volume 03 | issue 04
DESCRIPTION
OCT 31- NOV 06 , 2015TRANSCRIPT
PG 19 PG 14 Page 24New ChiC oN the bloCk
VOLUME 03 | ISSUE 04OCT 31- NOV 06 , 2015PRICE 1̀0
Functional trainingFor a better liFestyle
PG08
WarD WatcH
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PG06
PG15
oh! My golda close look at the jewelry market this Dhanteras and Diwali
one of the oldest localities of the city struggles to maintain its legacy
laMb roaD
cracker dealers all set for Diwali
Dighalipukhuri Park turned into dharna spot
HeroisM in History
Maryam Zameela
call drop, poor 3g services irks city mobile customers
PG 02
Death before Diwali?
PG04
Police averts potential disaster, arrests a gang travelling in a vehicle loaded with materials used to make explosives in the middle of the city
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 20152
Lead Story
Recently in a joint letter to Tel-ecom Regulatory Authority of India, the telcos indicated that
TRAI may not have the jurisdiction to order compensation for call drops. Such a regulation is not pursuant to the provisions of the TRAI Act. There is no violation of licence conditions by the service providers, compensa-tion being a matter not covered under TRAI Act and this regulation is not in regard to ensuring quality of service. TRAI had recently come out with a regulation asking telecom companies to compensate ₹1 on each call drop with a cap of ₹3 per day from January 1. After a meeting with the operators recently, the regulator said that it will not change the date of the regulation (January 1), and asked the telecom service providers (TSPs) to be ready, as they have been given enough time (two-and-a-half months). The decision taken by TRAI has come as a cause of concern for the telecom companies and the matter looks like a serious is-sue as customers in Guwahati continue to complain of poor service. Some facts derived by G Plus gives a picture that the telecom services in Guwahati will remain poor for a long time.
the factsAccording to a highly placed
source in Airtel, the company has ap-proximately 280 towers in Guwahati providing services to around 31,65,758 customers. Now technically speaking, one tower has a capacity of 4 TRX
which means it is able to provide un-interrupted services to around 60 customers simultaneously talking on phone. If the number exceeds 60, there is a problem in the call traffic; there is a congestion which is one cause of call drop. The Airtel source said that the company, in a phased manner, has been increasing the capacity of the towers by upgrading the software and converting the capacity to 8 TRX. But around 150 towers of the company still remain with a capacity of 4 TRX. Similarly the internet data which is provided by these towers to mobile phones are also shared and when the number of users increases the speed of the data becomes slow. Airtel has three spectrums to provide internet services viz. 900 band, 1800 band and 2100 band. 2G services are provided in 900 band, and 3G services are provided in 1800 and 2100 band. The 900 band is most preferable for internet and there-fore 2G services do not get interrupted, whereas 3G services get affected on the other “unfavourable” bands. Also, ac-cording to senior officials in BSNL, in all telecom towers which are known as base transmission stations (BTS), the 3G service can be provided to a radius of around 500 metres, and once the user goes out of the range, the 3G con-nection automatically converts into 2G without the user being aware. The BSNL official said the concept is same with all telecom companies; once the user is out of the 3G range and trying to get a fast internet service and also
receives or makes calls, chances of call drops are very likely. BSNL officials claim they have the best connectivity and their customers do not face the problem of call drop.
other issuesMeanwhile, the Airtel source said
that Airtel is the best service provider with a huge infrastructure in Guwa-hati and the northeast. On enquiring whether the number of towers is inad-equate for the city, the source admit-ted that there indeed was a shortage of towers but the problem is that the com-panies are facing a tough time finding or acquiring suitable locations to in-stall towers. People do not want to rent out any part of their land or building for towers these days and so compa-nies are unable to increase the number of towers to enhance the capacity. To improve services Airtel has bought the 900 band spectrum for the next year for providing 3G services and strongly believes that once things are in place, the users will not complain of poor 3G service in Guwahati thereafter.
Meanwhile, Vodafone India has more than 4.6 million customers in Assam & North East Circle with 40% being data users. On asking Vodafone officials about call drops, the spokes-person said, “The issue of call drops and network problems occur due to various reasons – change in patterns of customer and traffic movements, loss of coverage, demand for capacity dur-ing peak load hours, etc. It is important
to note that Vodafone has been pro-viding 3G services to its customers in Guwahati through a bilateral roaming arrangement with other operators. We acquired 3G spectrum in the March 2015 auctions and have been modern-ising our network. Soon our customers will be able to enjoy a faster, smarter and better mobile internet experience on Vodafone’s own 3G network that will be rolled out in a phased manner in the next few weeks. We have also set up a world class Network Opera-tions Centre that monitors the traffic behaviour and the need for optimiza-tion on an on-going basis. Based on these inputs as well as the forecast de-mands, Vodafone constantly upgrades the Network with additional coverage and capacities, including targeted solu-tions within buildings.’’ The company might have made their own statement but the fact remains that in Guwahati Vodafone provides 3G services to its customers in Guwahati through a bilateral roaming arrangement with other operators. So, the quality and the speed of the 3G service will be same as the other partner and it will not be improved. Vodafone customers say that their phone is often on roaming mode when they use 3G even if they are within their own network and they mostly get 2G service on 3G plan. They also complain of huge call drops. Vodafone has acquired spectrum for 3G service but not in Guwahati. The Vodafone officials also did not give the information about how many towers
call drop, poor 3g services irks city mobile customers
with tRAi all set to penalise the telecos from 1st January 2016, the telecom services in Guwahati looks far from upright
the telecos are trying their best to stop tRAi from imposing penalty on call drops, but if the service does not improve in the coming days, whatever fine is decided by tRAi looks like a small amount.
telecom companies have less towers and more customers in Guwahati
Customers complain of call drops and poor 3G data services
they have in Guwahati and also the number of customers, which raises suspicions on what quality of services they are providing.
irked customersReliance customers have a differ-
ent story to narrate. A city-based CA, Lalit Kumar Khandelwal of Maligaon, said that he stays in Gaushala Bazar and has to take a one kilometre walk and only then he gets the network to receive or make calls. He said, “I have subscribed to 3G data connectivity but I always get 2G connectivity, whereas I am charged for 3G services. Since the last 20 days there is no Reliance network in my locality and after com-plaining to the Reliance authorities, they are not helping me in any way. They send me the same system gener-ated email every time I complain.” He further said that he also asked them to refund his money as he never receives 3G speed while using internet, but he is charged for 3G every month. He fi-nally registered a complaint in the con-sumer court but even there he is not getting any response. Khandelwal has asked G Plus to help him figure out a way to complain to the TRAI.
Similarly, other network custom-ers also complain of poor services pro-vided by their respective telecom com-panies and they are totally helpless as to how to deal with the situation.
Customer asks for refunds but telecom company denies the request but charge money for services which the user never got
less towers causes call drops
telecom companies say people not allowing space for tower installation
RAHUL CHANDA
Weather report for the weekSAT
31 OctoberSUN
01 NovemberMON
02 NovemberTUE
03 NovemberWED
04 NovemberTHU
05 NovemberFRI
06 November
Decreasing cloudiness. Mostly sunny. Morning clouds. More clouds than sun. Partly cloudy. More sun than clouds. More sun than clouds.
19 / 31 °C 21 / 33 °C 19 / 31 °C 20 / 33 °C 22 / 33 °C 19 / 31 °C 17 / 30 °C
Many telecos share date spectrum from other companies which further increases congestion
tRAi sets January 1 as deadline for telecos to improve service or face penalty
City customers turn
out to be the sufferers in the process
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 3
In The News
Uttam barman goes to health home at kharghuli after feeling unwell
Pharmacy owner gives a paracetamol tablet
Uttam faints and is rushed to hospital
Dies at night due to inter cerebral haemorrhage
Kharghuli’s Health Home closure puts all city pharmacies under govt scannerRAHUL CHANDA
medicine it cannot be termed a murder, but as Rajiv was selling drugs without any license, it is an offence under the drugs act. Interestingly, the incident brought to light the fact that even in a metro city like Guwahati, a chemist shop can run without any license and that too in the close vicinity of the Governor’s residence. Also, some of the neighbours said that Rajiv Sharma not only sold medicine but he also had all kind of goods in his shop - from cold drinks to mobile recharge cards and much more. A neighbour said that Rajiv is brusque by nature and often behaves offensively with customers.
After the incident the administration has vowed to check all the pharmacies in the city within a time frame of seven days. The officials will take strict action against any pharmacy found running without license or indulging in anomalies. There are approximately 20,000 drug dealers across the state and the dealers have to renew their licenses every five years. All chemist shops and dealers also have pharmacists who have licenses; even those licences get renewed after a set period of time by the drug controller.
According to sources in the ad-ministration, the Deputy Com-missioner has recently asked
a team of officials including drug in-spectors to check all the city pharma-cies within seven days and to submit a report. But what exactly happened and why are all the city pharmacies under government’s scanner? Accord-ing to Dr Ganesh Saikia, Joint Direc-tor, Health, a pharmacy named Health Home was recently sealed by the ad-ministration following an incident at Kharghuli.
the incident
On 23rd October last, a 40-year-old man, Uttam Barman of Kharghuli Hirimbapur, felt unwell and in the afternoon went to Health Home – a known pharmacy of the locality to get some medicine. According to local witnesses, as he reached the steps of the pharmacy he made some signs to the pharmacy owner indicating that he was feeling dizzy and then suddenly collapsed on the steps. The pharmacy owner, Rajiv Sarma, rushed towards Uttam with a paracetamol tablet and some water. Rajiv made Uttam take the medicine but the 40-year-old man
fainted after taking the drug. Uttam was rushed to the nearby Barthakur Clinic from where he was referred to GMCH. The ICU at GMCH was not vacant because of which Uttam was taken to International Hospital. Around 11.25 pm the same night the doctors declared that he was dead because of inter cerebral haemorrhage. The doctors said that his blood pressure was very high and he died because of a stroke. The truth of the matter aside, the local people informed the police that the man died because of consuming the drug given by Rajiv Sarma, the pharmacist.
the action
Police and the health department officials raided the pharmacy the next day and discovered that the pharmacy was running since a long time without any drug license. The health department officials booked Rajiv Sharma under drugs and cosmetic act. A case has been registered and forwarded before the CJM. Rajiv was not arrested but the shop has been sealed by the authorities. According to health department officials, as Uttam hadn’t died directly from taking the
Administration vows to check all the city pharmacies after a pharmacy was found to be running without any license
Public informs authorities that the drug from the pharmacy caused death
Authorities raid the pharmacy and discover the chemist shop running without any license since a long time
Administration orders checking the status of all the city pharmacies
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 20154
In The News
Possible threats of terror are lurking around the city just a few days before Diwali. On
28th October 2015 a 407 Truck No: AS-01DD-8113 carrying 20 car-tons containing in total 4000 gelatin sticks, 1050 electric and 1000 plain detonators used in the manufacture of explosives was confiscated by the Basistha Police and the CRPF. Speak-ing to G Plus, Officer-in-Charge of Basistha Police Station, Donda Dhar Sarma, confirmed the confiscation and put us in touch with the Assis-tant Commissioner of Police, Md. Iftekar Ali, who is overseeing the whole case. The police have arrested Uddhab Das, Jitu Baishya and Munin Deka aged 24, 21 and 31 respectively. The three are residents of Basistha, Kamrup. Speaking exclusively to G Plus, the ACP informed that the mas-termind of the operation is abscond-ing. “Monin Ali, resident of Baihata Chariali is actually the main man behind this sinister consignment. Ali is responsible for ordering the entire assignment. The others were just car-rying out his delivery orders.” The ve-hicle’s owner is Jitu Baishya and it was being driven by Uddhab Das. It was
Death before Diwali? A vehicle containing materials used in the preparation of explosives seized in basistha
3 people arrested, but the master mind still absconding
loaded at 8 miles and was heading to Baihata Chariali when the Basistha Police patrol team seized it at around 8 in the evening. Sensing suspicious behaviour the patrol van was quick to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was seized near Kinara Kanta Bridge, op-posite Tripura Gali, Basistha. Other than the gelatin sticks the cartons also contained a large number of wires that are used exclusively for the purpose of manufacturing explo-
sives. “Monin Ali owns a stone quar-ry in Baihata Chariali and suspicions are that he was using this as a cover. ACP Md. Iftekar Ali said, “I cannot rule out a terror attack. The consign-ment carried sufficient evidence that the seized items seized can be used to manufacture explosives. The car-tons also carried substances that are used to blast rocks. But such a huge quantity cannot be only used in small stone quarries.” At present the cul-
prits are in custody of the Bashistha Police Station awaiting orders from the higher authorities.
The city yesterday (30th Oct, 2015) held a memorial service for all those who have been victims of ter-ror. The service took place under the Ganeshguri flyover where families and friends of those lost in terror at-tacks in Guwahati came together and mourned for their lost ones. The ser-vice consisted of a nam kirton (sing-
ing of holy hymns) for the departed souls. With the festival of lights around the corner and the city’s voice constantly rising to combat terror, the police authorities are not ruling out possible terror attacks and Guwaha-tians should be aware of the same. However, in the past few years Guwa-hati has also seen a fall in the crime rate. This drop can only continue to raise our hopes to eventually build a safer and terror-free tomorrow.
BIPASA SAIKIA KASHYAP
Stroke statistics for women are surprising and distressing. Though one may think of stroke
as a man’s disease, women are at a greater risk of suffering a major dis-ability from brain stroke and, worse, are more likely to die from a stroke than men. In the language of the CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention) “more women than men die from stroke each year”. Six out of 10 who die due to stroke are women. According to the estimates by the National Commission on Mac-roeconomics and Health, India, there will be 1.67 million stroke cases in India in 2015.
A stroke is a medical emergency. Strokes happen when blood flow to the brain stops and within minutes, brain cells begin to die. The effects of a stroke can be devastating and can result in early death or perma-nent disability. Furthermore, when someone does survive a stroke, it of-ten puts an enormous burden on the family/carers.
Being able to spot the warn-ing signs is crucial. Because stroke is usually not painful, patients with symptoms may ignore the signs and not seek medical at-tention in the hope that they will feel better. People need to know that stroke is a medical emer-
gency and that if they see any of the warning signs they need to act FAST.
the five most common signs and symptoms of a stroke are
• Suddennumbnessorweaknessoftheface,arm,orleg
• Sudden confusion or troublespeakingorunderstandingothers
• Sudden trouble seeing in one orbotheyes.
• Sudden dizziness, trouble walk-ing or loss of balance or coordi-nation
• Sudden severe headachewith noknowncause
FAST is an easy way to remem-ber and identify the most common symptoms of a stroke. Recognition of a stroke and calling helpline will determine how quickly someone will receive help and treatment. Getting to a hospital rapidly will more likely lead to better recovery.
F-FaceAskthepersontosmile.Doesonesideofthefacedroop?A-ArmsAsk theperson to raisebotharms.
Doesonearmdriftdownwards?
