November 2020 edition of Desi Australia Monthly Magazine

NOVEMBER 2020

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WISHING YOU A VERY

May this auspicious occasion light up your life with HAPPINESS, JOY & PEACE.

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happy Diwali Jane Hume Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology Senator for Victoria

Jason Wood Assistant Minister for Customs, Community Safety and Multicultural Affairs Member for La Trobe

Josh Frydenberg Treasurer Member for Kooyong

James Paterson Senator for Victoria

Scott Morrison Prime Minister

Katie Allen Member for Higgins

Alan Tudge Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure Member for Aston

David Van Senator for Victoria

Gladys Liu Member for Chisholm

Authorised by A.Hirst, Liberal Party of Australia, Cnr Blackall and Macquarie Sts, Barton ACT 2600.

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WHAT’S INSIDE

the Culture 50 Challenging The Indian Community and the Black Lives Matter Movement

Banga 67 Samir is the Executive Solicitor & Director of Banga Legal

requirements to be 58 Legal undertaken before you celebrate Diwali in

percent of migrant 33 50women feeling lonely and isolated during COVID-19

style

56 for a Cause” 26 “Batting -launch of 24/7 Helpline Radhakrishnan, 19 Priyanca First Indian-Origin Woman to Become a Minister in New Zealand.

Photovoice exhibition

by Hathi In the Room

Encounters54 Spooky We often experience things that make us uneasy

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Deep Sey Diwali Tak

MAGIC DIRECT TO 66 COVID-SAFE YOUR HOME Saksham magical madness live on Zoom Sat 19 Dec

Nutrition Week 2020 30 National a smashing success - so what’s next for Nutrition Australia NSW? NOVEMBER I 2020

charge 62 Taking of your mental and physical health in this pandemic Finale of the 150th 42 Grand Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi by the High Commission of India

Ribbon Breakfast 2020 22 Pink A Commendable Sydney Indian Community Initiative To Shine’s 44 Born – High Tea for a Cause launched 36 MCCSA Multicultural Men’s group in South Australia each its own, 20 Toas they say!! www.DesiAustralia.com

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quality time with our family, let’s hope and pray that 2021 brings good health to all of us.

“Never let a good crisis go to waste. It’s the universe challenging you to learn something new and rise to the next level of your potential.”

- Kristen Ulmer Hello Everyone, The bumpy year of 2020 has taught us some invaluable life lessons, one of them is not to take anything for granted and to count on our blessings.

As we light the candles for Diwali this year and spend

On behalf of team Desi Australia, we wish everyone a very Happy Diwali.

Arti Banga

Editor-in-Chief

DesiAustralia.com “Keeping you connected”

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Rajni Ghai Malhotra

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Victoria Editor:

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Editor-in-chief

Garima Dhawan

Ankita Tandon

Queensland Editor:

South Australia Editor:

Arti Banga

NSW Editor:

Harmohan Walia

Priya Singh

Daljeet Bakshi

Address: Desi Australia Pty Ltd

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Disclaimer: All rights reserved. Do not re-use any content and photo from Desi Australia without the prior written permission from the editor. All the material published in Desi Australia, including articles, features, fillers, advertisements, and all other contents, are published in good faith, and the editor or the Desi Australia magazine cannot be held liable for any errors or omissions. All material is published on the understanding that it is copyright free, and Desi Australia accepts no liability for any subsequent copyright issues. We also cannot accept responsibility for and do not endorse views expressed by the contributors.

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‘Love is the soul’s light’ Rumi

We wish that the radiant light of Diwali brings peace and love to the World, especially during this time of Covid-19.

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Wish you all a happy and prosperous Diwali

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The Hon Gladys Berejiklian MP Premier of New South Wales

Authorised by Chris Stone, Liberal Party of Australia, NSW Division, Level 12, 100 William Street, East Sydney NSW 2011.

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Diwali Special

By Poonam Naik

Deep Sey D

D

iwali is the the Indian Hindu Festival of Lights. It is the most widely celebrated festival of the people from the Indian sub-continent and across the whole world.

Deepavali means rows of lights. It is the festival symbolising victory of good over evil, light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Though there are many mythological explanations to this wonderful festival, however, in the current world what the festival of lights really stands for is a reaffirmation of hope, a renewed commitment to friend ship, religious tolerance, spreading the word of peace and harmony and above all, celebration of “simple joys of life�.

Pre covid Diwali looked so fully commercialised in Sydney. Big Diwali cruises, fancy Diwali parties, Bollywood inspired get togethers. There were fairs full of Indian eateries and hungama shungama performances. Covid-19 has changed a lot of the celebrations we did this year. Some were virtual and some are going to be good old traditional style celebrations with no commercial tamasha attached to it.

We caught up with a few Sydney families to inquire of what Diwali is going to be in their houses this year.

Divya Gupta from Little Marigold Design Australia loves to get really creative and brings back what she did as a child. Trying to make Diwali more relevant to her son and many other kids born and raised in Australia. She reminisces that as a child her whole family use to make torans with real marigold flowers. She has

tried to recreate the same experience with her three year old son by making easy DIY paper based toran kits that little hands can make.

Mayuri Parekh is an art educator at MJ Art and Design. She loves to do different rangoli designs for her family celebrations. There is a different Rangoli for every 5 days of Diwali celebration at her house. These are made using different mediums and techniques.

Through her painting studios she is teaching young kids to express themselves in this vanishing art form too.

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Diwali Special

Diwali Tak an elaborate dinner with Gujarati snacks is a must. My boys love to make sweet hampers and distribute Indian sweets to neighbours. Everything is kept simple to reduce parental nightmares and meltdowns.

Swagata and her friend Rashi celebrate Diwali with equal fervour and festivity. Besides, the puja, food and decorations - they miss the crackers and phatakas from back home in India. Since they can’t do much beyond Chinese sparkles, they came up with a cracker of an idea.

They tie together a bunch of air filled balloons and then use a pin to burst them. It makes a big cracker phataka like noise.

The rules around Deepawali celebrations continue to be on an emphasis on maintaining social distancing.

Please don’t invite more than 20 people at home including yourselves. If you are meeting up outside in a public place keep it at 30 people.

Shubh Deepawali to all the readers from our side.

No Indian festivity is complete without nashta and khana wana. Rajni has a passion for cooking and is best known for her samosas and mouth watering gulab jamuns. She also does party catering. She gets double the busy around Diwali times finishing and finalising party catering orders. Her samosas can easily compete with any Halwai from back home in India. It took me 15 years of wait and many attempted failures to find my perfect Delhi wala samosa.

At our place, lights, a catchup party with a few close friends in the patio followed by kids doing sparkles and

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Festivals

Spring perfect celebration of

Durga Puja in Australia still remains a grand celebration in rural towns of Balasore, Bhadrak, Cuttack & Kendrapara districts of Odisha besides in West Bengal.

By Ritwika Chakraborty

It is spring time in Australia.

And it is time for Durga Pujo.

Historical evidences in Markanda Purana, suggest, Raja Surath, democratic emperor of Bengal with his Vaishya friend, performed the first ever-recorded puja of Durga, in spring. The Raja who lost everything he owned and believed only a worship of the Ati Prakruitika Shakti, Durga, would reverse his misfortune. And it did. They worshipped Durga in spring time. So, this festival is called Basanti puja. Basanti Durga puja

According author, brand ambassador of the Shankaradeva Movement of Assam, and actor Victor Banerjee , “The pre-historic nomadic Abhira shepherds of the Himalayas worship-ped a War Goddess and slowly, down the ages, transformed her from the ‘destroyer of Time’, Kali, into the primordial Adya Shakti, redeemer from “Samsara” and the cycles of rebirth and, thus, assiduously merged the beliefs with Brahmanic mythology and philosophy.

Let us expel the violence associated with Durga and Kali and embrace Maha Gauri, the Beautiful Goddess Durga as she was worshipped 2,000 years ago, in Megalithic times, in Curdi, in Goa, as Lajja Gauri, the greatest Goddess in our pantheon, creator of the universe with her consort Shiva, in her most peaceful form, “Shaanta Durga”.

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Durga Puja, remains one of the most significant festival of Hinduism. It celebrates the victory of goddess Durga over the demon king Mahishasura. Durga, (Sanskrit: Inaccessible) in Hinduism, is a principal form of the goddess and is also known as Devi or Shakti. The festival epitomises the victory of good over evil with the goddess as the motherly ascendancy behind all of life and creation. It is a celebration of multi-tasking goddess who resembles today’s women. The goddess has been celebrated from the 1500s by the landlords of Dinajpur and Malda districts of Bengal, India.

The upper crest Bengali families are known to have been performing the puja in their homes even before 1757. Back then, Durga Puja was a private affair which symbolised status and privilege in the Bengali society. When Netaji was the Mayor of Calcutta (1930), he donated Rs 500 to the Puja organizers. Later, in 1938-1939, Netaji himself became the president of Baghbazar Sarbojanin Durgotsav committee. www.DesiAustralia.com

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Festivals

the Conclave room at the Vatican City..”

The suspense way passes the excitement of South Africa winning Rugby Seven World Championship against Australia, New Zealand and Japan or even Argentina winning International World Polo Championship against USA and Spain.

Durga Puja has fascinated everyone in Bengal from Bengali elites to Dutch traders to English merchants. The Zamindars had ivory Durga idols especially crafted to celebrate the grandeur of Durga Puja.

The Dutch traders celebrated Durga with Dutch Bengal School of paintings. And the members of British Raj adoring the Durga Puja festival of Bengal. They were invited by Bengali zamindars of Kolkata to lavish banquets in their rajbaris during the festival. A famed myth that revolves around the onset of Durga Puja involves East India Company’s victory over Bengal under the leadership of Robert Clive in the Battle of Plassey in 1757. “The myth of the Pujas is a simple one – full of rural sweetness … The Pujas are, in part, an ever-returning homage to that magical sense of being rescued, so indispensable to children’’. ― Amit Chaudhuri, Calcutta: Two Years in the City.

Durga Puja festival in Kolkata is the second biggest carnival in the world after Rio Carnival in Brazil. One can enjoy modern puja celebration by Ballygunge Cultural Association to the traditional Durga pujo celebration by Rani Rashmoni’s ( famous philanthropist of 19th century ‘Calcutta’ who traded with East India Company) ancestors in North Kolkata.

Durga Puja in Kolkata, is also one of the biggest street festivals in the world.

It is one of the largest employment generators in the state with more than 10,000 Pujas in the state. It provides over 100,000 jobs for nearly six months every year according to the West Bengal government. 1,000 more in other parts of India and overseas. The festival emerged as a hub of commercial activity with each community Puja sustaining a microeconomy.

Today, it is truly a socio-cultural festival employing idol-makers to craftsmen, electricians to security persons, priests to dhakis. According to Kamal Sarkar, president of Forum for Durgotsav , a body of the city’s 100 mega pujas, “The five-day festival generates transactions worth Rs 4,500 crore in Kolkata and Rs 15,000 crore in the entire state.” Durga pujo Kolkata provides the perfect opportunity as the biggest billboard

The tradition has been carried on till date with the Bengali elites of North Kolkata organizing Durga Puja every year. It has maintained the same charm, glamour and ritualistic tradition ever since. According to the social media post of a Bengali origin NRI,” The anticipation of Durga pujo from Mahalaya leading up to the Saptami, is like the feverishness around Brazil playing Argentina in Rio de Janeiro in the World Cup Soccer finale, mixed it with the excitement around India playing Pakistan at the Eden Gardens in the World Cup Cricket finale, and sprinkled the suspense of people waiting to see the white smoke coming out of the chimney of Download Our App

for national and international brands to make their presence felt. Big and popular names like Apple, Hindustan Unilever and Luxmi Group are able to connect with millions of consumers using Durga puja festival as platform.

Aditya V Agarwal, director of Emami Group in Kolkata stated that it was one of the biggest advertisers at the 2019 Durga Puja. He said: “The festival’s appeal cuts across geographies and communities and connects people with its unique essence.” While the Indian Chamber of Commerce director general Rajeev Singh believes Durga Puja’s turnover in Kolkata could triple to Rs 15,000 crore in the next few years.

It can be confidently stated that the probability of any global festival matching Durga Puja spirit in Kolkata is slim.

Whether it’s be craze of Diwali in Delhi, Christmas in City of London, Valentine’s day in very romantic Paris and then add it to the month long madness of Olympic Games or the fever of World Cup or excitement of Grand Prix and cram all that into a span of 5 days and you still wouldn’t feel, the same adrenaline rush as Durga Puja in Kolkata.

In Ashtami, the eighth day (tithi) (in the fortnight (paksha) of Hindu lunar calendar ), the celebration takes fashionable turn. The Paris Fashion Week seems to be a distant memory in comparison to the vogue of Bengali community in Kolkata or in India or across the globe.

The Bengali community blend textiles of the East with style of the West but the red bordered white sarees always win the race of glitter and glamour. And catwalks of Milan, Paris and London is just a child’s play as ladies dressed in exquisite, colourful and unique Baluchari, Dhakai, Tangail and Kantha handlooms.

Cotton, silk and muslin- materials that once brought the globe traders for thousands of years to Bengal’s shores and still attract attention.

Women in their sarees with matching accessories play a visual riot of colour, aheritage and culture as they gatecrashes every venue like they do in the Melbourne Cup Day. It takes everyone’s breath way and creates an excitement like Victoria’s Secret fashion parade in

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Festivals

New York City for Bengali young men.

And as the Bengali girls walk mesmerizingly, they trample down the hearts of many guys.

And song such as Genda Phool with Badshah Ft. Jacqueline Fernandez and Payal Dev celebrate that Bengali stanza with a Durga pujo scene. While Dhoti cladded Bengali gentle men chant hymns , participate in dhunuchi dance and enjoy the sound of dhaks, all heralds the triumphant and grandeur return of the Mother Goddess to earth.

Durga Puja is the time, when people who haven’t spoken for months hug each other for a better tomorrow. On the other hand,women apply vermilion to other women who they’d vilify any other day of the year. While the frugal businessman suddenly hands out Rs.2000 note to youngsters to go and buy some Rasgullas with a smile.

Now a days NRI Bengalis and non Bengalis are equally playing active role to market Durga Puja globally with pandel hopping is even becoming common in Australia, USA or

UK. Who can forget with millions of Bengalis living across the globe, the first Durga Puja abroad was held in London, UK in early 1960s, followed by USA and Australia.

Today, there are many organisations in Australia to host Durga Puja. Durga Puja for the Bengali Diaspora often is only five days of fun squeezed into a weekend festivity in Australia.

The Bengali Association of NSW , Melbourne Bengali Association and the Bengali Society of Queensland have been hosting Durga Puja for decades with the fever of festivities spreading to Tasmania this year. There are also Durga pujo organised by Puja & Durga Society of Northern Territory, Bengali Association of Western Australia and Bengali Association of Canberra.

According to South Australian Department for the Premier and Cabinet update “Worship of Durga”, also referred to as Durgotsava, “Festival of Durga” or Sharadotsav is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami,

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Maha Nabami and Vijayadashami. Still Durga pujo festival lacks federal recognition like the celebration of Deepavali due to proper lobbying in Canberra. In spite, of such lack of support, Bangladesh Puja Association (BPA) is preserving the essence of the thousands of years Bengali Hindu Culture in Australia by celebrating Durga pujo every year.

