If some editor-journalists are allegedly involved in a financial scam, shouldn’t the people get an opportunity to identify them? As the mainstream newspapers and news channels of Assam are avoiding the issue in their coverage, how come the actual picture will come to the public domain? If the mainstream media outlets intentionally kill the news, reasons best known to the editors, should the social media users take a lead? By now a number of senior journalists (with experience in print journalism for many decades) have highlighted the issue in social media. Their message is loud and clear- identify the corrupt…
Author: Nava Thakuria
Guwahati: Sixth Chalachitram National Film Festival is scheduled for 10, 11 September 2022 at Rabindra Bhawan in the city. Feature, non-feature, documentary and animation films produced between 1 Sept 2020 and 31 August 2022 will be screened in the festival, where the winners of CNFF21 will be awarded with cash prizes, certificates and trophies. For the competition section, the films with Hindi or English subtitles from northeast India will be entertained. The theme has been declared as Our Heritage Our Pride, but filmworks with the subject matters of Indian art, culture, tradition, woman, patriotism, development, environments, lands, family, etc will…
Guwahati: That was an amazing experience to attend the foundation day of a 25 years old press club in central Assam on a lazy Sunday, where a number of senior citizens along with rural scribes and novice journalists were waiting to listen to my speech. It’s easier to address a journalist’s meet- where we can discuss many issues with liberties, but while the audience include respected senior citizens and young people, it becomes a difficult task to speak to them together. First, the question that arises, how much should I highlight the eroding credibility for the mainstream media around India…
Guwahati: Demands for appointing the Ambassadors (instead of High Commissioners) in the 53 Commonwealth countries (so that the Union Government in New Delhi can pursue diplomatic relationships with these nations without any prejudice) are slowly gaining momentum. One can observe from the list of Ambassadors/High Commissioners (of India) in various Commonwealth countries across the world that there is no Indian Ambassador (but High Commissioners). The question that arises is why New Delhi is not interested to appoint Ambassadors in neighbouring Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka along with other Asian nations like Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore. New Delhi is yet…
Guwahati: Prakash, the acclaimed Assamese literary monthly magazine, has come with a special issue on Tibetan (refugee) literature and culture mesmerizing its vivid readers who otherwise had never experienced the literary taste of neighboring Tibet (pronounced as Tibbat in Assamese), which has been occupied by the Communist Chinese regime in Beijing for decades. Published by Pramod Kalita, secretary of Publication Board Assam, a literary institution-established and run by Assam government since 2 May 1958 at Bamunimaidan in the city, the impressive July 2022 issue of Prakash (literary meaning light) comprises a number of Tibetan literary pieces which are translated into…
Guwahati: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma distributed the relief package to ex-employees and workmen of Nagaon Paper Mill and Cachar Paper Mill of Hindustan Paper Corporation Limited (Liquidated) in a program held in the city on Thursday, where he outrightly blamed the HPC management for its failure to keep both the efficient plants working. The humanitarian gesture of the State government, taken through this relief package will cost an amount of Rs 810.02 crore and is expected to benefit 2751 employees of both the mills including 748 contractual workers. In his speech, Sarma stated that the government has taken…
If one believes in the simple mathematical calculation and minimum political honesty by public representatives in the Indian Parliament and State legislative assemblies, the largest democracy on Earth is expecting a lady tribal President in New Delhi next month. As Draupadi Murmu, a simple Janjati family woman turned a teacher turned a politician, gets the recommendation from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government for the Presidential elections scheduled for 18 July next, her victory becomes almost imminent. Hailing from Mayurbhanj locality of Odisha, who taught in Shri Aurobindo Integral Education Centre, the NDA’s Presidential candidate earlier served…
Guwahati: Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram (ABVKA), India’s largest tribal welfare organisation, admires the recommendation of former Jharkhand Governor, Draupadi Murmu as the candidate for Presidential polls by the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government in New Delhi. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh backed organisation ardently believes that a historical decision has been taken to nominate a Santali Janajati lady as the Presidential candidate when the entire country has been celebrating the glorious epoch of 75th years of independence under the theme of Swatantrata ka Amrut Mahotasav. “We recognize this as a historic moment of far reaching impressions pertaining to 12 crore…
