Vol 5 Issue 2

ALSO READ

PG 03

PG 04

MG Road walking zone decision to continue on all Sundays

Tokobari inferno destroys property worth lakhs

PG 09

A Flood of Hilsa

@guwahatiplus www.guwahatiplus.com

Volume 05 | Issue 2 Nov 04 - Nov 10, 2017 Price `10

PG 12

Two lakh Ghy customers left stranded

by Reliance Communications Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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messy situation has emerged in Guwahati after services were terminated for about two lakhs cell phones by Reliance Telecom (RCom).

A former RCom employee said, “There are 2 lakh users in Guwahati and 12 lakh in northeast who are stranded

by RCom without any prior notice.”

He added that though the employees were informed that RCom will end services in the region from November 30, the sudden signal congestion has become a cause of concern.

There are many RCom customers in the city and other regions whose cell phones have been continuously out of reach for the past several days.

Sensing the trouble, there were many customers who had already switched to other service providers.

“My RCom number is with all my friends, family and professional connections, now they are not being able to contact me because I am not receiving the signals since last two weeks,” said Pranjal Borbora.

Talking about the reasons for the sudden signal congestion, a former employee of Reliance Communication told G Plus, “The mobile switching

centres (MSCs) are switched off by many building owners where it is located because of non-payment of monthly rent.” He cited the example of Dr Dr NN Burman building at Pan Bazar which had become non-functional for nonpayment of rent to the house owner.

MSCs are interconnectivity points with which the company provides services to the customers after borrowing spectrum space from other telecom operators through intra circle roaming (ICR) arrangement.

The licence for 2G services offered by Reliance Communications which had been operating at 900 MHz spectrum had expired on 12 December 2015 and was not renewed thereafter. The 3G spectrum is still operational in 2100 MHz bandwidth but subscribers were alleging frequent interruptions due to lack of adequate towers in the city. To remove these hitches, the company decided for ICR arrangements with operators like Vodafone and Aircel.

Reliance Communications has witnessed a steady erosion of its customer base in the region in the last few years.

Earlier estimated at around 50 lakhs in the Northeast, it shrank to 12 lakh customers including only 2 lakhs in Guwahati who are now in the process of shifting to different service providers. n Continued on page 2

In Pictures

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Lead Story

File photo of a Reliance Communication store

Reliance sacks 350 employees in last one year Continued from page 1

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s many as 350 employees have been sacked by Reliance Communications (RCom) in the past one year so after the telecome company decided to wind up its service in the Northeast.

The last batch of 40 employees was

asked to leave last month.

A former employee of Reliance Communications who was sacked on 28 th October 2017 said, “I was working with the company since last 20 years but I was informed on 27th that I would have to stop working with the organisation from the next day.”

A shot of a Reliance Communications advertisement

Many employees who were sacked were mulling approaching the court for legal remedies but they backed out fearing that their entry to other telecom companies could be barred

He complained that employees were not even given a month’s notice, but they expect to receive the salary of one month very soon.

Many employees who were sacked were mulling approaching the court for legal remedies but they backed out fearing that their entry to other telecom companies could be barred.

Another former employee said that the telecom companies have concluded agreements with each other which helps in the verification of the past history of employees seeking new jobs. He claimed that RCom has incurred a huge debt in the Northeast and hence forced to shut down its operation. n

Changing operators a harassment, feel customers

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any cell phone customers who either aged or retired employees are facing problems to shift to other service providers.

Some have complained about the lengthy procedure involved in getting connected to a different network.

For shifting to a different operator keeping the same mobile number, customers need to provide a unique porting code (UPC) number which can be obtained after messaging. But since there is no network with the earlier Reliance cell phones, th customers are not being able to send the text message.

Some service providers like Airtel have pitched in with manual requests for the codes through the sim card serial number of the customers. But this process takes around 15 days to be completed.

Many Reliance customers have received the UPC from RCom but even after submitting the UPC it takes around 15 days to get connected to a different operator, because the verification of the mobile number takes around 15 days.

The post paid customers are also irked for not receiving the security money which they had paid while purchasing the connection. A former employee with RCom said that the security balance ought to be refunded to the customers within 7 days of the service getting terminated according to norms laid down by Telecom Regulatory Authority f India (TRAI).

“RCom has not yet officially declared that they are stopping the service. The customers might get the security refund once the announcement is officially declared,” he said. n

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Governance

MG Road walking zone decision to continue on all Sundays Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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fter experimenting for two Sundays, the authorities have decided to convert a stretch of Mahatma Gandhi (MG) Road from Sukleshwar Temple to Bharalumukh along the bank of Brahmaputra River a walking zone on all Sundays from 4 pm to 10 pm.

A source in the administration said, “After

receiving appreciation from all sections, all the departments have backed the decision and it will continue on all Sundays.�

Talking about the traffic congestion people witnessed because of the decision, the source said that the authorities have asked the concerned department (Public Works Department) to repair all the eight by-lanes in the area so that the vehicles, when diverted, can easily ply on those roads adding that the initial work will start with repairing of

Riverside infrastructure to be developed

File photo of a packed MG Road walking zone

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hile residents of Fancy Bazar had questioned how authorities could convert the MG Road into a walking zone when the infrastructure of the stretch from Sukleshwar Temple to Bharalumukh is not developed, a senior official in the district administration countering the query claimed that all the parks will be developed by the departments who are maintaining them.

He said that Mahavir Park will be developed by Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC), Inland Water Transport (IWT) Park will be developed by IWT. Similarly, Sankardev Udyan Park will be developed by Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Lachit Park will be developed by GMC.

The official said that the parks will be immediately developed by the departments so that the children visiting the walking zone could play there, but later all the parks will be connected and developed permanently under smart city mission.

It seems gradually various art and craft products will be exhibited along the walking zone on Sundays.

Many food joints will also come up at the zone and the authorities are also inviting individual artists to exhibit whatever unique items their art could offer.

The singers who perform at the zone do it voluntarily and are not paid for the performance, the official added. Talking about the budget, the official said that there is no budget as such because voluntarily all the departments are engaged organising the walk. n

Hem Baruah (HB) Road through which the vehicles coming from Kachari side gets diverted towards Bharalumukh.

Earlier, the Vice-President of Save Guwahati Build Guwahati had opposed the move raising questions about

how vehicles could get diverted through Hem Baruah Road which is narrow and filled with potholes. n

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City

Tokobari inferno destroys property worth lakhs Rahul Chanda

rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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massive fire which broke out at a plastic goods godown at Haren Kalita Path in Tokobari on November 1 destroyed property worth lakhs of rupees. According to a police official, the fire which broke out at around 10.30 am completely gutted a plastic goods godown filled with plastic items, window nets, superglue chemicals and a few other metal products.

Two adjacent buildings were also damaged in the blaze which

lasted for more than four hours.

One of the buildings was a double storey which was also used as a godown for plastic goods and the other was a three-storey building inhabited by four families. Except two fire fighters who sustained minor injuries, nobody else suffered any harm from the fire.

The flame could not be doused soon as only 15 fire tenders were pressed into service and only one mini fire tender could enter the lane. Special DGP of Fire and Emergency services, AP Rout said, “The Tokobari road could only allow a 407 fire tender to enter the lane and because of the congestion, the huge tenders were not able to enter the road.”

He said that the hydraulic platform used for dousing wild fire was placed in a different lane and the movable ladders of the platform helped in spraying water on the massive inferno from a distance.

Adding to the complaint, the Tokobari Unayan Committee members alleged that Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has given permission to some business establishments in the lane which have encroached the main road and constructed commercial establishments without any survey. The cause of the fire is yet to be known and city authorities are investigating the matter. n

A photo of the inferno at Tokobari | G Plus Photo

Local residents allege godown was “illegal” Authorities to inspect all

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ocal residents have alleged that the plastic goods godown which caught fire was illegal and thriving without any permission from the government.

Secretary of Tokobari Unayan Samiti, Prashant Kalita said, “The godown belongs to Lakshmipad Sharma who owns the land and has illegally transformed a residential house into a godown without any permission.”

Kalita further said that even though the godown had plastic items packed inside,

The godown belongs to Lakshmipad Sharma who owns the land and has illegally transformed a residential house into a godown without any permission” Prashant Kalita, Secretary, Tokobari Unayan Samiti the labourers living inside the establishment were seen welding metals on many occasions and they even used

to cook food inside the godown which was risky.

Countering the allegations, an owner of a godown said that every house in Tokobari has a godown and the entire locality is surviving because of such businesses. Lakshmipad has a wholesale hardware shop at Athgaon and uses house number 71 at Haren kalita Path as his godown. Members of Tokobari Unayan Committee have demanded that all illegal godowns should be removed which is seen as the main reason for congestion and pollution. n

illegal godowns soon

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n official in the fire and emergency department revealed that all illegal godowns in Guwahati will be inspected very soon by a special squad with members from fire department and the local administration.

He said, “The fire department has already written a letter to the deputy commissioner of Kamrup Metro to form a squad which could inspect and find out all illegal godowns in the city

Singing of National Anthem mandatory for GMC employees G Plus News

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n a move to woo the ruling BJP government, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) has passed a proposal making singing of National Anthem compulsory in GMC offices starting from Monday.

The proposal was raised in the Mayor-in-council

meeting and was passed after discussing it the proposal at length, the council passed the proposal.

The singing of National Anthem has been made compulsory in all the offices of the six zones of the corporation before start of work every day.

According to a source, the outdoor staff and workers engaged in field work, however, have been exempted

due to their nature of work.

The practice would start from the GMC Commissioner’s

office at Panbazar. Other offices would also have to upload their videos of the staff singing the

and stop them from operating.”

The Tokobari incident bears testimony to the existence of illegal godowns in the city.

Local residents have alleged that GMC has always provided permissions to people by accepting bribes.

Illegal godowns and factories are found in the entire stretch at Tokobari, Athgaon and Kumarpara.

They are engaged in a range of activities from engineering works to repair and production of small items. n

National Anthem before start of work. Also, ahead of all meetings of the Corporation, meetings of Mayor-in-council and general body, the staff and councillors would sing the Anthem, the source said.

Initially, some musical assistance would also be arranged to help employees to sing the Anthem correctly.

The source said that GMC is inspired by Jaipur Municipal Corporation which recently started the practise.

Backing the move Guwahati Municipal Employees Union general secretary Chandan Sharma said, “The practise will help all the employees to live united and the union fully supports the decision.” n

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City

PCCF office to be converted into forest residential colony Juthika Baruah

juthika.baruah@g-plus.in

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he Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) office at Rehabari will be converted into

a residential colony fulfilling the long-pending demand of employees of the forest department.

“The project has been given to Brahmaputra Infrastructure Limited (BIL) and its estimated

cost is Rs. 34 crores. There will be four blocks and the construction work has already started,” said Hirdesh Mishra, chief conservator of forest.

He said that the officials from across the state come to the

Rehabari Citizens’ Forum oppose construction of forest residential colony yy

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Ongoing construction work at Rehabari | G Plus Photo

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he Rehabari Citizens’ Forum has opposed the construction of forest residential colony at Rehabari and has demanded a public park so that people could get an open space for walking and for children to play.

Commenting on the controversy CCF Hirdesh Mishra said that there are some people who always create controversy.

“I always support that there should be a park in the city but it could be constructed in another place instead of constructing one on the forest land. The officers of the department are also in need of a house to live in and it is only after the Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M) has ordered to continue the construction process, the work has started again,” Mishra said.

“There were two quarters on the front side and there was a water body (beel) at the back

of the office which has been converted into conservation of forest by filling the beel. After shifting the office to Panjabari, the space remained vacant for a few days and the government decided to develop the same for smart city project but it has come to notice that they will utilize the area for forest colony which has been opposed by the local people,” said social activist and vice-president of Save Guwahati Build Guwahati, Ajoy Dutta, while speaking to G Plus.

Dutta further informed that the locals of Rehabari have urged the tourism department to make it a tourist park but it is very unfortunate that the tourism department has not come up with any solution and that the office of tourism has been located in the land of wetland which has been encroached by the government itself. “It has been demanded by

the local people that the space should be kept open for public and tourists so that children and elderly people could spend some time in the open and also people could take shelter in that space if any major earthquake occurs,” Dutta said.

The locals of Rehabari had also protested against the decision of the government in July when it was intervened by Additional Deputy Commissioner (Law and Order) Pulak Mahanta and he said that the matter has been taken

by Deputy Commissioner of Kamrup (M).