S-SpeechAsk the person to repeat a singlephrase. Is their speech slurred orstrange
t-timeIfyouobserveanyofthesigns,callemergencyservicesorgotothehos-pitalimmediately
Women may report symptoms that are different from the common symp-toms. They can include:
• Lossofconsciousnessorfainting• Generalweakness• Difficultyorshortnessofbreath• Confusion, unresponsiveness or
disorientation• Suddenbehaviouralchange• Agitation• Hallucination• Nauseaorvomiting• Pain• Seizures• Hiccups
Unique symptoms create a prob-lem, as they are often not recognized as a stroke symptom and treatment is often delayed. The most effective stroke treatments are only available if the stroke is recognized and diag-nosed within the first three hours of the first symptoms.
One way to improve the odds for not having a stroke is to learn about the lifestyle changes and if necessary, medications, which can lower the stroke risk. In addition to the gen-eral risk factors like family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, lack of exercise, and being overweight, woman face unique risk factors which include:
Taking birth control pills: The greatest concern about using oral contraceptives is for women with ad-ditional risk factors, such as age, ciga-rette smoking, high blood pressure or diabetes.
Being pregnant: Stroke risk in-creases during a normal pregnancy due to natural changes in the body such as increased blood pressure and stress on the heart.
Using Hormone Replacement
Therapy (HRT), a combined hormone therapy of progestin and estrogen, to relieve menopausal symptoms.
Suffering from migraine head-aches with aura: Migraines can in-crease a woman’s stroke risk two and a half times
Diabetics should constantly monitor blood sugar level and also other metabolic parameters such as cholesterol. Lifestyle and dietary changes should be made if any of these are found to breach normal limits. Hypertension is another major risk factor. The symptoms of stroke are easily understandable and prima-ry level physicians can identify these. With imaging systems such as com-puted tomography available, detec-tion is not a problem. Yet, physicians must approach the patients showing the symptoms with a high degree of suspicion so that accurate diagnosis is not missed.
Women more susceptible to brain stoke
Dr. Rupant DasThe writer is a Consultant Neurosurgeon at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Guwahati
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 5
Concern
lack of road amenities lead to more accidents
on highways
Road accidents are increasing eve as the reasons for accidents are not been examined properly; the highway bypass is the most accident-prone stretch
Unplanned design of roads one of the causes of road accidents.
Most of the accidents take place on highways.
CM urges stringent measures when issuing driving license.
JUTHIKA BARUAH
Road accidents have been in-creasing at an alarming rate and maximum accidents in
the city occur on the national high-way bypass on the city’s western periphery. This is due to unplanned construction of the roads. Yet the rea-sons for these accidents are not being scrutinized or analysed properly.
Speaking to G Plus, Deputy Com-missioner of Police, Traffic, Pranabjy-oti Goswami said, “The main reasons for accidents occurring are yet to be analysed. Until and unless the rea-sons are examined properly it cannot be brought under control. Most of the accidents occur on the highway by-pass; on the stretch between Jaluk-bari to say Khetri which is hardly a distance of 75 kms. 14-15 accidents occur monthly on this stretch. Last year 154 people died in highway ac-cidents.”
Goswami said that there are many causes for which the accidents take place and most of the cases hap-pen due to negligence and drunken driving. “Riding motorbikes itself is dangerous. In 99.99% of the cases no one does it willingly, it happens acci-dentally. If a person crosses the road carelessly when a car is approaching at 80/90 kms per hour then it is the fault of the person not the driver. In order to reduce the accidents the roads should be constructed in a planned manner. Most of the city roads are not properly designed for which it becomes difficult to control the traffic,” said Goswami.
Regarding the civic sense of the
“If we find any person who is below 18 years riding bikes we catch them but it is the duty of the DTO to issue driving license after scrutinizing all aspects,” said Goswami.
He asked the department to take punitive measures against drivers driving under the influence of liq-uor. “Stringent action must be taken against drivers who are under alco-holic influence and involved in fatal accidents. Gogoi also directed the Transport Department to be strict while renewing fitness certificate to heavy transport and other vehicles.
The Chief Minister asked the de-partment to launch a drive against heavy vehicles plying on city roads without valid fitness certificates. “The motor transport inspectors will not only check fitness of vehicles but they will also inspect if vehicles have re-flective tapes and tail lamps in work-ing condition,” Gogoi said.
Absence of tail lamps and reflec-tors often lead to accidents in night hours as drivers of other vehicles fail to gauge length of the vehicle or even its presence if vehicles are parked on the side of a road. “To avoid such mishaps the inspectors will check if tail lamps are working and reflec-tive tapes are fixed on either side of vehicle. The inspectors have to cre-ate awareness among drivers on safe driving and instruct them to follow all necessary safety measures during night driving to avoid accidents,” Go-goi added.
people who witness an accident, Gos-wami said that there are many types of psyches in the country as well as in the state. If a person witnesses a female meeting with an accident he will rush to help but in case of men people often remain indifferent. “The city people do not come forward to help but if the accident occurs in a rural area it is the people who come to help first. They take the person to the nearest hospital. But the city peo-ple are scared of helping fearing they might get unnecessarily embroiled in problems,” Goswami said.
Goswami also said that due to lack of basic road amenities accidents are increasing. “There are no facili-ties for the truck drivers to park their vehicles and take rest for which they have to park on the road. The DTO which is directly related with the traf-fic problem has its offices on the high-way but do not have parking space for which the people have to park their vehicles on the road which leads to accidents. There are many car show-rooms on the highway which do not have adequate parking space. These are some of the problems which cause accidents,” Goswami said.
A few days back, Chief Minister of Assam Tarun Gogoi had directed the State Transport Department to be stringent in issuing driving licenses and fitness certificate to vehicles in view of rising road accidents. The CM urged to verify the papers and docu-ments while issuing driving license as rash driving has been one of the key factors for rising road accidents.
Year Fatal accident Total no of accidents
2013 286 11822014 304 11602015 till September
221 870
Number of Road Accidentsin kamrup (M):
“Riding motorbikes itself is dangerous. in 99.99% of the
cases no one does it willingly, it happens accidentally. if a person crosses the road
carelessly when a car is approaching at 80/90 kms per
hour then it is the fault of the person not the driver. in order
to reduce the accidents the roads should be constructed in a planned manner. Most of
the city roads are not properly designed for which it becomes difficult to control the traffic.”
PRANABJYoTI GoSwAmIDepuTy CommiSSioNer of poliCe, TraffiC
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 20156
cracker dealers all set for Diwali Authorities state, obtaining temporary trade licence a must for
cracker traders
with Diwali just around the corner the wholesale crackers shops of Fancy bazar and At Road area are all set to welcome the festival.
the stalls were set up from wednesday and since Durga Puja has just passed the flow of customers will gradually increase as the festival approaches.
the sale only picks up three to four days prior to Diwali.
Most of the crackers that are sold in the outlets of the city are bought from Sivakasi, tamil Nadu. however crackers and fireworks made in barpeta and Nagaon districts are also widely available in the city.
while the permanent traders have to obtain explosive licence a temporary trade licence is issued by GMC to those who desire to set up stalls to sell crackers.
the licence is issued after one has obtained a NoC from district administration and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) and local police station.
KALYAN DeB
It goes without saying that Di-wali is synonymous with crack-ers, and with the festival just
round the corner, the city gradu-ally witnesses massive rush at stalls in the city for buying crack-ers. Notwithstanding the weather and price rise, the city wears a fes-tive look from weeks before Diwali with shops, hotels and residential buildings glittering with decora-tive lights. Meanwhile, the whole-sale cracker shops of Fancy Bazar and AT Road area are already set for Diwali and soon the city mar-kets will be f looded with sparklers, crackers, anaar, chakri, phooljhari, rockets, earthen lamps, designer candles and f loating diyas.
Although most crackers are based on the principle of light and sound and come in four to five cat-egories only, there are large varie-ties on offer within the restricted categories during the festival. Be-sides the regular crackers, different types of crackers are introduced every year in the market. Most of the crackers that are sold in the outlets of the city are brought from Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. However, crackers and fireworks made in Barpeta and Nagaon districts are also widely available in the city.
“We have set up our stalls on Wednesday and since Durga Puja has just passed the f low of cus-tomers will gradually increase as
the festival approaches. The sale has been stagnant for the past five years though. Rain plays spoilsport at times but gradually the enthusi-asm among people does catch up. Moreover, at most times the festi-val is celebrated at the end of the month which sometimes result in drastic fall of sales but this year the expectation is high since Diwali is in the early part of the month,” said Nirmal Sharma, a firecrack-ers’ retailer at Fancy Bazar. “The sale only picks up three to four days prior to Diwali and since the shop has just been set up, there is a lot to look forward to as the festival closes,” he said.
Echoing Sharma’s views, an-other dealer of Fancy Bazar said, “The boost in sales is only seen four to five days prior to the festi-val and since the temporary licence is only issued for three days so the f lying traders also show up during the same time. Moreover, we only address retail buyers and wholesale to only a few local traders who have temporary trade licence. We get crackers directly from Sivakasi. We order it around Durga puja and get it from there just before Diwali.”
Meanwhile, the illegal sale of crackers is certainly a concern for the district administration. There are several dealers who sell these products without following the requisite norms. There are also sev-eral unscrupulous traders who set up cracker stalls in various nooks and corners despite issuing of norms by concerned authorities to
be followed on such sales. In Guwa-hati, there are several wholesale shops of firecrackers which carry out business after obtaining explo-sives licence. Apart from that, the district administration issues tem-porary licences to sell firecrack-ers during Diwali. The temporary trade licence is issued by Guwahati Municipal Corporation after ob-taining a NOC from district ad-ministration and District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA).
“Procurement of these three documents is a must for one to sell crackers. One will only be permit-ted to sell crackers after he has received NOC from district ad-ministration, DDMA and a tem-porary trade licence from GMC. The temporary traders also need to obtain permission from the lo-cal police station to retail crackers. Strict action will be taken against those who are found selling crack-ers without valid documents. The administration is also working on measures to be taken to stop ille-gal sale of crackers,” said a highly placed police official.
The cracker sellers claim that a lot of unlicensed sellers put up stalls during Diwali and sell the crackers at lesser prices. Moreover, since the past few years there has been a massive growth in the sale of Chinese-made crackers in the city, which come at cheaper prices and hence are stealing the show.
City
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 7
City
Kamrup (M) recorded the highest number of strokes
women have higher risk of getting stroke than men; hypertension and avoiding treatment to blame
kamrup (M) has the highest incidence of stroke with 4620 numbers.
women are at a higher risk to suffer stroke than men.
150 people suffer stroke every day in the state.
Six people suffer stroke every hour in the state and two people become disabled due to stroke every hour.
JUTHIKA BARUAH
Kamrup (M) reported the high-est number of strokes with 4,620 and according to a sur-
vey it has been reported that women suffer the most.
Stroke has taken the form of an epidemic and it has increased due to the changing habits and sedentary lifestyles making the incidence of strokes more prevalent according to a study which was released on the oc-casion of World Stroke Day on 29th October.
Dr. Nomal Chandra Borah, Man-aging Director of GNRC Ltd., while speaking on the occasion of World Stroke Day said that according to a study 150 people get stroke every-day in Assam and one in six people get a stroke in his lifetime. “Stroke has become an epidemic and it kills more people than HIV, Tuberculosis or Cancer. 75% people suffer from stroke leading to death or partial dis-ability and 60% of these are women. A stroke is a brain attack and it hap-pens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. It can be caused by a blockage in one of the blood ves-sels leading to the brain or a bleed in the brain. Most strokes happen when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain,” said Dr. Borah.
Dr. Borah also informed that stroke can occur right from the age of 1 to 100 and as women are most
two persons become disabled every hour in Assam and two people die every hour of stroke. The yearly figure of stroke affected people in the state went up to 54,890 and the highest stroke incidence of 4,620 was from Kamrup (M) while the lowest at 355 was reported from Dima Hasao.
Dr. Borah also stated that due to the socio-economic conditions many women do not go for treatment as they think that the earning per-son should get priority. “75% of the people do not have access to quality healthcare. Many healthcare institu-tions have not incorporated modern innovations. The North Guwahati GNRC hospital provides treatment at a very minimum rate for which both males and females come for treatment. Healthcare institution can provide quality treatment at low cost with new innovations so that both men and women can go for treatment in order to prevent such diseases,” added Dr. Borah.
A stroke awareness drive (car ral-ly) and a mime show have also been organized to create mass awareness of stroke and how to prevent it. The car rally started from GNRC hospital going via G.S. Road and Zoo Road before returning to GNRC, Dispur.
women are more at risk of suffering stroke and more likely to die from a stroke than a man. A woman is less likely to receive acute care and reha-bilitation than a man even though she responds equally well to treat-ment. Women experience severe de-cline in cognitive function and run a higher risk of post-stroke depression and institutionalization. “Women experience more hypertension than men and irregular heartbeat increas-
es risk of stroke. In Guwahati 11% of the people are diagnosed with blood sugar which results in stroke,” said Dr. Borah.
Some stroke risks are also specif-ic to women. Pregnancy related dia-betes, preeclampsia, the use of birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy and hormonal change all in-crease the risk of stroke for women.
According to the survey done on the occasion of World Stroke Day,
vulnerable this year’s theme has been kept as ‘I AM Woman.’ “More than 80% of the stroke is preventable if the person follows some rules to prevent stroke. Stroke under the age group of 20-25 years of age has also increased as people have less physical activi-ties, unhealthy food habits, smoke and consume alcohol, have diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol etc.” informed Dr. Borah.
Dr. Borah also informed that
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 20158City
Dighalipukhuri Park turns into dharna spot
109 agitations held between January 2015 to September 2015; wilful hindrance to public recreation
109 agitation programmes were held since January, 2015 to September 2015.
Permissions are not given to those who seek permission for 24 hours or more.
Alternative place for holding agitation and other programmes is being considered and scouted.
Constant slogans can scare away birds and disturb the eco-balance.
The Dighalipukhuri Park, which is meant for recreation of children and parents, has
now degenerated into a location for protests with most of the dharnas be-ing held there hindering the recrea-tion of the city’s public in general and children in particular.
Most protesting organisations opt for the venue as it is in the centre of the city and in close proximity to the Guwahati Press Club. “The pro-tests that are being held at the park hamper our business as we get lesser visitors during the protest hours. There are just a handful of parks in the city which people can go to for re-laxation. Now, if the parks are occu-pied by the organisations for holding the protests the number of tourists and visitors reduce and the very pur-pose of such parks gets defeated,” said Babul Ali, Lessee of the Park while speaking to G Plus.
Ali said, “We receive approxi-mately 200-250 visitors daily but when there are other programmes, visitors dwindle. In the protests and events many people who come to join such programmes visit the park without paying any fees or buying an entry ticket and we also can’t charge from them as they come as partici-pants. Visitors come for recreation more on weekends and therefore such programmes should not be allowed
on weekends.”He also said that despite the fact
that permissions for protest are al-lotted by the Commissionerate of Police, they do not receive any infor-mation regarding the events that are permitted in the park. On the other hand and very paradoxically, Addi-tional Deputy Commissioner of Po-lice (ADCP) Security & Intelligence, A. Basumatary, said that the permis-sion is allotted after the park author-ity gives a no objection letter.
