THE HILLS TIMESWeekly supplement

CAMPUS TALKICA: A premier

institutePg-4

CELLULOIDARTICLE 15

Pg-5

Essentials indry skin care

Pg-7DIPHU SUNDAY JULY 7 2019

By: Karun Lama

In the present century, how the commu-nal disparities prevail in the nation be-tween the Hindus and Muslims need

no explanation. At the same time, the bondof brotherhood being carried since cen-turies has never failed to prove their unity.Even today, Hindus and Muslims are inharmony celebrating and sharing festivalsin exchange. That apart, quite often we seeHindus going to Maqbara or Muslims vis-iting temples. As far as worship is con-cerned, both perform at their respectiveplaces. But, there exist some placesaround the world where both Hindus and

Muslims worship together and India is oneof them.There is however a unique holy place in

Assam, where both Hindus and Muslimsworship under one roof. It has come to bepopularly known as – Saadhu Than, lo-cated in Deroibam Tea Estate, in the dis-trict of Dibrugarh. The Saadhu Than hasbeen a common ground of worship forboth Hindus and Muslims since over abouttwo centuries, thus making it a uniqueplace in the state and the entire North Eastas well.According to tradition, as the name sug-

gests, it is actually the resting place of aSaadhu, who is believed to have disap-

peared suddenly from the place. As in-scribed in the wall beside the entrance, thehappening dates to 7th March 1823. It wasonly later in the 1920s when JalaluddinAhmed, a pioneer indigenous tea planterof Assam bought the entire plot of landfrom the Britishers and planted tea in 1922for the first time, he founded the houseand named it as “Fakir Baba Aadam MeerRh Rehlat”. Prior to its foundation, it wasbelieved to be a place with mystic powers.The workers of the tea garden assert that

it has been a holy place of offering boonwhere people visited in their hours of needsince a long past. Later, Jalaluddin becamethe owner of more than 11 tea estatesacross Assam. People believe that it wasalso because of the blessings showered bythe Saadhu baba for Jalaluddin’s noble actfor which he was able to extend his busi-ness largely. Well, there isn’t any physicalevidence which proves Saadhu’s existencein the present day except the mud shape ofa human lying on the ground, but it is thelocals who have kept this belief alive sinceages. From time to time in the recent past,people of different communities gatherthere for observing prayers. Currently, thehouse is under renovation and is fundedby the authority of the tea estate.Thus, over the years, the house has

proved to a place of contentment, andunity among the Hindus and Muslims inthe locality. Though, being at a remotearea from the city, quite a number of devo-tees from other places come to worshipcarrying hopes and wishes in hearts.Whereas on the side facing east, the Hin-dus lit lamps and incense sticks, on the op-posite side facing west, the Muslims praythe Namaz. This unique place of worshipunder the same roof is unexplainable andone can comprehend its uniqueness byphysically being there. The place has beenless explored and perhaps a very fewknow about it. Also, no historians havetaken concern to make it to the books forunknown reasons. But, in the present con-text, although the place is small and lessknown, it is indeed a great symbol ofunity, much needed remedy for the coun-try, which has always witnessed blood-shed in the name of religion. Despite allthe differences affecting other parts ofIndia, this remote holy place is a burningexample of harmonious coexistence.In India, such exemplary place of com-

munal harmony is seen in Hyderabad,Karnataka, and Ra-jasthan. At a shrine inTinthini of Gulbarga,Hyderabad, both Hindusand Muslims have beenpaying obeisance to acommon saint for thepast four centuries. InKarnataka, both the com-munities worship to-gether under a singleroof in Mallasandra ofBagepalli Taluk inChikkaballapur district.In Rajasthan, a centuries-old integrated shrine ofSayyed Darbar andSankat Mochan VirHanuman Mandir situ-

ated in the same compound at Alwar hasbeen monumental witness to the peacefulcoexistence between Hinduism and Islam.Although, Assam, no doubt is a place

where people of both communities visittemples and mosques, be it the Poa Meccaor Haigrib Madhab Mandir, however, thissmall place in Dibrugarh is undoubtedly aunique place of worship and perhaps thereis no such place possessing this unique-ness throughout the state and any otherNorth-eastern India.

Where TwoReligions Unite

A shrine in interior tea garden in Dibrugarh has

served as common ground of worship for Hindus and

Muslims since ages

BEAUTY CARE

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SUNDAY JULY 7 20192 HERITAGE

