assembly polls, Deka rubbished the allegations and said that it was just a gimmick by the Congress party to defame BJP. Meanwhile, according to reports, AIUDF also hit out against state minister Siddeque Ahmed for his allegation against the party. AIUDF alleged that Congress leaders were making baseless statements out of frustration because the party is losing ground among the people of the state. Sources in the AIUDF said that the Congress high command wanted an alliance between Congress and the AIUDF and the state leaders of the Congress also wanted the same.

The source said that the AIUDF was not against a Bihar-style grand alliance of secular forces to prevent the BJP from coming to power but such a grand alliance has not materialized till date. The source said that the AIUDF is not entering into any pre-poll alliance with any party and the decision on post-poll alliances, if required, would be taken on the basis of the public mandate.

AGP supporters protest against talks of alliance with BJP during its general meeting at the party office

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ith the slam game continuing between politicos in the state as strategizing for the upcoming 2016 assembly elections is gaining momentum, political observers were eager to know whether there will be any pre-poll alliance between the BJP and the once dominant regional party, AGP. But having rejected an alliance with the BJP after three months of negotiations, the AGP recently said the saffron party was more interested in wiping out the regional party rather than putting up a strong front against the Congress. Also, the state Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is seen to be extra active in slamming the centre and the saffron party for not doing anything for the state. Even the BJP is not leaving any stone unturned to prove that the Centre is working for the development of Assam and many Union ministers are visiting the state one after the other to announce schemes and packages. But what will be the fate of Assam post the 2016 polls is a major question in the minds of the public and talking about regionalism many are wondering why AGP did not ally with BJP. Many others are also happy with the decision.

rahul chanda

What will be the calculation now?

Why AGP did not ally?

According to reports, the AGP President Atul Bora said that three months of negotiations have led the regional party to conclude that the BJP is not interested in any alliance.

He said that they tried to help in putting up a strong front against the Congress. But instead, BJP seemed to be only trying to wipe out the AGP. Moreover, while AGP asked for 40 seats out of 126, the BJP was at the most willing to spare only 14. Bora felt that this was not acceptable to the AGP as it was too insulting a proposition. The AGP and BJP had earlier entered into alliance thrice — in 2001 assembly elections, and in the 2004 and 2009 Lok Sabha elections.

According to Bora, on all three occasions, there was a good vote transfer from the AGP to the BJP, but the reverse did not happen. Given the fact that the people of Assam have seen through the false promises of the BJP, many people who had voted for them will now return to the AGP’s fold. Many AGP supporters were seen holding vigil near the AGP office during the party’s general meet-

We don’t want our party to ally with BJP as the saffron party has not done anything for Assam. We will beg for money if required but our party should contest from all the 126 seats individually ing and some supporters talking to G Plus said, “We don’t want our party to ally with BJP as the saffron party has not done anything for Assam.

We will beg for money if required but our party should contest from all the 126 seats individually.” The supporters threatened the party leaders of severe consequences if they shared seats with BJP as according to the irked supporters, AGP has better candidates than BJP in all the constituencies. Meanwhile, BJP MP Ramen Deka, talking to media persons, said that till now there is no alliance with AGP on the cards but hinted that the saffron party has kept its doors open

for the regional party.

Do BJP and AIUDF have any secret alliance?

Ramen Deka, when asked the question, said that BJP is an anti-Congress, anti-communist and anti-communal party. He said that the AIUDF and BJP have different ideologies and there cannot be any alliance between the two. On being asked about Congress legislator Siddeque Ahmed’s allegation that AIUDF had taken Rs. 120 crores from the BJP to extend support to the

As the BJP leader said that the doors are open for an alliance with AGP, such alliance might materialize after the polls also. A political observer said that the alliance would have helped the party to convert the non converted AGP votes into BJP votes and vice versa, but AGP’s decision will help them only on surface as it is doubtful how many seats the regional party will capture in the elections. Also many prominent AGP leaders have already joined BJP, so the alliance would have helped both the saffron and the regional party. Meanwhile the observer said that Congress might be happy with this AGP’s move as it will only eye on AIUDF alliance after the elections, and no matter how much the reports say that AIUDF is losing ground, it will still remain as one of the kingmakers during the 2016 government formation. Also the BJP-AGP vote split will help Congress to divide the votes. The secret alliance between BJP and AIUDF is a matter to ponder over and time will tell how true the rumour is. rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Ward Watch

WARD NO

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Concentrated area: Kainadhara Ward number: 30 Sub division: 30 (B) Councillor: Manabendra Malla Bujarbaruah Phone number: 9864073215 Area sabha member: RAJIB LAHAKAR Phone number: 9706476718 Problem: Poor road condition, improper drainage system, scarcity of drinking water

Kainadhara in the Chief Minister’s blind spot

KALYAN DEB

Despite being the Chief Minister’s locality of residence the area remains deprived of the basic facilities Councilor says With Lok Sabha elections just around the corner, one can see promotional hoardings of political parties - mostly the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) boasting about their work in their 15-year tenure. While many of these carry messages challenging the opposition parties, there are also many that have messages such as “15 years of trust, 15 years of development” and several other similar ones. However, seeing the condition of the Kainadhara area, which is located right behind the Chief Minister’s residence, the locals can hardly relate to any such message.

Adjacent to NH37, Kainadhara is one area that has been struggling for the very basic amenities such as proper road, drainage system, drinking water, transportation and many more. Despite being a locality situated right under the Chief Minister’s nose the residents’ age-old struggle remains unaddressed till date. Locals even stated that ‘people only see the front of the idol as nobody cares about a picture of the same from behind; same is the condition of Kainadhara.’

People’s say The area comprises of residences of people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds and has

around 400 residences. Uday Nagar and Swadesh Nagar are the areas that are located in Kainadhara which has several branch lanes. If the problems faced by the locals are to be taken into account, the list would be endless. A stroll up Kainadhara hill gives a picture of the sufferings of the people. Though the entrance through Rajiv Gandhi Path hints at a constructed road but as one moves towards the interiors of the area the conditions get worse as the roads are covered with a cloud of dust and remains muddy during the monsoons.

According to residents, the area that deserves to be on the priority list since it is located near the Chief Minister’s residence remains underprivileged and perfectly fits the proverb: ‘the darkest spot is beneath the lamp.’

“There are no words to describe the condition of the road. There are residences which do not even have a septic tank and the human wastes are drained out through the unconstructed drains by the road.

The prime reason of concern is that despite being located just behind the CM’s residence there has been no support or development extended to the area. There are several households which do not have the financial strength to build a proper and hygienic toilet and despite several government schemes, they remain

deprived of these facilities,” said a local resident.

“During monsoon the waste flows down the drains which, apart from being unhygienic, make it very inconvenient due to the foul smell. While the advertisements by the government shows that several facilities have been provided to the people, none of these have reached the locals of Kainadhara,” the local asserted. It was also stated that there have been incidents of landslide during last year’s monsoons but ministers only visited the area and left without offering any kind of help to the victims.

Drinking water is also a major concern for the people of the area.

Due to the location of the area in an uphill landscape only those located in the plains have wells or tube-wells and there is no provision of water supply in the area.

Though a well-bore was installed in the area, which provides water to 245 households, the others remain deprived. The well-bore provided by MLA Akon Bora does not suffice the requirement of the people of the area that has around 400 residences.

“A prime problem of the area is the provision of land patta. There are people who have applied for the same in 2001, but no initiative has been taken up by the government.

This was a disputed land and Me-

Having discussed the matter with MLA Akon Bora, it was informed by the councillor that the development of the area is under way. “The Dispur constituency covers a larger area in comparison to the other constituencies of the city. However, the funds issued for development of the area are the same. So while other MLAs have fewer mouths to feed there are more requirements in the Dispur area. We are working on developmental programs such as construction of roads such as the Rajiv Gandhi Path which is undertaken by PWD,” said Manabendra Malla Bujorbaruah, councillor of Ward No. 30 informing that initiatives are being taken for the construction of a concrete drainage system including construction of the Rajiv Gandhi Path connecting NH-37 with Patarkuchi. Despite there being several problems with a few residences being hampered by the construction, the same will be resolved within the councillor’s tenure. It was also informed that the scarcity of water in the area has been taken up to Asian Development Bank that will resolve the issue by 2018.