Every year Durga idol comes from Kumartuli in Kolkata. This year it is not different.

One Durga Puja in Melbourne ordered fibreglass Durga idol from Kumartuli. Artist Koushik Ghosh has become the first, Kumartuli artisan to have his Durga idol shipped to Australia amid COVID-19 outbreak. Ghosh’s shipment has given some hope to the artisans of Kumartuli who are getting lesser orders and facing cancellation of bookings this year due to the pandemic.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is making sure that this year’s celebrations will look different and many of the usual traditional gatherings would not take place. In Sydney, Bengalis are going to miss out on ‘Anandamela’ – a food festival which in the recent www.DesiAustralia.com

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Festivals

time has become synonymous with Durga Puja worldwide.

Still there is some good news as Swagatam Puja Committee will be perform one of the finest Durga pujas in Penrith, NSW. According to President of Swagatam Puja Committee (Penrith, Western Sydney), Mrs Swagata Das, ‘There are many challenges in 2020. But the puja committee is prepared to embrace the Durga pujo festival spirit in Down Under by organising Virtual pujo and anjalis for everyone across Australia. A first of its kind from Sydney, in the Southern Hemisphere.This will be in line with the Australian health safety guideline for the pandemic.’ Due to pandemic, Melbourne resident Rupa Ganguly said,’Normally in Melbourne we have around 4-5 big pujos but this year according to my knowledge only Melbourne Pujo is doing online puja to keep the spirits alive. Since strict Melbourne lockdown, having a Pujo is not possible - we cannot even meet anyone, so we are having an online cultural program all 3 days.”

The Halders of Australia have also launched their own, first of a kind Durga & Dhaki

social media Campaign for spring 2020.

The campaign is to encourage everyone to make Australian environment plastic free by picking up plastic bottles for recycling while requesting to donate to Dhakis (folk drum players) of Bengal, India as they are effected by the pandemic. In Kolkata, artist Pallab Bhowmick radical and moving new work for the Durga Puja pandal this year - of Ma Durga as a migrant worker with her children highlighted the post pandemic affect on Indian migrant workers. It highly humanity, art and creativity. For Bengalis, Durga Puja reflects the true Bengali spirit where happiness is not a numbing detachment or forgetfulness but to be a part of human society.

Jane Wilkins from Halder family was proud to state that, “We are delighted to be part of a multicultural Durga Puja photoshoot this spring. It is in collaboration with renowned photographer Sumeet Pal Singh from 18 Carat Photography and makeup artist Geeta Rani from Geeta’s Makeup Artistry. Our photoshoot included people from diverse backgrounds such African, Bengalis, Indians and Nepalese to uphold the core essence of multicultural Australia. Finally, Durga pujo is celebrated in

spring as it should be.”

During the photoshoot, guests got treated with home made Aussie chicken schnitzel sandwich with lettuce and avocado, Lemon meringue tartlet from Victor Churchill in Woollahra and Rosogolla from Billu’s in Harris Park. Halder family also prepared exquisite hampers with embroidered Kurta, Byron Bay cookies and Darjeeling tea amongst others for Swagatam Puja’s online art and cultural competitions.

In 2020, many Durga Puja festivities in Sydney and across Australia had been cancelled as the health risks are too high but Bengalis of Australia believe that the Durga Puja bond is not through physical proximity only but through our shared community, culture and celebrations. The Bengalis of Australia proudly celebrated Durga Puja but with caution, compassion and collective spirit. Durga Puja is definitely a transformational festival which can become a significant spring time cultural phenomena in Land DownUnder.

In Bengal, Raja Surath knew to celebrate Durga Puja in spring time. And so do we.

Wishing you and your family a Happy Diwali.

Michelle Rowland MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR GREENWAY

PO Box 8525, Blacktown NSW 2148 Level 1, Suite 101C, 130 Main Street, Blacktown (02) 9671 4780 Michelle.Rowland.MP@aph.gov.au www.michellerowland.com.au MRowlandMP Authorised by Michelle Rowland MP, Australian Labor Party, Suite 101C, Level 1, 130 Main Street, Blacktown NSW 2148

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Mag Corner

Women of Indian Origin

India is a country of contrasts, one where women over the years are known to have been treated as the w have held distinguished positions of power and leadership. The roots of the female power can probably know her today, enjoys more liberty and equality than she did 50 years ago. When it comes to bringing n across th

MELBOURNE’S MARIA THATTIL CROWNED NEW MISS UNIVERSE AUSTRALIA 2020 One of Australia’s most up and coming models, Maria Thattil, has just been announced as Miss Universe Australia for 2020. Maria will now go on to represent Australia and compete in the Miss Universe international pageant next year.

T

he 27-year-old, who is of Indian heritage and is a popular Instagrammer, will be proudly flying the flag everywhere for petite models standing at 160cm (5’3).

“I’m so thrilled to have been given this honor, I think my win serves to continue to break down perceptions around purely Anglo-Celtic perceptions of Australia and how you need to look to be a model or Miss Universe,” she said.

“Many of us know what it’s like to live in a society that seeks to put people in boxes based on factors like gender identity and ethnicity. I think my win serves to continue to break down purely Anglo-Celtic perceptions of Australia and how you need to look to be a model or Miss Universe.

“This nation is enriched by communities from all over the globe and anchored in a rich First Nations history. Diversity is who we are - so it is important to reflect that in how we choose to show up in our daily lives as Australians. I show up as a proud Indian-Australian woman by embracing ALL of me.”

“As for my height, I used to think that I was too short to model, however it’s been liberating to break out of that limiting belief and refreshing to experience brands featuring people of all shape and sizes.

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Not being a certain number of centimeters shouldn’t have a bearing on your substance or capacity for impact.”

Currently working in human resources as a Talent Acquisition Partner, Maria won the title from 28 other national finalists from around Australia which was conducted via a virtual pageant online. “We still had to prepare for the competition just as much as previous years,” said Maria who was also awarded the Miss Congeniality title by her peers.

“In fact, my ‘coach’ was actually my 25-year-old brother Dominic! He went through questions with me and was my biggest motivator. We moved back in with our parents during COVID lockdown this year and he’s been a phenomenal support.”

A staunch campaigner for inclusivity, in May Maria launched an online empowerment series on Instagram - Mind With Me. “Given the challenging social context of 2020, I wanted to create a safe space where people could chat to each other about being comfortable in their own skin, what’s currently happening in the world and important issues such as mental health, racism, sexism and bullying. I realised that I had the power to create a space that facilitated conversations that allowed the respectful discussion of differing view-

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Mag Corner

n shine across the globe

weaker sex. Yet we have seen a number of women who have created a unique identity for themselves and y be traced back to Hindu mythology and our goddess-worshipping culture. The Indian woman, as we name, fame and glory to our mathrubhumi, here are three women of Indian origin carrying the mantle he seas: The part-time model is represented by top size inclusivity agency Bella Model Management who also manage supermodel Robin Lawley. Having only started modelling at the end of last year, Maria has been in demand ever since appearing in leading campaigns for brands such as Ulta3 and Frank Body.

Maria, whose parents immigrated to Australia from India, said talking about inclusivity in her series was a topic close to her heart, not only because of her size, but also because of her ethnicity.

Wanting to learn more about cosmetics for deeper skin tones, Maria began documenting her make up journey on her Instagram three years ago which led to modelling.

“I envision the modelling sphere as becoming one that grows beyond exclusive ideals of what it is to be ‘beautiful’, ‘capable,’ ‘powerful’ or a ‘model.’ Height, shape, other factors around your social identity should not preclude you from pursuing dreams or being confident as you are. Everyone should see themselves represented in every public sphere.”

“Growing up I didn’t see myself represented in public spheres like fashion, politics, business or beauty. A lack of representation affects your self-esteem and made me wonder how my future would pan out in certain spheres.” points on a myriad of complex topics in pursuit of progress and growth.”

This series which has been running for six months now, has created a safe space for conversations on everything from sexual harassment to racism to confidence.

It’s since grown into a global community that has reached over 150,000 people worldwide. It has also included interviews with influential figures like celebrity stylist Justine Marjan, Siera Bearchell, Miss Universe Canada 2016, LA influencer Ami Desai and Australian plus sized model Jess Rae King.

As part of the Miss Universe competition Maria won a business grant and is now developing her own online communitybased enterprise where she will coach people to live confident, conscious and empowered lives backed by a global community.

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When she was younger Maria copped her share of ‘brown jokes’ and racist taunts. “A lot of my peers formed their beliefs based on limited representation like characters like Apu from The Simpsons because all they saw were exaggerated stereotypes - there was a lot of cultural insensitivity.”

Even nowadays Maria still encounters ‘subtle micro-aggressions’. “I once walked into a luxury make up store looking for a foundation only to be curtly told, ‘We don’t sell your shade locally, there’s not a market for it here so you should look for global shades online’. I was stunned. It was like they were saying there’s only a market in Australia for people who sit on the fairer end of the shade spectrum.”

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Mag MagCorner Corner

Priyanca Radhakrishnan, First Indian-Origin Woman to Become a Minister in New Zealand.

Who is Priyanca Radhakrishnan?

Radhakrishnan, 41, was born to R Radhakrishnan, an IIT alumnus hailing from Kerala’s Ernakulam district.

With her roots in North Paravoor, Radhakrishnan went on to pursue higher education first in Singapore and then New Zeland where she pursued a masters degree in Development Studies from the University of Wellington. She later started working for the Indian community in Auckland as a social worker. In 2006, Radhakrishnan joined the left-leaning Labour party in NZ and in 2017, became an MP in Ardern’s party. A two-time MP, Radhakrishnan has spent 14 years as a Labour Party leader.

Not a stranger to politics Though the first Indian-origin woman to become a minister in NZ, Radhakrishnan also had roots in politics.

According to reports, her great maternal grandfather Dr C R Krishna Pillai had been a left-wing leader with the Communist Party who played a key role in Kerala politics. According to an interview given by her father, R Radhakrishnan, to Indian Express, she met her husband, New Zeland citizen Richardson who works in IT, while working for an NGO dedicated to survivors of domestic abuse.

He too has recently joined the Labour Party.

The IIT Kanpur alumnus also said that his

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daughter’s first break in politics came when she was chosen as the International Students’ Officer of the Massey University Students Association, a post she contested and won. She stayed on in NZ after senior left leaders encouraged her to pursue a career in politics.

What portfolio will Radhakrishnan be handling?

In Ardern’s new cabinet, Radhakrishnan will be sworn in as the Minister for Diversity, Inclusion and Ethnic Communities as well as the Minister for the Community and Voluntary Sector, and Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment.

Radhakrishnan is not the only woman of diverse origin to have been given important portfolios. Ardern’s cabinet also includes Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta, who became the first

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indigenous Maori woman to become a minister in NZ, and Grant Robertson, the first openly gay deputy Prime Minister.

How did India react?

As soon as news of Radhakrishnan’s induction as minister broke, several Indian leaders and politicians across party lines took to social media to congratulate her. Congress’s Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor took to Twitter to congratulate the minister, adding that, “Keralites (were) taking great pride in this news!” Kerala’s health minister Shailaja Teacher also took to social media to laud the Kerala native.

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Mag Corner

Kamala Devi Harris the vice president-elect of the United States.

Kamala Devi Harris an American politician and attorney who is the vice president-elect of the United States. A member of the Democratic Party, she is set to assume office on January 20, 2021, alongside President-elect Joe Biden, having defeated incumbent President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in the 2020 presidential election. Being of both Indian Tamil and AfroJamaican ancestry, Harris is a multiracial American.

[5] Harris will be the first Asian American, the first African American, and the first female vice president in U.S. history.[6] She will be the highest-ranking female elected official in United States history.

“While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities,” Harris said. “And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition, lead with conviction. And see yourselves in a way that others may not simply because they’ve never seen it before, but know that we will applaud you every step of the way.”

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Though her own run for president fell apart last year partly because of a lack of enthusiasm, Harris has since been embraced by Democrats, who saw in her a reflection of themselves — a party supported by women and, especially, Black women.

“To see the joy of what is happening in this important moment in American history, with African American, Indian, Asian, Latino women coming together and seeing it in one woman, we understand that her election . . . will not only benefit all women, but her perspective of being able to look at the world through a lens of color will bring inclusion and opportunity,” poet-activist Sonia Sanchez said.

“I work in entertainment, and representation is always on my mind. Seeing someone like you on the screen is really powerful. But seeing someone like you in the White House feeds your soul,” said Nik Dodani, an Indian American actor and comedian. “We’re about to have Vice President Auntie. That is exactly

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the type of energy we need after four years of Mike Pence.”

Harris’s identity has revealed itself in ways both large and small. When she referred to members of her extended family circle as “chitthis” during her nomination acceptance speech, Indian Americans around the country cheered.

When she questioned Trump nominees who might challenge abortion rights, women came to know her as an unrelenting advocate. A Howard University graduate, she was the first major-party nominee to hold a degree from a historically Black college or university and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s oldest Black sorority. She is the only Black woman in the U.S. Senate, and is the second elected to serve there — joining the body nearly 25 years after the first.

Dina White Griffin, in the trademark pink and green colors of Alpha Kappa Alpha, greets her sorority sister Beatrice Harris in Delaware on Aug. 12 before

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Mag Corner

Biden and Harris appeared together for the first time as the 2020 Democratic presidential ticket. (André Chung for The Washington Post) Harris has appeared with many of the highest-profile Black radio and digital media hosts and is impersonated by the popular comedic actress Maya Rudolph on “Saturday Night Live.” She popped into a Verzuz battle between R&B stars Brandy and Monica, which was watched by more than 1 million people, and did an Instagram Live with Lizzo. She walked onstage Saturday night to “Work That” by Mary J. Blige. Harris’s facial expressions during congressional hearings were made into memes and pasted on T-shirts. Harris emerged as a presence of her own.

Harris could be quietly on the brink of a historic leap “I work in entertainment, and representation is always on my mind.

Seeing someone like you on the screen is really powerful. But seeing someone like you in the White House feeds your soul,” said Nik Dodani, an Indian American actor and comedian. “We’re about to have Vice President Auntie. That is exactly the type of energy we need after four years of Mike Pence.”

Harris often bends down to speak to young girls at eye level, urging them to be themselves and aim high. Though she couldn’t hold big rallies because of the coronavirus pandemic, she drew crowds anyway: One day as she walked down the streets of a predominantly Black neighborhood in Philadelphia, a man — haircut not yet done, cape still on — ran out of a barbershop to shake her hand. Others crossed traffic to get close enough to wave and to see her wave back.

“She brought the names of Black women in history to the stage when she accepted her nomination,” said Glynda Carr, co-founder of the political advocacy group Higher Heights, which recruits and supports Black women in politics. “Maya Angelou used to say, ‘I come as one, but stand as 10,000.’ That is what she is going to do when she steps into the Oval Office

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with Joe Biden.”

Harris also endured racist attacks on the campaign trail, including when Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) intentionally mispronounced her name at a rally with Trump last month. She and Biden will now lead a deeply polarized nation that is grappling with a movement to end systemic racism, sparked by the deaths of numerous Black people at the hands of police in recent years.

