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2. law enforcement
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online
Shopping
spree or addiction?
The Fight
for Every Heartbeat
PG 08
Angelica Kenova
is a living doll’
PG 16
Page 24
VOLUME 02 | ISSUE 34
MAY 30 - JUN 05 , 2015
PRICE `10
EXCLUSIVE
INTERVIEW
GMC
Commissioner
OTC VIAGRA
SALES
INCREASE IN CITY
PG
10
Are
Coaching
Institutes
helping city
students?
With changing lifestyle among the men of the city, there is an increase in the use of drugs
like Viagra but most are sold OTC without a doctor’s prescription.
Contd. in page 02
PG
06
Several city hospitals
flaunting
PG
health norms 03
Green
garbage
infuriate
LOCALS
PG
14
2
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Lead Story
OTC VIAGRA SALES
INCREASE IN GUWAHATI
Rahul Chanda
67%
W
ith changing lifestyles and
modern habits, Guwahatians are facing various
health hazards including increasing
cases of erectile dysfunction among
men. But for someone suffering from
such a condition, is it wise to consult
a doctor or should one directly go to
a chemist and start using Viagra or
Sildenafil (the active ingredient contained in Viagra). G Plus talked to
chemists, men in the city and experts
to know how one can use the potency
enhancing drug and are the men using such drugs at all. If yes, are doctors prescribing it and if not, what are
the side effects of using such drugs
without doctor’s recommendation.
The survey
G Plus talked to around 30 chemists across the city to find out whether
men in the city are buying the performance enhancing pills. Around
19 chemists said there has been an
increase in the sale of such pills in
recent days and another six chemists
said they do not keep them in their
shops. The other four did not want to
reply to the query.
According to city chemists, there
are sildenafil citrate pills available
in the market like Viagra, Penegra,
Coberta, Manforce, Chril pil etc.
The Life Pharmacy manager said,
“The sale of Viagra is increasing in
Guwahati in recent days and most
of the people buying Viagra do not
men feel it’s because of
changing lifestyle
come with any doctor’s prescription. There are very rare cases when
patients come to purchase Sildenafil
with a doctor’s prescription.” He also
said that mostly men aged between
30 to 45 years purchase Viagra although there have been incidents
where young boys aged between 18
to 25 purchase them for enhanced
performance as well. So what are the
reasons for increase in the demand
for such pills?
The reasons
G Plus talked to 100 men randomly in the age group of 30 to 40
years and discovered their reasons
for the increased use of Viagra in
Guwahati. 67 men said that the use
of such drugs have increased because
of changing lifestyles and another
21 men felt it is used only by people
who are childless. Six of the respondents felt that it is increasing because
women these days are very demanding while the remaining six men did
not want to comment.
A city based businessman Biplob
Bhuyan said, “I know a friend who
has been married for the last six years
but till now does not have a child as
his wife has not conceived as yet.
Someone suggested to him to start
using Viagra and he did so without
consulting any doctor. It has been
around six to seven months that he
has been using Viagra and now he has
become very weak. I have suggested
“Drugs like Viagra
should be only
used after doctors’
recommendations
as there are serious
side effects if such
drugs are taken
under certain
conditions. If
Viagra is taken with
organic nitrates
or anti fungal
medicines, there
can be serious
consequences.”
Dr Subhash Jain
Gynaecologist
him to visit a doctor.”
Another city based government
employee said, “I feel many people
use Viagra just to experiment with
their sexual life and gradually they
make it a habit. Every man wants to
be known as a stud and they feel that
sexual performance is something
that matters the most for his partner.
Viagra helps a man to perform better
and hence its use is increasing.”
There might be various reasons
for an increase in the use of drugs like
Viagra, but it is also a fact that the
drug is mostly bought without any
doctor’s prescription. But is it wise to
use it without consulting a doctor?
The experts
City based psychiatrist Dr Nahid
S Islam said, “It is not at all advisable
to take drug like Sildenafil without
doctor’s recommendation as it is not
a magic pill and can have some serious side effects. It is just a medicine,
which improves erection in men that
can be taken if doctor recommends
it.” She further said that there is a
psychology among the men that to be
looked at as sexually virile, they will
have to satisfy their wives or partners
with a better performance every time
and hence the use of such drugs prevail. Some men even do not want to
discuss about their potency problems
with anyone and therefore, they avoid
consulting a doctor who may be able
to cure them even without using such
drug.
Dr Subhash Jain, a gynaecologist said, “Drugs like Viagra should
be only used after doctors’ recommendations as there are serious side
effects if such drugs are taken under
certain conditions. If Viagra is taken
with organic nitrates or anti fungal
medicines, there can be serious consequences.” He further said that if a
person has heart problem, low blood
pressure, past history of stroke or
anatomical defects on the penis, then
the effect of the drug is risky for that
person. He also said that people suffering from sickle cell anaemia or
myeloma can suffer from disease like
priapism if they use Viagra. There are
also side effects of such drugs like
headache, migraine, flushing of the
face among others. He added that in
some rare cases, the drug can even
cause cardiac arrest if the person using the drug is very weak. He said
that any doctor cannot prescribe such
medicine and an urologist, gynaecologist or an MD medicine should
prescribe such drugs if required after
thorough examination.
A Delhi based doctor, Dr Manoj
Kumar Singh said, “There are various
sexual problems which men face like
erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation etc and drugs like Viagra can
only help in erection by causing fast
blood flow to that part of the body.
It will not help to cure problems like
premature ejaculation.” He also said
that there are other causes of such
problems, like if someone is facing
a problem of erectile dysfunction, it
can be because of stress, so, if a doctor is consulted and the stress is dealt
with, the problem will be cured. But
if one starts taking sildenafil without
going to a doctor, it will further increase the problem.
So, according to experts, it is not
wise to use Viagra without consulting a doctor but in Guwahati, people mostly use such drugs without
any prescription which needs to be
checked.
[email protected]
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
3
In The News
Several city
hospitals flaunting
health norms
District admin to act tough against erring institutions
Kalyan deb
T
ightening its hold over private hospitals flaunting health
norms, the Kamrup metropolitan administration has placed under scrutiny several such hospitals in
the city and a few of them have been
found reportedly violating norms.
Recently, a team led by Additional
DC Fakhruddin Ahmed visited the
Midland Hospital during which it was
found that the hospital authorities
were not following certain norms as
per Health Establishment Act, 1993.
Various anomalies like not having a
morgue, non-display of the services
provided in the public domain, not
having adequate doctors and nurses
as per the number of beds available in
the hospitals, lack of parking facilities,
etc. were found during the inspection drive. The drive was undertaken
after Kamrup deputy commissioner
Dr. M Angamuthu formed a team on
November 2014 led by a magistrate to
conduct inspections in hospitals and
verify whether they were following all
norms and guidelines.
It was found during the inspection that the Midland Hospital has
been conducting operations of urology patients without having the requisite section for the department in the
hospital. Following the violations, the
Directorate of Health issued a show
cause notice to be replied within a seven day period. Moreover, the hospital
has been ordered not to perform operations for which they have not been
It was found during the inspection that the Midland Hospital has been
conducting operations of urology patients without having the requisite section
for the department in the hospital. Following the violations, the Directorate
of Health issued a show cause notice to be replied within a seven day period.
Moreover, the hospital has been ordered not to perform operations for which
they have not been authorised.
authorised.
“Although no major violation of
norms have been found so far during the first phase of inspection, those
found violating the norms have been
provided a particular time period to
rectify their faults. Since hospitals
are organisations that employ several
workers, so it will take a major violation of norm to perform strict actions
such as cancellation of license,” said
additional deputy commissioner,
Kamrup metropolitan, Fakhruddin
Ahmed.
“Whether the rectifications have
been carried out or not will be scrutinised in another phase of inspection
which will be taking place in due time.
The drive will be a continuous process
carried out by teams lead by officials”,
Ahmed added.
On the first day of the inspection,
the administration sealed the surgical
ward of Sun Valley Hospital located at
GS Road. The inspection team found
anomalies in the documents. The
hospital is recognized by the health
department as a diabetic care and research centre and had no permission
to carry out surgeries. The surgical
section has been sealed till the hospital procures the requisite permission
from the health department.
The inspection team led by additional deputy commissioner Fakruddin Ahmed also carried out checks on
several hospitals across the city such as
Agile Hospital, Down Town Hospitals,
Dispur Polyclinic, International Hospital, Wintrobe Hospital, Aruna Memorial Hospital, Sun Valley Hospital,
Midland Hospital and Dispur Hospitals among several others.
Some private hospitals were also
evading their responsibility to provide rebate to patients in the out–patient department facilities as well as
in–patient department facilities from
the economically weaker section category. Questions have been also raised
with regards to access to healthcare
services, equity, patient’s rights and
information sharing among other
things. These aspects are linked with
concerns for policy and programme
in the context of continued policy of
the State towards privatisation, public
funding for private health sector, etc.
“Though there is no such Act to
regulate the amount charged by hospitals for various treatments but we are
verifying if the hospitals are providing
the necessary facilities and rebates to
patients from BPL section. The bills
and charges of various medical cares
are also being scrutinized,” Ahmed informed adding, “Discussions are being
carried out at the government level to
rate the hospitals like hotels so that the
treatment amount charged by the hospital can be fixed to a certain amount.”
The administration allegedly had
reports that many private health providers in the city are operating in violation of set norms and guidelines.
Besides, the inspection will also
check the provisions for parking,
emergency services, fire fighting apparatus, garbage disposal mechanism
and manpower management in the
hospitals.
It can be noted that earlier in
January 2014, the Guwahati Municipal Development Authority (GMDA)
had also sent notices to 48 private hospitals and nursing homes in the city,
seeking information and documents
like building permission for such establishments and Fire and Emergency
Services NOCs among others, for
scrutiny to ensure that all municipal
and safety norms are complied with.
The GMDA has sought NOCs and
approved drawings of the institutions’
buildings, up-to-date NOCs from Fire
and Emergency Services and follow-up
compliance reports, up-to-date NOCs
from the Pollution Control Board and
follow-up compliance report, clearance from competent authority under
the Assam Health Establishment Act
1993, details of both liquid and solid
waste disposal plans in operation and
details regarding the provision of incinerator and any other waste disposal
mechanism in operation.
[email protected]
4
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
In The News
New software
to tackle
human trafficking cases
RAHUL CHANDA
W
hile the state police is trying its level best to become
techno savvy with various
technological approaches towards
policing, for the first time, a non-government organisation is facilitating a
move which will ease the process of
handling human trafficking cases in
entire northeast benefitting even the
state police to its maximum.
Impulse NGO Network launched
the Impulse Case Info Centre (ICIC)
software on 28th May 2015 at the
Conference Hall of the Police Control Room Ulubari, Guwahati. Mukesh Sahay, ADGP CID, Bhaskar Jyoti
Mahanata, ADGP Railways, Jyotirmoy Chakraborty, Commissioner of
Police, Guwahati were the chief guest
and the guests of honour. The members of anti human trafficking unit of
the police force of all the eight states
of Northeast were also present during
the launch.
The software
The ICIC software will provide
the anti-human trafficking units a
fast and systematic communication
channel across the country to share
case information, documents, and
updates on the human trafficking
cases. All the anti-human trafficking
units have their specific user account
in the AHT Software, enabling them
to see only the cases that they have
registered or cases that have been
referred to them. This ensures that
necessary confidentiality and privacy
standards are followed.
However, the software has an
alert-feature, enabling different units
to realize if any other unit is, or has
been, managing a case involving the
same human trafficking victim or the
same human trafficker. Moreover,
the software is automatically colliding statistical information on high
prevalence source and destinations
areas for human trafficking, the trafficking methods and routes, along
with general profile of human trafficking victims and traffickers.
CID ADGP Mukesh Sahai said,
“To use technology is a force
multiplier to improve our efficacy in countering human
trafficking which is a serious
no risk, high profit organised
criminal activity.”
The ICIC Software provides the needed national and
international link for the anti-human trafficking units to collaborate
in reporting and sharing information
on human trafficking cases.
A trainer demonstrating the software to the
police officials
The ICIC
Software enables
• Systematic case
documentation for cases
of human trafficking
• Fast and continuous
communication among
Anti-Human Trafficking
Units nationally and
internationally
• Centralization of required
formats and toolkits for
Anti-Human Trafficking
• Centralization of
stakeholder’s contacts • Platform for statistical
information on
human trafficking
trends nationally and
internationally Number of human
trafficking cases
registered in Guwahati
4
in 2012
7
in 2014
9
in 2013
1
in 2015
(till today)
Senior police officials of eight Northeastern
states with the members of Impulse NGO pose
for a photograph during the launch of ICIC
An software
important element of the
software is that although it is accessible to all anti-human trafficking
units (AHTUs), the details of each
case are password protected and only
the relevant units involved in an individual case can see details of that
particular case.
Therefore, only those who have
reported a specific case, and those
to whom the case has been referred
to, are able to open and update the
information on the specific case.
The software is functional offline; the case details can be
inserted to the case files in the
offline mode. However, the information can be only shared
with the other stakeholders
once connected to internet.
The initiative
Impulse chief Hasina Kharbhih
said, “After 17 long years of impulse
model, it has been in full operation
and also replicated in the eight states
of the northeast. We have registered
almost 72,000 number of cases of
trafficking including the child and
women and in these years, of course,
we have realised that the data bank/
the cases management system was
inadequate in actually making it in
a systematic approach. So, the whole
process of making it in a systematic
approach became so relevant that we
have to succeed to bring anti-human
trafficking unit. In this 17 years we
faced the challenges of case documentation, speeding of the intervention or the case management system
that becomes so much of a challenging point.”
She further said that the concept of getting a software in place
where things become easier was
brainstormed and the idea of making a software was conceptualised.
In 2012 Impulse NGO received the
Global Development Network silver
prize under the Japanese most devel-
opment project and that was where
the NGO thought of getting the software. The prize money was $10000
USD and $7000 was used to develop
the software which will be shared for
free with the AHTUs of all the northeastern states initially and in future
the entire nation can start using the
software following the northeast. She
said that as IIT Guwahati is in northeast she approached the institute to
help her make develop the software
and under the guidance of Prof SRM
Prasanna and Dr Ranbir Singh of IIT
Guwahati, Speechwrenet India pvt
ltd developed the software.
At present the police officials are
getting trained on the software and
once they are comfortable with the
software, they will start working on
the software soon. Impulse NGO will
be the administrator of the software
but will not be able to view investigating procedure of the police. After
the two day training in Guwahati,
the Hasina will travel to all the eight
states to train the officials at their
own working place. Interestingly, the
software will be managed by an IG
level officer of the AHTU of any state
and that increases the accountability
and responsibility for handeling the
software efficiently. Hasina said that
it is a milestone move for the police
and the NGO which can share data
and work together against the traffickers and for the trafficking victims.
Along with Impulse NGO, other
NGOs can also be a partner of the
process by joining the Impulse model
which will have various levels of scrutiny. At present Utsah is one of the
partner in the process.
[email protected]
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
In The News
Assam DGP deposes before
riot commission
G PLUS NEWS
A
ssam police chief Khagen
Sarma recorded his statement
before the one man enquiry
commission probing the 2012 BTAD
riots in the city on Thursday. Assam
police’s slow response in dousing the
violence during its initial days had
come under severe criticism then.
The state government had constituted this commission headed by
Mutum BK Singh, retired judge of the
Gauhati High Court to find out the individuals or organizations responsible
for the violence and fix responsibility.
The Commission was also asked to determine the lapses, if any, on the part
of the civil and the police administration in tackling the situation.
The DGP, however, refused to
comment anything before the media
after his deposition.
​Assam police to fill 6000
AB constable posts
G PLUS NEWS
A
“There was an allegation that
security forces were not deployed
timely. However, the DG said that
forces acted timely. Earlier, all the
administrative officials and police
officials of BTAD had deposed that
forces were deployed at least three
days after the violence during which
it escalated,” said advocate N H
Mazarbhuyan who was present at
the disposition and represented a
minority students’ group before the
commission.
Sarma has even allegedly failed
to clarify how and when the state police would seize all the illegal arms
available in BTAD.
The commission so far recorded
at least 165 witnesses and top officials of home department are likely
to depose before it on Friday.
iming to add muscle to the
acute man power shortage of Assam police, the
state police have started one of its
largest armed branch constable
recruitment process. It will fill at
least 6, 748 posts across the state.
“There were reports of several
incidents of rackets involving taking bribes from candidates in the
name of job. But I want to ensure
that this recruitment will be completely based on merit,” Assam police director general Khagen Sarma
told media.
Assam police have opened helpline numbers- 9854077723 and
9854077725 to register complaints
of corruption in the recruitment
process.
“The candidates can even
contact us through Facebook
page-‘recruitment of armed
branch constables 2014-15 or
WhatsApp or contact the DGP
control room,” the DGP said.
Physical tests of hundreds
of candidates at 23 out of the 37
venues for the recruitment are
finished and the remaining will
be over on June 8.
“Those who clear the physical
test will sit for a written test. So
we appeal all the candidates not
to go for any such luring,” Sarma
added.