“The area has been supervised by officials of Asian Development Bank and meanwhile the process of installation of pipeline has also began. Although a well-bore can be installed in the area but the availability of land stands as a hurdle. No one wishes to provide land to install the same and once the project by ASD concludes the well-bores will remain unutilized,” the councillor informed.

Although several assurances have been provided for the development of Kainadhara it remains to be seen if the authorities will stick to their words.

ghalaya claims the area to be under its jurisdiction. So the area should be a priority of the government.

Meanwhile, the Rajiv Gandhi Path which is the lifeline of the area is also a problem that needs to be resolved and the present condition of the road is a disgrace to the name of Rajiv Gandhi,” asserted Dr. Arun Sarma, president, Kainadhara Unnayan Samiti.

“The PWD has been informed several times about the construction

of the road. It was during 1995 when the last construction was carried out but till date there have been only two by-lanes constructed in the area,” the president stated.

Public transport is another concern for the people of area. Those who have their private vehicles do not have much to complain about but for the underprivileged families it wreaks havoc as one has to walk all the way to NH37. kalyan.deb@g-plus.in

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

G Talk

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Film Policy vs Film Quality D

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istressing is the word! The Assamese movie industry is facing its worst crisis at the moment. Prolific directors are finding it rather difficult to find producers; some of them are barely managing to survive without work for years together.

If I am to analyse the situation in the backdrop of the film fraternity going to the court, I have no other option but to be critical of two factors: one is the current lopsided film policy of the state government which is decidedly unfavourable to film-makers as it leaves them with virtually no scope to earn from their work. However, for long, the film-makers have decried and lamented about the fast diminishing cinema halls across the state and how they have no facilities to exhibit their work. This lament had also resulted in some make-shift and portable projection facilities which were supposed to have been the answer to the problem but somehow, these facilities never took off properly. Given all of this, it is now pertinent to note that it is perhaps due to the current policy that allows some pretty decent earnings for film exhibitors that the number of halls – including the INOXes and PVRs – are actually rising in the state. From an appalling 40 something halls the number now stands at around 70. This is a heartening development and is a direct solution to the serious problem that the film-makers are facing.

The other factor that allows criticism is actually paradoxical given that works of the performing arts have al-

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ways had a decent audience on the theatre stage and television. The current serials have great viewership; a whole generation of film workers are surviving well with their work.

The success of the mobile theatre industry need not be elaborated here.

So the big question is what deters a movie-goer from visiting a cinema hall to watch Assamese cinema? The answer could well be quality. It is but natural for a film-watcher to draw comparisons with all the Bollywood and Hollywood that is served to his bedroom these days through television. The best of scripts, cinematography and crisp editing is so easily available that an average Assamese movie in a hall just doesn’t figure on his entertainment list of the day. This is a practical conclusion.

Given all of the above, my opinion would be for a reasonable compromise from all the stakeholders, better patronage by the state government and some practical steps towards revival of the industry. It is imperative that the film policy needs to change. That is the first step. It is also imperative that film-makers need to pinch themselves out of any complacency, if at all, and think up scripts that are at par with Bollywood and then package/market their product well. A generation might pass in the process but Assamese cinema earning a reputation of quality is of paramount importance.

Swapnil Bharali Executive Editor

Dissent and nation-building

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Sidharth Bedi Varma

he idea of a ‘nation’ is an amalgamation of its people, their ideas, beliefs and a sense of patriotism and endearment to the said ‘piece of land’ that emanates after a certain period of time and with some indoctrination of course. The recent commotion surrounding the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University and its labelled ‘anti national’ elements has agitated almost all of India.

Everyone is offering an opinion, writing blogs, sharing content, setting trends on social media, taking to the streets to show solidarity with the ‘wrong’ taking place.

JNU has always been the centre of attention for conducting debates and discussions on various topics because apparently ‘the environment promotes healthy debating and dissension.’ The current row is however mired in controversy with certain keywords like tolerance, anti-national and sedition - all of which have nothing to do with the real issue at hand - the issue of dispensing or sharing opinions.

The JNU fellows are guilty of insinuating the feeling: ‘you have challenged the wrong group of people.’ The State will however keep no holds barred if it actually

came down to that. Its coercive power will not only keep Kanhaiya in custody but he might possibly never see the light of day. Now that would be a step back for Indian democracy. Unconfirmed reports suggest that the opinions at JNU wilfully reached the earshot of politics. The fact that it travelled outside the hallowed grounds of the institution is the reason for all the hype. With this issue, everyone has been given a peep at a totalitarian sphere that could easily engulf us if we try to preach something out of the ordinary. Contrary to the popular belief that everything transpiring in JNU is godsend, some opinions do not need to be critically analysed and infused with politics. But since it has come out of JNU, the issue has been raised on a pedestal and thus has attracted all the attention. Again, one cannot deny that the option to dissent and debate is a key feature of a healthy democracy. But that does not mean shoving one’s opinions down other people’s throat. If our right to dissent is taken away, we are moving towards a totalitarian regime. Crossing the intangible line of dissent is dangerous though.

Taking a leaf out of the JNU controversy, is dissent being misinterpreted as sedition?

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oleration is a lofty ideal. The premise is – we don’t agree, but we will suffer the existence of a contrary point of view. My campus that is under siege doesn’t simply practice toleration – it is too thin a veneer for something as solid as critical thinking to exist on. We don’t merely tolerate the differences that the diversity of a university campus throws up. We engage with it. We do exactly what university spaces are institutionalised for. We debate all points of view, all shades of opinion and in the process unlearn, rethink and critically examine notions that have been pushed down our throats – the idea of a motherland, and the our quest for being her worthy, patriotic children is one of them. Mothers are emotive figures; likening the nation to her makes easy political sense. The jingoism, practically writes itself. I understand why we would rush to condemn the ‘anti-national’ slogans that were raised within the confines of the campus, why we would want to disengage ourselves, and the university at large from them, relegate those slogans to the fringe – it is easy, it is the comfortable thing to do. But if we use this instance to distance ourselves from the disenchantment expressed by the citizens of the Indian state, we hand the narrative to the state. The nation – its form, shape, hue and inhabitants will henceforth be only decided by those who subscribe to the coercive, dominant discourse. Is that what we want? Nations, at least the robust ones tolerate, if not acknowledge, dissent. Democratic societies retain the right to question their elected government. If we are to be muzzled for demonstrating our discontent, why pretend to live in a democracy? Universities ideally are supposed to be sanctuaries of thought irrespective of how misguided some beliefs may be. Universities are spaces where we interrogate those beliefs. No wonder the state is resorting with repression, for the more one reads, the more one learns, the less one obeys.

Naorem Anuja From the JNU Campus

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have always believed that dissent is the voice of progress. In fact, if I remember right, the thoroughly anti-establishment Indian Express thrived on airing dissent against the government. The highly respectable Arun Shourie and the redoubtable Ram Jethmalani had indeed turned vigilantes with their superb rhetoric at a time when such dissent was required to reign in a certain Rajiv Gandhi, who often tended to go overboard, soaked in power that he was. Nowhere in those days of heightened political consciousness did the word “tolerance” figure among the politically animated citizenry of India. Democratic principles allowed such dissent against the government and the government took cognizance of such dissent expressed over the media and responded accordingly again through the media. The fact from those days in the past remains that dissent was shown against the government – not against the country. Now, if I have to believe everything that has been played out on everything that is considered media today, the JNU fracas can hardly be termed as dissent. If Bharat ki barbadi tak jung chalegi is sought to be presented as dissent against the government, I would question the intellectual capacities of the very minds who have failed to understand the difference. This slogan has given the whole dissent angle the seditious slant. Young blood is laden with inexperience while remaining stoic with the belief that it knows everything there is to know under the sun not to mention being strongly opinionated as well on those “everything.” The JNU campus is the congregation of the best minds in the country. But given the seditious fracas emanating from it, I am inclined to believe that their “dissenting” selves have a long way to go and they need to start by keeping a barge pole distance from sedition.

Tolerance, the lofty ideal, will follow suit automatically. After all, the more sinister sounding synonym of sedition is treason and it carries a whole different meaning than dissent!