Harris makes a campaign stop at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg on Oct. 30. (Julia Robinson for The Washington Post).

As a vice-presidential candidate, Harris became a forceful voice for racial justice, speaking privately with Black activists nationwide and showing up to Black Lives Matter protests. She met with the family of Jacob Blake, a Black man shot seven times by a White police officer in Kenosha, Wis. “When I talk to Senator Harris, I say, ‘You have to remember, Black people feel like there’s nobody in the federal government now trying to champion our cause for equal justice. We just feel like it’s all on us.’ We have to be champions for each other,” said attorney Ben Crump, who represents Blake’s family and several families of those killed by police.

“Right now, we’re championing her, and we fully expect that she will champion our cause — all those marginalized minority communities who are just so proud that we are close to having the first woman of color to be a heartbeat away from the presidency, from the leader of the free world,” he said.

moments came when she unleashed a searing attack on Biden, her future running mate, for his past comments on school desegregation.

Now, Harris will take her place as the Democratic heir apparent to a president who will be 78 when he is inaugurated and has described himself as a transitional figure. It is a role likely to draw more scrutiny over Harris’s work, including from fellow Democrats who may see her as a rival for the Oval Office.

Born in Oakland, Harris spent years as a prosecutor in the Bay Area. She was elected San Francisco district attorney in 2003 and attorney general of California in 2010, high-profile jobs in the nation’s most-populous state — but not enough to build widespread name recognition.

She easily won a Senate seat in 2016 and soon made waves in Washington. A week after being sworn into office, she subjected John F. Kelly, Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Homeland Security, to forceful interrogation. She established herself as an uncompromising critic of Trump appointees, particularly during confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh and Attorney General William P. Barr.

Harris in North Las Vegas on March 1, 2019. (Melina Mara/The Washington Post) Although Harris did not emerge as a legislative force, she signed on to or intro-

Harris pick creates an emotional moment for Black women Harris initially ran against Biden for president — a campaign that began with great energy and a massive rally in Oakland, Calif. — but ultimately ended her bid months before the Iowa caucuses. Harris struggled to find a base of support in a crowded primary field and faced criticism over her record as a prosecutor. One of her most memorable

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Mag Corner

duced several bills that had little chance of passing but were nevertheless symbolic, including Medicare-for-all and other health-care reform plans. She introduced bills aimed at reducing racial disparities in health care, the economy and the criminal justice system.

Support flagged, pulled down by shifting campaign messages that never seemed to click with the candidate or voters. The energy around her campaign dissipated, and she could never dislodge deep-rooted Black support for Biden, which limited her ability to expand her base.

Harris was just two years into her Senate tenure — but at the top of the candidate list — when Democrats started speculating about who would be best positioned to run against Trump in 2020. Then, at a moment when the Democrats were grappling with how best to represent their increasingly diverse coalition, many party members found a flaw in Harris, who — as a child of immigrants, an HBCU graduate and a woman — had seemed like a good fit.

When her campaign ran out of money in early December, Harris abruptly withdrew from the race. Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-S.C.), who urged Biden to pick a Black woman as his running mate, said he “made it very clear that putting a Black woman on the ticket would be a great thing to do.”

Harris was one of several Black women Biden considered, including Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

Harris and Biden once were at odds on criminal justice issues. Finding common ground helped lead him to pick her as his running mate.

Her record as a prosecutor became the subject of intense scrutiny, with key voting blocs — young Black men, older Black

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voters and far-left voters — concluding in significant numbers that she had not done enough to combat systemic racism in the criminal justice system when she had the power to do so.

Allies argued that Harris was ahead of her time in reducing marijuana convictions, creating a reentry program for nonviolent offenders and trying to use the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office to address other social issues like truancy.

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When he chose Harris in August, the decision was met with tremendous enthusiasm. The campaign raised $34.2 million in the two days after she was added to the ticket.

Source: The Washington post

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That’s Life

To each its own, as they say!!

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A journey of yourself!

ach word in your life depicts how valuable and consequential your breath is, the moment you are born till the second you leave your soul. What lies in between is pure bliss of hard work, consistency and perseverance.

was dreaming of a life with perfection not realising it was within and there was dependent on someone else not feeling I am enough for myself Neha Chhabra A real estate agent and a professional photographer, depicting life through ink ,Little writer in making nehachhabra86@yahoo.com

It would not be wrong to say I am fortunate enough to have a life where I can learn and live different notions. Each day has taught how to be thoughtful and pay gratitude for what we have. When I started penning this down, I thought what better way to write my first article than to reflect the true meaning of life that I am existing with.

Often, we feel in our life, why did this happen? why I did not get what I wanted?

And so on as list is endless. But do we really think there could be some reason for it’s happening. In that phase, we may feel drained and disheartened, but in long run it would make it real.

Once I read on Sadhguru’s page… no one ever denied me anything I need as I never asked nor expected anything from anyone. all that I ever could want was within.

Yes, within you!! You have everything in that mind and body of yours.

The thoughts and the process of being happy and worthy is all inside. Start inhaling it every singleday and you will

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be living on an edge of happiness and success. It’s not easy in the start but not even impossible as the sweetness of that fruit is admirable.

I started writing few years back not just to write but it was something comingin true sense, a form where I could depict myself and beyond that, it was magical. If you are reading this, I feel it should leave a tiny impact to be where you want to be.

Life is small and live it as it comes, who so ever inspires you, chase them to the core. Take every drop of their intellect and energy. With 2020, we have already learnt how to slow down and everything should not be taken for granted.

What we have keep it safe and live it, you don’t know when it ends but till it fades make it worth!!

NOVEMBER I 2020

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Diwali

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HAPPY

WISHING YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A HAPPY DIWALI

Jodi McKay

Member for Strathfield NSW Labor Leader Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism

Sophie Cotsis

Member for Canterbury Shadow Minister for Better Public Services

Edmond Atalla Member for Mount Druitt

Jihad Dib

Lynda Voltz

Member for Lakemba Shadow Minister Assisting on Multiculturalism Shadow Minister for Skills and TAFE Shadow Minister for Youth Shadow Minister for Juvenile Justice

Member for Auburn Shadow Minister for Police and Counter Terrorism Shadow Minister for Sport and Recreation

Julia Finn

Prue Car

Member for Londonderry Shadow Minister for Education

Guy Zangari

Member for Fairfield

Daniel Mookhey

Member of the Legislative Council Shadow Minister for Finance and Small Business Shadow Minister for the Gig Economy

Stephen Bali

Member for Granville

Member for Blacktown

Liesl Tesch

Hugh McDermott

Member for Gosford

Member for Prospect

Authorised by Jodi McKay, Jihad Dib, Prue Car, Daniel Mookhey, Sophie Cotsis, Lynda Voltz, Julia Finn, Stephen Bali, Edmond Atalla, Guy Zangari, Liesl Tesch, Hugh McDermott. Funded using Parliamentary entitlements.

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21

Community News | Sydney

Pink Ribbon Breakfast 2020 A Commendable Sydney Indian Community Initiative

The colour pink symbolizes health, vitality, compassion & the power of femininity. It is the color of universal love of oneself and of others. It represents friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approachability. Pink is the official color for girls & women.

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reast Cancer, on the other hand, is a monster threatening feminism. It needs to be stopped causing deaths through timely diagnosis, treatment, education, and research.

By: Mr Bachan Sharma

Photo Credit : Harmohan Walia

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Pink Ribbon Breakfast are events that are organized by community members to achieve these laudable objectives and raise funds for research. Good Samaritans from the community are encouraged to

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organize such events with friends, family, and workmates getting together, enjoying themselves, and help towards a vision of zero deaths from breast cancer. In 2020, Pink Ribbon Breakfast events aim to raise $1.5 million to fund research into the effective prevention, detection, and treatment of breast cancer.

Pink Ribbon was started by Rekha Rajvanshi, a breast cancer Survivor, 9 years ago. Rekha then asked Sue Advani,

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Community News | Sydney

who also survived breast cancer, to join the team and they do it together every year with other organising committee members - Meena Mohanty and Bharti Gidwani. The goal of Pink Ribbon Breakfast is to raise funds for National Breast Cancer Foundation and to raise awareness about the importance of going for the mammogram as early detection can save women’s lives.

About 130 women dressed in pink attire and about 20 men with a touch of pink

joined the breakfast. Amongst dignitaries were Mrs Nimeesha Gupta (our Consul General’s wife), Hon Dr Geoff Lee, Hon Jodi Mackay, MP Julia Finn, Clr Sameer Pandey, Clr Lisa Kate.

Sue and Rekha welcomed everyone and the program started with a prayer song

by Richa Srivastava following Indian traditions. Vrushali Desai, a young Breast Cancer Survivor shared her story of how

she thought she’s fit until her lump was detected. The message of regular check-ups was loud and clear to everyone. Sri Hindi Choir group sang beautiful inspiring songs.

Program’s highlight was the fashion show choreographed by Shikha Kaushik. Models dressed in black & white, representing old era of Bollywood songs entered on the tune of an old song ‘Mud Mud ke Na Dekhh.’

The song was chosen carefully for the occasion saying we don’t need to look at our past worries. We need to stay strong, face challenges bravely and move on in life.

Breast cancer is the most common life-threatening cancer facing Australian women, with approximately eight women dying from the disease each day — mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and friends.

No doubt that such social events play an important role in conveying the message across in wider diaspora.

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23

Festivals

Wishing everyone A Very Happy

The main topic of discusssion at the moment is covid restriction . Little did we realise the positive impact it is having on families for Diwali celebrations .

“Every year, with the blessings of our Guruji Param Pujya Sant Bhagwant Sahebiji, I celebrate Diwali with my Anoopam Mission family and participate in Lakshmi Puja and Chopda Pujan, the Anoopam Mission family also makes hundreds of delicious pure vegetarian dishes for Annakut�. This year it will be a virtual Diwali celebration.

Dipen Rughani

Diwali celebrations is all about family getting together , having fun and celebrating .

This is exactly what covid is doing to us . It is bringing only families together as numbers are restricted for others .

We are so looking forward to a private cosy intimate Diwali celebrations with the few family members we have here, limiting it to 20 allowed .

Happy Diwali everyone !

Nita Tana

COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything this year. There are no Diwali Fairs or dinners. We will celebrate Diwali only with the family.

The whole house will be lit with Diyas (oil lamps, made from clay, and with a cotton wick dipped in ghee) and there will be Puja (worshipping), Havan (sacred offerings into a consecrated fire), sweets and FULJHADI (sparkler) for the kids. We will exchange sweets with close friends and exchange Diwali greetings with relatives and friends. There will be a lot more family quality time this Diwali. We will pray for an effective vaccine and cure for the virus, which will allow the economy to open and social life to be fully back to normal. Happy Diwali to everyone.

Dr. Yadu Singh

(Sydney Cardiologist and President of Federation of Indian Associations of NSW)

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24

Festivals

Though the physical celebrations of Diwali will not be the same during this pandemic, but the spirit of Diwali will be just the same. We hope to share the values and discipline of this Festival of Lights with our loved ones most importantly our future leaders.

Wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali. It is such a wonderful time to reflect, reset and revive.

Sonia Sadiq Gandhi

Even in the darkest of nights there is a light to be found on Diwali. This year Covid made everybody’s life hard. Humanity has learned a lot for it and we all forced to follow new norms. In line with these new norms I will not be arranging or attending any community Diwali functions this year. While we can not celebrate big community functions or burn crackers, but we can surely burn the evil within us spread goodness all over. I hope 2021 will be better for all with less stress and more happiness. Enjoy Happy Diwali with family. I will be doing so with my first Grandson.

Wishing all Happy Diwali 2020

Aruna Chandrala

Deepavali is a time for get togbether with extended family and friends with lots of sweet, smile, crackers and feast. The only thing which we miss here in Australia is Crackers. Nothing can stop us on all these, How can COVID-19 ?. Happy Deepavali.

Diwali greetings to all the readers of Desi Australia.

We will be celebrating Diwali by visiting Glenwood Gurdwara sahib and by sharing sweets with friends.

At Blacktown city council we celebrate Diwali with lighting competition in the city.

Stay safe, stay healthy

Anagan Babu

Dr Moninder Singh

Blacktown City Council

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25

Community News | Sydney

“Batting for a Cause” launch of 24/7 Helpline

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he Harman Foundation held the event “Batting for a Cause”, a friendly cricket match between home team “Clydesdale Farm Cricket Club” and “Team Harman”, to launch the 24/7 Helpline and predominantly bring awareness to the community to seek help. In attendance were Local Blacktown City Deputy Mayor & counsellors, Director Cultural Affairs from Consulate General of India, Jay Raman, Vice President and Executive Director of Sri Om Care, police officers representing Mount Druitt and Riverstone police commands. The event began with the national anthem sung by Ria followed by acknowledgement of country and the traditional custodians of the land. The event was held in partnership with Waratah Estate Agents and Clydesdale Farm Cricket Club and with the support of many sponsors: Elara, Stockland, Grewal Farms, Xclusive Homes, Star Uniforms Australia, Sahara Funerals, UNEEK Conveyancing and JOY BOOTH. The MCs, Jaideep Singh and Manu Singh, opened the speeches by introducing one of Harman Foundation’s Directors, Nikki Harnoor Singh, who spoke of the mission and origin of the Harman Foundation. This was followed by Hitika Bhatia, a counsellor with Harman Foundation, who explained the services offered through this Helpline and the impacts of the domestic violence on men and women within the multicultural community. Harinder Kaur, co-founder of the Harman Foundation, spoke broadly on domestic violence and stressed upon victims Download Our App

to seek help. She also discussed the stories of two Punjabi women late Harjit Kaur (2017) and Kamaljeet Kaur Sidhu (2020), both being the ultimate victims of domestic violence, in honour of whom the organisation established HER House (Harman foundation Empowerment and Refuge House) in 2017. It provides shelter to women and their children who are victims of Domestic and family violence.

She also drew attention to the need to reach out to the South Asian community, many of whom may not be aware of national domestic violence services and hotlines. This is the need that this Helpline aims to fill as it is established in consequence to its growing need during COVID time. Harinder Kaur concluded her speech by stating that, “happiness is not about what you have but what you give to others.”

Survivors of domestic violence Simi and Laila spoke of their experiences with domestic violence. Simi, who has been working with the Harman Foundation for 7 years, stated that “I didn’t want a broken family, I could change him… I was giving wrong message by protecting him and giving wrong message to children.” Laila, who has worked in the NSW State Department of communities and Justice, also spoke of her experiences of domestic violence and her fears of a broken family.

She stated that “I didn’t respect myself, so he didn’t respect me… kids don’t need a dad, but they need a role model.” Interestingly, a 7-year old Vishamber Kaur came to the stage to ask the community to reach out to the Harman Foundation when they need assistance.

NOVEMBER I 2020

Hon Kevin Connelly, State Member of Parliament from Riverstone highly appreciated the work the Harman Foundation has done to the community. This was echoed by Deputy Mayor of Blacktown City Council, Councillor Julie Griffiths who went on to stress the need to make society a better place to live. Hon Michelle Rowland, Federal Member of Parliament from Greenway, appeared via video message and spoke of the increase in family violence and the need to support the work of organisations such as the Harman Foundation.