RENDEZVOUS

A writer and apoet first,

Mousumi makesher mark as amulti facetedpersonality in

the enlightenedsociety

By: Dr. Ratan Bhattacharjee

It was a wonderful meeting withMousumi Sachdeva (Nee Kalita), awoman born in Assam and now an au-

thor of four novels and a researcher whois now becoming an icon of dynamism forher versatile activities on national level.She is engaged in literary and multifarioussocial welfare activities. A wonderfulwriter, thinker, social activist, and deeplyengaged in NGO for the poorest of thepoor, Mousumi had a tryst with Literature,straying away from science stream. Herdevotion to literature kept her firm and de-termined. Her first poem was publishedwhen she was in the third standard and shewas like a child prodigy. She still remem-bers how it was the kind of best self-mo-tivation to pick literature as her first love.Despite being an Assamese, she is not

home sick or obsessed with the idea ofbeing a frog of the well. She is settled out-side Assam for reaching out a largerworld. In her childhood she experienced aroller coaster ride with many challengesand a very strict environment as she wasborn in Assam, where she pursued most ofher academic career. She did Masters inEnglish, PG in Mass Communication &Journalism, B.Ed, IT, and few courses likeCISELT from British Council. The non-stoppable Mousumi is still planning to doMasters in Psychology next. At presentshe is undergoing NLP courses. She is anauthor and a poet first. Besides she is theChief Editor of Damick Publication,Delhi, Traditional Publishing Head ofTurquoise Publication, Delhi. She alsotakes freelance projects. She is deeply in-volved in Skill Development Trainer fortraining young students. She is also theCo-founder and Managing Director ofLAABH, a non-profit organization.As novelist she had her debut with the

first book ‘Love Remains Undefined’based on a true story. The book has beenwritten with the post-modern conceptkeeping the end unpredictable. The storynarrates how intellectual conversationsbuild a bond undefined. The identities ofthe protagonists remain untold till the end,allowing the readers to work on multipleendings. Her second book is a motiva-tional ‘Making Impossible Possible’bringing out the dreams of the slum chil-dren, which is again a true story of a slumchild, who with his dreams and determi-nation succeeded to reach his goals. Thebook brings a motivational force to en-courage every individual who desires toachieve success amidst hardships and ob-stacles. Her third book ‘The Blend of theReal and Imagination’ is a collection ofpoetry carrying varied emotions flowingfrom the heart of a poet experiencing dif-ferent stages in life in real and in her imag-ination. This book is an attempt to projectthe beauty of micro poems with differentforms of poetry like Haiku and Senryuwhich are the popular styles of Japanesepoetry. She has edited and contributed tomore than 12 National and InternationalAnthologies like Zindagi Rewind, ThatFriend of Mine, The 13 Alphabet E Mag-azine (Bangladesh), Spilling Essences,Voyage, I am a Woman (USA), Flames(USA), Shadows of Placid Sanguine, The

ous sad incident in their school and the en-tire class was sent downstairs to standunder the sun for three long periods asthey all stood together with a firm decisionnot to open their mouths and bear the con-sequences together whether they wereguilty or not. That incident taught them tostand in unity with friends no matter whatthe consequences could be.Her love for reading began with Mills

and Boons and she graduated after readinghundreds of Mills and Boons love stories.She loves to read Salman Rushdie as shefinds his post-modern literature very inter-esting. She also loves to read Jane Austen

because women triumphedin Austen's books. Onecan find the taste of love,prejudice, and humourwith practical pictures.Plans are more and

future is yet to see her.She is writing her nextbook which is againvery unique. Thebook is about a gaywho had to sufferregular child abuseand his parents hadno idea that a boycan also be ha-rassed by a man.It is a true storyof an intelligentperson who waslost in the worldof ignoranceand sadly be-

came a HIV pa-tient.

I was happy to know that she is a regu-lar reader of the The Hills Times and Her-itage. She is happy to be covered by theHeritage as she is all praise for the Sundaypage and being herself a columnist sheloves the newspaper for the bold and neu-tral reporting.

First Anthology of World Gogyoshi(Japan/Tokyo), World of Women, HolisticHealings of Widows. All these reveal herdynamic nature. Her latest work is ‘TheAgony and Ecstacy of Caregivers’ co-edited my Nilakanta Siva who is a cancersurvivor working now to promote cancerawareness campaigns. He is a retired nu-clear scientist and has authored manybooks. Besides editing the book, the bookcarries the epilogue written by her. Shehas been writing for two very popularnewspapers of Jammu and Kashmir –Daily Excelsior and Early Times and thismade her journey smooth and more deter-mined. Her penchant for social welfare ac-tivities has got national acclaim.A woman is above all a homemaker.

Here too she must have a role to play. Sheloves to read and write. Listening to musicis her favourite food which can hinderhunger to trouble her. She is a very foodieperson of course and anything cookedwith love becomes my favourite. Besidesreading and writing, she also loves gar-dening. Gardening gives her the ultimatepleasure while collecting varied colours offlowers. She occasionally paints too.Having such an illustrious career she

must have many memorable moments.She had many memorable moments; how-

ever the best moment was the launchof her first book whichdetermined herjourney as awriter.There are

many school timememories toowhich still giveher goose bumps.She still laughs outlaugh at the incidentwhen in the tenthstandard. They allwere waiting for theassembly bell to ringwhen suddenly therewere screams in ourclassroom (credit to thegirls). The reason was amouse that happilyjumped out of one of herfriend’s bag after a goodnight’s sleep. The boysstarted teasing the girlsholding the mouse by itstail and when the bell rang, the injuredmouse was accidentally thrown which fellon their class teacher’s table above theclass register. The anger of sister (theirclass teacher) was doubled due to a previ-