Naturopathy
Educational institutions
and yoga help in to become tobacco-free
rehabilitation and I
reoccurrence of
cancer
G PLUS NEWS
Dr Avantika Saraf
G PLUS NEWS
T
o live a healthy and peaceful
life in the midst of a busy
and challenging life requires
shifting one’s awareness close to
nature, moving inwards to oneself
and setting the rhythm of life in
the right direction. To facilitate
this, Dr B Barooah Cancer Institute
in association with Jeevandham
Foundation conducted a seminar on
“Approach to Integrative Oncology”
through Naturopathy and Yoga.
Naturopathy is a system of
working towards the cure of
diseases without using medicines. It
is an ancient and traditional science
which integrates the physical,
mental and spiritual aspects of our
natural constitution. Naturopathy
has the capacity to prevent and in
some cases also cure the disease.
Naturopathy believes that the
reasons and remedies of all diseases
are the same—ailments develop due
to the presence of intoxicants which
are removed by natural means.
All levels of the body are treated
simultaneously and holistically.
The
principal
aim
of
Naturopathy is to teach people the
art of healthy living by changing
their daily routine and habits—this
not only cures the disease but makes
ones’ bodies strong and glowing.
Dr Avantika Saraf, the first
Naturopath physician of Assam
said, “It is a well know fact that
80 per cent of cancer patient use
complementary and alternative
medicine treatments in combination
with
conventional
treatment.
Integrative oncology has tallied real
success in extending mainstream
strategies, but its most important
advances stem from preventing
recurrence
once
conventional
practitioners declare their work
done.”
Naturopathy and Yoga works
effectively in three stages in cancer
management. First, it prevents the
diseases by lifestyle modification,
by working alongside conventional
treatment where patients are
experiencing side effects and lastly it
helps in rehabilitation of the patient
who has completed the treatment and
minimizes the risk of reoccurrence.
Some of the therapies proven useful
are Massage Therapy, Hydrotherapy,
Reflexology, Diet Therapy and
Acupuncture along with Yoga and
Meditation.
Dr Amal Chandra Kataki,
Director BCCI, while speaking
on the occasion remarked that
the seminar was very effective in
knowing the integrative approach
which will help lot of cancer patients
to reduce the time of rehabilitation
and reoccurrence. A programme on
Yoga to overcome stress associated
with cancer will be organized for the
patient in the institute during the first
International Yoga day on 21st June
2015.
n an effort to save the future
generation from the ill effect of
tobacco, the Assam Government
has recently issued notification to
make all educational institutions in
the state tobacco-free by this year.
A official instruction issued by
Additional Chief Secretary, Education Rajiv Kumar Bora to all heads of
educational institutions (Principals,
Head Masters, Head Mistress/Registrars) requested all to comply with
the prescribed criteria for tobacco
free educational institutions and
submit the status report on the same
along with the self-declaration at the
earliest, to the concerned district and
state officials.
The official letter from the Additional Chief Secretary dated May 19,
2015 also mentioned that the Additional Chief Secretary, Education will
review the action taken by each institution in this regard on regular basis.
The criteria for tobacco free educational institution are
• Display of “tobacco free education institution” board at
a prominent place on the
boundary wall outside the
main entrance.
• Display of mandatory signage
stating “Sale of tobacco products is prohibited within 100
yards radius of this educational institution” at a prominently near the main gate and
on boundary wall of school/
institute.
• No smoking or chewing of tobacco inside the premises of
institution by students/teachers/other staff members/visitors.
• All educational institutions
shall display prominently at
the entrance and exit of the
school premises “No Smoking
5
•
•
•
•
Area-Smoking Here is an Offence” Signages of 60x30 cm size
inside the institution (as mandated by law).
Appointment (Selection) of
Nodal officers in each educational institution for tobacco
control and monitoring activities.
Incorporate tobacco control
activities/programmes in the
educational institutions. Posters
with information on harmful
effects of tobacco will be displayed at prominent places in
the school/institution. Students
should be encouraged to write
anti-tobacco slogans in school/
institution wall magazine.
A copy of the Cigarette and
Other Tobacco Products Act
(COTPA), 2003 shall be available with the Principals/ Head
of school/institutions. (May be
downloaded from the website of
the Ministry of Health &Family
Welfare—www.mohfw.nic.in)
Schools/educational institutions
will have to submit tobacco-free
educational institution declaration to concerned district heads.
The instruction from Additional
Chief Secretary also mentioned that
the concerned Directorates (Elementary, Secondary, Higher, Technical and
Madrassa), RMSA, SSA along with the
civil society organizations will be involved in this initiative.
The Assam Government has constituted two committees, one at the
district level and one at the state level
to look after the activities of the educational institutions in respect of achieving the target of the tobacco free institutions.
The district committee which will
be chaired by the Deputy Commissioner will consist of five members including the Chairman.
The Inspector of Schools (IS) and
District Elementary Education Officer
(DEEO) will submit reports to the district committee about the institutions
on infringement of Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA),
2003 in respect of educational institutions (section 6-b).
The committee will be at liberty
to take necessary steps for ensuring
compliance of COTPA by educational
institutions throughout the state of Assam and to declare tobacco-free educational institutions throughout the state
of Assam.
The committee will submit
monthly status report to the Government which will be placed before the
State Level Core Committee chaired by
the Minister of Education.
Initiating action to stop the growing use of tobacco amongst the students, Assam Education Minister
Sarat Barkataki on Saturday last at a
programme held at the Dr. B. Barooah
Cancer Institute (BBCI) announced
that his department issued notification
to stop use of tobacco in educational
institutions.
It is to be mentioned that the Voluntary Health Association of Assam
(VHAA), a non-profit organization
working in the field of tobacco control
in Assam for the last decade or so, initiated the advocacy campaign with the
Assam Education Department couple
of months back to push for making all
educational institutions in the State tobacco free.
The advocacy effort of the VHAA
yielded results with the education department deciding to launch Tobacco
Free Education Campaign in Assam.
The VHAA has also been made a
member of the State Level Core Committee which was constituted by the
Government to review the monthly
status reports of the districts submitted
in respect of declaration of the tobacco
free educational institutions.
6
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
City
Are
Coaching Institutes
Juthika Baruah
helping CITY students?
W
ith rising competition
among the students across
all sectors, numerous
coaching institutes in the city have entered the fray in different disciplines,
all promising to give the best of education for cracking competitive examinations.
But the million dollar question isdo coaching institutions really provide
the best education that enables one
to crack competitive examination? G
Plus talked to a number of students
from different institutions and most
students expressed satisfaction with
the education being provided by such
coaching centres in the city.
Talking to G Plus, a student of
IMS Coaching Centre, Pinky Das
said, “The coaching for CAT in the
institution has helped me a lot as I
was worried whether I could crack the
examination or not. But the centre has
provided me the best of knowledge
and education through which I passed
the examination. The faculty members
are very supportive and they teach us
the tricks to simplify the questions in
the limited time given in the examination.”
Another student, Rimlee Baruah
who is pursuing a course for banking
examination said that the coaching
has helped her a lot in getting ideas
to prepare for the examination. “I am
an advocate by profession and I want
to sit for the bank examination but
as I don’t have the basic idea on how
to prepare, I opted for this coaching
class. I am not good in Mathematics
and through this coaching atleast I
came to know about the various techniques used to solve the maths,” said
Rimlee.
She also said that the faculty
members are good enough to get into
the concept of the knowledge required
to sit in a competitive examination.
“Earlier, I was not aware of such concepts like the type of paper we should
prepare for or what books to follow
but in the coaching class, the teachers
help us solve question papers which
has helped me a lot,” she said.
T.E. Rasul, Centre Director of
TIME Institute, Guwahati while
speaking to G Plus said, “Most of the
students crack the competitive examination and proper coaching is the best
way to get an idea about how to prepare for the examinations. We provide
coaching for Banking, CAT, NET and
GATE and the courses are of four-five
months duration but some students
may need more depending on the subject.”
Rasul said that the faculty of
TIME are from the state itself, including IIT graduates and others who have
cleared bank examinations. The admission process continues throughout
the year but the rush is more before
the various entrance examinations.
He said that trade licenses and other
relevant documents are necessary for
opening up a coaching institute.
Meghali Das, a parent whose child
“I am an advocate
by profession and
I want to sit for the
bank examination
but as I don’t have
the basic idea on how
to prepare, I opted
for this coaching
class. I am not good
in Mathematics
and through this
coaching at least
I came to know
about the various
techniques used to
solve the problems.”
A student
is also pursuing coaching classes said
that there is a very competitive environment now-a-days and coaching is
very impotant for getting into Engineerin and medical courses. “We cannot guide our children as we do not
have much idea in training them for
such competitive exams and the education system has changed a lot since
our time. And we cannot deny the
children the necessary coaching because we have often seen that students
who take coaching get a better idea on
how to prepare for the competitive examinations than a student who want
to sit in the competitive examination
but do not seek any external guidance.
It is not that one will not crack the
examinations without any tuition but
the tuition or coaching may at least
give them a better idea on how to efficiently prepare for such examination,”
said Das.
Another guardian, Rupali Konwar said that she don’t believe that it
is only coaching that help students
crack competitive examinations. She
said, “The coaching is just a gist which
could help the students with the minimum idea. Cracking an examination
totally depends on the student and
their dedication to their studies. The
coaching institutes has become a business for the people as well as for the
faculties as an extra source of income.
And people follow the coaching culture by imitiating others. If someone’s
child takes up coaching, they will also
send their children to similar classes
thinking it will help them. Earlier,
there were no coaching and tuition
culture but students were much more
brilliant than now. It has become a
habit to go for tuition and coaching.”
[email protected]
Weather report for the week
SAT
30 May
SUN
31 May
MON
01 June
TUE
02 June
WED
03 June
THU
04 June
FRI
05 June
Strong thunderstorms
Heavy rain. Mostly cloudy
Numerous showers
Showery. Morning clouds
Rain showers. Morning clouds
Mostly cloudy
Mostly cloudy
23 / 33 °C
23 / 28 °C
23 / 30 °C
23 / 32 °C
23 / 34 °C
25 / 33 °C
24 / 32 °C
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
7
City
Appeal for
‘Freedom Park’
Aditya Gogoi
in old jail
S
enior citizens in the city want
the old Guwahati Central Jail
to be preserved as a heritage
site in memory of those freedom
fighters who were lodged in the jail.
Though the district administration
has plans to turn it into a major
commercial complex with underground parking facilities, residents
want it to be an open space.
The central jail was located in
Fancy Bazar area which was later
shifted to Lakhra in 2012. Now,
many in the city want that the area
should be dedicated to the memory of the freedom fighters of the
northeast region.
“This area is linked to history
as many people who fought for the
freedom struggle was kept in the
jail. So, we want that there should
not be any major construction here
which would destroy its heritage.
We suggest that a column should
be raised in the memory of all the
martyrs of the NE states that laid
down their lives for the nation. It
will be great piece of history for
the generations to come,” said Ajoy
Dutta, a former MLA and working president of civil society group,
‘Citizens’ First’.
The jail, which was set up in
1881 covered an area of more than
56 bighas of land. They want that
the main building and a few cells
should be preserved as heritage site.
The Guwahati Metropolitan
Development Authority (GMDA)
has plans to develop the jail land
into a one-stop destination housing an exhibition hall, conference
Aditya Gogoi
U
nruly bikers of the city are
making life miserable for
pedestrians and in spite of
assurances by the district administration of arranging better facility on the
footpaths, the city bikers’ riding over
the footpaths have become a horrible
experience for denizens.
It is a familar scene for bikers to
ride their two-wheelers over the narrow footpaths whenever traffic is halted on the roads.
“The condition of footpaths or
walkways in the city are already poor
if we compare these to some of the
other places of the country. And on
top of that, the behaviour of some
unruly bikers makes life miserable
for padesterians. On some occasions,
people walking by the side ways have
rooms, theatres and hotels, with the
latest disaster response facilities. It
will also include spaces for underground parking.
The revenue and disaster management department recently issued an allotment order for more
than 56 bigha jail land in favour of
the GMDA, based on a concept paper submitted by the Guwahati development department (GDD).
The citizens are of the opinion
that they are not opposing the parking area. “Without demolishing the
site, parking arrangement for a
good number of vehicles is possible.
Instead of constructing huge buildings, the area should be left open so
The Guwahati
Metropolitan
Development
Authority (GMDA)
has plans to
develop the jail
land into a one-stop
destination housing
an exhibition hall,
conference rooms,
theatres and hotels,
with the latest
disaster response
facilities. It will
also include spaces
for underground
parking.
that people can take shelter there
in the hour of crisis like an earthquake. We also propose that there
should be plantations at the location which will increase the greenery of the city,” Dutta said.
Dinesh Biashya, Assam chapter’s founder chairman of Indian
National Trust for Art and Cultural
Heritage (INTACH) said that there
can be a Jail Museum instead at the
present site.
“They cannot destroy it at any
cost. It’s a part of our history. People like Gopinath Bordoloi, Assam’s
first state chief, was also kept in this
jail during the freedom movement.
I would suggest that there should be
a Jail Museum in that area where
people can come and experience
the history of our forefathers. Many
countries in the world have such
places,” said Baishya.
Author Monalisha Saikia said
that if the old jail buildings are demolished it will be a blunder.
“We are emotionally involved
as many of the freedom fighters
were kept there. Let’s make it a
place of heritage where the children can come and be a part of history. Besides, like many others have
suggested, a beautiful park can be
made there instead of typical high
risers. We need some place within
the city to breathe,” she said.
Footpaths
Where pedestrians fear to tread
also been injured. This is a failure on
the part of the administration, besides an abject lack of civic sense,” said
Dimple Sarma, a city resident.
Although, several attempts have
been made by the traffic police to curb
the menace, including conducting
awareness camps and imposing fine
on the rule violators, the incidents has
not ceased.
“We are not yet fully equipped
with technology like covering all the
roads with CCTVs. We have to work
manually but whenever we have
found such violators, action was taken
against them. We have also conducted
several awareness camps in schools
and colleges. We need a continuous
and holistic approach from all section to get rid of such habits. We are
also planning to involve some NGOs
in this regard,” said deputy commissioner (traffic) PJ Goswami.
Such violations of traffic norms
have also led to an increasing number
of road accidents in the city. Traffic po-
lice records show some 72 people lost
their lives in road mishaps, mostly in
two-wheeler crashes, since the beginning of 2015. Another 250 sustained
injuries in accidents since January.
According to records, last year
over 1,100 road accidents were registered in the city alone in which some
302 people died and some 690 were injured. In 2014, traffic police recorded
over 1.2 lakh non-FIR cases of traffic
violations like ignoring signals, drunk
driving, riding without helmets, driv-
ing while talking on the phone and
driving without seat belts.
Ajoy Dutta, a former MLA and a
senior citizen expressed his sorrow at
the lack of civic senses among the residents of the city. “At this age I still ride
a scooter but seeing the youths riding
in such unruly way, it’s painful. It’s
hurtful to see the ever deplorable civic
senses and insensitiveness towards
others. Besides, our administration
has failed terribly to maintain the city,”
Dutta said.
8
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
City
online
Shopping
spree or addiction?
Priyanka Jain
What happens when
shopping spirals out
of control and in some
cases, becomes an
addiction?
From hitting the malls with your
girlfriends and boyfriends on a Saturday, to holiday spending on gifts that
go under the tree, shopping could be
called one of India’s favourite pastimes. For most people, it means some
new clothes for work or a small trinket for a friend. For others, however,
shopping is much more than an enjoyable pastime and in some cases, it is a
real and destructive addiction that can
turn into a financial disaster.
“Compulsive
shopping
and
spending are defined as inappropriate,
excessive, and out of control.”
What is online
shopping?
When we buy a product or a service over the internet, instead of going to a traditional brick-and-mortar
store, it is called online shopping.
Globally, an increasing number of
people are buying over the Internet
because it is more convenient. The city
is witnessing an unprecedented economic boom. We can see the effect of
this boom all around us. Among others, there has been an exponential rise
in consumer spending. At the same
time, more and more consumers are
looking for easy ways to shop since
their time is increasingly under pressure. E-commerce or online shopping
provides a way out.
Guwahati features in
top 10 online shopping
destinations.
G plus conducted a study recently that highlighted the growing prominence of online shopping
among the youth in Guwahati.
The study was conducted among
a group of 30 youths aged between
18-25, out of which 75 per cent
were girls and 25 per cent boys.
Where 60 per cent prefer online
shopping, 40 per cent prefer going
out and shopping.
Few questions were asked like
what do they prefer-going out and
shopping or online shopping, how
much do they spend on shopping,
what products do they usually purchase, where do they get money for
shopping etc?
Says Komal Rai “I am in 2nd
year and my mom gives me Rs 2000
every month and I shop for things
like clothes, mobile recharge and
I even save sometimes. Actually I
prefer online shopping because we
get discount all the year round.
Rahul Saxena said “I earn Rs
15,000 per month and I don’t need
to ask money from my parents.
From this, I keep Rs 2500 for shopping which includes clothes. Although I am a male, I consider myself a shopaholic. Since there is no
other source of income, I have to
manage within my means. I don’t
like online shopping. In some cases if something or the other goes
wrong, what we see on screen and
what we receive in reality is totally
different.’’
A new phenomenon which has
emerged with the increasing popularity of online shopping sites is
that now even boys consider themselves shopaholics and are very updated with all the latest brands and
fashion.
