Tanushree's makeover

In a recent chat show when questioned as which glamorous actress needed a makeover, Bipasha, replied that Tanushree is so good looking and sensuous, but she if would change her stylist, she would be one of the most glamorous actor around.

Says a source "when it was brought to Tanushree's notice, she took it very positively, especially since it came from Bipasha.

Tanushree has decided to work out on her looks and outfits. Now International fashion designer Babita Malkani will be styling her.

Earlier entering bollywood Tanushree was slim but she had to put on some weight because after winning the Miss India Universe title she had got some offers from South and directors and producers were insisting her to put on weight.

Presently Tanushree is on a fitness spree and has joined a gym and dance classes to keep herself fit and trim.

Kaafila: a unique tale

Ammtoge Mann's film Kaafila or caravan of people is a touching, heart-rending story of the lunatic rush of not-so-wealthy Third World people opting to leave their motherland in search of utopian dreams of a better life abroad in developed countries. These people put their jobs, families and even lives at stake to reach their desired destination even when they can be better off in their own country without all the hardship and suffering. The movie strives to create a mass awareness of the "dark side of illegal immigration. The film explores uncharted waters for the first time ever," says Mann.

Celina Jaitely Party Rocks!!

Celina Jaitely hosted a party to welcome her close friend from London. And truly her party rocked at her terrace apartment till wee hours of the morning.

Subhas Ghai, Ritesh Deshmukh, Sangeet siwan , Javed Jaaferi were amongst others who celebrated with her.

Celina Jaitely incidentally has been on a brand endorsement spree. Recently she was signed to be the brand ambassador for Egypt, the land of the Pharaohs and Nile.

Beside Celina has also signed to endorse a Mineral Water brand as well as a Saree brand.

Looks like the party never ends for Celina!!

Former Assam DGP passes away

Jnanananda Sharma Pathak, who retired as the DGP of Assam died today after a heart attack.
Pathak is one of the best known poets of Assam and has published quite a few books.

He was the first IPS officer from Assam. He had chosen IPS despite being selected for IAS. This was because of his desire to serve the state.

Pathak, ex student of BHU was gold meddalist from his university.



A link to Assam tribune:
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/details.asp?id=feb2707/at05

ULFA – WHAT IT WAS AND WHAT IT IS NOW
A look into Assam’s worst problem ever



The ULFA is been in much news of late. First a number of blasts across the Assam and then finally lifting ban they had imposed on the National Games (wonder who are they to ban). I thought this could be a time to talk about Assam’s worst ever problem. The why and whats.

Before talking about the ULFA we should know something about Assam. Assam lies on the northeastern part of India. It is a state known for its tea- approximately 55.5% of the total tea production of India is from Assam. It is also rich in oil and is lush green with Kaziranga National Park famous for its population of one-horned rhino -also a world heritage site, and the Manas sanctuary famous for its golden langur which not found anywhere else in the world, situated in this state. Assam was once a large and rich state but now remains a shadow if its former self after being divided into several sates. Right now its economy is down in the dumps with problems like terrorism, annual floods, and unemployment limiting its progress.

Terrorism in the state has left the devastated with organizations like ULFA, MULTA, NDBF, BLT eating into the economy. ULFA – The United Liberation Front Of Assam
was born on the 7th of April 1979 on the historic lawns of Ranghar has been fighting for the liberation of Assam ( a land of 78529 sq km) from the Indian republic. The organization says that Assam was never a part of the India territory.

In 1979 a group of college students got together and decided that an armed struggled was the only way to rinse the political system of the state. They first sent ripples around the state by dispensing bootleggers, corrupt officials and anti-social elements. Talked about the outsiders swamping the state and ruining the economy by denying jobs to the sons of the soil. They were concerned why Assam’s economy was so poor in spite of being rich in oil and tea. They also raised voice against the infiltration of Bangladeshis.