Icon of DynamismMousumi Sachdeva:

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SUNDAY JULY 7 2019 3HERITAGE

STUDY

By: Krishna Kanta Chetia

This year almost half of India is experi-encing one of the worst droughts, cou-pled with drinking water crisis in its

history, with soaring temperatures threaten-ing crops, livestock and people. In some partsof India, villagers have abandoned theirhomes in a desperate search for water as thecrisis has left village pumps and wells dry.Churu a city in Rajasthan has recorded tem-perature of more than 50, on the first day ofJune 2019 making it one of the hottest placeson Earth.According to a report by NITI Aayog, the

policy think tank for the Indian government,around 600 million people are dealing withhigh-to-extreme water shortages. In anotherreport released by NITI Aayog last year pre-dicts India’s water demand to double by 2030leading to forty percent of the population willhave no access to drinking water and DayZero for 21 Indian cities including Chennaiand New Delhi, impacting millions of peo-ple. Day Zero refers to the day when a placeis likely to have no drinking water of its own.This year, one of the worst affected regionssurrounding the town of Beed, in the state ofMaharashtra, where, villages lay deserted asdrinking water has run out and there is nowater to wash clothes and dishes or flush toi-lets, forcing residents to flee. It has been saidthat Chennai, that is facing acute water short-age, had nearly two dozen water bodies andwetlands but most of them are out of usetoday. A recent assessment found that onlynine of them could be reclaimed as waterbodies. According to the Niti Aayog's Com-posite Water Management Index (CWMI),Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabadare among the most susceptible places.Access to drinking water remains one of

India’s biggest challenges. This issue is rein-forced each day by a growing population,rapid urbanization and the growing demandfor water from agriculture, energy and indus-try. Access to drinking water is recognized tobe, above all, a question of public and do-mestic health. According to UNICEF, only aquarter of the total population in India hasdrinking water on their premises and nearlythree-quarters of all diseases in India arecaused by contaminants in the water sup-plied.Prolonged extreme heat has devastated the

crops that form the backbone of local agri-cultural economies. And livestock fare littlebetter, with goats, cows and sheep starvingfrom lack of food and water. Rising temper-atures increase the severity and frequency of

droughts, as well as other extreme weatherevents like floods and tropical cyclones.Droughts are among the most costly naturaldisasters, affecting agriculture, ecosystemsand societies. But understanding how climatechange has affected global drought risk isless than straightforward. Human activity haswarmed the world by about 1.1 since pre-in-dustrial times, with the past five years havingbeen the warmest ever recorded. On the otherhand European satellite agency has an-nounced June 2019 as the hottest month everrecorded on earth.India is the biggest user of groundwater,

more than China and the US the next twobiggest pullers of groundwater - combined.Groundwater meets more than half of totalrequirement of clean water in the country. In2015, the standing committee on water re-sources found that about 89 per cent ofgroundwater extracted in India is used for ir-rigation, 8 percent is used in household fol-lowed by industry that uses only two per centof it. Overall, 50 per cent of urban water re-quirement and 85 per cent of rural domesticwater need are fulfilled by groundwater. A re-port by Central Ground Water Board(CGWB), presented in the Lok Sabha lastyear says that this kind of use has caused areduction in groundwater levels in India by61 per cent between 2007 and 2017. Water isnot properly distributed where it is suppliedthrough pipes. Mega cities like Delhi andMumbai get more that than the standard mu-nicipal water norm of 150 litres per capita perday (LPCD) while others get 40-50 LPCD.

The World Health Organization prescribes 25litres of water for one person a day to meetall basic hygiene and food needs. Extra avail-able water, according to the WHO estimates,is used for non-potable purposes like mop-ping and cleaning.According to the Central Water Commis-

sion, India needs a maximum of 3,000 billioncubic meters of water a year while it receives4,000 billion cubic meters of rain. Butpresently India captures only eight per centof its annual rainfall - among the lowest inthe world. The traditional modes of watercapturing in ponds have been lost to the de-mands of rising population and liberal imple-mentation of town planning rules. India hasbeen also poor in treatment and re-use ofhousehold wastewater. About 80 per cent ofthe water reaching households in India aredrained out as waste flow through sewage topollute other water bodies including riversand also land. The government of India recently formed

a new Jal Shakti (water) ministry, which aimsat tackling water issues with a holistic and in-tegrated perspective on the subject. The min-istry has announced an ambitious plan toprovide piped water connections to everyhousehold in India by 2024. In his first ad-dress of second tenure of the monthly show‘Mann Ki Baat’ on last Monday our PrimeMinister Narendra Modi also pitched forconservation of rain water.Looking at the current situation, there is a