Administration for allotting govern-ment land. “We cannot permit the or-ganisations to hold the events in any place which might hamper the nor-mal scenario in the city and therefore we have to find out an appropriate piece of government land. We have to undertake a process of verification of such probable land or plots. We have to be sure whether such plots belong to the government and only after the verification gives a clear report can we allot an alternative venue. It will take some time to find an alterna-tive,” informed Basumatary.
Moreover, Ali also informed that they, as lessees, do not take fees from all the organisations. “We take a minimum amount from some organ-isations for the maintenance because after the programme I myself have to clean the park. We cannot leave the park dirty, unhealthy and unhygienic as most visitors bring their children to play in the park. The eco-system is maintained well but as it is difficult to keep an eye on each and every per-son all the time, it becomes difficult to maintain the surroundings during the protests hours. Instructions are given to the organisations to main-tain the cleanliness of the park and accordingly permissions are allot-ted.”
Speaking to G Plus, Basumatary said, “From January 2015 to Septem-ber 2015, 109 agitations were held in the park. Although no complaint has been received regarding hamper-ing the environment of the park, the constant slogans can scare away birds and disturb the ecological balance of the area. And we categorically reject applications of those who seek per-mission to use the park for more than 24 hours as permission can be grant-ed only from 10 am to 5 pm.”
The lessee of the park Babul Ali urged the concerned authorities to allocate an alternative venue for protests and such kind of events. He added that such protests also result in the traffic going haywire and situ-ations have arisen where the traffic of the whole city was under siege due to such protests at Dighalipukhuri. Replying to the issue, Basumatary said that the process of allotting an alternative venue is on and the issue has been discussed with the District
JUTHIKA BARUAH
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 9
SnippetsgMc cracks down on pilferage of domestic water supply
campaign for a cracker free Diwali
Officials of Guwahati Mu-nicipal Corporation on Thursday conducted raids
in Lachit Nagar area of the city to check on pilferage of domestic supply of drinking water. During the raid, it was found that 17 wa-ter pumps were installed connect-ing the main water supply pipe of GMC and water was being pumped out of it illegally. The team was led by Udayaditya Gogoi, Collector, GMC and also included engineers of water works and GMC enforce-ment branch.
The raid was conducted after a large number of people in the lo-cality had to face water crisis fol-lowing which an investigation into the matter was called. Acting on complaints from residents, GMC and its water supply department cracked the whip on those steal-ing water from its supply lines in Lachit Nagar on Thursday last. The officials also seized the motor pumps in a day-long drive initi-ated against illegal installation of pumps. These pumps were used to draw additional quantity of water through questionable sources, cir-cumventing the designated meters. With a reduced water pressure due to scant supply, many people had resorted to pilferage by tapping the main line via pipes or pumps.
“During the surprise check it
was found that most of the house-holds that indulged in the activity had large number of rented houses and hostels within their premises that resulted in exceeding the as-sessed amount of water. If the as-sessed amount of water was 500 to 700 litres per day, they were ille-gally drawing additional quantity up to 2000 litres due to which the nearby residents faced scarcity of water,” said Udayaditya Gogoi.
“After seizing the pumps, we have issued warnings to all those who were engaging in such activi-ties and each household will be imposed a penalty of Rs. 20,000 following an FIR. They will face stern action like disconnection of supply to respective homes or even societies. We are also taking steps to plug the leaks in the supply net-work,” the collector informed.
According to GMC officials, the drive will continue to track such thefts to ensure fair water distribution to all legitimate con-nections. With a marked reduction in supply nowadays, genuine con-sumers are facing acute shortage. Areas such as Paltan Bazar, Fancy Bazar, Machkhowa, Shantipur, Kharghuli, Narengi, etc. face seri-ous scarcity of water and the GMC official gave his nod to conducting similar surprise checks in different parts of the city.
KALYAN DeB
A city based NGO, Youth For Humanity, is set to start a campaign for a
cleaner and safer Diwali. The idea for the campaign stems
from the rampant wastage and pollution caused during the festival of lights. ‘While Diwali calls for celebrations every year, it also raises seri-
ous concerns’, said one of the organizers from Youth for Humanity. Crackers worth lakhs of rupees are wasted without any regard for the en-
vironment. The campaign is targeted to change the mind-set of the people and maybe start healing the environment in the process.
The Brihattar Guwahati Gopalak Santha along with all the Dairy Farmers of the Amerigog area to-
day called an emergency meeting at 8th Mile near Jorabat and took a decision to increase the rate of Milk by Rs. 4 per litre. This rate will be effective from 1st Novem-ber next, informed the Gopalak Santha.
Present in the meeting were the chief ad-visor of the Brihattar Guwahati Gopalak Santha, Indra Bhandari, the President, Baburam Paudel, Krishna Kafle, Execu-tive President, Kisu Kafle, General Secre-tary as also more than 200 dairy farmers. The Santha informed that the rate of milk will be Rs. 54 per litre as against the previ-
ous price of Rs. 50. It must be noted that this deci-sion has been taken after a 2-month long discus-sion between the milk cooperative societies and the dairy farmers of the area. The Amerigog dairy farmers contribute a major part of the daily milk supply to Guwahati city.
Milk Prices on the rise
NEEPCO, a Miniratna Govt. of India Enterprise under Ministry of Power paid a total dividend of Rs. 95.56 crores for the year 2014-15. The
final dividend amount of Rs. 69.56 crores was paid to the Hon’ble Minister of State (independent charge) for Power, Coal and N&RE on 29.10.2015 at New Del-hi by Shri P.C. Pankaj, CMD, NEEPCO alongwith Di-rector (Finance), Shri A.G. West Kharkongor, Direc-tor (Technical), Shri Utpal Moral and Coordinator, Shri H. Bharali. Addl. Secretary (Power), Economic Advisor and Joint Secretary (Hydro) from Ministry of Power was also present on the occasion. The Profit after Tax of the Corporation for the year 2014-15 is Rs. 318.53 crores.
neePco pays dividend to govt. of india
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201510
Snippets
Honours to tHe FilM Faternity6tH assaM state FilM aWarDs 2015
SUBHRAJIT RoY
G PLUS NewS
Despite the crisis-ridden sit-uation of the regional film industry, the state Cultural
Department honoured the film fra-ternity of Assam at the 6th State Film Awards on October 17, 2015 at the Pragjyoti ITA, Machkhowa in Guwahati. Veteran musician Ra-men Baruah, the composer of melo-dies like ‘Ki Naam Di Maatim, and ‘Moina Kun Bidhatay Haajile….’ was conferred the Pramathesh Ch. Baruah Award for Life Time Achievement. Veteran actor Badal Das received Jury’s Special Men-tion Award for his outstanding per-formance in the film ‘Sringkhol’.
Jahnu Baruah’s directorial masterpiece ‘Ajeyo’ received the maximum number of awards (four) including Best Film, Best Male Ac-tor (Rupam Chetia), Best Art Di-rection (Phatik Barua) and Best Costume Design (Gitarani Gos-wami), followed by Mridul Gupta’s ‘TRP Aru’ with three awards in-cluding Best Screenplay (Manimala Das). Sanjib Sabhapandit won the award for Best Director for ‘Jeeya Jurir Xubash’ and Chandana Sar-mah got the award for Best Female Actor for her role in ‘Aarohi’.
In the non-feature film cat- on the creation of more theatre halls. In this regard, State Cul-tural Minister, Bismita Gogoi, de-clared the various projects in the pipeline among which e-ticketing was one of the most important. She also said that one rupee from each ticket will be donated to the proposed Cine Workers’ Welfare Fund and in association with the DRD, the community halls in vil-lages will be converted to Mini Theatre Halls in near future. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi also praised the contribution of Assa-mese Cinema in binding the social unity in the state. The event was anchored by Borosha Rani Bish-aya and Kopil Bora.
egory, Deep Bhuyan’s documentary ‘Resonance of Mother’s Melody’ won the award for Best Documen-tary, while Utpal Datta received the award for Best Director for ‘By Lane -2’. Jury’s Special Mention Award went to Suruj Kumar Duwa-rah for ‘Clipped Wings’. The award for Best Critic was conferred on Manoj Borpujari.
The jury for the feature film category comprised of Apurba Kishore Bir (Chairman), Gautam Bora, Moloya Goswami, Bidya Rao and Sanjeev Hazarika. For the non-feature film category, Sou-mitra Dastidar (Chairman), Sagar Sangam Sarkar, Charukamal Haz-arika and Anuradha Sarma Pujari
were the jury members. For select-ing the Critic’s Award, the jury comprised of former DGP of Assam Harekrishna Deka (IPS) and Prad-ip Acharya. On behalf of the jury members, Gautam Bora brought forward some suggestions for both the film makers and the Cultural Department. He stressed on better screening facilities of movies and increase in the award money.
Noted actor Raj Babbar graced the function as the Chief Guest. Praising the colourful diversity of Assam he said that regional films have immense contributions to-wards the national film industry and for the uplift and development of regional films he emphasized
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi confers the Life Time Achievement Award to Ramen Baruah Raj Babbar delivering his speech at the 6th Assam State Film Awards
un Day celebrated at Don boscoThe 70th Anniversary of the
United Nations Organisa-tion (UNO) was celebrated
as United Nations Day at the Don Bosco School, Panbazar, Guwa-hati auditorium on October 29, 2015. The programme was jointly organized by Indian Federation of U.N. Association (IFUNA), United Nations Information Cen-tre (UNIC) for India and Bhutan and Don Bosco School, Guwahati.
Secretary, IFUNA, Guwahati lit the ceremonial lamp in the pres-ence of students and staff of the host school. Prior to this, Fr. Se-bastian Mathew welcomed the dignitaries to the school and felt happy and proud that such a grand event was held in the school, after which the dignitar-ies were felicitated with memen-tos and phoolam gamochas. After a colourful dance show by the school students which was chore-ographed by Reema Sharma, the message of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was read out by Dr. Aswini Sarma. In their respec-tive speeches, Kiran Mehra-Ker-pelman and Rajiv Bora dwelt on the progressive role of the UN in the contemporary world scenario. The programme ended with the formal vote of thanks by Dr. As-wini Sarma.
The Chief Guest on the occasion was Rajiv Bora, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Government of Assam, who along with other dignitaries like Kiran Mehra-Kerpelman, Di-rector, UNIC, Mohan Boro, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, PWD, Government of Assam, Fr. Sebas-tian Mathew, Principal, Don Bosco School, Guwahati, Dr. Aswini Sarma, Executive Director, UN Re-source Centre, NE Regional and
Shankarlal Goenka receives the Award for Best Film for ‘Ajeyo’
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 11
Campus
Gauhati University
This year a total of fifteen posts were up for elections. For the first time, election was held for the post of President. The post would ear-lier be held by a university official. A total number of forty eight candi-dates filed for nomination this year in Guwahati University. The newly elected President, Manab Jyoti Ka-lita (SMSS) and General Secretary, Pinak Kaushik Bora (AASU) spoke of their thoughts and aspirations. They stressed on better interaction between students and their repre-sentatives in the body which was hitherto missing as a way to tackle problems more effectively. Appar-ently there is “zero-interaction” between students and professors except for the routine lecture in classes and this needed to change. The administration needs to change and systems need to be in place to eliminate queues. The syllabus has not been updated since the past fif-teen years and offers no new options to students. The entire campus needs to be Wi-Fi activated as other lead-ing universities of the country are. The deadline issue for the women’s hostel is a cause for heartburn and it is ridiculous to even imagine that the deadline is as early as 6.30 pm. “After attending their classes and wrapping up with their assignments, these women hardly have to time to catch their breath when they have to rush to their dorms,” says a con-cerned Manab Jyoti. “We are trying to push the deadlines, and this has to be done!”
Cotton College
Amlanjyoti Dewry (SMSS), the newly elected General Secretary of Cotton College Guwahati has other goals. “A lot of students come from interior villages of Assam to study here. These students complain that a conducive academic atmosphere is lacking here. I want to devote myself to completely recreating this miss-ing environment. Academics have to be priority.” The young leader is also working to remove the semes-ter system in Cotton College which “does not allow the student to main-tain their extra-curricular activity alongside academics.” He also high-lighted issues like the infrastructure that has remained in poor condition since a long time. As regards in-volvement of politics in the educa-tion system, Amlanjyoti opined that while the involvement of politics in any system is mandatory, it should not become the focal point.
Guwahati Commerce College
Hemanta Borgohain (ABVP), the newly elected General Secretary of Guwahati Commerce College seemed a little lost. Between pauses and thoughts he said that he would not be very comfortable sharing his goals and objectives. He was how-ever quite sure that he would do something so tangible for the college that he would be remembered even
ten years down the line. “If ten years later everyone remembers me as the general secretary who did some-thing really good for the institute, I will be happy. We have a lot of plans, and in time we will put them to ac-tion. I want to keep them to myself as of now.”
handique Girls’ College
According to General Secretary Rimjhim Daimary (AASU), there are a numerous problems in her col-lege. “We are an all girls’ college, and till date we do not have the facility of a girls’ common room. Our in-frastructure is in tatters. Our doors don’t have locks on them. Our toilets don’t work, and there is no hygiene maintenance.” Also apparently in Handique, when students come to file for papers like pass certificates, migration certificates or even exam applications, they are allotted only two counters. “This is really absurd. It is not even close to being propor-tionate to the number of students that we have. Each department needs to have its own such counters. I want the college administration to wake up and take notice.”
Arya Vidyapeeth College
Every year during rains, Arya Vidyapeeth suffers a drainage prob-lem inside the campus and the rain water gets clogged. According to the
newly elected General Secre-tary Debojit Mahanta, poor infrastructure has been its bane. “There is no parking space for students. Students come in their vehicles and park it outside the college and as a result, the main road gets blocked. Then there is our library. Apart from be-ing ill-stocked, it is also very small. I want to take these is-sues up with authorities.”
Also, according to him, the classes are not properly managed. “At times students have to wait for hours just to attend one lecture,” he ob-served.
b. barooah College
Ankit Saikia (NSUI), the newly elected President wants to see his college climb up the ladder of achievement. “I am planning to organise an inspirational programme for those who attempt to clear the Civil Service Examinations from our college. The coach-ing centers in Guwahati demand so much money that most of our students, who I be-lieve are talented enough, just cannot afford it. Education should not be privatized.” He adds, “The political involvement in our col-leges has made many great changes in the education system and history is witness to that. The right kind of politics puts the right kind of pressure on the authorities and I be-lieve that leads to change.”
From Polls to PoliticsStudent body elections have always played a central role in Assam. elections to the student bodies of the leading colleges of Guwahati are over for the year. New office-bearers have taken over. the political scenario seems different today. According to Shreehari borikar, National General Secretary of AbVP, their membership has shot up from thirteen thousand last year to over fifty two thousand. AASU General Sec-retary, lorin Jyoti Gogoi, however opines that while AbVP has apparently made some inroads in the urban scenario, AASU still has a strong presence in rural Assam. let’s get a feel of the leaders’ mindset in Gauhati University and some of the leading colleges in Guwahati.
