Blasts & bandhs  Probably nobody was ready for such an eventuality. And the serial bomb blasts that rocked Assam on October 30 not only caught the state administration offguard but also took the general people by surprise. The serial blasts, never witnessed on such a scale in this part of the country, have brought into open the abject intelligence failure of the state administration that till then went about with the sole mission of nullifying the elements of ULFA, the main insurgent group in Assam that has since denied its involvement in the incident, while the fundamentalist terrorist groups took full advantage of the situation. The similarity of blasts in Assam with those in places like Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Bangaluru, Delhi and other cities in the recent past, points it to be the handiwork of fundamentalist elements that might have a worldwide network. The fact that the explosives were ladden in cars to carry out the operations in Guwahati and other places has also brought into focus the slack attitude of security forces in Assam, who during their routine checks, allow cars to pass by while targetting only the two-wheelers and buses, even if that meant harassing the general commuters. And what’s interesting is that the men in uniform would insist on some paper or other from the riders to make an extra income! What, however, was disturbing during the crisis situation was the behaviour of a section of people, with some trying to make the blasts a political issue. Their unwarranted outburst has only helped remove vital clues as to who might be behind the blasts, while the victims suffered on the roads, instead of being transferred to the nearest hospital at the earliest. Then again, there is another band of so-called political leaders who love to call a bandh in such emergency situations that will only make the rehabilitation packages go haywire. Probably we will have to live with bandhs and blasts.

Hair care career  That hairstyling is a good and promising career option cannot be gainsaid. The world of hair has been growing bigger than ever, and the need for creative, well-trained hair designers and stylists is also growing at a fast pace. Today’s hairstylists are masters of colour, line, texture, movemnet and dimension, while the industry is continuously developing, and changing, creating an increasing range of styles that can be used. After the establishment of Jawed Habib Hair & Beauty Salon and Academy in Guwahati in July last, hairstyling as a profession has caught the attention of the aspiring youths of the Northeast. In fact, several of them have enrolled themselves in the academy to learn the finer nuances of the art to make a name in the industry in future. Sudhir Kumar Thakur from Diphu, Karbi Anglong and Maya from Sagalee in Arunachal Pradesh are two such students with a dream of becoming good hairstylists. Sudhir, pursuing a six-month course, is learning the tricks of the trade fast and efficiently, and has already served independently 50 customers to their great satisfaction. Maya plans to open her own salon at Itanagar in the near future. Says Chandrasekhar Tripathi, a faculty member at the Academy: “The hairstyling industry in India, growing at an average of 40 per cent annually, is on the verge of attaining another level and the likes of Sudhir and Maya can well make it big in such a flourishing scenario.”

Simanta / Mridumoloy