Angamuthu and the order has been given a stay order saying that no construction work will be done and that they will try to make a park for the public but it has been seen that now the construction work has again started in that place and it will be a forest quarter. n

city but they don’t have places to stay in and except the forest department, all the departments have their residential colonies and therefore the government has come up with a decision to construct the colony. “It was since

Meghalaya was separated from Assam when the office was shifted from Meghalaya to Guwahati but there was no residence for the officials,” said Mishra. He further informed that it will be completed

by October, 2018. n

Forest department violates Guwahati water body Act, 2008

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t has been alleged by the Rehabari Citizens’ Forum that the forest department has violated all the rules of Guwahati water body Act, 2008 by starting the construction of a residential colony on the land of the water body. Under the Guwahati Water Bodies (Preservation, Conservation and Protection) Act, 2008, four wetlands – Deepor Beel, Saru Sola Beel, Bar Sola Beel and Silsako Beel were notified as protected ones in 2008. In 2010, this legislation was amended to add sections five and six to it for notifying the Bondajan water body as a protected one. “The forest department has itself cut down the forest trees and the land in which the construction work is going on is not government’s but of the Borsola water body and according to the Guwahati Water

Bodies (Preservation, Conservation and Protection) Act, 2008, no building construction could be done on the land of water bodies but the forest department has violated all the rules andstartedconstructioninthelandof water bodies for making a residential colony of the forest department,” said Bipul Sarma, resident of Rehabari.

Sola beel, one of the notable wetlands of the city, is situated near Paltan Bazaar. The misfortune of this beel (the composite) started when the revenue department initiated the process of issuing land documents to the people who started residing on its banks. While issuing the documents, the importance of this wetland as a storm water reservoir was not taken into consideration.

Encroachment started on the lake and as a result, the size of the beel started shrinking rapidly. n

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City

PWD ignores police’s zebra crossing demand Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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he Public Works Department (PWD) is yet to come up with visible zebra crossings at all the road intersecting points despite repeated reminders by the traffic police.

DCP Traffic Amanjeet Kaur said, “We have asked the PWD department to make visible zebra crossings at all intersections of roads in the city many times. I hope they complete it soon.”

Kaur said that she was aware that there were few visible zebra crossings and traffic signage at the intersections.

“This is the reason the traffic police are compelled

A pedestrian struggling to cross the road on G.S Road | G Plus Photo

Lack of zebra crossings irk city pedestrians

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edestrians seem to be equally upset with the dearth of visible zebra crossings in the city.

An irked pedestrian at the Paltan Bazar intersection near Bajaj Showroom said, “I was trying to cross the road with my aged mother to go to the Khadims showroom, but I faced a lot of difficulty as there is no zebra crossing. Neither do we have any traffic police personnel to help us.”

He added that he was able

to cross only after the road was free of vehicles for a few seconds.

One of the worst stretches is AK Azad Road from Paltan Bazar to Lokhara which lacks zebra crossings and dividers

The same opinion is echoed by citizens at different zones of the city. Some pointed out the

difficulty faced by physically challenged and elderly persons in crossing the road in the absence of zebra crossings.

One of the worst stretches is AK Azad Road from Paltan Bazar to Lokhara which lacks zebra crossings and dividers. Traders said jaywalking frequently disrupts traffic movement at every junction. Accidents have been reported in the past at places like Sharabhatti and Lal Ganesh when pedestrians tried to cross the road. n

to use additional manpower to help pedestrians cross the roads,” she explained, adding that jaywalking was another reason for disruption of the traffic movement due to broken dividers on many roads.

The DCP made a case for the repair all the broken dividers and to create dividers on roads by the PWD. Another source from the traffic police revealed that according to a survey 90 per cent area does not have zebra crossings in Guwahati. The source said that only some important roads like GS Road have visible zebra crossing markings at intersecting points like ABC, Super market, Dispur etc, which again gets washed away very soon and the PWD does not bother to refurbish them. n

Zebra crossings are marked only during VIP visits

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he Public Works Department (PWD) becomes active in the city only during the visit of VIPs. An official claimed that the government sanctions funds for marking zebra crossings on the road and for repairing the traffic signage ahead of the arrival of VIPs in Guwahati.

He underscored the perennial crisis of funds in the department that has hampered work on the zebra crossings and traffic signage. “There are proposals submitted to the

government and the World Bank for financial support to upgrade all the city roads with proper markings and traffic signage but sanctions for only a few roads have been received from the state government.”

The official however clarified that work on the zebra crossings and traffic signage is on at GS Road, AT Road and MG Road. He said a plan has already been submitted for the upgradation of roads in the city and the department is waiting for the sanction of funds by the government. n

Weather report for the week Guwahati

SUN

MON

TUE

WED

THU

FRI

Sunny

Sunny

Sunny

Sunny

Sunny

Mostly Sunny

30°/18° C

29°/17° C

29°/17° C

29°/17° C

29°/17° C

28°/17° C

SATURDAY Sunny

29°/19° C

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

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Ward Watch

Bagharbari: A tale of dusty roads and unsafe drains Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

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ith the major roads lying unmetalled for more than five years, winter at Bagarbari area means an

overdose of dust that cloaks the roads and houses.

Bad roads have become a way of life for the people of Panjabri.

But, Bagharbari at Ward – 30 is the worst affected in the entire locality. The roads that were metalled were also washed away during the previous monsoon.

While the 4 kilometerlong main road has not been metalled since the last two years, macadam remains a far cry in the bylanes.

The Homeopathic College Road Suraksha Committee (HCRSC), an organisation comprising the residents of the

Health hazards due to suspended dust

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A shot of the Bagharbari road | G Plus Photo

long with warm clothes, air masks have also become compulsory for thirteen-year-old Srishti Nath, every time she steps outside home during winters.

“My father said that otherwise, I might catch respiratory diseases as children are more vulnerable to dust pollution,” Nath, who lives with her family in the Homeopathic College Road, said.

She isn’t the only one as residents complained that they are falling prey to respiratory diseases abated by high dust content in the air during dry seasons.

“We have to cover our face when we go out on foot or in two wheelers. We instruct the same to our children. The shirts still gets dusty, but we can protect

ourselves from inhaling the dusts on roads. But, it is everywhere. It gets inside the houses, and our children often cough even though they do not have cold or fever,” Brajesh Nath, Srishti’s father, said.

Bhagyaraj Baruah, 27, a resident there shared his concern saying, “This area is still developing and hence, most of the residents have settled here in the last four years. But, those who have lived here for more than two years, are developing trouble respiring. Children are the worst affected.”

Dr P.K. Baruah, a city-based pulmonologist said a prolonged exposure to dust pollution can cause severe respiratory diseases such as inhalation disorders and Pneumoconiosis.

“Inhalation disorders such

as Asthma and Bronchitis are among the more common diseases caused due to dust pollution, but the fatality rate of these diseases is not very high. These diseases can be contained, but will prove fatal if the person suffers a cardiac arrest or a stroke.

Pneumoconiosis, on the other hand, is caused when the dust content inside the lungs increases and might cause artificial strokes by failing the respiratory system,” Baruah said.

“Exposure to dusts, which can also be considered as suspended particle matters, have more impact on health than other form of pollution.

In this scenario, where the residents are exposed to dusts both outdoors and indoors, it might lead to serious respiratory complications,” Baruah added. n

Concentrated Area: Bagharbari (31B) Ward No: 31 Population of the Ward: 67,000 Voter Population: 24,300 Population of Bagharbari: 2,750 Ward Councillor: Swapan Das

Bagharbari area (31B), alleged that they have taken the issue to the ward councillor Swapan Das numerous times but he had given a “deaf ear” to their complaints.

Besides dilapidated roads, the ward has to struggle to come to terms with the lack of adequate drinking water. With the rainy

season comes clogged drains and flash floods triggered by the large quantum of eroded soil pouring down from Amchang Wildlife Sanctuary during the monsoons every year.Most of the problems, the committee alleged, are caused due to “negligence” of the councillor. n

One of the most underdeveloped localities: residents

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usty roads are least of the concerns for the residents of the area as they have to struggle everyday for basic amenities such as drinking water and street lights.

The HCRSC members said that after waiting for about four years for the GMC to install street lights, the committee set up the same on their own last year.

“We raise Rs 200 from each house per month in the locality to maintain the street lights.

We’ve asked the councillor and the GMC directly, but despite several attempts, the area did not see street lights. So, we stepped in,” Sarma said.

“However, only the Homeopathic College Road remains illuminated at night while rest of the area still remains engulfed under

darkness at night.”

Lack of streetlight poses more threat to the citizens as the drains are not properly built and exposed iron rods from the cement slabs covering the drains, have scratched several car tyres.

“We have not received any complaints of people getting injured yet. But it is just a matter of time that one might trip on those (exposed iron rods) in the darkness and injure themselves,” Sarma added.

Regarding drinking water problem, Sumitra Devi, another resident said, “We don’t have any high hopes. When those who live in the proper city don’t get water regularly, we cannot even think of anything regarding water. We all have put deep tube wells, but the problem starts when these dry out during the winter.”

Councillor passes the buck on contractors

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ard 30 councillor, Swapan Das, said that the delay is done by the contractor despite his “continuous pressurising”.

Refusing to reveal the contractor’s name, Das said, “I had been pressurising the contractor for quite some time. It was due to my initiatives that it was first metalled two years ago and repair works were also done quite a few times. But the quality of work is so bad that it wears off.”

“Even last August, I had brought up the issue of metalling the roads, and the GMC agreed to do so, but it got delayed due to the recent crisis of sand and stones in the quarries due to which, the works had been halted,” Das said.

On the different issues

plaguing the area as raised by the residents, Das, who belongs from the Indian National Congress, an opposition in the GMC council that is currently ruled by BJP, hinted of development being restricted in his ward due to political differences.

“These are perennial issues of my ward, and I had risen these several times, but priorities are being given to those wards ruled by the incumbent government.

If Guwahati is gateway to Northeast, then my ward is gateway to Guwahati for the rest of Northeast. But, it did not get much importance,” Das said.

Ward 30 comprises Panjabari and Khanapara, through which vehicles from Upper Assam, Barak Valley, Eastern Meghalaya and rest of the states in Northeast pass. n

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Governance

Police to sensitise personnel on handling juvenile cases The Assam Police is set to conduct sensitisation programmes for its officials following the death of 14- year-old boy, Raja Ali, in custody after he was allegedly abused by the police which led to the subsequent arrest of three cops.

Saumya Mishra

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fter three policemen were arrested in October for the alleged torture and abuse of a minor which led to his death in custody, the Assam police has decided to conduct sensitisation of its officials for better handling of cases related to children.

Guwahati police commissioner, Hiren Nath, said “We will soon conduct sensitisation of all police officers, especially regarding their behavioural aspects towards children. We have also spoken to some of the NGOs regarding the same and will start the programme very soon.”

He added that they had recently held a sensitisation programme for their officials and constables which was conducted by the Indian Skill Academy, in which 125 officials were trained in behavioural aspects.

The infamous incident took place last February after a 14-year-old boy, Raja Ali, was arrested on charges of theft and

kept in police custody overnight at Bharalumukh police station.

This was a violation of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015, which states that a child alleged to be in conflict with law should only be kept at an observation home until he can be produced before the Juvenile Justice Board.

Raja was then sent to the juvenile home in Boko after being presented before the Juvenile Justice Board.

However, the boy had to be taken to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital after he complained of uneasiness where he later died due to organ failure, according to sources.

Raja’s family had alleged that he was thrashed during police custody which led to his death. This has fuelled a controversy over the conduct of police personnel with regard to their treatment of juveniles in conflict with law.

On the other hand, the investigating officer of the case, assistant commissioner of police Pranjal Bora, filed a chargesheet recently. He said, “The chargesheet has been filed under sections 302, 466,

File photo of SI Tamijuddin Ahmed who recently died in custody

201 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.” Child rights activist Miguel Das Queah—who had filed a complaint about the case to the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) -- told G Plus that he will seek compensation for the victim’s family.

CWC and Childline see maximum cases related to child labour

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hild labour still makes for the majority of cases received by the child protection authorities including the Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and Childline in Guwahati.

Chairperson of the CWC Kamrup Metro, Jitu Dutta, said that child labour is still prevalent in the district and they receive several cases of rescue of child labourers every month.

“This could also be possible due to the increase in awareness among citizens that more such cases are being reported and are coming to light,” informed Dutta. He added that places which are connected by railway

communication see more cases of children who run away from their families without any means.

Further, the committee members sometimes also chance upon the rescue of the same child twice or thrice.

This happens due to the poor financial condition of the child’s family and because of the absence of awareness among parents, an official said.

They feel that until parents are not motivated to stop forcing their children to work in menial jobs, it will be very difficult to eliminate child labour altogether.

According to officials, the CWC has also been witnessing

a rise in the reported number of child sexual abuse cases.

“For the past few months, the committee has been receiving one or two cases of child sexual abuse every month. Before this, almost no cases were reported to us under this category,” said Dutta.

Similarly, Guwahati’s Childline-- a programme under the ministry of women and child development meant for the safeguard of children in need of care and protection-received 210 “protection from abuse” cases between April and September this year. Childline authorities said that around 80% of these were related to child labour. n

Speaking about the background of Raja’s family, Queah said, “The family’s financial condition is poor and Raja’s father works as a guard. His grandmother had brought him up while working as a domestic help. He also has a younger brother who is differently-abled.”