Candidates nominated from the All Assam Students’
Union (AASU), National Students’ Union of india (NSUi), Akhil
bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (AbVP) and Satra Mukti Sangram
Samiti (SMSS) competed to win the elections to the Post
Graduate Students’ Union (PGSU) -
considered one of the most significant
student union polls in the state.
the elections in the main colleges of the
city stand completed today and we took a
tour of a few of them to speak to the Gen-X
leaders.
BIPASA SAIKIA KASHYAP
AmLAN JYoTI DewRIGen Secretary, Cotton College
ANKIT SAIKIA president, B. Barooah
RImJHIm DAImARIGen Secretary, Handique
DeBoJIT mAHANTAGen Secretary, arya Vidyapeeth
PINAK KAUSHIK BoRAGen Secretary, Gauhati university
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201512
Feature
PoWer PartnersHiPsG Plus presents its first feature on successful business partnerships in the city with three inspiring stories. this is just the beginning of many such stories to follow in the future
When your business is not just an eatery but a benchmark brand in the concrete land-
scape of Guwahati, it is indeed a remark-able feat. The Jalan Brothers food brand, popularly known as JB’s, is a chain of pure vegetarian restaurants with four outlets in the city. Their first branch opened at Fancy Bazaar in 2001. JB’s success as a chain is based on a solid platform of two years’ research and survey back in 1999.
JB’s is short for Jalan Brothers India Pvt. Ltd. It is owned and run by the un-cle-nephew duo: Arun Jalan, aged 55 and his nephew Gopal Jalan, aged 45. “When we decided to start JB’s, we travelled across major cities of India and did re-search on all-in-one dining areas, places where one could eat North Indian, South Indian, continental, sweets and fast food at the same time. We thereafter, decided to establish a joint that would cater to the tastes of both the student crowd and families under one roof.”
Talking about the brass tacks of the establishment, Gopal Jalan tells us that to open four chains in a city like Guwahati required complete demarcation of duties
and business sense had to be based on mutual trust and understanding. JB’s is a family business that prides itself on be-ing able to provide pure vegetarian food, eggless cakes and mithais with pure ghee in a city like Guwahati which already had enough players in the business. “Our brand has spread its wings in Guwahati and we are blessed that word about our food has started to spread outside As-sam. Customers from Delhi, Bombay and other states come down and enquire about our chain. We are loved in the city and throughout Assam and that, I think, is our biggest asset”.
One of the biggest challenges they’ve had to face was recruiting skilled work-ers in their organization. Since the peo-ple who worked here came from nearby villages, they would often leave their jobs with the worry that people from their vil-lages would find out about the nature of their jobs and working in a food joint was not considered respectable. The ‘Broth-ers’ often struggled with keeping their workers upbeat and motivated while im-bibing dignity of labour about working at a food joint. For them, four branches
are equivalent to four hundred branches and there is no point pursuing an Assam-wide or a Nationwide chain because they would rather focus on maintaining the standard of their four existing chains than opening more branches thereby los-ing quality.
“Guwahati is home to a lot of busi-nesses and businessmen but it is disap-pointing to see people giving up too eas-ily.” The ‘Brothers’ were kind enough to share a secret mantra for aspiring busi-nessmen: ‘Instinct is all you have when it comes to establishing a successful busi-ness. You must trust your instincts and stick to your guns’. Guwahati has seen a lot of establishments fail because people are investing their time and assets in too many places. Distraction and early diver-sification, according the brothers, is why businesses do not get time to flourish.
“Ours is a Mama-Bhatija partner-ship: a family relationship that is based on mutual trust. We keep our egos aside, have clear discussions about our interests and I think that is what has made the dif-ference.”
Guwahati has its fair share of confectionaries but Shaikh Brothers have always stood
out as a crowd favourite. It offers a wide assortment of cakes, breads, pastries and other food items that are prepared under the guidance of Shaikh Shakhawat Hossain (son of Shaikh Sultan Hossain) and his nephew, Shaikh Soyeb Hossain. The founder of Shaikh Brothers, Shaikh Ghulam Ibrahim and his lineage has propped up what can only be called an institution. They call their enterprise “raizor du-kaan” or the “people’s shop.” There is no traditional concept of busi-ness for them. They have always catered to a group of loyal custom-ers; customers who would point out their mistakes and make de-mands like close family members. He says, “Our business is based on democratic principles. We have a huge family of 15 partners without whose consent I cannot take deci-sions.”
Generations have survived and thrived on this valuable business. Not everyone is involved in the business now and the family has professionals like lawyers, bankers and engineers but that does not make them care any less for their business. Soyeb himself was a Rela-tionship Manager at Axis Bank and now he is looking for avenues and
ways to expand the business. An establishment that dates
back to the year 1885 has definitely seen its share of ups and downs. From being called on surprise in-spections, being given VIP supply contracts and losing a father at the tender age of 12, Shaikh Shakhawat Hossain shared with us a few in-credible life experiences. “During the Chinese Aggression of 1962, all our supply lines were cut off. I was young and I would hear my family elders discuss about how they could have the raw materi-als brought in. We would be stuck indoors for hours with blacked out glasses in constant unbearable heat.” With another anecdote he shared with us how Shaikh Broth-ers had secured a VIP order in the AICC meeting of 1977 and that government officials themselves had promised to bring in the bulk of the ingredients, hassle-free.
Soyeb Hossain is now trying to penetrate the wholesale market. Shaikh Brothers is now a major supplier of freshly baked products to places like Nagaon, Nalbari, Silchar and several areas around Meghalaya. “Customers crowd our outlet during Christmas and New Year’s. People line up and give ad-vance orders. This time, we are try-ing to make it easy for them by tak-ing Shaikh Brothers to them.”
They are one of Guwahati’s power couples: Dr. Harsha Bhattacha-rjee, Medical Director, and his
wife Dr. Kasturi Bhattacharjee, Senior Consultant, respectively of Sri Sanka-radeva Nethralaya. They tied the knot in 1994 and 20 years down the line, they are a remarkable example of how success does not have to come with compromise for family.
Dr. Harsha Bhattacharjee is hailed as a remarkable teacher who would take time out of his busy schedule for his successful and struggling students equally. Dr. Kasturi Bhattacharjee was a student of Dr. Harsha Bhattacharjee at GMC. She says, “My husband’s most attractive quality is his intense kind-ness and compassion. He always had this urge to work for people who actu-ally needed help and that is one quality that drew me towards him’.
The Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya is a blessing for the people of Assam. Phi-lanthropists, doctors and many other
professionals from various fields have come together to help establish this in-stitution. Dr. Harsha Bhattacharjee set up the institution in a building donat-ed by Dipankar Chatterjee. It started out with only 4 consultants and now, having given 3 years of her life to the institution as a junior consultant, Dr. Kasturi Bhattacharjee is the head of 3 departments. Sri Sankaradeva Nethra-laya now has three buildings; one clini-cal, one academic and one for commu-nity ophthalmology. The husband and wife duo often travel to villages and conduct eye care camps, bring back patients and provide them with neces-sary treatment and care.
The duo wants to be academi-cians and believe that they should help educate others. They are completely focussed on academic programs and they have a post graduate institute where every year almost 6 students come for specialized training and 10 Post-Master degree students come for
better and extended learning opportu-nities. They receive support from the Government of Assam.
Dr. Harsha Bhattacharjee and Dr. Kasturi Bhattacharjee also have clinics in Bongaigaon, technical collaboration with the Blind Centre in Guwahati, a hospital in Tripura and are also asso-ciated with hospitals in Haryana. They are collaborating with IIT-G and they believe that medical science should always aim for prevention, rather than cure. All of these plans indicate that the duo is one of the most respectable authorities in the field of eye care. The Sri Sankaradeva Nethralaya has visi-tors from all over India and it is one of the most revered institutions for eye care.
The duo works together day in and day out and considers this as one of their greatest strengths. “My husband points out my flaws so I can do better. We are companions to each other and find strength in each other’s company”.
Jalan Brothers
Shaikh Brothers
Bhatta And Bhatta
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 13
Bazaar
gold!A close look at the jewelry market this Dhanteras and Diwali
BIPASA SAIKIA KASHYAP
oh! MyThe biggest celebration of gold
is just round the corner and Guwahatians are simply not
shying away from making their share of purchases if not actually dangling those gorgeous pieces and venturing out this festive season. G Plus took a tour of the most visited jewelry out-lets in the city and presents an in-formative report.
Demand for gold jewelry in the country usually reaches its peak in the final quarter as the country cele-brates festivals like Diwali and Dhan-teras and when buying the metal is considered auspicious. This festive season Guwahati’s gold buyers are in-deed spoilt for choice with a variety of offers and schemes from the leading players. L. Gopal & Sons (a local gold brand) is offering gold at Rs. 26,000 per ten gram. “Not only that, we are also offering a 30% discount on mak-ing charges,” said Jagannath Soni, owner of the store while speaking to G Plus. “On diamond purchases, we are including attractive gifts.” Other branded outlets in the city like M.P. Jewelers are offering gold coins and other gifts depending on the quan-tity and quality of jewelry purchased. However, the biggest offers in the city are being laid out by Tanishq. “We are offering our customers one gold coin per 10 grams of gold purchased. Also, we have a special scheme called the Golden Harvest scheme.” The scheme works as follows: one has to open an account with Tanishq (minimum starting deposit of Rs. 2,000). Every month thereafter an equal sum needs to be deposited into the account over the next 13 months. Any jewelry thereafter can be purchased with the accumulated amount at very attrac-tive discounts. Tanishq is also cur-rently offering a flat discount of 10 to 20% on diamonds.
“Youngsters these days are opt-
ers and tried to incorporate that in our designs,” smiles Rajeev, manager of M. P. Jewellers. “Young customers these days are caught between heavy and almost minimal kind of jewelry; we have tried to make something in between. These gold pieces are actu-ally carved to look like a garland of pretty miniature flowers around your neck. For a cocktail evening out with friends, keep the jewellery light and traditional. The latest designs of the Mia collection (inspired by the tem-ples of Marrakesh, Morocco) avail-able at the Tanishq showrooms would make a good choice. The designs are customized for everyday wear. These light pieces weigh just about 14 grams and would beautifully complement the evening gown. As for earrings, the gorgeous teardrop earring collec-tion of L. Gopal & Sons begs for pur-chase. Showing the new collection with pride, Jagannath Soni gushed, “Our designers have come up with something very novel and creative. The collection is adorable!” And as for rings, the Farah Khan ring collec-tion of Tanishq is a class apart.
The big outlets apart, the Lakhtokia market is also bracing up for its share of the gold sale. Sheikh Asim of S.K.A. Jewellers at Rani Bari says, “We keep an eye out for street jewellery and we try and include new designs in our creations. Casual, street style is the flavour of this sea-son and we are trying to market that as our specialty!” As I went around these Lakhtokia outlets I got the feel-ing that they still make those 1990s kinda jewellery but with a 2015 touch.
So Guwahatians, this Diwali and Dhanteras, get the gold rolling!
ing for the minimal look be it in jew-elry, clothing or make-up,” Nirmali Nath, Boutique Operational Special-ist, Tanishq smiles as she leads me through the many counters display-ing a variety of exquisite jewellery at the Panbazar showroom. “The re-cently launched Divyam collection is taking our customers by storm. For the past five years the trend was of heavy clothing and make up with very light jewellery. But since the end of last year people seems to want more jewellery. But there is a fine line between heavy and tacky!” The Di-vyam collection that she showed me (currently endorsed by Bollywood style icon Deepika Padukone) mes-merized me completely. It was the kind of jewelry that would make the wearer stand out in any crowd minus the unfashionable tackiness.
trends to look out for!
This Diwali, keep your look el-egant, chic and simple. Make your jewelry stand out. Wear a huge cro-chet around your neck along with a low neck blouse and a flowing heavi-ly, embroidered lehenga. For the bold look keep the make-up and the get up simple and go wild with your gold.
The gold market in Guwahati is full of options waiting to be explored. If you are planning to wear a heavy mekhela sador keep your jewellery simple. The Juhi collection at M. P. Jewellers might be interesting. In-spired by the roadside flowers that fall during autumn, these pieces are per-fect! “For the Juhi collection, we have actually collected hand-picked flow-
Customers shopping for gold in M.P. Jewellers
The Juhi collection in M. P Jewellers
The Divyam Collection launched by Tanishq in all its showrooms in Guwahati
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201514
Art
The valour and courage of war-rior Lachit Borphukan has always been an example for
all when it comes to signify patriot-ism. This 17th century historic saga was staged recently at the Rabindra Bhawan in Guwahati on October 10, 2015. Directed by Anupjyoti Choud-hury, the play was staged as a part of the Diamond Jubilee Celebration of New Art Players. The marvelous dramatic creation of Prabin Phukan, staged for the first time in the 50s, had many contemporary touches in this recent production.
The word “big” goes very well with play. Big theatre troupe, a big ensemble cast, big production de-sign, and long duration of on-stage drama, everything in the play was big. The title role played by Monjit Sharma brought the image of La-chit Borphukan alive on stage, both through his finely chiseled physique that enacted the martial arts se-quences on stage and his impressive dialogue delivery.
The play showcased cultural di-versity of three empires, the Ahoms, the Mughals and the Rajputs at the same time. The elegant costume de-sign of all the characters by Birina Chakraborty made the play visu-ally attractive. Similarly, the set de-sign by Anup Hazarika (Baba) with properties like Big Jaapi, flags show-ing the waving movements of boats, the other properties showing the Mughal environment, etc. conspicu-ously complemented the brilliant acting. All these were backed by the chromatic light design by Kaushik Borbora and music arrangement by Yashinur Rahman. The choreogra-phy within the in low light projec-tions by Gunakar Dev Goswami made the naval battle scenes visually stunning.
So far as the acting is concern, Monjit in the lead role has created
a benchmark. Similarly, the transition in the character of Madnabati from a Mughal dancer to a Rajput princess was well depicted by Mala Goswami. The humorous moments brought on stage by Ashim Krishna Barua in the character of Mustafa connected with the audience very well, but the same did not happen with Birina Chakraborty in the charac-ter of Hun Pahi. The balance in argu-ment between Mughal counterparts, namely Firoze Khan played by Debajit Mazumdar and Syed Sana played by Bo-lin Choudhury could have been much better. The character of Ahom Swar-gadeo Chakradhwaj Singha was played by Dr. Jayanta Das.
As the play was strong both from technical angle as well as presentation style, there needed some brush-ups with the script as many dialogues were re-petitive. The director Choudhury could have cut short some scenes as the drama took over two hours to reach the climax. The scenes where Hun Pahi tried to cre-ate humour were basically useless given the content of the play. The scene of La-chit beheading his own maternal uncle could have been livelier, more dramatic and visually attractive somehow, in the low light, the moment seemed to just casually pass by. This could well have been the signature scene of the play. Here arose the directorial disadvantag-es. On the other hand scenes like pres-entation of Hengdang (the traditional sword with golden handle) to Lachit by Swargadeo and the battle scenes won hearts of the audience.