Swapnil bharali

Hello sir,

Interactive

All of the attention seems to have been lost to alliances for the upcoming Assam Polls. But the lacuna in the Public/Government services still remains unaddressed. The lack of jobs in the government services and the rampant corruption needs attention. Your esteemed publication should shed some light on it all. There is a lot of bribery and corruption which is like an open truth and everyone knows about it. Much like the open defacation on railway tracks, the issue is similar.

Regardless of what party comes to power, this should be tackled asap.

Dear Sir,

Partha Barua via email

Letter to the Editor

This is regarding the sorry state of the Assamese film industry as carried by your newspaper over the last two issues. I understand that there is a tussle between the producers and exhibitors regarding profit sharing from ticket sales. Both parties have valid and counter arguments, which is okay. However, I would like to put forward certain observations. It is imperative to have good infrastructure like digital screens, dolby sound system, air-conditioning, etc. Cine-goers don’t mind paying a little extra for such facilities. The state government’s current policy allows the exhibitor to earn a little extra than their counterparts from other states. To develop such infrastructure in a state like Assam, huge investment from private players are required and there should be some incentives otherwise investments would not be forthcoming. Today, the only criterion for people to watch a movie in a theatre is “substance.” By substance, I mean the entire packaging of a movie - be it content, story-telling, acting, direction, camera, editing, star power and music. All need to be good and at par with Bengali or Tamil cinema, if comparisons are to be made. As a genuine lover of cinema, I hope the exhibitors and producers of Assamese cinema find an acceptable solution to the problem soon to enable the cinema lovers to watch some movies with good “substance.”

Siddharth Borooah Via email

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Will AGP’s decision not to ally with BJP for the polls backfire on them?

Meet Meet Meet

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In Focus

Pratyush Tapan Hazarika Businessman/Traveller

The BJP-AGP alliance surrounding the Assam Polls has been received negatively from factions of both parties.

The AGP has not made any strides over the years in gaining political mileage during elections. Is the AGP’s decision to not form an alliance with the BJP lead to another dull election campaign and backfire on them?

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GP has been on a downhill journey since 2001. It will not win more than 3-4 seats in the forthcoming polls. It has also been hit hard by a financial crisis. But AGP would have got a fresh lease of life had it been able to arrive at a pre-poll pact with either the Congress or the BJP and it might have won more seats. The BJP had suffered heavily after it joined hands with the AGP ahead of the 2001 assembly polls. But AGP’s fall has been BJP’s gain. In the event of an alliance now, the BJP would have had to sacrifice many seats which the party workers were opposed to and they rose in protest at several places. The committed voters of BJP would be reluctant to vote for the AGP. In a constituency favourable for the BJP, voters are unlikely to shift their allegiance overnight to the AGP. The Congress would have gained ultimately.

Rajeev Bhattacharyya

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GP has literally made zero contribution to the political scenario of Assam. The fact that they have not opted for an alliance seems like a poor decision at their end. Without an alliance, they cannot actually bring about any substantial change in the political scenario or deliver on the promises they will make. This means, AGP will continue to be another failed addition to the political parties of the state for another term. Many would argue that this decision of not having an alliance with BJP shows AGP’s resolve and political integrity but sadly they have lost out an opportunity to make amends in the ruined political scenario of the State.

Aabhishek Bedi Varma

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(Navajyoti) Diku Talukdar

Abhishek Mitra

hat I feel is that with the Modi wave in India most regional parties are losing their grips in their respective states.

Tripura’s CPI(M) is facing a tough contest against BJP. AGP should now understand that it needs to tie up with BJP as it is the only way for them to survive. If not then I wonder if AGP will bag hardly 7-8 seats in Assam. AGP should also realise that Sarbananda Sonowal was once an AGP leader himself and today he is BJP’s CM candidate. AGP should learn to adapt with present state scenario.

he non-alliance of AGP with BJP is supported by me as AGP was formed from the Assam movement and the party is meant for protecting the interests of the Assamese people. I welcome the move of some leaders of AGP who opposed the alliance as BJP, which is a national party, does not think of the indigenous people of the state and the alliance of both the parties would have ruined the future of the state.

So the non-alliance is a good decision which will help the regional party in the polls.

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Rubul Rajbongshi

Snehal Deb

he decision of AGP’s non-alliance with BJP will affect AGP as also BJP to a certain extent. But Badauruddin Ajmal will have the biggest benefit as it will divide the Hindu vote share and AGP will take the vote share of the BJP Hindu vote bank which will again help Ajmal. As it is, Ajmal has total control over the Muslim vote bank.

es. BJP is surely going to do well because of Congress’ failures over the years, antiincumbency and PM’s public friendly policies like jan dhan yojana, electrifying Assam’s villages which were dark since independence, BG line in the Barak Valley and other such measures.

AGP is already a decimated party with limited base. Only way for them to gain some ground was an alliance with BJP. A wrong decision here.

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veryone harbours dreams to travel around the world but not everyone is lucky or resourceful enough. Also, the immediate destinations that come to the mind are Europe, U.S.A.,or maybe even Australia. However, there are some who choose the most bizarre and unfamiliar destinations making their trips exotic.

Born in Namrup on 1stMarch, 1972, Pratyush Tapan Hazarika is a Chartered Accountant by profession and an industrialist. But he is also an avid traveler.

Pratyush did his graduation from Gauhati Commerce College in 1992 and went to Delhi to pursue CA & ICWA. He passed out from the Institute of Cost & Works Accountants of India in 1995 and in 1996 became a Chartered Accountant. The same year he started his firm, Hazarika & Co. Taking up CA for a career option was not encouraged by his parents who wanted him to be an engineer. For a decade, Pratyush also dabbled in real-estate business to fulfill his childhood fascination for architecture.

Pratyush is currently focusing on his industry, Brahmaputra Wire Fab Industries, which is coming up with a novel product known as Gabion that will help in landslide, flood & erosion protection.

Besides being a chartered accountant and an industrialist, Pratyush is an ardent music lover, traveller and a photography enthusiast. “Photography is the reason that I started travelling. I was very enthusiastic about photography but it is an expensive hobby to maintain. So once I felt I was settled, I started photography in full scale.

My first travel abroad was to the USA in 2006. I have visited more than 45 countries so far,” Pratyush said candidly.

In this impressive list are UK, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Portugal, Argentina, Egypt, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, China, Japan, South Korea, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and, hold your breath, Antarctica! Sharing his experience of visiting Antarctica in 2011, Pratyush lamented about the human interference in the ecological balance of the planet. “It was a 16-day trip in a ship and on reaching the destination it was all ice as far as we could see with almost no flora and fauna expect Penguins, Seals. The place was so peaceful and pollution free. It remains one of my most memorable trips,” Pratyush said.

Sharing other experiences, the traveller told us about a trip to Israel. “I watched a

program on television on the famous land border crossings from Amman, Jordan to Jerusalem and within one month I was there.

From Amman, I crossed the border and went to Jerusalem where we were received by a friend. I visited Bethlehem, Nazareth, Tel Aviv, Ramallah (Palestine) and Jericho and came back through the same border to Jordan to visit Petra, Wadi Rum & Aqaba.

So, overall it was pretty mindless and carefree travelling,” the traveller said. So far Pratyush has visited six out of the seven wonders and soon plans to visit Christ De Redeemer in Brazil.

Another mesmerizing experience was his visit to Chichen Itza, Mexico from where he went to Lima via Panama City and then onto Cusco and Ollantaytambo, an Inca archaeological site in southern Peru. Next he went to Machu-Picchu and came back to La Paz. It was a 42-day trip in South America. “From La Paz we went to a very unique place called Uyuni salt flats which has 10,000sqkms of salt and the contour difference of the entire surface is merely 1 foot. If one breathes heavily he might inhale the salt. It was of the also the most amazing landscapes I had seen. The temperature goes up to 20 degrees during day and dips to minus 6 degrees at night and from there I went to Lake Titicaca, Galapagos, Islands, Ecuador and Easter Island, Chile,” said Pratyush showing a picture of the landscape.

Pratyush believes in travelling alone to the places he chooses and he does not plan his tours through an agency. “I do a thorough study of the places I plan to visit and once I am out of the airport I am among complete strangers. Though I face problems such as language and there is also a risk of being defrauded, my research helps me a lot.

