G'day India Feb 2023 Issue 190

DIVESH SAREEN’S OBSCURITY TO TRIUMPH The Indian Mate’s chronicles of a journey of self-discovery

LOVE-ALL, GAME “SANIA”

A Story about her Last Game at the Australian Open

THE FORGOTTEN WOMEN OF KABUL Afghanistan’s National Women Cricket team fled the Taliban to call Melbourne Home

A Musical Extravaganza, with message around Acceptance & Inclusivity

Director: Bali Padda

G’DAY INDIA PTY LTD FOR NEWS, FEATURES, EDITORIAL, COMMENTS, REPORTS, FEEDBACK & ADVERTISING

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Contributors:

Anmol Anand, Debasree Das, Dileep Narayan, Dr Raj Kotharu, Gary Nair, Harpal Sandhu, Manjit Sethi, Narisa Dawar, Sanchita Abrol, Karthik Arasu, Abhi Narayan, Gurpal Singh, Monisha Iswaran,

Victoria launches night aviation patrols for fire-risk period in summer

equipped with an infra-red high-definition video camera.

Highly-experienced crew will complete reconnaissance flights during the afternoon before conducting water bombing flights at night.

MELBOURNE, Feb 6: Australia's second most populated state Victoria kicked off its night aviation program for the seventh consecutive year in preparation for the highest fire-risk period during summer.

The state's Minister for Emergency Services Jaclyn Symes and Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp visited the Essendon Airport on Monday, where three helicopters engaged for night aviation operations are based.

The aircraft are part of the state's 50-strong firefighting fleet.

According to the state government, the night aviation program includes two night firebombing helicopters, including a CH47 Chinook, and an aerial intelligence gathering Firebird 308 helicopter

"As grasses dry out, the night aviation fleet provides a vital extra element in our efforts to protect communities across the state. This is the period where we know risk can be higher, and we're remaining vigilant night and day," said Symes.

The Country Fire Authority (CFA) in Victoria also urged people to have a bushfire survival plan in place and know when to leave early, as the fire season carries on and the risk of grassfires increases across the state.

CFA Chief Officer Jason Heffernan noted that it's extremely difficult to think clearly during an emergency, so it's crucial for Victorians living in high-risk areas to have a plan in place.

"It's as simple as having a written and practised plan, so you and your family can put it into action when you're faced with the risk of fire," Heffernan said.

More Money In Families’ Pockets As Free Kinder Kicks Off

today visited Will Will Rook Preschool in Glenroy to welcome children and families starting their kinder journey.

Blocks Capacity Grants program, Will Will Rook Preschool now also has an additional classroom to support three-year-old kinder programs and modern indoor and outdoor learning environments.

MELBOURNE, Feb 1: Thousands of Victorian children will start their early childhood education this week, as up to 140,000 families benefit from the Andrews Labor Government’s Free Kinder initiative in its very first year.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Ingrid Stitt today visited Will Will Rook Preschool in Glenroy to welcome children and families starting their kinder journey. Thousands of Victorian children will start their early childhood education this week, as up to 140,000 families benefit from the Andrews Labor Government’s Free Kinder initiative in its very first year.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Early Childhood and Pre-Prep Ingrid Stitt

The Preschool runs a bush kindergarten program and offers a combined kindergarten program for three- and four-year-olds, with all enrolments free.

It’s one of more than 2,750 early childhood services across the state offering the Labor Government’s once-in-a-generation kindergarten reform of Free Kinder for Victoria’s three-and four-year-olds in 2023.

Ninety-seven per cent of Victoria’s kindergarten providers have opted-in to Free Kinder, including sessional kinder and long day-care centres.

The initiative will see children enrolled in Three-Year-Old Kindergarten receive between 5 and 15 hours of funded learning each week this year, and those in Four-YearOld Kindergarten receive 15 hours per week.

Thanks to a grant of $1.58 million through the Labor Government’s Building

The impact of the Free Kinder initiative is life changing. Free Kinder will save families up to $2,500 per child each year and give Victorian parents – most of whom are women – greater flexibility to return to work if they choose.

Over the next decade, this support will increase further, with Four-Year-Old Kindergarten transitioning to Pre-Prep by scaling up to 30 hours of play-based learning each week.

Children enrolled in funded Three-YearOld Kindergarten will also receive a free Kinder Kit full of fun and educational toys, books and resources, helping them to grow and thrive through creativity and play.

It’s all part of the Government’s massive $9 billion Best Start, Best Life and $5 billion Three-Year-Old Kindergarten reforms –delivering early childhood education to help children thrive, save families money and support parents, especially women, to return to work if they choose.

