August 2022 - Online edition

A Division of Qld Multicultural Times Print Post Approved PP : 424022 1724 | ISSN 2652-6182

Volume 18, Number 12 Saturday, August 13th, 2022

As God is One, we respect all Religions

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Post Offices To Remain Open On All Days Till August 15 For Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign

File photo - India Day Fair

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The Ministry said all delivery post offices and other important post offices across the country will be functional to the extent of supporting this public campaign.

New Delhi: To facilitate the sales and distribution of national flags under Har Ghar Tiranga campaign, all post offices across the country will function on holidays, falling before Independence Day 2022, informed the Ministry

of Communications on Saturday.

The Ministry said all delivery post offices and other important post offices across the country will be functional to the extent of supporting this public campaign.

Special arrangements will be made for the sale of national flags on public holidays that is on August 7th, 9th and 14th through at least one counter at Post Offices.

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Inside

• Local News ..................................4-41 • Real Estate ................................14-19 • wwww ...................................... 28-29 • India News ..................................... 42 • Fiji News ......................................... 44 • Entertainment .............................. 46 • Health & Well Being .................... 48 • Business Directory/Classified ... 51 • Sports News ................................... 52

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2 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

From the Publisher Welcome to August; it’s EKKA time, and with Ekka comes the Iconic India Day Fair and the westerlies. EKKA and India Day Fair organizers have been working hard to present their events amidst various challenges. One thing for sure is that the regulations are now much stricter than before, and compliance is difficult, if not impossible.

I was privileged to attend the inaugural event of the BAPS Australia Research Centre; the center will provide so much to our community; it was indeed a proud moment, and congratulations to BAPS on this achievement for humankind and the community at large. If only we could transpose those thoughts into tangible actions, we could tackle anything life throws at us; please read the full article.

We were proud to have been the exclusive media partners for Sargam Music Academy, musical melodies concert, such a well beautiful concert; so good to see so many budding artists right here under our nose in Brisbane. We are fortunate to have such dedicated (Gurus), music teachers, and willing students who have supportive parents.

Sai Baba Palki festival in Virginia was

very well organized. I was pleasantly surprised by the caliber of the participants, and it was a privilege to be the exclusive media partner. As a VIP guest, I was granted the right to walk in front of the Palki and allowed to address the gathering.

We are seeing a more significant number of attendees and participants at functions now. Due to Covid restrictions, festivals have been organized on a much smaller scale for the last two years.

Congratulations to Arun Raniga for becoming the President of the Rotary Club of Brisbane International. Arun has been a long-standing member and contributor of the club, and we wish him all the best in his role at the helm of this very active and progressive club. The presidential changeover was held at the beautiful Grange Golf Club in Yeerongpilly as a high tea event in style and grace.

And now to the citizenship ceremony; in July, we attended not one but two; the two combined would have seen over eleven hundred new candidates take up Australian citizenship. In August, a citizenship marathon was organized

by Brisbane City Council and is aimed at clearing the backlog of applicants

accumulated over the pandemic period; the series will see ceremonies being held at the Brisbane convention center and Brisbane city hall.

Congratulations are in order for Arpit Singh, vice president of GOPIO Queensland, who celebrated his birthday in Great Gatsby style at the Landmark Normanby Hotel in Red Hill. It was good to mingle with the circle of wonderful people.

I don’t think many people of Indian Indian Origin would have held their birthday parties there; a perfect choice of venue, DJ, theme, and food; we wish him all the best in coming years.

Brisbane Super King has made significant progress over the years and has now got its Clubhouse in Heathwood; the Clubhouse has come about with the support of Councilor Angela Owen. The amenities building is in Matthew Conwell Sports fields, Heathwood Park, Parkwood Drive Heathwood, officially opened on Saturday 16th July. I was happy to have been part of the official Party with Councilor Angela Owen and Milton Dick MP, the speaker of the Federal Parliament.

Shirdi Sai Sansthan Brisbane held their Guru Poornima at coopers plain State school; the Sansthan is working hard toward accruing land to build their center; I was happy to have joined in the lunch session; on the same day, from 3:00 pm, we had Ashu Babu memorial concert, which is always held close to Guru Poornima, Brisbane Indian Times and Australian Indian Radio has been the proud sponsors for many years.

On 17th July, we attended the anniversary pooja of Shree Venkatesa Durga Temple in Kenmore; it was a very detailed pooja and well conducted by the priest and his disciples; bhajans and Bhoojan (Food) were also part of the celebration.

We supported the Brisbane Tongan community by attending their fundraising dinner at Brisbane City Hall. A very wellorganized sold-out event. The generosity of the wider community was pleasing to see at this needed fundraiser, raising funds for the rebuilding of Tonga after the Volcano and Tsunami disaster.

We were also blessed to have attended the opening of the Soup Kitchen and Madala Garden at Vedanta Centre in Springfield; here again, the support of all levels of Government, the community, and the fantastic volunteers is commendable.

Lastly, I would like to mention Augnes and Teresa Joy for their Salute The Nations-Peace Project Documentary Film, hosted by United Nations Associations of Australia QLD Division & AFPF at St. John's Cathedral Brisbane. Such a great achievement, what memory power, it’s just an incredible feeling of achievement I was proud to have been present there.

Well I must really pen off for now, though there is a lot more to talk about, maybe next time, its been wonderful having your company, Until Next month, happy reading —Umesh Chandra OAM Publisher

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Partner Visa’s The Department of Home Affairs allows Australian Citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens to sponsor their married or de facto partners on the basis of their genuine and ongoing relationship.

Partner visas are generally processed in two stages in Australia. Sponsored applicants must hold a provisional visa, a Partner (Temporary) visa, in order to be granted a permanent visa, a Partner (Residence) visa. The grant of the provisional visa enables them to travel to and remain in Australia on a temporary basis. Following the grant of a temporary visa, a permanent visa may be granted where the decisionmaker is satisfied the relationship has been ongoing for at least 2 years and is genuine and continuing. In some circumstances, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection may grant a waiver for the 2 year waiting period, or grant permanency even where the relationship has broken down before the end of the 2 year period.

Generally a provisional partner visa takes up to 12 months to be processed.

Depending on the circumstances, visa applicants may be able to lodge their partner visa in Australia (subclass 820/801), and be granted a bridging visa, which will allow them to stay in Australia whilst the visa is being processed. Alternatively, a partner visa may be lodged and granted offshore (subclass 309/100).

Applicants will be required to show that together with their partner, they have a genuine commitment to a shared life together. This may be evidenced through financial interdependence, social context, nature of the household, nature of commitment to each other, and history of relationship. The department may take into account the

cultural background of the applicant, including cultural and legal marriage ceremonies.

Migration Guru has assisted a vast number of clients, in various and complex circumstances, including arranged marriages and de facto applicants. Migration Guru has more than 80 years of collective experience in the industry and a team of Migration Agents / Solicitors. With our vast experience and skills, we are able to provide accurate migration or legal advice based on our clients’ personal circumstances.

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 3

Casa Angelina’s fine driving launch on the Amalfi Coast

By Rama Gaind

Overseas travel has begun in earnest in 2022.

Making up for lost time and opportunities over the past two years, travel constantly challenges us, not only to adapt to and explore new surroundings, but also to engage with different people, to embrace adventures as they come and to share new and meaningful experiences with those near and dear.

It’s also learning about their different way of life - culture, traditions, food and seeing what makes each place so unique!

Travel takes us out of our comfort zones and inspires us to see, taste and try new things.

One destination that is truly amazing is the Amalfi Coast: a stretch of coastline on the northern coast of the Salerno Gulf on the Tyrrhenian Sea, located in the Province of Salerno of southern Italy. On offer are breathtaking views, medieval charms, super walking and hiking routes, delectable cuisine and stunning beaches - all in the one place.

Visit the Amalfi Coast and you will be in for a treat. This region has some picture-perfect towns full of multi-coloured houses such as Positano, Praiano and Amalfi itself. Furthermore, there are some absolutely fantastic beaches, coastal walks and mountainside villas. Moreover, this coast has a selection of interesting islands such as Capri and Sirenusas that provide ample opportunity for exploration.

There’s a rich and vibrant

history to explore. One of the most relaxing ways to view the highpoints is to take an organised boat tour. Some of the best things to do? Go to the town of Amalfi; visit Capri, a truly magical place and one of the most popular destinations on the Amalfi Coast: stopover in Sorrento and admire the pastelcoloured houses of Positano; take in the gorgeous views from Praiano; head up to the heights of Ravello; visit the charming town of Furore.

Watch the fishing fleets at Cetara; take a boat tour into the Grotta dello Smeraldo Cave; walk through the Centro Storico of Salerno; take in the gorgeous waterfalls of the Valle delle Ferriere; enjoy the beaches of Maior; take a scenic train journey; and travel to the Sirenuse Islands.

Luxury hotel What’s more, there is no better time to inspire a vacation at Casa Angelina, the stunning luxury hotel secluded in Praiano. Sitting on the high cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, Casa Angelina offers an uplifting slice of modern simplicity on the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on stylish minimalism and first-rate food.

The promotional blurb grabs attention. It’s meant to entice. That’s just what happens when you see an offer to stay at Casa Angelina.

Of course, when you arrive at your destination, the reality far exceeds expectations!

Casa Angelina features 42 superbly appointed guest rooms and suites and magnificent Eaudesea Rooms, located on the exquisite and picturesque beach of La Gavitella.

These former fishermen’s houses offer an authentic charm, replete with terraces adjoining the sea.

Whilst staying on the Amalfi Coast, enjoy the ultimate driving experience.

Winding through the villages, beaches, and mountains of

Located in Praiano, Italy, Casa Angelina is a quiet retreat from the busy nearby towns of the Amalfi Coast.

Italy’s most scenic stretch of coastline. Few places in Italy exemplify ‘la dolce vita’ quite like the Amalfi Coast.

With its dramatic creviceindented coastline, piazzafilled medieval hamlets and manicured gardens, it’s a natural fit for travellers who crave lazy sun-drenched days and a dose of Italian glamour.

For a dose of retro magic, Casa Angelina offers an impressive Fine Driving (package) on the Amalfi Coast’s Winding Roads. With accommodation in a double room, a welcome drink and a full buffet breakfast, for those who opt for this package will spend a day driving around the Amalfi Coast’s scenic, twisting roads, where every coming turn reveals a seemingly more stunning sea view. In true Italian fashion, guests will be at the wheel of a FIAT 500 Cabrio – the ultimate automotive style statement. The Casa Angelina concierge will help devise a route and itinerary for the driving excursion, as well as, provide road maps to ensure travellers don’t get lost.

To help you live out the Italian dream, the two-night

Tranquillity is the theme at this cliffside boutique hotel - Casa Angelina.

Sitting on the high cliffs of the Amalfi Coast, Casa Angelina offers an uplifting slice of modern simplicity on the Mediterranean. package promises perks that will help you re-discover the best of a romantic retreat

and have a starry-eyed weekend stay. Experience rediscovering those forgotten

rhythms of long, drawn-out days and easy, lingering evenings!

A SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

Pastor Suresh Dass Joseph josephdass@optusnet.com.au

Dear reader, it is our delight to bring to you the word of God. We all want to go through life blessed happy and enjoying life.

But when we find someone who is rude, jealous, or doesn't like you. And if you are not careful, you can become like them.

You can become a challenging person to be around or live with.

In the scriptures, we read, "A child of God must not quarrel, but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach and be patient with difficult people." It is said that there are three kinds of people you are going to meet in life. Those who help you in difficult times, those who leave you during your difficult time and those who put you in difficult times. Difficult people can hurt you and cause you to be upset. But it is never okay to be cruel. Rage, hate, resentment, and jealousy do not change the hearts of others – they only change yours. You never get ahead of others by doing what they did to you. Taking revenge, and getting into conflicts with people, who do not want peace

4 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

with you, will cause you to lose the valuable energy you need each day. But when you stay away from getting baited into every fight, argument, or debate, you will find the strength to have joy and peace during all your challenges and situations.

When we choose to walk away from conflicts that do not add value to us, arguments that don't change anything, because we love God more, then according to the scriptures, it is called our "sacrifice of praise."

That means you are letting the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

You are to be careful to stay in your "Sacrifice of Praise" and not to get into a "sacrifice of blame," leading you to be bitter, upset, and sour.

In the scriptures (Genesis 16 v 1-6), we read of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Sarah could not have children, but when Hagar conceived, there was trouble in their house. Hagar despised Sarah, Sarah dealt harshly with Hagar, and Abraham blamed Sarah for all the problems.

Ishmael was born through Hagar due to their mistake.

Soon after, Sarah gave birth to Isaac as per the promise from God; sometimes, in life, our mistakes and our miracles can grow together under the same roof. This situation caused them to become harsh, painful, sour, and angry. Instead of having a "Sacrifice of praise" season, they had a "Sacrifice of blame" period.

Here are 3 things we can learn from Abraham, Sarah,

and Hagar.

1) Some people are always angry and continually looking for conflict. Walk away from them. The battle they are fighting is not with you. It is with themselves. Before they can be angry with you, they are mad at themselves. They are unwilling to change, admit their faults, or be good to them. If they are against themselves, it is easy to go against you. Abraham and Sarah continued to trust God. Their difficulty did not last their lifetime. God allowed Hagar and Ishmael to leave their house when the time was right.

2) Don't expect to see positive changes in your life if you constantly surround yourself with difficult people. The danger of being around difficult people too often is that you become like

them without knowing it. So be mindful of the daily company you keep. Just because you are kind and respectful to someone does not mean you have to spend extra time with them.

3) Let the opinions of others inform you . . . don't let them limit you. Don't let anyone's ignorance, hate, drama, or negativity stop you from being the best person you can be.

You've already forgotten your value if you constantly try to prove your worth to others. Take a deep breath and do what you know is right.

Instead of bringing a "sacrifice of blame" when you do your part and stay in the "Sacrifice of praise," you are showing God that He can trust you with more influence and favour.

God bless you

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 5

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Genius vs. Method For any activity to successfully happen, there is a process and a method, but there is also a genius.

Probably leaders cannot articulate their genius; they can only articulate the methods they have employed. Because genius is not something that one can speak about, it is just that their lives speak about it in so many different ways.

This question of method versus genius is always troubling people. You may have a perfect method, but you may remain mediocre for the rest of your life.

Methods are good insurance to fall back on, but without this spark of genius you may not fire up in any big way. So is genius something that one is born with? Is it something that one can develop? Is there a method for that also?

There is.

This reminds me of a beautiful situation that happened with Henry Ford.

On one of my tours to the research wing of Ford Motor Company in Detroit, I was talking to a senior scientist.

In the course of this visit, he told me a story.

Once, Henry Ford found that a lot of things happening in Ford Motor Company were not very efficient. He decided to hire an efficiency expert. The expert came and went from office to office, straightening up all the key people in so many different

There is a method to incubate and activate a genius within you. There is no human being without the genius.

Method need not necessarily mean the business processes. For almost every aspect of life, people are trying to evolve methods for everything.

In all this heap of methods, the spark of genius simply gets buried.

ways. One day he came and complained to Henry Ford, “There is one guy who just doesn’t listen. Most of the time when I walk into his office he’s got his feet on the table and is smoking a cigar.

You got to fire this guy.”

Henry asked, “Who is this?” When the expert mentioned his name, Henry said, “Don’t disturb him.

6 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Last time he had his feet on the table and was smoking a cigar, he came up with a billion dollar idea.”

So, if we do not set up a situation where somewhere there is some spark beyond the method, then mediocrity will be the way of life.

But method is always an insurance to fall back on because genius may not be

sparking every day, every moment.

There is a method to incubate and activate a genius within you. There is no human being without the genius. Method need not necessarily mean the business processes.

For almost every aspect of life, people are trying to evolve methods for everything. In

all this heap of methods, the spark of genius simply gets buried. There is no human being who does not have it.

It just needs an appropriate atmosphere for it to fire.

To create an inner atmosphere where this will fire, one important aspect is paying some attention to the basic vehicles with which you travel this life.

I’m not talking about your Mercedes! It’s the body and the mind. Not enough attention has been paid to these things. Your level of success in life is essentially determined by how well you harness your body and your mind.

Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service.

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 7

Entertainment legend Olivia Newton-John has died, aged 73 Australian entertainment legend Olivia Newton-John has died, aged 73.

The actor, whose starring role in Grease in 1978 made her world famous, died at her ranch in California following a long battle with breast cancer.

John Travolta, who costarred with Newton-John in the iconic movie, said her impact was “incredible” and that he loved her “so much”.

Her role in Grease was rewritten for her to accommodate her Australian accent.

Her husband, John Easterling, confirmed the news in a post to social media saying that Newton-John was a “symbol of triumphs and hope”.

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992.

It went into remission but reappeared in 2013 and then again in 2017. At one point she said she was partly in “denial” about the disease, because if she dwelled upon it too much it would mean she wouldn’t “enjoy life”.

In the family statement, Mr Easterling said Newton-John “passed away peacefully” early on Monday morning US time surrounded by family and friends.

“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer.

Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continues with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer,” his statement

read.

“In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the Olivia NewtonJohn Foundation Fund.”

John Travolta’s touching tribute In a post to Instagram, Travolta praised NewtonJohn.

“My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much,” he wrote.

“We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

Newton-John’s groundbreaking career Newton-John was born in Cambridge, in England’s east,

in 1948.

She began performing at just 14.

During her career, the singer, songwriter and actor won four Grammys and had five number one hits and ten top ten hits throughout her long career.

She was made at Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen’s 2020 New Year’s honours which meant she could officially used the term Dame Olivia Newton-John.

Her first solo album was

released in 1971 with a title track by Bob Dylan. In 1974 she represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest finishing fourth in Brighton, in southern England, where ABBA won with Waterloo.

She also found success in this US where she won the 1974 Country Music Association female vocalist of the year gong despite not being American, ruffling feathers.

High school musical Grease, released in 1978,

saw her fame head to even more lofty heights with the movie becoming the highest grossing in the US that year.

When Newton-John came on board, the role of Sandy was rewritten to be that an Australian student to take account of her accent.

The soundtrack gave Newton-John three top five singles including You’re the One That I Want, Summer Nights and Hopelessly Devoted to You with John Travolta.

The film Xanadu followed in 1980 with the title track another massive hit for Newton-John. It was there she met Matt Lattanzi who she would wed in 1984. The pair parented Newton-John’s only child Chloe Lattanzi and divorced in 1995.

Just three days ago, Ms Lattanzi posted a picture of her and Newton-John on Instagram with the caption: “I worship this woman. My mother. My best friend”.

After the news of her mother’s passing was announced, Ms Lattanzi posted another picture on social media (below), with no comment, simply of her and her mum when she was a child.

In 1981, Newton-John released the album Physical with the eponymous track becoming one of her most successful songs.

“I’ve had many lives in music. I’ve had country when I started, then I crossed over into pop,” she previously told CNN in 2017.

“I had Xanadu and Grease, many songs in between. I feel

very grateful. I have such a large repertoire to choose from.”

She married John Easterling in 2008. Just days ago a picture of the pair (below) was posted to her Facebook page.

Newton-John’s long fight against cancer Newton-John batted cancer for decades – and raised millions along the way.

In 2008 she helped fund the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital in Melbourne’s north eastern suburbs.

In 2019, Newton-John told US TV host Gayle King on the CBS Sunday Morning program that she coped with cancer by being – to a certain extent – in “denial” about it “Denial is really good. It’s really healthy.”

The singer said thinking about cancer was “consuming” her day.

“And after a time I went, you know what, I don’t know what my time is; I need to enjoy my life.

“So I’m going to eat a cookie. And I’m going to have a cup of tea if I want to; and if I want to have a little bit of wine, I’m going to do that because the joy of life and everyday living has to be a part of that healing process as well.”

According to website TMZ, and reported by the US Sun, a source confirmed the cancer was the cause of NewtonJohn’s passing.

“After a 30-year cancer journey, she lost her battle to metastatic breast cancer.”

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Solutions “Ancient Wisdom, Modern Solutions”, an event organized by the Brahma Kumaris to celebrate Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence was held on Saturday 23rd July at the Queensland Multicultural Centre.

The

event was supported by the Federation of Indian Communities of Queensland and Simply Human and was very well attended by wider communities. Chief Guest, Mrs Archana Singh, Honorary Consul of India, opened the program. Bindu Rajendran,

8 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

renowned Mohiniattam practitioner deeply touched the audience with a performance of Shiva Tatvam.

Peter Clark, Coordinator of the Brahma Kumaris activities in Queensland, spoke of how we can tap into our inner most wisdom and conducted

a meditation for the audience.

The Brahma Kumaris have been serving the community in Queensland for over 40 years, offering free courses in meditation, positive thinking and spirituality.

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SHAYAD, MUJHSE SHAADI KAROGE THE INDIAN-TAIWANESE MUSICAL (Friday 19 August 6:30PM at SunPAC)

"A relationship between an Indian-Australian professor and a Taiwanese-Australian graduate student is short-lived after learning their families have arranged separate marriages for them. The star-crossed lovers must now convince their families to accept their union, before they inevitably stand at different wedding altars."

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 9

2022 Northside Business Budget Breakfast hosted by Minister Leanne Linnard MP

VIRGINIA More than 130 people attended the 2022 Business Budget Breakfast on 2nd August, making it one of the biggest to date.

The event brought together many local business communities, small and large businesses, unions, and government stakeholders.

Peter Murphy from the Alex Fraser Group spoke about their inspiring work recycling goods from landfills to

build infrastructure and construction materials and their work in environmental rehabilitation.

Umesh Chandra OAM from Globenet Realty Boondall - who also founded the Brisbane Indian Times and Brisbane Indian Radio - was another great speaker who does so much in our community.

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick MP informed the business community of what is being done to

stimulate the Queensland economy and the huge investments going into the Northside - including in health, community projects, transport infrastructure, and other community projects.

2nd August happens to be the birthday of Usha Chandra, principal of Globenet Realty, who received a lovely bouquet, and the cake was handed over to another guest Shyam Das, who also had his birthday on the day

Meet Our Indian Council of Australia, Qld, Inc. Patron; Mr. Ashish Katta!

An organisation is often recognised by its board of directors and patrons.

Finding the right match is half the success achieved for the organisation. The Indian Council of Australia, Queensland Inc. has been blessed and privileged for the acceptance of appointment by Mr. Ashish Katta as Patron.

Here is an introduction to our Newly appointed Patron: Mr. Ashish Katta spent his growing up years in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh in India before his family moved to Australia in 2007. Mr Ashish is an ardent Social Entrepreneur with interests in IT, manufacturing, education, and hospitality.

He has served on many non-profit boards including the educational Institutes.

Currently, He serves as a director on board of iCollege Limited, a vocational education company listed on ASX (Australian stock exchange) He has served as the Chairman of Australia India Trade Association. Worked as an Executive Director of Germii Pathogen Mitigation Pty Ltd, Australia. He has

been on boards as a Director of Kokonut Hospitality Group, Children of destiny foundation, India, MIT Sea dragon defence systems Pty Ltd in Australia and Perimeter Security, in PNG. His passion is films.

As a start-up investor he has investments in movie productions such as by Friday Talkies motion pictures Pty Ltd. The film Kakori is his favourite film, where he was involved with the casting of the film.

He believes in ArthShashtra and he is known to take companies to soaring heights. He says “If you select a good team, the team will take the company forward” (https://www. outookindia.com/website/ story/outloOk-spotlight-

10 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

indian-migrants-Skill-andgrit-emerges-as-australiaslargest-skill-developmentcompany/398445) ICAQ is extremely humbled and thankful to Mr. Ashish Katta for accepting the position as the patron.

The ICAQ management team members welcome Mr. Ashish Katta to the ICAQ organisation committee. Mr. Parminder Singh, President of ICAQ says “ It is a great pleasure to work with Mr. Ashish Katta in taking the organisation forward. We are all excited and also looking forward to this collaboration with various organisations Mr. Ashish Katta is associated with”.

Mr. Ashish Katta also expresses his gratitude,"I feel deeply honoured to be chosen as the Patron of ICAQ, and it is quite humbling that I have been given the opportunity to serve the Indian Australian community in particular and the Australian community in general".

The Indian Council of Australia is a community organisation by and working for the Indian diaspora living in Australia. The main focus of the organisation is wellbeing of fellow Indians living in Australia. We

work towards developing better services in education, mental health, aged care and giving the diaspora a sense of belonging, integration and ease of settlement in Australia, through activities it undertakes mostly pertaining to the cultural service development, education, and entertainment programs.

Membership to ICAQ is open to all who are interested in and related to India. For further details on the organisation please visit our website https://www. icaq.org.au

Call: (07) 3192 5188

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 11

Post Offices To Remain Open On All Days Till August 15 For Har Ghar Tiranga Campaign CONTD. FROM PG 1 Special arrangements will also be made for the delivery of the national flags in all delivery post offices.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched "Har Ghar Tiranga" campaign last month to encourage people to bring the Tiranga home and hoist it to mark the 75th year of India's independence. The idea behind the initiative is to invoke the feeling of patriotism in the hearts of the people and to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in the spirit of Jan Bhagidari.