Moreover, I like to visit places that are away from the routine urban life. While travelling I am least bothered about the food and try to take the cheapest and yet convenient means of transport or even hitchhike if possible. I try to reach back to my base at the earliest, have an early dinner and go to sleep by 8pm so that I am all set to travel again the next morning by 4.30 am. That is why I prefer travelling alone as it avoids any kind of clash of interest,” Pratyush added informing that the traveller is planning a road trip from Greece to Guwahati in the near future. He mentioned that he has been offered to be part of a road trip from Shanghai to Tibet in 2017.

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Power of

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he recently held 12th South Asian Games 2016, Guwahati-Shillong, presented a magnificent culmination of both sports and culture on the same platform.

The colourful opening and the electrifying closing ceremonies were spectacular events for Guwahati.

The cultural variety of the nation in general and the northeast in particular were showcased in both the ceremonies. Keeping in view the extravaganza aspect, the Sangeet Natak Akademi, North East Centre, Guwahati and the Organizing Committee, 12th South Asian Games 2016 jointly organized “Dharohar”- a festival of diverse culture of India with special focus on North East, at the Pragjyoti, ITA Centre for Performing Arts in Guwahati between 6th and 15th February, 2016.

Various folk forms of the region as well as other classical forms of dance and music were presented here during this festival. Artists from Manipur displayed the rhythms and jumps of “Pung Cholam,” “Dhol Chulam” and romantic “Basanta Raas.” Tripura left its mark in the festival through “Dhamail,” “Hozagiri” and “Momita” dances. “Wangala” dance of Meghalaya, “Cherraw” and “Chhailam” dances of Mizoram, Lion and Yak dances of Arunachal Pradesh, “Maruni” dance of Sikkim, Warrior dance of Nagaland were some of the forms performed by the representative states.

Assam presented a bouquet of performances, namely “Gayan Bayan,” “Mukha Bhaona,” different forms of Bihu etc. “Nrityarupa” , a mosaic of Indian dance by Sangeet Natak Akademi, New Delhi and dance drama “Chitrangada” by Utsav – Ranjana’s Odissi Dance Academy, New Delhi were also highly applauded.

Among the musical performances, nine instrumentalists of Assam presented an ensemble of classical music, named “Vrindavadan.” Designed and directed by Tarun Kalita, this particular musical performance

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Subhrajit Roy

brought to the audience a magnificent flavour of Indian classical music where strings, rhythm and organ tunes intermingled and complemented each other. Starting with “Vandemataram” the performance included “Raaga Desh” in its variety.

The pairing of Sarod and Santoor by Tarun Kalita and Pankaj Sharma re-

spectively, the exchange of dialogues between Debasish Bhattacharjee and Prasun Ghose through the strokes of Tabla, the parallel rendering of the violins by Vidyut Mishra and Manoj Baruah, the reverberation in the strings of Sitar by veteran Hem Hazarika and Nabin Rajkonwar and the melody of flute by Deepak Sharma,

made the presentation a remarkable one.

Similarly, the confluence of three Indian classical dance forms, namely, Sattriya, Kathak and Odissi were also witnessed in the festival through the performance “Tridhara” by Abhinaya Society, Assam.

Designed and choreographed by

Anita Sharma and Marami Medhi, the presentation started with a traditional “Vishnu Vandana” and “Krishna Vandana” by Shrimanta Shankardev, followed by a “Borgeet” in Ragaa “Nat Malhar” and Taal partial of fourteen beats synchronized with “Rupak” Taal. The music of the presentation was composed by Joyprakash Medhi. The devotion of Sattriya was observed in the performance of Anita Sharma, Prerona Bhuyan and Srutimala Medhi. Similarly, Marami Medhi, Rupa Rani Das Borah and Aligunjan Mudiar presented the grandeur of Kathak.

Along with them Anjana Moyee Saikia, Krishna Chetry and Sarbani Nandy brought the elegance of Odissi. The three forms showcased their individuality as well as they were complementary to the other forms.

With the progress of confluence, it was a picture perfect climax where all the varieties got united by the same cause of devotion.

Around 220 artists, who had already performed at “Dharohar” also performed at the closing ceremony of the historic sporting event and gave the entire sporting extravaganza a cultural dimension. Similarly, the impact of the Classical Instrumental Ensemble by the nine musicians and that of “Tridhara” by nine danseuses spectators made the number NINE a special one.

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

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he 8th edition of the biggest-ever classical dance extravaganza organized by the Kalpa, a Society for Promotion of Literature, Art, Culture and Social Harmony, is an initiative of using dance as a medium towards revisiting the heritage of Assam and protecting the bounties of nature conferred upon the region.

The event is an annual feature by Kalpa society held in association with Tezpur University and IIT Guwahati. The event is supported

by Oil India Limited, Sattriya Kendra- Sangeet Natak Akademi, SBI, LIC, Apex Bank, My Taxi, Smart Tank, Numaligarh Refinery Limited, Union Bank of India, DD Bharati and Assam Tourism. Artur Przybylski from Poland left no stone unturned to leave the dance enthusiasts spellbound with her enthralling performance at Shraddhanjali Kanan on 14th February last - the second day of the Dance Festival.

Philosophical Variety

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Event

Days

Events

Febuary 20th to Febuary 26th

FEB 20 COTTON COLLEGE AT 10:00 AM

BRAHMAPUTRA VALLEY BUSINESS PLAN CONTEST STARTUPASSAM IS ORGANIZING PRIZE MONEY BUSINESS PLAN CONTEST IN ASSOCIATION WITH BRAHMAPUTRA BEACH FESTIVAL ON 20TH FEB, 2016.

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aveena Tandon visited city on Friday to inaugurated the state-of-the-art wellness centre. The noted actor was accompanied by VLCC Founder, Vandana Luthra to launch VLCC’s 2nd wellness centre in the city on GS Road, Guwahati. The centre focuses on offering an entire bouquet of beauty, wellness and preventive healthcare services to help people increase their wellness quotient.

Equipped with some of the latest US-FDA and European-CE standard compliant appliances, the cutting-edge VLCC facility seamlessly marries innovative, scientific weight management programs with revolutionary skin, dermal cosmetology and hair care treatments as well as regular beauty services.

VLCC has 4 wellness centres in Assam, and 29 wellness centres and 13 vocational education institutes under the VLCC Institute of Beauty & Nutrition banner, in the East Region.

Cinema North East

Raveena Tondon visits Guwahati to inaugurate wellness centre

TERRA MAYYA AT 7:00 PM

ELEKTRONIKA PRE PARTY FT. CANDICE REDDING

CANDICE REDDING STANDS OUT AS A BENCHMARK FOR QUALITY MUSIC COUPLED WITH THE ENERGY LEVELS OF A TRUE PERFORMER. WITH INNUMERABLE SHOWS THROUGHOUT THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, 2016 IS A YEAR CANDICE PLANS TO TAKE IT A FEW NOTCHES ABOVE!

FEB 21 Raveena Tandon (L) and Vandana Luthra (R) pose with a VLCC client during the inauguration

8TH PRAGJYOTI INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL

DECATHLON AZARA AT 9:00 AM

ROUGH IT OUT : BOOTCAMP CHALLENGE CHALLENGE YOURSELF TO BE A PART OF MILITARY INSPIRED OBSTACLE RACE AT DECATHLON AZARA.

FEB 22 DTRP INDOOR STADIUM AND KANAKLATA INDOOR STADIUM AT 9:00 AM

“Purab Kanti”, a group exhibition (held between 8th and 13th February, 2016) of painting, graphics and sculpture by seven artists at the State Art Gallery, Rabindra Bhawan, Guwahati, was a big draw for the art lovers of city. Over all, the exhibition brought the opportunity for different philosophies to culminate on the same platform where womanhood, mythology, vision of soul, irony of life and culture intermingled with each other keeping their own unique varieties intact. A photo feature is presented here by Subhrajit Roy.