need for a paradigm shift. We urgently re-quire a transition from this 'supply-and-sup-

ply-more water' provision to measures whichlead towards improving water use efficiency,reducing leakages, recharging/restoring localwater bodies. A recovery-based closed loopsystem is the need of the hour. It is time togo back and start harvesting rainwater —catching water where it falls. Another aspectis the treatment and reuse of wastewater. As the lion’s share of the water that

reaches households, leaves as waste and pol-lutes our water bodies and environment,there is a huge potential in reusing and recy-cling this treated wastewater at least for non-potable purposes. The government has to come with strict

regulation regarding right to collect and dis-pose groundwater and surface water withinsomeone’s own limits. It is expected thatgovernment shall focus more on research anddevelopment regarding reuse and recyclingof water and provide necessary equipmentsto the people in subsidized rates.All these lead to the fact that we need to

promote a decentralized approach, with a keyfocus on water conservation, source sustain-ability, storage and reuse wherever possible.It is important to understand that managingthe water situation is not the job of only en-gineers but all stakeholders including econ-omists, planners and most importantly,communities themselves. We hope the em-phasis on behavioural change shall getenough attention in coming days. Every cit-izen of the society shall contribute in tacklingthis unprecedented water crisis by keeping incheck our own usage and actions.

Unprecedented Water CrisisIndia in the throes

of disastrous futureMany of India’s states will be left with no

potable water at current trend of water misuse

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SUNDAY JULY 7 20194 HERITAGE

CAMPUS TALK

Grooming business

professionals

ICA:A premier

institute ofAccounting

ccounting and finance play anessential role in the management of

any business. Companies mainly operate on money. Byproperly accounting for company's income and expenses, one can

manage the flow of money and thereby direct the course of their busi-ness. Good accounting practices have a practical advantage: They keep the

company in compliance with the law. Without good accounting one could violateany number of laws, such as not paying the right amount of taxes. The negligence ofpoor accounting can also cause to overlook many minor details that collectively keep abusiness on the level, like carrying out facility improvements to comply with safety laws.ICA was founded in 1999, and began its journey with the sole mission to provide high quality

services at affordable prices to the masses. They have already shaped thousands ofcareers and changed peoples' perception on Accounts & Finance education. As a result,today they are considered as the pioneer in Accounts & Finance training nationwide,with their top-notch training centres across the country offering the widest range ofpractical skill building training programs. With the experience of having trained andplaced over 4.5 lakhs students. ICA has been recognized as India's Best VocationalTraining Institute*.With their presence in 100+ cities and a substantial presence innon-urban areas across India, they have made a name for themselves. In today's cor-porate world accountants play a significant role in decision making and are an integralpart of strategic thinking of the company. This increased importance not only ensuresa bright career today; tomorrow appears to be even brighter for those who want to pur-sue accounting as a career. The courses offered by ICA have been designed after yearsof research to understand the pressing needs of the industry. The courses prepare ac-countants who are high in demand for any industry. Students are taught Business Com-puter Application, Financial Accounting, Advanced Practical Accounts, TDS, GSTdue to which they are in high demand due to their knowledge in accounts and practicalorientation. ICA provides courses in accounting, finance, tally and other audit relatedcourses. These courses help the future generation to keep themselves abreast withthe current financial trends. The placement cell of ICA is very active. The institute

is collaborated with many leading financial organizations and every year students areplaced in different companies. There are many students in this institute. Studentfrom every nook and corner of the state come and take admission here due toits popular method of teaching. The faculties are passed out fromrenowned universities and they take utmost care of each andevery student. ICA is one of the most promising insti-tutes where every parents can rely in taking ad-

mission for their children.

A

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SUNDAY JULY 7 2019 5HERITAGE

BEAUTY CARE

By: Shahnaz Husain

Dry skin, also called xerosis is causedby ageing, genetics, heredity factors,sun burns, environmental factors,

lack of hydration and moisture etc.There aremany other reasons also why skin becomesdry, but if left untreated, dry skin can crackand become infected. Dry skins make youvulnerable to early wrinkles with rough, red-dish patches. Daily and appropriate care isessential.The type of skincare products you use can

also be a factor if they contain harsh chem-icals or drying ingredients that disturb skin’ssurface. The secret of a good skin lies in theright kind of care. In dry skins, the oil-pro-ducing glands are less active. Seasonalchanges also influence the skin. The scorch-ing summer season causes moisture deple-tion. A dry skin lacks both oil and moisture.Moisture is most important to dry skin. It

helps to keep the skin soft, smooth and sup-ple, all hallmark of younger skin. In fact, ha-bitual lack of moisture can lead to visibleageing signs on the skin, like lines, wrinkles,loss of elasticity and firmness. When skin isproperly moisturized, it is able to naturallyexfoliate built-up dead skin which allowsyounger skin to reveal itself and help a well-formulated moisturizer absorb better.Normal hydration also allows skin to pre-