After talking to few frequent
buyers, we found that the products
which is most frequently purchased
by citizens are gadgets, clothes
and personal items. Guwahati is
estimated to have a population of
about 909,895. So there are choices
whether one must go for shopping
in person or online shopping.
Trade and Economy
The 1990s witnessed an explosive
growth of electronic markets and the
rise of the so-called e-commerce. Online markets are dramatically changing the way products are bought and
sold and as the Internet is increasingly
taking on a crucial role in the sale of
goods and services, it has become essential to better understand the process of in-person shopping and online
shopping. There is a huge competition
between online shopping and offline
shopping.
How malls are trying
to counter online
shopping ports?
Shopping malls in the country
are going through a transformation
to make themselves more of an
‘experiential’ destination, adding
more restaurants, spas, salons and
even doctor clinics, at least partially
influenced by the recent boom in
online shopping. When surveyed,
the people of Guwahati said that the
online shopping would be double by
2016. Many traders and banks have
introduced many polices regarding
shopping and online shopping.
Shiksha Jain said “Rs 5000 is not
enough for me. I am part of a peer
group where all my friends are rich
and we often go out for shopping and
dining so I cannot say no every time.
It’s kind of peer pressure. I even fight
with my mother because of these
reasons. So now on I have asked for
monthly pocket money. I prefer going
and shopping because we get to roam
places like malls and so on.”
Nowadays, the youth is very much
influenced by peer pressure, mostly in
cases of where to shop, eat or hang out.
But some parents cannot afford to give
so much pocket money to children,
something which some children fail to
understand.
Various types of peer pressure inf luence teenagers to buy
things, and these pressures also
help shape what teens ask parents
to purchase. Peer pressure is often
thought of as something that only
affects young people, especially
teenagers, although peer pressure
impacts people of all ages and in
various aspects of their lives. Peer
pressure often has a big inf luence
on a large portion of our society’s
purchasing decisions. People often feel the need to keep up with
the most modern technical gadg-
ets, and to keep up with the images that we are exposed to every
day in the media. This, in turn,
impacts how we spend our hardearned money.
Parents view
When asked, a parent named
Sudhir Patni said, “We, as parents want that our children should
achieve all that in life which we
could not get ourselves. But when
demand is too high, we cannot fulfill all their wants, due to
which we feel pressurised into
complying so that they don’t feel
bad or disappointed. We try to do
our best. I think this generation
tries to copy and imitate others;
children copy their peer group.
For example: if a friend is buying
an I Phone, that does not mean the
other person has to see and buy it.
Youth today are very much
surrounded by other graded activities like shopping, hanging
out in socially ‘cool’ places and
aggressively following their own
viewpoints. But along with this,
there is also the rising competition between peer group regarding lifestyles.
BYST conducts Road Shows on Entrepreneurship
B
haratiya Yuva Shakti Trust
(BYST), a not-for-profit organization guiding budding
entrepreneurs to create viable enterprises recently conducted Entrepreneurship awareness through
Road shows across the State. The
Road shows under 100% funding
support from Employment Generation Mission, Govt.of Assam were
conducted in four major districts of
Assam namely Jorhat, Cachar, Tinsukia and Dibrugarh.
The primary objective of the
Road show was to generate aware-
ness amongst the participants regarding the end to end support provided by BYST in a host of business
related activities such as finance,
training, support, mentoring and
networking. The Road shows were
also used as platforms to inform
the participants about the Business
Idea Contest launched by BYST in
Assam. Officials and Mentors from
BYST urged the participants to participate in the contest by coming
forward with creative and viable
business ideas. The top 3 business
ideas would be awarded with cash
prizes worth over Rs. 1 Lakh, apart
from district level prizes that shall
be given. Over 500 budding entrepreneurs, students from colleges
and educational institutions and
NGO representatives participated
in the road shows and meets held
at different venues. Commenting
on the seminar Dr. Md. Hasib, Regional Co-ordinator, BYST Assam
said “The seminars were aimed at
encouraging youths to think out of
the box and apply for Business idea
Contest thereby, giving a boost to
the entrepreneurial culture of As-
sam”. BYST mentors namely Mr.
Surjya Phukan (Retd.GM-SBI),
Advocate V.K. Dewan, Mr. B. P.
Bakshi (Assam Productivity Council- Tinsukia),Mr. M. P. Agarwal
(AIMO, Tinsukia)and Mr. Masood
Khan (Dibrugarh) took part in the
meets at different locations and motivated the youths to come forward
with their business ideas. Highlighting the opportunities for ancillary units, Mr. Bakshi remarked
that there exists a plethora of opportunities for young entrepreneurs
to act as feeder and ancillary units
for BCPL and other PSUs in Upper
Assam area. The meets were also attended by representatives from District Industries Centre (DIC) and
LDM of the respective districts.
BYST in association with CII
and under 100% funding support
from Employment Generation Mission, Govt. of Assam helps young
entrepreneurs set up business units
and has so far, trained more than
2000 entrepreneurs facilitating setting up of more than 450 small and
tiny units which are being mentored
for 2 years.
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
9
City
PWD violating the norms
of road construction
Juthika Baruah
C
onstruction of high level
roads in the city has become
bone of contention between
the PWD and the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority
(GMDA), besides being the cause of
problems to city denizens with the
city development body accusing the
PWD of constructing roads in violation of norms by not taking prior
consent of the GMDA which is the
sole authority to permit the department for construction.
Speaking to G Plus, GMDA
Chairman, Dhiren Baruah said,
“The road and drain level should
be maintained while constructing
the roads so that it does not hamper
the the citizens. The PWD should
change their perception as they have
no authority to take a decision on
how they will construct a road or is
it necessary to change the drain and
road levels. For any kind of construction, they should take the permission
of GMDA which, unfortunately, they
are not following. We have the list of
each and every road and the manner
in which they should be constructed,
but the PWD, without the consent of
GMDA started construction of the
roads, as a result of which common
people have to face problems.”
Baruah urged the department
to co-operate and sought a helping hand for development of a better Guwahati. He said, “There are
guidelines for construction, repair
and renovation of roads, lanes, bylanes, drains, footpaths and no department, whether PWD or GMC,
can break the rules. Before starting
any construction work, they should
consult with the GMDA for proper
guidelines so that it do not harass the
general public.”
The Chairman said that violation of road level norms by PWD or
any other department would entail
legal action. He said, “There was a
road level violation which came into
notice while I visited the ongoing
road repair work in Dighalipukhuri.
Earlier I had issued a circular to
the concerned department that no
norms should be violated during construction of the roads but it
seems that the PWD has repeatedly
breached the norms.”
Meanwhile, Consultant Engineer
J.N. Khataniar said, “As per rule, the
city road level cannot be increased
by the concerned authority in an uncontrolled manner so that the normal plinth level of the nearby existing buildings could be maintained.
Even in case of repairing of roads,
the damaged portion is necessary to
be repaired instead of changing the
entire road by maintaining its original level. This is the guideline and
normal procedure of construction
and maintenance of city roads which
usually seems to be violated in case of
construction of the roads in the city.”
Khataniar further stated that the
city roads are generally constructed
based on a master plan and contour of
the location. He said that the level of
all the roads is not always plain, some
roads are wavy and such roads should
be constructed in that manner itself
without changing the scenario.
According to Indian Road Con-
GMDA
gress (IRC), roads are grouped as
Single lane (3.5m), Intermediate lane
(5.5m), double lane (7m with kerb or
7.5m without kerb) and multiple lanes
(additional 3.5m for each lane) depending upon the width of carriageway. To design and construct roads,
standards prescribed in the Indian
Road Congress (IRC) specifications
and Ministry of Road Transport and
Highways (MORT&H) specification
are to be observed.
One of the residents of Zoo Road,
Rita Bhuyan said, “Construction of
high level roads become a problem
for the general people like us because
if the road level becomes high, then
the level of the houses comes down
and during the rainy season, we face
problems as water enters our house.
The government departments think
of their own benefit but the problems which we face is not a concern
for them. There are guidelines for the
construction of roads but they don’t
follow them and construct the roads
according to their whims.”
Another resident of Bharalumukh, Ratul Das said that the department takes many years for the
completion of road construction that
it becomes a harassment for the people. On the other hand, they make
the road level higher than the original one for which the level of houses
go down and results in water logging
during the monsoon. According to
Das, the contractors do not take any
measurement of the roads while constructing them and want to finish the
work without following the norms for
which the residents face problem.
[email protected]
G PLUS NEWS
Riding for a cause
O
ne does not need a therapist
if you own a motorcycle,
any kind of motorcycle. A
motorcycle is not just a vehicle for
commuting, it also helps relieve stress
and provides the sheer pleasure of
simply being free. No doubt, people
of all ages, all over the world are attracted to motorcycling. There are
many biking clubs all over the world,
and in Assam, Discovery Bikers is the
most popular biking club which has
evolved to form Assam xBhp a part of
the bigest biking community in India
which is around 12 years old.
The club operates not just as a
recreational biking group, it works for
the betterment of the motorcycling
community as a whole, promoting
safe riding and observing traffic rules
and have conducted and actively participated in various social causes and
charity programes.
The club, keeping in mind the
growing road rash and accidents
among teenage bikers in Guwahati
have immensly guided and educated
the youth to follow safety rules and
conducts awarness programes through
city rides often. Its members consists
of all age groups and male and female
bikers.
The club also encourages safe stunt
biking as a sport and provides a legal
platfrom for the participants.
The club have conducted various
ride programes, always with a social
theme, be it the ‘Save the Rhino’ ride to
Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora
Wildlife Sanctuary or promoting Assam tourism by riding to the historic
and tourist places. The club members
also visit the Parijat Academy and chil-
dren’s home regularly to distribute gifts
and materials among underprivileged
children.
The club boasts of having the only
female bikers wing in north east and
the club members have rode and explored all parts of the country besides
neighbouring countries like China,
Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh from
Tawang, along the most dangerous
roads to the highest road of India, Leh
and Laddakh.
Co founder and General Secretary,
Ansu Basumatary recently rode solo to
Tawang, the second highest motorable
road to participate the Tawang Festival.
10
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
In Conversation
Revenue is a
big challenge
for GMC
New
Commissioner
After the exit of former GMC commissioner S Viswanathan, the new commissioner Narayan
Konwar has taken charge of the civic body. G Plus exclusively talks to him about his plans and
vision for the new responsibilities in his kitty.
RAHUL CHANDA
Guwahatians want to
know about you. Please
tell us a little about
your background, your
education and the
previous profiles you
have held before joining
GMC?
At present you are
the commissioner in
charge and might take
over the post fully, so
how many years do you
think you require for
achieving your goals for
Guwahati?
I was born in a village in Morigaon
and did my schooling and graduation
there itself. I did my post graduation
in political science from Guwahati
University. After my PG, I started
teaching in B Borooah College and finally in Nagaon College. I got selected
as IAS in 2010. As an IAS, I started my
career in Assam from Dibrugarh as an
Additional Commissioner, and then I
was posted as SDO Civil, Biswanath.
In Guwahati, initially I was posted in
GDD as Deputy Secretary and then
I was posted here as Joint Commissioner and on 15 January 2015, I was
promoted as Additional Commissioner, Guwahati Municipal Corporation and now I am the Commissioner
in charge.
This is a continuous process. Today I am here, tomorrow someone else
will be here. This post is a continuous
process, persons might change but the
post never will. It’s just that the continuity is required. If someone has started an initiative which is benefiting the
public, then it should be continued.
Guwahati is an upcoming city so you
can’t say that you can do everything
within a certain period of time, say,
10 years or five years. But yes, it is true
that to start and complete a project,
you at least require two-three years.
What according to you
are the most important
changes which
Guwahati requires
now?
There is the flood problem which
needs to be solved immidiately. Projects are going on, some are complete,
while others are yet to be completed.
Then there is work on city beautification and many people are still complaining about lack of public toilets
etc, which needs to be improved.
Solid waste management is happening but there is still a lot of room for
improvement. Street lights, electricity,
road condition etc also need to be improved. Actually, we are still fighting
for all these basic amenities. So first,
these basic amenities have to be provided.
During your tenure
as an additional
commissioner, did
you come across any
corruption issues
by anyone in the
According to you, which department and if
city problem requires
yes did you take any
immediate attention?
action?
So far GMC is concerned, revenue is a big challenge for us. For
example, we have started the desilting work but not even a single penny has been paid to the contractors
as yet. We did not pay any money
to the contractors for the year 201415 and even this year. Since no one
is going to invest without getting
payment, so, getting them paid is a
big challenge. Secondly, GMC is a
corporation which runs on its own
revenue. We cannot depend for everything on the government, so we
have to improve our revenue collection process. Also, public grievances regarding building permission has to be improved. Thirdly,
we have many projects and people
are working on them, but I feel
there is room for improvement and
somehow we require quality work
in whatever we do.
I was looking after conservancy
and desiltation. For desilting, we have
not yet paid anything so, there is no issue of corruption. As far as conservancy is concerned, everything was done
in a transparent manner. So, I didnot
hear any allegation of corruption.
People accuse GMC
officials of taking graft
for various reasons like
building permission,
trade license etc. As
a commissioner, what
will be your initiative
to ensure no one takes
bribe in GMC?
If we talk about building permissions, the first thing we must ensure
is that we have to make the procedure
transparent and faster. I have seen
some people applying for permission
nine months ago and still not getting
it, so, they get frustrated and offer
money to get the work done faster. We
have to streamline the entire process
and make it transparent and faster so
that once you apply for the permission
and you get it easily, you will not give
bribe. If you think you are not certain
whether you will get the permission
or not, then the scope arises for offering and giving bribes. I think there
is a need for streamlining the entire
process, not just as a commissioner
but also as a human being. It might require manpower and frequent review
of all the activities, but it can be done.
For tax collection, we have two more
IAS officers and they are working on
it. The harassment to people can be reduced. So, things will be streamlined
soon.
Can you compare
Guwahati with any
other city?
I have visited Bangalore and Pune.
They are better than Guwahati in certain aspects. Bengaluru has the best
practice for property tax collection;
whereas, as far as conservancy is con-
cerned, we are better than Bengaluru.
Similarly, Pune has some best practises but again in conservancy, we are
better. So, we are working on their way
but it will take some time as we have
just started. If there is some difference
it’s just because of the time and money.
The intention and will to work is there
in Guwahati also. In fact, to some extent we are better.
There is always a rift
between the council
members and GMC
officials. How will you
get rid of this problem?
The interest is the same. They are
elected members and they want to
work for the people just as we do. So
I don’t think there is a rift. But obviously if there is any vested interest, we
will sort it out accordingly. It has been
almost two and half years and it is going smoothly.
What would be your
message to Guwahati?
Please help us make Guwahati
better.
[email protected]
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
11
City
City cbse results
down from last year SHANTANU BARUAH
T
S
Six-string hot-shot
he results of Class X and
XII of Central Board of
Secondary Education (CBSE)
have exhibited a downward trend
this year with the pass percentage of
Class X declining to 86.55 per cent
from 92.63 per cent last year.
The decline in pass percentage
in the city has become a cause of
concern as most schools in the city
changed their curriculum to CBSE
from SEBA thinking that it will help
the students to bring better results
and get admitted in reputed colleges
in other states of the country.
This year, a total of 57,585
students appeared for the Class
X CBSE examination from the
city out of which 49,732 passed
the examination while 47,142
students opted for the board-based
examination and the remaining
10,443 registered for the school
examination. This year, boys
performed better in the Class X
exam than the girls with the pass
percentage of boys being 86.40 per
cent while that of girls is 86.33 per
cent.
On the other hand, in Class XII
examination, girls outshone boys
with a pass percentage of 73 per cent
than the boys with 68 per cent. The
number of candidates who appeared
in Class XII exam was 47,480 with
the pass percentage of 70.38 per cent.
The pass percentage of Kendriya
Vidyalaya (KV) was 93.74 per cent,
Jowahar Navadoy Vidyalaya (JNV)
was 94.3 per cent, independent
educational institutions were 71.82
per cent while government schools
registered 59.42 per cent in the Class
XII exams.
An official of the CBSE while
speaking to G Plus said, “The reason
for decline of pass percentage in
the north east is that due to the
absence of their own state boards
in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh,
the results are not as expected in the
Northeast. Students from these two
states appear for examinations of
Class X under CBSE from the private
and government schools. The pass
percentage of Assam was 99.15 per
cent while that of Sikkim was 84.63
per cent and Arunachal Pradesh was
73.99 per cent which is much less
than the state of Assam.”
The pass percentage of Class X
from JNV was 99.29 per cent with
the best results, followed by KV with
a pass percentage of 99 per cent,
private schools with 98.13 per cent
and government run schools with
71.68 per cent.
One of the students who passed
Class XII from Royal Global Group
of Institutions, Priyanka Harlalka
said that she was not satisfied with
the result as she expected more
percentage, especially in Economics
where she scored very less marks and
recalled the paper for rechecking. She
said that she don’t know the reason
behind it, whether it is because of the
examiner or something else that she
got less mark.
Moreover, the official of CBSE
said that as the government schools
cater to the educational needs of a
large number of students who are
first-generation learners, the results
are not up to the mark. According to
him, the results of the schools in the
city are not that bad but due to the
declining pass percentage in Sikkim
and Arunachal Pradesh, the entire
percentage becomes low.