According to the Ministry of Culture, State, Union Territories, and Ministries are participating extensively in the campaign with full fervour. NGOs and Self-Help Groups from various places are already contributing toward making Har Ghar Tiranga, an iconic benchmark in the success path of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

This campaign aims to have flags hoisted across the country from August 13-15.

Various events involving people from all walks of life will also be organized at multiple locations connected with the freedom

12 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

struggle, to portray the patriotism and unity of the entire country.

The Government of India has taken various steps to ensure the supply of flags across India. All Post Offices in the country shall start selling flags from August 1, 2022. In addition, state governments have also tied up with various stakeholders for the supply and sale of flags. The Indian National Flag has also been registered on the GeM portal. The Centre has also tied up with various e-commerce websites and self-help groups to streamline the process of the supply of the flags.

The initiative of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav was launched by PM Modi on March 12, 2021 to celebrate and commemorate 75 glorious years of Independence of India.

Since its launch, the initiative has successfully showcased the magnificence of Indian culture all across the globe. With over 50,000 events successfully held across 28 states, eight UTs, and over 150 countries, the initiative of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav is one of the largest programmes ever organized in terms of scope and participation, said the Ministry of Culture.

Call: (07) 3192 5188

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 13

Interest rates up another 50 basis points with more hikes to come Tim Lawless, Research Director, CoreLogic As widely expected, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lifted interest rates by another 50 basis points today. The fourth rate hike in as many months, today’s decision takes the cash rate from an emergency low of 0.1% to 1.85%. Since commencing the tightening cycle on 5 May, 2022, the cash rate has risen by 175 basis points; but despite the rapid hike, the cash rate remains well below the preCOVID decade average of 2.56%.

Clearly, the RBA is first and foremost in inflation fighting mode, and is probably prepared to look through any peripheral weakness in housing demand, or temporary slowdown in economic activity and looser labour markets, as the cash rate approaches a contractionary setting later this year. In fact, lower house prices and higher mortgage repayments may help to contain inflation through wealth effects, and limiting household consumption.

The good news is the RBA believes inflation will approach a peak towards the end of the year, implying the cash rate should stabilise as inflation reduces back to 2-3%. Potentially the cash rate could retrace some of the hikes through the second half of next year. In fact, this is the trajectory that financial markets are now pricing in, with the ASX cash rate futures indicating a peak in the cash rate at 3.32% by March next year followed by an easing back to 2.99% by the end of 2023.

Today’s rate hike, which is likely to flow through in its entirety to variable mortgage rates within a matter of days, paints a weaker picture for the housing sector. Higher interest rates have already had an immediate downside impact on housing values, with CoreLogic’s combined capital cities index peaking shortly after the first rate on hike in May. Since that time, dwelling values across the combined capital cities index are down -2.8% to 1 August, after rising 25.5% through the recent upswing.

According to most bank

forecasts, the cash rate could rise at least another 75 basis points before peaking.

With this in mind, the decline in housing values is expected to become steeper and geographically more widespread. Nationally, home values are already falling at the fastest pace since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), while Sydney values are declining at the fastest pace since at least the early 1980s, having fallen -5.3% since peaking in mid-February, with most of that decline (4.8%) occurring since May’s cash rate increase.

The trajectory of home values will depend on how fast and how high interest rates move, along with the performance of the broader Australian economy, labour markets and demographic trends. In turn, sensitivity of highly indebted households, and dampened consumption resulting from lower house prices means the RBA may continue watching the housing market closely. As the cash rate finds a ceiling, that will probably be the cue for housing values to find a floor.

Brisbane is set to host the most auctions amongst the smaller capitals, with 154 homes scheduled for auction, followed by Adelaide (141) and Canberra (70). Perth is scheduled to host seven auctions this week, while there are no auctions set to occur in Tasmania.

After trending upwards for three consecutive weeks, auction activity across the combined capitals is down 20.6% this week compared to the week prior (1,913) and down 5.4% compared to the same week last year (1,606).

With 1,519 capital city homes scheduled for auction, this week marks the quietest auction week since the week ending 12 June, when six out of the eight states and territories were celebrating the Queen’s Birthday long weekend. Auction activity historically bottoms out around late July to early August, before trending upwards as we approach the spring selling season.

An early view of auction numbers suggest that auction activity will increase in the coming weeks.

Across Melbourne, 626 homes are scheduled to go under the hammer this week, down 22.6% from the previous week (809) and -5.4% below the numbers recorded this time last year (662).

With 521 homes scheduled for auction, Sydney is set

to host its quietest auction week since the Easter long weekend, when 480 homes were auctioned. The previous week saw 624 homes

14 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

auctioned, while this time last year 564 homes went under the hammer.

Across each of the smaller capital cities, auction activity

is down week on week, while Adelaide is the only capital expecting a rise in auction activity compared to this time last year (+54.9%).

Summary of last week’s results Auction activity and clearance rates rose across five of the seven capital city markets last week. With 1,913 auctions occurring across the combined capitals, last week saw auction activity rise 5.6% compared to the week prior (1,812) and marked the third consecutive week of increased auction activity. After the previous week recorded the lowest clearance rate of the year (51.9%), the combined capitals clearance rate rose 2.1 percentage points, with 54.0% of auctions reporting a successful result last week.

The increase in clearance rate saw the portion of combined capital homes withdrawn from auction decline to 13.1%, while the percentage of properties passed in at auction held above the 30% mark at 32.9%.

This time last year 77.2% of the 1,761 auctions held were successful.

With 809 homes auctioned across the city last week, Melbourne hosted its busiest auction week of the month, rising 13.9% from the week prior (710).

With 56.6% of auctions reporting a successful result, Melbourne’s clearance rate also rose, up 4.6 percentage

points compared to the recent low recorded the week prior (52.0%). While auction activity was up 23.3% compared to the number of auctions held this time last year (656), last week’s clearance rate was significantly below the rate recorded over the same period (77.2%).

Sydney was one of the only capitals to record a fall in both its auction activity and clearance rate compared to the week prior (674, 50.8%), down -7.4% and 80 basis points respectively. With 624 homes auctioned across the city, last week's auction activity was down 7.0%from the 671 auctions held this time last year. While last week's clearance rate (50.0%) was above the recent low of 49.9% recorded in early July, it was well below the clearance rate recorded this time last year (76.1%). With selling conditions expected to weaken further over the coming months, its likely Sydney’s clearance rate will remain in the high 40’s to low 50’s range for some time.

Across the smaller capitals, Canberra was the only capital to see its auction activity (96) and clearance rate (54.7%) decline last week, down -3.0% and -6.5 percentage points respectively. Brisbane saw 43.2% of the 192 auctions held last week return a successful result, while Adelaide recorded 171 auctions and a clearance rate of 69.4%. In Perth, eight of the 20 auctions held last week recorded a successful result (40.0%), while the one auction held in Tasmania last week was successful.

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Life on Brookwater’s Dress Circle is close to everything you need — public transport, schools, childcare centres, a university, a private hospital, shopping centres and a thriving commercial precinct. We welcome you to experience Brisbane’s best kept secret when it comes to luxury living, and choose from our leading architectural collaborators to design your dream home — complimentary with your Dress Circle land purchase.

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 15

16 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 17

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FIVE THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT AUSTRALIAN REAL ESTATE AND THE NEW CLIMATE BILL Extreme weather events will still impact housing supply By REIA President Hayden Groves Australia has hit a longanticipated national milestone of significance and has secured near term policy certainty for emissions reduction targets.

The much-anticipated Climate Change Bill 2022 (the Climate Bill) – a mere 16 pages - has passed the House of Representatives and will go before the Senate in September.

It is then expected to pass with the support of both the Greens and some members of the cross bench in the Senate.

What does the Bill make into law? The Climate Bill's main purpose is to legally commit to a 43% emissions reduction from 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050 - as widely previewed in the election campaign.

It also contains provisions for increased transparency and reporting that includes measures like: • Annual progress report to Parliament by the Minister for Climate Change Improve the reporting and advice function of the Climate Change Authority Regularly review the legislation How will it affect Australian real estate? The real estate sector has an important role to play in assisting government reach their targets as there are various facets of our business that can contribute to emissions Call: (07) 3192 5188

reduction. These are: • Agencies as business such as our energy use, cars and even paper Agents as transaction brokers - the entirety of property transactions like finance and legal Real Estate Institutes as leadership bodies - our businesses and advocacy work The energy efficiency of Australia's residential housing inventory All classes of commercial real estate • REIA breaks down what these economy-wide measures with the Climate Bill means for Australia's $9.95 trillion residential and $1.2 trillion commercial real estate assets may look like in five ways: 1. Green regulation to focus on government business and disclosures Wrapped into the Climate Bill was the inclusion of an extra 30-page Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022, tying 14 pieces of legislation into the 43% reduction target.

Importantly, this incorporates the Building Energy Efficiency Disclosure Act 2010 (the BEED) and amends the Objectives of the Act to include: The object of this Act is: 29 (a) to promote the disclosure of information about the energy efficiency of buildings; and 31 (b) to contribute to the achievement of Australia's greenhouse 32 gas

emissions reduction targets.

The BEED requires energy efficiency information to be provided in most cases when commercial office space of 1000 square metres or more is offered for sale or lease.

Whether the wording of the legislation seeks to move beyond disclosure to target setting remains to be seen.

REIA will monitor this area for implications for our commercial practitioners and work with many, including NABERS to provide the latest advice direct to you.

Outside of the BEED, the Climate Change (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2022 amends a range of existing Acts for government bodies like Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Infrastructure Australia. This is to ensure their government business falls in line with the anticipated new 2030 and 2050 targets.

Expect more to come on the wide-ranging implications of this for both the public and private sector as they become understood.

2. Consumer preferences for sustainability will naturally consolidate Whilst the Climate Bill does not specifically regulate residential real estate, it will likely bring forward increased emissions reductions pushes

for local State and Territory regulators and the big businesses they partner with.

This is likely to manifest in the energy space and an enhanced focus on residential disclosures.

And with that, the Government hopes, so too will consumer preference and markets. Already, there is an emerging body of research that shows that homes demonstrating sustainable features currently command a premium.

The Domain Sustainability in Property Report 2022 showed that 'sustainable' homes sell faster and for a premium around $125,000 more for a house.

CSIRO research also shows that two thirds of homebuyers prefer energy efficient home where that choice is available.

Whilst this may over time ameliorate as sustainability features become the new norm (think of how cars phased in seat belts!).

JLLs "green premiums" versus "brown discounts" are an important concept to remember as markets decide the value of the new climate regulation.

3. Extreme weather events will still impact on housing supply This Climate Bill has been specifically designed and

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targeted at government agencies and the bigger end of town as opp osed to suburban and regional real estate agents, tenants and homeowners.

The Climate Bill will, of course, not end Australia's extreme weather events driven by climate.

Resilience and preparation measures will need to be increased by homeowners and principals to protect their homes and shopfronts from continued erratic weather.

The work of REIA will focus on preparedness and resilience in line with REIA's Getting Real to shield against unnecessary cost and provide additional protections for both property owners and tenants.

4. The Climate Bill is a "floor not a ceiling" The Australian Government has been careful to label their targets a 'floor not a ceiling' in securing the support of the Greens and some of the crossbench to legislate Australia's emissions target.

The Government has also been quick to point out the Climate Bill and associated Bills will be supported by other election commitments to further sustainable investment in Australia.

This includes Rewiring the Nation, an enhanced safeguard

mechanism, and Australia's first electric vehicle strategy to target emissions reductions roll outs.

It is expected the Budget 2022 2.0, to be handed down on 25 October 2022, will detail the roll out plans and programs of investment to come out of the Climate Bill.

5.

Sustainable skills, technology and materials will need significant investment Prime Minister Albanese ran on an agenda of no Australian being held back, and no one left behind and the proposed climate and clean energy transition should be no exception to this.

The Climate Bill implemented well should signal a new era in unity on climate for all Australians; and not be a policy change of the haves and have nots.

In REIA's view, property owners and tenants should be especially supported and resourced in the transition and not have to wear the costs of these policy changes.

Investment will be critical to get more skilled advisers and trainers for sustainable real estate, better technology and sustainable materials will all need additional investment from Governments and the private sector to enable real estate and ordinary homeowners and tenants - to succeed.

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 19

Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Queensland ईश्वर तो सब जगह रहता है

जब कोई व्यक्ति, किसी दस ू रे व्यक्ति से पूछता है , कि "बताइए, ईश्वर कहां रहता है ?" तो प्रायः सभी लोग सीधा सा उत्तर दे ते हैं , कि "ईश्वर तो सब जगह रहता है ." जी हां। यह बात कहने में बड़ी सरल दिखती है । परंतु मन मस्तिष्क में बैठती कम है , कि "ईश्वर सब जगह रहता है ।" यदि ईश्वर सब जगह रहता है , और वह चेतन भी है , अर्थात ज्ञानवान भी है । "तो क्या वह हर समय हमें दे खता है वा नहीं?" "यदि हां। तो क्या हमें इस बात का ध्यान रहता है , कि हर समय ईश्वर हमें दे ख रहा है ?" "जी नहीं। लोगों को इस बात का ध्यान नहीं रहता, कि 'ईश्वर उन्हें 24 घंटे दे ख रहा है ।' बल्कि वे तो सारा दिन ईश्वर को भूले ही रहते हैं ।" लोग भले ही ईश्वर को भूल जाएं, फिर भी ईश्वर तो हर समय सबको दे खता ही है । वह कभी नहीं भूलता। इतना ही नहीं, वह तो हर समय सबको प्रेरित भी करता है , कि "यह काम अच्छा है , इसे कर लो। और यह काम बुरा है , इसे मत करो।" जब व्यक्ति किसी काम को करते समय अपने अंदर भय शंका लज्जा का अनुभव करता है , तो समझना चाहिए, कि यह ईश्वर की ओर से दी गई सूचना है , कि "यह काम बुरा है , इसे नहीं करना चाहिए।" और "जब किसी काम को करते समय अंदर से आनंद उत्साह निर्भयता इत्यादि अनुभव हो, तो समझना चाहिए, कि ईश्वर इस बात की सूचना दे रहा है , कि "यह काम अच्छा है , इसे कर लेना चाहिए।" "इस प्रकार से यदि व्यक्ति पूरे दिन सावधान रहे , ईश्वर की सूचनाओं पर ध्यान दे ता रहे , तो वह ईश्वर को पूरे दिन याद

रख सकता है , और चिंता तनाव आदि से बचकर आनन्दमय जीवन जी सकता है ।" आप भी ऐसा प्रयत्न करें । छोटे छोटे सरल कार्यों को करते समय, जैसे सैर, व्यायाम, भोजन, झाड़ू लगाते समय, कपड़े धोते समय, दिन भर थोड़ा-थोड़ा ईश्वर को स्मरण करते रहें , कि "ईश्वर हमारे मार्गदर्शक गुरु के समान है । वह हर समय हमें सूचनाएं दे कर हमारी रक्षा करता है ।" "यदि आप इस प्रकार से ईश्वर को सारा दिन याद रखेंगे, तो आप भी बुराइयों से बचेंगे, अच्छे काम करें गे, और सारा दिन प्रसन्न रहें गे।स्वामी विवेकानंद परिव्राजक जी ओ३म ्

Acharya Bramdeo Mokoonlall Hindu Center of Atlanta

20 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Samaj Havan Yajna Satsang at Queensland Vedic Cultural Centre

For further information on Havan Satsang program at Queensland Vedic Cultural Centre 198 Learoyd Road Willawong QLD 4110 please contact Vice President Mrs.Sushila Pathik 33146059 ओ३म ्

VED Prachaar वेद प्रचार

Arya Pratinidhi Sabha of Queensland Inc members held a very enlightening rewarding, inspiring and successful VED prachaar on Sunday 24/07/2022 at Queensland Vedic Cultural Centre.

Well versed and proficient Pracharak Pandit Kamlesh Arya Ji spoke so eloquently with forceful expression explaining VEDIC mantras with clarity, simplicity and with unambiguity, the audience easily understanding and appreciating the eye-opening presentation.

The message from the Pracharak who was well acquainted was definite and relevant to our daily lives and we deeply appreciate the time and effort from Pandit Ji. The receptive audience also very much enjoyed the heart

touching comforting Vedic bhajans.

Members had made outstanding arrangements for a delicious, mouth watering dinner for all.

We express our deep gratitude, appreciation to everyone who contributed in any way and participated in the VED prachaar program. क्वींसलैंड आर्य प्रतिनिधि सभा के सदस्यों ने रविवार चौबीस जुलाई को क्वींसलैंड वैदिक सांस्कृ तिक केंद्र में एक बहुत ही ज्ञानवर्धक, प्रेरक और सफल वेद प्रचार का आयोजन किया। कुशल विद्वान प्रचारक पंडित कमलेश आर्य जी ने वैदिक मंत्रों को स्पष्टता और सरलता से सभा में उपस्थित सभी लोगों को समझायाI श्रोतागण ज्ञानवान ्, विवेकी प्रचारक की आंख खोलने वाली व्याख्या और प्रस्तुति से अत्यंत प्रसन्न और संतुष्ट थे और उसकी सराहना की खासकर तथा विशेष रूप से जब उन्होंने अपने दै निक जीवन के सुधार से संबंधित बातें सुनीं । हम उन सभी लोगों को

बहुत बहुत धन्यवाद दे ना चाहते हैं जिन्होंने इस महत्वपूर्ण वेद प्रचार के आयोजन में समाज की सहायता कीI धन्यवाद नमस्ते जी ओ३म ् VEDAS are divine and the source of all true knowledge.

Knowledge which is given right in the beginning of human creation of the universe. VEDAS are for all human beings, they do not belong to any particular community, caste, country or religion. VEDAS promote Universal Approachuniversality universal brotherhood विश्व-भाईचारा and Equality-समानता. VEDAS are free from historical events and details of the mankind.

VEDAS paves the way for all round development of life.

VEDAS tell us how to live life and how to attain salvation (moksh). VEDAS are true, eternal and complete-they have all the ingredients for

all the time you do not need to add anything at any time.

Scientific, logical, rational knowledge contained in the VEDAS conforms and is compatible with the principles of natue and science. ईश्वरीय पवित्र दिव्य श्रेष्ठ ज्ञान, वेद ईश्वर प्रदत्त संसार का ,पूर्ण एवं हितकारी ज्ञान है ,जिसको धारण करने से प्रत्येक व्यक्ति को ही नहीं बल्कि प्राणी मात्र को सुख मिल सकता है । VEDAS are the final authority in all matters.

What ever is in the VEDAS is supreme ,it is the self luminous light which needs no other light to establish its validity. The VEDAS are the source of knowledge and being of divine origin they contain all branches of learning.There is nothing related to human life, material or spiritual which has not been referred to in the VEDAS- to be continued

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 21

PART 2: RABUKA V/S BAINIMARAMA: WHEN BAINIMARAMA ABDICATES HIS POSITION AS PM OF FIJI

Thakur Ranjit Singh, FIJI PUNDIT

A Summary of Part 1: In Part 1, we told of the two choices between Rabuka and Bainimarama for the upcoming election in Fiji, and how Rabuka reformed into a gentleman after apologising and repenting his sins of 1987. On the other hand, Bainimarama was seemingly a good noble man when he removed Qarase in 2006, promising to clean up Fiji. Then I was his ardent supporter for the good things he promised. However, Bainimarama started changing and I changed my views on him since HIS Deputy, the Attorney General took control and Bainimarama started to change for the worse through bad advice, bad company, bad direction and bad influence. It was because of his betrayal that I changed sides. The story continues in Part 2….

PART 2 Since Bainimarama’s abdication of Prime Ministership seat of the country to his Attorney General (AG), Aiyaz Sayed -Khaiyum, Fiji has really gone to the gutter and became a country of shame, abusing its democratic principles under two -men rule. Democratic institutions were trashed upon and democratic conventions trampled upon. Special laws were passed overnight, either to reward cronies or punish or remove opponents.

This has been unheard of in any other civilised democracy.

Fiji needs to be rescued – we owe it to our new generation. I don’t have to enumerate the list of nepotism, favouritism, bad practices, rape of democratic principles and other issues when some media also appear to have become lapdogs - paltu kutta of the government.

Propaganda Model, the theory of media I studied in media school became reality where media that benefit from government suck

up to the regime and become its marketing machine, and hence spread propaganda for its leaders and turn into a weapon for the opponents. Under the Propaganda Model of media, some media benefitting from a government degenerate as a cheerleader and a mere business where journalism becomes a mistress of those in power.

Fiji now has unprecedented levels of poverty, hospitals have degenerated as death houses, decaying infrastructure, as evidenced by frequent water cuts and power outages, assault on human rights, silenced and bullied media, extraordinarily high levels of external debt, blatant nepotism, religious- skewed favours and mismanagement at all levels. And some media do not report the bare facts. Others are gagged with designed legislation and other threats. Media freedom, apart from other freedoms, have also become mistress of the regime. Fiji had never descended so low.

Opposition against the regime seem to have angered a group of Facebook imposters, led by a faceless Max Ram and joined by other trolls from Fiji First, who have gone dirty, involving my family in the equation. It can only come from a certain group of people associated with Fiji First and those close to them. My intelligence tells me this is from a group of young University people earning very lucrative money by doing public relations (PR) jobs facilitated by Fiji First and friends and relatives of the regime. It reflects on the level of dirtiness to which Bainimarama’s Party has degenerated into, and more the reason why they have to be removed.

A serious matter of concern on this regime is adulteration of our Immigration department which would need urgent enquiry and cleansing once Fiji is rescued from the abuse of Fiji First government.

Please read below.

NEO - GIRMIT FROM BANGLADESH? Despite years of speculation and concerns on influx of unskilled residents from one particular country, taking away our unskilled jobs, especially from Ba to Nadi area, Government all of a sudden have come out admitting there are 3,000 Bangladeshis in Fiji.

This was revealed by Defence Minister, Inia Seruiratu, speaking in

People’s Alliance Party (PAP) leader, Sitiveni Rabuka July, 2022 during the establishment of the Bangladesh Fiji Association committee.

This raises so many questions.

What has this got to do with DefenceMinister? Who is the Immigration Minister?

This unannounced unilateral international policy of Fiji Government raises many questions.

Who is the IMMIGRATION MINISTER WHO APPROVED THIS? Who authorised such a huge intake from a country which traditionally never had any working relations with Fiji?

Why such large unskilled numbers, when unemployment in Fiji is high?

Do they all belong to any particular faith?

Are there any more? More than 3,000?

Weren’t such labourers available in India, with who Fiji has over 50 years of High Commission relationship, when we have no direct links to Bangladesh? Why this favoured country?

From which other countries do we have such numbers of migrants.

Pakistan? Shri Lanka? Somalia?

Afghanistan?

On what visa are they in Fiji?

Will they be able to vote? How long have they been here? WILL THEY BECOME FIJI RESIDENTS? Have they inter-married locally, with village girls of their faith?

What citizenship will their children have, if any are born in Fiji?

Have they been allocated some Itaukei land to settle in rural areas between Ba and Nadi rural areas?

Are some running market stalls in local municipal markets?

Is not it time for all Fijians to be worried about this neo-Girmit from Bangladesh by stealth?

Was a public debate held before opening floodgates to Fiji to one particular country with one particular belief? Does any Minister own Fiji and future of our

Jesus said “I am The Way…” Jesus said “Arise and Shine…”

Key Verse:

Jesus answered, “I am The Way and The Truth and The Life. No one come to the father except through Me.” - John 14:6 NLT. Dear Reader, We are excited to bring you the greatest good news on this planet.

Our theme simple and clear. It is to make God real and personal. And to bring insightful understanding to

your life. We know that God Himself has re-vealed is character and nature as a very real Person.

Let us establish this, that God is not an object or an image or imagination of human mind. God is

22 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

a living and loving person. We find this amazing reve-lation in the pages of Holy Bible. Keep reading with an open heart and humble spirit. You will encounter your Creator today.

You don’t need a thousand years for your Salvation (Mukti). You can receive your greatest miracle ‘Mukti’ today. This is the confidence you can have in Christ alone.

When we believe that our life is like a journey, we need to know the right ways to navigate. Not all roads lead to Rome as people said in the past. Suppose, when you need to go to meet your Father who is living in Cairns; and you live in Canberra, what way are going to choose? Do you drive south? You may many

generations? Does opposition know about this What is happening in Fiji while Bainimarama is asleep on the job?

I was talking to a friend of mine in Ba and he mentioned he saw some people on the streets in Yalalevu who looked Indian, he spoke and found the accent unusual. Upon enquiry, he was told that this guy was from ‘Bangladesh” and my friend thought he was from such a named settlement near Yalalevu, in Ba, Fiji.

No, said this guy, “me from country of Bangladesh, former West Pakistan, near India.” Similar stories are also in Lautoka, Nadi and other areas in the West as well. I wonder how many of such “foreigners” have been fast-tracked into residency in Fiji? Will they be able to vote in the next election?