Before the cricket game started at 2pm, two cricket bats, donated by the Cricket NSW by the support of Australian International Sports , were put up for auction bringing in a total of $1150 of donations to the Foundation. Following this an energetic gidha was performed

by Hunar e-Punjab Gidha Team. As the game started with a format of 15 overs per side the competition began. During half-time Jaspreet Dance Team took the stage and performed a Dhol and Bhangra /Bollywood dance by the little kids to the cheering spectators. It was Harman Foundation Team that won with the final scores of 111 to 108, with $1 donated for each run. Co-founder & Chair Harman foundation Maninder Singh presented Player of the Match to Jyoti Phaugat from Team Harman whereas the best bowler award was presented to Ajai Benerjee from Clydesdale team. Harinder and Maninder Singh then presented the Winner’s Trophy to the Harman Foundation’s Team.

In conclusion, the day was a huge success. www.DesiAustralia.com

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Community News | Sydney

The speeches, interviews, and food stalls were engaging and informative whilst the cricket match brought entertainment and cheer. The focus of the day revolved around the launch of the Helpline.

Harman Foundation Launched 24/7 Helpline 1800 11 66 75 for Domestic & Family Violence Harman Foundation Successfully Held

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Their Launch Event, ‘Batting for a Cause’ on the 11th of October 2020- Helpline 1800 11 66 75 at Elara Boulevard, Marsden Park, NSW. Harman Foundation, an organisation working to deliver open, empathetic support, guidance, and reassurance to all multicultural community members, launched a 24/7 Helpline. Harman Foundation was established in 2013 because of the

NOVEMBER I 2020

need to support Maninder Singh, Harinder Kaur and their family felt from the loss of their son, Harman. The launch of helpline represents a new milestone for the not-forprofit organisation. The 24/7 helpline free of charge provides case to case a systematic approach to the victims of domestic and family violence, counselling services, support to international students, chaplaincy & bereavement and food to the needy services.

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27

Community News | Sydney

Dowry Abuse Domestic Violence Short Films Dowry abuse is one of the main causes of Domestic Violence in Australia.

R Photo Credit : Harmohan Walia

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ecently 2 short films relating to dowry abuse Migrant Bride & Aussie Victim,were premiered at Reading cinemas, Auburburn.

These short films are the initiative of the NSW government, scripted by Taufeeq Ahmed Sheikh and and directed by Pankaj Upadhyay.

Unconditional volunteering of community members who equally believe that the menace of dowry has to be addressed to and resolved sooner, made the making of these films was possible. The two short films are a work of fiction and inspired from real life stories. The

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film does not attempt to pass value judgements whatsoever, rather presents the stories as much as possible in a matter of fact way leaving at the audiences to choose favourites or determine the antagonist here. In essence every character is responsible either partly or entirely to be in the situation they find themselves in and as unfortunate as it may sound the onus of taking action in situations like these remains on the victim. The films attempt to encourage the victims of domestic violence in general and dowry violence specifically to stand for them and explore every opportunity

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Community News | Sydney

available at their disposal while at the same time aspires to serve as a reference point for NSW Police Force to be able to achieve the complexities the menace of dowry entails.

Lastly this film in an appeal to the legislation of NSW and lawmakers alike, to make dowry an Illegal practice and push it to be recognised as a crime nationally.

Migrant Bride: Is a story of a young bride whose marriage (solemnised online), and subsequent migration to Australia is more a transaction with the expectation from the bride’s parents that this marriage will bring better marriage/dowry prospects for the brother of the bride (the ultimate bread winner as perceived) eventually resulting in improving their social and financial status back home.

The groom’s family sees this as an opportunity to extort money in form of dowry and attempts to exploit this situation to the fullest.

Groom is implied to have migrated to Australia as a student and has now begun working while still living in a shared rented accommodation with friends. The groom is surmounted with debt of his student loan while is facing recovery from the banks & seeks to settle that with the cash he is promised to receive in dowry along with the other expensive “gifts” enforced upon the bride’s family.

The friends or housemates are symbolic to the larger society addressing specifically to those who choose to stay complacent to the menace of dowry with self-manifested moral pointers as to where the line should be drawn

when it comes to tolerating dowry or the abuse that arises from it.

The story of Migrant Bride attempts to ensure not to highlight or lead with physical abuse as a marker for the victims to approach seek help and simultaneously for the Police force to be able to recognise what could potentially be at play when prima facie a victim approaches to the police seeking help may not look as physically abused.

Aussie Victim The key difference that separates Aussie Victim to its predecessor is that, unlike in the case of Migrant Bride, dowry is simply not the means for exploiting one for the financial stability of the of the other. Dowry does not necessarily arise out of need but a major part of it is to do with greed and worse the sense of entitlement.

With all due respect to the profession of medical practitioners in South Asian diaspora has long romanticised the careers like being doctors and engineers as the only markers

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NOVEMBER I 2020

of success and prosperity. Thus the story attempts to play its role in continuation to the numerous previous attempts made my tons of story tellers who have in the past have attempted to make a dent in that hard wired fallacy in the society.

The other important aspect Aussie Victim attempts to highlight where on one side the concept and expectation of dowry is diluting with the younger generations but in many cases it quickly perishes as well when met with the age old hard wired traditions which insidiously finds home into the psyche of younger generations and changes them for the worse. This practice in at root needs to be eradicated with stronger laws in Australia and following the countries & states which have deemed them already deemed them illegal.

The release date for the films will be announced soon & both the short films will be available for the community to access it over the relevant social media handles of the NSW Police Force. www.DesiAustralia.com

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Health

National Nutrition Week 2020 a smashing success - so what’s next for Nutrition Australia NSW?

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elebrity chefs, highly accomplished politicians and leading nutritionists and dietitians were among the engaging guest speakers in Nutrition Australia NSW’s impressive line-up of live virtual events during National Nutrition Week this year. With a total of 300 people signing-up to attend an event throughout the week, the core message to Try for 5 serves of vegetables each day by enjoying sustainably sourced, native foods was infused into every discussion. Nutrition Australia NSW’s campaign, My Plate, My Planet, is a fresh approach to the traditional healthy eating message – inspiring Australians to blend a healthy, balanced diet with environmentally friendly cooking practices, and connect deeply with the food experience.

“For me, from my Indian cultural background, food is the basic thing that we gather around for,” said Nutrition Australia NSW President, Barbara Ward, during Plate Up For The Planet – the launch event for National Nutrition Week in NSW. “Food is love, food is feast, food is community, food is life – an essential component of healthy nutrition and physical and mental development.”

Food playing such a central role in our lives is the driving force behind Ward’s passion for “ensuring that our food supply and our environment is preserved for generations to come.” With food insecurity on the rise, and Foodbank reporting that 28% of food insecure residents in NSW and ACT had never gone hungry before the COVID-19 pandemic, having a healthy, sustainable food supply has never been more important.

So, how can we ensure sustainable food systems in Australia? Guest Chef Sam May says during Plate Up For The Planet that “looking into the past [will give us] the answers for the future.” NANSW explored this further during Food For The Future, a virtual panel discussion on October 16 on how Download Our App

we can create a healthy and more sustainable food future in Australia. Guest speaker Warren Mundine AO, Aboriginal leader and politician, advises we need to “[go] back to Aboriginal culture, utilising the way they harvest and how they do things.” This sentiment was echoed by 3 time Masterchef contestant, Callum Hann, who showed how we can mix traditional native flavours with classic ingredients in his cooking demonstration for wattleseed-rubbed pumpkin with lentils and beetroot puree.

Nutrition Australia also hosted Igniting Indigenous Ingredients, consisting of a tour of Yerrabingin cultural landscape garden and native foods cooking class with Accredited Practising Dietitian, Tracy Hardy to show how we can not only cook with native foods but also grow them in our own backyards.

So, what’s next for NANSW? Among their already busy agenda for 2021, “we will be holding space for many more in-depth discussions around healthy, sustainable eating, and utilising Indigenous and cultural foods and growing practices,” Ward says, “so watch this space!”

NOVEMBER I 2020

Nutrition Australia NSW (NANSW) is the peak nutrition education organisation that provides evidence-based nutrition information to encourage all Australians to achieve optimal health. Members of NANSW include the general public and some of Australia’s most influential food and nutrition experts, together making Nutrition Australia a key nutrition voice.

Pictured: Sam May from National Indigenous Culinary Institute cooking up a storm during Nutrition Australia NSW’s launch event for National Nutrition Week, Plate Up For The Planet.

Nutrition Australia NSW is a passionate team dedicated to enhancing nutritional health and well-being. We are a non-profit, non-government, leading community-based organisation and charity offering a variety of programs and services. These include cooking demonstrations, community outreach, corporate health, menu assessments, nutrition consultations, health displays, and more. We offer expertise in: Dietetics, Public Health Nutrition, Health Promotion, Education, Science, Medicine and Sports and Recreation. www.DesiAustralia.com

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31

Mag Corner

Aussie Desi ghee made using Australian cultured butter churned by

Pepe Saya

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epe Saya Desi Ghee is made using traditional methods. They simmer their Cultured Butter, patiently stirring it until the milk solids separate, and it is then caramelised over a low heat. The result is beautiful liquid gold ghee, which is then passed through a muslin cloth to remove any impurities and then bottled hot. The ghee has a rich and nutty flavour, with the traditional fractured and layered texture of Desi Ghee.

Pepe Saya’s Desi ghee is inspired by their team, who are predominantly of Indian heritage. They are fortunate enough to have this advantage to ensure their Desi Ghee is 100% authentic. Each jar of Desi Ghee is hand checked and carefully overlooked by Hiren Patel, head of their production.

The ghee is made in Caringbah NSW at the Pepe Saya Creamery, using 100% Australian cream sourced from farms in NSW and Victoria. Pepe Saya’s inspiration with Indian heritage continues in forming a distribution partnership with HiLands Foods in distributing Aussie Ghee throughout Australia.

HiLands Foods is also of Indian heritage and strategically located near M4 and M7 corridor.

You can find it in your local Indian Grocery Stores.

For more information visit : Pepe Saya Website: https://pepesaya.com.au/ Download Our App

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32

Mag Corner

50 percent of migrant women feeling lonely and isolated during COVID-19 Most migrant women do not have local support, which makes it more challenging to cope with stressful situations as COVID-19

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ey Into Australia Inc., a not-for-profit organization supported by the City of Sydney has released a new survey. It sheds light on the social life of migrant women during COVID-19 and more generally, post migration.

The survey reveals that migrant women have been disproportionaly hit by the economic impact of COVID-19, with more than one third reporting loss of job or income. Penelope, from New Zealand, was one of them “ My role was made redundant due to Covid, and I have missed the regular group social contact and the security of having paid employment in a job that I love. It’s very isolating being home alone searching for work where hundreds of others are competing for the same roles, and who knows for how long.

I’ve only been in Sydney for two years, and as a Kiwi it’s much bigger than what I’m used to and so much is still unfamiliar. Usually this is exciting, it’s all part of the adventure, but after the unexpected redundancy it feels unsettling.” Maryam from Iran too witnesses “I am an experienced Office Administration, but I recently lost my job due to COVID-19.”

50 percent of migrant women has been feeling lonely and isolated at times during COVID-19. As one participant puts it “We didn’t have many connections and still don’t”. The survey reveals the majority of migrant women do not have a local support network ( 57% state they do not have anyone to who they could ask for a big favor to). The absence of local support network is a problem in the current context, in which a whooping 73% migrant women are experiencing stress and anxiety. Many factors concurred to increased anxiety levels among this population. “ Nearly 1 in 2 has found themselves working more at home ( caring for family Download Our App

members, doing the chores, etc). In addition to the usual health concerns and fear of COVID-19, they can also worry about the health of family and friends living in countries faring worse than Australia.

Women who recently moved to Australia also reflected how COVID-19 has heigthened the challenge of making friends: “I haven’t been able to make new friends. It has been hard with less people to interact and less activities”. Indeed, after relocation, women tend to make their first friends through studies, work, chance encounters, family or common acquaintances. Yet, with COVID-19, the likelihood of such chance encounters has declined with remote working, online studying and social distanciation.

The survey reveals that making new friends is a top challenge for the majority migrant women after moving to Australia, nearly as important as finding a job (52% vs 55%). “Think about the number of friends, family, colleagues, and acquaintances you have today and imagine that your whole existing network is pruned to a handful of people overnight. This is what happens to migrant women, with two thirds knowing zero to 2 people when they just arrived in Australia. Suddenly, as an adult, they find themselves wondering about the mechanics of making friends and googling “How to make new friends?”. “, Key Into Australia co-foundNOVEMBER I 2020

er, Maïa Saxena, comments. Respondents explained they had to be pro-active and reflected on their efforts to make friends “ Making good friends takes time and quite a bit of effort. It’s like finding a partner, and finding the right one can be hard! “; “Go out more, put yourself out there and try and try again”; “Become involved in which any way you can with the community, even if it is difficult or awkward. You just need one door to open.”. Most women found it was “easy to meet people, but hard to make friends”. Knowing people is different from true friends who you can always count on. “Having a strong local support network and true friends around is essential for migrant women to feel at home, but we know it can take time, effort and has become even more difficult with COVID-19”, comments Key Into Australia co-founder Novela Corda. She continues “ I would like to invite all women who relocated and are not feeling home yet to join our bimonthly “Friendship Café” online, to connect with like-minded women and develop new social connections across nationalities.

We also have walking groups in different neighborhoods.“ About Key Into Australia Inc. Founded in 2019 as an incorporated notfor-profit association, Key Into Australia (KIA) is a welcoming and supportive community of women who moved to Greater Sydney.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of women in Australia face the challenges of settlement by themselves. What if they would come together to support each other and get engaged in their community instead? This is the seed idea of Key Into Australia; the belief it is easier and much more fun to feel at home when you connect with other women, make friends and give back to the community together. www.DesiAustralia.com

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Diwali “ HAPPY

Wishing this Diwali brings you and your loved ones much joy, health and prosperity!

”

Hon Steven Marshall MP

Member for Dunstan | Premier of South Australia Download Our App

NOVEMBER I 2020

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Community News| Adelaide

MCCSA launched Multicultural Men’s group in South Australia Founding members from various multicultural communities .

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Daljeet Bakshi

ormally , we have see many support groups that are working for the cause of women and children.

Multicultural Communities council of South Australia launched support group for Men. As per Covid 19 directions ,this launch was organised by MCCSA at the Apex Park Community Facility located at the Apex Park reserve on Burbridge Rd, West Beach SA 5024.

After hosting a successful Men’s Health Forum for men from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Background in June 2019, feedback from the forum attendees identifies the need for a source of support for men from multicultural background living in South Australia, hence the formation of the Multicultural Men’s Group of SA. Sidique Bah from MCCSA and secretary of Multicultural Men’s Group SA addressed the gathering and announced the launch of this group.

He stated that , the Multicultural Men’s Group of SA aims to advocate for and provide ongoing support to men from Australia’s diverse community group, under the auspices of the MCCSA and liaisons with other service providers. The group will provide strategic direction and leadership to help improve health and socio-economic wellbeing of South Australian men from CALD communities.

Since its formation, our group has continually grown and shown a deep commitment to men’s health, leadership, fostering community Download Our App

development and maintaining family bonds.