serve and sustain the natural substances itrelies on to keep it healthy-looking and vis-ibly protected from negative environmentalinfluences. There are various natural ingre-dients which provide moisturising to skin.Coconut oil contains saturated fatty acidsthat have emollient properties which signif-icantly improve skin hydration and in-

c r e a s ethe numberof lipids on the outer parts ofthe skin making it smooth and soft.Oatmeal bath has immense qualities. Oat-

meal extracts contain anti-inflammatory andanti-oxidant properties which can treat dryskin. It can be used by adding powdered oat-meal to a bath or using creams that containoatmeal to hydrate dry skin.Aloe Vera has been part of traditional In-

dian healing system. Aloe vera gel providesrelief from dry skin. A person with dry skinon hands or feet can apply aloe vera gel andcover the affected area with a sock or glovepreferably before going to bed and leave thegel applied whole night.Honey also has moisturizing, healing,

anti-inflammatory properties which can bedirectly applied on skin to moisturise andcan also be used with other herbal productsfor achieving glowing and radiant skin.Moisturizers are available in both liquid and

cream forms.During the dryseason, for nor-mal to dry skin,it is better touse a moisturis-ing cream, apply-ing it aftercleansing andtoning. It shouldalso be appliedunder make-up. A liquidmoi s tu r i ze rcan be used atnight, after

cleansing and nour-ishing the skin, if theskin is dry. Atmos-

pheric conditions, exposureto the sun, air conditioning and heating,soaps and chlorinated water, make-up cos-metics and air pollution can all lead to mois-ture loss. This is more so during the hot dryseason. Therefore, the daily care routineshould be adjusted according to the require-ments of the skin. For dry skin avoid chem-ical laden harsh soaps, hot showers, dryingcleansers, products with harsh or skin-ag-gravating ingredients. Using extremely hotor cold water and abrasive scrubs, loofahs,or stiff-bristled cleansing brushes causemicro-tears in skin’s surface. Always wearlight cotton and khadi comfortable clothingthat doesn’t feel scratchy on the skin. Avoidspending too much time in the sun. Tanningand dryness can be a lethal combination.Make sure you regularly moisturize yourpalms and fingertips because they are con-stantly exposed to harsh products. Cleanse

the face twice a day with a cleansingcream or gel, containing aloe vera, whichhelps to check moisture loss also rehy-drates the skin. Apply the cleanser, with alight massage and wipe it off with moistcotton wool. Tone the skin, with rose wateror a rose-based skin tonic. You can make ahome-made cleanser for dry skin. To a ta-blespoon of cold milk add 2 drops of anyvegetable oil (olive, or til or sunflower oil).Dip cotton wool in it and wipe the skin.Make this for 2 or 3 days, but keep it in therefrigerator. Protect the skin from moistureloss due to sun-exposure. Apply a sun-screen, before going out in the sun. Mostsunscreens have built-in moisturizers. Aliquid moisturizer should also be usedunder make-up. Keep the skin well mois-turised. Nourishment is imperative for dryskin, as it not only lubricates the skin, buthelps it to hold moisture better. It also soft-ens the skin. After cleansing at night, applynourishing cream on face and massage itwith upward and outward movements, for3 to 4 minutes. Wipe off excess cream withmoist cotton wool before bedtime.The skin around the eyes is thin and del-

icate. It acquires lines and wrinkles easily.Apply an under-eye cream wipe it off after15 minutes, with moist cotton wool. Or,daily apply pure almond oil sparingly andmassage lightly, using only the ring finger,for one minute under each eye. Massage inone direction only.The skin on the lips is also thin and lacks

oil producing glands. It becomes dry andchaps easily. After cleansing, apply almondoil or almond cream on the lips daily andleave it on all night. Sun-protective lipbalms are also useful.For skin on the body, arms and legs,

apply warm sesame seed oil before bath,massaging it into the skin. Use mild glyc-erine soap. Immediately after your bath,apply a body lotion while the skin is stilldamp. This helps to seal in moisture. (Theauthor is international fame beauty ex-pert and is called herbal queen of India).

EN

TR

EE

Although the concept of a Dhabais usually credited to the Pun-jabis, there are now lakhs of

dhabas across India, and most of thesedhabas have taken the form of a regularbusiness restaurant. The dhaba is form ofrestaurant traditionally found on high-ways famous for catering authentic Pun-jabi cuisine typically for Punjabi truckdrivers. Dhabas are prominently locatednear or next to petrol pumps or the gasstations. Those roadside dhabas besidethe petrol pumps are still a commonsight even in Assam. As of today, hordesof dhabas line up the roadsides particu-

larly in the vicinity of cities, in businessareas, or in picturesque locations withtourism activities.Although the traditional dhabas still

cater to the truck drivers, there are thosethat have grown with the concept of thisdhaba to diversify and develop into aprofessional restaurant. Many dhabas inthe northeast and Assam in particularcater local delicacies and cuisines mak-ing dining here altogether a culinaryjourney of taste and luxury. Today diningat a dhaba, either urban or roadside hasbecome a trend.In the busy Ulubari area of the city,