Are they a vote bank of Fiji First?

What an immigration scandal we have on our hands in Fiji, while Bainimarama naps.

A matter of shame for Hindus is that the largest Hindu organisation, Shri Sanatan Pratinidhi Sabha of Fiji seems to have become a lapdog, a paltu kutta of the Fiji First Government, with some top officials reportedly gaining the freebies and favors of the government.

Perhaps this shows the reason why India was in shackles of Moghuls and the British for a thousand years because of betrayal and disunity in their own people.

This is happening to Sanatani Hindus in Fiji who are misled by their opportunist leaders. Indeed, a shame for Hindus to be so gullible under a wanting leadership of their organisation.

While racial inequality existed in Fiji since colonial days, religious inequality is a new phenomenon, which only came in since Fiji First came into power and Bainimarama abdicated his position to his deputy. This sort of religious-based inequality had never existed in history of Fiji. One may ask, since when people belonging to a certain religion have overnight acquired such extraordinary skills and IQ to beat Hindus, Christians, Sikhs and others of Fiji for most top positions? If not found locally, we import then from overseas, It never happened in Fiji’s history. And particularly, never since Fiji independence in 1970 in Ratu Mara's Alliance, Rabuka's SVT, Qarase's SDL and Chaudhry 's People's Coalition. option. But There is only one right choice. Suppose you only have 3 days to reach your father, and there are no flights or trains to Cairns, you will begin to look for a right way drive and navigate your car. You will not waste a single moment of your 3 days to plan your trip.

Friends, life is really very short journey, therefore don’t try all different ways to find the right way.

But why not listen to a God crafted compass in your heart?This compass will point your to true Heavenly Father, your Creator and your God. We as humans have one life and one opportunity to seek and find The True way to God. Listen to a deep and gentle call of Jesus inside your heart today.

Jesus said I am the Way…the truth and life. He did not say I know a way or I am like one of the way. He gives complete assurance and confidence

Riaz Sayed- Khaiyum, Deputy PM and Attorney General, and Prime Minister, Frank Bainimarama

Sitiveni Rabuka and Frank Bainimarama How come it started under Fiji First’s Bainimarama when they reportedly commenced religious cleansing of Hindus, Sikhs and Christians from top positions to be replaced by people and relatives of one favored religion? If anybody raises their concerns, they are immediately branded as religious bigots, as I will be.

Why is this allowed to happen under guise of democracy? My stand is against injustice in Fiji and dictatorship masquerading as democracy, not against any religion, but an obvious injustice this is my journalistic ethics crying out against injustice committed to people of Fiji, disguised as democracy.

Injustice anywhere is threat to justice everywhere. Bainimarama forgot his pledge to clean up Fiji, which has now sunk in deeper dirt than when he removed Qarase.

People are asking, where is that noble (healthier and slimmer) Bainimarama of 2006? Now he appears to have become a mere to a last soul. His purpose is to lead all humanity to Truth and Life. Therefore, ask your-self this question; What is the Truth?

Truth is not a philosophy or an idea of human imagination or traditional practices. What is Best definition of Truth? Truth is a Person.

That Person is completely defined and perfectly expressed through the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.

Today, take time to ask yourself a simple and a humble question; “I am truly travelling on the right way?”.

And find your answer in the words of John 14:6, Jesus said, I am the way.

Consider these important questions: Is there a perfect way to find God? Is there a purpose for your life?

How can someone understand that way?

The answer is found in Jesus Christ. He is the Perfect Way and

puppet of somebody else. That is most worrying for Fiji and those who wish to vote him back in power just because once he was a noble man. Now he appears to be under a big spell, and some claim it may be some sort of voodoo or Ojha’s (witchdoctor’s) work.

But in time to come, if Fiji First remains in power, any tensons in Fiji will NOT be only confined to RACIAL tension, but RELIGIOUS one as well if the current reported floodgates at the Immigration department continues unabated, and favoritism is shown to people of one particular belief in appointment to top positions.

Therefore, the future of Fiji now is in hands of its people – you get a government you deserve.

[Continued in Part 3 - a shocking revelation rarely spoken before…see this space] [About the Author: Thakur Ranjit Singh is former Publisher of Fiji’s Daily Post newspaper. He is a media commentator, a journalist and runs his blog, FIJI PUNDIT.] right way to lead to a life filled with peace, love and joy. Hear the gentle voice of Jesus in your heart today; He assures by saying, “For created you, I, the Lord is your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.” (Isaiah 41:13) Therefore, we invite you to pray this with a sincere heart; “Dear Father God, today I thank you for your word that has touched my heart. I repent of my wrongs and I confess with my mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and I believe in my heart that Jesus died for my sins, God raised Jesus from the dead for my Mukti (Salvation). Now, help me to know Jesus more and more so that I can grow in the knowledge of your grace and mercy. Teach me your ways so that I can be person who will learn to honour you and learn to love each other. Amen.

Email: navig8grace@gmail.com

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 23

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was the first Prime Minister of Independent India. He is considered as the architect of modern India. He was a principal leader of the Independence movement and fought against the British rule. He was imprisoned several times and spent around nine years in various jails during the national struggle.

Origin Jawaharlal’s ancestor Raj Kaul, a Kashmiri Pandit, had migrated from the Kashmir valley to Delhi around 1716.

In Delhi, he was granted a Jagir with a house situated on the banks of a Nahar, canal. Nehru derived from Nahar eventually became his descendants’ surname.

Jawaharlal’s great grandfather, Lakshmi Narayan Nehru was the first lawyer of the East India Company in the imperial court in Delhi. His grandfather Gangadhar Nehru was Kotwal of Delhi before the revolt of 1857.

The family lost almost all its possessions during the revolt and moved to Agra.

His father Motilal Nehru was born in Agra on sixth of May 1861 as a posthumous child. Two uncles were already young when they shifted to Agra. His younger uncle Nandlal Nehru became a lawyer in Agra and later he moved to Prayagraj with the family when a High Court was established there.

Motilal became a lawyer and practiced at the High Court in Prayagraj. He was a self-made wealthy barrister and a leading national leader.

Jawaharlal Nehru was born on the 14th November 1889 in Prayagraj. His mother Swarup Rani managed the household and later participated in the freedom movement.

Early life - Nehru grew up in the atmosphere of privilege. He was educated at home by private governesses and tutors. At around the age of eleven a new tutor Ferdinand Brooks was engaged to teach him. Brooks was a theosophist and under his influence Nehru joined the Theosophical Society.

In 1905 Nehru went to England for education. He was admitted to Harrow School. After two years of study, he left Harrow and joined Trinity College Cambridge in October 1907.

He graduated in 1910 with an honours degree in natural sciences.

After completing the bachelor degree he studied law at Inner Temple Inn in London. He completed the two-year law degree and was called to the Bar in the summer of 1912. In autumn of the same year, he returned to India after a stay of over seven years.

During his stay in England he was also interested in studying politics, economics, history and literature.

He kept himself aware of events in Indian politics and international affairs.

On his return to India, he enrolled as an advocate of the Allahabad High Court

and tried to settle down as a barrister. However, the profession did not stimulate his intellect. He was inclined towards involvement in national politics.

As a delegate, he attended the Patna session of the Indian National Congress during Christmas 1912. He noticed that the session was an English-knowing upper social gathering and he doubted its effectiveness.

However, he joined Congress and agreed to work for the party, in support of the Indian civil rights movement led by Mahatma Gandhi in South Africa and agitation against the Fiji Indenture System.

Nehru married Kamala Kaul in 1916 on Vasant Panchami day. The following year, their daughter Indira was born on 19th November 1917.

Freedom fighter During World War I, the revolutionary activities were rife against the government.

The government suppressed them through oppressive censorship acts.

Nehru spoke out against those acts.

Indian leaders believed that the war as an opportunity to demand Home Rule for India. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak set up Home Rule Leagues in 1916. Nehru supported the Leagues and joined both groups. He first met Mahatma Gandhi at the Lucknow Congress session in 1916.

Nehru was totally insulated from the conditions of the poor in India. However, in June 1920, he came in contact with farmers who had come to Prayagraj to draw attention of national leaders to their plights. On their insistence, he visited villages and witnessed their terrible condition and their exploitation by landlords and local administration.

He realised that multitudes of India lived in villages and improvement of their condition should be a part of the national struggle.

During 1919, an

24 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

oppressive act known as Rowlatt Act was passed.

Gandhi decided to oppose the Act and started the Noncooperation Movement, Satyagrah. Nehru joined the movement in 1920 and led it in the United Province, modern Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested in December 1921 and sentenced to six months imprisonment, but was released after serving three months of the sentence.

After release, he led the boycott of foreign cloth as a part of the movement. He was re-arrested after only six weeks of freedom and sentenced to a year and nine months jail term. He was released from jail in January 1923. He was elected to the position of the Chairman of Allahabad Municipality in April 1923.

In autumn of 1923, Nehru was arrested and jailed in Nabha, a princely state, where Sikhs were demonstrating against a new administration installed by the colonial government. At Nabha gaol, he was infected with typhoid, which kept him bedridden for weeks after his release.

In December 1923, Nehru was appointed to the position of All-India Congress secretary. He carried out the constructive and social reform program of Congress.

In December 1924, when Gandhi became the party president and Nehru was again the secretary.

In March 1926, Nehru travelled to Europe for medical treatment of his wife Kamala Nehru in Switzerland.

During his stay in Europe, he sought foreign support for Indian independence.

As an Indian National Congress representative, he attended the Congress of Oppressed Nationalities held at Brussels in February 1927. He was elected to the Executive Council of the League against Imperialism.

He visited Moscow during the tenth anniversary celebration of

the Soviet Union. He returned to India in December 1927.

Nehru was one of the first leaders to stress that the Congress Party should seek full independence from Britain. He presented to Congress a number of resolutions including one on Indian Independence. An All Party Conference was held under the chairmanship of Motilal Nehru. He issued the ‘Nehru Report’, which sought Dominion status within a year by December 1929. The British did not submit to the demand.

Nehru was the President of the Lahore Congress session in 1929. During this session, his resolution on Complete Independence and actions to be taken to advance the freedom struggle was almost unanimously passed. 26 January 1930 was declared the Independence day.

After the Lahore session, Nehru emerged as the paramount leader of the Indian independence movement.

The country saw Nehru as the natural successor to Gandhi. People addressed him as Bharat Bhushan, Jewel of India and Tyagmurti, the embodiment of sacrifice.

Gandhi started his Civil Disobedience movement with the Dandi Salt March.

Nehru organised illegal salt events in his province.

He was subjected to police beatings by batons, arrested on 14th April 1930 and sentenced to six months of jail.

Nehru was released from jail in October 1930 and participated in a “no tax” campaign in rural areas. Agriculturists were demanding relief from excessive taxes. He was arrested again after only eight days of freedom and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

However, he was discharged from prison on 26 January 1931, as his father’s condition was serious. Motilal Nehru passed away on February 6,

1931.

The British Government continued their clampdown on Congress. Nehru was again arrested on December 26, 1931 and sentenced to two years imprisonment for organising and supporting agrarian agitations. He was released on August 30, 1933 due to his mother’s serious illness. She passed away in 1938.

In his speeches in December 1933 and January 1934, Nehru denounced imperialism. For this he was arrested and sentenced to two years of imprisonment.

In September 1935, he was released, as Kamala Nehru was seriously ill and receiving treatment in Germany. Her doctor had advised that she would not survive long. Nehru went to Germany and both moved to Lausanne in Switzerland.

Kamala Nehru died on February 28, 1936. Carrying her ashes, Nehru returned to India in March 1936.

In 1936, Nehru was again elected Congress president and made radical statements of a socialist nature. In 1937, he visited Burma and Malaya. In 1938 he visited Europe and sought support for Indian independence.

The same year, he started his own newspaper National Herald. Through editorials, he outlined his views and future directions for national movement.

During World War II, the Colonial Government dragged India into the war without consulting Indian leaders.

Indian leaders sought a guarantee that the British would grant independence after the end of war, which was denied.

Nehru joined the Satyagrah led by Gandhi in late 1940. He was arrested and sentenced for four years imprisonment. It was his eighth sentence. Nehru was released after 13 months in December 1941.

On August 8, 1942 Congress started the Quit India Movement asking the British to leave India immediately.

The entire leadership of Congress was arrested. Nehru remained in prison from 1942 to 1945. On 14 June 1945, Nehru, along with other national leaders was released from jail.

He became the head of the Interim government that was formed in 1946. The Muslim League demanded a separate country and spread religious violence throughout the country. The British divided the country into India and Pakistan before relinquishing power.

They left the nation in a horrible condition.

Prime Minister - Nehru gave his renowned speech “Tryst with Destiny” and declared India as an Independent nation on 15 August 1947. He became its first Prime Minister and raised the national flag at the Red Fort. India faced numerous challenges as an independent country.

Nehru was troubled by events in Kashmir. On the advice of Lord Mountbatten,

he submitted the case of Kashmir to the UN Security Council. Subsequently the British took pro-Pakistani position and the case remains unresolved to this day.

Nehru steered the nation, and worked for its economic progress, social harmony and strove for an honourable place for India, in the community of nations.

He sought to unite various groups of the nation and led the government that included ministers from other parties.

He established the National Planning Commission, which implemented five-year plans for economic development.

He understood that the backwardness of the nation could be removed through education, science, technology and increase in agricultural and industrial production.

Major educational and research institutions were started during his leadership. All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, Indian Institute of Technology, Indian Space Research Organisations and many others are his creations.

He started multipurpose projects such as Bhakra Nangal and Damodar Valley projects for irrigation, flood control and electricity generation. Industrial plants such as fertiliser plants, heavy engineering and other manufacturing plants, steel plants, and thermal and nuclear power stations were set up. He called institutions and plants the temples of modern India. He discarded religious taboos and thought them impediment to progress.

He worked for peace in the world. He introduced the concept of Panch-Sheel, five principles in international affairs. He was the founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement that united developing countries of Asia, Africa and South America.

He offered friendship to China and during his trip to China he was welcomed by the slogan ‘Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai’. However, in 1962, China invaded India and occupied its bordering areas. The border dispute is still unsettled. The betrayal

by China is believed to have affected Nehru’s health, and he eventually died on 27 May 1964 due to a heart attack.

Nehru was a prolific writer. He wrote Glimpses of World History, An Autobiography and The Discovery of India, all written during his time in jails. These books remain a valuable source of information for understanding Indian history, the independence struggle and his interpretation of world history.

In 1955, Nehru was awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. His birthday is celebrated as Bal Diwas, Children’s Day in India.

—Awadhesh Sharma web: hinduguru.com.au

Soup Kitchen & Café officially opened at the Vedanta Centre “Feeding the community through our Soup Kitchen & Café” Our Motto: Service to Beings is Service to God. The Vedanta Centre in Springfield Lakes is a non-profit spiritual organization and branch of the Ramakrishna Order founded in the late 19th century India. The Vedanta Centre strives to facilitate individual spiritual growth and service to the society through benevolent activities like free food relief, activities for children & youth, yoga, meditation, workshops and volunteer opportunities. The Centre in Springfield Lakes has a café & soup kitchen, community garden, bookshop & function hall.

Monk in Charge of the Vedanta Centre Brisbane, Swami Atmeshananda reflects, “In 2013, I had seen news reports about lack of proper food experienced by elderly and needy. The first food relief in the Ramakrishna order was organized by Sri Ramakrishna himself on his way to pilgrimage when he saw starving people by the roadside.

He sat amongst their midst and vowed not to leave them until food and clothing was organized for them.

Swami Vivekananda says “So long as the millions live in hunger and ignorance, I hold every person a traitor who, having been educated at their expense, pays not the least heed to them!”

When this building in Springfeld Lakes was designed, we kept a

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provision for a commercial kitchen.

We started the food relief programme here in July 2020 which coincided with the Covid pandemic.”

Stage 1 of the commercial kitchen was completed in June 2020, coinciding with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This cafeteria/ kiosk kitchen with commercial license enabled volunteers of the Centre to start the Vedanta Soup Kitchen which would provide free meals to the community.

Stage 2 of the commercial kitchen, which is the fit-out of a larger internal kitchen, was inaugurated on Saturday 30th July 2022. This purpose-built facility together with the existing cafeteria kitchen will enable us to expand our food assistance programmes.

Vedanta Soup Kitchen The Vedanta Soup Kitchen prepares wholesome vegetarian meals. Volunteers plan, cook and pack the meals. Approximately 450 free meals are distributed every month. Since we started the Vedanta Soup Kitchen in July 2020, more than 10,000 free meals have been provided to people in need.

We have worked with a number of other organizations by supplying them frozen meals: Westside Community Care (Camira), Goodna Street Life, The Base Youth Services, Youth Justie Ipswich, QLD Youth and Families Support Services, The

Breakfast Club Redcliffe & SOP Gold Coast.

The Vedanta Centre established a relationship with Foodbank QLD from where we are able to access subsidized groceries. We have been providing grocery hampers to local people in need as well as the frozen meals.

From the beginning our belief is that anyone who comes to us for help is in need. There is no eligibility criteria and we don’t ask about their financial situation. People may need help due to other reasons like mental health or loneliness.

Emergency Meals Service During the hailstorm in 2020, Cr Yonic helped us to distribute food to the frontline workers in Springfield Lakes.

When the first COVID outbreak hit Brisbane earlier this year, our volunteers cooked after work and delivered about 600 meals to people who were isolating in their homes.

Maa Sarada’s Kitchen Café Maa Sarada’s Kitchen cafe at the Vedanta Centre opened in March 2020.The Café is run by volunteers with operating hours every Saturday from 10am to 1pm. Delicious food is served at reasonable rates. All proceeds go to support the charitable activities of the Vedanta Centre.

Patrons of the café are encouraged to donate $5 which will sponsor a free

frozen meal to someone in need via our Vedanta Soup Kitchen.

About 60 active volunteers participate in running the Café, some weekly and others intermittently. On average the Café takes 100 orders and sees at least 200 people come through the space every Saturday.

People from all backgrounds come to eat and volunteer. Everyone is welcome at Maa Sarada’s Kitchen café! We especially encourage people in our community who are experiencing social isolation and unemployment. Volunteering at the Cafe provides the opportunity to make new friendships and gain new skills and confidence.

New Kitchen Operating from the small kiosk has become difficult due to space constraint. The new kitchen will enable us to operate more efficiently and expand the services.

The fit out of the new kitchen was completed at a cost of $145,000. We would like to thank the following donors for their generous contributions:- Shayne Neumann, MP for $15000 grant under Stronger community programme by the Department of Industry, Science,Energy and Resources in 2021 for the kitchen exhaust and ventilation. Ipswich council’s grant of $15000 under the ICC Major Funding towards supply and installation of coldroom. Honda Foundation $26000 towards equipment purchase. Sisters

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of charity also supported with a generous donation of $10,000. Annie Danks Trust made a grant of $17000 for three years of running the kitchen.

We thank all the volunteers, supporters, local government, state government, federal government and the general public for their help in carrying out this service.

From the beginning our belief is that anyone who comes to us for help is in need. There is no eligibility criteria and we don’t ask about their

financial situation. People may need help due to other reasons like mental health or loneliness. Sustaining this service is even more important with the rising cost of food & housing that is affecting many families in the greater Springfield area.

If you would like to sponsor meals for the needy via the Vedanta Soup Kitchen please contact info@ vedantabrisbane.org Full sponsor for one day cooking $450 (150 meals), Part sponsor $250.

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 25

The Mystery behind the incarnation of Lord Krishna Janmashtami is the birthday of that Lord whose life shows the brilliance of that Supreme Brahman

The content of this article is taken from the satsang (spiritual discourse) of H.H. Sant Shri Asharam ji Bapu. Swami Vivekananda addressed the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in September 1893.

100 years after him, Pujya Bapu Ji addressed the same Parliament in September 1993 and the whole parliament reverberated with the chanting of Hari Om. Both of these worldrenowned spiritual leaders addressed the audience for much longer period than the given time and the audience were absorbed in listening to them.

To save the youth who are being ruined due to the lustful festivals like valentine’s day, in 2007 Pujya Bapu ji-initiated celebrations of MatriPitri Pujan Diwas (Parents worship day) on 14th February. Pujya Bapu ji felt that, due to the blind imitation of Western culture there has been a steep rise in the incidences of alcoholism, suicide, and other immoral activities, especially among the youth during the last week of December. To rescue the youth from this debauchery and denigration, Pujya Bapu ji came up with the idea of worshipping a sacred Tulsi plant (holy basil). So, with a view to awaken the cultural pride of the India and to save the countrymen from mental slavery, in 2014, he initiated celebration of Tulsi poojan on 25th December.

This year Janmashtami will be celebrated on 18th August 2022 in India and on 19th August 2022 in Australia. Praising the glory of the incarnation of Lord Krishna, Bapu ji tells that the birthday celebration of Lord Krishna is mysterious.

The all-pervading Supreme Brahman who, understanding the need for and importance of humans, invented and accepted various dimensions to ensure the progress of every level of individuals in society. The incarnation of the omnipresent Supreme Brahman assuming a form with attributes to awaken the Jiva (individual soul) in his innate greatness by singing, dancing, eating, feeding and enjoying life, is the incarnation of Lord Krishna.

The secret of playing the role of a cowherd When the administrative power on Earth went into haughty and lustful hands; the power of Dharma (religion) into the hands of selfish people and the political power into the hands of exploiters of the public; people lost their Krishna - the bliss.

The love, the laughter, independence, and the ability to get inherent joy possessed by people were destroyed. Shri Krishna realised that efforts to uplift people by becoming their superior would not work.

And they would disregard me if I make efforts to uplift them, considering them elders. They would not be able to get the benefits of my efforts. So, let me dance, sing and hum with them as their equal so that they are uplifted.

The secret of birth in jail Shri Krishna did not live like a prince or an emperor in his childhood. He was born in a prison cell to symbolise that the jiva has been imprisoned for thousands of births. If you want to see prisoners, you only have to go to jail. On the one hand Shri Krishna goes into jail to release prisoners, and on the other hand he enjoys absolute freedom according to the jnanis (Self-realized men).

Everyone looked upon Lord Krishna's form according to the concept each had about Him, because He is Poorna Avatar.

The friends (cowherds) saw Krishna as a friend, the wrestlers Chanura and Mushtik as a wrestler, Kansa as death, Yogis as the Lord of Yogis, devotees as God and cowherd girls as their beloved, and Vasudeva as his son. Vedanta states: 'The same Krishna, the same consciousness assumes various forms - a son, a beloved, death, life, our own and a stranger in different places.

The people of India believe in 33 crore deities. Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh are major gods. There are three stages the universe passes through - Creation (birth), sustenance (life) and destruction (death); and Brahma, Vishnu

26 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

and Mahesh are their respective gods. Creation and destruction of the universe is not in our hands, but Life surely is. So, our blissful songs should resound in this life only, hence the Supreme Aadi Narayan Lord Vishnu incarnated as an endearing baby for that purpose, the name of this form is Shri Krishna.

It is not (true) that Shri Krishna does right acts at right times, instead whatever act He does becomes right.

When selfishness is gone, every act being done by the Self realized person is right.

The secret of worshipping Govardhan Hill When power and wealth are worshipped in society, the human being, blinded by its glamour becomes oblivious of inner reality (inner Self) and inner wealth. Hence Lord Krishna, through tricks and humour, rectifies these mistakes to awaken the consciousness of the person.

Krishna's lila depicts this act well.

People worshipped Indra,

the symbol of wealth and power. So, Krishna said, "We worship Indra every year. Let us worship Govardhan Hill this year.

The Sanskrit word 'Go' also refers to Upanishads.

Worship the 'wealth of the Upanishads' means worship of our Atman, the truth absolute, while sitting at the lotus feet of Self-realized great men is the worship of Govardhan Hill. If you have the wealth of Self-knowledge and understanding, zeal and courage, even without having material wealth and power you can worship the great Govardhan without caring about the support of socalled big guns who have power and wealth. The men possessing wealth and power might possibly suppress, threaten and intimidate you, but still Lord Krishna is with you, Self-god is with you. Make efforts like the cowherds applied their sticks to support the hill, then He will lift the hill on his little finger, and you will not be distressed even by mountain-like sorrow. It will become a protective

shield for you. Seeing such plays of Krishna, even the regulatory bodies felt insecure of their might on the public. They were worried as to who will now be governed by us. The blind laws of Kansa cannot trap Krishna. The more he tries to capture Krishna, the more he is compelled to run away.

Intellect should be applied to practice in life.

Intellectuals misused their intellect exploiting people, and people of an emotional temperament became frightened.

Hence, the need of the hour was to take birth among the sentimental, simple innocent people and develop their intellect and wisdom through amusement and blessing them with pure love.

Krishna's goal would be to develop wisdom to such an extent that the person becomes free from the cycle of birth and death being awakened in his own glory.