Finally, discussing the impact, it is worth mentioning that the play tried to create a sense of patriotism as well as proud moments for all who were As-samese or from Assam and was pretty successful at that.
Heroism in HistorySUBHRAJIT RoY
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 15
Ward Watch
The posh Ambari area of Guwa-hati is one of the oldest resi-dential localities in the city.
Located in the heart of the city the lo-cality is close to many prominent ar-eas such as Guwahati Club, Dighali-pukhuri and Uzan Bazaar. The area is also close to the Brahmaputra River and is situated around the Jor-pukhuri (twin ponds). While the area is naturally endowed and still bears the old-world charm, it has been suf-fering from water-logging problems from several years now. The history of its inhabitation goes back to the 50s when people gradually started building residential bungalows in the area. However, it was during the 90s when construction of apartments began resulting in a sharp rise in its population somewhat triggering a sense of disarray that has come to don a permanent guise.
Poor road condition
The condition of Lamb Road is of foremost concern for its residents. Within the span of less than a year the newly constructed road has liter-ally broken down with gaping pot-holes and loose paver blocks (which had been newly laid). Laying the pipelines of the water-supply project has only worsened the situation. The condition of the road has become so bad that it has become hazardous for personal vehicles to ply on the road. According to residents the large pot-holes that has been created during the process of installation of pipelines has aggravated the condition of the road such that it can actually cause dam-
age to the vehicles. City buses that are often re-routed basically become a nuisance on Lamb road. “Sometimes when there is too much of traffic on the bus routes, the city buses divert to Lamb Road. It causes unnecessary traffic congestion in the area,” said the seemingly agitated resident.
Flooded monsoons
Lamb Road has long been suf-fering from water logging during the rainy season. It becomes extremely difficult for the pedestrians as well as the vehicles. And when the wa-ter recedes ever so slowly, the roads become extremely slippery with the muddy residue creating a precarious condition for the pedestrians to walk on. Residents reminisce the beauty of the locality even until a few years ago and rue how things have changed over time. “We have been residing in the area for years and have witnessed the change from good to bad. Water logging problems were not a problem then, but since some years now, the street takes a frightening look when it gets water logged.”
Rabindra Das, a resident of the locality says that the area is fine other than some basic problem of poor road and water logging that happens dur-ing monsoons. “Monsoons are a bad time for Lamb Road residents and has been the same for a long time now,” Das said.
Jorpukhuri status
The Jorpukhuri ponds are one of the oldest in the city. However, of the
one of the oldest localities of the city struggles to maintain its legacy
ConCentrated area LAmB RoAd
Ward number 10
Sub-diviSion 10(C)
CounCilor mRIGeN SARANIA
Phone number 9864043462
area Sabha member SANjAy deBNATh
Phone number 84865 12103
ProblemS PooR RoAd CoNdITIoN, WATeRLoGGING, SuB-STANdARd CoNdITIoN oF joRPukhuRI
two, one is known as the lake of Ugra-tara and its upkeep is being done by the temple authorities whereas, the other has been in a sub-maintained state for the past several years. The pond has also been a source of life for aquatic animals and the authori-ties seemingly have failed to take any initiative for a clean-up job.
P. C. Baruah, a resident of the area told us that the locals in Jorpukhri-par constantly harp the authorities to keep the region in proper condi-tion. “The maintenance of the pond was initiated by the Unnayan Samiti but due to a certain mishap that took place in a club situated near the pond, the police had seized the club. Until three years back the Unnayan Samiti, with the help of funds collected from local people, took the initiative for the upkeep of the pond. However a development project which included beautification and construction of boundary walls around the ponds has put the cleaning process on hold,” Ba-ruah said.
WarD no
10
other issues
There are some other issues that are a cause of worry on Lamb road. Although the problem of proper street-light has been addressed lately, a few uncivilised residents in a particular part of the area has converted a part of the roadside into a garbage dump. While taking a stroll around the area, we came across Rafiq Ali, a self-employed resident of the area, who was busy clearing some garbage dumped on the street. “Minor problems such as street lights have been solved but some of the residents with their lack of civic sense has turned a part of the area into a stinking garbage dump. Most of those who reside in the apartments dump their house-hold garbage in the area. They were asked several times not to do so but it neither brought any change in their activities nor in their atti-tude,” Ali asserted.
KALYAN DeB
councillor’s sayThe councilor shared the simi-
lar concern about the condition of the road in the area. Talking to G Plus councillor Mrigen Sarania said that the prime cause of the substandard condition of the road is due to water logging which is caused due to the lack of proper outlet.
“The drainage system in the area is connected to Sola Beel via Ambari and due the clogged condi-tion of the Beel it causes floods in Lamb Road. The drains in the area were de-silted but the garbage that gets piled up in Sola Beel causes the recurring problem of water logging in the area,” said Mrigen Sarania.
“Adding to the distress the recently constructed roads were damaged during the installation of pipelines for water supply. Al-though JICA has assured that the damaged roads will be restored, no progress has been seen even after months,” the councillor added.
The councillor also informed that there are several projects that are underway and the by-lanes within a particular ward that were undertaken by PWD will soon be handed over to GMC. Since the area also houses the residence of Dhiren Baruah, chairman, GMDA it has been informed that the chair-man will take necessary steps for the development of the area at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the councillor ad-mitted that while the Jorpukhuri is currently in a substandard state, the matter will be shared with GMC and projects will be initiated soon for the upkeep of the ponds.
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201516
letter to the editorSir,This is to bring into your notice a genuine hardship faced by me and the exploitation by the telecom giant
Reliance. The matter not only pertains to me but is also of general public interest. There is no network in Maligaon (Gaushala Bazar) since October 13 last. No network implies that I can’t even make calls or text messages from this location. Further, since the day I availed the connection, there has been no 3G service in Maligaon. While the customer service is prompt to ask me 20 odd questions, there has been no solution to my problem. They charge for 3G services and provide 2G which is an outright fraud.
In the light of public and personal interest, I would like to question the service provider and the authorities: shouldn’t there be a penalty imposed on the service provider for such degraded services where there is nothing but harassment for the customers? Why is there no quality benchmark set for telecom operators and shouldn’t their licences be made void for customer negligence?
There are many unresolved questions where the general public at large is exploited by these telecom giants. This may be the reason why the telecom spectrum is such a big issue in the country is because it still lies UNREGU-LATED. I hope your esteemed publication delves into the matter and gives us the answers we are looking for.
SwAPNIL BHARALIexeCuTiVe eDiTor
SIDHARTH BeDI vARmA
iN puBliC iNTereSTreGarDS,CA LALIT KUmAR KHANDeLwAL
should bursting of crackers be banned during Diwali?
Well, there is a thing called tradition. That is one. And again, Diwali is a time for celebration. When tradition demands a lit-tle bit of noise when it comes to a celebra-tion and that too for just one day, what is the harm? Fireworks come with light and sound. So does any kind of celebration. Every great event of the world, be it the Olympics or any such sporting event, culminate with a display of spectacular fireworks where sound com-plements the lights. Time and again on social media we come across videos of spectacular fireworks. When the Burj Khalifa was lit up in Dubai, it made for a spectacular sound and light fireworks display. No one complained. Rather everyone enjoyed the breath-taking display. Come to think of it, wouldn’t it be funny if there was a pin-drop silent fire-work on display? A noisy discotheque which plays ear-splitting music for hours on end doesn’t seem to be so problematic to anyone nowadays. Why? Is it because it is a western concept of enjoyment and fun? If the disco-theque music is not noise-pollution, I fail to understand why this hullabaloo is being made about the traditional Diwali sounds?
Diwali is a festival of lights and not sound. It is not a day to pollute the earth with loud firecrackers and smoke. Crackers are responsible not only for pol-luting the air we breathe in, but also for noise. These bombs and phatakas contain chemicals like cadmium and nitrate that could lead to anemia and kidney damage, mental impairment. Not only that, bursting crackers are the major reasons for hearing loss, high blood pressure, heart attack and sleeping disturbanc-es. Sudden exposure to loud noise can cause tempo-rary deafness or permanent relative deafness. Moreo-ver, the noise released during Diwali causes extreme stress and fear in animals. No wonder pet dogs hide under the beds or behind huge doors or wardrobes out of sheer fear. Other than doing massive harm to human beings and animals, bursting crackers also affects the environment adversely in so many ways. They deteriorate the air quality that leads to serious disturbances in our eco-system. Pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide are released into the air each year during Diwali and the concen-trations of these gaseous pollutants were found about to be 2 to 6 times higher during the day of festival because of the use of huge quantity of firecrackers that emit a large amount of pollutants into the atmos-phere. These substances in the air are also responsible for the rapid disappearance of fireflies, dragon flies and other insects and small birds like the house spar-rows from our cities. The earth has enough problems. Say no to firecrackers!
interactive
Prime Minister Modi’s Mann ki Baat recently recalled that old cliché: India’s unity and
beauty lies in its diversity. At the macro-level of India this is undeni-ably true; at the semi-macro-level of the northeast, it can’t be truer. And at the micro-level of Assam, it is truest. Assam’s diversity in its pop-ulation can actually put the whole of India to shame. Add the entire northeast and we have a unique sub-continent all by itself right outside our doorstep. Our concern today though is carrying this uni-ty-in-diversity factor of the whole northeast as a platform to sell our unique region as a destination of investment, tourism et al at various forums and events within the coun-try and abroad. And then, using Facebook and Twitter to make an even greater noise about how exotic the northeast is as a destination for business, tourism, etc. I mean, who we are kidding?
Guwahati’s leading band SKD recently performed at New Delhi – at The Northeast Festival. No doubt, it must have been a proud moment for them; a feather in their cap. What exactly has been the achievement for the region except for a feel-good image and a surge of fraternity feelings for the ethnic population of the National Capital Region who gathered to watch the
Fragment the Northeast
show? This is just a case in point. But time and again, the region is sought to be portrayed as one entity while the fragments that create this entity are ever so diverse. The hill states do not pay taxes and so do not have revenue; they are forever dependent on central funds. Assam and Tripura are taxed heavily to the point where even housing is taxed leave alone income. This is nothing but a pointer to the fact that these two states bring in good revenue to their respective exchequers and yet are perhaps the poorest of the seven states. If Assam is basically so different from say, Manipur, what is the big idea of equating the two and bringing it under the umbrella called “northeast?” For a traveller desirous of exploring this part of the country, the Loktak Lake can, in no way, be part of the same itin-erary as Tawang. For an industrial-ist who seeks to invest, Dharmana-gar cannot be Amingaon.
The “northeast”, as such, does not exist; it never did as doesn’t “north India” as a region in this sense. But the states do. It is time to fragment the northeast and project each state for its own. “Northeast-ing” ourselves will get us nowhere.
The success of NH7 was not a mere coincidence or a small feat by any chance. It was not
like the stars aligned and came to-gether to make Meghalaya the most happening place last week. Person-ally, it was the most amazing expe-rience I could have had. Energetic vibes, back to back performances on 4 different arenas! Now that’s a real fest! NH-7 was flawlessly organ-ized with no room for error. With an array of counters, abundance of parking, various food stalls, the Government of Meghalaya and the organizers made sure that this ‘once in a lifetime’ experience was one to remember.
Coming to the main issue, why was Guwahati not an option for the organizers? Surely they must have seen that the heart of Northeast lies at Guwahati and yet this great city was not considered. Here’s why the answer is so simple, there was just not enough cooperation. Starting from obtaining permissions to ar-ranging plots of land, the govern-ment should have pushed for 101% support. When Vijay Nair tweeted, that NH7 Shillong was the only
tHe Vibe busters at nH-7
event where he did not pay a single Rupee as bribe, imagine the pride Meghalaya must have felt. While half of Guwahati was at NH 7 for the 2 day event, there are people I know personally who were drunk and high out of their wits, lying in a ditch somewhere. I met new peo-ple, made new friends, chilled out with the natives of Meghalaya while singing every word at the Mega-deth concert. And then, I also met the ‘oh so proud’ Assamese people, who could not stand up straight and neither were they speaking in sen-tences. Although I do understand getting a buzz at rock concerts is acceptable, but losing your wits and picking a fight with everyone is not. Yes, it is sad to say that all around, it was the proud Assamese people fighting and misbehaving. Megha-laya and its people have proved time and again why they are the better choice for concerts like Mr. Big, Firehouse, Scorpions, Sepultura. Some days are great to enjoy con-certs while there are days we should sit back and think how our collec-tive action reflects on us as a com-munity and a state.
BIPASA SAIKIA KASHYAP
E D I T O R I A L
JUTHIKA BARUAH
Point
counter Point
Hello sir,
On a working day and in busy hours, out of 10 ASTC buses, 8 buses hardly have 20 passengers. If this is the passenger traffic, is there any point in having so many buses on the roads? These big JNNURM buses take a lot of space on the roads. Moreover the buses mostly stop on the turnings to drop and pick passengers which create a lot of jams on the roads. The buses perhaps are forced to stop at such places because of the auto stands located on the turnings which do not allow the buses to negotiate the turnings freely. Can’t there be a time-table or a plan which can identify exactly how many buses are required during a point of time and accordingly buses be allowed to ply on the roads?
Rupjyoti Saha
G Talk
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 17
In Focus
MeetMeetMeetMeet
Entrepreneur
Jahnabi PhookanMeet
Bringing an entirely new dimen-sion to the business of travel and establishing itself as the first
IATA agent of the Northeast, Jungle Travels India has served its custom-ers from all over the region for over 26 years. Needless to say, the company, which is the brainchild of Jahnabi Phookan and her husband, Ashish Phookan, is the pioneer of tourism in northeast and the duo has shed sweat and tears to hoist the company to the position it is at now. Jahnabi has been a successful entrepreneur in travel and tourism, river cruising and hospi-tality for over two decades.
Jahnabi was born in Kolkata and enjoyed most part of her childhood in Lorreto House. She did her matricu-lation from St. Mary’s Guwahati and went on to Delhi to pursue her gradu-ation. Jahnabi enrolled herself in Indi-an Institute of Mass Communication and graduated with a specialization in Audio/Visual Communication. She came back to Guwahati in the year 1981 and having tied the knot with Ashish Phookan, landed a job as a journalist in The Sentinel. The only audio-visual media - Doordarshan - had not yet started operations in the city back in those days. She was also the first journalist to join the daily newspaper.
Jahnabi’s entrepreneurial career took off in the year 1988 when she started a courier service called Fast Forward which was a franchisee of Airborne Express. “Journalism had always been my first love but the tran-sition happened two years after I had my first child. My husband suggested that I should start something on my own and that is when Fast Forward came into existence. In the year 1989 we started the travel business and called it Jungle Travels. It was my hus-band’s idea since we wanted people to come into the “jungles” of Assam,” Jahnabi said tongue-in-cheek. But the very idea behind starting Jungle Trav-els was to market the jungles of north-east and put this unexplored region of the country on the world tourism map.