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inema North East, a film festival was inaugurated in the city on 18th February last at ITA Machkhowa to commemorate the 80 years of Assamese cinema. The festival will go on till 26th February and will screen 20 films from all over the NE at Jyoti Chitraban. Cinema NE will also host workshops on film editing, direction, cinematography, production, screenplay writing by renowned filmmakers, screenplay writers, art/production designers, cinematographers and photographers. Eminent personalities like B Lenin, Mangesh Hadawale, Indranil Ghosh, Dr. Chandraprakash Divedi, Virendra Saini and Amit Kumar Sinha are attending the week long event.

PNB METLIFE JUNIOR BADMINTON CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON 2GUWAHATI

FEB 26 STATE ART GALLERY AT 3:30 PM

PHOTO EXHIBITION CUM WORKSHOP PHOTOGRAPHIC SOCIETY OF ASSAM WILL INAUGURATE A PHOTO EXHIBITION AT THE STATE ART GALLERY. THE EVENT WILL BE A 3 DAYS LONG AFFAIR INCLUDING A BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

BY NIKON AND AN ADVANCE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP BY NIKON.

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Lifestyle

VAASTU SHASTRA

yon gyan

VAASTU ASPECTS ON

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hat do you enjoy more?

Watching a romantic scene between a couple on in a movie or on the television screen which ends up in passionate love making or seeing a porn movie where fake sounds are made for the audience. Sex is the physical description of what happens when two people indulge in love-making, i.e., penovaginal sex, anal sex or oral sex.

Love making is the emotional and orgasmic satisfaction one gets when the act is done with somebody one loves

or likes.

There is something so beautiful and sensual when two people have chemistry together. But that isn’t the case when it comes to sex. Most people have sex just to have sex. Love making is never a rushed experience.

It is a sensual, selfless and caressing moment. Sex can be a very much a 20-20 match with “bang-bang thank you very much Ma’am.”

Hand on your heart, which category do you fall in? Which category would you like to fall in?

Dr. Mithun Bhartia is an expert in Diabetes, Thyroid and Sexual matters. He has returned from England after 12 years. His clinic is in Panbazar near Hari Sabha. Send your queries to advicesexologist@gmail.com

uwahati Refinery is the country’s first public sector refinery commissioned in 1962. The initial crude processing capacity at the time of commissioning of this refinery was 0.75 million metric tonnes per annum which was later enhanced to 1.0 MMTPA. In modern petroleum industry, this can be termed as a pilot plant as after Digboi refinery, almost all other refineries produce much more petroleum products than these two.

While selecting the site and designing the plant layout, the Vaastu aspects were completely ignored which are still responsible for the poor performance of the refinery. Since the refinery was built in the eastern part of the city, a 10-km long canal had to be built through the city connecting Bharalu River to discharge the toxic waste from the plant into the Brahmaputra River. It is common sense to construct industries having eff luents on the downstream of any river.

The township of the refinery has three sectors but we will limit our focus only to the refinery area. The north side of the refinery is covered by the Ramsa Hills which constitute some part of the area of the refinery. The refinery area has an extension towards east with a huge area missing at the northeast. The cut at northeast and the hilly northern part gives financial problems to the plant. The huge store tanks of petroleum products are situated at north, northeast and the extended eastern portion making these areas heavier. The main entrance of the refinery is from western southwest which is not permissible as per vaastu. There is another Gate at east for loading of products by

Kosu Pitika or Pâté

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

recipe of the week Ingredients

6 pieces of Kosu 2 teaspoons of Mustard oil 1 onion diced 2 bunches of chopped coriander 2 green chillies diced Salt to taste Colocasia is another name for Kosu. The Assamese eat a lot of it in various forms. The simplest one is the Kosu Pitika.

truck but it is used only as a delivery gate.

There are two huge oil and water separation tanks at the south. Pits or depressions at south are very bad as per Vaastu.

The captive power generation plant is situated from northwest to north. It should have been at the southeast corner near Sector III. The latest addition to the refinery is the plant for conversion of petrol to Euro IV norm. But the centre of the refinery area has been chosen for it which is the Brahmasthan. It is a heavy plant again and it is surely going to further affect the Vaastu of the unit.

The Administrative building has been constructed on a hillock at west but the south-western area was made lighter in comparison.

The refinery township has mixed Vaastu in all its sectors. The Sector-I bungalows and housing complexes are built on the bank of the Brahmaputra River with a complete view of the river at north. The residences, which are built as per Vaastu, are enjoying double benefit because of this.

The Sector-II and Sector-III have a lot of hillocks spread over the area. The bungalows, which are built over the hillocks, enjoy good Vaastu but the quarters which are built on the southern part and western part of the hillocks, suffer from ill-effects of the Vaastu and Vaastu correction is required.

There is a trick to cutting Kosu. Peel the skin off with a knife and pierce and snap off pieces of the Kosu with the pointed part of the knife that you are using. One should not slice the Kosu. Now you can boil it in whichever dal one is making for the day. Once it is cooked, take it out and mash it with all the above ingredients.

Best eaten with plain rice.

PROCESS

G

GUWAHATI REFINERY

KULKUL RAHMAN Entrepreneur, mother and a passionate cook

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

MIND YOUR MUSCLES THE MIND & MUSCLE CONNECTION IS REAL

What is the mind-muscle connection? It’s the ability to focus so deeply on a muscle that you can increase the amount of muscle fibres you are using in that muscle and therefore get better results in muscle growth. You can also use it to contract a muscle with more force, allowing you to be stronger.

Research has shown that both examples are possible and real. Yet some sceptics feel that this concept is not real science and is just “touchy-feely” nonsense invented by bodybuilders in the 70’s. It is true that Arnold and his gang of training partners like Franco Colombu, Frank Zane, and Dave Draper were big believers in this concept. Clearly it worked for them and it can work for you.

The latest study showing how the mind-muscle connection can work, and how you can fine tune it, comes from the University of South Carolina Upstate.

The researchers had weighttrained football players perform 3 sets of bench presses using their 50% rep max weight (that’s a weight equal to 50% of their one-rep max weight, or a weight that they could do for little more than 20 reps) and 3 sets using their 80% RM (a weight that they could do for about 7-8 reps).

During each bench press set, they measured the muscle activity of the athletes’ pecs, triceps, and front deltoids using EMG analysis.

In the first set they were given no instructions. In the second set they were told to use just their chest muscles. And in the third set they were told to use only their triceps muscles.

When the athletes used the light weight (50% RM) and were instructed to use just their chest muscle, the muscle activity of their pecs increased by 22% compared to when they had no instructions.

When they were told to use only their triceps while lifting the light weight, their triceps muscle activ-

SUMMER IS COMING

S

ummer is almost upon us, and it’s time for shorts, tank tops, and body hugging vests. The body will now be subjected to heat and probably some rashes. The main agenda should be to look good in fewer clothes and at the same time prevent the effects of heat and sun. Three important steps in this preparation include exercise, eating food rich in

antioxidants, and drinking plenty of water.

The advantage of regular exercise is not just weight loss, but more importantly that your body stays toned and in shape which means your skin is firm and clothes fit you better.

Another important aspect of keeping healthy this summer is to start consuming healthier and natural

19

Lifestyle ity increased by 26%. During the heavier lift (80% RM) the increases in muscle activity of the focused muscles were not as significant.

They concluded that focusing on a specific muscle during exercises such as the bench press can increase the amount of muscle fibres used in that muscle, but that this may be more effective with lighter weight.

TAKE HOME MESSAGE: When lifting with heavier weights (sets where your rep range is 8 reps or less) focus on lifting the most weight. Because the weight is fairly heavy your body will need to focus on recruiting as many muscle fibres from as many muscle groups as possible to lift it. And focusing on lifting the weight can help you to get significantly stronger.

When using lighter weight, sets of about 10 reps and above, focus more on the target muscle group being used. This can increase the amount of muscle fibres being used specifically by that muscle during the lift. And the more muscle fibres you are using the greater the muscle growth you can expect in the long run. Because as you know that muscles are active tissues, so the more muscles you build the more your metabolism will be.

BIBHU MONI SINGHA, Fitness Expert & Sports Nutritionist Gym Manager, Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness, Guwahati

foods that are rich in nutrients and antioxidants. This means that there should be additional intake of fruits and vegetables in your diet. These foods are rich in antioxidants, which helps protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun and toxic chemicals from the hot air and they also have been shown to help fight heart disease, cancer and obesity.