This launching event introduced the group to service providers .

Many key leaders from various multicultural organisations attended the Event .

Brad Chilcott - CEO White Ribbon Australia was the Guest speaker and other key guests included :Hon Mayor of West Torrens Council Michael Coxon , Hon Joe Szakacs representing Shadow Minister for multicultural affairs , Matt Cowdrey representing Minister for multicultural affairs ,Hon Zoe Bettison Shadow Minister for Tourism Gary Wittert, Hon John Dawkins , Miriam Hosking and Helena Kyriazopoulos from MCCSA.

the launch of support group for men so that they can freely discuss the issues faced by them to avoid the mental stigma, stress .

This Men’s support group has founding members from different multicultural communities and that makes it more diverse within the community and surely is a significant support for the vulnerable .

In his speech Brad Chilcot welcomed NOVEMBER I 2020

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Community News| Adelaide

Updated COVID-19 Directions

2020 - South Australia Residential Aged Care Facilities

However should they provide care at more than one facility the facility must notify the Facility Operator that they are doing so, with the Facility being required to keep a register of those workers who do provide care at more than one facility.

Daljeet Bakshi

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emarkably , South Australia Government , Public Health department , South Australia Police,ADF and other key departments are working in a great coordination while handling the Covid 19 situation in South Australia .

With each passing day and on the basis of situation the transition committee issued the directions for the implementation. Recently , updates have been made to the Residential Aged Care Facilities COVID-19 Direction.

South Australia’s COVID coordinator, Police Commissioner Grant Stevens announced, that the state had updated its emergency management directions for people visiting and working at aged care homes.

The Emergency Management (Residential Aged Care Facilities No 11) (COVID-) Direction 2020 has been revoked and replaced by the Emergency Management (Residential Aged Care Facilities No 12) (COVID-19) Di-

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rection 2020. This new Direction comes into effect at 0001hrs on Thursday 5 November 2020.

The new Direction provides an update to changes in restrictions for people visiting and working at Aged Care Facilities • Care and support visits are no longer restricted to 1 person or 2 persons together.

• There is no longer a restriction on the number of care and support visits a resident can have.

• A personal care worker whose primary role is to support residents with their daily care needs, to the extent reasonably possible should not provide care to a resident at another Residential Aged Care Facility.

NOVEMBER I 2020

According to this important update , A Residential Aged Care Facility operator must ensure all persons who provide care to a resident who has undertaken a COVID-19 test wears appropriate personal protective equipment until the test result is known.

All existing directions, frequently asked questions and other information can be found here: https://www.covid-19.sa.gov.au/emergency-declarations.

For further information please call the SA COVID-19 Information Line on 1800 253 787 between the hours of 9am to 5pm 7 days per week or go to the SA Health website at www.sahealth.sa.gov.au or www.sa.gov.au/ covid-19 ( source : SAPOL )

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Legal

Legal requirements to be undertaken before you celebrate Diwali in style

By: Mitu Gopalan 1. Is your home insurance up to date? Kindly ensure that you do not burn extra candles and firecrackers within the near vicinity of your home so that unnecessary damage can in fact be avoided. Please ensure that your home insurance is taken care of so that in the unlikely event of damage being caused to homes, you can make a claim for insurance.

2. Have all loans provided to your family and friends been returned? If not, there is no better time than Diwali to request for all your debts to be repaid. If you have been unable to recover your monies provided or loaned to your family or friends, please ensure that you proceed to demand the same to be provided before Diwali, failing which you can put them on Notice that a legal letter of demand would be issued in order to claim the same, and the matter could be escalated to your lawyers. Kindly ensure that the debt due and payable to you is recovered within a 6 year limitation period, failing which the Statute of Limitation applies and debars you from pursuDownload Our App

ing any debts that are due and payable to you.

if possible.

3. Are you a single parent who has children?

If so, have you thought about who will have the custody and care of the children this Diwali? Are the children going to be spending equal time with both parents? If you have not arrived at a parental plan, agreement or do not have existing Court Orders, then kindly proceed to contact us as a matter of urgency in order to have these issues clarified and resolved before the festive day.

6. Travelling ? If you wish to travel to celebrate with interstate family members, please ensure that the current COVID rules and requirements are in fact followed through and especially with regards to what each state’s regulations are.

Kindly speak with your local travel agent in order to obtain the updated information.

4. Unexpected brawls and incidents- It is usually when family and friends meet over a drink or two that issues and disputes arise.

Please ensure that if unfortunately, issues do get precipitated and the Police gets involved, kindly proceed to ensure that you do not provide a statement. You can put the Police on Notice that you do not wish to be interviewed unless you are legally represented. Please note that your rights, and do not feel pressurised in order to attend any interview. Please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance.

5. Motor vehicle accident - In the unforeseen event that you are in a rush during the festive season and proceed to be involved in a motor vehicle accident, please ensure that you exchange the Drivers Licence details with the other motor vehicle owner/ driver, take photographs whilst at the accident location and take a video recording NOVEMBER I 2020

7. Will- You may also consider whether you need to redo or have a Will prepared if you do not have one already. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to have a Will drafted or amended.

8. Buying or selling property during Diwali ? If you wish to have your property listed for sale during Diwali or wish to purchase a property, please ensure that the Contract for Sale of Land is reviewed beforehand so that any legal issues that can in fact be identified be ascertained and clarified before you sign the contract. We can provide you with these Conveyancing services. Please do not hesitate to contact us.

We wish you all a very happy Diwali, and please do not hesitate to contact Freedman & Gopalan Solicitors on 02 8917 8700 if you wish to plan ahead or discuss any of the above issues raised. www.DesiAustralia.com

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Technology

Embrace the Cloud your images and text in scanned documents - just enter a keyword in the search bar to find your subject easily.

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By: Sarang Vengurlekar

e have talked about storage quite a lot in the past issues. We have had a chance to review NAS (Network Attached Storage) along with USB hard drive but it is now time to embrace the cloud.

Since the start of COVID-19 many things have changed from technology perspective.

Most of the population around the world started working from home and that meant we needed technology that is available from anywhere. We cannot anymore rely on having our storage on premises either be at work or at home. The main reason is the accessibility since we are not in one place.

It is also impossible to carry around all your storage drives with you at all times.

YES, you can see where I am going with this. I am certainly talking about cloud storage. You may already have a free cloud storage account such as Drop Box, OneDrive or Google Drive. Free accounts have limitations and normally it is the space that is the limitation. The default drive space that is available for free is too small. The free space can start anywhere from 2GB to 15GB. This kind of space might just be enough for few of your personal documents but for photos it might not be enough.

The solution would be to purchase extra storage from any cloud storage provider.

There are many cloud storages companies available such as drop box, google drive, OneDrive etc. All the storage companies mentioned are well known and reliable therefore the only thing to differentiate is the pricing. To make things easy I have already picked Google Drive for this article.

FYI - Google Drive has been rebranded to Google 1.

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Google 1 service is probably an equivalent of Office 365 from Microsoft as the features offered are very similar. There are further benefits which are outlined below.

8. Google Photos: You can store your photos in Drive and then access them and edit them with Google Photos.

What can Google Drive do?

Here are Google Drive’s key features:

9. Scan documents: The Android app lets you scan all your paper documents as PDF - just snap a photo of it.

1. Store files: Drive starts you with 15GB of free online storage. You can store a wide range of file types and folders - even Office files but upgrade is recommended.

10. Save Gmail attachments: Hover over an attachment in Gmail and look for the Drive logo to save any attachment to your Drive.

2. Create files: You can create documents and files on the fly with integrated Docs, Sheets and Slides apps, this is useful just like onedrive’s word, excel, powerpoint.

11. Drive apps: You can do everything from edit a profile photo to create a mind map, with over 100 integrated apps.

3. Access your files from anywhere: Your files in Drive can be reached from any smartphone, tablet, or computer and from anywhere in the world with internet connectivity.

4. Share with others: You can quickly invite others to view, download, and comment and collaborate on your files on the Drive.

5. Work offline: If you aren’t connected to the internet, you can make some files available offline to view and edit so you can work on it. Once connected it automatically sync’s with the online version.

6. See old versions: You can look back as far as 30 days on most file types, making it easy to see changes and go back to previous versions. In a way this is your backup strategy which is available only in expensive drives.

7. Search: Drive can recognise objects in NOVEMBER I 2020

Google Photo allows you to store unlimited number of photos on Google Photos.

The caveat is, it will not store anything over 16-megapixel resolution. Instead it will cut down the resolution of the photo and compress it. To normal human eyes you are not able to see any difference, but this is not a good solution for photographers who have RAW photo files from a higher megapixel cameras.

This means an external hard drive is still required or the new solution would be to upload the photos to cloud storage. The good news is that storage is not as expensive as it used to be 5 years ago hence this option is now a viable one. The advantages of having online storage is simply that you are able to access it from anywhere at any time hence the benefit will mean you no longer have to keep multiple drives or even carry multiple drives when you are travelling. It means the storage travels with you as long as you have internet connection available.

Let’s now talk about the storage size and www.DesiAustralia.com

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Technology

and without sacrificing privacy.

On that note, Google says those who sign up will also, “Enjoy extra benefits from other Google products, like Google Play credits, special hotel pricing, and more.” It also notes that, where available, subscribers can get up to 40% off select hotels — provided they book while signed into their Google account.

In my view it is the right time to embrace the cloud as the options are growing and the costs are within reason. It is easy to justify those costs for the flexibility they provide along with usability. costs involved to get setup with cloud storage.

Google one has slashed their prices and increased the storage capacity by double from the previous plans.

In my view 2TB plan is more than enough for family documents, photos and videos. If you are a photographer or a videographer, then you may need larger storage3:23 planpmas Diwali.pdf 1 6/11/20 shown above. I am sure 10TB is plenty for

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Those who get Google One have access to Google experts, who can help with any Google-related questions, like how their products work. Signing up for Google One also gives you the option to add up to five family members to your expanded storage

Authorised by Peter Malinauskas MP, 488 Port Road, Welland SA 5007

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most. You then have the 20TB and 30TB plans which are expensive but will provide the flexibility if ever required.

I am sure some of us have already started their journey towards cloud. In future we are not only talking about storage but also applications in the cloud. In distant future we will be even more connected as cloud becomes larger.

If you find this article useful then please drop me a line on sarang@vengurlekar.com or simply provide feedback.

The festival of Light On this auspicious occasion of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, may your family and friends be blessed with good health, peace and prosperity.

CY

CMY

K

8237 9137 Parliament House, North Terrace, Adelaide SA 5000 Peter Malinauskas MP

@

SA Labor Leader & Member for Croydon

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Community News | Canberra

Grand Finale of the 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi by the

High Commission of India

Director, Gandhi Centre for Rural Development, Swadeshi and Gandhi Darshan, emphasised on the various dimensions of the Gandhian philosophy and their ever-increasing relevance in contemporary times.

2 October 2020, Morning Prayer meeting at Glebe Park: A morning prayer meeting was led by the High Commissioner, HE Mr Gitesh Sarma at Glebe Park in Central Canberra, which hosts a life-sized statue of Mahatma Gandhi. A number of local dignitaries and prominent leaders of Indian diaspora attended the prayer and paid floral tribute to Mahatma Gandhi.

By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

2 October 2020 and the days leading up to it witnessed a series of commemorative events organised by the High Commission of India in Canberra as part of the Grand Finale of the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi. The run up events included an online essay competition on ‘Relevance of Mahatma Gandhi’, an online quiz and a digital exhibition on the life of the Mahatma Gandhi.

Tree plantation ceremony, High Commission Chancery premises: HE Mr Gitesh Sarma and Mr. Deepak Raj Gupta, MLA representing the Chief Minister of the ACT region along with the local community leaders planted the sapling. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Sarma underscored the direct relevance

1 October 2020, Online Webinar: on the topic ‘Relevance of Gandhi in the Modern Times’. The key speaker, an eminent Gandhian Dr. Jacob Pulickan,

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Community News | Canberra

of Gandhian values in the present times and the importance of taking the Gandhian values to the next generation.

Mr Gupta conveyed the greetings of the Chief Minister Hon Andrew Barr and emphasised on the universal values of Mahatma Gandhi. Former Fijian Minister and Professor Emeritus at the ANU, Prof. Satyendra Nandan read out a special poem on Gandhi.

Rendition of Vaishnav Jan: The tree plantation ceremony was followed by recitation of Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan “Vaishnav Jan” by the ladies of the Mission led by Mrs. Ratnamala Sarma. On the same occasion, prominent local photographer and painter Mr. Sukhwinder Singh Saggu presented a special portrait of Mahatma Gandhi to the High Commissioner. There was also a photo Exhibition on the “Life of Mahatma Gandhi” and a vegetarian Food Festival in the Chancery premises.

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Photos: HCI Canberra

A number of Australian dignitaries including prominent Liberal Party leader Mr. Julian Leeser, MP, Chair of Parliamentary Friendship Group of India and Dr. Jim Chalmers, MP, Shadow Treasurer from the main opposition Labour Party conveyed their greetings on this occasion through video messages.

NOVEMBER I 2020

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43

Community News | Canberra

High Tea for a Cause Organised by Born To Shine

By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

Saturday, 24th October 2020 Hyatt Hotel Canberra : Born To Shine Organisation held a remarkably successful high tea themed: Parenting In A Diverse Environment bringing together .women, men, and youth from a diverse cultural background with some coming from as far as Sydney.

It was such a vibrant experience with many learnings from amazing speakers and panellists who shared their personal journeys, challenges and successes and empowered many who attended both physically and those who connected online. Speakers at the event were from different walks of life, all contributing to the community in more ways than one. Ms Christine Murray, Ms Sue Smith, Dr Alfred Chidembo, Ms Rajni Ghai Malhotra and Ms Bec Miranda.

Members on the panel also included Ms Marvellous, Ms Zeni Zambezi, Ms Tendai Chinema and youth panellists : Tawana, Tanatswa, Mona, Letisha. The contributions of the youth panelists resonated well Download Our App

with the participants and an eye opener for parents to pay attention to the voices of their children amongst other key messages that were raised during the discussions. Through the discussions a team was built to cater for youth programs under the Born To Shine as a follow up activity to address key issues raised by the youth. The event was coordinated by MC for the night Ms Cay Merritt.

to hosting more events in 2021 and beyond in her quest to reach out to others and help build resilience, happy and healthy families in her community.

Born To Shine is the host of family centred events and this High Tea was one of their successful events considering that the event was earlier postponed due to COVID-19 19 restrictions. The CEO and Founder, Tendayi Ganga acknowledged and appreciated everyone who attended and she looks forward NOVEMBER I 2020

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Photo Credit : Rajni Ghai Malhotra and Born To Shine

Community News | Canberra

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Community News | Canberra

Inauguration of the Indian Film Festival By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

High Commission of India and Spicmacay Australia

O

ctober 29, 2020 : The Indian Film Festival, courtesy the High Commission of India, Canberra and SPICMACAY Australia kicked off with its inauguration at the Chancery premises by the acclaimed film maker Padma Vibhushan Sri Adoor Gopalakrishnan. The festival was inaugurated with the screening of his National Award winning movie “Mathilukal (The Walls)� and a virtual discussion with the director himself. The High Commissioner of India HE Mr Gitesh Sarma launched the event in the presence of Acting High Commissioner of Srilanka HE Mr Senarath Dissanayake, Deputy High Commissioner of India Mr P S Karthigeyan, Ms Maria Cristina Ferris Alves, Minister, Embassy of Brazil and Mr Dharmapala Weerakkody, Minister, High Commission of Sri Lanka.