“We started with a rented place in Red Cross Hospital with two pe-ons and the support of a cousin and eventually learnt about IATA. Since nobody from northeast could issue international tickets and Kolkata
was the nearest junction, we decided to make it our target. That was when we became a partner of American Ex-press in the year 1994 and gradually became the first IATA agent in north-east in 1996,” Jahnabi said. “When we first started Jungle Travels nobody was connecting with the northeast and thus we decided to directly ap-proach the client, meet the people and connect. We have tried to bring pro-fessionalism in the sector and market the northeast in a proper manner,” Jahnabi added.
In 2003 Jahnabi started a sister company called Assam Bengal Navi-gation which started long distance river cruising. The initiative earned Jahnabi and Assam Bengal Naviga-tion the National Tourism Award in the year 2005 while Jungle Travels had already clinched the award in 2004. Another brainchild of Jahnabi was the creation of the brand called Kon-yak that she started in the year 2008. Konyak is a platform for grass root artisans and weavers of the region to trade their products and has created sustainable livelihoods for them with the necessary design intervention and product up-gradation. Konyak, billed as The Treasury of Native Handicrafts, operates in Guwahati and Dibrugarh.
Jahnabi has also been a member of the National Board of the Indian Institute of Entrepreneurship (IIE) under the Ministry of Small Me-dium Micro Enterprises (MSME) since 2012. Jahnabi was among the 30 Outstanding Women Achievers in the FLO (FICCI Ladies Organization) network to commemorate the 30 years of FLO’s existence in the year 2013. In the same year she was one of the ten representatives from India in the South East Asian Entrepreneurship Symposium held at Dhaka, Bangla-desh in February.
Starting with just two employees Jahnabi has indeed come a long way. As on date she has over 150 people working for her company. “Tourism is all about community and I believe that the strength of Jungle Travels and Assam Bengal Navigation are its people. Through the process we touch lives, we are responsible for our peo-ple. Further, I strongly believe eco-tourism is one sector through which our state can achieve its economic goals,” concludes Jhanabi.
September 22nd is celebrated as a ‘No Car Day’ in more than 200 cities in the world. The objective is to encourage people to use alternative means
of transport and hence conserve energy. Our city has always actively participated in any such social aware-ness drives; the most recent is the Pinkathon. Hence, a No Car Day is possible in Guwahati too, where main roads can be turned into special ‘Green Zones’, which will be open only to pedestrians, bicycles, and public transport from 7 am to 7 pm. But the administration should make sure that on such a day the enthusiasm of general public is not turned into a painstaking ex-perience due to lack of public transportation or sud-den hike in fare by private transport operators.
Yes, Guwahati definitely should have a no car day. Since, unlike Delhi and many other cities of the country Guwahati is a much smaller city
the day can easily be observed. The move also needs to be encouraged through which it will be beneficial for the environment in various ways. Specially, on a Sunday a No Car Day can be observed as it will be in favour of the people as well.
Why not!! It is high time we started a car free day in Guwahati. While most of the stuff we do has some sort of a positive or
negative impact, A CAR FREE DAY will have only positive impacts - healthier lives, healthier people, lesser pollution. What’s more important is to incul-cate and instill these habits into people and the kids of the newer generation who are just glued to the mo-bile phone screens or sitting like slobs in their driver driven vehicles. Also this will ensure that people use modes of public transportation. Once this becomes a regular habit infrastructure for public transporta-tion will have to be improved to support the mass movement of the people. Meanwhile, cycling is the best cardio exercise there is. So, one or two car free days in a month is most welcome.
I am totally up for a No Car a Day initiative in Guwahati. For one thing, this will benefit the people in so many ways. In many countries,
people are trying to take up bicycles to get from one place to another. In a congested city like ours, where there is a constraint of space anyway this can be im-plemented, and practiced. Later when this gains mo-mentum, it can be practiced more widely. Not only our city, our health too will be taken care of and our moromor Guwahati will be pollution free! The city cows are going to have a good time too!
The people in our city still have a very laid back attitude. We need a little push and the push has to be maintained. Someone should initi-
ate this, and it can be done. Our city roads are going to be safer, less congested and pollution free. Most countries in the world are following the No Car Day, and I think in a country like ours where the popula-tion is so very large, this will be a big boon!
Yes, on 27th September, Sunday France ob-served it. Even recently Arvind Kejriwal also launched Cycle movement and No Car Day in
New Delhi. Guwahati definitely can take a certain section of a major road in the city and use it as a No Car Movement Day. But yes, to make it a major suc-cess public co-operation is the most important issue along with district administration, transport de-partment, city cops and the traffic department.
Guwahati too can have a beautiful No Car Movement Day on a lovely sunny Sunday. I too look forward to it in the coming months.
SATYAJIT CHAKRABARTY
GAURAv PRATIm DeY
SANSKRITA BHARADwAJ
AABHISHeK BeDI vARmA
mANoJ KUmAR SINGH
SANDeeP KHAITAN
Guwahati
like other cities in india, can guwahati ever have a ‘no car Day’?
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201518
Life
TINAT ATIFA mASooD
HIS HoLINeSSSRI SRI RAvI SHANKAR JI
I noticed the two little girls only after a while, concentrating that I was on my singing. They were
waving frantically at me from the white car in front of me, beaming from ear to ear. I was so happy that I started waving back at them with a new-found exuberance. I drove to keep up with their car and blew kisses at them and they blew back with both hands, as they bounced up and down. My happiness knew no bounds. I felt I was a little girl again. As I got onto the flyover, my mind dampened and as if to match my mood, the girls too looked crest-fallen. They started waving slower than before seeing my car slowing down, indicating to go left. It was as if all three of us, us girls, wanted the exercise of waving, blowing kisses, smiling at each other to go on for-ever. If only!
Anyway, Tirus’ pooja holidays went past even before I could say, “Pooja holidays” and much to his chagrin, I couldn’t take him on a holiday. However, the ‘uncaring mother’ that my mother is wont to surmise me as, I did as much to make Tirus’ ten-day holiday a fruitful one, for me at least.
Mother would have scowled at me had she seen me waking her grand-son at 10am. “Let him sleep! It’s his holiday!” However, mother conveniently forgot that she used to wake me up at 6.30 in the morning, holiday or no holiday and made me sit for my studies. After breakfast, I would have to fold clothes, dust the
furniture, polish the wooden floors, clean the window-panes, wash my uniform and meticulously clean the leaves in the flower-pots, one by one, before I went for a bath, which was close to a nightmare,as she would scrub my calves as if they were in-fected with some morbidity. After lunch, she would allow me to read my story-books and by evening, having played tirelessly with friends from the neighbourhood, I would have to sit for my studies again. Dinner by 9pm and then to bed. Not that I complained much on her scheme of things!
Tirus has somehow managed to get a portion of my genes, not that his father forgets to thump his chest once in a while on the ‘superior genes’ Tirus has acquired from him when he does well in Mathematics. Good for him. Maths will get him places but working around the house also makes him realise a lot of things.
Ever since my little boy started walking around the house, I made sure I let him run small errands to make him feel responsible. So this holiday too, Tirus, apart from his studies, dusted the furniture, wa-tered the plants, folded clothes, mopped the floor, cleaned his room and vacuumed my car. And all this, happily, while he listens to VH1. My mother always sternly reprimands me when she comes to know that I had sent Tirus upstairs to the terrace to place the wet clothes on the line. “How could you do this to our only grand-son? How could you even let
a lesser Man.....??
Do you know how to ride a bi-cycle? How do you balance? Exactly like that.
If you are doing service for the society, and you are getting drowned in it, and you are neglect-ing your family, something will pinch you – listen to that pinch. Similarly, if you are so drowned in your family, only my wife, my kid, my husband, my children, my par-ents, then also something pinches. “Oh, I didn’t even think about the world, I didn’t think about others. I am only thinking about myself! 100 percent of the money I earned I have used on myself – I have not contrib-uted to anybody!” Then it will pinch you.
People are ready to buy expen-sive clothes for themselves, people are ready to spend a huge amount on their holidays, but they are not ready to give one dollar or one euro to oth-ers for a service project. At least 3 percent of what we earn, we should keep aside and donate it for charity work; to do some good work for the society. This converts 97 percent of your earnings into good money. If you want to use 100 percent on yourself – no good! If the money needs to be pure and good, it can only be 97 percent or less (laughs). You are free to use the 97 percent on yourself, but the 3–5 percent, whatever, you should keep aside and donate. This is because whatever you earn is never enough for your-self! You ask anyone, they feel, “Oh! There’s shortage”. Everyone finds a shortage.
listen to your Hearti find it difficult to get the right balance of focus on earning income to support my family and doing seva. is there a formula to this that you recommend?
When we first started our Bangalore Ashram, there were so many people coming, we had shortage of rooms, we had short-age of toilets, we had shortage of halls, but I said, “No, we have to do service projects outside the Ashram. We have to build toilets for all poor villagers outside.” Our people said, “We are short for ourselves”, but I said, “It will never be enough for us. You build now, but again our need will keep increasing be-cause people will keep coming”. You cannot say, “First I will do everything for us and then I will do seva for others.” We have to do both. Every pil-lar we build here, we should build one for the poor people as well, and that was what we did. Now, everybody in all the villages around the Ashram have homes and toilets. Earlier they lived in mud huts with thatched roofs – now you will not find a single mud hut; people are all prosper-ous.
So it is collective growth, and that is what we must aim for. We must listen to our heart! If we lis-ten to our heart, we will find suc-cess in every action of ours. Every action will be beneficial and be-nevolent for us and for everybody else as well.
him do such work?” Such work, Mom? I ask her.
What sort of work should I give Tirus? Should I make him sit around and maybe play games? Or should I just let him watch television while I treated him to chips and coke?
I have grown up seeing my father working around the house; cook-ing, washing, making the bed, iron-ing, cleaning and mopping the floor, working tirelessly in the vegetable and flower garden and what not! And on top of that he took us regu-larly to the movies and eating joints, planned wonderful holidays, took us shopping, told me stories, intro-duced me to new music and laughed heartily during a family getogether.
So why not Tirus? What is so dif-ferent about him that he shouldn’t be allowed to work. Will it make him a lesser man for doing house work? Will his friends laugh at him? Will his companion or girlfriend or wife call him a sissy for helping do odd jobs?
Well, I think not! I like a man who works around the house and I am confident that Tirus too will choose his companion and friends well, who will respect him for work-ing around his home and not for whiling away his time in idle gossip and empty jargon!
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 19
Lifestyle
TECHWATCH
Functional training for a better lifestyle
The Indian Gooseberry (Amla)
Alsohelpscountereffectsofcarcinogeniccells
ArichsourceofVitaminC,whichenhancesfoodabsorp-tion,balancesstomachacid,fortifiestheliver,nourishesthebrainandmentalfunctioning,
Alsosupportstheheart,strengthensthelungs,regulateseliminationoffreeradicals,enhancesfertility,helpstheurinarysystem,increasesskinhealth,promoteshealthierhair,actsasabodycoolant,flushesouttoxins,increasesvitality,strengthenseyes,improvesmuscletoneand,actsasananti-oxidant.
Foundinthewet,forested,hillyareasoftheIndiansubconti-nent,itisconsideredasacredtree.Thefruitisverynourishing,butittastessour.Bothdriedandfreshfruitscanbe consumedfortheirhealthbenefits.
WidelyusedinAyurvedictreatment,GooseberryalsocontainsmanymineralsandvitaminslikeCalcium,Phosphorus,Iron,CaroteneandVitaminBComplex.
THE‘no sHaVe noVeMber’
OnePlus announced their premier flagship device called OnePlus Two last
month, and last week, the OnePlus X was announced. The OnePlus X is a downgraded, slightly less powerful phone inspired by their flagship device, OnePlus Two. The OPX is all about looks and the me-tallic body. The phone comes with 2 designs, an onyx back cover and a ceramic cover.
The OPX sports a 1080p 5-inch AMOLED display with a Snapdragon 801 powering it. Al-though the Snapdragon 801 is a relatively old processor, the phone
has 3GB RAM, which is more than enough to offer seamless multi-tasking. The phone comes with the custom Oxygen OS based on Android 5.5.1 Lollipop and also features an expandable storage via micro SD and Dual Sim capability.The OnePlus X comes with a 13 MP rear camera, and a hearty 8 MP selfie snapper.
The 16GB variant will approx-imately cost about Rs. 16999 and there are no 32GB or 64GB vari-ants. The phone will be available via a month long ‘invite’ concept and invitations will be sent out shortly.
SIDHARTH BeDI [email protected]
With the onset of Novem-ber, Facebook is trend-ing with two major cam-
paigns: ‘Winter is Coming’ and ‘No Shave November’. ‘Winter is Com-ing’ is the very obvious Game of Thrones reference, but what is No Shave November?
Of course, humans will not have a whole month dedicated to keeping themselves un-groomed in this era of waxing and out of the blue self-ies. Most of the people have unfortu-nately missed the point behind hav-
ing a ‘No Shave November’. No, it is not the game of ‘men’ that Facebook and Twitter posts talk about and is definitely not a test of masculinity. The concept of No Shave November is actually a very noble one. Its goal is to grow awareness about cancer, in terms that cancer patients lose their hair and to show them support, we let our hair run free and wild. And the money you save on shaving and grooming is meant to be donated to educate and spread awareness about cancer prevention.
• Sportsspecificfunctionaltrainingto improve performance in a particularsport.
• Functionaltrainingformorbidlyobesepeople.
• Functionaltrainingforkids.
• Functionaltrainingforseniorcitizensandchildren.
• Functionaltrainingforphysicallychallengedanddiseasedindividuals.
BIBHU MONI SINGHA, Fitness Expert & Sports NutritionistGym Manager, Training & Nutrition Head, SFL Fitness, Guwahati
Functional trainingFunctional Training is a classifi-
cation or group of exercises which is designed to target all the major mus-cle groups of the body involved dur-ing training or while doing daily life activities such as – picking something up from the floor, lifting your baby or lifting a bag of groceries and climbing the stairs.
origins oF Functional training
Functional training has its origins in rehabilitation programs, often used by Physical and Occupational thera-pists to treat patients with movement disorders. But this method of exercise has entered into the foray of fitness arenas and gyms and gained mass popularity. The exercises in func-tional training are designed in such a manner where the patient or the individual gains core strength to per-form daily household chores includ-ing moderate lifting. Mothers taking care of their children, office goers with 10-12 working hours can develop pos-ture related problems and back pain. Functional Training can be incorpo-rated into the daily routine and such problems can be avoided.
WHy Functional train-ing?