Another important benefit includes the fact that you consume lesser calories and take in high fibre which is definitely recommended by doctors.

The final important step to preparing for summer is to increase your intake of water. 60% of our body is water. Studies have shown that a diet adequate in water helps with weight loss, moist skin, decreases dryness, can help prevent the development of wrinkles, keeps the hands and lips moist, can help fight heat exhaustion among various other benefits. You could also make interesting additions to your water by adding lemon, or squash and also consume other fluids like shakes and juices.

Unfortunately February hasn’t left us yet but there is definitely a rise in the mercury levels in the city. You could start getting ready for summer! Maybe you could make some interesting changes in your closet too, but let’s address that in another issue.

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G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Reviews Cast: Sonam Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Ravjiani Director: Ram Madhwani

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vie Mo view Re

am Madhvani relies less on drama while handling this story and that is good. Shabana Azmi and Yogendra Tikku’s performance as the parents is top notch.

There are minor hiccups in the film such as Shabana Azmi’s K3G moment when she knows something is wrong with her daughter. Also a little insight and background story to the reason of hijack could have helped.

Neerja Bhanot (Sonam Kapoor) is introduced to us as a huge Rajesh Khanna fan. She is an independent girl who juggles two careers of being an air hostess and a model with immense dedication. With a supportive family, who are proud of her, Neerja’s life is near perfect until her destiny takes a detour.

On her first flight as the head purser, Neerja is faced with an untoward event. Flight Pan AM 73 which is a New York bound flight via Karachi is hijacked at Karachi international airport. With 300

passengers on board and terrorists with an agenda, Neerja’s life is in danger.

How her quick thinking and dedication to her job saved the lives of those on board is what the story focuses on.

Ram Madhvani’s Neerja is a heart-felt biopic. Hence, he keeps it simple moving from Neerja’s cosy family moments to her liferisking event. Luckily, he does not indulge in too much melodrama and that’s what makes the film watchable.

Definitely, he could have strayed away from a song in such an engaging tale but then its Bollywood. The whole ‘Mera Jee Ghabra Raha Hai’ moment too comes across as overly cinematic for a story that otherwise sticks to realism.

Sonam Kapoor does a much better job than what was expected of her. She is specifically praiseworthy in a scene where she reads her abusive husband’s letters to her family. In her pre-

hijack scenes, she is just like what she has been in any other film.

Shabana Azmi does a brilliant job as the emotional, loving and superstitious mom. She is proud of her daughter at the same time wants her to be safe.

Her performance in the final scene is extremely moving.

Yogendra Tiku should officially be Bollywood’s best dad.

After Queen, once again he is seen as an endearing father.

Shekhar Ravjiani does a small cameo as Neerja’s love interest. I hope this is his only attempt at acting because he seems quite uncomfortable on screen.

Amongst the terrorists, Khalil’s character truly stands out.

His ‘nudge the bull and it will kill’ moment is brilliant.

Neerja is a heart-felt biopic that rises above ordinary with a great direction and stellar performances. I suggest you fasten your seat belts for this weekend with Neerja.

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The rom-com in Bollywood has been in serious trouble. It’s used misused and abused to generate bootleg resources for untalented newcomers who think acting is about wearing the coolest denims with matching aviators, and mastering lip-locks on scenic hill-stops with starlets in dresses so short they threaten to qualify as borderline lingerie.

Loveshudda which stars Girish Taurani as a guy who wakes up in bed with a girl he has never met (and no, she is not his yoga instructor), touches new depths of nullity in the rom-com genre. It disambiguates the genre to the extent that it doesn’t seem to care whether its basic moral tenets makes any sense or not. So our hero Grirish (Taurani) jumps out of bed with the stranger (a female), gets married to

the ‘wrong’ girl, and ends up a slobbering bitter mess.

No expense has been spared to ensure that Girish Tairani post-debut vehicle catches the audiences’ fancy.

But flaunting urban affluence and trying to write dialogues which try hard to sound like the metro-youngsters internet babble gives this film an embarrassing aspirational aura.

It’s all about wanting to be cool. Girish Taurani tries hard to be Mumbai’s Justin Timberlake. Instead he ends up being the poor man’s Ayushman Khurrana with very little of Khurrana’s control over the lines and scenes. Taurani’s co-star Navneet Kaur Dhillon is lovely in a leggy way (by which I mean she lets her legs do all the talking).

Nirja 9.45 AM, 5.15 & 8.15 PM Love Shhuda 11.45 AM Deadpool (E) 2.45 PM

PVR Cinemas

Dona Planet. GS Road 08800900009 Nirja 10.30 AM, 3.25, 6.00 & 8.45 PM Love Shhuda 2.40 & 5.40 AM Deadpool (E) 10.15 AM, 12.55, 3.15 & 8.30 PM

Nirja 9.00 AM, 1.40, 6.10 & 8.45 PM Love Shhuda 11.15 AM Deadpool (E) 4.00 PM

Apsara Cinema Ulubari 0361 2541335

Love Shhuda 2.00 & 8.00 PM Deadpool (E) 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM

GOLD Cinema ASTC Complex, Paltan Bazar 9854066166

The Sialkot Saga

Album:

Author:

It’s Not Over: The Hits So Far

Ashwin Sanghi

u Yo ad SHOULD re

Artist:

Love Shhuda 11.00 AM, 5.00 & 8.00 PM ISHQ FOrever 11.30 AM, 2.00 & 5.30 PM Sanam re 2.30 PM Sanam Teri Kasam 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

Lissie

u Yo TEN SHOULD LIS

A

Noonmati 03612656968, 9954544738

HUB, GS Road 9864800100, 9864800200

Book:

decade after Chris Daughtry came in fourth on the fifth season of American Idol, the singer’s post-Idol band DAUGHTRY has amassed enough hits to create a hits collection, hence the 2016 release of It’s Not Over: The Hits So Far. This 13-track collection doesn’t contain every single DAUGHTRY track is-

Anuradha Cineplex

Fun Cinemas

Cast: Girish Kumar, Navneet Kaur Dhillon Director: Vaibhav Misra

oveshhuda is more about booze than love. With prohibition around the corner in Bihar, this exasperating mimicry of filmmaking may do well in that state. The leading man and his friends, all of whom need serious tips on tackling tipsiness without tipping over, are constantly binge-ing and boozing and supposedly having fun.

But their revelry leaves us tragically unmoved. It’s like watching rowdies heckling passersby at the traffic signal. Fun only for those who believe in that sort of a thing. But sorry, most of us watching a bunch of overgrown brats singing Aaj phir peene ki tamannah hai is nobody’s idea of fun. It’s more a painful reminder of what levels of mediocrity have been reached in the name of mainstream entertainment.

NOW SHOWING

sued to radio -- the most conspicuous absences are “Outta My Head,” “Start of Something Good,” and “Battleships,” all entries on the U.S. Adult Top 40 -- but it has all the big active rock hits, ranging from the Top 10s “It’s Not Over” and “Home” to “Over You,” “What About Now,” “No Surprise,” and the singalong “Long Live Rock & Roll.” Two

new songs -- the perfectly fine “Torches,” which plays to DAUGHTRY’s anthemic nature and “Go Down,” a welcome left-field detour into disco where Chris Daughtry adopts a bit of a Bowie growl -- are added for the hardcore, but the appeal of It’s Not Over is how it boils the band’s four albums down to their familiar highlights.

‘When it’s a question of money, everybody is of the same religion.’ The trajectories of Arvind and Arbaaz, both ‘businessmen’ of a kind whose lives are unwillingly intertwined, ricochet off one another while they play out their sinister and murderous plots of personal and professional one-upmanship, all the while breaking every rule in the book. Both are unaware that what they seek and fight over is the very obstacle in realising an ancient secret that dates back to a time long forgotten. And yet, at the heart of it all, there lies tenderness...

and pathos... and blood... and rare moments of an almost exalted happiness. So, can it be that a man is both sinner and saint, victor and victim, black and white? Ashwin Sanghi, master storyteller and spinner of yarns, weaves together once more threads of the past and present, fact and fiction, history and mythology, business and politics, love and hatred while dangling you ceaselessly over the cliff with this chilling multi-layered narrative, keeping you guessing till the totally unguessable end. And you’re left wondering whether it’s a matter of faith... or fate?