However, recently, one of

the three police officials, retired sub-inspector Tamizuddin Ahmed, who was arrested in connection with the case, died at the Guwahati Central Jail last week adding a fresh twist to the episode. Ahmed’s family has alleged that he was murdered following a conspiracy by the two other police officers arrested in the case. n

Operation Muskaan-III hailed successful by authorities

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hild protection authorities in the city hailed Operation Muskaan-III, an initiative meant to rescue and recover missing children in need of care and protection, as successful. These include child labourers, missing children and trafficking victims among others.

This project was operational in the state from July 1 to July 31 this year. “As a result of the project, missing children were being identified and located more quickly. It has had a positive impact overall, as with information sharing between different stakeholders, process

of rescue gained speed,” said Childline Guwahati coordinator, Nirmal Deka. He added that recoveries and reporting has been increasing continuously as people have become more conscious.

Inspector General, CID, Surendra Kumar also mentioned that the third edition of Operation Muskaan did very well in Guwahati and that they received a very encouraging response from people belonging to different sections of society.

Police officials said that they are still in the process of compiling data to ascertain the total number of children rescued under the project this year. n

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

In The News

A Flood of Hilsa Fisheries dept to soon regulate fish prices

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he department of fisheries has decided to regulate the prices of fish in Assam soon.

Director of the department, SK Das, told G Plus, “We are planning to submit a proposal to the state government soon to regulate the price of fish across Assam.”

Das said that the department of fisheries was concentrating on production and Assam Apex Co-Operative Marketing and Processing Federation Limited, also known as FISHFED; which was

under registrar of cooperative societies used to look after the marketing of fish.

He explained that FISHFED has the powers to regulate the price after it was brought under the department of fisheries following a recent decision of the cabinet. The director added that it is not only Hilsa but people are confused about the cost of other varieties too, as fish sellers sell fish according to their own will. The director also said that customers will be able to complain if they are overcharged. n

Craze for Hilsa: no effort by govt for local production

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he high demand for the Hilsa notwithstanding, the Assam government has not yet initiated any steps to increase the production of the fish in the state.

A source in the department of fisheries told G Plus, “Bangladesh is trying to produce Hilsa in ponds and fisheries, but unfortunately we have not started any such study till now.”

The source blamed the lack of an adequate infrastructure and research as the stumbling blocks in the production of Hilsa in Assam.

“There are also cases where fishermen have been making a good catch of the fish in the Brahmaputra near Tilapara, south of Chandardinga Hill and Chapar in Dhubri. This is the breeding season for the Hilsas and catching it is banned

in neighbouring Bangladesh during this season,” an official informed.

The department of fisheries had asked the deputy commissioners of three districts - Dhubri, Bongaigaon and Goalpara - to ban fishing of Hilsa between October December and April - June due to the breeding season. But fishing is rampant since there is no law to bar any fisherman from catching the fish.

Hilsa is mainly found in estuaries of the Bay of Bengal where the Brahmaputra meets the sea. During the breeding season, the fish travels upstream of the river for laying eggs as sea water is not suitable for the purpose. The districts that have been identified by the department have spots where the Hilsa lay eggs every year. n

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A shot of Hilsa Fish in the market | G Plus Photo

Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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his is flood of a different kind that Guwahati is not familiar with. The scrumptious Hilsa (Ilish) fish is in abundant supply in almost all the fish markets in the city.

A daily fish buyer said, “I am confused about the actual price of the Hilsa and also the quality as the sellers quote different prices in different markets. Even the origin of the fish is confusing as some claimed they were selling Podda

Ilish and some said they were from Brahmaputra.” The Podda (or Padma) river in Bangladesh is known for producing the best quality Hilsa and hence the most expensive. The variety found in the Brahmaputra is usually sold at a cheaper price.

Currently, in Paltan Bazar, a Hilsa weighing 1to 2 kilos is sold for Rs 500 to Rs 800 per kilogram whereas it is available for Rs 400 to Rs 500 in Lal Ganesh market.

Clearing the doubts of the consumers, a wholesale fish dealer Bhaskar Das of Ujan Bazar said, “Hilsa from Bangladesh is not

coming to Guwahati since October, and all the Hilsa in the markets are from river Brahmaputra. The fish sellers in the retail city markets charge customers according to their own wish calculating their travelling costs, room rent etc and there is no regulation on the fish price in such markets.”

He informed that for the next couple of weeks, the markets will only receive Hilsa from the Brahmaputra and there is a possibility of the fish arriving from Bangladesh only after the end of the ban period in the neighbouring country. n

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There shall be reservation for women candidate and physically Handicapped candidates as per existing rules.

All intending doctors are to submit their application in Standard application Form with photocopies of all testimonials to the Director of Medical Education, Assam, latest by 15/11/2017 till 5 P.M. in the box provided in the Office of the Directorate of Medical Education, Assam, Sixmile, Khanapara, Guwahati-22.

Those who have already applied for the posts in response to advertise issue by the Director of Information and Public Relation, Dispur have to apply again.

Secretary the Government of Assam Health & Family Welfare Department, Dispur, Guwahati-781 006 Janasanyog 1920/17

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Business

Assam tea industry battling its way up Assam tea industry grew to be the largest exporter of CTC tea in India even as the GTAC is attracting the highest bids in its history. But recent government decisions and lack of infrastructure are throwing new challenges for the industry Avishek Sengupta avishek.sengupta@g-plus.in

T A photo of the Tea Auction centre at Dispur | G Plus Photo

African tea to flood Indian market if duty slashed

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ea traders and experts 2017-16 produced 1,250 million fear that African tea, kg of tea of which, 250 million which is considered kg was exported, while the rest inferior in quality, will is being consumed within the flood the Indian market if the country. Assam contributed with 650 million kg tea. import duties are slashed.

“Indian market already has While India – comprising Assam, Darjeeling and Kerala tea a surplus of tea production. With – remains the largest producer of slashed duties, a lot of cheap teas tea in the world, the immediate will enter the Indian market doing irreparable competitors are China and thereby damage to the overall Tea Africa. industry. This “China, China, like India, will also have like India, consumes 90 a massive consumes 90 per cent of its negative per cent of its produce. So, a impact on the produce. So, a Assam Teas as slash in import slash in import duty will buyers duty will not not see much of imported more will be flooding see much of tea from China, but the imported tea Africa, on the other hand, towards cheap teas,” from China, exports majority of its Rajen Baruah, but Africa, produce. With slashed Managing on the other import duty, more African Director of hand, exports Tea majority of its tea will flood the market” Heritage Company produce. With Pvt. Ltd, a tea slashed import duty, more African tea will estate based in Lahoal in upper flood the market,” Bidyananda Assam’s Dibrugarh district.

The threat holds more Borkotoky, former vice chairman for Assam and current board member of importance because, like this state, African Tea Board of India (TBI) said.

According to the latest figures countries are also producer of released by the TBI, the nation in CTC variant. n

he Central Government’s proposal of bringing down the import tariff on tea from the current level of 110 per cent to 50 per cent by 2019 will have an adverse ramification on the Assam’s tea industry, experts feel.

Tea experts opposed the move fearing that a slash in the duties will lead to entry of cheaper tea from other counties into the Indian market and affect both price and quality of the India-made tea.

The move, they feel, is more unwelcome especially now, when the Assam tea industry abated by the entrance of speciality teas, is limping back to its revival.

According to a report on ‘Trade with Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)’ of the Union Commerce and Industry Ministry, the

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Most Favoured Nation (MFN) tariff rates, which are being currently applied on products such as coffee, palm oil, pepper and tea, will be brought down in phases.

Today’s Assam tea industry, that dates its inception back to 1834 when Robert Bruce, a Scottish tea planter set the first tea estate in Upper Assam’s Lakhimpur district, has over the next 184 years gone through tough competitions against Darjeeling tea of West Bengal and South India’s Kerala tea, and has mounted to current position of contributing more than half of the entire country’s tea production.

It, however, is not the quantity, but the quality that matters more in the luxury goods sector. Assam tea (Camellia Sinensis), known for its malty flavour, had managed to dominate the quantitative market and remained the largest contributor of Crush, Tear, Curl (CTC) variant for the last four decades. But, off late, with few tea planters emerging with speciality, flavoured and handmade tea variants, the industry managed to tap into the quality aspect too. n

GTAC still “stable” after GST

ea traders, who were wary about the future of the Gauhati Tea Auction Centre (GTAC) post announcement of Goods and Services Tax, said that the centre is still “stable” and is serving as a hub of tea activities for tea from entire northeast.

“During the Value Added Tax regime, the tax structure was that tea sold from factory (ex-factory, it was 5 per cent tax, while if it were sold through the auction centre, it was only 1 per cent. These encouraged tea sellers chose the auction centre over ex-factory sale option. But post GST, the tax was same (5 per cent) for both the mode of selling. We feared the GTAC will incur loss as most of the tea traders will sell ex-factory,” Borkotoky, who is also advisor to the North Eastern Tea Association (NETA).

“It did not happen because, even if they had to pay the same tax, the sellers got higher prices for their produce through auction centre than what they would have gotten ex-factory,” Borktoky added.

The GTAC, established in 1970, had over the years expanded three folds to become the highest seller of CTC tea and the only auction centre for tea produced in Northeast. Last August, GTAC sold one of the costliest teas from this region, the Emperor Tea, a handcrafted white tea variant, produced in Dony Polo Tea estate in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Siang district at Rs 3001 per kg.

“Guwahati being known as the gateway of the Northeast, all the new tea growing states are finding a platform to showcase their product. Slowly more buyers are getting attracted to these new teas from the different states. Besides ‘Look East Policy’ of the central Govt. will make this auction center the hub of all tea activities in the days to come,” Raj Barooah, owner of Aideobari tea estate located in Dibrugarh district said.

With more liberal inter-border trade terms, the GTAC can serve as tea export centre for South East Asia. n

Speciality teas a new lease of life

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peciality tea from Assam is getting new markets with a leading Darjeeling tea producer buying 21kg of green tea at Rs 5,001 per kg last month.

The newly-set up green and speciality tea processing unit at Mahalaxmi tea estate in Golaghat sold its very first lot of speciality tea to Ambootia Tea Exports Pvt Ltd. The tea would be exported.

On May, Oolong tea, a special variety of tea was produced at the Doomni tea estate in Baksa district was sold at Rs 1,151 per kg at the GTAC. The 29.5kg Doomni

Grand Oolong tea was bought by Manash Chakraborty of Golden Tea House here.

Earlier, last year, Chota Tingrai, a tea estate in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district became the first in the country to make matcha tea, a Japanese variant of green tea believed to have 137 times more antioxidants.

The experts believe that the entry of speciality tea a new lease of life for the Assam tea industry.

“Speciality Tea is a new subject to most people. However with easy access to information technology people are getting aware on the demand of such

teas among the international buyers. Seeing this pattern even high end Indian customers are beginning to experiment with such teas,” Baruah, said.

He however, pointed out that, the industry needs a fully fledged infrastructure for development.

“Lack of decent high speed connectivity, electricity crisis, no availability of proper packing materials, exorbitant freight / courier charges, lack of proper warehouse facilities and, too lengthy documentation procedures for exports, have marred the proper growth of this sector,” Baruah added. n

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

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Feature

Changing times of Assamese theatre movement Rahul Chanda rahul.chanda@g-plus.in

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arrating the changes the theatre industry has witnessed in Guwahati and Assam, noted theatre activist, writer and senior advocate, Dilip Hazarika, said that in the 1940s there were theatre halls in four districts of Assam - Guwahati, Sivasagar, Tezpur and Nagaon. Hazarika said, “In Guwahati, the theatre industry was growing because of the theatre movement carried out by the Bengali artists.” There was Arya Natya Mandir and they used to perform Bengali plays and theatre groups from Calcutta used to perform in Guwahati.

Simultaneously, according to Hazarika, during those days the Kamrup Natya Samiti used to organise theatre plays almost every month and during festivals like Kaali Puja and Durga Puja, there used to be 5 to 6 shows regularly. During that time in Guwahati everyone felt that there was a dearth of original Assamese dramas and plays as then plays mainly translated from Bengali used to be showcased. To change the situation, four dramatists Atul Chandra Hazarika, Prabin Phukan, Lakshyadhar Choudhury and Satya Prasad Baruah started writing original Assamese plays.

Atul Chandra Hazarika also became the president of Sahitya Sabha and was better known as Sahityacharya Atul Chandra Hazarika and he wrote mythological Assamese plays like

Chatrapati Shivaji and Sri Ram Chandra. At that time Satya Prasad Baruah was around 25 years old.

He completed graduation and law and wanted to be a lawyer.

Hazarika said that Satya Prasad Baruah became popular in 1942 with his play Chakai Chakwa as the drama was staged by all the theatre halls of Assam. Baruah never looked back.

