Snig's Arena

  A happy feel in the air, fresh leaves in the trees, and flowers like “Togor” (Wax Flower), “Nahor” (Ceylon Ironwood Flower), “Kopou” (Foxtail Flower) blooming all over the place. Surely this indicates that Rongali Bihu is coming very soon. Rongali Bihu also known as Bohag Bihu is celebrated in Assam in the month of Bohag (mid-April) which is also starting of Assamese New Year. It reflect the emotions of joyfulness and the change of season. Bohag Bihu is celebrated in the time when the state’s agriculture is about to start up and people seek blessings from God for good harvest and prosperity for all. Bohag Bihu is celebrated over seven days known as “Xaat Bihu” (meaning 7 days celebration) which are: Goru Bihu Manuh Bihu Gosain Bihu Tator Bihu Nangolor Bihu Senehi Bihu Sera Bihu The first day of the Rongali Bihu is known as Goru (Cow) Bihu. On this day, all cows and cattle herds are washed with a mix of black gram, mustard oil, raw mango and turmeric paste and softly whipped...

Do you plan to visit Meghalaya to admire the serenity of winter at different tourist spots? Well… you’ll need to follow these protocols for your enjoyable visit to this beautiful place. As a tourist you need to mandatorily get registered using Meghalaya Tourism app and get the E-invite for the tour. Valid photo id proof of all the members travelling is required to be uploaded in the app. At least 2 nights hotel/ homestay/ guest house pre booking is mandatory and declaration of the complete itinerary is required during the generation of E-invite process. If the tourist is staying as a guest of any family or friend in Meghalaya, complete address and contact details of the family/friend needs to be declared. Once you fetch all the required details, E-invite will be generated which needs to be presented at the entry check points along with Covid negative certificate. Covid negative test report that you present should be RTPCR/TruNat/CBNAAT test report which will be valid only if you w...

It seems the long waiting for Covid-19 vaccine is over. UK has approved P-Fizer Biotech Covid-19 vaccine and become the first country to approve the vaccine. The vaccine is currently at Pfizer’s production site in Puurs, Belgium and it will be shipped through truck by next week. The UK government has prioritize the vaccination process for its people as:   1) Residents and the staffs at care homes. 2) All the people who are above 80 years of age, frontline healthcare workers and socio-care workers. 3) The people who are above 75 years of age. 4) The people who are above 70 years of age. 5) The people who are above 65 years of age. 6) The people who are in the age range 16-64 with underlying health conditions. 7) The people who are above 55 years of age. 8) The people who are above 50 years of age. 9) Rest of the population. The department of Health and Social care will contact individuals for the vaccination process. Until then, people have to wait for their turn.   The vaccine...

  It is November, the weather sets up for a freezing winter and Meghalaya gets ready to bloom in pretty pink. You will see Mother Nature in all her grandeur in Shillong during this time. The Cherry Blossom, a gift from Himalayas cover the whole East and West Khasi Hills. These beautiful and sparkling flowers can be spotted across the state during autumn of every year. However, the Cherry Blossom begins in the early November and lasts for about a fortnight only. Cherry Tree found in North Eastern India is Prunus Cerasoides commonly known as Himalayan Cherry. The trees are full of pastel-hue pink and soft white blossoms. It was until autumn 2014 even when many indigenous son of soil were not aware about Cherry tree, Prof. Sahoo found full bloom Cherry tree in Shillong. Since then there have been growing interest in the tree in this part of India. During 2015-2017, State forest department planted several Cherry trees in and around Shillong.  India International Cherry Blossom Fe...

  It was extremely hot that June day outside. Since we had plan for recent hometown visit, it was like an emergency situation for me to go to the market. My sister threatened me if I won't buy her a purse and few kurtis. Moreover it is we have internal urge to bring something for our family members.   Even if my mind begged me to stay home at 46 degree outside Celsius, I did not have a choice.     After my husband left for office, I was also getting ready for the mission of the day. It generally takes 20 minutes walking from my home at East of Kailash to Nehru Place metro station. Confusion always takes over me when I have choices.   Sarojini Nagar Market and Lajpat Nagar market were my preferred choices for shopping. This was because both these markets were near to my place and very near to respective metro stations. Sarojini market is cheaper but Lajpat Nagar market has better quality product. You can bargain in Sarojini, but bargaining is pointless in Laj...

"Hello, this is Priya Roy from SEBI compliance department calling from Kolkata. Have you ever been a victim of frauds in chit fund case or insurance? If yes, then we may help you!!", the calling end said. "Wow!! this is great!!", I thought.  "Would you like to complain your case through us?", She asked. I said "Yes" immediately.  I sensed something fishy when she further asked me to submit the evidences (whatever I have) within 24 hrs. No government department in India gives such short deadlines. The instruction was to send the snapshots of the evidences and a complain letter. The complain letter was to be addressed to the regional officer, SEBI, Nariman point, Mumbai. I followed their instruction thinking that lets give it a try. After submitting the documents through whatsapp, they even issued a complain id. 3-4 days later, I again received their call and the other end said "We verified that you have invested 'X' amount. The total ...