Now the most important ques-tion here is why we need to consider functional training for our day to day activity. Simple, because it attempts to adapt and develop exercises which al-low individuals to perform activities of daily life more easily and without injuries by instructing people about the use of proper Biomechanics (Sci-entific study of human movements) and using correct posture while do-ing any activity. Functional training
can be done without using exercising equipment or unnecessary weights. The only thing you need is proper method and that is why training un-der a qualified trainer is very impor-tant. Some of the examples of func-tional training are as follows:
Chair sit and stand: It is the name of an exercise where a person simply has to get up from the chair and sit again. The move has to be repeated 10 to 15 times which will strengthen the thigh muscles and is good for a writer. You can also lift a sand bag of 5 to 10 kgs from the ground by keep-ing the back flat and abdominal mus-cles pulled in. The action is somewhat similar to that of handling a baby or a child. This is beneficial for women who have kids at home. So functional training is actually simple and can be done anywhere during the day even while working at home or at the of-fice. Now days, there are specially de-signed work stations for individuals in the corporate sector where people can get their work out and work done without having to compromise one for the other.
beneFitsThere are numerous benefits of
functional training when performed correctly. It is proven to give better joint mobility and stability, balance,
agility, coordination as well as more efficient motor patterns which mean the individual will be more aware of his bodily functions. Improving these factors decreases the potential for an injury sustained during an athletic endeavour and increases performance in a sport. Moreover there are lots of different varieties of functional train-ing-
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201520
Reviews
Storyteller, her fifth al-bum and first since her career recap, cer-
tainly contains cinematic elements -- Underwood has been proud to be a diva ever since she prowled the stages of American Idol a decade prior -- but the ti-tle isn’t a feint; she spends a good chunk of the album reiterating, singing about heartbreak, hair triggers, red wine, dirty laundry, and smoke breaks, the mundane details that turn life so joy-ous and tragic. Subtlety isn’t Underwood’s strong suit so the songs tend to be
a bit on the nose, whether she’s pledging devotion to her newborn son on the sweet closer “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted” or streamlining Bobbie Gen-try’s “Ode to Billy Joe” via the stomping “Choctaw County Affair,” but that directness is key to her ap-peal: there are no greys in Carrie’s music, only blazing primary colors. Appropri-ately enough, Storyteller gleams with steely assur-ance, perhaps the toughest and boldest record yet but one that hardly soft-pedals her softer side.
Album: Storyteller
Artist:Carrie
underwood
you
ShouLd
LISTeN
Cast: Chris J. Murray, Dan Gill, Ivy George, Brit Shawdirector: Gregory Plotkin
The racing genre is still poorly represented on the PlayStation 4,
with Evolution Studios’ hardy DriveClub the only real op-tion on the appliance outside of launch title Need for Speed: Rivals and Milestone’s many motorcycle simulations. Po-lyphony Digital overlord Ka-zunori Yamauchi doesn’t seem in any real hurry to reveal Gran Turismo 7 – one would assume that he’s holding the driving sim back while he individu-ally checks each included ve-hicle’s hubcaps for authentic-ity – while Codemasters hasn’t exactly blessed us with the kind of console output that we
expected following the PlaySta-tion 3 era. With the new Need for Speed still a few weeks away, then, it falls upon French developer Kylotonn Games to fill the emerging space with WRC 5. The Parisian devel-oper’s previous release was the abysmal Motorcycle Club, so what could possibly go wrong?
Not quite as much as you’d think, because this is a confi-dent first step into the world of rally from a company that clearly cares about the sport. Where previous custodian Milestone felt like it was de-signing its licensed rally games due to contractual obligations, there’s a playfulness to this fifth
instalment which stems from its slick handling system.
A surprisingly solid racing game, WRC 5’s biggest undo-ing is its evident lack of budget. Kylotonn Games has put its priorities in the right place, de-livering a slick handling model that captures the spontaneous nature of the sport well, but the presentation is fairly poor across the board – and the frame rate issues really detract from the responsiveness of the driving. Still, this is a strong base to work from, and we can only hope that the positive re-ception results in the studio re-ceiving a bigger budget for the release’s inevitable sequel.
The Ghost Dimension goes where no Paranormal Ac-tivity film has gone before,
making visible its invisible men-ace. But maybe there’s a good rea-son this hit fright franchise hasn’t thrown back the curtain before now. The 2007 original, with its clever practical effects and simple bump-in-the-dark tactics, scored scares by introducing a monster that could move freely around a house, undetected. Likewise, some of the best moments in the se-ries—see, for the most potent ex-
ample, the oscillating fan-cam of the second sequel—have deliber-ately obstructed the viewers’ view, turning the space just beyond the frameline into a great unknown. Sometimes what you can’t see is way more frightening than what you can.
Under ideal circumstances, the Paranormal Activity films are communal experiences, meant to be watched with a large and even rowdy crowd; if any series de-serves those night-vision adver-tisements of audiences freaking
out at advance screenings, this is the one. The Ghost Dimension will surely inspire plenty of theat-er-wide flinching, a guarantee for any movie with this many jump scares. But by making it so that everyone can see the evil coming, it also robs the franchise of one of its most potent pleasures: study-ing the frame for signs of trouble, little telltale hints that something is about to go horribly, horribly wrong. Sentient inkblots are a poor substitution for that sensa-tion.
Cast: Randeep Hooda, Richa Chaddadirector: Prawaal Raman
Anuradha CineplexNoonmati
03612656968, 9954544738MAiN Aur ChArles09.30 AM & 2.45 PMKhel (AssAMese)11.45 AM, 5.15 & 8.15 PM
PVr CinemasDona Planet. Gs road
08800900009MAiN Aur ChArles10.20 AM & 06.05 PMPArANorMAl ACtiVity: the Ghost DiMeNsioN (A)08.45 PM
Fun CinemashuB, Gs road
9864800100, 9864800200PyAAr KA PuNChNAMA 210 AM, 12.35, 5.40 & 8.45 PMweDDiNG PullAV03.10 PM
Apsara Cinemaulubari
0361 2541335MAiN Aur ChArles11.00 AM, 5.00 & 8.00 PMKhel (AssAMese)02.00 PM
GolD CinemaAstC Complex, Paltan Bazar
9854066166PyAAr KA PuNChNAMA 211.30 AM & 5.30 PMMAiN Aur ChArles11.00 AM & 5.00 PMGuDDu Ki GuN02.00 PMshAANDAAr08.30 PM loVe exChANGe02.30 PMoNCe uPoN A tiMe iN BihAr08.00 PM
GolD Cinemasalasar Building, lakhtokia
9854066166PyAAr KA PuNChNAMA 205.30 & 8.30 PMMAiN Aur ChArles11.00 AM & 5.00 PMGuDDu Ki GuN08.00 PMshAANDAAr02.30 PM loVe exChANGe11.30 AMoNCe uPoN A tiMe iN BihAr02.00 PM
GolD CinemalG towers, Narangi
8811001898MAiN Aur ChArles11.00 AM & 5.00 PMGuDDu Ki GuN02.00 & 8.00 PM
noWsHoWing
Main Aur Charles chronicles around the life of charis-
matic con artist and serial killer Charles Sobhraj who rose to fame in the early 80s and came to be known as the ‘Bikini killer’. Charles’ ap-proach was to befriend his victims, mainly foreign tour-ists who moved across Thai-land, Goa and Nepal on hip-pie trails, drug them and steal their passports.
In the first ten minutes of the film, we learn about Sobhraj’s (Randeep Hooda) sly escape from Thailand af-ter killing one tourist who is found dead ashore.
From there, the film picks up the story of Sobhraj’s infa-mous 1986 jail break from Delhi. His co-conspirators in the jail break, Robert (Alex O Nell), a jail-mate from Lon-don who is caught for drug peddling and a young crimi-
nal law student Meera Shar-ma (Richa Chaddha) are seen spilling their story of meeting Charles.
Charles’ nemesis, Amod Kanth (Adil Hussain) is the anchor who is telling the story and hence the ‘Main Aur Charles’. Disgusted with the attitude of the media of making Sobhraj a cult hero instead of a villain, Kanth is seen venting out frustrations even when his wife (Tisca Chopra) questions about Charles’ talked-about intel-ligence.
Eventually, the story is a cat and mouse chase of Sobhraj and Kanth.
Randeep Hooda takes on the silver screen as the ‘Bikini Killer’ Charles Sobhraj and well he does exude a remark-able charm. Hooda nails the body language and tries hard to produce a genuine accent which seems uncomfortable
at start but settles decently well later.
Adil Hussain is a clear winner in this film. As Amod Kanth, he does a commend-able job.
Richa Chadda’s character Meera Sharma is kept tight and it works for the film. She is a love-struck criminal law student who is a victim of Charles’ charm and so mes-merized by him that she be-comes an accomplice in his plan for jail break in the lieu of marrying him in future. She is seen defending his be-havior with such might and those scenes are definitely crafted nicely.
Main Aur Charles is too gimmicky and hence even though not Randeep’s but the film’s charm wears off pretty soon. It fails to come across as a potent criminal drama and so for it’s loose treatment it gets a 2/5.
WRC 5GAme
ReVIeW
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 21
entertainment
JaZZ HanDs!Interview withRon ChaRonojit Chaliha, a Guwahati
lad by birth and an Assamese by blood is a pianist par excel-
lence – a prodigy. Extremely popular as Ron Cha, he completed recording his debut album on Oct 26, 2015 at the Yash Raj Studios, Mumbai with one of the best musicians in India. Yet, this does not even come close to fulfilling this young lad’s potential and what he has on the agenda of his life. Here is Ron Cha’s exclusive interview with GPLUS.
Let’s start from the begin-ning, tell us something about your education, your schooling and your mentors.
I am an Assamese born in Guwa-hati. I was brought up partly in Guwa-hati and partly in Shillong. I initially studied at Maria’s Public School, Guwahati and then moved to The Assam Valley School, Balipara. I was thereafter home-schooled from Na-tional Institute of Open Schooling till the 12th standard.
I have been guided by extremely talented teachers and every step was a learning opportunity. I started by learning Indian Classical music with Mr. Shekhar Deb Roy and moved on to learn from the head of the Shillong Chamber Choir, Mr. Neil Nonkynrih. He laid the foundation for me musi-cally and I owe him a lot for that. His sister, Mrs. Pauline Warjri, introduced me to jazz music and gave me my first lessons with improvised music. I’ve also travelled to Pune for classical piano lessons with Mrs. Roxana An-klesaria Doctor, a very renowned clas-sical piano pedagogue who mentored
me for three years.
We know that the schedule of a musician is not to be tri-fled with. What does yours look like?
I am not committed to any pro-jects full time but I do spend a lot of time in Bombay and Shillong. Bombay is home to great musicians and I get to play gigs and it’s great for networking. But Shillong is all about my circle, my friends and the ‘oh-so-nice’ weather! I work out of my home now and write music for the trio. If I’m not travelling, I spend my time with the instruments every day. A lot of my time is spent on listening to music. Old and new! This keeps my mind fresh with newer ideas
everyday and keeps me updated about the music scene around the world.
Your interest in Piano stems from?
Right from holding down my fingers while sitting on his lap, my Grandfather was my first teacher. My late great grandmother was a pianist herself and would play Bengali folk tunes at home. It is a legacy that has been handed down to me.
With many other ambi-tious and aspiring musicians around, what did you do dif-ferently that made you stand out from the rest?
and at fests like Chandigarh Jazz Festi-val, Shillong Blues and Jazz Festival. In 2011, I visited Switzerland for an IofC (Initiatives of Change) music work-shop and played at the prestigious Caux Theatre. In Bombay I frequently play gigs at Cafè Zoe and Bandra Base. I also frequent Shisha Jazz Cafè, Pune and Potbelly Rooftop Cafè, Delhi for performances.
Any special projects lined up for the future?
I’m looking forward to tour-ing with my trio once the album is launched. It is my dream to be an in-ternational touring artiste and I want to fulfil this dream soon. I will shift base to USA in the fall of 2016 to study music. Right now, I’m just toying with videos from my Shillong gigs and my sessions at the Yashraj Studio. Do check them out.
Anything in particular you’d like to send across to young aspiring artists such as yourself and who are looking for exposure?
Invest your resources in going out to places where there is better competition. Get out of your comfort zone and take risks. Getting your butt kicked is the only way you can kick butt!
We’re all different in our own way but what made me different was that I had the courage to prioritise my music more than the other things around me and there was no second guessing it. I’m glad I didn’t struggle with decision making and that has made all the dif-ference.
How supportive were your parents?
Without them, I’d be NO ONE right now. They’re just the most sup-portive, encouraging, inspiring and motivating people around me. Even in a million years, I will not be able to give them back what they’ve given me. And they’ve never asked me to think about an alternative career choice and trust me, playing jazz music for a liv-ing is NOT easy at all. I thank God for giving me such great parents.
Can you shed some light on your recent performances and highlights?
I just recorded my debut album at Yashraj Film Studios with one of the finest musicians in the country with Gino Banks on Drums and Sheldon D’Silva on Electric Bass. I had my trio concert in Shillong featuring the great Loy Mendonsa on Electric Bass and Gino Banks on Drums. I’ve had the honour of playing at amazing ven-ues with world class musicians like Toshan Nongbet and Floyd Fernandes
SIDHARTH BeDI vARmA
KALYAN KUmAR KALITA
rendezvous with Writam
sambhabana…a hope’ Documentary on cancer awareness
thikona
I always wondered what most twenty four year olds in the city were up to these days. And
then, I heard of Writam Chang-kakoti. Writam, blind by birth, is a student of literature at Cotton College, Guwahati. Despite this se-vere handicap, Writam is a master of six musical instruments - tabla, piano, cajon, guitars, accordion and the pianica. He also earned the Visharad Degree when he was just twelve. Writam has released two musical albums, and harbours hopes of performing at the Horn-bill Music Festival - one of the big-
that I released the following year, is entirely my composition.”
Writam today is single hand-edly making demos to send to the Hornbill Music Festival - 2015, working on a side project (B n W) with his friend Bhargav where he plays the piano, managing band productions and attending classes in Cotton College for his Masters in Literature. “My eagerness to continue with literature has made me a better music composer, and has helped me to actually push myself. You need some kind of in-spiration to make music and my as-sociation with literature has given that. Hamlet is my favorite play. Managing both my studies, and my music is really tough.” Currently, Writam is also the keyboardist for two bands named Wing of Flames and 2. “I was blind since birth, but no one ever made me feel the need to be excused from anything be-cause of that. In fact I was always encouraged. You would think that people would be sympathetic to-wards me,” he smirks. “But my mentors have been nothing but truthful with me. They have never stopped themselves from pointing out my shortcomings. In fact, a few days back my professor very polite-ly told me that I should focus more on music instead,” Writam laughs.
gest festivals in the country. “As a kid, I would find beats everywhere - on tables, the backs of doors, hard surfaces and containers. Both my parents are musically inclined and that was my biggest support. I started training when I was six.” No wonder that this talented young man’s debut album was re-leased when he was fourteen years old. “My debut album was called “Writam’s Jyoti” and I got a lot of support from the musical society throughout its production and re-lease. This was a cover album, but my next album “Black Shining”
A newcomer into the foray of As-samese music, Pranjit Saikia re-cently launched his audio album
titled ‘Thikona’. With the surge of new artistes who are trying to make an im-pact in the music scenario. The album was well received by the Assamese music lov-ing community. The album produced by Apolo Harmonic has six modern tracks at various tempos and has been drawing the attention of Assamese music lovers. The songs are - Thikona, Tomokha Raati, Gu-pute, Aaghonore Pothar, Olaalo Duraniloi and Baby. The music has been composed by Pranjal Pradeep Bharali and the songs have been penned by Samiran Malay and Anjan Tamuly. Samiran Malay and Pranjit Saikia have also directed the music and the songs have been rendered by Pranjit Sai-kia, Priyanka Bharali and Barnali Kalita. The songs have been recorded at Studio
Orange, Guwahati by Moon and Studio Eden, Jorhat by Munna. All the songs are mixed and mastered by Munna at Studio Eden.
by Pranjit Saikia
A documentary on cancer awareness was made under the banner of RB Music Production in association
with Techaid Foundation. The documen-tary is based on the real life incident of
Padum Kumar Sethi, a 70 year old resi-dent of Biswanath Chariali, who has been fighting the disease since 1998. The will power of Padum Kumar Sethi has been an inspiration to many, and this 22 minute documentary shows his highs and lows while fighting this disease. The docu-mentary has been directed by Rakesh Sethi and Rekha Jain. The script has been penned by journalist Kalyan Kumar Ka-lita with Rakesh Sharma and Rajib Raaj. Music has been scored by Kukil Singha and rendered by Rajib Raaj. The docu-mentary is a first step to spreading aware-ness about this deadly disease and hopes to reach out to the people who are strug-gling to fight this disease.