Meanwhile, vice president of Pragati Silpi Sangha and Kamrup Natya Samiti, Kiron Barua said that Pragati Silpi Sangha started in 1952 and a few people like Ishan Baruah, Dhiru Bhuyan and Purna Kanta Goswami started the group. She said that initially the Sangha struggled and started performing in thatched houses; it is surviving till date. It has also played a vital role in the history of Assamese theatre. She said, “The credibility of Pragati Silpi Sangha was that they always performed original scripts.”

Pragati Silpi Sangha became very popular and great artists like Jayanta Hazarika, Sarbeshwar Chakravorty, Prabin Phukan, Dhiru Bhuyan, Ishan Barua, Amar Chakravorty and Nilu Chakravorty constituted the Sangha. Pragati performed popular plays like Purush and many more.

Pragati Silpi Sangha was the first group which worked for women empowerment and allowed female actors to perform.

Barua said that in those days, women were not allowed to perform in theatres. But Pragati decided that roles of women will be performed by women. She said that even now whatever plays are

staged by Pragati, people like it.

Dilip Hazarika said that in Jorhat, the main player was Indreswar Borthakur who was also a famous playwright and who should be termed as

reflected by Satya Prasad Baruah.

Satya Prasad Baruah became a theatre luminary and people waited to know what he will do next. Many playwrights started exploring radio as the popularity

popular in Assam and most of the theatre people wanted to work in television. Hazarika said that it was not a tussle between radio, TV and theatre, but the theatre movement gradually

A file photo of Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir, Headquarters of Kamrup Natya Samiti

the father of Assam’s theatre movement. Borthakur wrote one book on Natya Kala which became the guide book for all the artists of Assam. In Nagaon the stage theatre movement was led by two persons, Chandra Nath Phukan and Sarada Kanta Bordoloi. Nagaon brought out one drama, Piyoli Phukan, which revolutionised the Assamese theatre movement.

Hazarika said that from 1955 to 1970, radio had become popular in Assam. On radio also the theatre movement was

of the medium was increasing.

Radio stations used to organise theatre festivals and play radio theatres from 7 pm to 9 pm, and people used to wait for it.

At the same time Phani Sharma and Bishnu Prasad Rabha were handling the theatre movement in Tezpur. The play, Siraj, became so popular that a film was also made on the script.

After radio, the theatre artists wanted to act in movies and many films were made where theatre artists performed. In the 1980s television (TV) started becoming

started moving backward and the position was the same all over Assam.

But in rural areas, particularly from Hajo and Patshala, mobile theatre groups started coming up in the 1990s which gave a fillip to the theatre movement in Assam.

Gradually mobile theatres started becoming like Hindi cinema and Ratan Lahkar even made Titanic on stage.

Hazarika revealed that theatre in Assam, after 1990s, started witnessing a downfall for various reasons. n

Audiences want to G Plus theatre festival to motivate local talents watch theatre for free

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ecretary of Kamrup Natya Samiti, Rupjyoti Hazarika, said that theatre is gradually witnessing a downfall as no one wants to buy tickets. He said, “Audience these days want to watch theatre for free and no one wants to purchase tickets.”

Noted theatre activist, writer and senior advocate, Dilip Hazarika, said that theatre is facing a problem now.

He said, “Producing theatre plays became an expensive matter. The lights, sound and other equipments have to be hired. Anyone wanting to produce a play should have a budget of Rs 1 to 1.5 lakhs.” He said cost structure played a heavy role in reducing the theatre movement and

the audiences do not want to purchase tickets.

Hazarika narrated that he was the president of Kamrup Natya Samiti in 2013 and decided to start theatre shows regularly. So it was decided that on Saturdays and Sundays theatre plays will be performed at Kumar Bhaskar Natya Mandir and they started the process, but could not sustain it for more than three months.

Vice president of Pragati Silpi Sangha and Kamrup Natya Samiti, Kiron Barua, said that these days people are engaged in watching TV serials and movies and don’t like going to theatres. Barua said that these days even plays are not scripted well so they cannot pull the audience. n

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ice president of Pragati Silpi Sangha and Kamrup Natya Samiti, Kiron Barua, said that festivals like the G Plus theatre festival will help the young generation and the modern artists to learn. She said that theatre is still very popular in places like Mumbai and Delhi, and the actors performing there have more exposure.

She said that if those actors come and perform here, the modern artists can learn from them and the young generation will get motivated towards theatre.

Secretary of Kamrup Natya Samiti, Rupjyoti Hazarika, said that actors from outside keep inspiring the local talents. Therefore the G Plus theatre festival will surely

help boost the morale of the local talents and help theatre industry to grow.

The G Plus Guwahati Theatre Festival is currently underway from 1st November - 5th November 2017, at Pragjyoti ITA, Machkhowa.

This second edition has 5 world class globally acclaimed plays that are being performed during the 5-day festival. The festival

has featured Quasar Thakore Padamsee’s Mother Courage and Her Children featuring veteran theatre personality Arundhati Nag and others on the opening day. The second day of the festival featured Broken Images performed by Shabana Azmi, a play written by Girish Karnad and directed by Alyquee Padamsee. The Festival has two plays from Shakespeare: What’s Done is Done (Macbeth) and Piya Behrupia (12th Night) from two different leading theatre production houses of Mumbai.

Another exciting play, The Gentleman’s Club, which is a take on legendary actor of yesteryears, Shammi Kapoor’s colourful life during the 70s was performed yesterday, i.e., 3rd November. n

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Theatre Special

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Glimpses from the first three days of Guwahati Theatre Festival 2017

Zerifa Wahid (L) with Partha Sa

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

13

Theatre Special

The dignitaries lighting the ceremonial lamp to inaugurate the festival

arathi Mahanta (R)

a ge s r Broken Im ormance fo the visibly pleased rf e p lo so from zmi’s Shabana A er a standing ovation h d te n a rr a w udience Guwahati a

A still from echoed, “ Mother Courage an The brillia d nt Arundh her Children. A s th ati Nag“ e audie

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

G Talk E

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Forced patriotism

f all the countries ravaged by war through the course of history, it is perhaps Japan that represents the case of the perfect Holocaust.

Fostered by a strong sense of nationalism, the Japanese were a proud lot but what made them court the disaster is something that remains a mystery. I read up some material on how the WW-II surrender played on the nationalistic feelings of the Japanese, especially when it came to their public display of patriotism through respect for their National Flag and National Anthem. I was pleasantly surprised that “The Japanese passed a law that officially established their National Flag and Anthem in 1999.

The Act on National Flag and Anthem made no provisions for usage or treatment.

Local area representatives are free to make their own regulations. This is probably a result of the country being uncomfortable with overt displays of nationalism since World War II.” In the backdrop of this situation of an advanced country that is proud of their history and heritage and which is also a forerunner in the world’s economy, the regressive attitude newly adopted in India of forcing

patriotism down the citizens’ throats is amusing at best.

Take the case of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and its Mayor’s diktat of emulating the Jaipur Municipal Corporation’s practice of its employees singing the National Anthem at the start of each working day. Here are a few thousand workers engaged primarily in maintaining the city and for them, it is a tough menial work. They have been doing a fairly good job given the constraints that the urban local body perennially has.

Moreover, the body is often dogged by slurs of corruption and doesn’t hold too much of a credibility among the Guwahati citizenry with most its officials being on a self-appeasement mode rather than on public service mode.

Given this state of affairs, this variety of forced patriotism being thrust upon them with the intention of inculcating nationalistic feelings, makes for a rather amusing situation. If we are to progress as a city and bear love for the same, cosmetic surgeries like this will not bear any fruit as much as instilling the good lessons of “karma first” will.

Swapnil Bharali Editor

GUWAHATI ADDA

Koi Free Pass de do!

Eta Lora: Oi, Guwahati Theatre Festival is going on!

Beleg Lora tu: Yeah, I’d love to watch some of the plays. The list looks interesting!

Eta Lora: Of course! Wait, I know the owner, lemme make a call. I’ll get some free passes for us.

Beleg Lora tu: ....*patiently waiting* Eta Lora: Umm yeah, Hi, this is *beep* here. *walks to the corner to continue the call* Beleg Lora tu: So...? Do we have something?

Eta Lora: Well, he said he’ll call back.

Beleg Lora tu: What do you mean call back? You spoke to the guy, right?

Eta Lora: Actually... I spoke to a guy, who knows a guy, who knows the owner. He’ll speak to him and try and get something done.

Beleg Lora tu: Tumse naa ho paayega...

SIDHARTH BEDI VARMA

God-sent GLTA

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y understanding of a city’s sporting character is formed by the number of tennis courts that it has and it is gratifying to note that Guwahati has a large number of them. The best part is that none of them are lying idle; there are youngsters and old ‘stars’ practising the game in fierce competitions or for healthy recreation. The huge interest among youngsters is palpable but what is much more encouraging to note is the parents’ involvement in their wards’ improvement of their game. Anxious guardians keenly following a match make for some lovely candid camera shots.

In this heart-warming atmosphere of enthusiasm, I want to make a special mention about the revival of the tennis courts at the Nehru Stadium complex – the cradle where my tennis was nurtured, and a game that I play till date recreationally.

The four clay courts of our time had thrown up champions.

My contemporaries like Hasibuddin Ahmed, Ujjal Dutta Medhi, Indrajit Bujarbaruah, Abdul Hakim, Sukanya Chowdhury and Runumee Das, under the tutelage of coach Kanwajeet Singh, are just a few among many names that brought laurels to the state over many years. And so, it was sad to learn that the courts were rendered useless some years later due to lack of enrolment, coach etc. and that the area was converted into a parking lot.

I am still a bit fuzzy about how the tennis complex was revived with two hard courts being laid and the same illuminated with floodlights.

This was, I believe, a couple of

years ago. I learnt that a new association named Guwahati Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) had been formed and had taken over the functioning of the new complex. Responding to a recent invitation to be witness to a premier prizemoney tournament being held there, I was pleasantly surprised to reunite with these same contemporaries of mine; all of them sans me sadly, were part of this association. The association, steered by former tennis champions Anirban Das (President) and Kalyan Das (Vice-President), had turned the tables on the shambles that the location was in ushering in an atmosphere of festivity to the tournament.

What I want to highlight is the charged-up looks on the faces of thee friends of mine towards what can only be termed as a cause – the cause of tennis. Each and every one of them was apparently a hands-on worker in installing the flexes and flags towards making the tournament an unqualified success.

The enthusiasm towards their sport of choice was writ large on their faces. Every one of them had returned to play the game recreationally at these very courts (now re-laid hard) where they had undergone their first coaching experiences. But what were extremely encouraging were the plans being discussed; those thrust areas that needed to be addressed to further popularize the game among youngsters and to chart the road map which would put these same youngsters on the highway to success.

Assam Tennis has lately floundered under the state’s official association.

Lacklustre work being

r Over doing the National Anthem

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O p i n i o n Swapnil Bharali

continually undertaken by an unenthusiastic, unimaginative brood of people more eager to cling on their positions than be productive in any other way, has degraded the game to the extent that national level tennis players from the state are a mere handful today. At least at this moment, no one comes to my mind other than Parikshit Somani of Jorhat. In this situation, a few mature and committed tennis players of yesteryears taking over the helms of affairs at the very conveniently located stadium and creating solid plans to the effect makes for very encouraging news. And just to solidify that feel-good factor and bring in inclusivity, the association has gone ahead to honour those veteran players from the 1960s and 1970s who had held the state’s tennis together and had placed the state on the national scene.

Such recognitions from peers down the timeline is what makes life great and worth living for. As Andre Agassi had once said, “You’ll hear a lot of applause in your life, but none will mean more to you than that applause from your peers.

I hope each of you hear that at the end.”

A tall high-five to the GLTA for the work that they are doing! After all, tennis is the great individual sport a person can play and Guwahati, through GLTA, can truly show the way for the other cities of the state. I finish off with a quote from Billie Jean King: “Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquillity.” That itself speaks immensely of the sense of discipline that the sport imbibes! n

Letter to the Editor

ff late, no matter how demeaning it might seem both as a citizen and as apatriot, National Anthem has become the bone of content for politicking.

Bane of democracy one might say, but, we all have reached at consent accepting the fact that political parties had been and will continue clawing on each other regarding various issues and in the process, will delay development or reaching of any solution to the issues.

But, doing so, with the national Anthem seems outright demeaning on the part of the oppositions and the ruling parties.

Recently, it has come to light that the GMC Councillor’s meetings will start with National Anthem, An attempt, probably, to evoke sense of responsibility among the councillors to steadfast towards development.

But, the question arises if it is necessary at all?

It is true that most of us seize to sing our National Anthems, the moment we leave the threshold of our schools. But, one couldn’t help, but ask, if singing of the Anthem is imposed upon people, to what extent will it evoke patriotism.

Avishkar Saha, Paltan Bazar

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

15

In Focus

“The madness for theatre is still the same” Nehal Jain in conversation with Arundhati Nag

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enowned theatre artist Arundhati Nag was in Guwahati to perform her play “Mother Courage and Her Children” at the Guwahati Theatre Festival organised by G Plus.