Then your goal is accomplished Believers of Krishna

do not believe in Him due to His lilas and miracles alone. Performing miracles is not the ultimate goal of life. The ultimate goal is to attain realization of the consciousness which enables one to do the miracle.

Shri Krishna has accepted everything, be it driving a chariot, stealing the butter, making a gesture with a thumb in derision. If Shri Krishna comes now and you ask him to play a drum or bugle, he would even agree to that.

The life of Lord Krishna reflects the heart of Vallabhacharyaji and Ramanandji, the knowledge of Shankaracharyaji and the lila of Kabirji. The way the entire universe exists in the Absolute Brahman, all dimensions are accepted in the life of Lord Krishna.

So, the celebration of Lord Krishna's birthday is ever fresh, even after thousands of years because it has been touching the human mind.

Janmashtami is the birthday of that Lord whose life shows the brilliance of that Supreme Brahman, Supreme Self in fullness. We salute Him again and again. Our goal is not achieved merely by singing and dancing on His name, making shouts of victory, or lighting a lamp before Him, which indeed is the beginning of the journey. The goal is achieved when you realise the eternal Supreme Being dwelling in your heart and get liberated from the endless cycle of birth and death.

To listen 24X7 live divine Satsang of Pujya Bapu Ji, please search “Mangalmay live” on google, visit http:// www.ashram.org/live or search “THE SBM STUDIO” on you Tube. By the Divine Inspiration of Bapu ji, the weekly sessions of Bal Sanskar and yoga are held in Brisbane. To know more about His Divine Holiness Bapu Ji, please watch this video. https:// bit.ly/2uZvJuN Shri Yoga Vedanta Seva Samiti Australia & New Zealand Inc. will be distributing free Tulsi plants on Tulsi pujan diwas and free school bags to kids on Matri Pitri Poojan Diwas in all cities of Australia & New Zealand. To get a free copy of monthly spiritual magazine Rishi-Prasad in your mailbox in Australia or to get free online subscription of Rishi -Prasad, please contact by email at bskamd@gmail. com or by WhatsApp/ phone to Ashok Attri and Anu Attri at +61 426 834 434 & +61 405 277 802.

Please read more about our Vedic culture in the next issue of The Brisbane Indian Times.

Australian IndiaN Radio Interviews

July Interviews on Australian Indian Radio BRISBANE, Australian Indian Radio conducts a series of interviews of community interest, Air is approached by many agencies for the interviews conducted by Umesh Chandra OAM. Regular shows include weekly Real Estate Update, Monthly Migration Updates, Legal topic, topical community concerns etc. The interviews can be heard on our social media channels and on our online stream. This month

Australian Indian Radio, apart from the regular shows had the following interviews.

• Sharujan from BrisRaaga team regarding Mega Night 2022

• Gautam Ahuja and Chandra Kachana regarding upcoming event - Guru

Purnima celebrations by Shirdi Sai Sansthan Brisbane If you have any topic that

you would like to discuss, Australian Indian Radio will be more than happy to get you on the show, please contact our office for further information. Delhi based PIO TV has a long association with Brisbane Indian Times and Australian Indian Radio and they produce a daily India report exclusive to Australian Indian Radio Facebook live, the program is live streamed on Facebook live and YouTube channel.

Tourists can't pronounce 'Brisbane' correctly as new survey has Australian city alongside Phuket and Dubai The language learning platform Preply has used Google search data to reveal a list of the most mispronounced places on the planet and how you pronounce them.

Some places are super simple to get right, but good luck with even some of the most famous cities and landmarks. Unfortunately, how to pronounce your favourite holiday hotspots is much more complicated than it should be.

It's a common problem and one that's pretty prevalent when it comes to many of the Australian place names you'll come across.

The city of Brisbane has just been named on a map of place names that people always pronounce wrong, alongside Montreal, Phuket, and Dubai.

To determine the most challenging global destinations to pronounce, Preply compared Google search data around correct pronunciation.

The list of the top places features the most challenging places to pronounce, analyzing a list of 68 places.

Let's see if you're pronouncing some of these places correctly: 1. Brisbane Correct: Bris-bn Incorrect: Bris-BAYNE Forget the letter "a" in Brisbane altogether because Aussies don't even bother pronouncing it. In Australia, it's "Bris-bn," as if there's no vowel at the end of the word at all. The city's overwhelming population of 2.2 million will thank you for correctly saying it.

2. Yosemite National Park, USA Correct: yoh-SEH-muh-dee or yoh-SEH-muh-tee Incorrect: yoh-SEH-mi-nee or YOH-se-might Start with "yoh," like yo-yo. Then put the stress on "seh" as if you're beginning the word "set." Finally, end with "muh" from "mother" and then "tee" from "teeth." When you put it all together, you get "yohSEH-muh-tee."

3. Melbourne Correct: Mel-buhne Incorrect: Mel-born or Mel-burn If you don't put your sunblock on during Australia's sun, you may get a sun-burn in mel-bun. That's right – the "r" in Australia's capital city is silent, but you can shorten it to "MEL" as the locals do.

4. Edinburgh, Scotland Correct: ed-in-bruh or ed-inbuh-ruh Call: (07) 3192 5188

English words, and voila!

11. Ibiza, Spain Correct: ee-BEE-tha Incorrect: ih-BEE-za or eye-BEEtha or ee-BEE-za To pronounce this name like a Spaniard, go with "ee-BEE-tha."

If you're wondering why the "za" turns into "tha," it's because Spain's Spanish dialect requires that "Z" s are pronounced as "th," whereas Latin American Spanish speakers express "Z" s as "s" (i.e., ee-BEE-sa).

Incorrect: ED-in-berg or ED-inbuh-row or EED-in-berg If Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is pronounced 'PITTS-berg', then Edinburgh, Scotland, is pronounced 'ED-in-berg', right?

Wrong.

The two most common and accepted pronunciations of Scotland's capital city are the short 'ED-in-bruh' and the longer 'ED-inbur-uh'.

Scots warn that they speak fast and have a tendency to swallow unnecessary vowels, so make sure you start strong with 'ED-in' and then quickly and softly end with 'bruh' or 'bur-uh'. Keep at it, and you'll be singing 'Flower of Scotland' with your Scottish pals in no time!

5. Bondi Beach, Sydney Correct: bon-die Incorrect: bon-dee Another Aussie locale pronunciation that's hard to nail, Bondi Beach, is a hotspot for visitors coming for the waves of the nearby Icebergs. Its tourism page would, however, like to clarify that native Australians have always called it "bon-die," rather than "bon-dee."

6. Cannes, France Correct: KAN or KAN-uh Incorrect: CON or CONZ or CON-es The first mistake is enunciating the "s" at the end of the word (which is rarely done in French), so start by dropping the "es" altogether. Next, make sure to never pronounce the remaining word as "con" (e.g., "He is a con artist"). Instead, Cannes should sound like "Kan." 7. River Thames, England Correct: TEMZ

Incorrect: THAYMZ It's natural to look at the name "Thames" and assume that the "th" is pronounced just as it is in many other English words: thick, theater, three. However, when referring to the River Thames in England, the "th" is articulated as a "t" and the "ames" shifts to "emz": "TEMZ."

12. Phuket, Thailand Correct: poo-KET Incorrect: FUE-ket or fue-KET or FUH-ket To some people's dismay, the actual pronunciation of Phuket is "poo-KET," starting with a hard "P" and putting stress on the second syllable. Nevertheless, this name might still earn some giggles

from school kids and mischievous adults.

13. Antigua, Antigua and Barbuda Correct: an-TEE-guh Incorrect: an-TEE-gwah Antigua should be expressed as "an-TEE-guh"—like the "U" was never there. But it's likely that once you walk along the white sandy beaches of this Caribbean paradise, you'll forget you were ever annoyed at what to call it in the first place.

14. Dubai, UAE Correct: doo-BAY Incorrect: doo-BYE The classic Arabic version of Dubai replaces the "bye" sound with "bay": "doo-BAY." Then again, roughly 85% of Dubai's population comprises expatriates and immigrants, so the anglicized pronunciation of Dubai ("doo-

BYE") is the most common.

Emphasis is added to dominant syllables.

Amy Pritchett, Learning Success Manager at Preply, said: "There's nothing more embarrassing than arriving at a new holiday destination and mispronouncing its name in front of a local—especially if you butcher the regional accent.

To avoid that awkward encounter, we've researched the most commonly mispronounced places so you never have to worry about these tongue twisters again.

When you learn to say these place names correctly, I encourage you to sound like a native—or at least a savvy tourist."

To view 'The Most Mispronounced Places in the World,' visit: https://preply.com/ en/blog/most-mispronouncedplaces/

8. Louvre Museum, Paris, France Correct: LOO-vruh Incorrect: LOOV or LOO-vray or LOO-vraa or LOO-ver Some travellers go with "LOOvray" whereas others try "LOO-ver."

Many skip the ending altogether and say "LOOV." However, the best way to approximate the French pronunciation in English is to say "LOO-vruh." So now you're ready to check out the Mona Lisa!

9. Versailles, France Correct: vair-SIGH Incorrect: ver-SALES or ver-SAYles Much like the pronunciation of Cannes, French speakers take an ax to the "es" in Versailles. But they don't stop there—the double "L" s at the end aren't pronounced either. After that, there are only two syllables left in the word: "ver" is articulated as "vair" and "sai" sounds like "sigh." This leaves you with "vair-SIGH." On the other hand, if you ever end up in Versailles, Kentucky, stick with "verSALES." 10. Seychelles, East Africa Correct: SAY-shellz Incorrect: say-CHE-les The name of this African archipelago may look like a difficult word to pronounce due to its unique spelling, but it's surprisingly easy to do: "SAY-shellz." All it takes is stringing together two common www.indiantimes.com.au

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 27

Who, What, Where, When...

Whole house at Times Education gala dinner at Hilton hotel

Arpit Singh celebrated his birthday at The Normanby Hotel in Redhill.

Guests to the VIP reception of the Colombian Independence Day

VIP reception for Tongan relief Dinner in Brisbane city hall

Mr. Jonathan Huang, chief PRO for Times Education, addressed the gathering; the father and son displayed beautiful teamwork.

Smiles all round for the birthday boy

Flavors of Colombia during Columbia Independence Day celebration in King George Square

Multicultural community leader at the Tongan relief fundraiser dinner

A packed Brisbane City Hall for Tongan Relief fund raiser dinner 28 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Who, What, Where, When...

In coming and outgoing president of RCBI

The presidential changeover at Rotary Club of Brisbane International

Newly Elected president Arun Raniga delivers his acceptance speech.

The new committee of the Rotary Club of Brisbane International

Invited VIPs at Brisbane City Council Citizenship ceremony

The new citizens proudly displayed their citizenship certificates with Milton Dick MP – the speaker of the Federal Parliament.

A milestone achievement for Brisbane Super Kings – the official opening of the clubhouse amenities complex in Heathwood

Councillor Angela Owen, who has been instrumental in this project, addressed the gathering at the official opening.

The new Club House amenities building for BSK in Heath Wood sports fields.

Call: (07) 3192 5188

www.indiantimes.com.au

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 29

Arya Samaj Queensland

The meaning of "Om" our world. Another way of saying Om is Aum. Aum is the sound of the infinite. Aum is said to be the essence of all mantras and Vedas, the highest of all mantras or divine word. By sound and form, AUM symbolizes the infinite Brahman and the entire universe.

A stands for Creation.

U stands for Preservation.

And finally M stands for Destruction or dissolution.

This represents the Trinity of Jitendra Deo God in Hindu dharma (Brahma, President ASQ Vishnu and Shiva).

Omkar is a religious symbol of The three portions of AUM relate the Hindus. But it is omnipresent to the states of waking, dream and in almost all the major cultures of deep sleep and the three guans (rajas, satva, tamas). The three letters also indicate three planes of existence, heaven, earth and the netherworld. AUM can represent all the words produced by the human vocal organ. A is produced by the throat, U & M by the lips. In the Vedas, AUM is the sound of the Sun, the sound of Light. It is the sound of assent. It has an Virtual Presentations by High Commissioner of Fiji & Prime Minister of Fiji. Cultural Programs & Dinner upward movement and OCTOBER 1 2022 • SATURDAY• 5 PM - 9 PM uplifts the soul, as the VirtualVENUE: Presentations High Commissioner of Fiji & LIFE & by LEGACY CHURCH HALL sound of the divine eagle Prime of Fiji. Cultural Programs & Dinner UNITMinister 13/98 ANZAC AVENUE, HILLCREST 4118 or falcon.

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This idea of totality also exists in the English word "Omnipresent" that includes OM as its prefix. We also have words like Omnipotent and Omniscient, all of which have the concept of totality in their meanings.

The ancient Greek alphabet had Omega as its last letter. Omega written in the lower case of the Greek alphabet, if turned to its side, looks quite similar to the Sanskrit way of writing Om. It is from the Greek alphabet "Omega" that we have the English phrase "the alpha and Omega", which means, "to include everything". It is said that the word Om has been used to make other words. The Christian term "Amen" is said to have some link with "Om" as also the Islamic term "Amin". Both of these terms are similar to Om Of all the mantras, the most powerful and the significant one is the single-syllabled incantation called the Pranava. This is the OM. The available literature upon the significances of the Vedic mantra is almost voluminous. Nowhere in the world can we meet with a more sacred symbol that has got such a vast amount of significance.

From Vedic times until the present day the word 'OM' has been taken as a symbol and as an aid to meditation by spiritual aspirants.

It is accepted both as one with 'Brahman' and as the medium, the Logos, connecting man and God. The entire history of the syllable

is in the revelations of the Vedas and in the declarations of the Upanishads.

The very central theme of the Mandukya Upanishad is the syllable OM through which the mystery of Brahman is gathered to a point. The text of this Upanishad first treats OM in terms of the Upanishadic doctrine of the three states of waking, dream, and deep sleep, but then passes on to the 'fourth' (turiya), thus transporting us beyond the typical Upanishadic sphere into that of the later 'classic Advaita Vedanta'. Speaking of OM, the Taittiriya Upanishad says: "Thou art the sheath of Brahman.'

That is, OM is the container for the Supreme and, therefore, invoking OM is invoking the Supreme.

In every piece of music there are three aspects, namely (1) the meaning of the song; (2) the laws of music, and (3) the sound of the song.

Similarly, on OM there are three aspects. The first is the mere sound, the mere mantra as pronounced by the mouth; the second is the meaning of the syllable, which is to be realized through feeling; and the third is the application of OM to your character, singing it in your acts, and so through your life.

OM represents the Self which is the Supreme Nondual Reality. The Self is known in four states, namely, the waking state, the dream state, the deep-sleep state, and the fourth state called the turiya. All these states are represented in the three

sounds of OM (i.e., A, U, M***), and the silence that follows and surrounds the syllable.

The sound A represents the waking state; the sound U represents the dream state, and the sound M represents the deep sleep state. The waking state is superimposed on the A sound because it is the first of the three states of consciousness, and so is the sound A the very first of the letters of the alphabet – in all languages. The dream is but a view within the mind of the impressions that had reflected on the surface of the mental lake during the waking state. Besides, the dream state occurs between the waking and the deep-sleep state, and comes second among the three states of consciousness. And so, U, being next to A in order of sounds, and also since it is between A and M, is treated as representing the dream state. On the M sound of OM is superimposed the deep-sleep state.

The comparison between the last sound of the OM and sleep lies in that it is the closing sound of the syllable, just as deep sleep is the final stage of the mind in rest. A short pregnant silence is inevitable between two successive OMs. On this silence is superimposed the idea of the fourth state, known as turiya. This is the state of Perfect Bliss when the individual Self recognises the identity with the Supreme.

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Call: (07) 3192 5188

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 31

Virtues of Muharram and Fasting on 'Ashura

BY ML. M. NAWAAZ ASHRAFI

Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumadah and Sha'ban."

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets and Chief of the Messengers, and upon all his family and companions.

Allah's sacred month of Muharram is a blessed and important month. It is the first month of the Hijri calendar and is one of the four sacred months concerning which Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "Verily, the number of months with Allah is twelve months (in a year), so it was ordained by Allah on the Day when He created the heavens and the earth; of them, four are sacred.

That is the right religion, so wrong not yourselves therein … "Al-Qur'an 9:36 Abu Bakarah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The year is twelve months of which four are sacred, the three consecutive months of Dhul-Qa'dah, Dhul-Hijjah and Muharram, and Rajab Mudar which comes between Jumadah and Sha'ban."Reported by AlBukhari, 2958 Muharram is so called because it is a sacred (muharram) month and to confirm its sanctity. Allah's words (interpretation of the meaning): " ... so wrong not yourselves therein … " mean do not wrong yourselves in these sacred months, because sin in these months is worse than in other months. It was reported that Ibn 'Abbas said that this phrase referred to all the months, then these four were singled out and made sacred, so that sin in these months is more serious and good deeds bring a greater reward.

Qatadah said concerning this phrase that wrongdoing during the sacred months is more serious and more sinful that wrongdoing at any other time. Wrongdoing at any time is a serious matter, but Allah gives more weight to whichever of His commands He will. Allah has chosen certain ones of His creation. He has chosen from among the angels Messengers and from among mankind Messengers.

He chose from among speech the remembrance of Him (dhikr). He chose from among the earth the mosques, from among the months Ramadhan and the sacred months, from among the days Friday and from

among the nights LaylatulQadr, so venerate that which Allah has told us to venerate.

People of understanding and wisdom venerate the things that Allah has told us to venerate. [Summarized from the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him.

Tafsir of Surah at-Tawbah, ayah 36] The Virtue of Observing More Nafil Fasts During Muharram Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'The best of fasting after Ramadhan is fasting Allah's month of Muharram.' "Reported by Muslim, 1982 The phrase "Allah's month", connecting the name of the month to the name of Allah in a genitive grammatical structure, signifies the importance of the month. Al-Qari said: "The apparent meaning is all of the month of Muharram." But it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) never fasted any whole month apart from Ramadhan, so this hadith is probably meant to encourage increasing one's fasting during Muharram, without meaning that one should fast for the entire month.

It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to fast more in Sha'ban. It is likely that the virtue of Muharram was not revealed to him until the end of his life, before he was able to fast during this month.

[Sharh an-Nawawi 'ala Sahih Muslim] Allah Chooses Whatever Times and Places He Wills Al-'Izz ibn 'Abdus-Salam (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "Times and places may be given preferred status in two ways, either temporal or religious/spiritual. With regard to the latter, this is because Allah bestows His generosity on His slaves at those times or in those places, by giving a greater reward for deeds done, such as giving a greater reward for fasting in Ramadhan than for fasting at all other times, and also on the day of 'Ashura', the virtue of which is due to Allah's generosity and kindness towards His slaves on that day … "Qawa'id alAhkam, 1/38 'Ashura' in History Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of 'Ashura'.

He said, 'What is this?' They said, 'This is a righteous day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Musa

32 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

fasted on this day.' He said, 'We have more right to Musa than you,'so he fasted on that day and commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day."

[Reported by al-Bukhari, 1865] "This is a righteous day" – in a report narrated by Muslim, [the Jews said:] "This is a great day, on which Allah saved Musa and his people, and drowned Pharaoh and his people." "Musa fasted on this day" – a report narrated

by Muslim adds: " … in thanksgiving to Allah, so we fast on this day." According to a report narrated by alBukhari: " … so we fast on this day to venerate it." A version narrated by Imam Ahmad adds: "This is the day on which the Ark settled on Mount Judi, so Nuh fasted this day in thanksgiving," and "commanded [the Muslims] to fast on that day" – according to another report also narrated by al-Bukhari: "He said to his Companions: 'You have more right to Musa than they do, so fast on that day.' " The practice of fasting on 'Ashura' was known even in the days of Jahiliyyah, before the Prophet's mission.

It was reported that 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: "The people of Jahiliyyah used to fast on that day … " Al-Qurtubi said: "Perhaps Quraysh used to fast on that day on the basis of some past law, such as that of Ibrahim, upon whom be peace."

It was also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to fast on 'Ashura' in Makkah, before he migrated to Madinah. When he migrated to Madinah, he found the Jews celebrating this day, so he asked them why, and they replied as described in the hadithquoted above. He commanded the Muslims to be different from the Jews, who took it as a festival, as was reported in the hadith of Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Jews used to take the day of 'Ashura' as a festival [according to a report narrated by Muslim: the day of 'Ashura' was venerated by the Jews, who took it as a festival. According to another report also narrated

by Muslim: the people of Khaybar (the Jews) used to take it as a festival and their women would wear their jewellery and symbols on that day]. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: 'So you [Muslims] should fast on that day.' "[Reported by al-Bukhari] Apparently the motive for commanding the Muslims to fast on this day was the desire to be different from the Jews, so that the Muslims would fast when the Jews did not, because people do not fast on a day of celebration.

[Summarized from the words of al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar – may Allah have mercy on him – in Fath al-Bari Sharh 'ala Sahih

al-Bukhari] Fasting on 'Ashura' was a gradual step in the process of introducing fasting as a prescribed obligation in Islam.

Fasting appeared in three forms. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to Madinah, he told the Muslims to fast on three days of every month and on the day of 'Ashura', then Allah made fasting obligatory when He said (interpretation of the meaning): " … observing the fasting is prescribed for you … " [Al-Qur'an2:183] [Ahkam al-Qur'an by al-Jassas, part 1] The obligation was transferred from the fast of 'Ashura' to the fast of Ramadhan, and this one of the proofs in the field of Usul al-Fiqh that it is possible to abrogate a lighter duty in favour of a heavier duty.

Before the obligation of fasting 'Ashura' was abrogated, fasting on this day was obligatory, as can be seen from the clear command to observe this fast. Then it was further confirmed later on, then reaffirmed by making it a general command addressed to everybody, and once again by instructing mothers not to breastfeed their infants during this fast.

It was reported from Ibn Mas'ud that when fasting Ramadhan was made obligatory, the obligation to fast 'Ashura' was lifted, i.e., it was no longer obligatory to fast on this day, but it is still desirable (mustahabb).

The Virtues of Fasting 'Ashura' Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) so keen to fast any day and give it priority over any other than this day, the day of 'Ashura', and this month, meaning Ramadhan."Reported by AlBukhari, 1867 The meaning of his being keen was that he intended to fast on that day in the hope of earning the reward for doing so. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "For fasting the day of 'Ashura', I hope that Allah will accept it as expiation for the year that went before."

[Reported by Muslim, 1976] This is from the bounty of Allah towards us: for fasting one day He gives us expiation for the sins of a whole year.

And Allah is the Owner of Great Bounty.

Which Day is 'Ashura'?

An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "'Ashura' and Tasu'a' are two elongated names [the vowels are elongated] as is stated in books on the Arabic language. Our companions said: 'Ashura' is the tenth day of Muharram and Tasu'a' is the ninth day. This is our opinion, and that of the majority of scholars. This

is the apparent meaning of the ahadith and is what we understand from the general wording. It is also what is usually understood by scholars of the language."AlMajmu' 'Ashura' is an Islamic name that was not known at the time of Jahiliyyah.

[Kashshaf al-Qina', part 2, Sawm Muharram] Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "'Ashura' is the tenth day of Muharram. This is the opinion of Sa'id ibn alMusayyib and al-Hasan. It was what was reported by Ibn 'Abbas, who said: 'The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) commanded us to fast 'Ashura', the tenth day of Muharram.' [Reported by atTirmidhi, who said, a sahih hasan hadith] It was reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: 'The ninth,' and reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to fast the ninth. [Reported by Muslim] 'Ata' reported that he said, 'Fast the ninth and the tenth, and do not be like the Jews.' If this is understood, we can say on this basis that it is mustahabb (encouraged) to fast on the ninth and the tenth, for that reason. This is what Ahmad said, and it is the opinion of Ishaq."

It is Mustahabb (Encouraged) to Fast Tasu'a' with 'Ashura' 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: "When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fasted on 'Ashura' and commanded the Muslims to fast as well, they said, 'O Messenger of Allah, it is a day that is venerated by the Jews and Christians.' The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, 'If I live to see the next year, in sha Allah, we will fast on the ninth day too.' But it so happened that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) passed away before the next year came."

[Reported by Muslim, 1916] Ash-Shafi'i and his companions, Ahmad, Ishaq and others said: "It is mustahabb to fast on both the ninth and tenth days, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) fasted on the tenth, and intended to fast on the ninth."

On this basis it may be said that there are varying degrees of fasting 'Ashura', the least of which is to fast only on the tenth and the best of which is to fast the ninth as well. The more one fasts in Muharram, the better it is.

The Reason Why it is Mustahabb to Fast on Tasu'a' An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The scholars – our

companions and others – mentioned several reasons why it is mustahabb to fast on Tasu'a': The intention behind it is to be different from the Jews, who only venerate the tenth day. This opinion was reported from Ibn 'Abbas …

The intention is to add another day's fast to 'Ashura'.

This is akin to the prohibition on fasting a Friday by itself, as was mentioned by alKhattabi and others.

To be on the safe side and make sure that one fasts on the tenth, in case there is some error in sighting the crescent moon at the beginning of Muharram and the ninth is in fact the tenth."