Salasar Building, Lakhtokia 9854077177

Love Shhuda 11.00 AM, 5.00 & 8.00 PM ISHQ FOrever 11.30 AM, 2.00 & 5.30 PM Sanam re 2.30 PM Sanam Teri Kasam 8.30 PM

GOLD Cinema

LG Towers, Narangi 8811001898 Love Shhuda 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM ISHQ FOrever 2.00 & 8.00 PM

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

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Entertainment

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Assam girl to make Reaching heights of popularity Bollywood debut

fter making a mark in the television industry, Assam girl Shamin Mannan is all set to make her Bollywood debut with ‘Love Shagun’ slated to hit the theatres on 26th February. Love Shagun is a romantic Bollywood comedy movie directed by Saandesh Nayak and produced by Isha Nayak under the banner of Saanvi Nayak Flims. Shamin is playing one of the lead roles in the movie: the character of Shama.

Shamin was born on 11th June in Dibrugarh, Assam and did her schooling from Little Flower School and Salt Brook Academy there. She quit her engineering to pursue a career in acting.

During her college days, she did several modeling assignments. After dropping out from engineering college in Bangalore, she shifted to Mumbai, where she worked in many TV commercials for famous brands like Dabur Gulabari Rose Water, Sony Ericson, Polycrol syrup, McDonalds, etc. Soon after, she got her first chance to act in a TV serial ‘Banoo Main Teri Dulhann’ on Zee TV. She was also seen in ‘Maat Pitaah Ke Charnon Mein Swarg’ on Colors TV and ‘Santaan’ on Star Plus. Her work in ‘Sanskaar – Dharohar Apno Ki’ on Colors TV, in which was essayed the role of the female lead character Bhoomi, was highly appreciated by the television viewers. Her Bollywood career now takes off with Love Shagun.

Besides Shamin, the movie also

features Anuj Sachdeva, Nidhi Subbaiah, Simpy Singh, Manit Joura, Vikram Kochhar and Taran Bajaj.

She said that “It is a youthful film targeted for young as well as family audiences. I had a great time shooting for the film as my character Shama is a very different kind of role to play.

There is also a comedy angle to the character which will have the audience in splits.” She also added, “Love Shagun is a very special film to me for more than one reason. Coming from Assam, my journey from television to film has been challenging yet enjoyable.”

Hengool lines up extraordinary plays for upcoming season

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uring the ensuing 2015-16 season one play has received a lot of attention among the audiences and the play is presently moving from lower to upper Assam leaving its mark in its journey. The play, which has created new records at each and every show and set a new benchmark in popularity, is ‘Boliya Krishna’ staged by Hengool Theatre. It has been written by popular journalist-cumlyricist-cum-story-teller Rajdweep and directed by Sankalpajit Hazarika. This young story-teller is bringing new hope to the Assamese mobile theatre indus-

try. Now for the upcoming 2016-17 seasons, Hengool is all set to stage two high voltage plays of this story-teller titled ‘Bekar Bahubali’ and ‘Bonoriya.’

According to Rajdweep, both the plays will have of bold storylines, mindblowing acting and attractive music. It is noteworthy that, without much publicity as well as glamour artists, Hengool has always focused on meaningful subject related story-based dramas and good acting. According to the producer of Hengool Theatre, Sankalpajit Hazarika, the hit pair of Prasenjit and Shyamantika, who is now seen in 2015-16

season, also appears for the upcoming seasons. Another new addition to the upcoming season is the entry of popular Assamese cinema and television actress, Amrita Gogoi. Through Hengool Theatre, she will make her debut on the mobile theatre stage. Besides these, the other artistes include Sanjib Sarma, Jivan Hatikakati, Alokjyoti Saikia, Biren Bhuyan, Sankarjyoti Rajkhowa, etc. Both the plays will be musically arranged by Palash Gogoi. Now, after enjoying ‘Boliya Krishna’, people of Assam are eagerly waiting for ‘Bekar Bahubali’ and ‘Bonoriya’.

B

haanu Rashmi is not only a prolific dancer of the present times but is also an equally popular actress. She has achieved quite a lot at an early age. She has undergone training in Indian classical dance under renowned Bharat Natyam artiste Guru Srekala Bharath. Srekala Bharath, sister of well-known cricketer Krishnamachari Srikkanth, propagates the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatnatyam. Learning Bharatnatyam religiously takes many years before the arangetram. Bhaanu Rashmi, who hails from Assam, did her arangetram in September 2004.

Thereafter, there was no looking back for her as she rendered her dance recitals in different parts of India, including Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai.

The Tejaswini Dance Academy is a Guwahati-based institute that imparts Bharatnatyam training and it has one clear distinction - it is credited for bringing the Vazhuvoor style of Bharatnatyam to Assam for the first time and the person who can take credit for adding this novelty to the trend of Bharatnatyam training in the city is Bhaanu Rashmi. She says that it takes a long time for a student of Bharatnatyam to get a platform as well as to perform on stage but she tries to make her students perform on various stages all over India so as to present them with a platform without much

struggle. She also added that at her time it was quite difficult to get stage shows as people were unaware about this special style of Bharatnatyam. But now people have become aware about this and are showing a lot of interest.

Bhaanu Rashmi’s claim to fame in not only limited to her excellence in the sphere of dance.

She is a familiar name in the South Indian film world. She has played in two South Indian movies titled ‘Mazhai Thuli Mazhai Thuli’ and ‘Kaddi Kaddle,’ both directed by popular South Indian film director. KG Guru Shankar. She is equally popular on the small screen as well and has acted in three episodes of Sony TV’s ‘Crime Patrol’ and one episode of Zee TV’s ‘Fear Files’.

In one episode of ‘Crime Patrol’ she has played the role of an angry cop. Apart from that, Bhaanu Rashmi has also featured in advertisements for various multinational companies. The young dancer has been recently seen on the small screen as a judge on a Doordarshan Guwahati talent show ‘Sambhawana.’

It is often difficult to combine all these professions together, but nothing can stop this talent of the state from achieving her goals. As she herself says that her dreams will be realized only when she will be able to produce talents from this region at an international forum and her journey starts at her dance school “Tejaswini.”

KALYAN KUMAR KALITA

22

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

Citypedia

EMERGENCY NUMBERS

Horoscope Aries Career matters give way to more sociable options as Venus leaves Capricorn for Aquarius. This week brings one or two astrological shifts that will certainly change your focus. Nevertheless, should an opportunity arise to move ahead with a business idea or get funding for a plan, you’ll be eager to look into it. The Sun dances into Pisces on Thursday and brings an opportunity to let go of whatever no longer serves you and make space for new things to enter your life.

Taurus Are you feeling put upon? If so, this week’s alignment encourages you to be more assertive. Let someone know that you won’t put up with their domineering ways. It can go a long way toward relieving pressure. If you’re ready for a serious talk, it can help bring about a positive solution. Networking and socializing with other professionals or those in your business can be very helpful.

Cancer

Gemini You’ll begin to feel lighter, brighter, and more excited about your future when Venus enters your zone of adventure and opportunity.

Over the coming weeks you’ll have an excellent opportunity to explore ideas that truly fascinate you. Travel plans could be on the menu, too! The Sun’s move into Pisces and your zone of goals and ambitions could see you looking to make progress.

Leo Relationships continue to be in focus, with opportunities to make key changes where necessary. If you’re aware of any issues that need sorting out, this is one of the better times to discuss the situation and see what solutions you can come up with. It’s better to do this now than to ignore any problems and have them resurface later when it could be harder to resolve them.

Creative drives are still strong, with a positive alignment encouraging you to think big and act on your hunches. While the results may be some time in coming, they’ll be well worth your effort. The focus continues on your zone of shared resources as Venus dances in to join Mercury. This is an opportunity to get your finances organized by gathering information and making astute decisions. Avoid doing too much splurging if you can!

Virgo

You may want to try your hand at a different diet, new form of exercise like spinning or Pilates, or perhaps a soothing treatment that can ease away knots and tension. Anything that can enhance vitality and leave you feeling really good is worth a try - and you’ll make a lot of new friends in the process. Once the Sun dances into your relationship sector on Thursday you may be inclined to compromise rather than insist on getting your own way in key matters.