The thespian hardly needs an introduction – over the years, she has proved to be one of the few, talented, multi-lingual actors that Indian theatre can be rightly proud of. Today, along with her acting assignments in both theatre and film, she manages her dream theatre ‘Ranga Shankara’ in Bengaluru.

Nag was born in Delhi, but her family moved to Mumbai when she was 10. Acting and drama came naturally to her. “I got into theatre as normally and naturally as anyone – by acting in school plays, performing at the annual day functions of our colony or watching Ram Leela in Delhi. Television had not yet come and theatre was ‘the thing’! But for me, that’s how it always remained. Theatre is ‘the thing’.”

Thanks to Arundhati’s felicity with languages, she became the toast of the theatre world.

While most Indians speak three languages, Arundhati is fluent in multiple languages including Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Tamil, Hindi and English.

“I feel that if I come to Assam,

I’ll learn Assamese and do theatre in Assamese too. Because I feel there’s no point doing just English theatre over here. I believe that if you have to touch the pulse of the people, you have to speak their language. Only then will you understand their poetry, their metaphors. And I believe, metaphors are locked in the local languages,” she said.

The artist feels that in theatre, the lines stay with the performers unlike a movie where you learn it for a moment, you deliver and it’s gone.

Arundhati has been successful in film and television as well, being part of the blockbuster Kannada film, Jogi and winning the national award for supporting actress for her role in Paa. But she says that her most favourite medium continues to be theatre.

“Film is a different medium in the sense that it captures everything for posterity, it has a larger audience, it multiplies your gesture, your body and your image 10 times larger than what you are – everything is magnified. For the actor, there has to be that sense of being conscious of the media. But theatre is the only medium where your body is as big as it is and you are what you are. No gimmicks.”

For the actress, there is only one passion at a time. When her husband, Shankar Nag passed

Catching up with the artists of The Gentlemen’s Club aka Tape

Mukti Mohan

Ratnabali Bhattacharjee

ukti Mohan and Ratnabali Bhattacharjee of The Gentlemen’s Club aka Tape are the two prominent characters that weave the story of the play.

While Ratnabali has been associated with theatre art since 1998, Mukti has been sharing the experience for last 3 years.

Mukti, who comes from an artistic background, is a cumulative talent house of dancing and acting. The

M

away, Ranga Shankar, a theatre project became her passion.

Reminiscing about the inception of Ranga Shankara, Arundhati asserted, “When I came to Bangalore with my husband about 38 years ago, there was only one theatre and it had a mandate to be given to various other performing artists. And so, we theatre people did not have a dedicated place. We had just come from Mumbai, carrying the dream of a Prithvi theatre alike in our hearts, so the inception of Ranga Shankara happened because of this lack of space and the need for it.”

Today, Ranga Shankara is 13 years old and has held more than 500 performances, with over 400 shows of theatre in different languages every year.

Performing groups pay the trust Rs 2,500 for the entire day, and tickets are priced mostly at Rs 50. “We take a cut of the ticket money only when it’s priced above Rs 50, but no ticket here costs more than Rs 200,” Arundhati said, pointing out that the rent of Rs 2,500 barely serves to pay the electricity cost for a day. “We almost never break even; this isn’t a business, it’s public service,” she added.

Nag’s only dream for Ranga Shankara is, “We should be able to influence the direction that Indian theatre takes from here.”

Prithvi theatre is 32 years old. And Ranga Shankara was

born many years after Prithvi.

After 13 years, the team behind Ranga Shankara is still waiting for somebody to get inspired and build a space for their city an affordable world class space dedicated to theatre.

Talking about the difficulties faced as a theatre artist while performing with different artists each time, Arundhati explained, “Doing Mother Courage and Her Children was a little difficult for me because I had gone back to Mumbai and worked in theatre after 38 long years! And most of the team members are one third my age, but that’s mostly why I took the play. Because when will I ever get the chance to work with these youngsters who are going to be the future of Indian theatre? When I was working in Mumbai earlier, I was doing Marathi, Gujarati and Hindi theatre. I never did English theatre. And here I am, doing an English play after 38 years.”

Speaking about her experience with the team of Mother Courage she said, “Quasar is an amazing director and a great team builder. He invested the initial two and a half weeks in just team building - playing games, indulging in exercises, talking about personal moments of finding joy and loss. Each one of us now knows a little about each other.

The emotional bonding has become really strong and we’re all very attached to each other. It has been a good ride working with the lot.”

Arundhati, having been associated with the theatre world for so long, says she doesn’t see any changes in the theatre scenes in the country.

“The madness is still the same and the only change I see is that these youngsters are ready to invest a little more than us. The competition is also much more and the stakes are higher.” n

duo loves to call themselves as ‘performers’.

Ratnabali has worked in both films as well as theatre. She shares an emotional connection with the live audience and loves the fact that she can palpably feel reactions of the audience while on a theatre. Mukti shares similar opinion, “I love the amazing feel of connectivity on the theatre stage.

The fact that the audience lives with you, laughs with you, and feels your emotions is a wonderful feeling,” she says.

While Ratnabali has visited Guwahati twice now, this is Mukti’s first visit to the city. Ratnabali who was a part of Guwahati Theatre Festival 2016 for the play ‘The Living Room’ was all praise about the Guwahati audience. “Guwahati is a pool of art lovers. The full house audience that we had last year was the epitome of the fact that the city

loves art,” she said.

Ratnabali is a theatre aficionado. She prefers this art form over others. To live a character and to portray it in front of a crowd is what makes an individual an artist, she believes.

On the other hand, Mukti, who has been associated with dance, TV serials and web series, loves any form of acting- provided she enjoys the role.

On being asked what it takes for her to live the character, Ratnabali said, “Silence and concentration matters. Just before the play, I want to have some silence. I imagine the stage, I rehearse the entrance and exit points, because that’s what matters the most.”

Mukti who has been a part of web series, TVF Inmates, spoke of the fast moving generation of the present. “The world today is always moving. You cannot confine your

screens to just the television.

People love things which are easily approachable. We all like options, which is why there is the rising trend of web series these days, because it gives you the scope to make a choice, what you like to see, and where do you like to see.”

About The Gentlemen’s Club aka Tape: The play which is set in the thriving underground club scene in Mumbai, follows the lives of various drag kings who perform in the city. The main act is that of Rocky aka Shammsher. Rocky pays homage to Shammi Kapoor and that golden era of Hindi cinema.

Joined by a motley crew of women who rebel in drag performance, this cabaret-like show takes the audience into a grimy secret world that gives you the licence to be whoever you want. n

Chandrika Das

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Snippets

Narayana Superspeciality Hospital performs its Geriatric Home Health Aid Training Centre set up by NRL at Bokakhat first Laparoscopic Uterine Cancer Surgery

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arayana Superspeciality Hospital (NSH) Guwahati performed its first laparoscopic uterine cancer surgery on a 45-year-old woman diagnosed with uterine cancer.

The patient was admitted to the hospital with profuse vaginal bleeding and pelvic pain following which she was diagnosed with uterine cancer

by Dr. Pinak Dasgupta. Most salient feature of this case was that it was discussed, using a multidisciplinary approach, with other cancer specialists at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Kolkata, via recentlylaunched Virtual Oncology Clinic.

At the Kolkata-end of the virtual clinic was Dr. Arunava Roy, who specializes in cancer treatment, and who subsequently flew to NSH Guwahati and conducted the surgery along with Dr. Pinak

Dasgupta. According to the doctors at NSH Guwahati this multidisciplinary approach to the laparoscopic uterine cancer surgery and treatment showcased the strength that Narayana Group of Hospitals possesses across Northeast.

“The first sign is most often vaginal bleeding not associated with a menstrual period. Other symptoms include

pain with urination or sexual intercourse or simply pelvic pain.

Endometrial cancer occurs most commonly after menopause”, added Dr. Pinak Dasgupta, Consultant Lap. & Gastrointestinal Minimally Invasive Surgeon, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Guwahati.

Approximately 40 percent of cases are related to obesity.

Endometrial cancer is also associated with excessive estrogen exposure, high blood pressure and diabetes. Whereas taking estrogen alone increases the risk of endometrial cancer, taking both estrogen and a progestogen in combination, as in most birth control pills, decreases the risk.

Pertinently, rates of endometrial cancer have risen in several countries between the 1980s and 2010. Obesity, apart from an increasing number of elderly people, is the main contributing factor. n

CM reviews PWD works; asks to complete road constructions by this winter season

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hief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Wednesday reviewed the progress of road construction and repairing works during a meeting with the PWD officials at Janata Bhawan.

The Chief Minister directed officials to complete all pending works within stipulated time and stressed on quality construction of roads. He also

directed officials and engineers to regularly hold review meetings with contractors for quality construction and faster completion of the roads.

Sonowal ordered finishing construction of 7913 km road under PMGSY by March 2019, which will connect 3,192 villages of Assam. Stating that good connectivity is essential for economic development, the Chief Minister asked officials

to fill all vacancies in the department soon.

Saying that tourism season has started in the state when domestic and international tourists would visit in large numbers, Sonowal urged the PWD Department to dedicatedly work during this winter season to complete the construction and repair work of the roads of the state.

“Roads make or mar the impression of a government and we cannot let outsiders form a poor impression of the state government about its commitment to improve the infrastructure” he stated.

Directing the Chief Engineers of the department to visit different parts of the state every 15 days to monitor the work in the field, Sonowal said that important events like Global Investment Summit are fast approaching and delegates visiting the state would doubt the capability of the government to build top class infrastructure by witnessing the dilapidated roads. n

A

Geriatric Home Health Aid Training Centre set up as a CSR project of NRL in association with Life Circle Health Services Pvt. Ltd. Hyderabad was formally inaugurated by MD NRL- Mr.P. Padmanabhan in presence of Director (Finance) NRL -Mr. S.K Barua, SCGM (HR) -Mr. A K Bhattacharya and other senior officials of NRL at Bokakhat on 29th October 2017. Mr B.K Phukan, Superintendent, Bokakhat Civil Hospital, Mr. Dhiraj Das, SDO(Civil), Bokakhat, Mr. Bitul Chetia, SDPO, Bokakhat were also present during the inaugural ceremony. Mrs Ananda Saikia, a renowned social worker of Bokakhat was invited as Chief Guest on the occasion.

The Centre shall focus on

skilling local youths on Geriatric care ie. to deliver professional care giving and nursing services to senior citizens. The project aims to train 330 nos. of school dropout girls (below Class X) from low income households residing in the neighborhood of the refinery in 11 batches over a period of 24 months and provide livelihood opportunities to them.30 girls have already been enrolled in the first batch.

The entire training of 330 girls has been fully sponsored

by NRL under its CSR program which among others focuses on skill development to open up avenues for sustainable employment for its beneficiaries, so that they can be financially independent and lead their lives with dignity. n

‘Assam Darpan’ web portal launched to take the initiative of Digital India forward

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o take the ‘Digital India’ initiative forward, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal launched a web portal ‘Assam Darpan’ at a programme held at Janata Bhawan on Friday.

This portal will reflect the government’s performance and achievements to the citizens.

It has been developed as the Chief Minister’s Dashboard where citizens will be able to see the progress of the flagship schemes of the government.

While launching the web portal, Chief Minister Sonowal said, “Assam Darpan is an important step taken by the government for open, transparent and accountable governance where details of key programmes and projects are made available to the people”.

‘Assam Darpan’ facilitates the presentation of data on key

performance indicators of the flagship schemes and projects of the government. In the first phase of implementation, progress indicators of 15 government schemes have been made available in web portal. Assam Darpan (httns:// as.cmclashboard.nic.in) is available both in English and Assamese.

The schemes included in the portal are National Food Security Act (NFSA), Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY), Amar Dukan, Deendayal Gram Jyoti Yojana, MGNREGS, Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin), eDistrict Services, Atal Amrit Abhiyan, Fasal Bima Yojna, Land Records, Registration, Chief Ministers Free Diagnostic Services, Vahan and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). n

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

17

Trotter

Khichdi as national food? Twitter simmers with reactions Auto driver whose phone number Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal cleared the air that reports about khichdi’s elevation to national food are “fictitious” and that khichdi will only be put as a record entry at the World Food India event organised by the ministry. The three-day event, to be held at the India Gate Lawns in the capital, will see a world record attempt to cook 800 kilos of khichdi.

T

witter was in top gear after reports suggested the humble Khichdi could

be pitched as the ‘national food’ at an upcoming event in Delhi. Union Minister for Food Processing

Reacting to preliminary reports, Khichdi began trending as soon as Twitter got a whiff of it with reactions from all sides about the humble rice and lentil preparation.

(Source: ndtv)

Models strut down runway in dresses made of chocolate

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he annual convention - also known as a chocolate-lover’s idea of heaven - kicked off in Paris, France on October 27 with a rather unique fashion show.

Models wore stunning creations made partially of chocolate and sashayed down the runway. If we may say so: “Sweet dreams are made of this!”