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Wishing you a happy Diwali On behalf of City of Parramatta Council, I would like to wish our Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities a Diwali that brings happiness, prosperity and joy.

The City of Parramatta is proud to be home to the largest population of people of Indian descent in Australia and we join you in celebrating this wonderful occasion.

Since Diwali is a festival of new beginnings and symbolises victory of light over darkness, I hope that everyone is able to find some positivity and solace this Diwali, especially after the challenges we have faced in the last 12 months.

Although we are unable to celebrate Diwali with group events due to COVID-19, I hope you are able to celebrate with your loved ones.

On behalf of the City of Parramatta, I wish you a safe, prosperous and joyful Diwali.

Cr Bob Dwyer Lord Mayor City of Parramatta

126 Church Street, Parramatta | PO Box 32, Parramatta NSW 2124 P 02 9806 5050 E council@cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au

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Yoga

YouGo with Rajni Let’s Be Mindful Series Part 25 : Letting go of 2020 mindfully

loved ones, grief and the dreadful feeling of ‘not knowing’.

By: Rajni Ghai Malhotra

2020 – the year that is going down in history as the year that made the world stop. Almost since the year began, we have looked forward to its end. Because 2020 brought with it things most unpleasant anxiety, isolation, sadness, suffering, loss of Download Our App

However, this has also been a year of great insights, introspection and ‘evaluating essentials’ for most of us. The read ahead takes a look at this year in terms of some precious mindfulness lessons it has taught us.

Mindfulness helps us define and refine on our sense of identity, judgement of the self, our thoughts and actions. It allows us a clear understanding of what is within our control and what is best ‘let be’. During the past few months most of us, with or without realising NOVEMBER I 2020

it, in some measure or the other, have spent time reflecting on these aspects and connecting with ourselves at a higher level of consciousness.

What is not in our control: The pandemic has been an unexpected curveball thrown at us without warning and limited ability to tackle it. The world went into lockdown as we tried to make sense of what was happening and how best to cope with it. A global lockdown seemed to be our best defence. Work from home, social distancing, virtual workplaces, online connections – these became a new way of living. Through the past few months of living www.DesiAustralia.com

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Yoga

the new normal, navigating these uncertain times in a state of hyper vigilance we have all been made to realise quite deeply, our vulnerability and helplessness in the face of such a calamity. It has also given us an opportunity to recognise those aspects over which we do have control. While there are many mindfulness ideas I have drawn upon to navigate my own experience of the pandemic and resultant chaos, the following are the most fundamental and deeply honest mindfulness mantras that would benefit anyone who tries to follow them.

are all in our control. In the words of Peace Pilgrim, “If you realised how powerful your thoughts were, you would never think a negative thought again.”

What we can control: Our breath – Our breath is the bridge that helps us cross the distance between the chaos around us to stillness within. How we breath is how we shape our thoughts, our actions and our days. Short or deep, rushed or calm, the quality and effectiveness of our breath is our choice. “If you want to conquer the anxiety of life, live in the moment, live in the breath.” , Amit Ray.

Being grateful - “As you rise with the morning sun, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” These words by Marcus Aurelius say it all. If there is one lesson 2020 has taught us beyond any other, it is that of gratitude and humility that we as a progressive race were fast losing. Being grateful for the simplest of things – for being able to go out for a walk with a friend, for technology that kept us connected with our loved ones during isolation, for the times when we could go out without having

Our thoughts – What we think, how we interpret a situation and approach a problem

Our response – Our response to any situation is up to us. Being aware of the present without judgement, allows us to respond to any crisis in a wise considered manner, never as a reaction. In the words of Jon Kabat-Zinn, “You may not be able to stop the waves but you can learn to surf.”

to wear masks – the list is endless.

Letting go – “Letting go doesn’t mean forgetting, it just means we stop carrying the energy of the past into the present.” , Yung Pueblo The only effective way forward from a place of hurt and pain is one where the pain and suffering is left behind. As we get ready to bid adieu to 2020, let us make a conscious effort to detach ourselves from the pain and distress it gave us. Let us step into 2021 with grace and dignity, carrying these mindfulness lessons 2020 has taught us and promise ourselves patience to watch the year unfold neither expecting too much too soon nor allowing ourselves to be distracted from the hope of building a better normal.

There YouGo! Let us let go of 2020 and welcome 2021 mindfully.

Yours mindfully, Rajni Follow Rajni on Facebook @YogaWithRajni

YouGo Yoga with Rajni

Yoga & Mindfulness workshops for adults and kids Experience the benefits of yoga and mindfulness through the following workshops: ✓ Beginner’s yoga ✓ Mindful breathing and meditation ✓ Yoga-in-isolation and de-stressing techniques ✓ Yoga-Zing with Rajni: Fun filled, creativity infused workshops for women and children

Rajni Ghai Malhotra | Founder, YouGo Yoga | 0424 434 031 | www.facebook.com/YogaWithRajni *All workshops now delivered in a physically distant, socially connected manner.

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49

Mag Corner

Challenging the Culture - The Indian Community and the Black Lives Matter Movement

By Joseph F. Kolapudi

F

rom the beginning of the civil rights movement, social justice has been the cornerstone of community action; from Gandhi’s peace marches to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to the current impetus behind the Black Lives Matter movement. However, the Indian community has long-held prejudices against the African and Africa-American community, which has negatively influenced our perspective on the culture and history of those we have benefited from for decades.

As 2020 has shown, the Black Lives Matter movement has not been confined to a sector of society or an international community overseas; with similar peaceful protests occuring in the UK, Europe, Africa, and also here in Australia - all nations with growing Indian populations. Nevertheless, the conversation surrounding civil rights and what action individuals and communities are meant to take have been heavily influenced by negative media portrayals of marginalised cultural communities, to the detriment of the movement.

The movement has also, however, had some positive momentum within the younger demographic, with many Indians becoming quite vocal regarding their stance on the issue of racism, stereotyping, and ethnocentric sentiments long held against African-Americans.

Initiatives such as the South Asians for Black Lives movement, Letter for Black Lives, and, most recently, the South Asian Youth Initiative (SAYI), have become heavily involved in advocating for the recognition and rights of culturally diverse communities, and the importance of listening to our fellow minorities.

One such initiative that was recently hosted

by SAYI was part of their virtual series panel Download Our App

discussions on the response of South Asian communities to the wider African-American community; which challenged commonly held biases in regards to Anti-Blackness. As a roundtable panel, the speakers consisted of a range of representatives from the nonprofit, community, political and social sectors of society, as well as a collaboration between SAYI and a recently formed initiative known as ASANA Voices (Alliance of South Asians in North America).

From a personal perspective, being an Indian-Australian as part of the panel was very informative, as learning from other leaders from the South Asian community in North America, as well as being able to represent the community from Brisbane was a wonderful opportunity. Additionally, sharing updates from the recent protests in regards to the Black Lives Matter movement locally, and also having African-Americans, South-East Asians, and Causians participating on the call provided a great way to take into account unique cultural responses from the wider society, especially on the topic of social action.

The representation of youth leadership was also an intentional part of the call, especially as a reflection of the topical issues facing the second and third generation of the Indian population on topics affecting the demographic, NOVEMBER I 2020

including the upcoming election, the history of the movement, and also on individual and collective responses to intergenerational conflict, addressing taboo topics, and being able to advocate for other cultures.

As much as the dominant culture has influenced the way the Indian diaspora in Western countries, such as Australia and the United States, the distinct identity of the South Asian community has remained consistent, which has led to unique advantages, but also discrepancies; especially in regards with how we relate to other multicultural communities. Recognition and acknowledgement of this was one of the key takeaways from the discussion as hosted by SAYI, as well as education and continual learning in regards to the history of the civil rights and social justice movement, and its impact on our continued freedom to-date.

For the Indian community, being able to stand in solidarity with others, especially those who are different to our culture, but understand their unique struggles and also our similarities, can be a significant stepping stone in the fight for change.

Being able to challenge our culture and continue the fight for freedom is key to our collective progress. www.DesiAustralia.com

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51

Fashion

Collaboration with the Australian Turf Club Brings Cultural and Artistic Diversity to Greater Western Sydney’s Pinnacle Spring Race Event

F

or the first time ever, the Australian Turf Club (ATC) has partnered with Fabrics of Multicultural Australia (FOMA) to host a creative runway showcase as part of Greater Western Sydney’s pinnacle spring racing event, the Iron Jack Golden Eagle. Held at Rosehill Gardens Racecourse on Saturday 31st October, the exciting new collaboration launched five capsule collections from emerging artists based in Greater Western Sydney exclusively for guests of the Grand Pavilion Luncheon.

Importantly, this collaboration suc-

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cessfully introduced many of Greater Western Sydney’s diverse communities to race day culture, providing them with the opportunity to experience first-hand the glamour, excitement, and social opportunities that come hand-in-hand with attending the races.

Conversely, delivering this FOMA Runway Showcase provided several major new opportunities for the participating FOMA artists to grow their brands and connect with key personnel in the fashion and arts sectors.

As part of this first-ever collaboration with the Australian Turf Club, FOMA featured five culturally and lin-

NOVEMBER I 2020

guistically diverse artists from Greater Western Sydney who showcased their garments to 300 guests attending the Australian Turf Club’s Grand Pavilion Luncheon during the 2020 ‘Iron Jack’ Golden Eagle Day. The participating artists represented a broad range of cultures including the First Peoples of Aboriginal Australia, Jordan, Nigeria, and Afghanistan.

Each FOMA artist showcased a unique capsule collection that was produced specifically for this collaboration, and these collections were paired with custom head pieces created by Blue Mountains based milliner, Carol Ma-

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Fashion

Indian, Sudanese, Russian, Ugandan and Dutch were invited to walk the runway. Overall, participants from across 31 different cultures combined to deliver this runway showcase in collaboration with the Australian Turf Club.

her, who used fabrics from the capsule collections of each designer to create special head pieces that combined race day fashion with the signature styles of each FOMA artist. The FOMA Runway Showcase in collaboration with the Australian Turf Club’s Golden Eagle Day featured the following designers:

Designer Anjilla Seddeqi – Australian Afghani Refugee Designer Mayen Benson – Johjos – Nigerian born Australian Designer Carole Maher – Contributing Couture Milliner, who has made 45 pieces using fabrics from each designer’s collections for the FOMA runway shows.

Colleen Tighe Johnson – Buluuy Mirrii – Descendant of the First Peoples of Aboriginal Australia, a proud Gomeroi woman (regional NSW) Gina Barjeel – Australian Jordanian

A diverse range of cultures were also incorporated into the project through the participating models, events team, and volunteers. Through the ‘Faces of FOMA’ program, models from a wide range of cultures including Aboriginal,

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NOVEMBER I 2020

Fabrics of Multicultural Australia (FOMA) is a sustainable platform that stimulates economic growth for the creative sector, generates bilateral trading opportunities, and fosters social cohesion. FOMA leverages the influence of arts and culture across a variety of mediums and showcases to a global audience the interweaving threads that collectively form the unique identity of contemporary Australia. FOMA is produced by Gandhi Creations, a multi-award winning social enterprise.

The Iron Jack Golden Eagle is Australia’s third richest race and the pinnacle event of Greater Western Sydney’s racing calendar. Boasting $7.5m in prize money, this 1500m race for four-year-olds also donates $750,000 in prize money to the winner’s charity of choice.

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53

Fashion

Spooky Encounters We often experience things that make us uneasy

W

hether we believe in the supernatural or not, most of us are fascinated by it. We often experience things that make us uneasy – an unexplained noise at night, a shadow glimpsed from the corner of our eye, a cold hand brushing against our neck.

This is Halloween month and we decided to bring you these dark photos for some spooky fun. makeup and accessories and sometimes without any, sometimes with a tattoo and sometimes with none, sometimes looking lost and sometimes menacing.

Model Alpana Srivastava has completely transformed her look for this feature. How did this gentle, benevolent looking lady managed to look so malicious and scary, we wonder?

Kudos to her.

Model Liana Chakrabarty’s photoshoot took place at the Queen Victoria Building (QVB). If you research the history of QVB you will find that it is said to be haunted. The ghost is rumoured to be a former QVB business owner who died from a violent robbery more than 100 years ago that never left the building. So QVB was the perfect setting and Liana’s expressions and look fitted the theme perfectly.

ago, of a lady who used to roam the cemetery and nearby areas, sometimes decked up with

Overall all the models have done an awesome job, giving us chills down our spine

Model Tiya Gorain frightens us in all her looks. One in which she is adorned by accessories, one without any and one with a skull tattoo. It reminds us of a story we heard long

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54

Community News | Sydney

C

ommunity members gathered in Jubilee Park, Parramatta on 7th November, 2020 to show solidarity with the family of Miss Nikita Tomar, 22 yrs, who was killed on 26th October by in broad daylight in Ballabhgarh, Haryana, India. The community mourned the tragic death with a silence of two minutes and condemned the killing of the young lady.

Community gathered for

“Justice for Nikita” in Sydney, Australia

Nikita Tomar was shot dead outside her college in Ballabgarh, where she had gone to take an exam. She was a final year commerce student. She was very bright, wanted to join the Defence Forces The accused Touseef, had been pressuring Nikita, for a meeting and she kept turning him down, police said. Two days before the incident, he visited the college in a bid to meet her but failed to do so. Police said CCTV footage from last week captured him at the institute talking to some students, who are yet to be identified.

During interrogation, Touseef told police he used to like Nikita from school days and wanted to marry her. When she didn’t take his calls or respond to his messages, he lost his cool and decided to ‘teach her a lesson’, he said.

Source: TOI

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55

Community News | Sydney

Tackling the Hathi in the room Photovoice exhibition

H

aathi in the Room Inc. held a Photovoice Exhibition on 17 October to mark Mental Health Month. The forum gave us an opportunity to raise awareness within the community around mental health and wellbeing.

Each day in Australia more than 8 people die by suicide. 3 million Australians are living with anxiety or depression which can affect any of us at any time regardless of our culture and background.

What is worse is that 54% of people with mental illness do not access any treatment – treatment which is readily available with many initial counselling sessions covered by Medicare. South Asians are considerably less likely to seek help for mental health conditions compared to the rest of the Australian population Mental Health is defined as “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to contribute to their community”. Life events such as loss of a partner, recent migration, redundancy, major health setDownload Our App

backs, recent bushfire and most recently COVID 19 Pandemic can affect mental health and wellbeing. There is a rife stigma attached to mental illness and little open discussion within our community associated with shame/‘sharam’. Those who suffer are often labelled as either “weak” or “stupid” and their concerns are often unrecognized and ignored.

Haathi in the Room’s vision is to start the conversation, and reduce the stigma around mental illness in the South Asian community. We wish to give a voice to the “Haathi in the Room” – Poor Mental Health and Wellbeing is the elephant in the room which we can all see but do nothing about. We wish to encourage our community to recognise the importance of early intervention and the need to provide support to sufferers just as we do for physical health conditions.