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201522
events
october 31st toNovember 6th
7DaysEvents
next
OCT 31
ASSAM DON BOSCO UNIVERSITY AT 08:30 AM
A SYMPOSIUM ON “E-VISION FOR DIGITAL INDIA”
INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, PANBAZAR,AT 03:00 PM
STARTUP SATURDAY GUWAHATI TALKS
LIONS EYE HOSPITAL AUDITORIUM, CHATRIBARI,AT 05:00 PM
SHODH - AN EXPERIMENT WITH SOCIETY
DRIVE INN, 10TH MILE , KHANNAPARA, AT 07:00 PM
“HALLOWEEN” FEAT. V-SOCIETY
NOV 1
NATIONAL LAW UNIVERSITY AND JUDICIAL ACADEMY, CONFERENCE HALLAT 10:00 AM
TEDX EVENT
NOV 1
VIVEKANANDA KENDRA, GUWAHATIAT 05:30 PM
THE FOUR SEALS OF THE BUDDHA’S TEACHINGS AND THE TRUE MEANING OF LIFE - A TALK BY GESHE DORJI DAMDUL
NOV 3
SHILPAGRAM, PANJABARI,AT 04:00 PM
MALPANI TALKIES & ROCKA ROLLA EVENTS PRESENTS METAL MAYHEM 7- FEATURING-PLAGUE THROAT(SHILLONG)DIABOLUS ARCANIUM(CHENNAI)SHADES OF RETRIBUTION(DULIAJAN)MACROPSIA(GUWAHATI)LUNATIC FRINGE(GUWAHATI)ENTRY FREE
cheers crossroads
Global launch of Maruti suzuki baleno
announced in Guwahati
Maruti Suzuki launched its latest addition, the Baleno recently which will be displayed in its premium showrooms called Nexa. The global launch of its premium hatchback, Baleno was an-
nounced on October 26th in an event held at Raddison Blu. Targeting buyers that seek the elite range of vehicles Baleno comes with two engine options both offering best in class fuel efficiency of 21.4 km/litre. Baleno also comes with a CVT option (Continiously Variable Transmission) in the petrol variant.
The hatchback is also the first to offer Apple Car Play in India. Ap-ple Car Play offers the best-in-car experience for iphone users and lets the driver control all the multimedia functions via voice commands. The feature will also help users to get directions, make calls, send and receive messages and enjoy several other luxuries. Built on Suzuki’s Total Effec-tive Control Technology (TECT) the premium hatchback offers standard safety features such as dual air bags and seatbelt pre-tensioners. Driver seat belt reminder with lamp and rear parking sensors with camera are among the other safety features on Baleno.
Power and transmissionEngine VVT Petrol Engine DDiS 190 Diesel EnginePower 62kW @ 6000 rpm 55.2 kW @ 4000 rpmTorque 115 Nm @ 4000 rpm 190 Nm @ 2000 rpmTransmission 5MT/CVT 5MTFuel Efficiency (km/litre) 21.4 27.39
Price list – VVt PetrolSigma Delta Zeta Alpha CVT5,38,019 6,11,299 6,72,365 7,43,610 7,18,165
Price list DDiS 190 DieselSigma Delta Zeta Alpha6,57,099 7,23,254 7,84,321 8,55,565
‘THE CURSE WORDS was held at Cheers Crossroads, last Wednes-day, that is 28th of October, 2015.
The event line up consisted of 5 fine group of Hip Hop artist, that included; Das Volk, J’97, G Hustlers, Note Gang, Rocky Glock
The theme of the show was “A Tribute To Tupac Shakur”. Tupac Amaru Shakur was a well known art-ist from America. He was a legend in the hip hop scene and was considered one of the greatest rappers.
The show started from sharp 6 o’clock and witnessed the first ever Hip Hop gig in town. The line up also consisted DJ Yuzin, who is a House DJ from Guwahati, and is responsible for winding up the evening.
The entire show was hosted by MIME. The evening was covered by Omraj Saikia, Yubraj Medhi and Arpit Chakravarti, and supported by Niyor Damansekhar Saikia as Co-ordinator and Sudem Swargiary as Founder of MIME.
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 2015 23
Citypedia
24-HOUR PHARMACIESArya Hospital, Ulubari (2606888, 2606665)D Modern Medicos, Maligaon (9864366763)Candid 24x7, Panbazar (2604422)
DEAD BODY CARRYING VANGLP Social Circle 2737373, 9435047046Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251GGUMTA 98640-16740
RADIO TAXI SERVICESPrime Cabs
0361- 2222233Green Cabs
0361-7151515My Taxi
0361-2228888Cherry Cabs8876222288
OTHERSFire Emergency 101State Zoo 2201363
GMC Carcass Pickup 9435190720, 9864047222
LPG Emergency/Leakage 2385209, 2541118,
LPG Booking (ivr System) 7670024365Child line Guwahati 1098
GMC helpline number for
garbage collection8811007000
Vigilance and anti corruption toll free
number1800-345-3767
SP, Kamrup District: Ph- 2540278DGP Control Room: Ph- 2540242SB Control Room: Ph-2261511Police Control Room: Ph-2540138, 2540113Azara PS: Ph2840287Basista PS: Ph-2302158Bharalumukh PS: Ph- 2540137, 2731199Borjhar PS: Ph-2840351Chandmari PS: Ph- 2660204Chandrapur PS: Ph-2788237, 2785237Dispur PS: Ph-2261510Fancybazar PS: Ph- 2540285
Fatasil Ambari PS: Ph-2471412Geetanagar PS: Ph-2417323Hatigaon: Ph-2562383Jalukbari PS: Ph-2570587Jalukbari Out Post: Ph-2570522Jorabat: Ph-2896853Khanapara: Ph- 2281501Khetri PS: Ph-2787699, 2787220Latasil PS: Ph-2540136Noonmati PS: Ph- 2550281North Guwahati PS: Ph-2690255Paltanbazar PS: Ph-2540126Panbazar PS: Ph-2540106Pragjyotishpur Ps: Ph-2785237Women PS Panbazar: Ph-2524627
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
Call Centre – 9678005171
Arya Hospital, Ulubari(2606888, 2606665)B Baruah Cancer Institute(2472364/66)Brahmaputra Hospital Ltd(2451634/678)Chatribari Christian Hospital0361-2600051, 92070-44374Downtown Hospital2331003, 9864079366, 9435012669Guwahati Medical College(2529457, 2529561)Guwahati Medical Collegeemergency (2263444)International Hospital0361-7135005
Mahendra Mohan Choudhury Hospital(2541477, 2543998)Marwari Hospital & Research Centre0361-2602738/39Marwari Maternity Hospital 0361-2541202/01Nemcare Hospital0361-2528587, 2455906, 2457344Pratiksha Hospital0361-2337260, 2337183/84Basistha Military Hospital (2304617/0351)
HOSPITALS Railway Central HospitalCasuality (2671025)Redcross Hospital(2665114)Sri Sankardeva Netralaya0361-2233444, 2228879, 2228921TB Hospital(2540193)Wintrobe Hospital0361-2519860,98647-77986IHR-Institute of Human Reproduction0361-2482619,098641-03333
POLICE STATION
GNRC Hospital 1800-345-0022 (toll Free)GNRC Ambulance 1800-345-0011 (toll Free)
emeRGeNCy NumBeRSAMBULANCE Ambulance 102Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665Downtown Hospital 9864101111, 9435012669GLP Social Circle 2737373GGUMTA (Mirza) 03623-227109Marowari Yuva Manch 2542074, 2547251Free Ambulance to GNRC Hospitalstoll Free: 1800-345-0011 BLOOD BANK
Arya Hospital, Ulubari 2606888, 2606665Ganga Blood Bank 2454742, 2455029
Lion’s Club of Ghy Central 2546611Marwari Yuva Manch 2546470, 2547251
Saharia’s Path Lab (24 hours) 2458594
HoRoSCoPe
Aquarius
Aries
Libra
Gemini
Sagittarius
Leo
Taurus
Scorpio
Cancer
Capricorn
Virgo
Pisces
It looks like business as usual and not much fun as this week’s alignment zeroes in on your work sector. Either that or you may be involved in a health phase that keeps you super active with daily workouts. Tuesday’s Full Moon could be an invitation to indulge. You may be tempted by foods or drinks you’d normally avoid. If you’re planning a Halloween bash, the Scorpio Sun will add just the right amount of wicked fun to the occasion.
Home and family matters continue to be important. And with Mars on the scene, this is the perfect time to remove clutter from your home and get on with DIY projects. You may be eager to make your home bigger or move to a more spacious property. If this is on your mind, it’s time to take action and do something about it. The Full Moon on Tuesday encourages you to take a break if you need it. You’ll benefit greatly if you do.
Home and family affairs come into focus as the Sun, newly in Scor-pio, encourages you to look more deeply into associated issues or problems. Tuesday’s Full Moon could spotlight exactly why you’re experiencing difficulties and what you can do about it. The trick is to not overreact but stay calm. There’s also a spiritual theme encour-aging you to look beneath the surface.
Be careful when signing contracts or deals associated with your job or business as the Sun aspects Neptune this week. In particular, read the terms and conditions and check the fine print. Whatever you do, don’t leave anything to chance. Tuesday’s Full Moon might encourage you to throw caution to the wind and shop. If you do, it might be wise to set some limits. Don’t go crazy!
As Saturn moves deeper into your sign it could encourage you to be a lot more serious about your goals, plans, and ambitions. Tues-day’s Full Moon could coincide with an unexpected event that may demand a spontaneous solution. Be guided by your instincts here, as whatever feels right probably is right. In addition, the focus at the top of your chart might encourage you to become a staunch member of your community and take up associated responsibilities.
Money matters continue to hold your attention, with the present alignment encouraging you to expand your financial horizons. In terms of your income, it’s possible you’re thinking about a bigger number than you have before, which is all to the good. The Taurus Full Moon could see you struggling with your work/life balance. If you can take time off to relax on Tuesday, it would do you a world of good.
Your leisure and pleasure sector is packed with vibrant energies and upbeat planets, suggesting that you’ll make an effort to enjoy your-self this Halloween week. First you’ll need to bypass the temptations of the Full Moon in your sign, as it could encourage you to indulge. That’s fine, but there’s a chance you’ll tend toward excess if you’re really enjoying yourself.
The Sun in your leisure and pleasure sector encourages you to get involved in hobbies, pastimes, or sporting activities that you enjoy. Tuesday’s Full Moon could coincide with a party, celebration, or even a Halloween bash. It’s excellent for bringing people together and having a great time. Mercury’s move into Scorpio over the weekend might inspire you to connect with a love interest and melt the ice by starting a conversation.
The activity in your sign continues. The cosmos is actively encourag-ing you to move out of your comfort zone and wholeheartedly pur-sue your goals. Tuesday’s Full Moon could throw a monkey wrench in the works, particularly if tempers get frayed or you end up in an argument. Feelings could get intense unless you make a point of letting go of whatever’s bothering you and moving on.
The week begins with a Full Moon in Taurus, which could see feel-ings boiling over, particularly if they’ve been repressed for some time. It will help to watch your words on Tuesday, especially if you’re feeling annoyed or frustrated. Try to avoid doing anything that you might come to regret later. Opt to stay calm if possible! Your social life could make up for any disappointment in other areas, bringing the option of romance and sparkling company.
There could be romantic potential showing up for you this week, particularly around the time of the Full Moon in your leisure and pleasure sector. Tuesday might be the perfect day to take a love interest out on a first date or wine and dine your sweetheart to show how much you care. Powerful feelings could bubble up to the surface, so it helps to think before you speak.
Feelings could run high on Tuesday due to the Full Moon, so you may need to conduct certain chats more carefully. It could be easy to say the wrong thing if you’re feeling stressed. Try to think before you speak. However, the Sun moving closer to aligning with Neptune can have the opposite effect, encouraging you to put others before yourself, particularly if they need help. Mercury’s move into Scorpio can be helpful for learning a new skill.
SUDokU
lASt
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lUti
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A Sudoku puzzle consists of 81 cells which are di-vided into nine columns, rows and regions. The task is now to place the numbers from 1 to 9 into the empty cells in such a way that in every row, column and 3×3 region each number appears only once.
G PLUS OCT 31- NOV 06, 201524
Catching up
Oldisgold. Photo: Adib Zamali
PiCoF theweek
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GYAN Did you know?
Uzanbazar barowari Puja Mandap
Guwahati
There would hardly be any Guwahatian who is unaware of the existence of Barowari
Puja Mandap, more commonly known as Barowari Mandir. The his-tory of the temple, which celebrates Duga Puja as one of its major Pujas, goes back to the year 1889. Durga Puja in the area was conducted by the then Ahom King Ghanakanta Singha in Rajbari located on the banks of riv-er Brahmaputra. After the fall of the
kingdom the locals of the area took the responsibility of conducting the Puja. Hence, the term Barowari came into existence. In 1932 the piece of land measuring 1 katha 13 lecha was donated for the temple through the consent of Raisahab Nilanath Shar-ma. The temple structure that earlier stood on pillars made of Sal trees with supporting tin roofs was renovated in 1974 resulting in the present struc-ture of the temple.
About Me Hi there, I am Maryam
Zameela and I am from Guwahati. I completed my Bachelor`s in Mass Communication and Journalism, and now I am pursuing a diploma in Documentary and Filmmaking. I love to travel, dance, sing and I am a big movie buff. I am an anchor by profession
MojoMy mom and dad are my
biggest inspirations. For me they are the epitome of hard work and resilience in life.
route in the woodsI have a keen interest in
modelling for now but talking about future prospects, I wish to pursue higher studies and then delve into filmmaking and acting. Probably study at the International Film School, Sydney. Here’s hoping all goes well!
MAryAMzAMEElA
NewChic
on theblock
This week, GPLUS released a feature titled, ‘Things Guwahatians are desperately missing’. With trending topics like the Metro system, McDonalds, Tiffin services, Regional english Channel and dedicated Assamese theatres, the post was a reminder of things Guwahatians are looking forward to having in their beloved city. With a whopping 163 shares, the post reached out to the audience who are constantly looking for new things and new experiences.