Luxury Connect Business School
finds immense potential in the
region for luxury and retail sector
W
ith a target to enrol 25 per
cent to 40 per cent students
from the northeast in each
of their courses, India’s first and only
luxury business school - Luxury
Connect Business School (LCBS),
Gurgaon conducted an interactive
session in Guwahati onThursday. The
session was presided over by Akshay
Gupta, Manager Operations, Luxury
Connect Business School.
“We have ample number of
enrolments from northeast for our
certified courses. Our first enrolment
for the retail and luxury course was
from northeast. Students from the
northeastern region have a natural
affinity towards retail and customer
service and with proper training
and education, most of them can
be converted into wonderful sales
ambassadors. The courses offered
by us will accelerate growth for
candidates who are interested in
building a career in the same field”,
said Gupta.
“While it is not uncommon to see
sales persons from North-east in the
general fashion, beauty and skin care,
wellness, gourmet, hostess, event
coordinator categories, it is very rare
to see them in the high end premium
and luxury stores. LCBS wishes to
open up this opportunity to them
via its specialised offerings and job
assurance”, added Akshay.
It has been seen that an ample
number of students are going abroad
for higher studies hoping for more
job opportunities abroad. However, it
has been seen that job opportunities
abroad are swiftly declining and
many people have to return to India to
search for opportunities. Therefore,
to address the growing need of
skilled workforce in the luxury and
retail sector in India itself, Luxury
Connect has taken the initiative to
set up India’s first and only Luxury
B School –Luxury Connect Business
School which provides international
standards of education in luxury
sector.
Luxury
Connect
Business
School, has been carefully designed
keeping in mind the standards
and gaps prevalent in the industry.
With the expected rising demand,
LCBS has customized and designed
various programmes to focus
education and training in areas like
brand management, retail services
and skills, customer relationship
management and more. The school
has collaborated with international
universities to provide a global
perspective to the students.
In their boutique campus,
Luxury Connect Business School’s
teaching approach is not just
restricted to classroom training.
LCBS have people from the industry
with practical exposure as faculty
members. Moreover they invite guest
faculty from various segments to take
lectures and even have international
faculty visiting the campus.
As far as placements are
concerned, Luxury Connect Business
School have signed letters from some
of the big names from the industry.
LCBS works across industry sub
sectors and has a reach in various sub
sectors of luxury, be it fashion, health
and fitness, travel and hospitality,
watches and jewellery, automobiles,
real estate etc. The collective, Armani
Junior, Citibank, Gucci, Paul and
Shark, Burberry, Genesis Luxury,
Tommy Hilfiger, BMW, Leela
Hospitality, Grand Hotel etc. are
amongst LCBS’s top recruiters.
LCBS has been featured in the
Business World magazine in ‘India’s
Best B School’ list in the November
2014. It has also received the “Best
International
Collaboration
in
the year 2014” award at the Indian
Education Awards This makes LCBS
a renowned a trustworthy name in
the luxury education sector. Further,
LCBS has also been nominated for
the ‘Best Retail Institute 2015’ award
due to be announced in mid June
2015
hantanu Baruah who is
popular as the six string slinger
for Zubeen that won hearts
of the people, started his musical
safari when he was in the fifth
standard. Over the years Shantanu
has been the main man in creating
several melodies strumming his
six string and sitting before the
mixer board arranging music with
renowned musicians. His unique
playing and the western nuance in
the songs he created and played in,
struck a note in the hearts of all.
Shantanu’s early years of
guitaring started when he used to
fiddle with his brother Simanta
Baruah’s guitar, trying to make
his notes sound clearer. Originally
hailing from Tezpur, he started
attending guitar classes under Dilip
Rasaily from Darjeeling at Tarun
Assam Sangha club and gradually
learned staff notations and cleared
the exams of Trinity Music School.
Inspired by the playing of
guitar legends Joe Satriani and
Vinnie Moore the maestro’s first
covers were Let it be by The Beatles,
Sultans of Swing and Walk of Life
by Dire Straits and several songs by
Boney M, Abba, The Carpenters,
Uriah Heep, White Snake,
Scorpions and the like.
“The feel of hard rock and
heavy metal was introduced to
me during my Higher Secondary
days when I started playing songs
by Deep Purple such as Burn, and
Highway Star and gradually started
covering bands like Iron Maiden,
Metallica and others,” said Baruah.
The journey began as at a
young age when he took to stage
to accompany musicians in school
functions. In the later years, his
playing was appreciated with
several awards out of which he
clinched the first one in the year
1991 in Jorhat. In the same year
he was also approved in All India
Radio and went on to claim the best
bassist award in Mumbai along
with the band Durian Platonic
in the year 1993-94 and was also
awarded The High Grade Artist
in ‘94. He has also been parts of
several renowned bands from the
city such as Friends.
“I continued my musical
journey after shifting to Guwahati
post graduation and got associated
with the music industry. I met
Zubeen here in Guwahati in a youth
festival held at Guwahati University
and along with him, we formed a
band and took to the studio and
started recording. Together we
worked on several albums and
played in various shows for over
eleven years”, he said.
In his journey Baruah has
contributed his music in many
Assamese movies from the 90s
era and has reached the audiences
through feature films made in
various languages of the region.
In the later years Baruah took
his career further when he started
music direction and continued his
venture along with Jitul Sonowal
and worked in several albums such
as Kosto, Muk Aghat Dia Meghali,
Nilanjana 1&2, Stoppage, Disha
and many more.
“One of the most important
albums of my career is Dr. Bhupen
Hazarika’s book of poems named
Bhupen Mamar O Aa Ko Kho that
was recorded after Bhupen Da
personally gave me the permission
to record the album that was voiced
by Zubeen and was composed and
arranged by me and was released
in the year 2007-08. The journey
also took me to Bollywood as I also
got the opportunity to contribute
in some of the movies such as
Left Turn, Highway,” the veteran
musician said.
One of the most memorable
events in Baruah’s career took
place on December 8, 2014 when
he got the opportunity to meet and
paly a session with Vinnie Moore
and became the first musician
form Assam to have attended a
master class and certified for the
same with the legendary guitarist.
He also had opportunities to meet
legendary bands such as Smokie,
Scorpions and Mr. Big.
Among
current
projects
Baruah is working on four albums
one of which is set to be released
by October this year composed
by Baruah himself. He is also
working on a Bengali project along
with Sunita and a fusion project,
blending classic Hindi songs along
with Goalparia music, which is
voiced by Chandan Das hailing
from Goalpara. The guitarist is
also working on an instrumental
project that will include guitar
solos along with Geeta Mech and
Tridip Basumatary.
12
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Society
Beltola bazaar
to be shifted to market complex
Juthika Baruah
T
he Beltola Bazaar which has
been a popular market in the
city will soon be shifted to the
new market complex which is currently under construction as the bazaar creates much havoc and confusion due to its location in the middle
of the city.
The Beltola Bazaar is a traditional
bi-weekly fruits and vegetable market
with historic importance. It was traditionally the seat for a small protectorate of Ahom Kingdom, principally
assisting administration of the Borphukan and the popular figure in the
locality is the Rani or the Queen who
still exists.
“The Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) called for a tender for
running the market by a lessee and the
party with the highest rate has been
accepted by the authority. The same
lessee submit the tender three-four
times in different names and at different prices. 50 per cent of the rate
should be deposited to the GMC from
the rate and the rest should be given
monthly wise,” said Manabendra Malla Buzarbaruah, Councillor of Ward
No 30 while speaking to G Plus.
Buzarbaruah said, “The lessees
often harass the shopkeepers by collecting more money than the original
price list fixed by the GMC. We urge
the authority to make hoardings and
banners of the price list public so that
the lessee can’t collect additional money from the shopkeepers for which
they are forced to increase the price of
the fruits and vegetables as they can’t
run at a loss. The public are also being
harassed with the increasing price of
essential commodities.”
Beltola has a long
history. It was, until
about half a century
ago, the hub of a small
kingdom, the kingdom
of Beltola. Close to
the site of the famous
“Beltola-haat”, where
small local vendors
sell their agricultural
products and other
goods of small-scale
manufacturing twice
a week, lived the royal
family of the Beltola
kings.
He said that the lessee collects Rs.
250-500 per creel from the vendors.
He informed that the bazaar was about
to be removed from the place as during the market days i.e. on Sunday and
Thursday, there is massive traffic congestion as people from many places
comes to the market for shopping.
“As the bazaar occupies most of
the public places, it creates problems
for the commuters but if it were removed from the place, it would create inconvenience for the local people as they throng the bazaar, which
sells every ingredient from household
items to vegetables to clothes, foot
ware and other odds and ends. Therefore, we will shift the market into the
market complex. The ground and first
floor will cover all the vendors num-
bering about 300-400. The vendors
come mostly from outside the city and
also from Meghalaya,” said Buzarbaruah.
Beltola has a long history. It was,
until about half a century ago, the hub
of a small kingdom, the kingdom of
Beltola. Close to the site of the famous
“Beltola-haat”, where small local vendors sell their agricultural products
and other goods of small-scale manufacturing twice a week, lived the royal
family of the Beltola kings. Within
living memory, there was a royal mansion/palace with the royal gardens.
The Beltola-haat has been almost
monumental for the inhabitants of
greater Guwahati in that it has always
been known to everyone here that
the items that cannot be found in any
other market in Guwahati, are likely to
be sold here. Being located at a point
convenient to access for vendors who
came on foot and animal-transport
from far-off places like present-day
Meghalaya, this market has retained
its distinctive, indigenous character till about a decade ago before the
high-rise apartment complexes were
built. Even today this character is not
entirely lost.
One of the vendors, Rasim Ali
said, “We find good response from
the people but as the lessee collects
more fees, we are compelled to raise
the price of the vegetables because we
remain at a loss if we have to give more
money to the lessee than the minimum
amount. This is our only business, we
don’t earn to be a millionaire. We are
earning our daily source of livelihood,
so we can’t go at a loss.”
Another vendor, Kumud said that
it seems that people wait for these two
days to shop as every section of the society can afford the items as the price
range is minimum.
Minakshi Das, a resident of Beltola said that she is a regular customer
at the Beltola Bazaar as she finds all
the items in the market necessary for
day to day life. “I find all the items in
the market which I use daily and it is
easy to buy household products at a
same place rather roam about in different places which become a harassment. Other than that, the vegetables
are also fresh and reasonably priced
and as the market is nearby, I opt to
come here rather than to go anywhere
else,” said Das.
[email protected]
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
What will 2016
13
Politicking
bring after 14 years?
Syeda Ambia Zahan
W
ith the present three times
Chief Minister deciding
once again to prove his
worth while the AIUDF supremo,
Badruddin Ajmal claims to become
the next Chief Minister, the assembly
election 2016 in Assam is likely to see
interesting turn of events.
The BJP that is very upbeat with
its unprecedented success in the last
Lok Sabha and Municipal elections,
might snatch a good number of seats
in the 126 member assembly, but yes,
the key players have to depend on parties like AGP, Ganashakti Party, Aam
Aadmi Party and the BPF to form a
government. By now, the scene of an
alliance government is emerging clear
in the assembly polls next year.
Let’s have a look at
the key players
Bhartiya Janata Party
BJP won seven parliamentary
seats in the state, an increase of three
from 2009, and reached its highestever tally in Assam. Its state president,
Sarbananda Sonowal says, “The people of the state had pinned their faith
on the party and it will work to bring
about a positive change here. We are
looking forward to 2016 to form the
government.”
The party has started the task of
making the blueprint for economic
development of the state which it intends to implement in the next two
years. It hopes that the blueprint will
assist the saffron party in getting at
least 84 seats out of 126 assembly constituencies.
Surveys conducted shows that BJP
will manage to get 40 to 45 seats in the
next assembly polls which means it
has to depend on some other party
to lend support to get the target of 61
seats. The possible alliance maker here
can be the regional party AGP led by
Atul Bora and former CM Prafulla
Mahanta. As the AGP has not been
able to regain its lost support from the
people to give an effective fight against
its competitors, so joining hands with
one of the strong parties can be a
smart way out for it to influence government policies.
All India United
Democratic Front
Assam`s principal opposition
party, All India United Democratic
Front (AIUDF) has already announced it willingness for post poll
alliances with like-minded parties
to form the government in Assam
next year. Enthused by its victory of
four seats in the Bodoland Territorial
Council elections in Lower Assam, the
party has also claimed that its chief
Badruddin Ajmal would be the next
Chief Minister.
The AIUDF was a partner in the
UPA government. The chance of AIUDF getting sufficient number of seats
to ally with some other party will depend upon the BJP. If BJP tries to play
the election on religious lines, the minority voters in the state might choose
to vote for AIUDF which is considered
to be a party having strong vote bank
among the minority population in the
Barak Valley and lower Assam. In this
case, the possible partner of the party
will be the ruling Congress.
government. Price hike, Land Boundary Act, dissidence among leaders and
resource crunch are some of the major factors that are going to hamper
the party. Many say that the issue of
construction of big dam can also play
a factor. The Congress’s possible ally is
its former alliance party, BPF and the
AIUDF. There are also speculations
that the ruling party might forge a tieup with the AIUDF in order to keep
the BJP at bay.
But an over confident Tarun Gogoi says, “There are challenges, especially with some parties engaging
in a calculated vilification campaign
against our party and government.
Yes, it is going to be tough, but we will
go to the elections alone and come out
once again with flying colours.”
Bodoland People’s
an impact on the polls. It is likely that
Congress’ previous ally, BPF will be
approached to help in the forming the
new government, provided it manages
more than 20 seats in the election.
Asom Gana Parishad
The Asom Gana Parishad has
brought together eight political parties
and announced its efforts to constitute
an anti-Congress and anti-BJP front
with a common minimum programme
in order to fight the ‘anti-people’ and
‘anti-Assam’ policies adopted by the
two parties.
For AGP, the election will be an exercise to bring back its lost support in
the state. The party for the past 8 years,
has been continuously under-performing in the each of the elections. The party, which once enjoyed the support of a
Congress
Yes, it’s going to be tough this time
for the Congress. At this moment, the
three times winning party is dealing
with lots of issues. Conflicts within the
party and within the government has
made it lose its lost its credibility to a
great extent in the state if one goes by
the results of the Lok Sabha Polls, Municipal polls and the BTAD polls.
Though Chief Minister Tarun
Gogoi has said that his party will
form the government for the fourth
consecutive term, challenges within
the party clearly indicates a coalition
Front
After emerging as the single largest party with 20 seats out of 40 in this
year’s BTC election, the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) is setting its eyes for
the assembly elections next year. But
there are several other aspects which
have emerged in this election, a possible indicator ahead of the next year’s
assembly elections.
The ever increasing gap between
the Bodo tribe and non-Bodo people living in the BTAD will also have
large section of the people in the state,
especially after the Assam agitation in
1985, had formed government twice in
Guwahati but gradually seemed to lose
their support base for various reasons.
Failing to fulfill their poll promises is
one of the main reasons.
AGP president Prafulla Kumar
Mahanta said, “I can sense the change
this time. As there is no alternative to
regional politics for the development of
the region, I feel people will vote for us.
This Lok Sabha polls is a run-up for us
to the 2016 assembly election. We will
try to regain the faith of the people,”
But the last Lok Sabha elections
have showed that AGP is yet to go a
long way to bring back its lost glory in
the state.
Aam Aadmi Party
Buoyed by its spectacular show in
the Delhi poll, the Aam Aadmi Party
on Thursday said it would emerge as a
“strong, honest and alternative” force
in Assam to defeat the Congress and
the BJP in 2016’s Assembly election.
“We will strongly contest the 2016
Assam Assembly polls. The results
of the Delhi Assembly election have
shown that there is scope for a strong,
honest and alternative politics. We will
become that force in Assam too,” AAP
leader Manorom Gogoi said.
According to political experts, the
Aam Aadmi Party will manage to get at
least 15 seats in semi rural areas of the
state. Sources in the party say it might
possibly join hands with the Congress.
Newly formed parties in the state:
The newly formed parties in the state,
though may not be able to form the
government, but may definitely act as a
vote cutter for the major parties. Gana
Mukti Sangram Samitee led by KMSS
leader Akhil Gogoi has said that it
would not fight the 2016 election. But
sources in the party have revealed that
the party is already on a “market survey”. Likewise, the PCCDR which was
able to get eight seats in the last BTC
polls will also leave some impact in the
elections.
So, it is obvious that the year 2016
will witness a coalition government in
the state of Assam. Gana Shakti Party
led by Mishing leader Ronoj Pegu ,
Liberal Democratic Party led by former BJP leader Pradyut Bora and other newly formed parties like PCCDR
might play the role of reducing votes
from the key players and thus influence the political equation to a large
extent.
Guwahati Railway Station to undergo
major renovation
Syeda Ambia Zahan
F
inally, good news for the
regular train passengers! Passenger amenities at Guwahati railway station are poised for
a major uplift, with the Ministry of
Railways entrusting IRCON International Limited, a public sector
undertaking under Government of
India to bring about a visible improvement in passenger amenities
through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) fund.