ULFA raised the concerns of the youth who termed them as revolutionaries. Elder citizens saw them as youngsters who were out to clean the dirty system. In 1987 they sent 200 boys to Myanmar for armed training. The NSCN had then shown doubts how they ULFA could fight India when they would crumble under little pressure form the Indian Army. But over the years the ULFA militants have not only learned to hold the gun but also use it in devastating ways. So much so that now ULFA is no more a revolutionary outfit but a bloodthirsty organization.

Its in interesting what the organization had started out as and what it is now. What ULFA proclaims it is and what it is now seen as is nothing less than an irony. According to ULFA - Assam was never a part of India at any point of time hence theirs is not a separatist movement. The fact is that India has occupied independent Assam along with other northeastern states and Kashmir. The people of Assam have defended the Moghul attacks as many as 17 times. Assam became a British colony after the Treaty of Yandabu
(1926). The people of launched movement against the British, which was later, united with the Indian freedom struggle. Hence after the departure of the British Assam should have been an independent country. The organization has also alleged that India encouraged the influx of Indian national to Assam because having an ethnic affinity with the Indian mainland would be good for the long-term security perspective. It also said that the partition of India at time of independence led to large influx of foreigners, which caused a serious threat to the demographic composition of Assam. The ULFA has also accused the Indian Government of adopting oppressive measures against the people of the state and has also suppressed the Assamese language and culture and has ensured that Assam remains poor. It therefore urges to all the Assamese to join in their endeavour. They have also in their website given what are the characters needed to become an ULFA member.

From a time when ULFA enjoyed widespread sympathy to a time. What caused the organization that had a meteoric rise in popularity thought of as an enemy as maximum people of the very state it meant to serve? One incident that cemented ULFA in this direction occurred on June 28 1990 when ULFA summoned 20 tea barons in Dibrugarh and asked them to pay a tax of Rs.1 per kilogram of tea. The barons protested against the huge demand. But ULFA murdered Surendra Paul a tea planter in Dibrugarh and brother of British labour peer Swaraj Paul. This sent a clear signal that either the tax be paid or risk their life. Extortion now is a major part of ULFA’s income. ULFA no longer talks about the Bangladeshi immigration which one of the most prominent problems of Assam now. Instead they have camps in Bangladesh and their Commander in Chief reportedly having financial interests in the country. The members have acquired a lot of money. Joining the ULFA has become a quick short cut to money for the mislead unemployed youths of the state.

Public sympathy has waned the years. Earlier when the police picked on a person with suspected links to the ULFA, villagers would surround the police station and get the person freed. If any ULFA cadre would die there would be long funeral processions. But
no more. There are public meetings held to discuss the menace of the organization. Many writers have flooded newspapers with their writings, protesting the bloodshed caused by the organization. There have been countless occasions when the militants have killed people in huge scale – including the recent killings of the Hindi- speaking people in the state. What probably turned the public opinion against the ULFA is the killing of Sanjoy Ghosh who was working towards empowering the people of Majuli- the largest river island in the World situated in the river Brahmaputra. The reason for killing Ghosh according to them was that he was working for the RAW. But there could well be other reasons. ULFA has also tried to eliminate all who has tried to unite the Assamese people against it. One such person was Mr. Rabha who after leaving the BSF decides to stand against the ULFA. He was turning to be success by uniting people but ULFA didn’t waste time and went straight on to finish him off. Rabha was awarded the Saurya Chakra posthumously- the only civilian to be honoured so.

The people’s opinion has changed. They want peace and no more violence. ULFA no longer gets the importance. It has clearly given the impression that its main ideology is to make money. They would do some good if they fight against the Bangladeshi threat and also they fundamentalist fire that the ISI is promoting in the state.


© Copyright, NOYON JYOTI PARASARA, 2006

Finally they declare it !

Yes...they have declared it. It is official now. Abhisek Bachchan has propsed Aishwariya Rai right after the Guru premiere. They are now officially engaged. This must be one news the whole nation was waiting for.