The strongest of these reasons is being different from the People of the Book. Shaykh ul-Islamibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade imitating the People of the Book in many ahadith, for example, his words concerning 'Ashura': 'If I live until the next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth day.' " [Al-Fatawa al-Kubra, part 6, Sadd adh-Dhara'i' alMufdiyyah ila'l-Maharim] Ibn Hajar (may Allah be pleased with him) said in his commentary on the hadith "If I live until the next year, I will certainly fast on the ninth day" and "What he meant by fasting on the ninth day was probably not that he would limit himself to that day, but would add it to the tenth, either to be on the safe side or to be different from the Jews and Christians, which is more likely. This is also what we can understand from some of the reports narrated

by Muslim." [Fath, 4/245] Ruling on Fasting Only on the Day of 'Ashura' Shaykh ul-Islam said: "Fasting on the day of 'Ashura' is an expiation for a year, and it is not makruh to fast only that day … " [Al-Fatawa al-Kubra, part 5] In Tuhfat al-Muhtaj by Ibn Hajar alHaytami, it says: "There is nothing wrong with fasting only on 'Ashura'." [Part 3, Bab Sawm at-Tatawwu'] Fasting on 'Ashura' even if it is a Saturday or a Friday At-Tahawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) allowed us to fast on 'Ashura' and urged us to do so. He did not say that if it falls on a Saturday we should not fast. This is evidence that all days of the week are included in this. In our view – and Allah knows best – it could be the case that even if this is true (that it is not allowed to fast on Saturdays), it is so that we do not venerate this day and refrain from food, drink and intercourse, as the Jews do.

CONTD. ON PG 33

Virtues of Muharram and...

CONTD. FROM PG 32 As for the one who fasts on a Saturday without intending to venerate it, and does not do so because the Jews regard it as blessed, then this is not makruh … " [Mushkil al-Athar, part 2, Bab Sawm Yawm as-Sabt] The author of Al-Minhaj said: "It is disliked (makruh) to fast on a Friday alone …

But it is no longer makruh if you add another day to it, as mentioned in the sahih report to that effect. A person may fast on a Friday if it coincides with his habitual fast, or he is fasting in fulfilment of a vow, or he is making up an obligatory fast that he has missed, as was stated in a sahih report."

Ash-Sharih said in Tuhfat al-Muhtaj: "If it coincides with his habitual fast – i.e., such as if he fasts alternate days, and a day that he fasts happens to be a Friday, if he is fasting in fulfilment of a vow, etc." – this also applies to fasting on days prescribed in Shari'ah, such as 'Ashura' or 'Arafah. [Tuhfat al-Muhtaj, part 3, Bab Sawm al-Tatawwu'] Al-Bahuti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It is makruh to deliberately single out a Saturday for fasting, because of the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn Bishr, who reported from his sister: 'Do not fast on Saturdays except in the case of obligatory fasts' [reported by Ahmad with a

jayyid isnadand by al-Hakim, who said: according to the conditions of al-Bukhari], and because it is a day that is venerated by the Jews, so singling it out for fasting means being like them … except when a Friday or Saturday coincides with a day when Muslims habitually fast, such as when it coincides with the day of 'Arafah or the day of 'Ashura', and a person has the habit of fasting on these days, in which case it is not makruh, because a person's habit carries some weight."[Kashshaf al-Qina', part 2, Bab Sawm al-Tatawwu'] What Should be Done if there is Confusion about the Beginning of the Month?

Ahmad said: "If there is confusion about the beginning of the month, one should fast for three days, to be sure of fasting on the ninth and tenth days." [Al-Mughni

by Ibn Qudamah, part 3 – asSiyam – Siyam 'Ashur'] If a person does not know when Muharram began, and he wants to be sure of fasting on the tenth, he should assume that Dhul-Hijjah was thirty days – as is the usual rule – and should fast on the ninth and tenth. Whoever wants to be sure of fasting the ninth as well should fast the eight, ninth and tenth (then if Dhul-Hijjah was twenty-nine days, he can be sure of having fasted Tasu'a' and 'Ashura').

But given that fasting on 'Ashura' is mustahabb rather than wajib, people are not commanded to look for the crescent of the new moon of Muharram as they are to do in the case of Ramadhanand Shawwal.

Fasting 'Ashura' – For What Does it Offer Expiation?

Imam an-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "It expiates for all minor sins, i.e., it brings forgiveness of all sins except major sins."

Then he said (may Allah have mercy on him): "Fasting the day of 'Arafah expiates for two years, and the day of 'Ashura' expiates for one year.

If when a person says 'Amin' it coincides with the 'Amin' of the angels, he will be forgiven all his previous sins … Each one of the things that we have mentioned will bring expiation. If there are minor sins for which expiation is needed, expiation for them will be accepted; if there are no minor sins or major sins, good deeds will be added to his account and he will be raised in status … If he had committed major sins but no minor sins, we hope that his major sins will be reduced."[Al-Majmu' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab, part 6, Sawm Yawm 'Arafah] Shaykh ul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (ay Allah have mercy on himmay Allah have mercy on him) said:

"Taharah, salah, and fasting in Ramadhan, on the day of 'Arafah and on 'Ashura' expiate for minor sins only."

[Al-Fatawa al-Kubra, part 5] Not Relying Too Much on the Reward for Fasting Some people who are deceived rely too much on things like fasting on 'Ashura' or the day of 'Arafah, to the extent that some of them say, "Fasting on 'Ashura' will expiate for the sins of the whole year, and fasting on the day of 'Arafah will bring extra rewards." Ibn al-Qayyim said: "This misguided person does not know that fasting in Ramadhan and praying five times a day are much more important than fasting on the day of 'Arafah and 'Ashura', and that they expiate for the sins between one Ramadhan and the next, or between one Friday and the next, so long as one avoids major sins. But they cannot expiate for minor sins unless one also avoids major sins; when the two things are put together, they have the strength to expiate for minor sins. Among those deceived people may be one who thinks that his good deeds are more than his sins, because he does not pay attention to his bad deeds or check on his sins, but if he does a good deed he remembers it and relies on it. This is like the one who seeks Allah's forgiveness with his tongue (i.e., by words

only), and glorifies Allah by saying "Subhanallah" one hundred times a day, then he backbites about the Muslims and slanders their honour, and speaks all day long about things that are not pleasing to Allah. This person is always thinking about the virtues of his tasbihat (saying "Subhanallah") and tahlilat (saying "La ilaha illallah") but he pays no attention to what has been reported concerning those who backbite, tell lies and slander others, or commit other sins of the tongue. They are completely deceived." [AlMawsu'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 31, Ghurur] Fasting 'Ashura' When One Still has Days to Make Up From Ramadhan The fuqaha' differed concerning the ruling on observing voluntary fasts before a person has made up days that he or she did not fast in Ramadhan. The Hanafis said that it is permissible to observe voluntary fasts before making up days from Ramadhan, and it is not makruh to do so, because the missed days do not have to be made up straight away.

The Malikis and Shafi'is said that it is permissible but is makruh, because it means that one is delaying something obligatory. AdDusuqi said: "It is makruh to observe a voluntary fast when one still has to make

up an obligatory fast, such as a fast in fulfilment of a vow, or a missed obligatory fast, or a fast done as an act of expiation (kafarah), whether the voluntary fast which is being given priority over an obligatory fast is something confirmed in Shari'ah or not, such as 'Ashura' and the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah, according to the most correct opinion." The Hanbalis said that it is haram to observe a voluntary fast before making up any fasts missed in Ramadhan, and that a voluntary fast in such cases does not count, even if there is plenty of time to make up the obligatory fast.

So a person must give priority to the obligatory fasts until he has made them up. [AlMawsu'ah al-Fiqhiyyah, part 28, Sawm at-Tatawwu'] Muslims must hasten to make up any missed fasts after Ramadhan, so that they will be able to fast 'Arafah and 'Ashura' without any problem. If a person fasts 'Arafah and 'Ashura' with the intention from the night before of making up for a missed fast, this will be good enough to make up what he has missed, for the bounty of Allah is great. ____________ ON BEHALF OF THE ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF ALGESTER, WE WISH ALL THE MUSLIMS A WONDERFUL NEW HIJRI YEAR. AAMEEN.

Kavita ji

Call: (07) 3192 5188

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 33

The 15th Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert BRISBANE, the 15th Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert was held at Queensland Multicultural Centre on Saturday 16th July, graced by chief guests Mrs. Archana Singh-honorary counsel for India in Queensland, and Mr. Umesh Chandra OAM. The concert featured 33 tabla students in 15 different items, including tabla group performances and raga performances with tabla accompaniment by senior tabla students. The concert has significantly grown from its humble beginning, down memory lane posters of previous posters lined the entry hallway.

Queensland Multicultural Centre is a good venue for this concert having a quality in-house sound system that compliments such performances. The wellpresented concert ended with traditional certificates for the students and a group photo session.

Guru Shen Flindell tuning young student Sid’s tabla

Keshav Siraparapu (tabla)

Anvi Vaidya (vocal)

Darshil Shah (bansuri)

Varun Lal (tabla) with Guru Shen Flindell

Darshil Shah (bansuri), Anvi Vaidya (vocal), Nikhil Deo (harmonium)

Armaan Ameer and Yohann Naidu in beginners tabla group

Navdha Kumar (tabla)

Mishri Gandhi (vocal) with Aarav Vaidya (tabla)

Nikhil Deo (harmonium)

Mahin Singh (tabla)

Ananya Murali (vocal) with Shainthra Birabaharan (tabla) and Nikhil Deo (harmonium)

Ananya Murali (vocal) with Shainthra Birabaharan (tabla)

Murali Ramakrishnan (bansuri) with Arun Pillai (tabla)

Aarav Vaidya and Rishab Jawajiwar in advanced tabla group with Nikhil Deo (harmonium)

Ruddra Dorairajan (mridangam), Aswin Narayanan (violin), Sharujan Mahendrarajan (Carnatic vocal)

Sharujan Mahendrarajan (Carnatic vocal), Binny Jaradi (Hindustani vocal), Jesinthan Ketheeswaran (tabla)

Dr Indranil Chatterjee (sitar) with Shen Flindell (tabla), performing in pancham sawari taal (15 matras)

Dr Indranil Chatterjee (sitar)

Bhajans at Shree Vishnu Maya Mandir NORTH McLEAN Dr. Shivani Kinarivala from India, Ph.D. In music and Dr. Mansey Kinarivala Gandhi, a consultant doctor residing in Brisbane are professional singers.

They both performed semi classical bhajans at Vishnu Maya Temple on 3rd July 2022. They perform various classical shows, Haveli sangeet shows, bhajan Sandhya and hold workshops. She is the founder of Sharanyam Sangeet Academy and teaches kids, amateurs and professionals in person and online classes.

34 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Full cast photo of 15th Annual Ashu Babu Memorial Tabla School Concert

BASAVA SAMITI ASIA PACIFIC LTD, BRISBANE CHAPTER PROGRAM OUTLINE The month of Shraavan normally occurs during July-Aug, as per the lunar calendar. For nearly five years, Brisbane chapter has held Vachana Shravana during this period. At this event, you are invited to come together to participate in an interactive discussion about ShraNas and their vachanas.

Guru Basava emphasized the importance of selfpurification and tried to raise all the moral standards of people in the society with the dignity of labour by establishing the Anubhava Mantapa which is the foundation for the first parliament and social democracy. These interactive sessions try to adopt this Anubhava Mantapa concept where in both men, women and children are treated.

Equally and with respect and are encouraged to discuss on a variety of viewpoints of the vachanas. The vachanas are time-testing, scientifically proven and inspirational for the welfare of the society in general and the humanity at large. Basava along with his contemporaries promoted practical solutions to all kinds of socio- economic problems.

(Note: Artistic impression of Guru Basava is used above).

Please note that this program will be held for four weeks from 30 July, 06 Aug, and 20 Aug, and 27 August in the homes of welcoming families. Further details will be provided.

5 mins Prayer and welcome 10 mins Introduction 15 mins Vachana interpretation and application 60 mins Interactive discussion, Q and A 15 mins Vachana recitation/singing 05 mins Closing prayer followed by Prasada (Vegetarian food) Etiquette • Show respect to all viewpoints expressed.

• Derogative comments about an individual or religion in not encouraged.

• It is not a religious discussion and therefore practices followed by people at home or as part of their culture should not be judged.

Basava Samiti of Asia Pacific Ltd (BSAPAC), Brisbane Chapter Vachana ShraavaNa

Basava Samiti of Asia Pacific Ltd (BSAPAC), Brisbane Chapter, hosted the first in-person Vachana ShraavaNa last weekend dated 30.8.2022, at the Venue: BSAPAC Head office in Westlake, QLD-4074.

The BSAPAC Head Office was beautifully decorated for the first weekend celebration of Vachana ShraavaNa by the volunteers.

All arrangements were done with the proper planning. Approximately 42 members were present. Program started at 6pm.

• Prayer done by Manjula Hiremath • Introduction and welcome speech by Nithin M • Samoohika Ishtalinga Pooja was led by Mrs. Girija Karekal (optional) explaining the importance of this form of meditation and its relation to ‘chakras’.

• Vachanas recitation and analysis was on various topics was undertaken by all the attendees.

• Informative discussions about vachanas among the members • Oath ceremony was performed for the new community leaders of Brisbane Chapter and the CFO, of BSAPAC. • Vegetarian dinner was offered

to all the members.

The event concluded with the Maha MangaLa Aarthi, and the vote of thanks by the secretary Mr. Nitin M. ವಚನ ಜ ್ಯೋತಿVachana Vachana jyōthi ವಚನ ಜ ್ಯೋತಿ jyōthi An interactive program exclusively

An designed interactive programfrom exclusively for children 3 to 15 years. designed for children from 3 to 15 years.

Strengthens ethical values and

morality among individuals which Strengthens ethical values and empowers them in future. morality among individuals which It is conducted on future. the first Sunday of empowers them in

every month for 90 minutes only in calendar days.

It isaccordance conductedwith on school the first Sunday of Some slight changes to the schedule may every month for 90 minutes only in occur in the event of long weekends and accordance with school calendar days. public holidays.

Some slight changes to the schedule may ೋ ಕ ೈಲಾಸ Kāyakavē occurಕಾಯಕವ in the event of long weekends and public holidays. kailāsa

ವಚನ ಜ ್ಯೋತಿ

ವಚನ jyōthi ಜ ್ಯೋತಿ Vachana

Vachana jyōthi

(selfless work is the abode

ಕಾಯಕವ ೋ ಕ ೈಲಾಸ Kāyakavē of God)

Learn and laugh alongside like-minded

kailāsa kids as you go on a journey of selfdiscovery towork develop your skills abode and (selfless is the instigate the mindset and behavioural of changes God)needed to positively impact

success.

Build aalongside human-centered culture Learn and laugh like-minded empower creativity, innovation and kidsto as you go on a journey of selfsuccess in your team and life. discovery to develop your skills and instigate the mindset and behavioural changes needed to positively impact success. Build a human-centered culture to empower creativity, innovation and success in your team and life.

Seva Dharma Mission Free food distribution At Adra Community Centre Namaskar Seva Dharma Mission distributed Free food on 10th July 2022 at 7am in Woodridge (near train station) Logan Brisbane.

Fresh fruits, vege, varities of breads and normal essentials were distributed. This time we had Apples, Mandarin, Tomato, Avocado,

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cucumbers, breads, and bread spread.

Now more needy people like poor, disabled and lowincome people come to get food.

Much thanks Deepti, Dadas who helped to collect and distribute fresh food and produce.

If you would also like to volunteer or/and

contribute, please call Dada on 0422 823 341.

Gratitude Dada Krsnapremananda Dada Devadattananda NB: We have been also serving lunch in Loganlea community centre on 2nd Saturday of the month at 11.00 am. Next one is on 13th of August. Everyone is welcome.

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THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 35

MEGA NIGHT 2022 - AN UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT OF LIVE INDIAN MUSIC

A long time dream of many music lovers in Brisbane came true on 30th of July where they witnessed ‘The Mega Night 2022’, a live concert full of Tamil and Bollywood music hosted by BrisRaga under the direction of Sharujan “Sharu” Mahendraraj.

Brisraga, previously known as Brisbane Tamil Youth Band, was founded by Sharu in 2018 with a small group of talented musicians from and around Brisbane. The organization serves as a platform for local talents to collaborate with other musicians that share similar interests and work as a team. The aim of the band as mentioned by Sharu during a recent interview with BIT is to bring all the music talents in Brisbane together on one stage and encourage everyone to stay in touch with their roots via music. In addition to developing musical talents, BrisRaga is also a charitable organization where they donate a proportion of their proceeds from each concert to a charity or an organization in need. This year, BrisRaga has promised to donate a proportion of their proceeds to Sri Lanka to help people struggling due to the

economic crisis.

Mega Night 2022 was inaugurated by a classical tamil song ‘Margazhi Thingal Allava’ featuring three most senior female singers of the band, Oaviya, Divya and Amrutha who have been a part

of the band since 2018. First half of the concert was a treat for the Tamil audience where the band performed some well known Tamil songs such as Chotta Chotta, Nenjinile/ Jiya Jale, Thom Karuvil and Konja Neram. Even though the songs

were well appreciated by the lovely audience, a dance performance was needed to make it a complete treat.

Saee, a well trained Kathak dancer performed a piece which described Gopi Vrunda during the Holi festival. The

second half of the concert was more targeted towards the Bollywood fans, where the band performed some wonderful hit songs including Sri Valli sung by Dhuvi, Kabhi Neem Neem by our ever charming Binny, Chaiyya

Chaiyya by Letsma along with Binny and Tere Bina by Utkarsh and Binny. To add to the entertainment value, Yashvi and her friends Hiruni, Saga and Sowndarya danced to some Bollywood dance numbers.

Instrumentalists are one of the most important components of a band.

BrisRaga featured Eswar on Keyboard, Diya on Bass, Arpan on Guitar, Darshil on flute, Praveen on Violin, Brendan on Drums, Pranojan on octapad, ghatam and mridangam, Jesinthan on Tabla and Octapad, and Lavien on Mridangam. An event is not complete without MCs and BrisRaga was lucky enough to have Sharanya, Vithagan and Urvisha hosting the show with some lovely skits that kept the audience entertained between the performances.

BrisRaga will be hosting annual concerts every year and it is guaranteed to be a treat for everyone attending those events. Please follow BrisRaga on social media to stay in touch with future events and announcements. https://www.facebook.com/ brisraga

Shri Satyanarayan Puja for Shivaan Sharma Parkinson, Shri Satyanarayan vrath Katha Pujan was be held at Baldev & Shushma Sharma’s residence observing the 40-day ceremony of their newly born Grandson Shivaan Sharma on 7th August 2022. Many guests attended the puja to bless young Shivaan; after the puja, everyone enjoyed a sumptuous lunch.

36 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Pramukh Swami Maharaj - Out of this World An American author from the 1800s, Thoreau was an advocate of simple living. Inspired partly by the Gita, whose teachings he called “stupendous and cosmogonal,”. He spent two years in the remote forests of Massachusetts, living alone in his self-made cabin on the shores of Walden Pond.

Living in a cabin that cost him a mere $28 to build (less than $900 in today’s money), Thoreau relied on civilization for only the basics, such as clothing and fuel. He even planted a bean field to grow his own food.

After over two years, he ended his experiment with the conclusion that “most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind.”

Thoreau’s less-is-more experience agrees with that of many others who have similarly escaped today’s consumerist society. Indeed, Bhagwan Swaminarayan has preached again and again of the dangers of maya, and the reasons for overcoming its temptations.

His teachings were embodied

by His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj (1921-2016), fifth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan and the life he lived was completely unattached to the mundane world.

On 23 January 2009, Pramukh Swami Maharaj was traveling from Bharuch to Atladra and, due to traffic

and road construction, his car passed by the outskirts of his birthplace of Chansad. The sadhus accompanying him began to enthusiastically point out the new mandir, hospital, school, and other BAPS projects in the village. Meanwhile, a large crowd gathered along the road, celebrating and shouting as Pramukh Swami Maharaj passed by. Pramukh Swami Maharaj ignored it all. He took no interest in the village projects and did not even acknowledge the people of Chansad. For Pramukh Swami Maharaj, his birthplace was less interesting than a desolate desert, and his childhood memories as forsaken as a sunken ship lost to the abyss.

The very next day, Yogicharan Swami joked to Pramukh Swami Maharaj, “Shastriji Maharaj used to say that your wrists were too thin. Now that you have reduced your portions, it seems we need Shastriji Maharaj to come and tell

you the same thing again.”

Pramukh Swami Maharaj replied, “When Swami used to grab [my arms], he would say “Your wrists are too skinny...’ He would take great care that I ate properly... and due to Swami’s blessings, I developed a healthy appetite and I was able to put on some weight. However, I don’t have much of an appetite anymore.”

For Pramukh Swami Maharaj, eating was never to satisfy the senses, but one more way he could fulfill the command of his guru and offer his devotion to him.

Every day of his life, Pramukh Swami Maharaj reminded us of the definition of detachment from the world.

However, Pramukh Swami Maharaj transcended mere physical detachment. On 11 January 2009, Prayagmuni Swami asked Pramukh Swami Maharaj, “Yogiji Maharaj wanted satsang to spread through countless universes. He wanted it to spread to Japan, China and

Russia. Do you have any such wishes?” Pramukh Swami Maharaj answered, “If we can fulfill the wishes made

by Shastriji Maharaj and Yogiji Maharaj, that in itself, is more than enough. When Yogi Bapa has declared his wishes, what is the need for us to come up with more?”

Dr Kiranbhai pressed him, “At least tell us one of your wishes,” but Pramukh Swami Maharaj maintained, “My only thought is to fulfill each of Yogi Bapa’s wishes. That is the thought which constantly stays with me.” Evidently, Pramukh Swami Maharaj was so self-effacing that he simply considered himself as a vessel for his guru and Bhagwan Swaminarayan, and his body as a physical means to carry out their wishes.

Thoreau experimented with detachment for two years, and the sadhus of BAPS surpass his feat by vowing to a life of detachment, but Pramukh Swami Maharaj transcended them all: he was ‘jakte anasakta’ — detached from this world, even while he lived within it. Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s life gave us the strength to realize that even though we are enmeshed in the modern, material world, we can resolve to be detached from it and seek happiness from a purer source: by pleasing Bhagwan Swaminarayan and our guru.

To learn more about Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s life and work, please visit: www.pramukhswami.org

Birthplace of Pramukh Swami Maharaj Chansad, Gujarat – India

Pramukh Swami Maharaj and his Guru Shastriji Maharaj

Pramukh Swami Maharaj and his Guru Yogiji Maharaj

BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute launches in Australia BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha invited and harmonised representatives from 38 leading spiritual organisations, government, academics, and a large number of community individuals under one roof on Sunday 7th July 2022, in BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, 45 Clare Road, Brisbane for the historic launch of the BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute in Australia in the presence of Mahamahopadhyaya Swami Bhadreshdasji. This initiative to unite and work together with all the Hindu organisations was historic and the beginning of a new chapter in spreading the Vedic message of 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam.'

Swami Bhadreshdasji is the author of the internationally acclaimed Swaminarayan Bhashyam and Swaminarayan Siddhanta Sudha.

He is the first author in 1,200 years to write a traditional Sanskrit commentary ("bhashya") on all texts of the Prasthanatrayi – three foundational and leading scriptures of the Hindu faith comprising the Upanishads, Brahmasutras and the Shrimad Bhagavad Gita.

As part of the centennial celebrations of BAPS' fifth spiritual successor, His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Swami Bhadreshdas inaugurated the BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute in Europe, Canada, the United States of America and in Australia with the blessings of His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj.

The inauguration of the institute was celebrated at the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Sydney and Melbourne before the opening ceremony in Brisbane.

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The inauguration event in Brisbane commenced with devotional bhajans and a video on Pramukh Swami Maharaj's work and legacy. The audience was given a glimpse by children and youth of how this institute will nurture future generations to learn about Sanskrit, Vedic philosophy and Hindu culture. A choir of children and youth enlightened the attendees with their proficiency in Sanskrit shlokas of Siddhant Samamnay.

The traditional ceremony of lighting of the lamps (deep pragatya) and blessings by His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj formally inaugurated the event via video. Locally, Swami Bhadreshdasji and the Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP – Treasurer of Australia, Archana Singh Hon. Consul of India, QLD, Dr Adam Bowles from The University of Queensland, Dr Ashutosh Misra from Institute for Australia India Engagement (IAIE), Lisa Ward - CEO, Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland (ECCQ), Umesh Chandra OAM - President, Queensland Multicultural Council and Publisher Brisbane Indian Times, Usha Chandra - GOPIO - ExPresident, Mano Krishna Mohan (L) - VHP president, QLD, Sashikalaji - President, Basava Samithi of Asia Pacific, Brisbane Chapter, Ram Mohan - Chair, Multicultural Queensland Social Network, Anoop Nannuru - President, Federation of Indian communities of Queensland (FICQ), Palani Thevar - Vice President, United Nations Australia Associations (UNAA) QLD Division, Prof. Prasad Yarlagadda President, Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO),

Shyam Das – Vedanta centre Springfield, Dr Anilbhai Dalsania HSS QLD Chapter, Dr Sunil Sharma - President, Gold Coast Hindu Cultural Centre, Krrishnamohan Kanduri - Hindu Organisations & Temple Association (HOTA) Coordinator, QLD Chapter, Pandit Parameshvara - Hindu Priest.