To improve the passenger
amenity, it has been proposed to
provide Reverse Osmosis (RO)
plant of 2000 litres per hour capacity for safe drinking water at platform
no. 2, 3, 4 and 5.Two hydraulic lifts
are to be provided for easier access to
the foot over bridges.
Golf carts for use by the elderly
and persons with disabilities are
also to be provided. Existing toilets
in waiting halls, retiring rooms, and
dormitory will also be renovated.
Flexible steel dustbins will be provided throughout the station for improving the existing garbage disposal
system.
Circulating area at Guwahati sta-
tion will be provided with retro-reflective road marker, solar studs and
one way spike breaker. New retroreflective signage will be provided at
different platforms for better guidance to passengers. Railway is also
trying to improve the platform surface by using Kota stone which will
help in mechanized cleaning.
Besides, more CCTV cameras
will also be provided for improving
the security of the station.
A memorandum of understanding (MOU) will be shortly
entered into by the NF Railway and
IRCON for the implementation of
these passenger amenity improvement works at Guwahati which is
the largest station of the Zone and
a gateway to the Northeast. These
measures are expected to further
benefit passengers and rail users of
the region.
14
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Ward Watch
Green garbage
infuriates LOCALS
Kalyan Deb
Concentrated area Pamohi Road, Gorchuk
Problems Unattended garbage and parking
T
he vegetable market in Pamohi
Road, Gorchuk has become a
matter of concern among the
local residents and commuters taking
the road on a regular basis. Residents
allege that the area is now worse off
since the vegetable wholesale market
was shifted there in the year 2011.
Apart from creating piles of garbage
that is dumped by the road, the
market is also creating inconvinience
for the locals due to vehicles being
parked on both sides of the road.
Situated at the outskirts of the city
and adjacent to NH37, the Pamohi
Road has emerged as a residential
area over the past few years and
people of various ethnic backgrounds
have settled in the general vicinity of
the area. Surrounded by greenery and
streams flowing down either side of
the road, the area provides the essence
of a village in its developmental
phase. A further walk down the road
surrounded by trees on either side,
leads one to the heritage site of Depor
Beel.
But, amidst the scenic beauty,
the vegetable whole sale market that
is located on the same road, can be
identified from a distance due to the
noise and further ahead, with the
stink of the pile of rotting vegetables
dumped by the road.
“The shifting of the market to this
locality was strongly opposed by local
residents and several applications
were sent to the GMC but due to the
lack of majority in support of the
claim, the residents could not stop
the shifting. Since then, the market
has been carrying out business in the
similar way”, said M.S. Boro, a local
resident.
“Initially the vehicles were also
parked near the cremation ground
but later local resident barred any
vehicle from trespassing there.
However, vehicles still remain parked
on both sides of the road. We are now
awaiting completion of the ongoing
construction following which, a
proper parking space will be provided
within the market premises”, Boro
added.
But the biggest problem that
remain a concern for the locals is the
pile of garbage that is dumped on a
regular basis by the road.
Ganesh Pradhan, a resident of
the Pamohi Road asserted, “The
garbage remain piled by the road for
several days at a stretch and is only
cleaned once or twice a week. As the
dumped vegetables gradually starts
rotting, it creates a stink that makes it
intolerable for anyone passing by. The
condition worsens after a shower of
rain as the rotting garbage gets mixed
with mud, creating an obnoxious
malodour.”
On the other hand, Ulopi Rongpi,
area sabha member of ward number
6(b) asserted, “The area is a major
concern for the residents. It creates
a very unhygienic environment and
is also a reason for spread of several
diseases. Since the area is under the
authorisation of Panchyat, GMC
has no say over the maintenance of
the area but the market authorities
should take the required initiative
in order to maintain a hygienic
environment.”
Incharge, Pamohi Fruits and
Vegetable
Market,
Tirthanath
Sarma said, “The responsibility of
garbage collection is given on basis
of tenders that is allotted to the
applicant for a year, according to
which the concerned department
should clear out the garbage on a
regular basis. However I am not the
concerned person to provide further
information but the problems should
come to an end after the completion of
construction of the marketplace. The
ground floor which has a capacity of
accommodating 94 stalls has already
been completed.”
“Besides, the market premise
is regularly cleaned and the traders
are motivated to maintain hygiene
at the market place. However the
auto drivers are the one that flout the
regulations causing traffic congestion
in the area”, Sarma added.
Sarma also suggested that the
garbage can be utilised for several
purposes rather than dumping the
waste. “It can be used to produce
vermicompost and bio-gas through
which, if not more, at least a small area
can be provided electricity besides
several other constructive purposes.
People should come forward to take
such initiative which will serve in the
welfare of the people.”
Prior to the shifting of the market
to Gorchuk, the traders of vegetable
retailers’ association had protested
the manner in which the Guwahati
Municipal Corporation (GMC) had
sought to relocate the vegetable
market to another location.
It can be noted that the Pamohi
Fruits and Vegetable Market is the
only official wholesale market of
the city and has around 350 traders
conducting business.
The
foundation
stone
of
wholesale vegetable and fruits
market at Garchuk on the outskirts
of the Guwahati city was laid by chief
minister Tarun Gogoi during which
Gogoi said that the wholesale market
is yet another step by the government
to ensure that farmers get better
remunerative price for their produce.
During the ceremony Gogoi had
also announced that the government
would launch a new scheme for
infrastructure
development
of
markets with cold storage facility
across the state. He said that the
government would initiate steps to
further strengthen the agricultural
marketing board in the days ahead.
The Chief Minister hoped that
the wholesale fruit and vegetable
market with cold storage facility
would go a long way in providing the
much-needed impetus to the farmers
to sell their produce and in turn get
better remunerative prices.
It is to be mentioned that the
`15-crore project will come up in
8-bigha land under the aegis of the
Guwahati Subdivisional Market
Committee.
[email protected]
15
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Rain plays major spoilsport in
Bazaar
city mango sale
Kalyan deb
W
ith summer fruits flooding the market, its bonanza
time for fruit-lovers. The
fruits are here, their sales are high, and
they are all yellow and ripe. But the
fruit that stands out, especially during
summer are the different varieties of
mango that takes over our taste buds
and the fruit market every summer.
However, with the skyrocketing
prices of fresh fruits and vegetables
in Assam, prices of mangoes, most
of which are brought from outside
the state, are also rising exorbitantly,
burning a hole in people’s pockets,
although it is not keeping consumers
from buying the alluring king of fruits.
While the mango season starts
as early as the mid week of April, it is
only around May that many varieties
make their entry in the fruit bazaars
across the country and lasts up to
June. In certain areas, it lasts up to the
first week of August. However, the past
few soggy days has created concern
among the mango traders of the city.
May and June being the peak season of
selling mangoes has not received the
expected footfall of mango buyers yet.
By these two months the market price
of mangoes remain economical and
usually sees large footfall of mango
buyers whereas by July, the sale goes
down and the rate goes higher due to
the continuous demand.
“The months of May and June are
the peak season but the sale in comparison to last year has gone down due
to frequent rainfall. We can only hope
that the following month will help in
compensating the loss in due time.
However, people are equally enthusiastic about mangoes and few sunny
days should boost the expected foot-
Type
Quantity
Price
Gulabkhas
1kg
`60-70
Himsagar
1kg
`70-80
Langra
1kg
`80-100
Alphonso
Set of 12pcs
`800
Kesar
1kg
`200-250
Madrasi
1kg
`50-60
kk
1kg
`50-60
While the mango season starts as early as the mid
week of April, it is only around May that the many
varieties make their entry in the fruit bazaars across
the country and lasts up to June. In certain areas,
it lasts up to the first week of August. However, the
past few soggy days has created concern among the
mango traders of the city.
fall of consumers”, said Ramnaresh
Gupta a mango dealer in Fancy Bazar.
Besides rain, the neferous business of artificially ripening fruits using chemicals that had been in news
recently has managed to influence the
buyers as people are more cautious
while buying the king of the fruits.
It needs mention here that ripening is a process that involves breaking
down of starch into sugar, and the skin
cells changing colour from the green
of chlorophyll to the edible yellow or
red which processes with the right
amount of humidity and temperature to initiate proper ripening. The
right elements help in the production
of ethylene, which reaches the cells,
sending a signal to them to produce
enzymes that break starch to sugar.
The cells in the skin too start their pigmentation.
While, the natural process takes
its own time and gives the fruit its own
shelf life, to create a steady supply in
the market, some sellers have started
using artificial means of ripening. The
unripe fruits are hoarded before their
sale, treated for ripening, and then
sold in the market.
However, according to traders the process of artificial ripening
is not in practice any longer and the
fruit is wrapped in paper and packed
in a box full of hay that causes an increase of room temperature and helps
in ripening the mangoes. The process
being slower than that of using gases
and chemicals, the mangoes requires
another couple of days after being
brought to the retail market. Being hygienic but slow, it is one of the reason
for the delay in satisfying the customers with it mouth watering ripe colour.
From mangoes that are as small as
a tennis balls to large ones that weigh as
much as two to three kilograms each,
each one of them is a gourmet’s treat.
The markets around the city offer variety of mangoes like Himsagar, Langra,
Gulabkhas, kk, Kesar, Alphonso, Tutapani, Dasahri, Chausa and many more
of which Himsagar and Langra, being
the most selling mangoes, also come at
economical rates. In Assam mangoes
are mostly brought from states like
West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and
Chennai whereas the local mangoes
can only be utilised best in its raw and
green form.
According to veteran mango traders in the city, the prices have come
down over this period. Alphonso,
known as the king of mangoes, attracts the highest price tag.
“The Alphonso is being sold at a
very low rate comparatively. This is
rare, given that this is the peak season.
The prices will soar in the next couple
of days, once more demand comes in,
but rates will remain lower compared
to 2014. This year, profit margins are
also a bit lower,” said Suraj Pawar, a
mango trader.
With different mangoes comes
some of the famed dishes, all prepared
as seasonal delicacies, be it yummy
juice or pickles or the range of special
dishes in the vast Indian cuisine. These
many sweet, savoury and spicy treats
in the regional cuisines use mangoes
as the core ingredient, both in its ripe
and raw forms. The ‘king of fruits’ provides enough options to keep one satiated. But, one must admit that nothing
beats that feeling of biting through a
freshly cut mango.
[email protected]
16
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Health
The Fight
for Every Heartbeat
When narrow or leaky valves are at the
heart of the problem
I
n India, many people suffer from
heart valve damage as a result of
rheumatic heart disease. This condition occurs when a bacterial throat
infection, especially in children,
evokes a defence (immune) response
in the body known as rheumatic fever.
The body’s immune system may then
turn on its own organs, including the
heart. Rheumatic heart disease can
affect the valves of the heart, which
are then unable to function properly.
Our heart has four valves. They open
during a heartbeat so that the blood
can flow from one chamber to another and close to make sure that blood
can’t leak back. In valvular heart disease, the person can’t tolerate much
exertion and quickly becomes tired
and breathless. Without valve replacement, these people risk heart failure
and death. The Indian Council of
Medical Research has estimated that
6 out of every 1,000 children between
the ages of 5 and 15 in the country
suffer from rheumatic fever. That way,
over one million children in the country, therefore, could be at risk of developing valvular disease.
Rheumatic fever and rheumatic
heart disease are closely associated
with overcrowding and poor living
conditions. As a result, these ailments
are more common among the poor,
who often have limited access to medical care and cannot afford a heart
surgery.
How Do Heart Valves
Work?
Our heart valves lie at the exit of
each of our four heart chambers and
maintain one-way blood flow through
our heart. The four heart valves make
sure that blood always flows freely in a
forward direction and that there is no
backward leakage. Of the four valves
in the heart, two are situated on the
left side called mitral and aortic valves
and two on the right side called tricuspid and pulmonary valves. Most of
the valvular heart diseases in adult patients arise from left sided valves that
are mitral and aortic valves. Tricuspid
valve can also be involved in many cases, mostly in combination with mitral
valve, though, in rare circumstances it
can be involved in isolation also.
What causes heart
valve disease?
The main causes of heart valve
disease include being born with an
abnormal valve or valves (congenital
heart disease), having had rheumatic
fever, cardiomyopathy - a disease of
the heart muscle, damage to the heart
muscle from a heart attack, getting
older, an infection of the heart valve
(endocarditis).
How is heart valve
disease treated?
Presence of any valvular disease demands treatment and surgical treatment is usually the ultimate
treatment. The treatment will depend
on the cause of the problem and the
effect that it is having on the heart.
Some patients may need only medical treatment during the initial period when the disease is mild but once
the disease becomes severe or the
damage to the heart has begun, the
surgical treatment remains the only
option. The two options for surgical
treatment are repair or replacement
of the diseased valve. In aortic valves,
majority of the valves need replacement. Repair is rarely successful
and long term results are not good.
In case of mitral valve, either repair
or replacement can be done depending on the disease process. In case of
rheumatic heart disease, which is the
most common cause in our country,
most of the valves usually need replacement because valves are severely
damaged in majority of the cases and
long-term results of repair are not
very satisfying.
What is Rheumatic
Heart Disease (RHD)?
Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD)
is a heart condition caused due to
rheumatic fever that generally affects
children and adolescents because of
a vulnerable immune system of the
body. A throat infection (caused due
to the bacteria streptococcus) is the
root cause of the disease. The streptococcal bacteria have a genetic makeup similar to the heart muscle. So,
the body’s defence mechanism can’t
distinguish between the bacteria and
the heart muscle and attacks the latter
instead. It can particularly target heart
valves and heart muscle, causing these
to function poorly. The good news is
that RHD can be prevented and controlled. A regular antibiotic treatment
plan (usually by injections every three
to four weeks) can prevent rheumatic fever and patients with rheumatic
fever from contracting further infections and causing progression of valve
damage.
What is the India story?
The bad news is that incidence
of RHD is much higher in India than
the rest of the world. In India, 47 - 59
per cent of all admissions to hospitals
because of heart disease are said to be
due to Rheumatic Heart Disease. It is
thought that incidence of rheumatic
heart disease is much higher in India
than what is presently believed. RHD
among Indian children could be 20
times more than what is believed, the
study also said RHD is significantly
under-treated in India. In another
study done at New Delhi showed that
RHD was twice as prevalent among
children aged 11-15 years (prevalence
of 26.5 per 1000 children) compared
to children aged 5-10 years (12.6 per
1000 children). Girls had a higher
prevalence of RHD (27.9/1000 girls)
compared to boys (13.3/1000 boys).
What happens if a valve
becomes diseased or
damaged?
The valves open up during a specific time during the contraction of the
heart to allow forward flow through
the valve and remain closed during
the rest of the heart cycle so that blood
does not come back. A diseased or
damaged valve can affect the flow of
blood in two ways: If the valve does
not open fully, it will obstruct or restrict the forward flow of blood. This is
termed as valve stenosis or narrowing.
This can put extra strain on the heart,
making it pump harder to force the
blood past the narrowing. Or sometimes the valves start leaking during
the period when it should be closed.
If the valve does not close properly,
it will allow blood to leak backwards.
This is called valve incompetence or
regurgitation or a leaky valve. This
can also put extra strain on the heart
as the heart will have to do extra work
to pump the required volume of the
blood. So the valvular diseases can be
broadly divided into two groups: Stenosis or regurgitation.
What are the symptoms
of heart valve disease?
Usually, the symptoms of rheumatic heart disease show up 10 to 20
years after the original illness. Sometimes the patient may not show any
symptoms if the heart valve damage
slowly progresses as the heart adapts
to it, but some of the common symptoms a person may experience are:
being out of breath, swelling of the ankles and feet, being unusually tired etc.
How is heart valve disease diagnosed?
An important part of the diagnosis is the history of rheumatic fever in
childhood. During a physical examination, the doctor may look for fluid in the lungs, an enlarged heart, or
a heart murmur, which is the sound
made when blood moves through a
stiff or leaky valve. As already mentioned, sometimes the person may
not have any symptoms but the doctor might be able to hear a murmur
(an unusual sound) when they listen
to the heart. Sometimes when patients believe they have no symptoms,
they actually do, but the heart has already adapted to their limitations. A
murmur does not always mean that
there is a problem with the heart as
people with normal hearts may also
have murmurs. The doctor may suggest further tests to see how well the
heart is working. The most common
test advised is an echocardiogram. In
this test sound waves are aimed at the
heart allowing a detailed picture of the
structure of the valves to be formed
on the computer screen, allowing the
assessment of the valves. The strength
of the muscle of the heart can also be
assessed.
So, the heart of the
matter is…
Although rheumatic valvular
heart disease shows a decreasing
trend in developed countries, India and South-East Asia as a whole
don’t show this trend. In our country, the health of the child generally
remains a priority responsibility of
the parents even when the child becomes an adult. Hence, prevention of
rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart
disease is possible to a large extent
if we can provide the message to the
population (parents) that sore throats
should not be neglected; that sore
throats should be shown to a doctor
for treatment to prevent rheumatic
valvular heart disease. Radio and
television are available for reaching each corner of the country and
should be utilised for this purpose.
School health education and school
health care facilities can also be utilised to control rheumatic valvular
heart disease. And hopefully this
article will also be of some help to a
segment of people in becoming aware
a bit about this grave health problem
of our state and country.