Supporting More Women on Boards

MELBOURNE, Feb 7: The Andrews Labor Government is getting more women into leadership and helping them gain positions on community and government boards.

Minister for Women Natalie Hutchins today encouraged women to apply for the 2023 round of scholarships under the Women’s Board Leadership Program.

The program gives women tailored governance training and mentoring for roles on community and government boards, with a focus on Aboriginal and culturally diverse women.

It’s also designed to help more women improve their governance skills and gain extra experience to make an impact on community and government boards in Victoria.

The program – which is delivered by the Institute of Community Directors Australia (ICDA) – will receive $200,000 this year to sponsor 50 Victorian women to undertake governance training.

Through the scholarships, women will have up to 12 months to complete ICDA’s Diploma of Governance online.

The program forms part of the Labor

Government’s promise to have an equal representation of women on government boards. Women now make up more than 50

per cent of seats on government boards. Applications for the scholarships are now open until March 15.

Pride In Our LGBTIQ+ Communities and Leaders

sustainability, develop inclusive practices, and strengthen their engagement with diverse LGBTIQ+ communities.

Grants of up to $25,000 are available for new or emerging LGBTIQ+ groups, and up to $50,000 available for long-established LGBTIQ+ organisations. This year’s program will prioritise activities and groups supporting LGBTIQ+ multicultural and First Nations communities, people with disability and regional rainbow communities.

Since 2014, the Labor Government has invested more than $115 million into health and wellbeing, pride events and community organisations that support and celebrate Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ communities.

MELBOURNE, Feb 4: The Andrews Labor Government is celebrating and empowering Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ communities – with more support for the iconic Midsumma Pride March, and new funding to support emerging leaders across the state.

Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Equality Harriet Shing today attended the annual Pride March in Melbourne – the Labor Government’s ninth since coming to office – to stand with every member of Victoria’s LGBTIQ+ communities in every corner of the state.

The Government has invested $275,000 to bring this year’s March to life, alongside $935,000 in new funding for dedicated LGBTIQ+ programs as part of our ongoing commitment to building safe, strong and

inclusive communities.

Applications are now open for the 2023 LGBTIQ+ Leadership Program – which, for the first time, will be tailored to regional and rural participants, allowing leaders to develop their skills and build their networks to address the unique experiences and needs of LGBTIQ+ communities in the regions.

The Leadership Program will support at least 25 leaders from across the regions to develop their expertise in a safe and supportive environment that will address their unique experiences and needs.

Grants are also open for LGBTIQ+ organisations and groups across Victoria to strengthen their operations, with $700,000 of LGBTIQ+ Organisational Development Grants on offer to support groups’

But there's still more to do – that's why we'll deliver a $22.2 million package to support the LGBTIQ+ community, including funding for icons like Midsumma, JOY 94.9, Minus18, the Melbourne Queer Film Festival and peer support service Switchboard, making more Victorian health providers Rainbow Tick accredited, and addressing the needs of older LGBTIQ+ Victorians as they age.

Emerging LGBTIQ+ leaders from regional and rural areas can learn more about the Leadership Program and apply by the closing date of 13 March at vic.gov.au/victorianlgbtiq-leadership-program

– and organisations interested in a Development Grant can visit vic.gov.au/ lgbtiq-organisational-development-grants before 10 March.

Landmark Reforms to Manage Police Informants

MELBOURNE, Feb 7: Victoria will lead the country with reforms to strengthen the way police manage informants and establish clear independent oversight to ensure public confidence in the justice system and the protection of informants.

The Human Source Management Bill 2023, to be introduced to Parliament today, will deliver on 25 of the recommendations from the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants.

The Bill sets out the process for the registration, use and management of Victoria Police’s human sources and establishes an external oversight model to ensure that police informants are used in an ethical and justifiable manner.

The Commission emphasised that the use of police informants plays an important role in policing and community safety and should continue, but that considerable risks exist due to the covert nature of human sources.

This includes the Commission’s recommendation to allow for exceptional

and compelling circumstances where it is appropriate to register a lawyer as a police informant, such as a need to respond to a significant threat to community safety.

The framework established by the Bill ensures that Victoria Police’s use of human sources remains appropriate and justified, and that stringent protections are put in place to manage risks, particularly those relating to higher risk informants.

Victoria Police will have to apply to a senior officer to register a person as a human source, with applications to register higher risk sources requiring approval by an officer at the rank of Assistant Commissioner or higher.

