Bhogali Bihu in Assam loses its charm because of ban on bulbuli fights

January is a festive season in Assam with the end of the harvest season. But, the Bhogali Bihu has lost its charm due to ban on the traditional 'Bulbuli fights' (nightingale fights) at the Haigriva Madhav temple in Assam's Hajo township. The ban has been imposed by the Supreme Court on animal fights.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 20 January 2017.

Bhogali Bihu, also known as Magh Bihu, was celebrated on January 15, which usually coincides with Makar Sankranti, Pongal and Lohri festivals in other parts of the country - these are all festivals to celebrate the end of the harvest season.
People have been engaged for generations in catching and training the nightingales or Bulbuls -- as the bird is commonly known in other parts of India -- for the unique event. The ban has not only robbed their bread and butter but has also taken away the sheen from the festival. There is no documented history about when Bulbuli fights started, but, old-timers believe that it was started between 1744 and 1751 by the Ahom King Swargadeo Pramatta Singha during his rule.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

CISF prevents students of Manipur from entering the Taj Mahal

Kolkata to soon get rice and fish curry for Rs 21 at selected outlets

Bhilai tries to set five world records in Yoga with one lakh people participating


In the wonderland of women centric products

In the wonderland of banyans and messages

In the wonderland of toothpastes


Avatar star Zoe Saldana in Ben Affleck's Live By Night

Vin Diesel and Deepika Padukone in Mumbai to promote XXX: Return of Xander Cage

Aamir Khan's Dangal expected to cross Rs 100 crore in first weekend


Migrant boat capsizes off Libya's coast - 100 feared dead

Defensive anti-aircraft missiles around Moscow in preparation for a war?

US army veteran shoots dead five persons in Fort Lauderdale airport, Florida

Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Guwahati, Assam's main city and the gateway to India's Northeast, has the potential to become a major airline hub, it can also become a major airline cargo hub and generate hundreds of jobs.
These are the views expressed by SpiceJet's Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh at a seminar organised by the Delhi Alumni Association, Assam. The subject was "Assam's Trilemma: Create jobs, Enhance skills, Promote entrepreneurship". He went on to add that the Northeast can be made a cargo hub and such a step will generate hundreds of jobs if training institutes can be started with government support.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 27 November 2016.

His company was in talks with the Assam government to make Guwahati a hub for SpiceJet. He has indicated that if he gets a hangar for his airline at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi (LGB) International Airport in Guwahati and if these are lower sales tax on aviation fuel, SpiceJet could park the planes there overnight and can have first flights out from Guwahati in the morning to major cities across India.
He added that the West Bengal government had cut sales tax on aviation fuel and that has helped SpiceJet in making Kolkata a hub. At present there are flights from Kolkata to Guwahati and Silchar and are now looking at flights to Jorhat and Lakhimpur.
If Guwahati becomes an airline hub, flights to Southeast Asia "can be made from tomorrow" in keeping with the Centre's stress on Act East with better connectivity to Southeast Asia.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture

Floods in Assam affect Rhino homelands in Kaziranga National Park

Floods in Assam affect Rhino homelands in Kaziranga National Park The floods in Assam has been described as critical with the Brahmaputra river overflowing in several districts. As a result, houses have been submerged and agricultural fields affecting nearly 12.5 lakh people and inundating Kaziranga National Park which is the homeland of rhinos.
An adult male rhino drowned in a river in the park due to the floods and its carcass with its horn intact was recovered near Siga camp under Agoratoli camp. This was close on the heels of another such dead rhino which had been found there two days ago.
This has been reported in timesofindia.indiatimes.com dated 25 July 2016.

Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) has confirmed that the deluge has washed away large portions of the main roads in Morigaon, Jorhat and Dibrugarh districts and has snapped road communications apart from breaching river embankments in Kokrajhar, Jorhat, Bongaigaon, Dibrugarh and Golaghat districts. As a result, water has rushed into vast tracks of human habitation.
The Brahmaputra and its tributaries are said to be overflowing in 18 districts of the state, flooding Rhino homelands in Kaziranga National Park and Pobitora Wild Life Sanctuary. Five hog deer were killed by speeding vehicles when they were crossing NH-37 from the Park towards highlands of Karbi Anglong district. There are 16 animal corridors on the NH-37 through which various types of animals from the Park side cross over to Karbi Anglong hills during floods.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

Efforts on by Odisha to get UNESCO Heritage tag for Bhitarkanika national park

Alitalia pilot refused to fly from Beirut to Rome because he was tired - passengers stuck for 16 hours at Beirut

Wildfire in California spreads over 11,000 acres - residents evacuated


Didi not happy seeing urchins in Howrah Station (satire)

Lord Shiva stumped by the sea of humanity on 21st (satire)

Moody embraces yoga, his medics could embrace poverty (satire)

Lone wolf attack in Munich mall kills 10 including the attacker

Youth attacks train commuters with an axe - leaves more than 20 injured, some seriously

ISIS carries out suicide attack in Kabul - 80 killed, death toll could rise


Sir Michael Caine forced to change his name because of ISIS

Irrfan Khan meets Arvind Kejriwal before release of his film 'Madaari'

Kissing scenes in movies – why this fad has never caught on in Bollywood