In his speech Hon Dr Jim Chalmers MP – Treasurer of Australia spoke about his feeling of affinity with BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

He went on to say "that the purpose of us on this planet is to elevate other people", which is aligned with the ethos of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj "In the Joy of others lies our own, in the good of others lies our own". Dr Chalmers stated that if "all Australians share this value of kindness and warmth towards each other, there will be love and harmony all over, and we as a nation can do anything", which was met with rapturous applause from the audience.

Dr Adam Bowles, Deputy Head of School, School of Historical and Philosophical Inquiry, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, The University of Queensland. In his

address, Dr Bowles mentioned that he is full of happiness as his vision is that studying the Sanskrit language will become mainstream through this research institute. Dr Bowles has shown appreciation for Swami Bhadreshdasji for his tremendous work on "Prasthanatrayi" in such a short period.

Dr Ashutosh Misra, PhD, MPhil, MA, BA. - The CEO and Executive Director of the Institute for Australia India Engagement (IAIE): He expressed pride and happiness in seeing this research institute being brought to life. As an academic, he feels that this research institute is a bridge that will fill the gap in learning Sanskrit and Hindu philosophy in the coming years.

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Therefore, he extended his support and participation in the research institute.

In his keynote address, Swami Bhadreshdasji stated that the BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute in Australia brings to life the vision of Yogiji Maharaj – BAPS' fourth spiritual leader – to teach children and youths to read, write and deliver discourses in Sanskrit. He further mentioned that anyone from society is welcome to pursue research at this institute. The researcher will benefit from learning the ancient Sanskrit language to study ancient Hindu knowledge and gain their understanding. Hindu knowledge is about inclusiveness, happiness, moral values, and a life with purpose

and fulfilment.

Everyone commended the work undertaken with BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute in Australia and looks toward supporting this vital initiative for the growing Hindu community in Australia.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute will commit to the teaching of Sanskrit, classical Vedic literature and Hindu beliefs, values, affiliated languages, and practices.

In addition, it will nurture interfaith dialogue, public engagement, and academic discourse as it generates opportunities for the highest level of value-based education, innovative research, and creative expression.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Research Institute in Australia is dedicated to advancing research, learning, and the expression of scholarship and culture. Through various educational initiatives, the institute seeks to promote the highest level of academic excellence in all branches of study.

It will provide opportunities for value-based instruction, innovative research, creative expression, mutual discussion, and social service will inspire quality, original, productive, and responsible scholarship. The institute seeks to inspire and educate individuals and provide them with the right tools and opportunities to foster personal success, develop awareness and strong communal ties, and ultimately change the world by broadening horizons, inspiring expression and instilling service.

For more information, visit www.research.baps.org.

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 37

Iskcon Brisbane’s Janmastami is back in 2022!

Brisbane’s largest Janmastami festival is set to attract devotees and guests from all around the city at The Croatian Club, Rocklea to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.

On Friday, 19th August, the Croatian Club Brisbane will be transformed into a spectacular arena enabling festival goers to experience the magic of Janmastami.

From 5pm onwards, visitors can look forward to an enthralling stage program with dramas, live music and dance; experience the cuisine of India; shop from the bazaar; and keep children entertained with fun and engaging activities.

“Due to covid restrictions in 2020 and 2021, Janmastami was mainly celebrated at people's homes, however since the restrictions have eased compared to last year, we can hold the event at The Croatian Club.

Devotees can stay until the midnight arati ceremony celebrating the exact time of Lord Krishna’s birth,” explains festival organiser Rohan Sheth.

“With a bigger venue, and years of experience, we’ve started working earlier to make this festival even bigger and better than previous years,” Mr Sheth said.

For more than 5 years, the Janmastami organised

On Friday, 19th August, the Croatian Club Brisbane will be transformed into a spectacular arena enabling festival goers to experience the magic of Janmastami. From 5pm onwards, visitors can look forward to an enthralling stage program with dramas, live music and dance; experience the cuisine of India; shop from the bazaar; and keep children entertained with fun and engaging activities.

celebrated.

The stage program will consist of live music, arati ceremonies, the abhishek (ceremonious bathing of the Lords), dramas and spiritual discourses. For those that want something more interactive - they can check out the many stalls on offer, grab a sumptuous bite to eat or watch as their children engage in various fun activities at the kids stall.

by the Hare Krishna community has been headed and organised by the youth of the society.

They bring innovation and dynamism to the traditional event - making it fun and appealing for people of all ages. From the decor, to the stage program, and even the different engaging activities - all aspects of the festival have a unique flavour.

“And we’ve begun to see that over the past few years - with increasing numbers, and more people attending the festival for longer periods of time. Guests are engaged with each aspect of the festival - and it’s great to see their enthusiasm and appreciation for the whole event,” comments Mr Guwalani.

The festival will begin at 5pm and go on until midnight - which is the exact time of the birth of Lord Krishna - in whose honour this festival is

“We’ve really tried hard to keep making the festival better than previous years - we want it to be an event that everyone looks forward to - not something that people are dragged along to come because of cultural obligations,” explains Jalaj Guwalani who has co-organised the festival for more than 5 years in a row.

Several dignitaries and prominent personalities have confirmed their attendance for this year’s Janmastami, lending their support to the Hare Krishna community and all its initiatives.

International Society for Krishna Consciousness Founder Acarya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

PLEASE JOIN US TO CELEBRATE

JANMASTAMI

KRISHNA'S BIRTHDAY

1999 AUGUST 2022 From 5pm till 12am

THE CROATIAN CLUB BRISBANE 164 DUNN ROAD, ROCKLEA

DANCE DRAMA ABHISHEK KIRTANS CHILDREN’S ACTIVITIES SPIRITUAL DISCOURSE PRASADAM GIFT STALLS MARKET FOOD STALLS AND MANY MORE! For enquiries please contact Jalaj - 0413 906 286 or Rohan - 0411 375 165

Sai Baba Palki Festival 2022 After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, Sai Baba Aarti Program Brisbane was extremely keen to celebrate Guru Purnima 2022 with the wider Brisbane community once again. On July 9th 2022 we started the festival with a Family Fun Fair from 3-5pm at Virginia State School. We were so happy that hundreds of locals from the northern suburbs came along, not just Sai devotees. This part of the event was especially for the kids with an Australian reptile show, a petting zoo, face painting, balloon twister, a jumping castle and free snacks for the kids. We had a record turn out of local kids and their parents from across the wider community enjoying numerous free kids activities. We also had a small multicultural market with home sellers of Indian clothes, home wares, jewellery and much more holding stalls.

The Fun Fair seamlessly moved from the school grounds into the school hall with the magic show and kids program.

Soon after sunset, Baba arrived in grand fashion accompanied by Sai Samaj Palki bearers, drummers

and dancers!

What a sight it was to see Baba make his way down from the school gate to the school hall with the excitement and fervour of his devotees all in unison.

It was loud, colourful and so uplifting! Guruji Sai Saileshwara, along with VIP community and religious leaders welcomed Baba at the Hall entrance and the evening cultural program began After the Lord Ganesha invocation performed by dancers from the Nandananjali School of Dance, faith leaders from Christian, Buddhist, Sikh and Hindu faiths led a peace prayer. Shirdi Sai Baba promoted unity of faiths his whole life and it was wonderful to honour his legacy in this way.

Other program items

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included the official book launch of Sai Saileshwara The Making of a Master, dance and music performances from Sai Samaj kids, teens and adults and lastly the aarti ceremony that everyone participated in. The night was completed by DJ Uri who had everyone tapping their toes, if not hitting the dance floor!

Sai Baba Aarti Program

Brisbane would like to offer a warm thank you to Brisbane Indian Times and Australian Indian Radio, our official media partners for this event. Without this amazing support, we would not have had the incredible attendances on the day.

Guru Poornima 2022 was truly a memorable occasion enjoyed by so many people who came from near and far. Sai Ram!

Annual General meeting conducted by Queensland Telugu Association Queensland Telugu Association conducted its Annual General meeting on 3 July 2022 at Garden city Library. The members started to arrive from 10 am onwards for a 10:30 am start. After a couple of rainy days, the sun shone brightly blessing the day with warmth.

Members and general public arrived, met and greeted each other. New members were welcomed and introduced themselves around. The meet and greet was followed by a wonderful spread of morning tea hosted by the Association.

Pleasantries were exchanged and new & old mingled together.

A special mention to the hot and delicious samosas organized by Mr. Umesh Vangapalli and Red velvet cake baked by young and talented Amrutha Ravipati.

It was heartwarming to see the younger Telugu generation being present and contributing to the occasion.

After morning tea, all attendees settled in for the Annual General meeting which was opened by Secretary Mr. Ramakrishna Bulusu.

Followed by presentation of the annual report of 2021-2022 by

Later on, the formalities of electing the new committee members were concluded under the supervision of the Mediation Committee chaired by Mr. Ram Junnuri, Mediation Committee members Mr. Raghavendra Reddy Mandadi and Mr. Sudershan Kanthakadi. A new team was formed and the old dissolved.

President Mr. Shiva Indla and financial report by Treasurer Mrs. Manju Segu.

Later on, the formalities of electing the new committee members were concluded under the supervision of the Mediation Committee chaired by Mr. Ram Junnuri, Mediation Committee members Mr. Raghavendra Reddy Mandadi and Mr. Sudershan Kanthakadi. A new team was formed and the old dissolved.

Mr. Ravi Gundepelli took over as the Association’s new President and introduced his new team as follows.

1. Mr. Ravi Gundepalli

(President) 2. Mr. Rama Krishna Bulusu (Vice-President) 3.

Mr. Umesh Vangapalli (Secretary) 4. Mr. Ravi Vinayak Yanamandra (Treasurer) 5.

Mr. Raghavendra Sampathirao (Cultural Secretary) 6. Mrs. Pavani Gandra (EC1)

7. Mrs. Vasavi Manjusha Segu (EC2) 8. Mrs. Khey Silari (Co-opt member) 9. Mrs. Kiranmayi Eranti (Co-opt member) 10.

Mr. SriKrishna Ravipati (Co-opt member) 11. Mr. Srinivas Ramadani (Co-opt member) He spoke to the audience present that his team would

work in encouraging, enriching and promoting the association’s current vision of promoting the Telugu community in Queensland as a whole. He shared his broader vision and said 2022 Ganesh Chaturthi festivities would be the first event that would be organized by his new team followed by the annual Dassera/Diwali

celebrations.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to grow QTA and its members in the state. New committee members were welcomed and congratulated.

New committee welcomed and took advices from the floor and the day ended well with a well-planned QTA agenda for 2022-2023.

Guru Purnima by Shirdi Sai Sansthan Brisbane Shirdi Sai Sansthan Brisbane is a not for profit, charitable organisation setup by the ardent devotees of Shri Sai Baba since July 2015. The organisation has been conducting numerous events and functions in a year to raise funds for buying land to construct a Temple in Brisbane.

Guru Purnima is a celebration of Rishi Ved Vyas’s birth day. This day is a celebration of the pious relationship between a Guru & a student.

16th July, the Sansthan organised a grand Guru Purnima celebration.

This was attended by over 150+ devotees from a multi cultural diaspora of Brisbane. The celebrations started at 8am and ended at 8pm, the devotees rejoiced in Bhajans by devotees & Sai Bhajan Group from North, Vedic Chants, Sai Satcharitra, Vishnu Shahastranamam & Cultural dances by Smt Manga teacher. Devotees could also purchase Sai vastra as an offering for the Baba Moorty , this was supplied by Asmi Classy Home Décor . Prasad was provided throughout the day.

In the evening just before the Aarti, the devotees danced with a Sai Palkhi.

All of the above celebrations were conducted keeping the COVID safe guidelines Call: (07) 3192 5188

into consideration at the Coopers Plains State School.

The Sansthan is also conducting fund raising breakfast on 13th August at 1 Ian Keilar Dr, Springfield Central, Qld 4300 from 9am to 11am. Sai devotees prepare sumptous breakfast

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and sell them and all the proceeds from the sale go towards raising funds for buying a land for the Sai temple.

The charges are nominal and given in the pic attached. Pre-Orders can also be placed for an

easy COVID Safe pickup arrangement.

These events are regularly published on the WhatsApp group and on the Facebook page run by the Sansthan. Every devotee is free to offer support or volunteer in any form.

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 39

GALA MUSICAL VARIETY SHOW – A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

Urdu Forum Incorporated, a not for profit community organisation, organised a Gala Musical Variety Show on Saturday 30th July 2022 at the Acacia Ridge State School Auditorium to raise funds for its Urdu Literacy Program.

The event featured a galaxy of the best artists

in Brisbane. The singers included Rahim Zullah, Joseph Nand, Yousuf Alikhan, Anvi, Chandan Das, Anuja, Tamanna, Asad, Parminder, Ajmal and Farid.

They were ably supported by some of the most talented musicians in Brisbane, led

by Joseph Nand, Mohit, Paramjeet and Sharad.

The musical artistry of these accomplished artistes enthralled the audience with impeccable renditions of popular Bollywood classics, Ghazals and Qawwalis.

Urdu Forum was set up in 2018 for the promotion of Urdu language and literature with a special emphasis on education. In doing so,

our objective has been to promote inclusiveness, harmony, social cohesion and multiculturalism in Australia.

Since February 2020, we have been conducting FREE Urdu language classes in response to a growing demand from the diaspora.

Over 100 children and

adults have so far benefited from the program. The weekly classes are held on Sundays during school terms and are open to all. The project has been self-financed, without any government support.

We owe a debt of gratitude to the sponsors which included Cocoon SA Homes,

Solarspan, Medical Zone Mango Hill, Brisbane Indian Times, Australian Indian Radio, St. Lucia News, Taste of Saffron and Blue Lagoon Restaurants. Their generous contributions and all other proceeds from the event will go a long way in enabling us to continue serving the community.

Musical Melodies by Sargam Music Academy BRISBANE, Sargam Music Academy held their annual “Musical Melodies” concert on 6th August at Queensland Multicultural Centre in Kangaroo Point. The sold event featured the students of Sargam Music Academy and other chosen artists.

The delightful MCs for the event were Anu Sharma and Zain Chams. The show began with children’s performances, and seeing such budding talent here in Brisbane was pleasing. The credit goes to the teacher (guru) Mithun Chakraborty and the enthusiastic students with supportive parents.

The accompanying musicians were very talented and complimented the show. The good thing about Queensland Multicultural Centre is the built-in sound system, which the in-house team in-house very well.

The backing tracks were played by DJ Amit, who also surprised everyone by joining in the singing.

The show also paid tribute to legendary singers such as Lata Mangeshkar Ji, KK, and Bhapi Lahiri. Bhapi Lahiri’s segment went very well, with many audience members

and VIP guests joining on the floor. The whole concert was well planned and presented.

The very responsive audience appreciated and applauded all the performances.

Raffle prizes presented by Heritage Community Bank, Forest Lake, were drawn by Councillor Angela Owen and Umesh Chandra OAM. Brisbane Indian Times and Australian Indian Radio were proud to be exclusive media partners. The other sponsors were – Dream Solar, Finance

40 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Code, Cornerstone Law Offices, DJ Amit Australia, BIG Belly Indian Restaurant, My Work Placement, Bappi Hussian Photography, Ray White Algester, and Estate Planners, Centenary Accountants & Business Advisers, and Peter Cabral Photography.

Being a sold-out event, there was obviously bit of a long queue for dinner, but patrons didn’t mind because they enjoyed such a beautiful musical concert.

Brisbane Shree Venkatesa Durga Temple Celebrates it’s Second Year of Establishment Shree Venkatesa Durga Temple (57A Kenmore Rd, Kenmore) celebrated their second Anniversary with the divine blessings of Shree Durga and Shree Venkatesawara on the 17th of July 2022. The ceremony consisted of the auspicious 108 Sangabishekam performed by the Temple Founder and Chief Panditji Siva Sri Gangathara Gurrukal. Following the Abishekam, a Maha Arathi was performed with the illumination of the Alankara Deepa, Kumbha Deepa and Pratyaksha Deepa (different Deepas signify the offering of salutations to the Swami).

Following the Maha Arathi, Devotees were able to participate in the Archana by giving their Name, Gothra, Nakshtara, and Rasi to have the Prarthana performed on their behalf

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by the Panditiji.

Following the Anniversary, the Temple has hosted many auspicious events in the month of Ashada | Shravana | Aadi, including Aadi Puram |

Ruthu Shanthi Vaibhavam, and Varalakshmi Viratham.

Devotees were able to participate by performing the Thiruvillaku | Deepa Puja.

Bhaktas who performed the Puja were

greatly blessed with the opportunity of offering their devotion in the Thiruvillaku | Deepa Puja within the presence of Shree Durga Devi after the last two years of restrictions of the ability

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to do so without worry.

The Temple is looking forward to celebrating with the Devotees, the upcoming Grand Festivals of Sri Krishna Jayanthi; Jhulan | Unjal Utsavam

(20th of August), Vinayaka Chathurthi (31st of August), and Navarathri Utsavam (26th September to 5th October). www.brisbanedurgatemple.com Facebook: SVDTBRISBANE

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 41

Delhi reports 2,202 new Covid-19 PM Modi taking lead to fulfil COP26 cases; positivity rate at 11.84% With no fresh COVID death reported in the last 24 hours, the COVID death toll in the city stood at 26,325.

The national capital reported 2,202 new COVID cases in the last 24 hours with a case positivity rate of 11.84 per cent, according to a bulletin

by Delhi Health Department on Thursday.

There are currently 6,175 active COVID cases in the national capital. Further, 1,660 people recovered from the disease in the last 24 hours in Delhi taking the total recoveries to 19,29,874.

With no fresh COVID death reported in the last 24 hours, the COVID death toll in the city stood at 26,325.

As many as 3,587 patients are in home isolation in the national capital while 386 patients are admitted to hospitals.

The health bulletin said a total of 13,303 samples were tested in the last 24 hours for COVID. As many as 14,008 COVID vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours in Delhi of which 1,083 beneficiaries were of the first dose, 2,274 were of the second dose and 10,651 received the precaution dose.

All-women navy aircrew holds maiden mission in Arabian Sea In a first, an all-women navy aircrew carried out an independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the north Arabian Sea on board a Dornier 228 aircraft on Wednesday, the Indian Navy announced on Thursday, saying that the women had “created history.”

In a first, an all-women navy aircrew carried out an independent maritime reconnaissance and surveillance mission in the north Arabian Sea on board a Dornier 228 aircraft on Wednesday, the Indian Navy announced on Thursday, saying that the women had “created history.”

The five women who were part of the feat are mission commander and captain Lieutenant Commander Aanchal Sharma, pilots Lieutenant Shivangi and Lieutenant Apurva Gite, tactical officer Lieutenant Pooja Panda and sensor officer Sub Lieutenant Pooja Shekhawat.

The development comes

at a time when new doors have been opened for women in the defence services.

The five women officers are based at the Naval Air Enclave in Porbandar.

The women officers underwent months of ground training and comprehensive mission briefings in the runup to the “historical sortie,” the navy said in a statement.

“The Indian Navy has been a front-runner in driving transformation in the armed forces. Its pioneering women empowerment initiatives

include induction of women pilots, selection of women air operations officers into the helicopter stream and conducting an all-women sailing circumnavigation expedition across the globe in 2018,” it stated.

The navy will also be the first among the three services to induct women into the personnel below officer rank (PBOR) cadre under the new Agnipath model.

“This first-of-its-kind military flying mission

was, however, unique and is expected to pave the way for women officers in the aviation cadre to assume greater responsibility and aspire for more challenging roles,” the navy said, adding that the mission showcased ‘Nari Shakti’ in its real spirit.

“It perhaps marks a unique achievement for the armed forces that a crew of only women officers undertook an independent operational mission in a multi-crew maritime surveillance aircraft.”

One of the turning points for women in the armed forces came in 2015 when the Indian Air Force decided to induct them into the fighter stream for the first time.

The navy is also giving them more opportunities to serve on board warships alongside their male counterparts.

The army has allowed them to fly helicopters. But tanks and combat positions in the infantry are still no-go zones for women.

NTA postpones CUET-UG in Kerala due to heavy rains The second phase of CUETUG, which got under way in the rest of the country and nine cities abroad on Thursday, will continue until August 6. Nearly 680,000 lakh candidates had registered for the second phase of the test.

The national testing agency (NTA) on Thursday postponed the CUET-UG in Kerala due to heavy rains in the state, officials said.

The second phase of CUET-UG, which got under way in the rest of the country and nine cities abroad on Thursday, will continue until August 6. Nearly 680,000 lakh candidates had

registered for the second phase of the test.

“Due to heavy rain in many districts of Kerala in past few days, it has been brought to the notice of NTA that it may not be possible for a large number of candidates to reach the

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examination centre for CUET (UG) – 2022 within stipulated time as the movement will be very difficult and there may be disruption of power,” said Sadhana Parashar, Senior Director, NTA. “Therefore, to support the

student community, it has been decided to postpone the CUET (UG) – 2022 for the candidates who will be appearing in cities of Kerala for 4, 5 and 6 August,” she added.

Fresh dates for the exam will be announced later.

A red alert was declared in 8 districts of Kerala on Thursday by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) as rains continued to lash various parts of the state and disrupted the dayto-day lives of the people as roads got flooded or caved in and many got displaced from their homes to relief camps.

promises: Govt to Delhi high court

The Union government has taken enough efforts to fulfil the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2021 Glasgow climate summit (COP26) and the PM himself is taking the lead on the issue, the Centre told the Delhi high court on Thursday.

New Delhi: The Union government has taken enough efforts to fulfil the promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the 2021 Glasgow climate summit (COP26) and the PM himself is taking the lead on the issue, the Centre told the Delhi high court on Thursday.

Responding to a petition filed by lawyer Rohit Madan seeking to constitute an expert committee for the realisation of the promises made by India at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) last year, additional solicitor general (ASG) Chetan Sharma informed the court that all the timelines were in place and several committees have been constituted to look into the issues.

“It is the Prime Minister himself who has taken the lead. India from the back benches is today dictating and setting the road map, including zero emissions by 2070. All timelines are in place. There are committees headed by the PMO, secretaries. There are inter-ministerial committees in hand. Everything is in place,” the ASG told a bench headed by high court’s chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma.

In a status report, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change said that India has launched a major futuristic PPP (public private participation) mode initiative for clean energy — “Mission Integrated Biorefineries” centered on technology advancement and cooperation, zero waste bio-refinery for cost effective production of sustainable bio-fuels with co-production of bio-based chemicals and materials, using biotechnological interventions.

The ASG told the bench, also comprising justice Subramonium Prasad, that a report has been finalised and will be submitted to the United Nations Secretariat on Climate Control on Friday. He also cast aspersions on the motive of the petition and alleged that the prayer was “impliedly insinuate”.

Due to the allegations as made in the petition, the country’s image is tarnished in sensitive issues like the environment, the ASG argued.

However, appearing for the petitioner, his counsel denied the allegations, saying

he has the highest regard for the Prime Minister. The petitioner further said that in wake of the status report filed by the environment ministry his plea could be treated as representation.

The petition was subsequently withdrawn.

In the petition, filed through advocate Akshay R, the petitioner said that like several countries, India also made certain commitments during the 2021 UNFCCC in Glasgow, which included reaching 500GW non-fossil capacity by 2030, fulfilling 50% of energy requirements from renewable sources by 2030, and the same must be fulfilled.

“These commitments were made before a formal international forum of which India is also a member and a signatory. These commitments involve a shift to renewable and green energy from current coal-based energy.

All businesses in India will have to adjust their practices, and make necessary changes anticipating the shift. The state is bound by the promises it made and must deliver on the same,” the petition claimed.

The plea also said that the commitments should not be lost with efflux of time and groundwork needs to be laid down to avoid any delay.

“To meet such a deadline, which is only eight years away, groundwork needs to be laid down immediately and coordinated action be undertaken by various departments of the government of India… In view of the commitment made by India to reduce its carbon footprint by 2030 by 50% and reduce the energy consumption and dependency on fossil fuels by 2030, a clear roadmap needs to be prepared now considering the fact that fossil fuels still dominate our energy needs,” the petition said.

High Commission of India, Canberra celebrated 8th International Day of Yoga

International Yoga Day is celebrated annually on 21st June since 2015, following its inception after United Nations General Assembly passed resolution in 2014. Being the birthplace of Yoga, India takes special pride in organising annual events across the world

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and Indian Embassies/High Commissions/Consulates play instrumental role in it.

