Space story  The recent visit of US astronaut Colonel Edward Michael Fincke (Mike) was a memorable event for Assam, for it was not just the visit of a ‘man of space’ here, but a son-in-law of the State too. Yes, you all know that. Mike’s visit – thanks to FASS (Friends of Assam and Seven Sisters), a ‘global think-tank’ – was aimed at providing inspriation and motivation to the people, especially the youth, for the overall revival and development of the Northeast in all its affairs, in tune with FASS motto. Mike attended an interactive meet at Pragjyoti ITA Centre at Machkhowa, Guwahati on September 7 where about 1000 students from various schools directly interacted with him. A video recording of the event was made with the idea of making a CD which could be an educational tool for school students. Now FASS has already brought out the CD of that momentous event to be distributed among the schools of the Northeast. The CD was released by Dr Kulendu Pathak, former vice chancellor of Dibrugarh University. Inaugurating the CD, Dr Pathak said ‘it would be of immense help to all who want to know about space and allied matters, and to those who aspire to become astronauts or space scientists. It’s hoped the CD would boost up pupils to achieve greater heights with clarity of thought and confidence as personified by Mike himself.

Kaya care  There could not have been a better time to launch a skin clinic than this winter when skin cracks invariably occur in most people. Yes, the world-class Kaya Skin Clinic celebrated the introdution of its 100th centre by launching the first-ever clinic in the Northeast – at GS Road, Guwahati – on November 24. The clinic was inaugurated by actress Zerifa Wahid along with Kaya CEO Rakesh Pandey, who, speaking on the occasion said: “Our research has shown that women in the Northeast pay a lot of attention to beauty and skin care. There is a huge need for high quality skin care services in the region and Kaya is uniquely poised to fulfill this need. With the opening of this clinic in Guwahati Kaya is offering the people their world-class services right in their neighbourhood, he said, adding, this clinic is in line with our plans to extend efficacious skin care services to smaller cities in India. On her part, Zirifa said: “Kaya embodies all the wellness principles I believe in – their commitment to providing holistic skin solutions specially targeted to Indian skin, their impressive team of expert dermatologists and the use of cutting-edge technology which instill confidence in those looking to either better or maintain their skin.”

Nurture nature  In an effort towards creating awarness among the children for a green world vis-a-vis need to preserve and protect the environment for our survival, Bharti Airtel organized a drawing competition among the children of the Northeast to mark Children’s Day on November 14. The event reached out simultaneously to a large chunk of students in over 500 locations. The theme of the contest was ‘Clean North East, Green North East’, through which, besides creating awareness to protect nature, Airtel’s plan was ‘to showcase the talent of the children through various activities – an art exhibition, Airtel’s New Year Calendar and New Year Cards. Airtel has been doing its bit towards a variety of causes; but some direct schemes to benefit the downtrodden under the supervision of persons known for integrity would surely be noble enough in this age of stiff competition amidst the recessionist trends where companies strive to make profit at any cost, no matter what.

Simanta / Mridumoloy