Fashion designers and renowned chocolatiers collaborated and the result was delectable dresses and sweet couture creations that were spotted on the runway.

Some of the creations were modelled by French celebrities.

The Salon du Chocolat brings

together over 200 international chefs and pastry chefs to celebrate all things chocolate.

The trade show is supported by

the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The chocolate show was till November 1st.

(Source: medium.com)

used in film, sues for damages

A

Bangladeshi autorickshaw driver is suing for damages after his phone number was used in a movie, leading to a barrage of calls from female fans of the film’s star that he says nearly destroyed his marriage.

Ijajul Mia told that he had received hundreds of calls every day since the release in June of “Rajniti”, in which the country’s top movie star Shakib Khan is seen giving the number to his girlfriend.

“The use of my number in the movie made my life completely miserable,” he said.”Every day I would get hundreds of calls from mostly female fans of Shakib Khan. They would say ‘Hello Shakib, I am your fan. ‘Do you have two minutes to talk to me?’ Mia said he had been asked to leave his family home since the movie’s release and his wife

had threatened to leave him.

He argued that he couldn’t take a new number because his clients had the old one and he would lose business.”I am a newly married man and have a daughter. When these calls started coming, my wife thought that I was having an affair,” he said. One fan even travelled 500 kilometres (300 miles) to see him after learning where he lived.

Now Mia wants to sue Khan, who has also produced and directed the movie, for damages of five million taka ($60,975).

His lawyer M. A Majed said he had filed the suit this week, but the district judge was initially hesitant to accept it. “The judge ordered an investigation after we submitted evidence showing how these phone calls have almost destroyed the life of Ijajul,” Majed told.

(Source: dailymail.co)

Creepy video invites people to live in ‘zombie town’ Man fired for ‘working too hard’

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remote Japanese town is hoping to entice brave souls to come and live among them with a ghoulish video game spoof featuring flesh-eating zombies, just in time for Halloween. The misty village of Kosuge, located in the mountains some 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of Tokyo, has just

700 inhabitants.

With many younger villagers leaving to work or study in the cities, local authorities have concocted a cunning plan to try to lure new residents. A creepy short promotional film introduces Kosuge’s leafy vistas, but with a chilling twist as inhabitants dressed in blood-soaked zombie

outfits lurch toward the camera as if in a gory video game.

As the living dead roam the deserted streets in search of fresh meat, even the town’s mayor makes a cameo appearance in the five-minute film, walking into a wall to mimic a video game flaw, according to a voice-over. A classroom of zombie schoolgirls is shown groaning in response to a teacher’s question, before the character behind the camera introducing the viewer to the spooky village is attacked by a bear in woods.

The trailer, which has already been widely shared online, ends by asking viewers if they want to try Kosuge village “for real”, although whether the blood-curdling spoof will be enough to tempt any new visitors beyond horror buffs remains to be seen.

(Source: worldvibe)

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he employee routinely showed up to work early and clocked in more hours than his shift required. He probably hoped he’d be ‘Employee of the Year.’ Instead, he was fired.

The reason for his sacking was that he worked ‘too hard’.

The man, identified as Jean P, is now suing his former bosses at Lidl, a discount supermarket chain.

The dedicated manager would regularly arrive at his branch in Barcelona, Spain, by 5 am and spend hours ensuring

things around the store were in order before the rest of the staff arrived. He was eventually fired for violating the company’s rules on unpaid overtime and for being in the store alone both of which are, apparently, not allowed.

However, at an employment tribunal disputing the sacking, Jean’s lawyer Juan Guerra argued that his bosses never told Jean, who had worked for the company for 12 years as not to come in early. Mr Guerra also argued that his client was under pressure to hit sales and performance targets, work that required “time and dedication,” adding it was the company that ultimately benefited. The case is still being heard and the tribunal could decide to reinstate Jean’s job.

(Source: euronews)

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Reviews Cast: Sidharth Malhotra, Sonakshi Sinha, Akshaye Khanna Director: Abhay Chopra

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vie Mo view Re

Ittefaq

t a time when promotions have become one of the most important parts of the film’s production process, the decision of Ittefaq makers of no-marketing technique came as a surprise. Not only it has got so many people excited but also taken their curiosity to the next level. The suspense-thriller, starring Sidharth Malhotra, Sonakshi Sinha and Akshaye Khanna, is the official remake of the late Yash Chopra’s eponymous 1969 directorial of the same name.

The film’s story revolves around a night when a man is murdered, and both Sidharth and Sonakshi are the suspects. Original Ittefaq featuring Rajesh Khanna,

Madan Puri, Nanda, and Bindu, is considered one of the best thrillers made in Bollywood.

The best thing about Ittefaq is that it doesn’t take itself seriously.

The tone of the film is light when the murder isn’t being discussed.

The cops joke amongst one another and the set design reveals a very realistic side of Mumbai — juxtaposing the plush homes where the murders happen with the seedy jails and underbelly of Mumbai.

It’s a tight, crisp debut by Abhay Chopra and while Sonakshi and Siddharth both play their parts well, the real star of Ittefaq is Akshaye Khanna. Someone give this talented man more films. n

W

Nokia 2 Budget Smartphone Launched in India

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MD Global has been on a roll since it announced the first Nokia phone 11 months ago. There has been a constant inflow of Nokia handsets at regular intervals since. India had so far seen the launch of the Nokia 6, Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 3310 Classic.

On 31 October, at an event held in Gurugram at one of the Rapid Metro stations, HMD Global announced its latest Android OS powered Nokia device - the Nokia 2. This being a global launch of the device, HMD Global has announced a global price tag of 99 Euros, and it will be available from mid-November.

The

company did not announce an official India price at launch, but looking at the European price, it is safe to assume that the Nokia 2 would be selling at around the Rs 8,000 price bracket.

In terms of connectivity, you get a dual-SIM configuration, 4G LTE support, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS with A-GPS, GLONASS and it also supports FM radio.

Built and Design Built from a single block of Series 6000 Aluminum, the Nokia 2 has a sturdy frame. The rear cover is plastic and tends to attract a lot of smudges. The device comes with a removable cover, however,

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PM 06:15 PM 09:00 PM Golmaal Again 10:30 AM 01:40 PM 04:50 PM 08:00 PM Ittefaq 10:35 AM 01:00 PM 03:25 PM 05:50 PM 08:15 PM Secret Superstar 12:00 PM 05:35 PM Ribbon 03:10 PM 08:45 PM

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Thor: Ragnarok 04:30 PM Thor: Ragnarok 02:00 PM Maj Rati Keteki 09:00 PM

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03:35 PM 06:20 PM 09:05 PM Secret Superstar 10:15 AM Golmaal Again 12:30 PM

the battery isn’t removable. It does provide a good grip on the device though. The reason for the removable cover is because the Nokia 2 houses two SIM card slots and a dedicated microSD card slot just above the battery section.

For a phone that houses a 4100mAh battery, the Nokia 2 isn’t that bulky to hold. Yes, it’s not the thinnest thing around.

On the front, there’s a 5-inch HD LTPS display which is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

Camera Nokia 2 comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP frontfacing camera. There’s a dual-tone LED flash unit just under the rear camera.

The user interface of the camera seems like a custom Nokia one and has the basic modes such as video (shoots up to

Ittefaq 03:10 PM 09:00 PM

Thor: Ragnarok 10:00 AM 12:45 PM 03:30 PM 06:15 PM Ittefaq 10:15 AM 12:30 PM 05:45 PM 09:00 PM Golmaal Again 02:45 PM Secret Superstar 08:00 PM

Gold Cinema Paltan Bazaar 09854066166 Golmaal Again 11:00 AM 11:15 AM 05:00 PM 05:15 PM 08:15 PM Maj Rati Keteki 02:00 PM Secret Superstar 02:15 PM 08:00 PM

Gold Cinema Lakhtokia 0361 2735367 Golmaal Again 11:00 AM 11:15 AM 02:15 PM 05:00 PM 05:15 PM 08:00 PM

Ittefaq 01:20 PM

Secret Superstar

06:55 PM 09:20 PM

02:00 PM 08:15 PM

The Curiosity Shop 03:45 PM

Ribbon

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Thor: Ragnarok 09:15

The Curiosity Shop 11:00 AM

that take us through the story.

The audience is free whether they want to judge the characters, choose a side, or simply absorb the harsh realities of life, as shown in the film. Ribbon turns the audience into a fly on the wall for a clear insider’s view.

Kalki is quite comfortable in her role and comes across as the perfect choice. Sumeet, of Permanent Roommates fame, leaves behind the charm of Mikesh (his character in the popular web series) and adopts a completely different mantle for Ribbon. Kalki and Sumeet imbibed their characters, as is evident from their convincing performance. n

Gadget Review

Thor: Ragnarok 10:00

Ittefaq 09:00 AM 07:00 PM

Cast: Sumeet Vyas, Kalki Koechlin, Hitesh Malhan Director: Rakhee Sandilya

hen a doubleincome-no-kids couple welcomes a baby, what happens? It can be a fraught time for new parents, struggling with the never-ending demands of the infant, and the consequent impact on careers, and other things that used to effortlessly be a priority.

Sahana (Koechlin) and Karan (Vyas) are your standard issue urban couple based in maximum city Mumbai, which swallows up time. She is fast-tracking a corporate job; he is an engineer working on big building projects.

The best part is that we are given a very realistic view — there are no biased viewpoints

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Cortex A7 processor clocked at 1.3GHz, along with Adreno 305 GPU. This is paired with 1 GB RAM and 8 GB storage. Storage is expandable using a microSD card slot.

Conclusion

Full HD), beauty mode, panorama mode, HDR mode (which is on by default).

Storage Since the Nokia 2 is targetted at the millennial crowd looking at an affordable device, it has decided to partner with Qualcomm with its Snapdragon 212 chipset inside the phone. The Snapdragon 212 mobile chipset has a quad-core

The Nokia 2 is a well-built device and the clean Android Nougat OS is paired with a large battery and good display. On paper, it seems promising, but 1 GB RAM and the minuscule storage may not be enticing to a lot of users especially when you get higher speed devices in the same price range. The price segment it is competing in has some proven winners from the likes of Xiaomi, Lenovo among others and specs-wise also you can get a better overall feature set for 99 Euros. It is yet to be seen how Nokia 2 comes together as a package and delivers in the real world. n

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

19

Entertainment

Assam’s documentary for Kolkata Film Festival

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nity, Dignity and Brotherhood People of Assam and Punjab, a documentary made by Debajit Kalita under the banner of UCK production has been selected to be screened at the 23rd Kolkata International Film Festival to be held from November 10 to 17.

The film, tracing the history of the Sikhs of Assam and their assimilation into the greater Assamese society, will be screened under the short and documentary films segment of the festival.

Kalita said, “Both Assam and

Punjab were empowered with the blessings of gurus like Srimanta Xankardeb, Guru Nanak and Guru Teg Bahadur. It is the right time to rekindle their ideology to understand the core essence of their message that the best way to

serve God is to serve the humanity.”

“It will be highlighted in the documentary that Borkhola in Nagaon district has become a symbol of unity in Assam. Here the Sikhs have mingled with the Assamese so intensely that they proudly call themselves Assamese Sikhs,” he further

added.

The documentary has been edited by Ratul Deka, and Saurabh Mahanta has composed the music. Debojit Gayen is the sound editor of the film. n

Guwahati International Film Festival Concludes

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urtains came down on Thursday evening (2nd November) at the first Guwahati International Film Festival (GIFF). During the six-day film extravaganza, 78 films from 32 countries were screened with a galaxy of national and international film personalities walking the red carpet.

The Assam government supported festival began on October 28 with the screening of the Oscar winning The Salesman, directed by Asghar Farhadi and produced by a joint collaboration of Iran and France. The closing film of the six-day film extravaganza was Perekonnavaled of Estonia, directed by Valentin Kuik and Manfred Vainokivi.

Dadasaheb Phalke Award winning filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan who graced the closing ceremony as the chief guest termed the festival as “one of the best” in the country saying, “I am overwhelmed because with the very first festival, Assam has established itself as one of the best in film festivals in the country.”

“When you organise such a big festival at the very first attempt, you will overtake everyone else in future. The GIFF has been very professionally handled,” the Padma Vibhushan awardee opined.

He requested the government to construct a permanent venue to hold film festivals in the future with a maximum of five screens.

The filmmaker, however, requested the organisers not to extend the competition section to international films as GIFF should present all the good films.

“At best, it can be a competition for South Asian films, including those from India, Pakistan, Burma and other neighbouring nations.

Let us not go beyond that. It will be

very difficult,” Gopalakrishnan said.

The GIFF had a competition section only for Assamese films, where Sankar Borua-directed Khandobdaah (Grief on a Sunday Morning) was adjudged the winner.

Antardrishti (Man with the Binocular) by Rima Das was awarded the second best Assamese film, while Haanduk (The Hidden Corner) by Jaicheng Jai Dohutia received the Special Jury Award.