The Banaras visit a mont back had sent the media and the junta into a tizzy speculating a marriage. They didnt mayy then but something surely happened.

The US has said it - al Qaeda leader are in Pakistan

al-Qaeda's leaders hiding in in Pakistan trying to get their basics right the U.S. intelligence chief John Negroponte said yesterday.

This is an unusually direct statement from the US who has always maintained that the terrorists are holed up somewhere in the Pakisstan-Afghanistan border.

The al Qaeda is accused of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington that killed about 3,000 people in 2001.

Reports from the Agencies

No to ULFA

95 per cent people said ‘NO’ to ULFA claim of sovereignty of Assam in a recent survey.

The survey conducted in 9 districts of the state was undertaken APW - by an organization run by kins of ULFA militants. The districts included in the survey are Bongaigaon, Sonitpur, Nalbari, Goalpara, Guwahati (metro), Dhubri, Darrang, Lakhimpur, Dhemaji and Nalbari. The survey will be extended to other districts of the state soon.

ULFA chairman Arabindo Rajkhowa has however rejected the survey and described the APW as a body "comprising agents of RAW and IB (that) functioned at the behest of the Indian machinery".

ULFA's insistence on making sovereignty the core issue for any talks with the government is one of the reasons that have stalled the peace process in Assam. The Centre has already rejected the demand.

Interestingly, the banned outfit stepped up its activities around the same time the result of the survey was declared. 17 people were killed in a series of attacks across the state. It is alleged the ULFA is behind the attacks.

Power Cut!

Despite the state facing an acute shortage our politicians are still shying away from bold decisions that are needed to counter it. Like the previous leaders, Chief Minister Kumaraswami and Deputy Chief Minister Yeddiruppa also have not done anything tosolve this problem.
They are not denying power shortage however. They admit that the need of the state is 140 million units per day against the current production of 115 million units. Buying power from our neighbouring states at Rs 250 crore per month is deemed too costly an option which leaves with just one option – the tried and tested load shedding. But this could be an even bitter option as it might cost them popularity especially among the farmers. And the local body elections are round the corner. Hence rather than an attempt to solve the problem, escapism seems to be the mantra. At least till the elections are over.

Ceasefire against DMD extended

The four-year old cease fire with the. Dima Halam Daogah has been extended by another year.
“The suspension of operations agreement between the security forces and Dima Halam Daogah (DHD), a militant outfit operating in Assam, has been extended for a period of one year up to December 31, 2007," said a home ministry release
DHD primarily comprises Dimasa tribe, a dominant population in North Cachar (NC) Hills district, while Karbis are in majority in the adjoining Karbi-Anglong district. Both the districts have a sizeable presence of other tribes like Kukis, Hamars and Khasis

Ramdev’s cure for cancer

Controversy is the food for Ramday, and he continues to strive on it when he claimed Yoga can cure cancer.
Ramdev on Monday claimed that regular practice of seven breathing exercises or 'pranayams' had successfully cured cancer within six to nine months. “Cancer of the breast, liver, prostate, uterus, pituitary gland, brain tumours and even leukaemia, can be cured by practising the seven breathing exercises," he claimed.
He said his claims were based on documentation and hundreds of patients have benefited, He also prescribed some medicines "Some other ingredients like wheat grass juice and those derived from neem and tulsi leaves are also administered to patients alongside the breathing exercises." Said Ramdev.
Lending his belif to allopathy he said it and was needed in emergencies, but they should come only after Yoga, which has proven benefits. "Otherwise, the health department should be renamed as allopathy department and the health minister as allopathy minister," said Ramdev in humour.
Denying his intentions of creating controversy he said,"I have no intention to get into any controversy. I am doing my job.” And also that it didn’t bother what people thought of him. Also in a press conference the yoga guru said he would have nothing to do with politics.