City Dhaba has been serving yummydishes at a very reasonable price. It is amulti cuisine restaurant which servesbiryani, Manchurian, soups and manyspecial tandoor items like tikka, kabab,tandoori chicken etc. The kababs are verysoft and they melt in the mouth. The spe-cial items are chicken and mutton gravywhich is cooked with different spices.These gravies have a pleasant aromawhich fills the restaurant. The ambience

of the restaurant is not that classy, but itis spacious enough to handle many cus-tomers at a time. The prices are quite af-fordable. The behaviour of the staff is polite and

they help their customers in selecting theright dish. It is basically a very hygienicrestaurant where the price and quality ofthe food goes in hand. This restaurant isone of the oldest restaurants which servessuch homely food at a very low budget.

ESSENTIALS IN DRY SKINCARE

CITY DHABAThis Ulubari restaurant servesBiryani, Manchurian, soups andmany special tandoor items...

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6 HERITAGE

LITERATURE

SUNDAY JULY 7 2019

Bid adieumemories

By: Ela Deka

Cherishing memories Does not help,Because it giveOnly tears.

When loneliness Becomes dearer, Have to go down

The memory lane alone.

I have no timeTo look back

The scattered memories. Neither do I regret

Nor become emotional.

Time moves on,So does river.

The river changes its motion.The sun rises in the eastAnd sets in the west

And so on.

So is life,Changes movement

Time to time.Ecstasy has no base,

Sorrow doesn't have either. Both will come and go,

In course of time,One day death will embrace me

With a whispering voice," your time is up,

Your life cycle is completed"

As Christians By: Paul Rao

As Christians, we’d delightOnly in the Lord Jesus ChristOn Jesus Christ fixing our sightWe’d ascend our spiritual flight.

As Christians, we’d possess The nature of our Lord

Going through His living WordTo be His honoured pot.

We ‘d keep no relationWith this lustful world.But we’d try to hold

Gifts of heaven to glitter like pure gold.

Ourselves we’d beautifyWith the heavenly ornaments Like humbleness tenderness

Coolness , gentleness and simpleness.

Taking off the robe of fleshWe’d wear the robe of righteousnessWe’d follow the path of holinessKeeping no relation with darkness

For the love, hope and passionAre our power and treasure They give us real pleasure

The value of them none can measure

In the Worldof HungerBy: Rudra Singha Matak

Hunger, he is nameless, formless, unrestrained.

In every drop of our blood,he has his secret ghostly existence.

Every morning and every eveninghe hugs the long tongue of

the funeral pyre.He embraces day and night with the sharp

teeth.

On his stealthy steps erodes,the pristine beauty of flesh and blood.

At the scratchings of foxes,the earth trembles;so does day and skyon the vultures' beaks.

Hunger: he is indomitable,powerful just like the relentless drought

that bit by bit robs the green riches

off of the Earth's bossom.

Sadistic like the executioner's smile,merciless like the Knife's sharp edge.

He is ugly enemy's Invisible form of fury.His power is the riverless scorched lands,

the arid desert wind, his wealth.Endless burning power.Robbing of dreams,obliteration of beauty.

Hunger, he is Immortal,monstruous, all-devouring!The vast third world is his,

free grazing land.

Bloodied time of destitution!Sighs and groans in the darkness of star-

less nights!!Is this our desired Earth?

[ N :B : Assamese poem"Bhookar Prithivit" translated bySyeda Jebeen S. Shah, New York.]

COUNTER CURRENT

By: Aditi Singh

“You’ll be sorry to hear that Meenakshi is down with Alzheimer’s,”said Anjali in the course of a casual conversation. I was stunned. Thelast time I met her, Meenakshi was in the pink of health, and her sud-

denly developing Alzheimer’s seemed a singularly cruel stroke of fate. Badnews travels fast, and it was not long before I heard the same sorry talefrom several other sources, now embroidered and replete with details ofhow the illness had been identified, how the family had been devastated,and so on.

I was, therefore, pleasantly surprised when a few days later, I spottedMeenakshi at the club with no visible signs of any illness, leave alone adreaded disease. Wanting to display utmost discretion and maturity, thevery subject of health was judiciously avoided. Instead, we exchangednotes on the usual topics of children and grandchildren, the weather andso on. Our conversation was completely normal. How, I wondered to my-self, could Meenakshi be suffering from Alzheimer’s, and still remain socheerful, and look fresh as a lily as well? Not many days later, I metMeenakshi’s daughter, and enquired outright about her mother’s condition.“Aunty, Ma has never been better, and in fact where memory is concerned,she can put all of us to shame. This is a classic case of an innocuous remarkbeing blown completely out of proportion. You see, one of Ma’s friendshad invited her for lunch to celebrate her birthday, which was some threeweeks later. While accepting the invitation, Ma had requested her friendto remind her couple of days before the event, lest she forget the same dueto the passage of time. ‘Moreover, I am sure I have Alzheimer’s’ she hadadded jokingly. That innocent remark, meant to be funny, was taken liter-ally. Within a few hours, the story was doing the rounds, with each personadding a little spice to her version.”