Dr. Bikash Rai Das,
Consultant Heart Surgeon,
GNRC Hospital
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
WAKE UP, LUIT!
PART 1
I
sat in a corner of a coffee shop,
the huge bay window giving me a
view of the busy city life, while the
speakers belted out one of my favourite songs, “Tum Mile”. So very apt for
the situation, though I was not with
someone special who I could hum this
song to while I looked lazily into his
eyes. It was drizzling while I munched
a really warm sandwich, one of my favourite; a grilled garlic and cheese.
People were just not in the mood
to work with the weather as romantic as the rain pelting down on the
not so romantic rooftops of the high
rise buildings of the city. Norah Jones
might have had different lyrics in her
mind if she had seen the scene here.
Yet, Guwahati’s walking population
never seems to slow down, come rain
or snow, or hail for that matter.
Everybody was at their jobs. Persons walking busily as ever with their
cells to their ears. School friends huddled together under one umbrella.
Mothers tugging their children from
school, always making it a point to be
on the safer side of the road while the
child was brazenly open to the unsafe
and roaring city traffic. And when you
tell them to take their child to the other side, they will literally murder you
with their glare, “What’s your problem, it is my child!” I am sorry but I
thought every child is important.
Anyway, the rain was creating
a totally different ambiance for the
young and old alike. The coffee shop,
which was initially filled up with only
a few young boys and girls from college and some looked like they had
bunked school, soon gushed with a lot
more people. From where I sat, I saw
couples of various shapes, sizes and
ages walk up to the shopping mall just
next to the coffee bar. I especially liked this pretty girl,
of medium height, not very dainty, yet
dressed in a soft powder-blue frock
with a satin sash. She had a more than
harsher look on her face, not commonly noticed at her age and she was
talking very seriously about something intrepid that she might have
done. She had put on some weight but
will have to watch out so as to keep
wearing the frilly dresses she must be
liking so much. The boy was much
taller with a happy-go-lucky look
about him, somewhat flirtatious. He
was looking around to see who was
looking at them and spied me, looking
at them through the huge bay window.
There was a crack of a smile to tell me
how proud of his girl he was. I liked it.
I was ravenous and dug anoth-
The rain poured even
more heavily. And then
came the hail stones.
Little round white balls
which pelted randomly,
skidding off in all directions, after hittng the
ground. My mind flew
back to Shillong.
er huge bite into the now lukewarm
sandwich dipped in mustard sauce. I
sugared the cappuccino, which had a
little white heart in the middle. The
sugar hung there for some time and
then gently dipped through the middle of the warm coffee. I took a sip.
Hmmmm…this is bliss!
The rain poured even more heavily. And then came the hail stones. Little round white balls which pelted randomly, skidding off in all directions,
after hittng the ground. My mind flew
back to Shillong.
The sky was overcast with dark
heavy clouds in the morning. But I
thought maybe the weather was going
to get better towards the middle of the
day. I wore a brown knee length skirt
with an off-white polka-dotted shirt
teamed with a cropped faded denim
jacket and a new pair of fawn coloured
moccasins. I wore my wavy hair lose
in a brown hair band. I picked up my
pink umbrella, kissed Mom and started
walking to the main road.
There was a light breeze blowing
and I felt pretty good about myself. I
met my class-mate Pallavi at the appointed place on the way and we got
chatting about all and sundry. She
started appreciating my new pair of
shoes but commented that it might be a
bad day to wear it. However, it was too
late to think about it as we were by then
just two minutes away from college.
Class was good. I especially love
the English Poetry classes. Takes me
to a different realm. And then just as
the short-haired, bespectacled, dusky
Mrs. Mazumdar, our English teacher
was explaining the second stanza from
a poem, the rain poured in torrents.
Mrs. Mazumdar’s voice could hardly be
heard in the din of the rain hitting the
tin roofs of the first floor class-room. She
stopped and looked out of the door and
immediately all of us started talking.
The whole room hummed with our
low-yet-highly-audible chatter. Only a
few minutes had passed and there was
enough material in our conversations
worth a book.
“Keep quiet”, Mrs. Mazumdar
shouted at the top of her voice and
soon all of us fell silent, except for some
stray murmurs. She sat down perplexed
while the rain lashed outside, a little
harder than the first time. We again
started talking, a wee bit louder than
before. This time Manisha quipped
in with Pallavi about my new shoes
and how it will get spoilt in the rain.
By then, I was worried. Alright, I told
them, it is fine with me to go home
bare feet. What? Are you crazy? You
are going to get your feet cut. They were
aghast! They couldn’t believe I could do
that.
So we came to a settlement. I will
go home bare feet, while they would
treat me to an ice-cream sundae and
hotdogs at Cafetaria, the restaurant
in the Nazareth Hospital compound.
Cool! The foodie in me was happy with
such a deal. This time the wind ripped at our
umbrellas while the rain lashed down
severely than before as we started walking along the footpath from Don Bosco Square to Laitumkhrah. The others
were all huddled under their umbrellas
holding their bags and trying not to get
wet. I wrapped my moccasins in paper
and stuffed them into my bag slung over
my right shoulder and my umbrella in
my left hand. I loved watching my red
painted toes in the water flowing over
the footpath. Pallavi who is the daintiest amongst the three of us stepped carefully to keep herself from getting wet,
while I played the spoil-sport. I splashed
water on her whenever I found a fairly
big puddle on the footpath. She would
glare at me, while I laughed in glee. At
times, I even removed the umbrella so
that I could get wet in the rain. By the
time I reached the street near my home,
I was soaking wet, with water dripping
down my hair and making their way in
tiny rivulets down my face. My friends
thought I had gone loony and till this
day they call me a “madcap”.
Never mind the name I earned but
I sure enjoyed the simmering chicken
hotdogs downed with the ice-cream
sundae in strawberry flavour!
I was broken from my reverie with
the waiter coming to clear the table. It
was still raining, though the intensity had lessened somewhat. The sun
peeked through the clouds and again
went in. Looked like there will be another downpour, I thought. In a way,
it’s good. A blessing and why not!
Contd. on next issue
tinat ATIFA MASOOD
17
Life
Ride on The
Divine Power
T
here is so much talk about
success. Have you ever
thought what success is?
Success is simply ignorance about
one’s own capabilities. Success is
ignorance about the power of the
self. We assume that we are capable of doing very little. If there are
obstacles, we become clear about
our objective. With a calm and serene mind, think of all possibilities.
Know that failures are stepping
stones for greater success. Actually,
there are no failures in life. All the
seeming failures are only stepping
stones for greater success. If you
feel the obstacle is too much, deep
prayer can work miracles.
The feeling that “I am blessed”
can help you overcome any failure.
Once you realize that you are blessed, then all the complaints disappear, all the grumbling disappears,
all the insecurities disappear, a sense
of not being loved disappears, wanting love disappears. Ego is always
ambitious and wants to do tough
jobs like climbing Mount Everest. Whereas in a simple act like
watching a butterfly, watering the
garden, watching the birds or the
sky, can bring deep relaxation, and
relaxation connects you with your
source. Seemingly trivial actions
open a new dimension and bring in
immense peace and rest. Just come
out of your little shell and feel free.
There is a saying: Behind every
successful man is a woman. I will
modify this: Behind every success
there is the Divine saying “I am behind you”.
Prayer is a vital tool to improve
your life. It also nurtures values like
integrity and honesty. Prayer happens in two situations, or in a combination of situations. When you
feel grateful or when you feel utterly
helpless. If you are not grateful and
prayerful, you will be miserable. In
either case your prayers will be answered.
What you can do, you do. What
you cannot do, you pray for! It is
said that the divine dawns in you
when you pray for it, when you cry
for it, when you sing for it. The divine is only waiting for you to dig a
little deeper into yourself. Because,
it can then fill you with much more
nectar! Divine wants you to create
more space in you.
Cry from your soul for help.
This is for those seekers who are
weak. Those seekers who are strongwith the power of knowledge-can
sing with that joy of what they have
achieved! The moment you sing in
gratitude, in glory of the divine, it
immediately dawns in you, and fills
you up again. One type of people
is grateful for all their growth. The
other type is helpless and weak.
Both will be helped.
Spirituality is not some ritual,
or an act. It’s a very pleasant, uplifted state of being and being able to
see that the whole world is all spirit or consciousness. Use prayer to
bring integration in your personality. Whatever you do, know that the
higher power has the final say and it
will always be for the best.
The higher goals in life can only
be realized through a few minutes of
meditation and introspection. Any
joy you experience in life is from
the depth of your self, when you let
go all that you hold on to and settle
down being centered in that space.
That is called meditation. Actually,
meditation is not an act; it is the art
of doing nothing! The rest in meditation is deeper than the deepest
sleep that you can ever have because
in meditation you transcend all desires.
Meditation is letting go of anger
from the past and all the planning
for the future. Meditation is accepting this moment and living every
moment totally with depth. Just this
understanding, and a few days of
continuous practice of meditation
can change the quality of our life.
His Holiness
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji
www.artofliving.org/yoga
Follow Sri Sri @SriSriSpeaks on twitter
18
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Entertainment
Love in Bangkok
ready for release on July 10
T
he Assamese film ‘Love in
Bangkok’ is all set for release on
July 10 all over the state. Produced by Bikul Dutta under the banner of Dreams Production, the film
is directed by choreographer Ashim
Baishya, which is coincidently his second Assamese film after Chandu. The
film’s executive producer is Anupam
Hazarika. The screenplay by Pranab
Kumar Barua is based on a story by
Bikul Dutta himself who is a Jorhat
Engineering College alumnus.
The story revolves around a youth
and how through his hard work and
determination, had amassed a huge
fortune abroad. The movie is about
self discovery and how he could lead
today’s society towards a better tomorrow. The film has got ingredients
of love, romance, action, rivalry etc.
The movie was mostly shot in
Bangkok, Pattaya and a couple of
other exotic locations. The beautiful
settings offered breathtaking views for
the unit.
Apart from its locations, rich
culture, people’s warmth and affection, it’s the Thai hospitality that really
make it a great reason for attracting
filmmakers from Assam and other
places. Thailand has been the hub for
many big budget Hollywood and Bollywood productions over the years.
Producer Bikul Dutta has relished
shooting in such places and considers
it economically feasible too.
The camerawork for ‘Love in
Bangkok’ has been done by South Indian movie industry’s KG Prabin. The
film’s music has been scored by Pranjal Pradip Bharali and Ajoy Phukan.
The film is edited by Moni Rajkonwar
and Kailash Duara. Various roles are
played by Bikul Dutta, Akashdeep,
Sangita Gogoi, Nandita Bora, Prankrishna Mahanta, Pallabi Barua, Zenobiya Konwar, Monalisha Baishya,
Karabi Sarma, Suraj Saikia, Mainu
Gogoi, Deva Kalita, Guna Saikia, Ujjal
Bora, Manas and child artist Raghabi
Dutta (Rahi) among others.
A couple of songs have found
popular appeal on You Tube and other
social networking sites. All the songs
have been choreographed by Ashim
Baishya. Make-up has been taken care
of by Bapon Kalita and Bidyut. The
film’s publicity designer is Kalyan Kumar Kalita.
New Assamese film
‘Du Du Dubai’ Manju
borah
A
new Assamese film, Du Du
Dubai, directed by popular choreographer Ashim
Baishya and produced by Bikul
Dutta under the banner of Dreams
Production, is currently being
filmed in various locations of Dubai
like the Burj Khalifa, Burj Al Arab,
Dubai Mall, Desert Safari, Dubai
Marina, Gold Sock etc and some
beautiful locations of North-East.
The film’s story, script and dialogues have been penned by Bikul
Dutta. The shooting of the film has
been done in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
where Akshay Kumar’s ‘Baby’, Salman Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and Tom
Cruise starrer Hollywood film ‘Mission Impossible 2’ had been shot.
The cinematography has done by C
Thapa from Mumbai.
The story of the film revolves
around a poor boy who despite
completing his engineering degree,
fails to find a job. But hard work
and patience finally pays off one
day. His realizes his own dream after settling down in Dubai. The key
roles of the film have been essayed
by Bikul Dutta, Mayuri Borkakoty,
Kalpana Kalita, Hima Kakati, Popi
Kakati along with Amirul Hussain,
Lachit Deka from Dubai. Dubai’s
Assam Society also helps and takes
part in this film.
The music for the film is by
Pranjal Prodip Bharali. The film has
five tracks, of which four have been
written by Somiran Malay and one
by Tulika Das. The choreographer
is Ashim Baishya, and the editor is
Kailash Duara. Make-up has been
done by Bapan Kalita, while still
photo is by Rajiv Rabha. The film’s
publicity designer is Kalyan Kumar
Kalita.
Nipon Dhalua’s Morisika to hit theatres soon
N
ipon Dholua, director of the
critically acclaimed film, “Me
and My Sister” is ready with his
next directorial venture, Morisika, starring Kopil Bora and Munmi Kalita in
lead.
The plot of the film is based on state
sponsored killings. The pain and horror of the holocaust during the second
World War is fresh in the minds of people across the world, where millions of
people were killed like animals by the tyrant, Adolf Hitler. But while it was then
the result of the deranged machinations
of a single man, now it is sponsored by
the state. The court of the state takes the
decision to eliminate people who are not
interview
required for the state. Its a state of survival
of the fittest. In the background of this
transformation, the film is a love story between the protagonists, Raj and Nila. Raj is
an industrialist, while Nila is the daughter
of a farmer. The music video Xoru Xoru
already has 2000+ hits on YouTube.
Apart from Kopil and Munmi, the film
also stars Nipon Goswami, Minu Baniya,
Indra Baniya, Taufique Rahman, Madhurima Goswami, Arun Hazarika and Trishna,
besides, child artists Disan Dholua, Pooja
Bejbaruah and Katrin Dhalua
The music directors for the film are
Kalyan Baruah and Bappi, while the cinematography has been done by Prithviraj
Dutta.
B
orn in Assam, Manju Borah’s
films explore the region’s culture and its impact on the
person and society as a whole. Her
last movie was a Mising language
film called Ko:yad (A Silent Way)
is her first in a language other than
Assamese. The film received National Awards for Best Mising Film
and Best Cinematography in 60th
National Film Awards besides many
other accolades.
In a small interview with Manju
Borah, she told us about her upcoming projects. Her latest film is Dau
Huduni Methai (Song of The Horned
Owl) in Bodo language. The movie
is a socio-political commentary on
Northeast Assam. Her son, Aniruddha Borah provided the background
music to the movie. The other project
is an animated movie about ‘Sarvagunakara Srimanta Sankara’. Her reason for taking this project is because
she wants to reach out to a younger
audience. “The new generation is
unaware of the 600 year old revolutionary of this region”. This movie is
supposed to be a reminder for them.
We asked her about what plagues
the Northeast movie industry. She
had more than one issue she wanted
to address. She says there is no cooperation from the government for
such projects. Movies are difficult
to release, given that they allow only
one showtime and one theatre. There
are producers willing to invest but
it all sums up to a pointless effort.
She specifically said that there is no
dearth of good Assamese films, but
a lack of audience. Given that show
timings are so stringent, the possibility of a good crowd becomes null.
special segment for NE Flims in International Film Fest
T
he Woodpecker International Film Festival (WFF),
known for its focus on issue-based cinema, has announced
the call for entries for the 3rd edition of the festival this year. Apart
from films and documentaries on
wide ranging socio-economic,
ecological and cultural issues like
environment, livelihoods, gender,
health, children, art and culture,
the festival will also showcase
films and documentaries from
North-East. The 3rd edition of
the festival will be organised from
September 17-20 at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi. Last date for
submitting entries is July 06, 2015.
According to Narender Ya-
dav, Founder Director, Woodpecker
International Film Festival (WFF),
“We look at the festival as a mission
to promote issue-based cinema globally and explore the power of storytelling through films to create a better world. In its 3rd edition we have
introduced several new issues and
thematic areas as well as a new segment only on films from North East.
North-East constitutes one of the
most culturally vibrant, ecologically
rich and socially dynamic parts of the
country. At the same time the region
has witnessed several phases of insurgency and violence. Films depicting
various aspects of life in North-East
are invited under this category. Overall, this year the festival will showcase
documentaries, short films and social
advertisements on 11 contemporary
themes.”
According to Festival Advisor,
Dr. Ashish Chopra, a renowned TV
host, culinary historian and someone
who has travelled and documented
North-East extensively, this is going
to be an exciting segment and one
of the major highlights of this year’s
festival. “India is a nation of diversity
with many stories and stories within
stories. Some stories are happy and
some are sad. Each of these stories
have some message to convey. The
Woodpecker International film festival and forum, in its third edition
promises to portray such short films
and documentaries. This year we
have a special focus on the North East
part of India - a land with diverse culture, tradition, music, cuisine beliefs,
myths biodiversity and home to almost 100 tribes and sub tribes. The
film makers from the North East are
highly talented and WFF is going to
be a fantastic platform to watch and
appreciate their work”, he said.
Entry forms along with guidelines are available on the festival
website www.woodpeckerfilmfestival.in, while deadline for submission
is July 06, 2015. Official selections for
this year’s festival will be announced
in the month of August. The selections will be made by a 20-member
selection committee, headed by Avijit
Dutt. Other members of the jury
include Oscar nominated director-producer, writer and actor Ajita Suchitra Veera, Nigerian writer
and filmmaker Onyeka Newuele,
journalist Mihir Shrivastav and
Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) member, Ashieem
Kaisthaa.