Prasanna Vithanage from Sri Lanka was the chairman of the Jury, while B Lenin and Sanjib Sabhapandit were the jury members.

Maj Rati Keteki hits theatres

The state government-owned Jyoti Chitraban (Film Studio) Society organised the festival in association with the Dr Bhupen Hazarika Regional Government Film and Television Institute.

Cine lovers watched five films from Turkey, the focus country, and six from Farhadis country in the Contemporary Iranian Cinema section.

Important films from Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Argentina, Poland, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Latvia, Japan, Belgium, Ireland, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Israel, Greece, Austria, Russia, Philippines, Afghanistan, Peru, Romania, Denmark, Cyprus, Estonia and the US were also showcased.

The GIFF had sections on World Cinema, Indian Panorama, Retrospectives, Cinema of North East, Cinema of Assam and the Tribute.

Films by pioneering filmmakers of Assam -- Dr Bhupen Hazarika (Shakuntala), Abdul Mazid (Chameli Memsahib) and Dr Bhabendranath Saikia (Sandhya Raag) were also shown.

An important feature of the festival was Open Forum sessions on topics related to films and the region as well as Master Classes by film personalities in their respective fields.

Film personalities such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji N Karun, Jahnu Barua, Resul Pookutty and A K Bir were associated with GIFF in various capacities. n

N

ational awardwinning Assamese film, Maj Rati Keteki, directed by Santwana Bordoloi, released in Assam on Friday. The film has released in 29 cinema halls across the state.

The film rotates around Priyendu Hazarika, a renowned writer and author, who returns to his hometown, a place that inspired him to become a writer, after almost a decade.

Upon returning, he reminisces the time that he spent here, growing up, remembering the people he loved and lost. While he lacks the courage to weave the painful and harsh truth into his story, he decides to face his own truth alone, away from the appreciative audience.

Talking to G Plus about her experience working in Maj Rati Keteki, debutant Sulakshana Baruah sais, “Working in Maj Rati Keteki was indeed a very memorable journey for me. I learned a lot from this film as the entire film making process was really thought provoking for me. The role that I’m playing in this film is very different from whom I am in real life and to fit into the role, I had to work really hard.”

She further expressed gratitude towards the cast and crew of the film and said, “I’d like to mention that without the help of Santwana Bordoloi and

Adil Hussain, I wouldn’t have been able to do justice to the role. They showed enormous amount of trust and support towards me and made sure that I was very comfortable. The other members of the team were also very supportive and by the end of the film, we all became like one big family.”

Produced under the banner of Dr Bardoloi’s newly launched production house named Udara Films, the film has actor Adil Hussain in the lead along with other casts including Kulada Kumar Bhattacharya, Sulakshana Barua, Mala Goswami, Shakil Imtiaz, Mahendra Rabha, Rahul G Sarma, Pranami Bora, Indu Mohan Das, Ashim K Baruah, Ponkhi Kashyap, Kasvi Songkorison etc.

Paediatrician Dr Santwana Bordoloi’s second film, Maj Rati Keteki premiered at the 21st International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) in the International Competition category. The movie started to gain critical acclamation way before its release – it was adjudged the best Assamese feature film at the 64th National Film Awards, lead actor Adil Hussain won the national award with jury’s special mention for his role, and he also won the best actor in a regional film for 2016. n

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20

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Fun Horoscope of the week Romantic activities could be very enjoyable this week. With passionate Mars on the scene, this is the perfect time to take your sweetheart on a special date or attend a Halloween party and find your perfect love interest. The full moon on Friday encourages you to take a spiritual respite as a way to get your bearings and center yourself.

The week ahead can be a success if you can combine quiet reflection with the demands of your social life.

The sun in your leisure and pleasure sector encourages you to get involved in hobbies, pastimes, or sporting activities that you enjoy. The full moon on Tuesday could coincide with a Halloween party or other celebration and is excellent for bringing people together and having a great time. Interactive Mercury’s presence in Scorpio might inspire you to connect with a potential love interest and break the ice by starting a conversation.

Good things can happen as a result!

Home and family affairs come into focus as the sun in Scorpio encourages you to look more deeply into associated issues. Indeed, the full moon on Friday could spotlight exactly why you’re experiencing difficulties and what you can do about it. The trick is to not overreact but stay calm.

There’s also a spiritual theme showing up to encourage you to look beneath the surface. Valuable insights can be gained by doing so. Finally, a focus on intimacy could encourage a heart-to-heart chat.

There is activity in your sector of talk and thought, with the cosmos actively encouraging you to leave your comfort zone and wholeheartedly engage with others.

Friday’s full moon could throw a monkey wrench in the works, particularly if tempers become frayed or you end up in an argument. Feelings could get intense unless you make a point of letting go of whatever’s bothering you and moving on. Practical Saturn’s presence in your family sector could push you to tackle an ongoing problem.

As the sun angles toward ethereal Neptune, be careful when signing contracts or deals associated with your job or business. In particular, read the terms and conditions and check the fine print. Whatever you do, don’t leave anything to chance. The full moon on Friday could encourage you to throw caution to the wind and go shopping. If you do, it might be wise to set yourself a limit. Don’t go angry! Listening to your intuition could be very beneficial this week.

The week brings a full moon in Taurus, which could see feelings boiling over, particularly if they’ve been repressed for some time. It would help to watch your words on Friday, particularly if you’re feeling annoyed or frustrated. Try to avoid doing anything that you might come to regret later. Try to stay calm if possible! Finally, your social life could make up for any disappointment in other areas, bringing the option of romance and sparkling company.

As sobering Saturn continues in your sign, it could encourage you to be more serious regarding your goals, plans, and ambitions.

However, the full moon on Friday could coincide with an unexpected event that demands a spontaneous solution. Be guided by your instincts here, as whatever feels right probably is right. In addition, the focus on your social sector could encourage you to become a more active member of your community and take on some associated responsibilities.

There could be romantic potential showing up for you this week, particularly around the full moon in your leisure and pleasure sector. Friday might be the perfect day to take a love interest on a first date or wine and dine your sweetheart to show how much you care.

Powerful feelings could bubble to the surface, though, so it helps to think before you speak. With your social life looking more upbeat, there are plenty of opportunities for a Halloween extravaganza.

Career and business matters continue to hold your attention, with the present alignment encouraging you to expand your horizons.

In terms of your income, it’s possible you’re thinking about much bigger numbers than you were before, which is good. The Taurus full moon could see you struggling with your work/life balance. If you can take some time out on Friday to relax and recharge, it would do you a world of good. Finally, conversations with influential people could be very rewarding.

Feelings could run high on Friday due to the full moon, so you might need to conduct certain conversations more carefully than usual. It would be easy to say the wrong thing if you’re stressed, so try to think before you speak.

As the sun aligns with Neptune that day, it could have the opposite effect, encouraging you to put others before yourself, particularly if they need help. Finally, interactive Mercury’s move to Sagittarius is helpful for showcasing your skills and talents.

Which famous village in the NorthEast literally means ‘village of stone’ in the local language?

3

Which perennially favourite literary figure was inspired from the exploits of Dr Joseph Bell, an Edinburgh Physician?

curio-city

2

5

Which word meaning a profession is derived from a Latin word which literally means a ‘teacher’?

6

Identify this world-beating Indian sportsman

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

Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau

94 8

91

2

6 29 82 9 3 5 2 4 8 4 1 69 6 8 7 1 7 5 6 4 5 1

6 9 57 4 1 6 3 8 4 4 1 2 5

1 3

Daily Sudoku: Thu 2-Nov-2017

Daily Sudoku: Tue 24-Oct-2017

last week solution 5 7 1 4 2 44 66 37 72 53 29 82 98 31 17 85 31 23 19 44 16 43 54 68 92 72 98 69 56 85 91 17 75 23 69 63 59 41 85 36 37 25 86 94 78 Daily 8Sudoku: 4 Thu22-Nov-2017 7 1

9 85 66 78 21 37 54 12 49 3

8 1 2 5 7 2 6 7 3 4 1 6 4 8 9 3 5 9

6 89 44 65

3 91 35 79

98 57 32 14 23 88 77 42 11 26 5 medium 6

Daily Sudoku: Tue 24-Oct-2017

medium

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

Heebie-jeebies noun [hee-bee-jee-beez] A condition of extreme nervousness caused by fear, worry, strain, etc.; the jitters; the willies

Crossword

4

Which common dish, relished in almost all states of India, has been recently voted as a ‘Brand India food’ and would be promoted as such?

9 72 3

Word of the week 1. A. R. Rahman 2. Mawsinram, the wettest place on earth.

3. Sherlock Holmes 4. Khichdi 5. Doctor, from latin ‘docere’ means ‘to teach’ 6. Kidambi Srikanth

By what name do we know the person called Dilip Shekhar better as?

1

http://www.dailysudoku.com/

curio-city 1

Sudoku

(c) Daily(c) Sudoku Ltd 2017. rightsAll reserved.

Daily Sudoku LtdAll 2017. rights reserved.

Your relationship sector is packed with vibrant energies and upbeat planets, suggesting that you’ll be making an effort to enjoy yourself this Halloween week. First, however, you’ll need to bypass the temptations of the full moon in your sign, as it could encourage you to indulge. That’s fine, but there’s a chance you’ll tend toward excess if you’re out enjoying yourself. While it’s no problem in itself, it could be if it derails a diet or healthy eating regimen.

(c) Daily(c) Sudoku Ltd 2017. rightsAll reserved.

Daily Sudoku LtdAll 2017. rights reserved.

It looks like business as usual with a confident twist as this week’s alignment zeroes in on your business sector. Either that or you could be involved in reorganizing your finances to get your money to work harder for you.

If you’re planning a Halloween bash, the Scorpio sun adds just the right amount of wicked fun to the occasion.

Friday’s full moon could be an invitation to indulge, and you might be tempted by foods or drinks you normally avoid.

Across

Down

5 Terminal cut (anag) — downsizing (11) 7 Children’s card game (4) 8 Dietary fibre (8) 9 Rye whiskey (7) 11 Friendship (5) 13 Academy award (5) 14 Popular newspaper size (7) 16 Conferred (8) 17 Drinking vessels (4) 18 One of the original 13 US states (5,6)

1 Harvest yield (4) 2 Keep going! (5,2) 3 Hit — influence (5) 4 White sauce flavoured with onions and herbs (8) 5 Expert judge of taste (11) 6 Uncommunicative (5-6) 10 Response (8) 12 Most doleful (7) 15 Chimney cleaner (5) 17 Chinwag (4)

Last week’s solution

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

21

Lifestyle

O

VAASTU SHASTRA

Fostering Universal Understanding

ften, people who take responsibility do not pray, and those who pray do not take responsibility.

Every religion has three aspectsvalues, symbols and practices.

There is diversity in both practices and symbols, whereas values are common to all the religions.

The growth of fanaticism, fundamentalism and intolerance in the world is happening because people are stuck in only the practices, symbols or customs while forgetting the values.

Spirit loves diversity. There is not just one type of fruit, one type of people, or one type of animal on this planet. So let’s not confine the spirit to a uniform. Let’s enjoy the diversity in creation by honoring, respecting and loving them all. We have been using the term ‘religious tolerance’ too often. I think that these words have become

obsolete now. You tolerate only that which you don’t love. The time has come to love each other’s religions as one’s own. A religion is great not just because it is mine; it is great because of what it is. This understanding, when imbued in all the priests, clergymen and others who lead people in spiritual and religious light, would put an end to the fanaticism and fundamentalism going on in our beautiful world.

It would be nice if, together, we all may adopt a resolution that we would educate our people to understand a little bit about every religion in order to encompass a broader vision about life. No doubt, one must go deep in one’s own religion; at the same time, having an understanding about every other religion is essential today.

Without meditation and universal brotherhood, which form the very

essence of spirituality, religion remains as just an outer shell. I often say religion is the skin of the banana while spirituality is the actual banana. The misery our world is because we throw away the banana while holding onto the dry skin. So we need to enhance the spiritual aspect of our lives.

Seeing God inside you is meditation; seeing God in the person next to you is service.

Service and meditation go hand in hand. The previous century has been an era of uniforms and unions. Now let us move towards an era of communion. With these few words I pray and I take responsibility, both at the same time.

shri shri ravi shankar Founder- Art of Living Foundation.

Three mistakes to avoid while buying life insurance

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uying a life insurance policy is a suitable way to face the uncertainties of life. A life insurance protects your family members so that they do not have to grapple with a financial crisis in the event of death of an earning member.

However, sometimes out of ignorance, the benefits desired out of the insurance policy are not available to us due to certain mistakes made while buying the insurance policy.

Such mistakes may result in higher costs to you or even extinguishment of overall policy benefits.

Mohammad Ali once said, “I’ve made my share of mistakes along the way, but if I have changed even one life for the better, I haven’t lived in vain.”