As the saying goes, two plus two often equals five. For example, anewly married woman, who perhaps overeats at dinner, says she is feelingsick, and the news spreads promptly that she is pregnant. A loud and heatedargument takes place between a couple behind closed doors, and the nosyneighbour announces confidently that the couple is heading for a majorsplit. A married man gives a lift to his attractive neighbour out of courtesy,and sure enough a torrid love affair is going on. A young man working ina call centre and maintaining unearthly working hours is surely involvedwith the underworld! One needs to be extremely cautious while indulgingin gossipy tête-à-têtes. It is best not to jump to conclusions based on halftruths and without ascertaining the real facts, as even innocent hearsayscan sometimes cause untold misunderstanding and confusion. While idlechatter is bound to occur, especially between ladies, one should be on guardas far as possible. (INAV)

It is easier to dam a river than to stop gossip

– Filipino proverb

Never let down

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SUNDAY JULY 7 2019 7HERITAGE

CELLULOID

By: Prathana Mahanta

Directed by Anubhav Sinha, Article 15 is a crime drama starring AyushmanKhurrana. This movie is based on Article 15 of the Indian Constitution.The role of a young IPS officer is magnificently played by Ayushman

Khurrana. With his powerful performance Ayushman has earned a feather on hiscap, perhaps Article 15 being his most successful endeavour so far.Article 15 of the Constitution provides that no citizen shall be subjected to dis-

crimination in matters of rights, privileges and immunities pertaining to him. TheState shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds of religion, race, caste,sex or place of birth.The movie has been inspired by multiple true life events including 2014 Bu-

daun gang rape and 2016 Una flogging incident. On 27 May, 2014, a gang rapeand murder of two teenage girls was reported in the Katra village of Budaun dis-trict, Uttar Pradesh. After an extensive investigation, CBI concluded that therewas no gang rape and the suspects were released. However, when on 28 October2015 the POCSO court rejected the CBI closure report, the premier investigationagency received a major setback.On the other hand in July 2016, seven members of a Dalit family were assaulted

by a group of people in pretext of cow vigilance in Una in Gujarat, India. The in-cident vent viral on the social media resulting in state wide protests in followingmonths. Forty-three people including four police officers were arrested and thecase is under trial since August 2018.The movie centres on police investigation led by Ayan Ranjan (played by

Ayushman Khurrana) after three girls go missing from the village. Article 15 re-leased theatrically on 28 June 2019 and received most critically acclaimed re-views from critics. Starting from Ayushman Khurrana, Isha Talwar, Sayani Gupta,Kumud Mishra to Ashish Verma, Veen, all actors have put up brilliant perform-ance lending justice to their roles. Ayan Ranjan is an IPS officer from Delhi whohas been transferred to village named Lalgaon in Uttar Pradesh. The film princi-pally shows how Ayan solves a caste-related crime.Article 15 is Anubhav Sinha’s dauntless and stout-hearted film you shouldn’t

miss. It’s a triumph for the team. The film begins with a song (Bob Dylan’sBlowin’ in the Wind), and it ends with a song (the Narsinh Mehta bhajan, Vaish-nava Jana To), and interval features a song, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s VandeMataram, tuned by Tagore. They serve as a double-edged counterpoint for themovie. When frustrated Ayan pins up one copy of Article 15 of the Indian Con-stitution on a notice board in the police station, this is one big goosebump mo-ment for the audience.The dialogues of the movie are bewitching. While Aditi (played by Isha Tal-

war), Ayan’s girlfriend delivers the dialogue, we don’t need heroes, we need peo-ple who don’t wait for a hero, this is another goose bump moment for me. Thisis not a movie about masala, but to see the truth and feel the soul. Truth will al-ways triumph, regardless of lack of understanding, disbelief or ignorance. Thismovie is a treat to watch because direction is exceptionally made. There is a lotof talk of ‘aukaat’ and ‘jaat’ in the movie. The movie portrays the self-reflectionof Ayan and what he stands for. I think its Ayushman’s most intense performancetill date. Our struggle does not end so long as there is a single human being con-sidered untouchable on account of his birth!