Guwahati: Another first information report (FIR) has been lodged against the former State coordinator of National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the system integrator, sub-contractors with other persons alleging corruption and money laundering while updating the NRC in Assam that began in 2014 under supervision of the Supreme Court of India. The petitioner Hitesh Dev Sarma, present NRC State coordinator, has filed the case against Prateek Hajela, an IAS officer currently posted in his home State of Madhya Pradesh, in the State vigilance & anti-corruption department on 13 June 2022. Dev Sarma, also an IAS officer, claims in the complaint…
Guwahati: As part of the countdown to International Day of Yoga 2022, a Yoga Utsav (festival) was recently organized at the picturesque Ziro valley of Arunachal Pradesh, where the Union Ayush minister Sarbananda Sonowal was present along with Arunachal State ministers Taba Tedir and Tage Teki with a number of Yoga enthusiasts. Speaking on the occasion, Sonowal stated that Yoga uplifts the mind and body. It re-energises the spirit yet keeps everyone calm & composed. “Bhagvad Gita has captured the essence of Yoga beautifully which is a journey of the self, through the self, to the self. I am blessed…
Assam’s one of the senior most artists Champak Barbara recently showcased some of his art works at Mahabahu Brahmaputra River Heritage Centre in Panbazar (old Kamrup district magistrate’s bungalow) where the painter and cartoonist picked up issues that engulfed the human race including the corona virus disaster. The monthlong invitational exhibition (1 to 31 May 2022) attracted the attention of viewers many of whom were not usual appreciators of fine arts thanks to the unique initiative of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority. An artist, driven by a passion for knowledge, self-actualization and spiritual growth, Barbara for over two decades has been…
Guwahati: The killing of members belonging to the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (Independent) in their hideouts somewhere in Myanmar-China border areas and the subsequent irresponsible media coverage glorifying the brutal acts of separatist Ulfa (I) leaders really annoyed the majority population of northeast India. The live streaming of militant leaders by many satellite news channels offering suffuciant space to justify the murder of Assamese youths in their camps shocked the society. Now demands are being raised to restrict the media outlets propagating the culture of violence in the name of an armed freedom movement run by some militants…
Guwahati: Patriotic People’s Front Assam (PPFA), while expressing worries at a police complaint lodged by National Register of Citizens (NRC) Assam coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma against his predecessorPrateek Hajela for deceitfully including names of suspected individuals in the NRC with software tempering, urges both the governments in New Delhi and Dispur to support a complete re-verification of NRC with the national cut-off date. The forum of nationalist citizens termed the development where as a senior government officer lodged an FIR with the criminal investigation department against the former NRC State coordinator as disturbing. The specific allegation regarding the entry of…
Guwahati: Union education and skill development minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while inaugurating North East Research Conclave (NERC) 2022 at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati on Friday, commented that it would strengthen the linkages between industry, academia & policy makers and further invigorate the research, start-up and entrepreneurship ecosystems in the resource-rich north-eastern region and the country.“NERC 2022 will be a global benchmark for fulfilling research & development priorities of India and the world,” said Pradhan, adding that the objective of research should be to find solutions to chronic problems of the country and to encourage all people to come together,…
Guwahati: As the number of professional journalists, associated with various newspapers, news channels, radio outlets, digital platforms, etc is increasing rapidly in Guwahati, the virtual capital of northeast India and an emerging city with strategically importance for southeast Asian nations, they definitely need a wide space for interactions with no prejudice and trepidations. At the same time, millions of news consumers in far-eastern region of the country also deserve a place to make the media abusers accountable for their unprofessional works. Nearly one thousand working journalists of the city have been demanding for decades a permanent place with necessary infrastructure…