High Commission of India, Canberra celebrated 8th International Day of Yoga on 21st June 2022 at the iconic location of 'the Gabba' in the Sunshine city, Brisbane. This year Yoga day

celebrations held special value as our event was part of the great initiative by Govt of India “The Guardian Ring for Yoga”, whereby the IDY celebrations from 75 countries including the event at Gabba, were live streamed on the Doordarshan, National Broadcaster in

India. Thousands of Yoga enthusiasts all over the world got entwined together by being a part of this great initiative and truly lived this year's IDY theme i.e. "Yoga for Humanity".

The event at Gabba was well attended and the participants practiced

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various asanas and breathing exercises including 'Hatha Yoga', as guided by the Yoga experts.

In addition to IDY event at Gabba, nearly 50 other events were also organised at 10 major cities of Australia including 6 States and the National

Capital. Ensuring that the benefits of knowledge of Yoga and spirit of IDY has wider reach, nearly 15 web-based programs were also organised by the High Commission and the Consulates in collaboration with diverse associations and groups.

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 43

FOCUS ON FIJI Thank You, Fiji: Feakes

FSC Expects A Turnaround For The 2023 Financial Year $39 million in total revenue is expected from the sugar proceeds and molasses in the projected financial year.

Outgoing Australian Am­ bassador to Fiji, John Feakes, has thanked the Fijian people for their resil­ ience and hospitality during his term in Fiji.

While delivering his farewell remarks on Thursday night, High Commissioner Feakes de­ scribed his fiveyear tenure in Fiji as one of the most memora­ ble and greatest achievements in his diplomatic career.

His farewell reception was held at his residence in Suva.

Prime Minister, Voreqe Baini­ marama, attended the farewell reception cocktail for the outgo­ing Australian High

Commis­sioner to Fiji.

The head of Government was joined by Chief Justice, Kamal Kumar, Speaker of Parliament, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, Attor­ney-General and Minister for Economy, Aiyaz Sayed-Khai­yum, cabinet ministers, mem­ bers of the diplomatic corps, and senior civil servants.

High Commissioner Feakes was very instrumental in the successful signing of the Vu­ vale Partnership and through his sound leadership, Fiji and Australia’s bilateral relations were further strengthened in the areas of defence, sports, trade, and tourism.

Navy Marks 5 Years Of FMSRCC

Previously none of the Fiji Sugar Corporation (FSC) shareholders contributed to the development and assets of the company.

Minister for Economy Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said the corporation was at one time listed under the South Pacific Stock Exchange.

Mr Sayed-Khaiyum said none of these shareholders in fact contributed equity to the development of FSC’s operation and indeed their assets.

“There are still numbers of shareholders that earn shares within the FSC.” “Management has identified a list of properties that potentially could be divested in order to ensure the efficient running of Fiji Sugar.”

He said the corporation had experienced financial issues.

This has attributed mainly to various uncontrollable factors ranging from spate of natural disasters, inconsistence of world sugar price and milling in efficiencies resulting from the failed mill upgrade project in 2005.

“Non-renewal of leases, declining in cane production and deteriorating in cane quality have also contributed,” he said.

He said FSC expects a turnaround for the 2023 financial year in which it is anticipating a cane production of two million tonnes and sugar production of around 200,000 tonnes.

“A total of $39million in total revenue is expected from the sugar proceeds and molasses in the projected financial year,” he said.

“This projected earnings before interest, tax and depreciation we are expecting a $23.03million.

“FSC is focused on rationalising expenditure with key focus on streamlining controllable expenses, but the focus will not undermine any of the expenditures associated with enhancing the operational performance.”

“Accordingly in order to support the restructure and financial turnaround off FSC it requires additional funding support through government

guarantee.”

He said through the Financial Management Act 2004 the Government may guarantee the financial liability of any entity in respect of a loan or guarantees.

“The Fijian Government has been guaranteeing FSC domestic and offshore borrowing in the past number of years,” he said.

“The latest domestic guarantee approved by Parliament on 25 May 2017, whereby it approved to increase the existing Government guarantee of $120 million to $322 million.”

“It extended the period to 31 May 2022. On the other hand, Government also guarantees FSC offshore borrowings, which was approved on September 15, 2017.

“Whereby Parliament approved the extension of the Government guarantee period for ExIm Bank of India loan of us $50.4 million from 19 2019 to 31 December 2028.”

“Both parliamentary approvals exempted FSC from paying the guarantee fee.”

Villagers Take Ownership Of Water Source, Trained To Do Maintenance As part of the Navy Week celebra­tions, on Thursday the Republic of Fiji Navy marked the 5th Anniver­ sary of the Fiji Maritime Surveillance Rescue Co-ordination Centre (FMSRCC).

As part of the Navy Week celebra­tions, on Thursday the Republic of Fiji Navy marked the 5th Anniver­ sary of the Fiji Maritime Surveillance Rescue Co-ordination Centre (FMSRCC).

The FMSRCC is the hub for joint surveil­lance of Fiji’s maritime domain within its 1.3 million sq km of EEZ and includes other agency border security officers who are seconded permanently or on an adhoc basis.

The centre also hosts the regional search and rescue coordination centre, which coordinates Search and Rescue across an area of

The FMSRCC is the hub for joint surveil­lance of Fiji’s maritime domain within its 1.3 million sq km of EEZ and includes other agency border security officers who are seconded permanently or on an adhoc basis.

6.5 million square km, not just for Fiji, but other states within its search & rescue region.

The FMSRCC has been evolving since its commissioning in 2017, and the next major milestone will be the transition of its operations across to the Maritime Es­sential.

Raviravi villagers in Macuata Province will now take ownership of their water supply system Raviravi villagers in Macuata Province will now take own­ership of their water supply system.

They will also be equipped with adequate training to conduct mi­ nor maintenance works to ensure constant and reliable water source.

This was after a Minister of Health and Medical Services team organised a three-day Water Safety Management Plan training where members of the village water com­mittee team were trained on the minor maintenance of the water supply system.

Villagers had raised the issue of intermittent water supply with the Minister of Health and Medical Services, Dr Ifereimi Waqainabete, during his visit to the

Nadi Muslim Primary School Tops Quiz Nadi Muslim Primary School took out top honours during Islamic Quiz and Nazam competition at the Mulomulo Muslim Primary school last week.

Nadi Muslim Primary School took out top honours dur­ ing Islamic Quiz and Naz­am competition at the Mulomulo Muslim Primary school last week.

The contest was organised

by the Nadi Muslim Teachers Associa­tion.

Nadi Muslim Primary School scooped first place in the Senior and Junior Quiz respectively. This is the first time the event was held since 2020.

NadiMuslimTeachersAssocia­ tion president Mohammed Nazim said five schools competed in the event.

“It’s actually schools where

44 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Mus­lim teachers who teach Urdu and Arabic to students are in,” Mr Na­zim said.

“This year marks the 33rd year of its existence. We have been doing this for many years, but we did not have a programme last year due to COVID. “What we are trying to do is to broaden the experiences of our students through these types of competitions.”

village earli­ er this year to commission a sanita­ tion project.

Divisional health inspector North­ ern Division, Vakaruru Cavuilati, said the training was geared to as­ sist the villagers possess a docu­ mented

plan on their water supply system from the source to the taps of every household.

Mr Cavuilati said the training equipped villagers and encouraged them to take ownership of their wa­ ter supply system.

“There are committees

that will have responsibilities on maintain­ing the different supply systems.”

Mr Cavuilati indicated that a fi­nancial arrangement would be or­ganised where the committee could carry out minor repairs to the sys­tem, protection of water source and improvement of supply storage.

This would minimise their de­pendence on external assistance for minor issues.

“Villagers will be trained and mechanisms will be in place to rec­ tify some issues when the need for maintenance arises,” he said.

The plan is to have a water safety management plan training for more than 50 per cent of communi­ ties in the division.

Call: (07) 3192 5188

www.indiantimes.com.au

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 45

Ready actor Mithilesh Chaturvedi passes away

Mithilesh Chaturvedi, who is known for his roles in television and movies, passed away on August 3. If reports are to be believed, the actor was suffering from heart ailment and was shifted to Lucknow for better recovery.

The actor apparently passed away after a cardiac arrest.

For the uninitiated, Mithilesh Chaturvedi has shared screen space with some of the biggest stars in Bollywood like Salman Khan and Hrithik Roshan.

The news of his demise was confirmed by his son-in-law Ashish Chaturvedi, who took to Facebook, to confirm the

news with the help of a small tribute saying, “Aap duniya ke sabse achhe pita the, aapnde mujhe daamad nahi balki ek bete ki tarah apna prem diya, bhagwan aapki aatma ko shaanti pradhan karein” (Transl: You have been the best father, you have never treated me as just your son-in-law but as your son, you have always give me that love, may god bless your soul.)

Besides him, filmmakers like Hansal Mehta and social media users too shared RIP and condolence messages on Instagram and other platforms.

DDLJ Musical faces flak for casting white actor Austin Colby for the role of Shah Rukh Khan’s Raj; fans express disappointment

Ever since it was announced that producer Aditya Chopra is set to direct Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge again and it will mark his debut as a director on Broadway, fans have been eagerly waiting to see who the cast members are.

Come Fall in Love - The DDLJ Musical is being produced by Yash Raj Films. Based on an original story by Chopra, the musical will feature lyrics

by Laurence Oliver Awardwinner Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde, Mean Girls), and Vishal Dadlani & Shekhar Ravjiani will serve as composers. Now, they have found their Raj and Simran but also facing flak for casting a white actor for the role of Raj. Come Fall in Love - DDLJ Musical has a western twist to it with Raj becoming Rog (Roger Mandel). It will be played by American actor Austin Colby who will step into the shoes of Shah Rukh Khan.

However, Kajol’s Simran will

be played by Indian-American actress Shoba Narayan.

Austin shared the news on his Instagram and wrote, “A few months ago, I had never heard of the film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) or known of its global impact. I am in awe of this beautiful love story, celebrating Bollywood film at it’s finest. And now, to have workshopped Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical under the original director, Aditya Chopra, and trusted with the role of Raj (now Rog) to bring Bollywood to Broadway as a reimagined, inclusive cultural experience will undoubtedly be the greatest honor of my career.

I hope I make you proud, @ iamsrk.”

But, as the news was announced, it didn't sit well with the fans as many called out the makers for casting a white actor for the role of Shah Rukh Khan. Chef Vikas Khanna was amongst few who expressed his disappointment.

46 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, June, 2022

Ranveer Singh invited to pose nude for PETA India’s ‘Try Vegan’ Campaign In a letter that PETA India sent, addressing Ranveer Singh, they have requested the Bajirao Mastani actor to join them in the movement to promote veganism.

Apart from detailing the Bollywood celebrities who are associated with their campaign, they have also explained the health benefits in this letter. It read, “To promote compassion for animals, will you consider appearing in a nude PETA, India advertisement with the tagline “All Animals Have the Same Parts – Try Vegan”?

Speaking about approaching Ranveer Singh for their latest campaign, says PETA India Vice President of Celebrity and Public Relations Sachin Bangera said, “Just like

humans, animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone. They have emotions and unique personalities, feel pain,

and want to live with their families – they do not want to die.” He added, “Having given healthy vegan eating a go,

Ranveer Singh is the perfect candidate to encourage others to try vegan, too – for animals, their own health, and the planet.”

If Ranveer Singh becomes the ambassador, he would join vegetarian and vegan celebrities like Anushka Sharma, Joaquin Phoenix, Kartik Aaryan, Natalie Portman, and many others who’ve teamed up with PETA India or other PETA entities to promote healthy, humane, meat-free meals.

On the work front, Ranveer Singh has Rohit Shetty’s Cirkus with Pooja Hegde in the pipeline. The actor recently wrapped up the Karan Johar directorial Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani with Alia Bhatt and the rest of the film.

Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon come together for the first time for Dinesh Vijan’s robot film While Dinesh Vijan is busy setting up a supernatural universe with Stree, Bhediya, and Roohi as a part of his franchise, the producer has another interesting concept up his sleeve. From what we hear, he will next be working on a robot film but with elements of romantic comedy. If that’s not all, it will bring together the unique pairing of Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon together.

As per recent reports in Peeping Moon, the film will be set against the backdrop of Indian culture and tradition set up. A source was quoted in these reports saying, “Shahid Kapoor and Kriti Sanon’s film is a robot rom-com. It’s a quirky Indian take on the romance between a man

and a machine, something that has been explored many times in Hollywood but is rare in Indian cinema.

In this film, Shahid plays a robotics guy, while Kriti will be seen as a robot.”

The source also revealed

that the makers are keen on making it look like a cross between the 2014 Hollywood film Ex Machina and the Life Ok sci-fi drama Bahu Hamari Rajinikanth.

“It's a Hollywood concept told in the typical Indian

context and promises audiences a unique and enticing experience packed with loads of drama and quirkiness," added the source.

The film is expected to be directed by debutant Amit Joshi, who has been a screenplay writer in the past for films like the forthcoming Madhur Bhandarkar movie Babli Bouncer starring Tammannaah Bhatia in the lead. While this will be a rare role for Shahid Kapoor, this will also be the first time that Kriti Sanon will be seen in such a unique role. As of now, the film is yet to be titled and Dinesh Vijan’s Maddock Films haven’t made any official announcement regarding the same.

Estée Lauder India announces Manushi Chhillar as the new face of Advanced Night Repair serum Estée Lauder India today has announced Bollywood actress and former Miss World, Manushi Chhillar, as the new face of Advanced Night Repair, the brand’s No. 1 serum. Debuting this month, Manushi’s campaign will be featured on digital and social platforms across India and is her first partnership with a beauty brand.

“We are thrilled to welcome Manushi to the Estée Lauder India family as the new face of Advanced Night Repair,” said Rohan Vaziralli, General Manager, Estée Lauder Companies India. “In addition to her passion for all things beauty, we were drawn to Manushi’s values and dedication to helping others.

She reflects our brand’s commitment to women’s advancement and knows she

will deeply connect with our consumers across India.”

“I am a long-standing admirer of the Estée Lauder brand, and especially their Advanced Night Repair serum.

Being the face of this iconic product feels wonderful.” said Manushi, “I have introduced to the Advanced Night Repair a few years ago and I would definitely call it a skincare must-have.”

The campaign will bring Manushi’s love for skincare to life, featuring Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex – with the power of 7 serums in 1 that hydrates, reduces fine lines, evens skin tone, strengthens, firms skin gives radiance and has antioxidants, all in a quickabsorbing, fast-penetrating formula.

Release Date 11 Aug 2022 11 Aug 2022 19 Aug 2022 25 Aug 2022 26 Aug 2022 26 Aug 2022 09 Sep 2022

Movie Name Audience Score Laal Singh Chaddha 73 Raksha Bandhan 66 Do Baaraa 56 Liger 64 Thai Massage 80 Holy Cow 80 Brahmastra – Part One: Shiva 76

Call: (07) 3192 5188

www.indiantimes.com.au

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, June, 2022 — 47

Cirrhosis or fibrosis caused by hepatitis B and hepatitis C What does it mean when you are told you have cirrhosis or fibrosis of the liver?

Fibrosis is a term to describe scarring in the liver and over time if not managed can cause cirrhosis of the liver.

There are varying degrees of fibrosis from none or mild /moderate to severe called cirrhosis. If the degree of fibrosis has not progressed to cirrhosis it may be reversed as the liver is very good at repairing itself – with proper management and lifestyle changes.

Cirrhosis occurs when the liver cells are no longer able to repair themselves, and scar tissue develops. The scar tissue prevents the liver from performing its’ usual functions as well as it should.

Many liver diseases, other diseases, medications and life-style choices such as drinking alcohol, poor diet and lack of exercise (which can cause fat to deposit in the liver) can cause fibrosis or cirrhosis of the liver.

One of the common causes

Fibroscan. Your GP may also ask you to have one if you have had hepatitis B or hepatitis C in the past but have cleared the virus, to make sure no damage has ever occurred whilst you had the infection.

Information about Fibroscan can be found at www.eccq.com.au/bbv.

To have a Fibroscan you must be referred by your doctor, and follow up with the same doctor to get the result.

How can you reduce the risk of developing fibrosis or cirrhosis?

1. Regular check-ups with your doctor – particularly if you have chronic hepatitis B

of cirrhosis is viral hepatitis.

This includes chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis C. If these conditions are not managed and treated appropriately they can cause not only fibrosis or cirrhosis but also cancer, liver failure and death.

How can you find out

if you have fibrosis or cirrhosis of the liver?

1.

Ensure you undertake regular monitoring with your doctor including, blood tests to check how well your liver in functioning 2.

Have an ultrasound to check there are no other issues in the liver such as

cancer 3.

Have a Fibroscan which is a non-invasive way to measure the amount of fibrosis in the liver.

Where can you get a Fibroscan?

If you have chronic hepatitis B or chronic hepatitis C your GP can refer you to ECCQ for a free

or C – usually every 6 months for most people 2. Take medication to manage chronic hepatitis B if required by your doctor.

3. Take medication to cure chronic hepatitis C – all GPs can prescribe hepatitis C medication 4. Avoid or stop alcohol 5.

Discuss with our doctor first if you want to take any health supplements or herbals 6. Eat a healthy diet rich in fresh vegetables, lean protein and avoid salt, sugar, fats and processed foods 7. Exercise regularly – 30 minutes of brisk walking can help greatly 8. Stop smoking

Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health Program Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland (ECCQ)

Moistening Your Lips Nimisha Modi

Hetvi Hair & Beauty 0412350013

Hey Girls, mostly this time of the year everybody complaining about chapped or dry lips. Some of the main causes are vitamin deficiency, allergic reaction, dehydration, smoking, excessive licking of lips, sun exposure and harsh weather. Chapped or dry lips are a common problem that can be painful and unattractive.

Common symptoms are dryness, redness, cracking, flaking, and tender or sore lips.

There are many commercial products available to treat chapped lips. But you can save money and easily get relief with some easy-to-follow home remedies.

several times a day. You can also make a soothing treatment using one teaspoon of castor oil, one teaspoon of glycerin and a few drops of fresh lemon juice. Mix it well and apply it on your lips before going to bed. In the morning, wash it off with a cotton ball dipped in lukewarm water. Repeat this daily until your lips are healed.

Milk Cream:

from chapped lips. This remedy will help your lips stay moisturized while also enhancing their beautiful color.

Chapped lips home remedy using rose Wash a handful of rose petals thoroughly in water.

Soak the petals in milk for a few hours. (If you have issues with dairy products, you can soak them in glycerin instead.) Mash the rose petals into a thick paste. Apply the paste on your dry lips two to three times a day and every night before going to bed.

Castor Oil:

moisturizer that can help heal chapped lips caused by cold or dry weather.

Simply apply pure coconut oil several times a day on your lips to keep them moist. You can also use olive oil.

Sugar:

The high fat content of milk cream makes it a great natural lip moisturizer.

Apply fresh milk cream on your lips and leave it on for 10 minutes. Then gently wash your lips with a cotton ball dipped in lukewarm water. Do this daily to help your lips heal faster.

Castor oil is another good treatment for dry and chapped lips. Simply apply castor oil to your lips

Rose Petals: The rose plant in your garden can also come to your rescue when suffering

48 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

Coconut Oil:

Coconut oil is a natural

Exfoliating dead cells off your chapped lips will help restore their natural

softness faster. chapped lips home remedy Mix two teaspoons of sugar with one teaspoon of honey. Apply the paste to your lips and let it sit for a few minutes. Then use your fingers to gently rub the mixture around on your lips to loosen the dead skin cells. Wash it off with lukewarm water.

Honey: Honey is a great moisturizer that also has healing and antibacterial properties to treat chapped lips. Simply apply pure organic honey on your chapped lips several times a day. You can also make a paste of honey and glycerin and apply it before going to

bed to enjoy softer lips in the morning.

This will bring smile to your face and pocket. See you next month.

Engineers Australia Fellow Bishnujee Singh conferred with the Doctor for Research on Turbo Supercharger IIC University of Technology has conferred Cayley Aerospace Inc, Federal US Government Accredited Corporation CEO Eur Ing Bishnujee Singh with Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering for Unique research work on Turbo Supercharger.

It presents methods and models to support the turbocharger compressor in Acoustic balance within the new environmental rules.

Eur Ing Bishnujee Singh was actively involved in Space Engineering Research Publication: 1) Scaled Aircraft in Aeroelastic Similarity – Flutter Optimization. The work presented herein aims to perform aeroelastic scaling on a blended wing body by using existing optimization-based design approaches and then performing flutter optimizations at NASA JPL. 2) Application of multi-fidelity aeroelastic optimization to a BWB.The approach uses analytical test

functions on the NASA CRM wing section and a Blended Wing Boyd (BWB) concept.

3) Space Formulation for Transonic Aeroelasticity: The purpose of this paper is to study a novel topic “Space Formulation for Transonic Aeroelasticity” at NASA JPL. Doctor Committee member for the IIC University of Technology Dr. D K Singh did mention, “The Researcher work is very useful for the Industry and he presented very well” Another Doctor Committee member and internal examiner Prof Dr KSS Rakesh commented, “Excellent presentation of his research. Very well defended the thesis”.

Doctor Committee member Dr Deepchand Dhankher commented,” The thesis of Bishnujee Singh presents original research results on the topic "Experiments on Turbocharger Compressor Acoustics.".

It presents methods and model to

support the turbo charger compressor in Acoustic balance within the new environment rules.

The thesis runs in 250 pages with large amounts of data in support of research findings All chapters are well written matching with the research title and each chapter has a corresponding linkage with the other chapters, Diagrams, tables.”

In view of the above unique research work carried out by Dr. Bishnujee Singh at Cayley Aerospace Inc which is Research partner of NASA, he has been conferred Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering with Excellent on July 14,2022.Dr.Bishnujee Singh is also CCEO of The CEO Institute besides being CPEng Fellow with Engineers Australia and Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society, London. He was conferred with the First British Cayley Award 2003 by Royal Aeronautical Society, London.

668,000 customers tap Bupa delays premium into digital health wallets increase in $22m cost of living relief initiative A pioneering initiative to digitalise private health insurance cards has seen a huge uptake, with Bupa’s own data showing 668,000 of its Australian customers are now using their iPhone or Apple Watch to tap and claim in just one year.

Bupa was among the first private health insurers to offer customers access to their health insurance membership card from their Apple Wallet in July last year following high consumer demand.

There are now more than 668,000 Bupa private health insurance members who are using their digital cards – that number of cards would wrap around the MCG perimeter more than 119 times.

Chris Carroll, Bupa Health Insurance Managing Director, said Bupa was focused on creating a more seamless customer experience through any channel customers chose to interact with Bupa, including digital.

“We listened to our customers who told us they didn’t want to carry physical cards and they wanted the process of claiming health insurance to be much simpler and more convenient,” he said.

“Most of us have been there when we’re about to tap on the HICAPS terminal only to realise we’ve left our card at home. That’s Call: (07) 3192 5188

why we’ve already seen strong uptake of our digital card and it’s continuing to grow.

“The full digital wallet experience, which also allows customers to pay for gap payments using Apple Pay, has seen satisfaction from our members increase as they’re getting instant benefits from their membership and not having to find time in their busy schedules to process the claim at home.”

Positive feedback from customers so far has included ease of use, convenience and a quick, smooth and efficient claims process.

Bupa continues to add to its suite of digital products including the myBupa App, which allows customers to manage their account, make payments, chat to team members and access their Digital Membership Card, to make the most extras of their extras claims and show hospitals as proof of coverage.

Mr Carroll said the contactless claims had also freed up time for busy practitioners.

“Practitioners can process customer claims on the spot, helping members reap the benefits of their policy immediately,” he said.

Private health insurers in Australia were the first in the world to introduce digital health insurance cards last year via Apple

Pay. The digital cards, which reduce the amount of paper and plastic used in the claiming process, are also in line with Bupa’s strong commitment to sustainability, which includes its goal of becoming a Net Zero business by 2040.

New customers no longer need to wait for their physical card in the mail – they can instantly start to tap and claim.

During the sign-up process, new customers can choose to opt out of a physical card and choose the digital option.

Existing customers can use their myBupa app to upgrade to a digital card.

To sign up to a Bupa digital only card or to learn more, visit our website.

DIGITAL CARDS BY THE NUMBERS Total cards: 668,000 Total Digital cards HICAPS transactions: 641,000 Data from digital card launch in July 2021 What customers said: “It was very easy to use the digital card system.”

“I made my claim via my phone with the new Bupa ecard that I added to my wallet. It made the whole process smoothly and efficient.”

“Super convenient and love the digital wallet world.”

“Quick and easy through my digital BUPA card”.

Bupa customers will benefit from a $22 million cost of living initiative with their 2022 health insurance premium increase deferred for an additional month until November 1.

Earlier this year, Bupa members had their 2022 rate increase delayed for six months until October as part of COVID-19 related savings being returned to customers.