Here are three mistakes you must avoid while buying life insurance policies: 1. Ignoring need evaluation Even while the rule of thumb calls for an insurance cover of 10 times the annual income, insurance requirements are still specific to each individual and one size doesn’t fit all.

It depends on the age, health, family status and requirements, existing savings and loans of the individual. A

cover that would work for you in your 20s may not be suitable as you grow older.

Just to illustrate, if you are single, you might not need a higher insurance cover. Similarly, if you have a family with non-working spouse and children, you might need sufficient cover for their financial stability.

Further, in case you have sufficient accumulated savings and lesser loan, you might consider a lower insurance cover.

So, finalise the sum to be assured after proper evaluation and do not pick a figure randomly. In case you end up settling for a lower sum assured, the whole purpose of getting insured will be defeated due to the risk of financial troubles still persisting.

2. Waiting too long to get insured “I am a young, energetic person, I don’t need insurance right now”, “I don’t have any health issues, why should I get myself insured?” We often make such assumptions to avoid buying insurance policies.

But, don’t forget that premiums for your insurance cover will be lower if you are younger. So, start early to benefit from lower premiums and coverage for unforeseen risks.

One can consider buying protection plans which are the cheapest among the insurance products basket and provide large covers with minimal costs.

3. Making incorrect disclosures “I smoke, but how will the insurer know that I do? Let me have a lower premium by saying I don’t smoke,” said an ignorant insured who stands a chance to lose his risk cover.

Another quite common mistake noticed is with regards to making incorrect disclosures in the policy purchase form, specifically in respect to health conditions and existing diseases. The disclosures may be incorrect due to ignorance or to avail better premium rates. But one should be diligent enough in filling the details while buying the policy, so that no vital information is left out. This is important to avoid the possibility of disclaim of liability in case of incorrect disclosures. So, it is better to pay some additional premium, than to forego the entire premium and still not get the benefits as desired.

These are little things to be careful about which certainly go a long way in taking care of your financial insecurities. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Pallav Bagaria CEO, Brand New Day – one of Northeast’s leading Mutual Funds Investment Consultancy and Portfolio Management Services pallav@salasarcapital.com

Vaastu and Children

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t is equally important to watch the behaviour of children besides monitoring their studies and other activities. Many parents do not bother about children going around with friends and doing whatever they want without informing parents. If the kids do not have a clear mindset or vision about their future, they may just wander about here and there. Vaastu can help a lot in the progress and development of your child.

Sometimes, the kids become rebellious and do not listen to parents. Their minds cannot concentrate on studies.

They are more interested in the Social Network or TV/ computer and get easily irritated. In such cases, check for the following Vaastu defects in their room: There should not be any sports goods like football, tennis racket etc or any game e.g. chess/carom board etc. in the southwest corner of the room. In fact, children should not be allowed to sleep in the room at South-West.

This makes them bossy and arrogant. Do not let them keep photos with friends having fun in the study area. The Northeast should not have a cut and it should not be painted with red. Defects at South-East also affect children.

Remedies Vaastu has solution for all problems.

provided kinds of

1. If the child is not focussed, put him in a room at northeast.

Keep a picture of goddess Saraswati with her white swan.

2. It is very important to improve the communication skills of the children. They should be advised to practice group discussions and debate in the Eastern zone of the house.

3. Only objects or pictures of positive interest and beneficial to the children should be kept at southwest corner as anything kept in this corner interests them.

The decoration and arrangement 4. Place the bed of the child in such a way so that the head is placed towards East while sleeping. The children should face east while studying.

5. Light green, light yellow or light blue colours are best for children.

6. Keep a table lamp in the southeast corner of the study table.

7. Care should be taken not to place the head of the bed towards a toilet. If the children sleep with their heads towards the toilet, they will lose concentration in studies.

8. Feng Shui recommends an education tower on the study table.

A globe can be kept for those who wish to study abroad.

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

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Buzz

Tributes paid to Natya Prabhakar Satya Prasad Barua

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riends and admirers paid their tributes to the illustrious theatre personality, Natya Prabhakar Satya Prasad Barua, on the occasion of his birth anniversary at the Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati.

Natya Prabhakar Satya Prasad Barua Janma Satabarshiki Udjapan Samiti together with the socio-cultural organisation Jyotirupa and the Directorate of Cultural Affairs organised a twoday programme, on October 28 and 29, to mark the occasion.

Secretary, Asam Sahitya

Sabha, Dr Paramananda Rajbongshi, inaugurated the memorial programme. Speaking

during the event, Rajbongshi said, “If someone enriched the world of Assamese theatre with a new thought process and a refreshed outlook after Jyotiprasad Agarwala, it was Satya Prasad Barua.”

He added, “Unfortunately, we are yet to pay a befitting tribute to this doyen of the Assamese theatre world.

His wide-ranging Assamese adaptation of European classical plays and his own creations like Shaswati Bhaswati, Mrinalmahi, among others, are a treat to the theatre lovers.” n

Ninth edition of ‘Uttaran’ concludes

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ttaran, a two-day event, was held under the aegis of the Assam Fine Arts and Crafts Society (AFACS) where diploma certificates were awarded to upcoming artists. The event culminated in an art exhibition

which was held on October 28 and 29.

The 9th edition of ‘Uttaran’ with the theme ‘Towards Progress’, was held at the District Library and the State Art Gallery, Guwahati. Around 400 students were awarded the Diploma in Fine Arts on October 28, out of which 10 outstanding students received the ‘Special Distinction Award’. A number of art schools across the state are affiliated to AFACS, located near Judge’s Field. Exams are held under the AFACS, and students receive the certificates after completion of the 5th year.

The programme was attended by various dignitaries

from the region including, Munin Bhattacharjee, journalist Munin Bayon, playwright Gunakar Dev Goswami, visual artist Sujit Borah, wildlife enthusiast Dr Bibhab Kr Talukdar, musician Loknath Goswami and writer Pankaj Gobinda Medhi.

“We invited eminent personalities from various creative fields so that our students get a chance to interact with them and get inspired,” said Kamal Mahanta, Secretary, AFACS. On the occasion, Pulak Gogoi was felicitated by the Society with a Maan Patra, a Seleng Chadar and cash award of 15,000 for his immense contribution to the field of art. n

Meeting of Don Bosco past pupils’ federation held

T

he National Federation of Don Bosco Past Pupils met on October 27 at the Don Bosco Institute, Guwahati, to discuss and deliberate on organisational matters concerning its smooth functioning and to focus on its future course of action.

This strategy planning meeting was hosted by the Past Pupils Association of the Guwahati province and around 60 delegates, presidents and other office-bearers from across eleven provinces of India, attended the meet.

Father Januarius Sangma, the vice provincial of the Guwahati province, welcomed the delegates on behalf of Father

VM Thomas, the provincial.

Father Albert Johnson read out the message of regional delegate for South Asia, Father Maria Arokiam.

In his address to the members, the executive director, Father Johnson Parackal, said the Don Bosco Institute was happy to host this national meeting of the Past Pupils and said this is a golden opportunity to strengthen the bond of the union.

Speaking during the occasion, the national delegate Father Albert Johnson congratulated everyone and said he hoped that the Past Pupils Association will grow like the Brahmaputra. A number of other delegates also addressed the gathering. n

ABVP sweeps Pragjyotish College elections; wins 10 out of 14 seats

Arundhati Nag inaugurates Hastakshar Art Exhibition at Guwahati

A

n art exhibition has been inaugurated by eminent actress Arundhati Nag organised by Hastakshar, a unique art enterprise at Pragjyoti ITA Centre Art Gallery, Machkhowa.

The exhibition started on 1st November and will conclude on 5th November 2017. The 5 -day exhibition features the works of veteran as well as emerging artists of the region.

The exhibition, organized by Hastakshar aims to bring forth the art and sculpture of the artists of Assam to whose works indulge in the various forms of traditional and contemporary art.

The exhibition exhibited paintings of artists such as Alpana Phukan, Debananda Ulup, Chandana Kalita, Dadul Caliha, Minakshi Borgohain, Nazneen Hafez, Pallavi Barooah, Shiv Prasad Marar, Pankhi Saikia Nath.

Speaking on the occasion Arundhati Nag said, “For me, it is my holy space, my religion. It always

T makes me happy to be in midst of art and artists. You have given me a moment of pride by calling me to inaugurate the exhibition. What more can I ask for. I am an artist and I am getting to celebrate other artists and their work.”

Supporting the initiative of Hastakshar, an official from Life Insurance Corporation of India,

Guwahati Division said, “Hastakshar has provided a platform to the artists through the exhibition and we support in their effort to give a cursory approach to the colossal sector.”

Hastakshar also has an art gallery at the city hotel Vivanta by Taj apart from the one at the LGBI Airport, Guwahati. n

he results of Pragjyotish College student election were declared on October 28. Out of the 14 posts, 10 posts including the President, Vice President and Assistant General Secretary were won by ABVPbacked candidates.

Among the winners from ABVP are Manash Jyoti Sarmah as President, Jintu Dutta as Vice President, Manash Pratim Koushik as Assistant General Secretary, Karishma Das as the Editor of college magazine, Biplab Jit Baruah as Secretary boys’ common room and minor games,

Dhritiman Kalita as debating and symposium Secretary, Sumit Jha as General Sports Secretary, Manash Jyoti Baishya as Gymnasium Secretary, Chandan Baishya as Social Service Secretary and Nikita Bhowmick as Cultural and Fine Arts Secretary.

Pallab Choudhury, Priya Ray, Amar Jyoti Baruah and Syed Finazul Haque have been elected for the remaining posts as General Secretary, Secretary girls’ common room and minor games, Secretary of football, volleyball and basketball and Secretary of cricket respectively. n

G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

23

Events

Event - NH7 Weekender 2017 Date - 27-28 October Venue - Wenfield, Jaintia Hills

Workshops at Guwahati Theatre Festival bring new learning experiences for young Guwahatians

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o promote youth theatre, Guwahati Theatre Festival (GTF) and Brahmaputra Foundation jointly conducted a workshop and interaction session with the stalwarts of Indian theatre like Quasar Thakore Padamsee, Bhavna Pani, Trupti Khamakar, Sheena Khalid and Puja Sarup. The two-day workshop that was held at ITA Machkhowa was initiated to teach young students of the educational institutions of Guwahati about voice and movement techniques.

More than 100 students participated in the workshop. The main focus of the workshops was to educate as well as entertain, while roping some of the key artists of the GTF. Speaking about the initiative, Asha Kuthari Chadhury, director of GTF said, “The theatre festival is committed to nurturing budding industry talent, offering a platform that provides an opportunity for theatre aspirants to develop essential skills in all areas of theatrical production.”

The workshop witnessed active participation from students of schools like Sarala Birla Gyan Jyoti, Delhi Public School, Faculty Higher Secondary School, and Army Public School.

“It was lot of fun for me. The students were

bright and energetic. We shared the basics of theatre creations. It was more interesting because of the kind of questions that came up during the interaction session. Overall, it was a very good experience,” said Puja Sarup.

Sarup while engaging the participants in exercises of dialogue delivery, demonstrated as to how the dialogues and acting must exhibit manners of synchronicity with the individual’s body. The actors also shared their journey towards acting with the young crowd.

While both the workshops revolved around certain voice and movement factors, which are critical parts of any acting platforms, their interactions with the students revealed the sets of ethical and pragmatic considerations which are a permanent part of it. With the workshops, the students were introduced not just to the skills it requires to be an actor, but also the grime through which an artist goes through.

The trainers of the workshops appreciated the enthusiastic participation of the students, who at such a young age, showed a deep interest towards art.

Actor Sheena Khalid said, “The students were very welcoming and interactive and showed keen interest in learning the nuances of theatre and drama.”

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G PLUS | NOV 04 - NOV 10, 2017

Catching Up Most shared story of the week

Violina Das

New

Chick on the block

About Me Greetings to all the readers of G Plus! I am Violina Das, a 23 year old resident of Guwahati. I am currently pursuing my B.Sc in Biotechnology from Assam Down Town University. I have been associated with the fashion industry since September 2016, and I am enjoying the way it has changed me from within. Apart from modelling, I am a trained classical singer.

Mojo I stepped into modelling to follow my passion for fashion shoots. Modelling has made me a confident person. It has made me see myself like never before.

G

MCH landed into yet another controversy when a youth sprung to life in the morgue after being pronounced dead by the hospital.

Due to this incident, the faith on Government hospitals has again been shaken up.

700+

39

facebook.com/guwahatiplus twitter.com/guwahatiplus

Route in Woods I will always love to connect with modelling, no matter what profession I choose to be into. Both singing and fashion together shape the person I am, and I want to give my best in this. I am still very young; I have a long way to go.

Photography by - Bijit Sarma

Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Janambhumi Press (P) Ltd., Kalapahar, Guwahati and Published at 4A, Royale Arcade, Ulubari, Guwahati - 781007, Editor: Swapnil Bharali.

Phone: 0361 2522444, Email: info@g-plus.in, RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641