The Bill ensures significant protections are put in place where the risks are greatest – where a person has access to privileged information, is under the age of 18 or has a serious physical or mental health condition.

As recommended by the Commission, the Bill establishes an external oversight model with tiered levels of oversight by the Public

Interest Monitor and the Independent Broadbased Anti-Corruption Commission.

The proposed legislation will make it an offence to disclose information that would reveal a person is or was a human source unless the disclosure is for a permitted purpose, with a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment.

The Bill continues the significant work undertaken by the Andrews Labor Government to deliver the Commission’s recommendations, including reforms to Victoria’s disclosure regime in criminal proceedings and the establishment of the Office of the Special Investigator. Work to deliver the remaining recommendations is on track.

The Bill was introduced to Parliament on 16 August 2022 but lapsed prior to the 2022 State Election. It will be reintroduced without any substantive changes.

Honouring The Life Of Dame Olivia Newton-John AC DBE

MELBOURNE, Feb 2: A State Memorial Service to honour internationally acclaimed singer, actor and philanthropist Dame Olivia Newton-John AC DBE will be held at 4pm Sunday 26 February at Hamer Hall, Arts Centre Melbourne.

The free, ticketed service is being planned in close consultation with representatives of the Newton-John family with special tributes from family and friends, including a musical performance by Delta Goodrem.

After moving to Melbourne with her family at a young age, Dame Olivia Newton-John showed an early passion for performing and moved to London after winning a trip on the ‘60s TV show Sing, Sing, Sing.

Dame Olivia Newton-John went on to become a cultural icon and the soundtrack of a generation, with hits such as ‘I Honestly Love You’, ‘You’re the One That I Want’ and ‘Physical’. Grease earned Dame Olivia Newton-John a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical/ Comedy).

Across a career spanning six decades, Dame Olivia Newton-John released 28 studio albums and six live albums, won four Grammy awards, reached number one on the charts numerous times, and sold more than 100 million records worldwide.

Dame Olivia Newton-John leaves an incredible legacy, not only through her work on the stage and screen, but also as a philanthropist and advocate.

Following her diagnosis of breast cancer in 1992, Dame Olivia Newton-John raised research funds and promoted cancer awareness, including the benefits of early detection and wellness.

In 2012, Dame Olivia Newton-John partnered with Austin Health in Melbourne, to establish the Olivia NewtonJohn Wellness and Research Centre (ONJWRC). The centre offers treatment, education, training and research, and features a dedicated wellness space for mind, body and spirit, helping thousands of people.

Dame Olivia Newton-John also founded National Tree Day in Australia and established the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, which sponsors global research into plant medicine to help find kinder treatments for cancer.

At the request of Dame Olivia Newton-

John’s family, memorial tributes may be made in the form of contributions to the Wellness Programs at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre. To donate, visit onjcancercentre.org/donate.

The Service will be free but ticketed in line with the capacity of Hamer Hall. Members of the public must register to attend with ticket registrations opening at 12 pm on Friday 10 February 2023.

For the most up to date information, visit vic.gov.au/olivia-newton-john.

Inclusive Education Courses for Victorian Teachers

MELBOURNE, Feb 4: The Andrews Labor Government is giving more Victorian teachers the opportunity to strengthen their knowledge and skills in inclusive education to continue supporting students with disabilities and additional needs.

Minister for Education Natalie Hutchins today encouraged teachers to apply for a place in one of two post-graduate courses that aim to strengthen inclusivity for students of all abilities.

The Master of Inclusive Education program provides teachers with the chance to upskill at mainstream, specialist schools and supported inclusion schools, as well as deepen their knowledge and capacity to include, motivate and challenge students with disabilities and additional learning needs by focusing on their strengths.

The Graduate Certificate in Education (Learning Difficulties) program – which has been designed by the University of Melbourne’s Graduate School of Education – helps teachers to understand the different types of learning difficulties and the interactions between them and build skills to influence change in their schools.

By undertaking a postgraduate study in

inclusive education, teachers can make a significant contribution to how their schools plan and support students with disabilities and additional learning needs, and with behaviours of concern using contemporary evidence-based, best practice approaches.

The long-term vision is for every Victorian government school to have a qualified practitioner on staff, creating and leading a more inclusive school environment for all students across the state, regardless of their abilities and backgrounds.

The post-graduate courses are also a key initiative of the Disability Inclusion reform agenda – with the Labor Government investing almost $1.6 billion in disability inclusion to ensure schools have the resources, support and guidance needed to give every child a great education and enable them to reach their full potential.