Haathi in the Room used PhotoVoice as the method of discussion at the Forum.

PhotoVoice is a powerful photographic and storytelling technique – as they say a photo tells a thousand words. PhotoVoice is an empowering and flexible NOVEMBER I 2020

process that combines photography with grassroots social action and is commonly used in the fields of public health and education.

PhotoVoice participants can include community members of all ages and status including those who are discriminated against due to language, gender, race, class and disability. Through their photos, participants bring new insights and perspectives which raise awareness of hidden or overlooked issues and aspects specific to the community. The narratives from the photos can then be used to promote dialogue, to better understand triggers, reduce community barriers and help develop effective solutions and programs to address the identified issues and concerns.

The Forum was a great way to start the conversation and raise awareness of the social context of mental health and wellbeing within our community. It helped identify the triggers in our community – how do attitudes within our community and lack of understanding of mental health and wellbeing impact people’s ability to cope with the normal stressors in life? www.DesiAustralia.com

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Community News | Sydney

Australia and provided excellent tips on how to deal with the day to day stressors.

Her insights resonated with the audience.

PhotoVoice participants were trained

by Multicultural Health Communication Services who provided expert advice and valuable guidance. The PhotoVoice Project and Forum was funded by Multicultural NSW. Charishma Kaliyanda – elected councillor for Liverpool City Council, Occupational Therapist and Com-

munity Engagement Officer for Headspace Campbelltown was the keynote speaker at the Forum. As a member of the Strategic Advisory Committee of the National Grown Areas Alliance, (NGAA), Charishma has put mental health and youth infrastructure on the agenda for Australia’s fast growing outer urban areas. Charishma provided valuable insights into her own journey since arriving in

The Forum was well attended and the Haathi in the Room team received excellent feedback from the attendees.

Haathi in the Room team members are: Nitasha Bhatia, Vidhisha Khetwani, Monica Das, Megha Agarwal and Sue Advani.

For more information please visit Haathi in the Room Facebook page.

happy Diwali JULIAN LEESER MP FEDERAL MEMBER FOR BEROWRA

Level 11, 423 Pennant Hills Road, Pennant Hills NSW 2120 julian.leeser.mp@aph.gov.au

julianleeser.com.au

02 9980 1822

julianleesermp

Authorised by Julian Leeser MP, Liberal Party of Australia, 423 Pennant Hills Rd, Pennant Hills NSW 2120.

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57

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58

Legal

Legally Banga

We spoke with Samir about his passion for the law & how Banga Legal came to fruition. We also asked him a few MINAL LAW • FAMILY LAW questions • IMMIGRATION LAW that our readers have for lawyers. hiring a lawyer?

Some would ask how long is a piece of string?

Q. What makes a good lawyer?

Lets’ make this simple, someone you understand. Going deeper, someone you can communicate with effectively and a lawyer that has the right experience.

We want our clients to understand that cost is relative to the complexity of your case. You will find some simple matters can be completed under a fixed fee agreement, however, there are complex litigious matters which cannot.

Don’t ask a compensation lawyer to do your criminal matter.

Q. What was the motivation behind establishing Banga Legal?

To be able to provide bespoke legal services. Genuine, considered proper advice without the focus on cash. I have worked for firms of various sizes, both big and small. Worked with clients of high profile and the regular person. I wanted to be able to deliver the real deal, in an approachable sensical way.

Q What areas of law do you practice?

I mainly focus on Criminal and Family law. I am what we call an advocate, the lawyer that will run your matter in court. I don’t just give instructions. My team also handles Immigration law and we understand the importance of having an immigration lawyer on board.

Q. How do you support and develop relationships with clients?

We provide bespoke packages. We have a team that speaks English, Punjabi, Hindi and Greek, with more to come. We form an understanding of what our client needs, not just what they may want. We work with our clients to deliver and offer real, considered advice. We will not fabricate the possible outcomes, ethics plays a big part in our practice.

We guide you through the minefield that is our legal system may seem to be.

Q. What experience do you have in law?

I have worked in both big and small law firms. Now, I present Banga Legal, which is what I consider a boutique firm. I have represented high profile clients, such as NRL players. Had cases that attracted media attention, however, I also take on Legal Aid matters Download Our App

where I can. Support the people that are most in need and are often left behind.

The most important difference about me is that I am the person running your hearing. I am in court, at the bench. I am your advocate, I am the one who makes this happen. I don’t just advise you on what I have heard, I advise you with the backing of real practical experience.

Q. What does your typical day/week look like?

Ahh, well it is get up, get ready, go to court for my client, hopefully win the day, celebrate with a client – lawyer coffee and then hit the gym. Return home for preparation for the next days hearing.

Make sure I get some family time in there and we are good to go.

Q. What advice would you have for new and upcoming lawyers?

Don’t give up, remember, being a lawyer is not like suits and it is definitely not what it seems in university. In the legal field, the first job is the hardest to obtain. I would suggest growing your network and reaching out to potential employers early. Your network is your friend.

Q. Typically what are the costs involved with NOVEMBER I 2020

Let’s use the example of a drink driving charge and this being the clients first offence.

This matter can be resolved in one or two court appearances. Perhaps 2 consultations with your lawyer and an outcome can be reached. Make this a high-range drink driving charge, 4th offence and you have a different story. The client in this case is likely to go to jail and we need to revaluate the preparation required, including the time spent on the matter. This would then become a bespoke matter as we call it at BL. The family law equivalent would be a divorce matter. A simple divorce with the agreement of both parties can easily be completed under a fixed fee package.

Make this a complex parenting matter, add 3 children under the age of 10, now you face all new challenges. Multiple conferences, possibly an independent children’s lawyer and a 2 year long proceeding (if we’re lucky).

Yes, multiple court appearances.

We refuse to fudge our numbers and give blanket false estimates. We pride ourselves in our ethics and our pricing standards. We explain the process and the reason the matter will cost a certain amount. We have had clients come to us complaining that they were told $2000 and the matter blew up to $10,000.

Why not just be transparent in the first place?

For any legal assistance, Samir & his team at Banga Legal can be contacted on (02) 9152.8701 or via email at info@bangalegal. www.DesiAustralia.com

59

Mag Corner

Learning Experiences Change Lives!

I learn a lot from everyone around me -- from my parents, teachers, guides, teammate to my competitors to the random person.

By: Dr Parminder K. Saini

Y

ou can learn from reading wide variety of books, i.e. more genres - non-fiction; your vision will improve, you will understand the world around you.When you read academic books - economics - finance - accounts - sociology and other arts, you develop general knowledge about those subjects.You can become good at theory in almost all the subjects. You can learn math, finance, physics and a lot of stuff requiring calculations.You can learn everything related to Computers and Software - You can type your way into coding, designing etc etc….

But you can’t learn everything by reading books – Yes, its absolutely right! A lot of things require you to get out of bed - get into the field and learn the skill but if you hate doing that don’t be disappointed there are a few things that don’t require you to run around You can learn quite a lot by storytelling!

Stories teach us about life, about ourselves and about others. Storytelling is a unique way for students to develop an understanding, respect, appreciation for other cultures and can promote a positive attitude to people from different lands, races and religions.

After the completion of my Doctorate degree I was very excited and wanted to thank my both the guides (Dr. Amanpreet Singh Download Our App

and Dr.J.S. Sohal), I immediately dialled number of Dr. Amanpreet Singh for paying my gratitude for his invaluable guidance during the research journey. Subsequently, I can never forget the blessings of Honourable Director Defence Services Welfare Punjab for the support and platform provided on each step. I was also planning to visit Directorate Defence Services Welfare, Punjab to thank for the envelope they provided, because I was so grateful to the Brigadiers, Colonels & Generals who played a major role in shaping up my personality not only as an Academician but their day to day guidelines turned me into a strong pillar of society.

In the evening I visited Dr. Amanpreet Singh. He has always been a charmer, amiable and more silent then silence but an intellectual person in his 50s who does not speak much and has his own style to manage the scholars of different background.

I was fed up with daily routine, as I was disconnected from almost every kind of social and personal activities due to the heavy workload of research work. After a long time I wanted to celebrate and enjoy the success in all the manners I can.

I asked him “Dr. Sahib from whom I should start paying my gratitude..?” He smiled & remained quite (as usual). I have always been awe of him and I kept silent for a long time. Perhaps he understood my tight lipped conversation. He broke the silence and told me a heart touching story narrated by Sudha Narayan, wife of Narayan Murthy, Co-founder of Infosys. He said, Sudha Narayan explained him a wonderful event celebration in Russia, when she was in Moscow, Russia. Sudha narrated like this: NOVEMBER I 2020

The day, I went to apark, it was Sunday. It was drizzling and cold, though it was summer.

I was standing under an umbrella and enjoying the beauty of the place... when suddenly, my eyes fell on a young couple.

It was apparent that they had just got married. The girl was in her mid-twenties, slim and with blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes.

She was very beautiful indeed. The boy was almost the same age and very handsome.

He was in a military uniform. The bride was wearing a pretty white satin dress, decorated with pearls and pretty laces.

Two young bridesmaids were standing behind her holding up the hem of the wedding gown, so as not to let it get dirtied. One young boy was holding an umbrella over their heads, so that they should not get drenched. The girl was holding a bouquet and the two were standing with their arms linked. It was a beautiful sight. I wondered why they had come to the park in this rain soon after getting married.

They could surely have gone to a merrier place. I watched as they walked together to the raised platform near the memorial, placed the bouquet, bowed their heads in silence, and slowly walked back.By now I was curious to know as to what was going on...!!

There was an old man standing with them.

He looked at me, my saree, and asked, ‘Are you Indian?’

I replied, ‘Yes, I am an Indian.’ And we began chatting amicably. I decided to use the opportunity to ask some questions.

‘How do you come to know English?’

- ‘Oh, I worked abroad.’ www.DesiAustralia.com

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Mag Corner

‘Please tell me why that young couple visited the War Memorial on their wedding day?’

- ‘Oh, that is the custom in Russia. The wedding takes place normally on a Saturday or a Sunday. Irrespective of the season, after signing the Register at the Marriage Office, married couples must visit the important National Monuments nearby.

‘Every boy in this country has to serve in the Military for a couple of years at least. Regardless of his position, he must wear his service uniform for the wedding.’

‘Why is that?’

‘This is a mark of gratitude. Our forefathers have given their lives in various wars that Russia has fought. Some of them we won and some we lost, but their sacrifice was always for the country.’

The newly married couple needs to remember that they are living in a peaceful, independent Russia because of their ancestors’ sacrifices. They must ask for their blessings.

‘Love for the country is more important than any other celebrations. We, the elders insist on continuing with this tradition whether it be in Moscow, St. Petersburg or any other part of Russia. We must visit the nearest War Memorial.’

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Dr. Amanpreet Singh added further, “Dr. Sahib, when we are happy, we are busy in shopping for new gadgets, sarees, buying jewellery, planning & preparing elaborated menus and partying in discos etc. but do we Indians have the courtesy to remember our martyrs on the most important day of our lives?

His way of teaching me even after completing my doctorate degree sets me wondering about what we teach our children here. His words made me so embarrassed internally. As a sign of forgiveness, I got up & thanked him deeply. My eyes were filled with tears at the thought and I decided to visit the War Memorial immediately.

Such stories help us explain everything in our experiences about relationships, from feelings to memories, and from questions to objections. Each story we hear, read or listen

NOVEMBER I 2020

to, our mind makes cognitive and emotional connections that shape our perception of the world.

I realized that there is a lot to learn as yet even after completing my doctorate degree. It boosted my feelings of things like gratitude, trust, compassion and empathy. Also motivated us to work with others and positively influenced our social behaviour. Instead of being a knowledge junkie, I decided to become an action junkie and actually taking actions upon all the valuable lessons that I gained.

Dr. Singh persuaded me that we must remember the sacrifices made by the soldiers of the country and I did it for all the young professionals studying in Sainik Institutes of Management and Technology, Punjab.

Jai Hind!

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61

Health

Taking charge

of your mental and physical health in this pandemic Isolation, depression mental health – all words we have heard plenty of times before and even more so after the pandemic drove us all indoors. While we may become desensitised to hearing about this, mental health is even more important especially as Australia gears up to become social once more.

T

By Sanjan Suri

he pandemic has been hard on a lot of people, isolating the elderly, putting pressure on working parents to manage home schooling and full-time work and just generally for everyone else as we have been forced to reduce our social interactions. Mental health has not only impacted individual health but also families as Australia has seen an unpresented rise in domestic violence and suicides.

And as we gear up to go back to ‘normal’ life it has led to social anxiety in a lot of people as well.

While mental health in itself is an enigmatic subject that affects each individual differently there are some common symptoms and signs that we can all look out for. While this is in no way a prescription on how to deal with mental health, the following are helpful tips we can all actively use to understand how we are feeling and identify signs of mental and emotional distress early on.

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Some of the common signs of mental and/or emotional stress are: 1. Lack of focus or motivation 2. Irritability 3. L ack of interest in talking to friends and/or family 4. Eating too much or eating too less 5. Rapid weigh gain/loss 6. C hanges in sleeping patterns (sleeping considerably more than usual or finding it hard to sleep at all) The above symptoms may sound obviNOVEMBER I 2020

ous and are not by any means exhaustive, they are often easy to miss. It is easy to blame staying at home to eating excessively or not being able to sleep at night and ignore that there may be an underlying stress from work or other aspects of your life.

While not all of us may experience this stress at an extreme level a drastic and sudden change, especially a forced one is bound to affect everyone in some way.

So the best way to look after your mental health is to identify these signs early on www.DesiAustralia.com

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Health

an email. There is no right or wrong!

and address them before they manifest into anything serious. The easiest way to identify these signs are to stop and think why your habits have changed and is it simply a lack of discipline or if there is indeed cause for emotional / metal stress.

4. Take up a hobby / activity that you like While this might make you want to roll your eyes at the obviousness, it is easy to be get wrapped up in work and chores.

Taking up a hobby, especially one that can be challenging or different will help you challenge yourself mentally and physically. It can also be a great way to learn new skills or a fun social activity with friends and family.

Below are some steps you can take to improve your mental health and to improve productivity in your day to day life: 1. Set small, long and medium term goals Setting goals is an important way in which you can bring some discipline and structure to your day and which will go a long way in giving you a sense of control and stability. It is often easy to set a long term goal that sounds fantastic but a lack of plan can demotivate you just as easily.

Try setting short term goals first and taking baby steps. An excellent example is going to the gym 3 days a week and you pre-fix those 3 days. Once you have done this for a few weeks you find yourself motivated to go more often and being more flexible with your days and time rather than losing motivation.

and need interactions for mental and emotional wellbeing. If you are uncomfortable reaching out to friends or family, reach out to a person you are relatively comfortable around. There is no prescribed way to reach out either. Pick a method that is the most relaxing and suited to you. It could be a phone call or a text message or

2. Set strong boundaries between work and home Working from home is now the new way of working and will continue to do so even after the pandemic. As we get comfortable with the idea, it is easy to blur the lines between work hours and private time.

I often find myself logging in at 8 pm just to check emails or staying up to finish a task that was only going to take me 10 mins to do. Not having strong boundaries will stop you from mentally switching off leading to a burnout in the long run. Rather spend Concious time with your friends and family and enjoy the downtime.