Bupa Health Insurance Managing Director Chris Carroll said: “Delaying the premium increase for an additional month is part of our ongoing monitoring of COVID-related savings and returning value to customers.

“With high household grocery bills, petrol and power prices, we know delaying our members’ premium increase will help ease some of the pressure on household budgets, while giving them assurances they can make full use of their health insurance policy.

“With the public health system under ongoing strain, we need to do all we can to keep private health insurance affordable and accessible to as a many people as possible.”

Together with this latest premium increase deferral, Bupa has

www.indiantimes.com.au

"With high household grocery bills, petrol and power prices, we know delaying our members’ premium increase will help ease some of the pressure on household budgets, while giving them assurances they can make full use of their health insurance policy. returned $640 million to customers as part of its COVID-19 support, including its latest cashback of $155 million which will be returned to customers from October.

“We’re committed to returning COVID savings to our customers, and our focus remains on supporting our customers’ health and financial wellbeing,” Mr Carroll said.

Bupa will have an average premium change of 3.18% from 1 November 2022 – its second lowest increase in 20 years.

Customers who are no longer active but held an active resident policy between 1 March 2022 and 30 June 2022 will be eligible for a premium delay cashback.

How Bupa has helped customers during the pandemic Since the start of the pandemic, Bupa has delivered a range of customer support programs, including: • $155 million cashback via our latest cash giveback program.

• $120 million cash via our first cash giveback program.

• $50 million financial hardship package in the form of premium waivers, policy suspensions and discounts.

• $168 million through a seven-month premium delay for all customers in 2022.

• $134 million through a six-month premium delay for all customers in 2020.

• $8 million by not passing on the October 2020 premium increase to customers suffering financial hardship.

• $5 million towards a bonus $200 one-off increase for mental health claims to support more than 2.2 million customers during the pandemic.

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 49

August-2022

Aries ( 21st March to 20th April )

Taurus ( 21st April to 21st May )

Gemini ( 22nd May to 21st June )

This month is all about having fun, falling in love, and making financial decisions. Students would be given reasonable opportunities and would do well, but the business they work for must be taken care of. Professionals may experience changes in their planning or options for recognition at work. There may be career selection or changes in occupation. The transit of the Sun and Venus indicates that you would be involved in changing the interior of your home. Rahu and Mars suggest that you avoid being offensive or cruel because it may result in financial loss.

In terms of finance, you can have a fair chance of making a profit. This month is an excellent time to create economic benefits. There may be opportunities for advancement and financial benefit, and the return of money provided to relatives or friends. When travelling, there would be unplanned expenditures in a foreign country. This month would be fruitful in terms of advancement and financial gain in your digital media career. This month, you must focus on the project and assignment at hand. Try to be consistent and present to achieve the desired results. This month, you must exercise extreme caution when it comes to your health. The stars indicate that you may be feeling down and that sudden health problems may arise due to stress. You would enjoy your children's company if you spend quality time with them.

Saturn's power indicates that you should take a constructive path to achieve the desired outcome.

The arrival of Aug 2022 is likely to bring the desired happiness. You'd be pleased with what you've accomplished this month. While your preparation and implementation have been excellent because you have been working on the plan for a long time, the results have not been anticipated. You may now have a comfortable life as a result of the transition in time.

Your directing and pleasing personality would be highly beneficial to your loved ones. Your dominant nature would not only be helpful to them, but it would also be helpful to you. A balancing act between improving yourself and your relationship and your responsibilities to your community associates or projects is likely to test your boundaries.

As a result, your time and effort must be put to good use. Your mind may be far too adventurous to think solely inside the confines of the box, but it is your ability to create outlandish connections that allows you to see beyond what anyone else sees. Your brilliant insights have the potential to lead to incredible developments and significant discoveries. This is an excellent month to finish tasks that have been on the backburner. Make space for your upcoming new life. The month is also beneficial for students interested in pursuing a career in management. Legal research, as well as studies in accounting and secretarial practice, would be helpful. Make sure that you focus on these points with extreme precision. Your technical advancements would be gratifying. The combined help of Venus and Jupiter would allow you to overcome all odds.

This month is likely to be jam-packed with short-distance travel and meetings. Avoid hostile communication and pride if you want to have a harmonious relationship with a family member, as the transit of the Sun and Venus is telling you. Sleeping discomfort can occur, causing stress and negatively impacting your health. Foreign-based careers may flourish, as would dealings in foreign countries related to your company. You are likely to get an opportunity to go on a holiday and fly with your partner. Spend quality time with your partner to strengthen your relationship. In Aug, a proposal from friends is likely on the way.

In terms of money and finance, this month may yield mixed results.

If you create a plan ahead of time, saved short-distance travel results in unplanned spending. Vehicle or transportation-related expenses may exist. If you are in the market for a new car, this month is ideal for you. Students in sports and the arts would benefit significantly from their mentor's advice. Try to keep a positive attitude and be in good company. You have a chance to be recognised because of your writing or blog-related ventures. Learning new languages and skills will help you develop your abilities. Plan a daily schedule and stick to it; this will help you maintain good health through a healthy diet and adequate sleep. The movement of the planets predicts that you may experience discomfort and that your sleeping comfort would be disrupted as a result of your workload.

Cancer ( 22nd June to 22nd July )

Leo ( 23rd July to 22nd August )

Virgo ( 23rd August to 22nd September )

The monthly horoscope for natives predicts that romance is ahead, as love and passion are in the air for you. You may have many intimate moments with your romantic partner. There is a chance that expenses related to travel would be incurred during the month. This native's professional life would result in an unexpected increase in your status. Children can provide you with reasons to smile. Be mindful of your thoughts and actions in your company, as partnerships can face difficulties this month. This zodiac sign's parents may need urgent medical attention.

According to the monthly horoscope predictions for this zodiac sign's natives, the month is likely to be very successful for all natives. This month sees the transit of planets, which may yield fruitful results in technical matters. According to the monthly horoscope, people born under this zodiac sign would make good progress during August.

According to the marriage horoscope for the month, there may be some difficulties in the first few days of the month, but the stress would not last long. Children born under this sign would concentrate on their studies. The planetary movements point to health issues for people born under this symbol. You must be alert because the planets are not in a favourable position at this time. This zodiac sign's family indicates a happy family life for you.

Singles should stop becoming involved in any scandals this week. This could be an unfavourable week for them. Domestically, there may be a few surprises. Children are likely to make their parents and families happy. Family gatherings are also planned. Many looking for work may expect a call letter this week. Their contributions are likely to be rewarded handsomely. Many interested in stocks or gambling can expect to benefit from lucrative offers, exposure, and new experiences.

This week, speculation would pay off handsomely. Students would do admirably in their exams this week. Any events in which they compete would be rewarding as well. They may be victorious based on their efforts. A fantastic week for leaders. With the support of their peers, their careers are likely to soar. They would be wise to make the most of their good fortune. This week's athletes would be filled with confidence. The monthly horoscope predicts that they would win all of the activities they participate in during the month. This monh is likely to bring you good fortune in love and romance. Your bond may get more vital and more profound. You would also get a supportive response from your partner. Natives can expect to have a pleasant time with your loved one. This week, married people must concentrate on family problems. Attention to business and work is also needed, or else their family life will suffer. Your parents and elders would appreciate a pleasant week. This week may bring family gatherings, which would keep them in good spirits.

Despite some setbacks at the start, the month appears to be productive and progressive for your career. It can provide some good opportunities for business people to strike a profitable deal. However, if you blindly trust others, you can end up digging your own grave. There may be a possibility that you receive some positive news about upcoming ventures, which lifts your spirit. Progressive forces are expected to ramp up their efforts in the latter half of this month. At the beginning of this month, planets may trigger some disruptions in your financial planning. As the month progresses, some successful earning opportunities are likely to help to strengthen your financial position. This is a relaxed period in the latter half of the month, and it is an excellent time to start making some wise investments. As the month starts, you may feel compelled to make changes in your life to spice up your personal life and relationships.

It would be a good time for eating, shopping, watching movies, and spending time together to strengthen your relationship. During the latter half of this month, cosmic forces are likley to be with you, and there would be an excellent contact. As the month starts, your fortune is likely to be on your side, and you may succeed in all of your assignments and exams. You would become more interested in your studies as the month progresses. During the latter half of the month, the planets would be in your favour. This month has a lot of good health indicators for you. After the middle of this month, the situation could improve. Improving your habits and adopting a healthier lifestyle can assist you in reaching your fitness objectives.

Libra ( 23rd September to 22nd October )

Scorpio ( 23rd October to 22nd November )

Sagittarius ( 23rd November to 21st December )

Overall, your well-being, work, and relationship may demand your attention this month. There may be distraction that disrupts your daily routine. Consume nutritious foods and stop dining out. There may be good times at work, but the transit of the Sun and Saturn with mutual attraction may cause stress and unappreciated work. As a result, it is recommended that you work on small tasks with patience and refrain from responding aggressively to anyone. You may face some love relationship difficulties in the first month, but things are likely to turn out well for you. Try to keep your ego in check and give your partner some room. There's a good chance you may get a partnership or marriage proposal— possibilities for performance in media or writing-related jobs. However, you must be careful about your communication skills because if you do not disclose your strategy before implementing it, you may find yourself in trouble. A businessperson's plan would be effective, and their approach would work for you. Those involved in sport-based careers should be cautious in their decisions because Rahu and Mars can trigger violence, leading to poor choices. Miscommunication can place you in a difficult situation. The workload would be present.

The research student may succeed in their project, but to achieve the desired success, you must obey your mentor's instructions. It would allow you to participate in international projects related to your study. To maintain good health, try to avoid cold drinks and stick to a balanced diet regularly. Sleeping pain would be present as a result of the workload.

This would cause you to become more serious and dedicated to your work and ambitions. You would be able to realise your aspirations and goals. You may be very busy working on anything new and can devote all of your time and energy to it. You would be on the right track because Mars would be transiting in its sign during this time. There is a significant probability that you would receive assistance from the government and authorities if necessary. Politicians are likely to obtain political power and reputation due to this alignment throughout this period. You must maintain control of your speech. This is due to Jupiter's direct motion during this time, which is likely to generate disputes and verbal confrontations.

This planetary position is unfavourable for you because it is predicted to produce mental uncertainty. During this time, you may be unable to make sound decisions. As a result, it is preferable to put critical matters on hold for the time being. If you are involved in a legal matter or a court case, the final verdict may be in your favour. As a result, you should expect positive news in the middle of the month. This would be a good month for your career. Both for people in business and those pursuing a personal vocation. This would be a month of continuous and continuing improvement. Make sure that your future seems good one after the other.

This is a highly favourable time for your finances, but you may notice that your expenses are increasing.

Stop wasting money by reducing unnecessary expenditure. Don't tell anyone about your hopes and dreams. This month foretells complicated difficulties on both a personal and professional level. The era may be quite demanding for you as a native. To avoid getting into verbal fights with your loved ones, you may need to practise some anger management techniques. As a result, you may become disoriented and confused. For the time being, your love life and health would do well. Women would be enjoying a good week both at work and at home. Others are likely to notice that you are more liked and cared for. Energy to live and achieve your goals can assist you in overcoming the inner distresses you have been experiencing for a long time. Others may perceive you as a strong personality who doesn’t shy to take bold decisions. Others may criticise you because you are firm despite being a lady. Your ethics would hurt someone you deal with.

Continue with your ways and dealings if you have complete faith in them. Others may quickly comprehend your motivations. You have an exciting and revitalising week ahead of you. You would feel prepared to take on new difficulties related to your work or new ventures. Your youthfulness may provide harmony to your entire family. You would be devastated by despair if you believe that your efforts are becoming out of control.

Capricorn ( 22nd December to 20th January )

Aquarius ( 21st January to 18th February )

Pisces ( 19th February to 20th March )

You are prone to anxiousness, making it harder for you to use your capacity to explore for the time being. As a result, it is preferable on your part to rely on someone who can be trusted. In the following days, your self-imposed mantra will be "selfimprovement." Friends and family would be there to lend a helpful hand. You may have a tough time being straightforward in your interactions, and you would require individual psychotherapy and group treatment to attain better self-expression and social fulfilment. Generous and warm attributes in you may lead to many wonderful family experiences. Your dedication to the family would assist you in obtaining the love and care you seek. Family members are more likely to turn against you if you decide to make some changes at home. They are likely to perceive you as controlling.

Your energy would be boosted by confidence and mental readiness to reach your goals. Your inner self would always be reliable guidance for you. You are more careful, secretive, and suspicious than any woman used to be. As a result, you are more cautious and scrutinising before committing to anybody or anything. Spending time analysing your current physical state can only make you more energetic and pleasant.

In some ways, this may allow you to look for a solution to your everyday boredom, which is frustrating and depressing. Unexpected family troubles would hinder you from taking the trip you've been planning and fantasising about for a long time.

You are prone to anxiousness, making it harder for you to use your capacity to explore for the time being. At the same time, it would be better for you to rely on someone who can be trusted. In the following days, your self-imposed mantra would be "selfimprovement." Friends and family likely be there to lend a helpful hand. Your oversensitivity is impeding your development. It would be best if you are relaxed, taking things less seriously rather than reacting to them. Generous and warm attributes in you may lead to many wonderful family experiences.

Your dedication to the family is likely to assist you in obtaining the love and care you seek. Your energy would be boosted by confidence and mental readiness to reach your goals. Your inner self will always be reliable guidance for you. You are likely to be relieved of a sickness that has been bothering you for a long time, and as a result, you are likely to feel calmer. You may begin to rely more on your doctor's advice. Situations may force you to forego some of your favourite pastimes. Don't take it into your heart since it may lead to depression.

The physical and mental stress you are experiencing may cause you to avoid the entertainments that supply the excitement you seek.

Your newfound love's passion may also provide you with a steady partnership. You can count on this for the rest of your life. Separation from your family would be something that you are not looking for.

Overall, your health, employment, and relationship will need your attention this month. There may be month immunity that disrupts your everyday routine. Consume nutritious foods and avoid dining out. There would be excellent times at work, although the transit of the Sun and Saturn with mutual attraction may cause tension and unappreciated efforts. As a result, you recommend that you focus on little projects with patience and refrain from responding aggressively to anyone. You may have some love connection difficulties in the first month, but everything may turn out well for you. Try to keep your ego in check and allow your companion some space. There's a good chance you may get a relationship or marriage proposal—possibilities for success in media or writing-related professions. However, you must be careful with your communication skills, and if you do not divulge your strategy before implementing it, you may find yourself in trouble. A businessperson's plan would be successful, and their method is likely to work for you. Those involved in sports-related jobs or careers should be cautious in their decisions because Rahu and Mars might induce anger, leading to poor choices. Miscommunication can put you in a difficult situation. You can expect the workload to be present. The research student is likely to succeed in their project, but to get the required results, you must follow your mentor's instructions. This may enable you to participate in overseas projects relating to your research. To maintain excellent health, try to avoid cold beverages and stick to a balanced diet regularly. Sleeping pain would be there as a result of the effort.

50 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

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CWG 2022: Shuttlers, paddlers dazzle on last day; hockey team fizzles out; India finish 4th with 22 gold medals BIRMINGHAM: Led by the iconic PV Sindhu, Indian shuttlers owned the badminton arena by winning all three titles on offer on the day while paddler Sharath Kamal yet again reminded everyone of his class and awe-inspiring longevity with a coruscating show, as the country wrapped up its CWG campaign with 61 medals to finish a creditable fourth.

It was expected that Sindhu, Lakshya Sen and the formidable pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy would end up on top of the podium but what provided the icing on the cake was the 40-year-old Sharath Kamal's gold medalwinning show against an equally good opponent in Liam Pitchford That performance took India's gold medal count to 22, which is four less than the 2018 edition, but this time the sport of considering that, India certainly put up a good show However, with the 0-7 hammering of the men's hockey team by Australia, when at least a spirited fight was anticipated, the Games ended on a somewhat disappointing note.

The manner in which

India caved in took away the joy of the silver medal it managed.

India's final tally read 22 gold, 16 silver and 23 bronze and they stood behind thirdplaced Canada, which was far ahead with 92 medals (26-32-34). Australia (67-5754) finished on top ahead of hosts England (57-66-53).

Coming back to TT, Sharath and G Sathian had lost to England's Pitchford and Paul Drinkhall in the men's doubles gold medal match, but on Monday, both the Indians had their revenge.

This was after Sathiyan beat Drinkhall 11-9 11-3 11-5 8-11 9-11 10- 12 11-9 in an exciting but nerve-jangling bronze play-off. Sharath outsmarted the 29-year-old nimble-footed Briton 11- 13 11-7 11-2 11-6 11-8 to claim his second CWG singles gold after 16 years. He had won the singles title in the 2006 Melbourne Games.

The superstar paddler will return from Birmingham with a rich haul of four medals, having won the men's team and the mixed team gold, apart from his silver in the men's doubles.

With Monday's sensational

gold, Sharath has taken his overall medal tally to 13 at the CWG, since making his Games debut in 2006.

The concluding day of the Games began with superstar Sindhu adding a CWG gold to her already bulging collection with a convincing straight game win over Canada's Michelle Li. The world number seven from India outplayed her 13th ranked opponent 21-15 , 21-13 in front of a packed crowd at the NEC arena.

"I had been waiting for

this gold for a long time and finally I have got it. I am super happy. Thanks to the crowd, they made me win today," said Sindhu after the final.

Later, 10th-ranked Sen came from behind to end Ng Tze Yong's giant-killing run in the competition.

The 20-year-old defeated the world number 42 from Malaysia 19-21, 21-9, 21-16.

Sen was at his attacking best in the decider and led until the end. Yong tried his best to mount a comeback,

but Sen was unstoppable. He converted his first match point following a long rally, leading to a frenzied celebration that saw him throw his racket into the stands.

"It was tense at the start, I had to work really hard. Yong also played a great tournament.

Congratulations to him as well," said Sen after a hardfought contest.

India's star doubles pair of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy won the country's third gold

from the badminton court with a straight game victory over England's Ben Lane and Sean Mendy at the Commonwealth Games.

The Indian duo won 2115, 21-13. India thus finished a fantastic badminton campaign with three gold, one silver and two bronze.

While the shuttlers and paddlers dazzled, Australia blew away India with their whirlwind speed and relentless attacks in hockey, extending its dominance at the Games.

Since hockey's introduction at the Games in 1998, Australia has always stood on top of the podium.

This is India's third defeat against Australia in a CWG final, having lost to them in the 2010 and the 2014 editions of the Games.

Nathan Ephraums and Tom Wickham scored a brace each while Blake Govers, Jacob Anderson, and Flynn Ogilvie also found the net in the lop-sided contest.

It was a far cry from what was expected in a gold medal clash as a dominant Australia pumped in five goals in the first half to take the game away from India.

EXCLUSIVE: Queensland Reds centre Revealed: The bombshell IPL plot that would Hamish Stewart set to join Western Force change world cricket as we know it The Western Force have signed one of the Queensland Reds' most consistent performers for next season.

Wide World of Sports can reveal centre Hamish Stewart will join his former Australian under-20s coach, Simon Cron, in the west on a two-year deal.

The move comes just four weeks after former Reds teammate Alex Mafi said that Stewart would be joining him at the Melbourne Rebels next season.

Queensland officials bristled at that report and issued a stern statement declaring there was "a binding agreement with Hamish Stewart to remain with the Queensland Reds for 2023."

"We have been made aware of another club's attempt to allegedly induce a breach of this agreement which we have asked RA to investigate," the QRU said.

It's believed bosses at Ballymore blocked Stewart from joining the Rebels, but when an offer came from the Force to head to Perth, Queensland obliged.

It's understood salary cap pressure and depth in the midfield are part of the

reason the Reds were happy to grant Stewart permission to head west.

The Force have recently lost talented young

52 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022

playmaker Reesjan Pasitoa to a serious knee injury which will see him sidelined for most of, if not all of, the 2023 season.

Stewart started his Super Rugby career at fly-half, played No.10 under Cron for Australia at the under20s World Cup, and could be viewed as a replacement for Pasitoa.

The 24-year-old is the sixth player to depart Ballymore at the end of the 2022 season, coming on the back of Lukhan SalakaiaLoto and Angus Scott-Young (Northampton, UK), Mafi, Tuaina Taii Tualima (Rebels) and prop Feao Fotuaika.

Queensland, it's believed, will now focus on re-siging co-captain Liam Wright.

Just weeks after Mike Atherton delivered the ICC an ominous warning of the very real threat of franchise cricket taking credence over the international game, an IPL boss has confirmed the desire to contract players across the world to 12-month deals.

“In an ideal world, sure - because that gives us the opportunity to make our vision and our strategy even stronger,” Kolkata Knight Riders CEO Venky Mysore told The Telegraph.

“If we were able to have X number of contracted players, and were able to use them all in different leagues, I think that would be nirvana. Hopefully, someday it will happen. I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.”

The report comes as former Australian captain Adam Gilchrist said it would be “commercial suicide” for Cricket Australia to allow David Warner to skip the Big Bash and play in a rival T20 league elsewhere in the world.

It also comes just weeks after the Proteas withdrew from their ODI series in Australia next January, with South Africa forfeiting their

World Cup qualification points so they can have their international players at home for the launch of their new T20 competition.

While Gilchrist could understand Warner, who is in the twilight of his “great career”, wanting to play overseas to top up his bank balance, he said it would set a dangerous precedent for emerging players.

“This is the big kicker, isn’t it, of possibly being the step towards being contracted to the club before or over country for the predominant amount of cricket you play,” Gilchrist told SEN last week.

“I think it would almost be commercial suicide for them (CA) to allow a player like him (Warner) to go

head-to-head up against their own competition.

“It’s the new younger player coming in that starts to make those noises where it’ll be really challenging.

“Perhaps it’s the first example where David Warner doesn’t sign a contract with Cricket Australia at all, he just plays for a match fee.

“All this is good news for the players’ bank accounts, mainly, but it will be a very different landscape, with players contracted eventually to private companies who will acquire franchises across the globe.

“I found myself chatting to a player’s agent this week in Birmingham along these lines. England, he said, will be the last man standing where Test cricket is concerned. June and July stand out as the only months without T20 competition when Test cricket can flourish.”

The Telegraph’s report confirms what many respected figures within the game have feared, with the privatisation of the game, particularly at franchise level, now starting to take full effect.

Salute the Nations Documentary Launch

BRISBANE, Augnes, and Teresa Joy, through their ‘Salute the Nations’ project, promote world peace by singing all the national anthems of the world, launched a documentary of their peace endeavors produced and directed by their father, Queensland Filmmaker Joy K Mathew.

At the 2021 International Day for Peace celebrations at St John’s Cathedral, Augnes and Teresa set a new world record for singing all the countries’ national anthems by heart. Again, the St John’s community, in association with the United Nations Association

of Australia, Queensland Division, hosted this event to show their support for world peace and supporting the United Nations programs to empower and protect women and children.

Prominent individuals representing over 75 countries have been interviewed to support the ideals and events of the Agnes and Teresa Peace Foundation and these two young global citizens promoting world peace.

The event was held at St John’s Cathedral from 1.00 pm to 2.15 pm. Indian afternoon tea was served afterward and finished by 3.30 pm.

Tonga Relief Charity Dinner held at Brisbane City Hall

BRISBANE, the Brisbane Tongan Community Inc. (BTC), a Brisbane-based not-for-profit organization, hosted a Tonga Relief Charity Dinner at Brisbane City Hall on Friday, 5 August 2022.

The event was held in the presence of the esteemed High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga to Australia, Her Royal Highness the Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku'aho, Consul-General Mrs. Louise Waterhouse, Call: (07) 3192 5188

local diplomatic corps as well as government and business stakeholders, and the local Tongan diaspora.

The dinner was held in support of rebuilding Tonga after 80 percent of the country was devastated by a volcanic eruption 800 times more potent than the atomic bomb in Hiroshima and followed by a devastating tsunami.

The event began with a VIP cocktail reception in the Balmoral Room; the formal proceeding included video

messages from Queensland Premier and Lord Mayor Adrian Schrinner. Brisbane Excelsior Band presented a well-conducted segment; Faith Sosene, the voice of the Australia Grand finalist, also performed at the dinner. The city hall was themed well for the occasion and looked magnificent.

Mr. Suli Layt was the MC for the event and did an excellent job. Mr. Suli Layt, on 4th August, was bestowed the honor of His Majesty's Chief Attendant,

The event was held in the presence of the esteemed High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Tonga to Australia, Her Royal Highness the Princess Angelika Latufuipeka Tuku'aho, Consul-General Mrs. Louise Waterhouse, local diplomatic corps as well as government and business stakeholders, and the local Tongan diaspora. the first non-indigenous Tongan to receive such a title on Australian soil.

Her Royal Highness Princess Angelika

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Latufuipeka Tuku'aho, on behalf of His Majesty King Tupou VI, presided at the Tongan Kava Ceremony commencing at the

Soundshell in Brisbane City Botanical Gardens. This is the first time this particular ceremony has been conducted in Queensland.

THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, August, 2022 — 53

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