Scorpio

Libra

This is the time to showcase your skills and abilities, as Venus, your personal planet, enters your creativity sector. It will be in one of the most self-expressive places in your solar chart, so don’t hold back from displaying your impressive talents. Someone watching may be bowled over. You could begin to review your habits a little more critically as the Sun dances into your zone of lifestyle and work on Thursday.

Mars continues in your sign and links to expansive Jupiter, so you could get a boost from connecting with friends who share your interests. If you have an opportunity to collaborate on a project you’re passionate about, this is the time to go for it. Or joining a group or club could prove fascinating and liberating, too.

Capricorn

Sagittarius While Saturn’s presence in your sign can keep your focus on responsibilities and personal goals, the move of Venus into your communication sector adds a more sociable note to the weeks ahead.

You’ll find that networking can provide useful information that helps you get through your workload more quickly. This is very much the time to reach out.

Are you charging enough for the work you do? In what areas of life do you feel shortchanged? These are questions that it might help to ask over the coming week or so. Saturn’s presence in your psychological sector might cause you to dwell on past failures when it would be better to focus instead on your successes and so enhance your self-esteem.

Pisces

Aquarius

Sudoku

Venus joins Mercury in your spiritual sector early this week, which can see you reaching out to help others. If a friend is going through a hard time, then you’ll be there to listen and offer up advice. You’ll also benefit from paying attention to dreams that might seem more vivid than usual as they could contain useful guidance. The big event is the Sun’s move into your sign on Thursday.

A Sudoku puzzle consists of 81 cells which are divided into nine columns, rows and regions. The task is now to place the numbers from 1 to 9 into the empty cells in such a way that in every row, column and 3×3 region each number appears only once.

last week solution

As Venus dances into Aquarius you might want to pay more attention to your image, perhaps by trying new clothes or getting a makeover. Also, it’s an opportunity to reach out, network, and make new friends whether online or off. With Mercury also in your sign, use this chance to share ideas and plans that are meaningful to you and rustle up some support.

AMBULANCE

Ambulance 102 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669 GLP Social Circle 2737373 GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 Free Ambulance to GNRC Hospitals Toll Free: 1800-345-0011 Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665 Ganga Blood Bank 2454742, 2455029 Lion’s Club of Ghy Central 2546611 Marwari Yuva Manch 2546470, 2547251 Saharia’s Path Lab (24 hours) 2458594

BLOOD BANK

HOSPITALS

Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) B Baruah Cancer Institute (2472364/66) Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd (2451634/678) Chatribari Christian Hospital 0361-2600051, 92070-44374 Downtown Hospital 2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669 Guwahati Medical College (2529457, 2529561) Guwahati Medical College Emergency (2263444) International Hospital 0361-7135005 Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital (2541477, 2543998)

Marwari Hospital & Research Centre 0361-2602738/39 Marwari Maternity Hospital 0361-2541202/01 Nemcare Hospital 0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344 Pratiksha Hospital 0361-2337260, 2337183/84 Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351) Railway Central Hospital Casuality (2671025) Redcross Hospital (2665114) Sri Sankardeva Netralaya 0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921 TB Hospital (2540193)

Wintrobe Hospital 0361-2519860, 98647-77986 IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction 0361-2482619, 098641-03333 Dispur Hospital Reception 97070 20370 82539 99124 361-2235759 (Landline No. / Fax) Hayat Hospital

8011003110 GNRC Hospital 1800-345-0022 (Toll Free) GNRC Ambulance 1800-345-0011 (Toll Free)

24-HOUR PHARMACIES Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665) D Modern Medicos, Maligaon (9864366763) Candid 24x7, Panbazar (2604422) DEAD BODY CARRYING VAN GLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046 Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251 GGUMTA 98640-16740 ELECTRICITY SUPPLY Call Centre – 9678005171

OTHERS Fire Emergency 101 State Zoo 2201363 GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720, 9864047222 LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209, 2541118, LPG Booking (ivr System) 7670024365 Child line Guwahati 1098

GMC helpline number for garbage collection

RADIO TAXI SERVICES Prime Cabs 0361- 2222233 Green Cabs 0361-7151515 My Taxi 0361-2228888 Cherry Cabs 8876222288

Vigilance and anti corruption toll free number

8811007000

1800-345-3767 police station

SP, Kamrup District: Ph- 2540278 DGP Control Room: Ph- 2540242 SB Control Room: Ph-2261511 Police Control Room: Ph-2540138, 2540113 Azara PS: Ph2840287 Basista PS: Ph-2302158 Bharalumukh PS: Ph- 2540137, 2731199 Borjhar PS: Ph-2840351 Chandmari PS: Ph- 2660204 Chandrapur PS: Ph-2788237, 2785237 Dispur PS: Ph-2261510 Fancybazar PS: Ph- 2540285

Fatasil Ambari PS: Ph-2471412 Geetanagar PS: Ph-2417323 Hatigaon: Ph-2562383 Jalukbari PS: Ph-2570587 Jalukbari Out Post: Ph-2570522 Jorabat: Ph-2896853 Khanapara: Ph- 2281501 Khetri PS: Ph-2787699, 2787220 Latasil PS: Ph-2540136 Noonmati PS: Ph- 2550281 North Guwahati PS: Ph-2690255 Paltanbazar PS: Ph-2540126 Panbazar PS: Ph-2540106 Pragjyotishpur Ps: Ph-2785237 Women PS Panbazar: Ph-2524627

G PLUS FEB 20 - FEB 26, 2016

23

Catching Up Most shared story of the week The South Asian Games came to and end in the city on 16th February and took away with it the festive spirit of the city. The image from the grand closing ceremony seems to have brought the maximum attention for the GPLUS social media handle and with 250 likes was the most engaging post this week.

facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Guwahati

GYAN

Did you know?

Ganesh Mandir, Ganeshguri

New

Chic

on the block

Gauri Goswami About Me

Hey everybody! I am Gauri Goswami, 17 year old studying Higher Secondary in Humanities at Cotton College State University.

I am a Kathak (Classical) dancer and an avid follower of trends and fashion in daily life. I am aspiring to be a model. I love mixing colors and dressing up, as it gives me ways to experiment with my looks. I wish to become a fashion designer in the future by choice, and a lawyer by career.

Mojo

Ever since my school days I have loved dance as an art form, and have trained in various forms of dances like Kshatriya, Bhatkhande Classical dance form, and freestyle in modern dance. I believe my dance is a part of my expression and I am very passionate about it.

Route in the Woods

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ocated in the heart of the city in Ganeshguri, Dispur, which is regarded as one of the major commercial areas of Guwahati city, the Ganesh Mandir (Temple) is one of the most visited temples of the city. The inception of the temple dates back to 15th February, 1976 and was inaugurated by Uttam Chandra

A

Dev. The temple witnesses heavy footfall of devotees on a regular basis. However, the number of visitors rises to over thousands on occasions such as Ganesh Puja and Ganesh Chaturthi. Similar was the scenario on Friday, 12th February as thousands of devotees lined up at the temple on the occasion of Ganesh Puja.

Ka m u r of the week

midst serious issues like the JNU protest engulfing the entire country, some media units in Guwahati were busy reporting that some students of Handique Girls College were not allowed to enter their college because they were wearing leggings instead of patialas. The topic also went viral on Facebook and some even suggested that there should not be any rules in colleges.

The so called revolutionists forgot that before joining any college the prospectus of the college describes the disciplinary terms and conditions that include uniform.

Five years down the line, I see myself practicing Law at Guwahati High Court like my Father, and also carry on my dreams of pursuing Fashion as a personal choice, maybe open up my own closet line in the near future.

PHOTOGRAPH BY SASHANKA BARBARUAH

PIC OF THE

WEEK

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JP MP Gopal Shetty from Mumbai has kicked up a controversy by attributing farmers’ suicides as being fashionable and currently trendy. Shetty said, “Not all farmers’ suicides happen due to unemployment and starvation. A fashion is going on. A trend is on.” The remarks come at a time when Maharashtra is reeling under an agrarian crisis with 124 farmers committing suicide in the state since January this year.

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