A Veracious StoryGiven the unchanged

socio-religious crimes, ARTICLE 15 assumes significance

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SUNDAY JULY 7 20198 HERITAGE

MUSIC TALE

By: Kamal Baruah

Iwas gripped with sudden surge ofemotion as I heard that outdated butfamiliar jingle. Many of us would

remember that two-minute tune – theAIR’s Signature start-up – that cameout from the other room. Initially, Ithought it was the opening of Transmis-sion III of Akasvani Guwahati in theevening. When I saw, it was the violinthat played the AIR tune by classicallytrained violinist from BHU, MrDwipendra Sarma, my daughter’smusic tutor. He put on some soothingmusic from a fiddle that sounded im-pressive. I was convinced that day thatmusicians lived their music.Violin is one of the best instruments

to play, but requires lot of hard workand patience. We’ve certainly seen vio-linist at their best in concerts, TV,youtube and movies – they do stealaway hearts. Violinists have the powerto instil strong emotions of romance orsadness, and can also put people tosleep. So soothing is the music.It requires rigorous practice to master

the notations, rhythms and bowings.The term resonance in music is relatedto Physics. Albert Einstein was a dedi-cated violinist since his early age andhe attributes that the most inspirationalmoments in his life came from playingclassical on his violin. Coincidently theNobel Prize Concert features only inter-nationally-renowned violinists whenhonouring the Nobel Laureates.Learning to play any musical instru-

ment requires coordination betweenhands and with visual or auditory stim-uli. Violin lessons aren't a waste of timeafter all. Learning an instrument be-tween the ages of six and eight makes

children grow up smarter and enhancemotor skills development producinglong term changes to the brain. TheJewish people have known the intellec-tual benefits of music since the Old Tes-tament ages. And Lord YehudiMenuhin, was the greatest violinists ofthe 20th century.Music knows no boundaries and is

truly a universal language. Surprisingly,India’s most recognized tune wasn’t

composed by an Indian. It is Hitler’sgenocide that gave us our favouriteAIR’s iconic tune. Walter Kaufmannwas one of the many Jewish refugees inexile. The Jewish man was a forgottengenius, who left Prague in 1934. Hefound a new home in India duringNazi’s infamous Holocaust. Kaufmannarrived in Bombay as a Jewish refugeeand started his music career in India. Helived for twelve years in Bombay andworked for All India Radio. While Pan-dit Ravi Shankar went to the West toconquer the musical journey, Mr Kauf-

mann’s western technique encounteredwith Indian music. He was also influ-enced by Asian music from China andTibet while being the director of musicat AIR.He was a composer, conductor and

educator, who did PhD in musicologyat the German University in Prague andcomposed music with heart and intel-lect. The Czech man Kaufmann hadcomposed the AIR tune based on raga

Shivaranjini in 1936. Mehli Mehta thefather of the composer Zubin Mehta isalso believed to be the violinist of theAIR tune. Violin, viola, cello, and tempura were

used to make that famous tune. Besidethat famous jingle to AIR’s legacy, hewas involved with various radio dramasand operas. Surprisingly AIR has notgiven any official recognition to Kauf-mann for his iconic work.Radio’s monopoly in mass communi-

cation ended with the advent of TV, in-ternet and print media. However, with

the launch of its high quality digitalstereo FM station, Delhi’s VividhBharati, AIR was able to assert its pres-ence and position. Interestingly, AIRearned crores of rupees from selling adslots at a premium rates before and afterPM Modi's 'Mann Ki Baat'. Lord Irwin,the Viceroy of India inaugurated theservices of the Indian Broadcast Com-pany (IBC) on July 23, 1927. But itoriginally started broadcasting by theRadio Club of Bombay in Jun 1923.The IBC later became All India Radioin June 8, 1936 that employed Europeanmusicologists John Fouldes and WalterKaufmann for Delhi and Bombay re-spectively to oversee Western music.India finally adopted the name AkashVani in 1958.Kaufmann’s immortal work marked

the beginning of a typical Indian daybefore the TV and the Internet tookover. Even today his iconic tune makeseach and every Indian nostalgic. Thosewere the days; the radio was a constantcompanion. Vividh Bharati Serviceproved its success connecting Indiansoldiers posted on remote border areas.Radio still has an impact on the commu-nications gear despite the availability ofdigital platform.Mr Kaufmann is an inventive and

gifted musician as once recommendedby Albert Einstein. In 1946, Walter leftIndia for England as a Guest Conductorat the BBC. He was the Musical Direc-tor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orches-tra, Winnipeg, Canada during1948-1957. Then he taught in the

School of Music at Indiana Universityin Bloomington, US till 1977. While it’sbeen over three decades to Walter Kauf-mann’s demise in 1984, he has been im-mortalised through his AIR SignatureTune that millions of Indians continueto wake up to. AIR is now switching from analog to

digital in a phased manner. The listenerscan look forward to highly enhancedtransmission quality like Digital RadioMondiale (DRM) in near future. AndMr Walter Kaulfman will always bethere to brighten our days.

Jewish connectionThe signature AIR tune

We may be familiar with the tune, but few of us know that wascreated by a Czech Jewish refugee fleeing the Nazis in Europe!

When Modi made his official visit to Israel during his first stint asthe Prime Minister, he triggered a lot of buzz across India. India’solder generation had much to be nostalgic about the Jewish con-nection since ages ... for several decades we had woken up by thatsignature AIR tune that was very much Jewish

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