Focus on Naga peace

Surojit Academy, located on the Assam Engineering College campus, celebrated World Puppetry Day on March 21 and World Mime Day on the same occasion, though it is officially observed on March 22. This year’s theme for World Puppetry Day was “Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and the Dreams of Puppets.” The event featured a speech by Binita Devi, recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar and director of Surojit Academy, on the role of artificial intelligence in puppetry. Abani Sharma, a leading puppeteer from Assam who has performed in India and Spain, was felicitated at the event. Dr. Kuldeep Patgiri, another Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar awardee, attended as a distinguished...

In a controversial move, the Assam government has terminated 64 lecturers from polytechnic institutes who were protesting for the regularization of their jobs. These lecturers had been on a hunger strike for 23 days, demanding that their temporary positions be made permanent. They were initially appointed during the tenure of Himanta Biswa Sarma as the Education Minister. The lecturers, who have been working as founder faculty members in polytechnics for eight years, had come to Guwahati during the budget session to appeal to the government regarding their demands. However, the government’s refusal to regularize their jobs forced them to stage a protest under the open sky. Their...

The proposed acquisition of 18,000 bighas of land in Karbi Anglong district’s Khatkhati-Longkathar area for a 1,000-megawatt solar power project has sparked widespread fear and protests among the local tribal communities. The central and state governments are pushing forward with the project, which threatens to displace thousands of indigenous people, including Karbi, Naga, and Adivasi communities, who have been living and cultivating the land for generations. The land in question has been home to these communities for over 200 years, where they have been growing bamboo, banana trees, rabi crops, and broom grass to sustain their livelihoods. The government’s move to acquire this land for...

The Press Club of Assam (PCA) has expressed concern over the recent controversy involving Assam Health & Family Welfare Minister Ashok Singhal and his alleged remarks on Bhaona, a traditional Assamese performing art form. The PCA has urged the journalist involved in the matter to clarify his stance, as the issue has sparked widespread debate and criticism. The controversy began when a television journalist, associated with a news channel owned by the family of the State government’s chief, claimed in a social media post that Minister Singhal disrespected a delegation from the Gauhati Press Club (GPC). The delegation had invited Singhal to a forthcoming Bhaona performance in the city...