The above list is only some generic tips to enable you to actively take charge of your mental and physical health. There are of course may many more ways that can be tailored to suit each individual’s needs and comfort.

The most important thing is that you take an active interest in your own mental and physical health rather than growing complacent. It does takes initiative and effort on your part and you may need to try a few different things before you find what works for you.

But remember that the benefits are many and will help you become your best version yet.

3. Actively reach out to family and friends through a mode that is comfortable for you While this is the most obvious, it is often hard for people to reach out and express their distress. Feelings of being judged or not being understood hold many people back from reaching out. Remember that humans are social creatures Download Our App

NOVEMBER I 2020

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63

Recipe

Diwali Special Recipe

E

ven though deities are invoked differently in most households, the true essence of Diwali remains the same: victory of light over darkness.

So this year as we celebrate the true meaning of ‘Deepavali’ (where ‘deepa’ means ‘light’ and ‘vali’ means ‘row’; thus a row of lights) let us rid oneself of the darkness and negativity that dwells within.

We pray that the lights illuminating from Diya’s not only brighten your homes but also your hearts.

Wishing you and your family a very Shubh Deepavali!

No Diwali is complete in my household without a serving Selroti (donut shaped).

I have gone a bit further and filled the centre with few other traditional dishes like Chicken choila, Allu Achar and boiled fried egg and then Paan Truffles to finish it all.

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Let’s start with Selroti: Ingredients: 44 cups of rice flour 42 cups plain flour 41 cup sugar 41 tbs Ghee 4Milk of choice Spices: 1 small cinnamon stick, 8-10 cardamom and cloves and 1/3 cup Fennel seeds.

4Oil for deep frying Method: Blend the spices until fine. In a large bowl mix the rice flour, plain flour, sugar and ghee until the ghee is fully combined.

Then slowly add milk while mixing until the batter is thick and running. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Take a handful of the dough in your hand and gently pour it in the pan to make a circular shape Patience is a virtue here friends because it will take few practices to get the shape right.

Choila recipe:

NOVEMBER I 2020

Ingredients: 4 250gm boneless meat of your choice (I used chicken) – roast/fry until cooked.

4 ½ tbs cumin and coriander seeds. Few red dried chillies (as per taste) - roast and blend. To this add ½ tsp chilli powder and 1 tbs of Mustard oil.

4 ½ tbs ginger and garlic (julienne) 4 Handful if spring onions and coriander.

4 1 – 2 whole tomatoes - Fire roasted until the skin has turned black. Peel the skin, dice it and set aside.

4 Combine all in a large bowl, add salt to taste and mix well.

4 For the tempering, heat Mustard oil in a small pan add ½ tsp fenugreek seeds roast until dark brown.

4 Turn off the heat add a generous pinch of Turmeric powder and pour it on the Choila mixture. Mix well and serve.

Aloo Achar recipe: You will need: 4 2 potatoes - Boiled, peeled and cut into bite size pieces.

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64

Recipe

GUJIYA 4 Add enough oil/ghess to the flour mix, so that if you try making a ball in your hand, it binds.

4 Add the chilled water.

4 Make the dough.

4 Cover the dough with a slightly moist cloth/kitchen towel to keep it from becoming too stiff.

4 ½ cucumber and carrots – diced 4 ½ onion – thinly sliced 4 ½ cup green peas 4 Few green chillies – sliced 4 ½ tsp cumin seeds and few red dried chillies – roast and blended.

4 2tbs sesame seeds – roast and blended 4 Combine all in a large bowl. Squeeze juice of one lime/lemon, salt per taste and mix well.

4 For the tempering, heat Mustard oil in a small pan add ½ tsp fenugreek seeds roast until dark brown.

4 Turn off the heat add a generous pinch of Turmeric powder and pour it on your Aloo mixture. Garnish with fresh coriander.

Paan Truffles: A healthy take on the traditional version for all you Paan lovers out there...

You will need: 41/2 cup of almonds and pistachios 41/4 cup cashews 48 pitted dates 41 tsp rosewater 41/2 tsp ground green cardamom 41/4 tsp fennel seeds 4Couple drops of peppermint extract 4Pinch of salt For rolling: Rose petals and desiccated Coconut Method: 4 Blend all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture is sticky. Form into bite-sized balls and roll them into the rose petals or desiccated coconut.

4 And there you have it.

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Making gujiya stuffing 4 Chop ⅓ cup dry fruits and keep aside.

4 Melt ½ tbsp ghee in a pan on a low flame.

4 Stir the khoya/ricotta continuously on low heat and add saffron.

4 Cook the khoya/ricotta till it begins to gather around itself. Switch off the flame anD keep the pan down. Let the khoya stuffing cool down completely.

4 Add ⅓ cup powdered sugar/jaggery, chopped dry fruits and ½ tsp cardamom powder. I like mine with alot of coconut hence I add grated dry coconut.(its readily available in supermarkets) 4 Mix everything well and keep the stuffing aside.

Assembling and making gujiya 4 Make a medium log of each part and slice it into equal parts.

4 Dust the rolling board lightly with some flour. Roll each ball with the rolling pin to a small circle having 4 to 5 inches diameter. Use less flour and if possible you can avoid the flour for dusting completely.

4 with your fingertip, apply water all over the circumference edge.

4 Place about 1-2 tbsp of the khoya filling on one side of the circle, keeping the edges empty.

4 carefully, bring together both the edges and join. gently press so that the filling does not come out while frying or baking.

4 Baking method for making gujiya Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius/390 degree fahrenheit. Brush oil or melted ghee on the gujiya evenly all over.Bake the gujiya for 20 to 30 minutes at 200 degrees till they are 70% golden. Place them on a wire rack for cooling. Once cooled, store the baked gujiya in an air-tight jar or box and reheat for 5min when serving.

4 Frying method for making gujiya Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. but please test the temperature of oil, before frying it shouldnt be too hot or warm just

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something inbetween so it cooks at right temperature inside and outside.

Instant Dhokla There are soooo many ways to make dhokla. It can be as simple as 4 major ingredients and can take you less than 30minutes to prepare. Its my favourite also because I like to watch my calories during the festivities as we tend to have sooo many delicacies around and its hard to not drool - this is one is high in protein, less in calories and keeps you full for long hence it makes nibble less on other things( its my secret you can try it toooo!! ) 4 Besan(Chickpea flour/ Gram flour), suji 4 Sugar – balances out the spicy flavor pretty well.

4Salt 4Crushed ginger and green chilies – 4 Eno (fruit salt) + Citric acid – a musthave for this recipe 4 Oil (my personal fav is the one with neutral flavour like sunflower, vegetable oil) 4 Water as required- keeping the consistency pouring thick Method: 4 In a large bowl, add chickpea flour, sooji, hing, salt, and sugar. 2. Add oil, citric acid, green chili + ginger paste, and salt. 3.Add water and mix until a smooth pourable texture is achieved. 4. finally instantly ferment the batter by adding eno.

Stir in eno and whisk until it is well blended. 5.The mixture will become frothy and double in size.6.Pour the batter to a greased container. 7. Fill a large pan with water and place a trivet at the base. Cover it with a lid and steam khaman for about 15- 20 minutes and poke with a knife to ensure its not sticking on the knife,,, well its a sign that its cooked. 8 Before serving add a some oil in a pan add oil, mustard seeds, sesame seeds whole green chillies and curry leaves (its your choice) add some sugar let it cool a lil and add water about6-7 spoons so that the sugar gets infused equally. slowly spread it around the dhokla. decorate with coriander to make it beautiful.

Happy Diwali and a safe festive season.

Hope you enjoy our recipes tell us what you think @insta or facebook

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EKONOMOS- ABSC Inc’s business affairs Magazine

Photo Credit : Harmohan Walia

T

he Australian Business Summit Council Inc. hosted its second Media Conference and annual luncheon at The Waterview in Bicentennial Park, Homebush on 9 November 2020 to promote the imminent publication of the second issue of EKONOMOS, the official ABSC Inc. business affairs magazine in late November this year.

More than thirty VIPs and guests enjoyed the five-star venue’s sumptuous food and unlimited beverages in the exquisitely decorated Bel Parco function room to celebrate this significant milestone in the Council’s history as the association expands its pervasive influence and visibility as one of the nation’s premier business management consultant forums.

ABSC Inc. president, Dr Frank Alafaci welcomed the audience with an overview of the aims of the Council which seeks to enhance Australian trade links and investment opportunities with our known regional commercial partners and hitherto untapped extra-regional import and export markets. As such, the Council serves assiduously as a potent intellectual mouthpiece for meaningful debates and discussions about sound business policies Download Our App

and practices that stimulate a vibrant, sustainable and competitive economic setting with unprecedented opportunities for Australian entrepreneurs both in the national environment and on the international stage.

Indeed, the Australian Business Summit Council Inc. publishes a regular monthly newsletter, The Rotator, at www.absc. online for the general and specialised reading public alike which features practical, well-reasoned views, opinions and long-term suggestions about business investment and innovation which are diversifying into high value-added and technologically advanced sectors and industries through large-scale domestic and overseas provision of cutting-edge management, infrastructure, and services capabilities.

As an evident Greek-sounding play on the English term that denotes the study of the distribution of wealth and income, the ABSC Inc.’s annual magazine, EKONOMOS, features excellent informative articles penned by eminent members of the Australian and international business and diplomatic community, including advertisements to recognise the publication’s generous Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors and selected highlights of the Australian Business Summit Council Inc.’s elite networking seminars, conferences, partnerships, EXPOs, memoranda of understanding, trade delegation visitaNOVEMBER I 2020

tions, negotiations with political and prominent business leaders, and participation in economic roundtables.

EKONOMOS, Issue 2, November 2020, will include fourteen article contributors to the magazine led by Dr Frank Alafaci (President, Australian Business Summit www.DesiAustralia.com

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Council Inc.), featuring H. E. Dr Alexey Pavlovsky (Ambassador of the Russian Federation); H. E. Mr Kristiarto Legowo (Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia); H. E. Mr Korhan Karahoc (Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey).; H. E. Mr Muhammad Ashraf (Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan), who attended the Media Conference and annual luncheon as a VIP and keynote speaker; H. E. Mr Yasser Abed (Consul General of the Arab Republic of Egypt); Ms Fiona Fan (Director General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, the de facto Taiwanese Consulate General in Sydney), also a VIP and the second keynote speaker at the Media Conference and annual luncheon;.

Mr Damien Coorey (Principal / Director, CRM Brokers Pty Ltd), present at the Media Conference and annual luncheon; Mr Piers Morgan (Executive Director, Weringa Group), likewise in attendance at the Media Conference and annual luncheon; Ms Kim Samuel (Associate Director, Urban & Regional Planning, Elton Consulting); Mr John Stanton (Chief Executive Officer, Communications Alliance Ltd); Mr Ivan Slavich (Chief Executive Officer, Soldier On); Mr David Laanemaa (Managing Director, Back9 Capital Management Pty Ltd); and Dr Anthony De Francesco (Managing Director, Real Investment Analytics Pty Ltd).

Interestingly, the Media Conference and annual luncheon presented a special guest address by Mr Michael Rizk (Head of Trade Relations, Australian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce and past contribuDownload Our App

tor to the inaugural issue of EKONOMOS, published in November 2019), who praised the ABSC Inc.’s intrepid spirit and spectacular efforts to strengthen Australian commercial relations with the international community, focusing on the Middle East’s promising trade and investment benefits for the Australian economy in an increasingly globalised world where the search for and proactive engagement with previously inaccessible, unappreciated markets has triggered a lucrative diversification of multilateral business relationships.

Highlighting this exclusive gathering of VIPs and guests, ABSC Inc. president, Dr Frank Alafaci convened a twenty-minute interactive Question and Answer session between an assembled panel, comprising the ABSC Inc. President himself; Mr Michael Rizk (Head of Trade Relations, Australian Lebanese Chamber of Commerce); H. E. Mr Muhammad Ashraf (Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan); as well as Mr Rouad El Ayoubi (Founding Director of Alliance Project Group); and the distinguished audience, including several high-profile representatives of the Australian multicultural press.

secretary, for her tireless efforts in securing the magnificent venue, sending out the invitations, preparing the immaculate table arrangements and decorations, VIP name tags, and communicating with The Waterview’s events management team.

ABSC Inc. president, Dr Frank Alafaci formally concluded the Media Conference and annual luncheon with his public acknowledgement of EKONOMOS, Issue 2’s Gold sponsor, Alliance Project Group, and the Board of Directors of the Australian Business Summit Council Inc., especially Mrs Sylvia Alafaci, the Council’s NOVEMBER I 2020

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Diwali Lights Co

by The Blacktown City Coun

Following another successful celebration last year, Blacktown City’s Diwali Lights Competition is been held again this November.

This competition is available to residents of the Blacktown Local Government Area only.

Below is the photo of the last year winne

The Sadhu fami home in Bungarribee.

Blacktown City Mayor Tony Bleasdale OAM said, “This is a wonderful cultural event that lights up our streets and homes across the City. $2500 in cash prizes are available for the best decorated properties across our City’s 5 Wards. In addition to prizes for the best individual properties, there is a special category which recognises the City’s ‘Best Street’.

The title acknowledges neighbours who come together in the spirit of Diwali to create a festive and culture-filled atmosphere in the street they each call home.

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ompetition

ncil

er

Below are the photos of the homes currently decorated for this year’s competition, don’t miss to go for a drive and witness it personally

ily’s

106 Mosaic Ave, The ponds Download Our App

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57 Hampton Cres, Prospect

17 Ballinger Ave, Grantham Farm

72 Steeltrap Drive, Bungarribee Download Our App

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62 ward st schofields

Message from the Mayor of Blacktown City Tony Bleasdale, OAM

On behalf of Blacktown City Council, I send my sincere greetings to all our communities during this wonderful time of Diwali ‘Festival of Lights’.

Blacktown City is home to some of the largest South Asian communities in Australia and Diwali is a time of great celebration throughout our City.

This is a time when we celebrate light over darkness in our City centre, in our businesses, in our places of worship and most of all, in our homes.

Our communities take great pride in lighting up their homes and streets in the celebration of Diwali.

I encourage people of all backgrounds to get involved and join in celebrating the ancient Hindu festival of Diwali.

Blacktown City Council encourages our communities to embrace Diwali celebrations by staging the annual Blacktown City’s Diwali Lights Competition.

We offer cash prizes for the best decorated properties across our Blacktown City’s 5 Wards.

We also recognise the wonderful community spirit that comes with Diwali.

The Blacktown City’s Diwali Lights Competition also has a category for ‘Best Street’.

The Best Street title acknowledges neighbours who come together in the spirit of Diwali to create a festive and culture-filled atmosphere in the street they each call home.

To be eligible for the title of Best Street, all you need is to have 3 decorated properties entered in the same street.

Judging criteria will be based on the overall appeal of the decorations displayed on the outside of your property.

Properties will have their lighting displays on from Monday 9 November and Thursday 12 November, 8 pm – 11 pm for judging. For a full list of properties that have entered the competition this year visit: blacktown.nsw.gov.au/Home Once again, can I wish all our communities a wonderful Celebration of Diwali.

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