It needs mention here that the
Woodpecker Awards are aimed to
inspire creativity and recognise the
talent of Indian filmmakers who
are focusing on alternative ways
of filmmaking and experimenting
with new ideas and issues. A trophy,
citation along with a cash award
will be presented in a gala award
ceremony during the festival.
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Couture for two
Fashion
A look at Payal Chadha’s wedding
wear collection
G PLUS FEATURE
T
he brides-to-be now have a perfect destination after the latest bridal
collection was revealed recently in the city. The curtain raiser of the
collection was conducted through a recent event that took place in
the city at Hotel Conture, Platan Bazar.
A complete wedding, life style and fashion exhibition aptly named:
Wedding Premier was held over two days with over twenty designers across
the country and top fashion
and lifestyle designers from
the country including Ritu Kumar, Queen Dody, MNC, and
Smitten from New York.
In the event concepted by
Gallery 2000, models donned
some classic bridal wears and designer apparel of some of the esteemed designers who participated in
the gala event, to give a feel of a wedding shoppers’ paradise.
Covering all the occasions of an Indian wedding like shagun, mudda, mehendi, sangeet and bachelor’s party, the
event showcased the latest bridal wear
such lehenga, sarees, western gowns,
midriff dresses and full bridal gowns.
A wedding will always remain
incomplete without a groom, so the
grooms too had sundry options to
19
browse through. The event also showcased Indowesterns, sherwanis, tuxedos, and three-piece suits.
A one of its kind event that transpired for the
first time in Assam, the set up of the event was
made as a wedding reception.
R.K Chadha, chairman, Gallery 2000 group
co. said, “We made a wedding reception stage
with live models acting as bride and groom and
their friends in our wedding dresses made exclusively by Payal Chadha and the participating
designers.”
When we talk about wedding, it’s not only
bridals, in fact it’s a package of gold and diamond jewellery, caterers, DJ, photography experts, make up artistes and holiday packages
cosmetics which makes it a complete collection
and Wedding Premier covered all of these under
one roof.
The event also showcased attire of an Assamese wedding such as Mekhla chador with contrast coloured thread-weave borders for events
like juron, bidai presenting the entire bridal set.
20
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Reviews
u
Yo LD
TEN
SHOU
LIS
GAME
IEW
REV
Album: English Graffiti
Artist: The Vaccines
W
The Witcher 3 wild hunt
W
Mov
Revi ie
ew
Cast: Jackky Bhagnani, Arshad Warsi, Lauren
Gottlieb, Dalip Tahil
Director: Ashish R Mohan
W
elcome to Karachi is
supposed to be a comedy but sadly it does not
succeed in giving you even a single
good laugh. It is sad to see writers
time and again rely on stereotypes
to bring the comic quotient out and
this film does exactly that. Showing
Gujaratis who wear flowery shirts,
crave for US visas and are stingy
is actually passe. Most of the jokes
fall flat making this supposed funny
ride a boring one.
The comedy is slapstick and
using any logic would be a crime.
Even for a no brainer, this film does
not suffice. The Pakistani’s are also
portrayed in quite a cliched manner.
Recently, we have seen films like
Filmistaan too which had a similar
plot of an Indian being stranded
in Pakistan but thanks to its intelligent content, the film worked well.
Welcome To Karachi goes on the
opposite as it fails to entertain you
because of its mediocre content.
Too many characters are crammed
in a warped plot and none of then
leave any impression on you.
Also, in a scene where the duo
are shown a picture of Barrack Obama and asked if they know him, I
fail to understand why they would
not recognize him even when
Shammi is shown to be an ex-navy
official and thus it may have to be
assumed that he is well read. The
makers cannot rely on such content to make us laugh and in fact I
could not even manage a fake laugh
on that. Jokes such as Taliban toh
Khaliban ban gaya are cracked and
we are expected to have a hilarious
laugh at a series of them which keep
coming in a row.
Welcome to Karachi promises
nothing but slapstick humor. There
is not one moment in the film where
you get a good laugh and sadly not
even a satirical one.
ild Hunt, CD Projekt Red’s
saga has grown into something magnificent. It’s a
game of truly epic scale that still displays an eye for every detail. It’s one
that sees its hero, Geralt the Witcher,
fully transformed from the swordswinging Mr Loverman of the first
Witcher into a mature, reflective hero,
and one where story, systems, art, music, action and lore all seem to mesh together into one dazzling whole. It’s the
best fantasy RPG of its type since The
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and sets a new
benchmark for the genre. To be honest,
that’s all you really need to know.
All the same, you’re probably expecting more from a review than just
breathless hyperbole. Well, imagine a
game that takes everything you love
from The Witcher 2: Assassin of Kings,
Skyrim, The Legend of Zelda from Ocarina of Time to Twilight Princess and
Red Dead Redemption.
Speaking personally, I’m also not a
huge fan of having to repair weapons
regularly, and having to travel back to
the nearest blacksmith to get my gear
fixed up is one chore I could do without. Still, repair kits are easily available,
ith two albums of real rock
under their belts, the Vaccines take a left turn toward trashiness on their third record,
2015’s English Graffiti. Back on their
2011 debut What Did You Expect
from the Vaccines?, the bandmembers
affected a studied detachment, a conscious decision to keep themselves at
arm’s length from either their hooks
or their attitude. Four years later, they
don’t hesitate to embrace the tackier
elements of being in a rock & roll
band. English Graffiti spills over with
fuzzed-out glam guitar and the neon
glare of new wave synthesizers, all
channeled through a post-punk filter
pilfered from the Strokes. Where the
Strokes remain concerned with indie
cred even at this late date, the Vaccines
are happy to settle for the surface,
finding excitement in the basics of a
big hook and an overly stylized surface. Such simple pleasures make English Graffiti an appealingly trashy little
rock & roll record, one that does find
room for the spaciness of the closing
“Undercover” but is better understood
by the walloping stomp of “Dream
Lover” and the nervy cool of “Minimal Affectation,” an ‘80s homage titled
with either extreme or no irony.
and some people like that sort of authenticity. In fact, Wild Hunt makes it
palatable by placing accessible limitedtime weapon and armour buffs for you
to use while you’re there.
The big stuff here is absolutely brilliant – and brilliant in a way that leaves
you wishing that more games could be
both this ambitious and this well executed without failing one way or the
other. Sure, The Witcher 2 isn’t something you can pick up casually, requiring time, commitment and – well, a lot
more time – but it’s hard to imagine
anyone without a hatred of RPGs and
fantasy regretting the countless hours
they’ll put in.
With commiserations to Bioware
and Bethesda, Wild Hunt is the new
RPG by which all other RPGs should
be judged. Not only has CD Projekt
Red deliverered the largest and most
convincing fantasy open-world we’ve
ever seen, but a storyline, quests and
systems that make it an incredibly
compelling place to run, ride and sail
around in. It’s the GTA 5 or Red Dead
Redemption of sword and sorcery sagas and the biggest, most breathtaking
time sink you’re likely to play this year.
Book: The House that BJ Built
Author: Anand Neelakantan
T
You
SHOU
Rea LD
d
he mahabharata endures as the
great epic of india. While jaya is
the story Of the pandavas, told
from the perspective of the victors of kurukshetra, ajaya is the tale of the Kauravas, who were decimated to the last man.
From the pen of the author who gave
voice to Ravana in the national bestseller,
asura, comes the riveting narrative which
compels us to question The truth behind
the mahabharata. As the Pandavas stake
their claim to the Hastinapura throne, the
Kaurava Crown Prince, Suyodhana, rises
to challenge Krishna. As great minds de-
bate dharma and adharma, power hungry
men prepare for an apocalyptic war. The
women, highborn and humble, helplessly watch the unfolding disaster with
deep foreboding. And greedy merchants
and unscrupulous priests lie in wait like
vultures. Both sides know that beyond
the agony and carnage the winner will
take all. But even as gods conspire and
men’s destinies unfold, a far greater truth
awaits. The dark age of kali is rising and
every man and woman must choose between duty And conscience, honour and
shame, life and death…
NOW SHOWING
Welcome To Karachi
Tanu Weds Manu Returns
San Andreas
Ishq E Dariyaan
Apsara Cinema
Daily at 11.00 AM & 8.00 PM
Daily at 2.00 & 5.00 PM
Anuradha Cineplex
Daily at 8.15 PM
Daily at 5.15 PM
Daily at 9.15 AM & 2.30
PM
Fun Cinemas
Daily at 3.30 PM
Daily at 1.00 & 8.45 PM
Daily at 10.30 AM &
6.00 PM
Gold Cinema
(Paltan Bazaar)
Daily at 11.00 AM, 2.30 & 5.00
PM
Daily at 11.30, 5.30 & 8.00
PM
Daily at 2.00 PM
Gold Cinema
(Fancy Bazar)
Daily at 11.00 AM, 2.30 & 5.00
PM
Daily at 11.30, 5.30 & 8.00
PM
Daily at 2.00 PM
Gold Cinema
(Narengi)
Daily at 11.00 AM & 5.00 PM
Daily at 2.00 & 8.00 PM
Chor Bazari
Piku
Daily at 11.45 AM
Daily at 8.30 PM
Daily at 8.30 PM
Telebooking numbers: Anuradha Cineplex; 03612656968, 9954544738, Fun Cinemas: 9864800100, 9864800200, Gold Cinema (Fancy Bazaar): 03612735367, 9854077177, Gold Cinema (Paltan
Bazaar): 9854066166, Gold Cinema (Narengi): 8811001898
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
COMING
SOON!
21
Tech Watch
Some of the hottest gadgets that will be hitting
the markets soon for you to lay your grimy
hands on. Check these hotties out!
ASUS
ZENFONE
ASUS
LENOVO Y50
ZENWATCH
A
sus Zenfone 2, is the
latest flagship series of the
Taiwanese tech giant. The
phone was announced in the CES
2015. The Zenfone series took the
markets by storm when they came
out with Zenfone 5 in January 2014.
There were pre bookings, queues
at retailers, and the usual online
shopaholics. They flooded the forums
with reviews, pros and cons alike.
The Zenfone 2 comes with 4GB
RAM, first in its class. Powered by
Intel’s Z3580 Quad Core Processor
and Hyperthreading technology,
this phone will never lag. I know
the gadgets these days shouldn’t
even worry about lags because
they all come with 2GB RAM or
more but the key lies in the optimal
utilization of the ram and not just
the number. For example a phone
powered with an Intel chipset and
1GB RAM will definitely perform
better than a phone powered with an
MediaTek(MTK) processor with say,
2GB RAM. It’s all in the optimization
and architecture.
They announced the phone with
multiple variants with lower specs
to attract the smaller markets. Sold
out like candy, this phone has been
available for online purchase with
Flipkart since April 2015, but it is
finally hitting the stores in Guwahati
on 16th June, 2015. For those who’re
wary about purchasing gadgets
online, this is your chance to pounce.
T
**The variants of the ZenFone
2 smartphone are:ZenFone 2 ZE551ML
with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage
priced at `22,999
ZenFone 2 ZE551ML
with 4GB RAM, 32GB storage
priced at `19,999
ZenFone 2 ZE551ML
with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage
priced at `14,999.
ZenFone 2 ZE550ML
with 2GB RAM, 16GB storage
priced at `12,999.
**prices available on Flipkart
PROS
CONS
S
mart-watches have been the buzz
word for every tech giant for the
past few months. Ingenuity and
precision crafted into one nifty device.
The watch seemed to have gone out of
fashion since the arrival of smartphones
and everyone turned to their phones to
check the time. But integrating an OS
in a watch and giving it an HD screen
has turned the tables in favour of the old
time telling device.
After Moto360 and the Apple
iWatch, Asus announced its ZenWatch. The Zen-Watch has already
been received brilliantly by critics and
customers alike. Unfortunately, the only
way to get your hands on one is online,
through sellers like eBay who priced the
gadget at `22,000(approx.). The cost to
feature ratio seems unreasonable, but
people can’t stop talking about it. Water
proof (IP55), AMOLED Display, 1.2
GHz processor, voice commands and
that list goes on. Asus has been on a roll
since the last quarter of 2014. This is just
another weapon in its arsenal. Now you
can look at your watch even if you don’t
have an urgent meeting, just because
an HD screen on your wrist is simply
amazing. And oh, did I mention it also
works as your fitness tracker?
Excellent form factor
Battery backup
Excellent performance
Although it comes with f/2.0,
camera quality is average
Authorised service centres in
Guwahati
Dull display
Form Factor
Touchscreen (Capacitative)
Model
Zenfone 2
Dimensions
152.50 x 77.20 x 10.90
Android Wear
Weight
170.00
Memory-512 MB RAM
Screen Size(inches)
5.5
Storage-4GB
Processor
2.3GHz quad-core
DisplayAMOLED 1.63”
Processor make
Intel Z3580
RAM
2GB and 4GB variants
Sensor-9 Axis Sensor/Bio
sensor
Internal storage
16GB, 32GB, 64GB and 128GB
Bluetooth V4.0
Expandable storage
Yes
Expandable storage type
Micro SD
USB Ports-Micro USB on
Charging Cradle
Expandable storage up to (GB)
128GB
Rear camera
13 Megapixel
Audio-Built-in microphone
Flash
Two-tone
Front camera
5 Megapixel
Features-Cover Lens
2.5D curved Corning® Gorilla®
Glass 3
Sensors
Accelerometer, Gyroscope,
Proximity, Compass
Water Resistance
IP55Top of Form
Processor- Qualcomm
Snapdragon 400
[email protected]
his week we dedicate a column for the gaming enthusiasts.
Yes, we know how playing games makes you a ‘bad boy’,
but you wouldn’t really care when you’re using this beast.
Let me introduce you to the Lenovo Y50 Touch 4K. As the name
suggests, this bad boy comes with native 4K display (a non UHD
version is also available). This fresh release by Lenovo is already up for
grabs online. For Guwahati, the tentative launch date remains foggy,
but we can expect it to hit the stores by the end of June. It comes
with the latest NVDIA GeForce GTX 860M, a whopping 8GB RAM
and expands upto 16GB. It is powered by Intel Core i7 (no questions
there), and JBL speakers, so you don’t have to carry around extra
speakers to be loud. Priced between Rs. 80,000-1,15,000 on Snapdeal,
Flipkart and Lenovo’s official site (depending on variants), this
should be something to look forward to if you’re willing to splurge.
This laptop falls under ‘extreme’ gaming category, so unless you
have that 99% on your report card, it’s pointless asking your parents
for it.
Nokia N1
T
his device is Nokia’s elephant killer, the magnum, its weapon
to get back in the game. After being bought by Microsoft last
year and being rebranded as Lumia (selling it with that small
‘Windows” logo), everyone thought it was the end of the Finnish
giant. But Nokia’s N1 tablet, (that sold out in seconds in China) is
looking to enter Asian markets, yes that includes India too!
The device is powered with Intel’s Z3580, a 2.3 GHz processor
with 2GB RAM and Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. The tab
features 2 cameras 13MP and 5MP for rear and front respectively.
Now the flaw is in the fact that there is no place for sim card. Nokia
cannot enter the smartphone business again because it’s not allowed
to place a sim slot in its devices until 2016, which means the device
does not come with GSM connectivity. In this age of phablets and
Fonepads, not having sim connectivity is a big downer, but for
those happy with ‘official’ (WiFi) usage only, this is going to be an
excellent choice. It is rumoured to enter the Indian markets at about
`15,000-17,000. Lightning charge, USB-Type C, excellent form factor,
premium metal finish, and this device offers everything else. And
did I mention? It comes with the Z-launcher! Of course it is optional
whether you want it or not. But it’s pretty nifty if you have a screen
full of apps.
PROS
Excellent form factor, technically sound
CONS
no GSM connectivity, no flash, no expandable memory
**The device is expected to hit Indian markets by end of June, 2015
22
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Fun
TIMEPASS
Your weekly dose of
Gemini
Taurus
Aries
This week can be a lot of fun, with plenty of interaction and opportunities to
relax in good company. Enjoy a lunch with interesting people or spend time
with a significant other. However, there’s a chance of mixed messages and
misunderstandings. It could be too easy to get the wrong end of the stick, even
if you make an effort to be as clear as possible. Energy levels could drop, too,
which means you’d be wise to lighten your schedule.
This week it could be easy to grow complacent and forgo tasks and activities
that are necessary to your progress. Trying to meet deadlines or reach targets could seem like paddling upstream. Potent energies can coincide with
escapist tendencies that could see you dreaming of exotic shores or craving
a duvet day. Your best bet may be to cut out activities that aren’t strictly
necessary and leave plenty of time to relax and rejuvenate.
Libra
Virgo
Leo
Be careful when discussing work or closing deals. With Mercury retrograde
and Neptune’s influence, things may not be as they seem. Read the fine print
on any documents you need to sign, and keep your financial and personal
information safe. Double-check facts given to you by others, as they may have
dubious origins. Even so, it’s possible to make progress if you keep your wits
about you. In romance, remember that all that glitters isn’t necessarily gold.
Sagittarius
Unexpected events could disrupt routines this week - just about anything could
happen. Effective solutions may be only a phone call away if you’re willing
to ask a friend or expert for advice. If you need a second opinion, check that
it comes from a reputable source before you share it with others. A situation
at home might need attention, although it would be unwise to make any
major decisions this week. A loved one’s attentiveness can boost your spirits.
SUDOKU
Art, music, culture, and other fun activities could be delightful and inspiring
this week. You can harness your imagination and use it to your advantage,
particularly through visualization and creative activities. If you haven’t dabbled in a favorite hobby or pastime lately, doing so can be very fulfilling.
Where romance is concerned, someone may be more of a taker than a
giver. Watch for hidden agendas or too many little lies. Let your intuition
be your guide.
Though your best qualities may be on display at work, someone’s incompetence could spoil your time in the limelight. Disruptive and unsettling
influences can cause misunderstandings, missed appointments, and mixed
messages. If you want something done this week, it’s best to do it yourself.
Leaving it to others could undermine your reputation. While there may be
many romantic opportunities open to you, choose carefully. Someone could
take advantage of your willingness to help.
It’s unlikely this week will go as planned, as someone may have to break a
promise or cancel an outing. You’ll also need to keep your wits about you at
work, as nebulous influences might cause you to make a mistake or neglect
an important task. Writing down a daily to-do list and ticking off each item
in turn can help you navigate a maze of activities. That said, grab any chance
you get for a new experience or travel adventure!
Aquarius
Capricorn
The secret to getting the most out of this week is to delegate wherever
possible. A strong Neptune focus could not only sap your energy but
also cause delays and confusion. The less work you take on, the better
the chance of dealing with it efficiently. Don’t believe everything you
hear, especially if it comes from the lips of someone with a tendency to
embellish the truth. Regular workouts can go a long way toward helping
you stay positive.
This isn’t the best week for financial matters, particularly if you’re thinking of buying or selling big-ticket items. In fact, you may be better
off waiting until Mercury turns direct on June 11 to ensure a smooth
transaction. A lively Gemini focus could keep you busy in the realm of
romance. You seem to be the life and soul of the party, so you shouldn’t
lack invitations. But beware of someone who’s too friendly or flattering
for their own good.
Useful Life hacks
Shoes too small?
Put on three pair of socks, put the shoes on, blow dry for 10
minutes. They’ll fit perfectly.
HOROSCOPE
Cancer
With the Gemini focus, you’re in a natural phase in which it’s a good idea
to slow the pace. This is one time of year when you’ll benefit from a lighter
schedule. Allow more time to meditate, reflect on life, and decide what’s
best for your future. You may notice that you’re more sensitive than usual to
other people’s moods and feelings, which you can use to your advantage.
You may crave peace and quiet after spending time in crowds.
Scorpio
Business matters and joint finances may need careful handling this week,
as the blend of energies will only add to the confusion. It’s unwise to invest
money in schemes about which you know very little or that have dubious
designs. In fact, it’s probably best to postpone important financial decisions
until next week. You’ll have more clarity and more information at hand. Although your love life seems to be sizzling, someone could undermine your
confidence. Stay strong.
Pisces
There’s pleasure to be had in sprucing up your home to make it cozier
and happier. Your creative skills and talents come to the fore this week,
helping you devise delightful color schemes or bright ideas for new curtains or soft furnishings. Have a clear plan before you invest in paints
or materials. There’s a chance you could change your mind halfway and
lose out in the process. There’s potential for romance with someone
who’s been a supportive friend.
JUST FOR LAUGHs
A man kills a deer and takes
it home to cook for dinner.
Both he and his wife decide
that they won’t tell the kids
what kind of meat it is, but
will give them a clue and let
them guess. The dad said,
“Well it’s what Mommy calls
me sometimes.” The little
girl screamed to her brother,
“Don’t eat it. Its an a**hole!
A panda walks into a bar, sits
down, and orders a sandwich.
He eats, pulls out a gun, and
shoots the waiter dead. As
the panda stands up to go,
the bartender shouts, “Hey!
Where are you going? You
just shot my waiter and you
didn’t pay for the food!” The
panda yells back, “Hey man,
I’m a panda. Look it up!” The
bartender opens his dictionary
to panda, “A tree climbing
mammal of Asian origin,
characterized by distinct black
and white coloring. Eats,
shoots, and leaves.”
Solution (Last Issue)
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
classifieds
VACANCY
Required Sr.
Sales Executives,
Showroom Sales,
Accountant,
Marketing
Executives (F) ,
Office Executive.
Contact-90850-78728
Hair Styler required
in an Unisex salon
For details contact
97076 35294
Peon Required
Qly-H.S.L.C.
Salary-5,500/-(+)
Contact -9864306246
Urgently Require
Telecallers
Salary: 5,000-10,000/Contact-98646-08375
Receptionist Required
Salary-Up to 10,000/Contect-98640-62103
Urgently Required
Delivery Boy
On a famous Courier
Salary: 7,000-9,000/Contect-90859-90528
Back Office
Executive Required
Salary-10,000/-(+)
Contact-98543-71481
Delivery boy
Required
For Online shoppingSalary-up to -9,000/Contact-98646-08375
Hotel Industry
Front Office
Executive Required
Salary-6,000-10,000/Contact-98640-62103
Showroom Executive
Required
Salary-5,000-6,000/Contact-98543-71481
Marketing Executive
Required
Salary-10,000/-(+)
Contact-98640-62103
Back Office
Executive Required
On A well known
Hotel
Salary-Up to-10,000/Contact-90859-90528
In house sales
Executive
Qly-B.Com with
English medium
background
Salary-Up to-15,000/Contact-98543-71481
To post
classifieds
call us at
+91 8486002319
Advertisment
Want pure cowdung agarbatti?
Contact: 9093196925
TO-LET
2 BHK With 2
Bathroom , Parking,
Balcony And Lift At
G.S. Road
Rent-12,000
Ph No.-98644-31944
3 BHK 2nd Floor Flat
At Ghy Club, Rent18,000
Call-76630-59321
3 BHK Newly
Constructed Flat At
Jayanagar, Rent14,000
Call-83999-65686
3BHK Independent
House At Jonali,
2Bathroom , Parking,
& Kitchen, Rent10,000
Contact-76630-59321
3BHK 3Rd Floor
Flat With Bathroom
, Parking, Balcony
And Lift
Rent-12,000
Contact-83999-65686
3 BHK At Ganeshguri
Rent-15,000
Call-7663059321
Any type of Rented
House Available
At Zoo Road,
Chandmari
Contect-98647-39316
2 BHK Flat With
2Bathroom, Parking
& Balcony With Lift
At Chandmari
Rent-10,000
Ph No.- 83999-65686
Any type of Flat
Available At Zoo
Road, Chandmari
Contect-98647-39316
Any type of Office
Available At Zoo
Road, Chandmari
Contect-98647-39316
3BHK Flat At
Second Floor With 2
2 / 4 WHEELER
Discover 2014 Model
For Sale, Colour :
Black And Red
Ph.- 98599-10119
Alto LXI 2011 Model
Colour: Maroon
Contact-88110-91965
Yamaha FZ – S
Year of
Manufacturing04/20111, Colour
B. Green
Contact-95778-21645
Bathroom , Balcony
, Parking With 3
Wardrobe And Lift.
Rent- 15,000 Ph No.98644-31944
3BHK Flat With 2
Bathroom, 3rd Floor
, Parking, Balcony &
Lift in Beltola
Rent- 14,000
Pn No.-76630-59321
720sqft showroom
with toilet in athgaon
suitable for boutique/
computer classes etc.
Contact- 98641-59713
5 Room Flat In
Maskhowa For Rent.
Contact-98641-59713
3BHK New Flat
With 2 Bathroom ,
Parking , Balcony ,
Lift At Dispur, 2nd ,
3rd , 4th Floor, Rent16,000
Call-9864431944
400 sqft Rcc godown
available
At opp.Nichols
school, Chatribari.
With Shutter and
road facing facility.
Ph.No.- 9864159713.
200 sqft Rcc shop
inside market.
Available and nearby
godown.
Suitable for any type
of CNF work.
Ph.No. - 9864159713.
3 room residential
flat on third floor
1300 sqft in Krisna
Nagar, Chatribari.
Ph.Nos. - 9864159713.
FOR SALE
3 bigha land in
Thakurbari Road
, Rangapara with
clearcut title & sale
deed. Contact- Gopal
Das Phone No088768-59216
For immediate sale.
Brand New Flat at
Kahilipara Road,
3BHK with car park
and all modern
ammeneties. 1560
sq.ft, 8th floor.
Contact: 94351 15098
2 WHEELER /
4 WHEELER
Vento (D)
Top Model 2011
Colour: White
Ph-88110-91965
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
Ambulance 102
Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665
Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669
GLP Social Circle 2737373
GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109
Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251
BLOOD BANK
Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665
Ganga Blood Bank 2454742, 2455029
Lion’s Club of Ghy Central 2546611
Marwari Yuva Manch 2546470, 2547251
Saharia’s Path Lab (24 hours) 2458594
Honda Activa
2004 Model
Colour : Black
Call- 88110-91965
Bajaj Pulsar 135
2010 Model
Colour – M.BLK M.
98540-91738
Scorpio For Sale
2010 SLX
Colour – Silver
Ph.- 98599-10119
Pulsar 150 2009
Model, Colour: Black
Contact- 88110-91965
Scorpio 2010 LX
Colour: Black (D)
Contact-98641-06333
Honda Dio 2013
Model, 2013 Model
Colour: P.T. Yellow
Contact-98640-21414
TVS Apache RTR
08 / 2011 Model
Colour : Red
98544-01660
Scorpio Model: SLX
2004, Colour: Silver
Contact- 88110-91965
Honda Activa 2012
Model, Colour- Blue
Call-95773-69908
Wagon R For Sale
2009 Model
Colour : Maroon
Contact-98599-10119
Hundai i20 Sportz
ABS CRBI
Price – 5.20 Lacs
Colour – Grey
88221-41557
Swift Dzire: 2010
Model, Colour: White
(D), Ph- 98599-91965
Activa, Colour: Black
2012 Model
Contact: 98641-06333
Mahindra Duro
2011 Model
Colour : Maroon
Contact: 88110-91965
Public Notice
I, Neelakshi Bordoloi,
have changed my name
to Neelakshi Bordoloi
Saikia by an affidavit
before the Notary
Public Kamrup (Metro)
dated: 19-02-15
Citypedia
AMBULANCE
Splendor 2013 Model
Colour Black
Call- 98641-06333
Swift VSI 2012 Model
Colour: Silver
4.50 Lacs Fixed
Call:88221-41557
23
HOSPITALS
Arya Hospital, Ulubari
(2606888, 2606665)
B Baruah Cancer Institute
(2472364/66)
Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd
(2451634/678)
Chatribari Christian
Hospital
0361-2600051, 9207044374
Downtown Hospital
2331003, 9864079366,
9435012669
Guwahati Medical College
(2529457, 2529561)
Guwahati Medical College
Emergency (2263444)
International Hospital
0361-7135005
Mahendra Mohan
Choudhury Hospital
(2541477, 2543998)
Marwari Hospital & Research Centre
0361-2602738/39
Marwari Maternity Hospital 0361-2541202/01
Nemcare Hospital
0361-2528587, 2455906,
2457344
Pratiksha Hospital
0361-2337260,
2337183/84
Basistha Military Hospital
(2304617/0351)
Railway Central Hospital
Casuality (2671025)
Redcross Hospital
(2665114)
Sri Sankardeva Netralaya
0361-2233444, 2228879,
2228921
TB Hospital
(2540193)
Wintrobe Hospital
0361-2519860,
98647-77986
IHR-Institute of Human
Reproduction
0361-2482619,09864103333
GNRC Hospital 0361
2227702
GNRC Life First Ambulance
9401194011
24-HOUR PHARMACIES
Arya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665)
DEAD BODY CARRYING VAN
GLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046
Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251
GGUMTA 98640-16740
ELECTRICITY
SUPPLY
Call Centre –
9678005171
OTHERS
Fire Emergency 101
State Zoo 2201363
GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720,
9864047222
LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209,
2541118
RADIO TAXI SERVICES
Prime Cabs
0361- 2222233
Green Cabs
0361-7151515
My Taxi
0361-2228888
Cherry Cabs
8876222288
Cinema Hall
Anuradha Cineplex – 0361-2656968, 99545-44738
Fun Cinema (HUB)- 98648-00100, 98648-00200
Gold Cinema (Paltan Bazaar) – 98540-66166
Gold Cinema (Salasar) – 0361-2735367, 98540-77177
Gold Cinema (Narengi) – 88110-01898
police station
SP, Kamrup District: Ph- 2540278
DGP Control Room: Ph- 2540242
SB Control Room: Ph-2261511
Police Control Room: Ph-2540138,
2540113
Azara PS: Ph2840287
Basista PS: Ph-2302158
Bharalumukh PS: Ph- 2540137,
2731199
Borjhar PS: Ph-2840351
Chandmari PS: Ph- 2660204
Chandrapur PS: Ph-2788237,
2785237
Dispur PS: Ph-2261510
Fancybazar PS: Ph- 2540285
Fatasil Ambari PS: Ph-2471412
Geetanagar PS: Ph-2417323
Hatigaon: Ph-2562383
Jalukbari PS: Ph-2570587
Jalukbari Out Post: Ph-2570522
Jorabat: Ph-2896853
Khanapara: Ph- 2281501
Khetri PS: Ph-2787699, 2787220
Latasil PS: Ph-2540136
Noonmati PS: Ph- 2550281
North Guwahati PS: Ph-2690255
Paltanbazar PS: Ph-2540126
Panbazar PS: Ph-2540106
Pragjyotishpur Ps: Ph-2785237
Women PS Panbazar: Ph-2524627
24
G PLUS MAY 30 - JUN 05, 2015
Catching Up
Kenyan lawyer offers ‘50 cows’ for
marrying Obama’s daughter
Angelica
Kenova
‘I’m a living doll’
A
Kenyan lawyer has asked for
President Barack Obama’s elder
daughter Malia’s hand in marriage, and is ready to offer the US First
Family 50 cows , 70 sheep and 30 goats as
bride price.
Kiprono said it was in 2008 that Maila
S
had caught his eye, and he hasn’t dated
anyone as a promise to be faithful to her.
He wanted to put his “dream request” in
front of Obama when he visits in July,
He added that his love was real and
even his family was onboard, totally
backing him in offering more price.
Just like humans
dolphins too are choosy about friends
A
new study has revealed that dolphins form highly complex and dynamic networks of friends.
Scientists at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) at Florida Atlantic
University took a closer look at the interactions between bottlenose dolphins in the
Indian River Lagoon (IRL) and discovered
how they mingle and with whom they spend
their time.
The team found that individual dolphins exhibited both preference and avoidance behavior, so just like humans, they
tep aside Valeria Lukyanova,
there’s a new Human Barbie in
town, and extraordinarily, she’s
been raised as a living doll since she
was born.
Angelica Kenova, a 26-year-old
model from Moscow, Russia, still
lives with her hyper-controlling
parents, who have been honing her
drastic look all her life - dictating
her diet and exercise programme so
she can maintain her miniature sixstone frame.
‘Growing up, my parents raised
me like a princess and never let me
go out, date boys or have the usual
adult experiences,’ Angelica says. ‘As
a result, I am not fit for real life - I’m
like a living doll.’
have dolphins they like and associate with
and ones they avoid. The study also found
that IRL dolphins clustered into groups of
associated animals, or “communities,” that
tended to occupy discrete core areas along
the north-south axis of the lagoon system.
Researcher Elizabeth Murdoch Titcomb
said that one of the more unique aspects of
the study was the discovery that the physical
dimensions of the habitat, the long, narrow
lagoon system itself, influenced the spatial
and temporal dynamics of dolphin association patterns.
Indian origin 11 yr boy with three college degrees
A
n Indian-American home-schooled
boy has surprised one and all by
graduating from a US college at the
age of 11 with three associate degrees in
maths, science and foreign language studies.
Tanishq Abraham, a native of Sacramento, California, graduated from American River College in Sacramento (ARC),
California, alongside 1,800 students.
Abraham is the youngest person to
graduate from American River College this
year.
“The assumption is that he’s the all-time
youngest”, said American River College
spokesperson Scott Crow.
Abraham last year became one of the
youngest ever in the US to graduate high
school. Home-schooled since the age of 7,
Abraham passed a state exam in March last
year that certified he had met the appropriate academic standards to receive his high
school diploma.
His achievement last year had earned
the attention of President Barack Obama who had sent Tanishq a congratulatory letter.
Abraham joined MENSA, the prominent high IQ society, when he was only
four-years-old. Abraham told a local TV
station that the milestone of graduating
from college was not “much of a big thing
for me.”
Streetside selfie: Getting ready for customers, let’s see how I look. Photo: Adib Zamali
PIC
OF THE
WEEK
Printed & Published by Sunit Jain on behalf of Insight Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. and Printed at Arkashish Publications (P) Ltd., Katahbari, Garchuk, Guwahati and Published at H/No. 34, K. C. Choudhury Road, Chatribari, Guwahati - 781008, Editor: Koushik Hazarika.
Phone: 0361 2737737, Email: [email protected], RNI No: ASSENG/2013/52641