Applications for the Master of Inclusive Education and Graduate Certificate in Education (Learning Difficulties) programs are now open.

The Master of Inclusive Education program has 75 places available across seven universities. Teachers working directly with students with disabilities and additional

learning needs can apply by visiting: education.vic.gov.au/inclusive-education

The Graduate Certificate in Education (Learning Difficulties) program is offering 75 places for Semester 2, starting in July this year. Learning specialists, leading teachers and classroom teachers working directly with students with learning difficulties can apply by visiting: education.vic.gov.au

India's diplomatic influence rose in 2022 due to leadership: Australian think tank

the top spots on the index, which ranks them as "superpowers".

"New Delhi's Diplomatic Influence rose by one ranking in 2022 and is now just behind Japan in fourth place," the institute said.

"India scores highly in the Future Resources measure, reflecting its likely greater share of economic, military and demographic weight in the decades to come," the index said.

The Lowy Institute's Asia Power Index, now in its fifth year, evaluates 26 countries and territories for the power they wield in the Indo-Pacific region based on eight factors ranging from military capability and future resources to economic power to cultural influence.

NEW YORK, Feb 5: India's diplomatic influence rose last year with experts giving high marks to its leaders' ability to pursue the nation's interests in Asia and globally, a leading Australian think tank that ranks influencers in the region reported.

The Lowy Institute's Asian Power Index2023, which ranked India fourth, said: "India's Diplomatic Influence rose in 2022, with experts rating it highly for its leaders' ability to prosecute the country's national interests both in Asia and on the global stage."

However, it also said that India "underperforms in relation to its resources" with its influence "concentrated in South Asia" and its possible role in East Asian flashpoints "unclear".

Looking ahead, the report said: "Its sheer size means the country is almost certainly destined to be a major power behind only the United States and China", which occupy

The US received the top rank, followed by China, which, it said, "registered the largest decline in comprehensive power of any country in the Asia Power Index 2023" as a result of its "tough zero-Covid policies that sharply curtailed its global and regional connectivity".

China's "core economic strength and ability to use the economy to geopolitical advantage", it said, "is at its lowest level since 2018, with the United States again leading on this measure".

On the other hand, Beijing "emerges more militarily capable than ever", it said.

"The United States maintains an enduring advantage as the most powerful country in Asia and widened its lead slightly over China for a second year," the Lowy Institute said.

Russia followed India on the index at the fifth spot, but "risks growing irrelevance" due to "Moscow's loss of reputation and its strategic preoccupation with the invasion of

Ukraine" and the war's heavy impact on its military-industrial capacity which will affect its defence equipment trade, the report said.

Pakistan ranks 15 on the Index, Bangladesh 19, Sri Lanka 21, and Nepal 25.

India's influence is "weighted towards security ties", the index said, while also asserting that "India makes an uneven strategic contribution to the regional balance".

"Its interests in balancing China overlap with those of Washington, including through the Quad partnership with Australia and Japan", while also noting that "as for India, Japan's contribution to a collective balancing strategy in response to China's rise may be less than the United States hopes".

A significant drawback cited by the report is in India's economic relations with others in the region that "hamper its influence", with it ranking ninth in that segment "in part due to its absence from the region's major free trade deals", it said.

India stayed away from the ten-nation Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement that came into force last year.

The index also cited what it asserted was India's "displacement by the United States and China as a top investor and trade partner for several South Asian neighbours in recent years".

It noted that the US displaced "India as a top investor in two South Asian economies: Bangladesh and Nepal".

In what seemed a contradiction to India's overall diplomatic influence, the institute also reported that its "diplomatic service continues to receive low marks from the Index survey of experts, ranking tenth in the region" for that criterion.

By Arul Louis

Attracting foreign doctors key to fixing health system

CANBERRA, Feb 5: Australian Health Minister Mark Butler has identified attracting more foreign doctors as key to fixing the country's health system.

The minister said on Sunday that a review into general practice (GP) should investigate ways to attract more foreign health workers to Australia and have their existing qualification recognised.

Federal, state and territory leaders agreed on Friday to the review of GP before they address widespread problems in the health system later this year.

A separate report on Medicare, Australia's universal health care system, made

recommendations to improve the accessibility and affordability of health care.

Butler, who has said Medicare is in the worst condition in its 40-year history, believed attracting more GPs would relieve pressure on the whole system.

"It's about going overseas and recruiting as an Australian healthcare system doctors and nurses and other health care professionals to come to Australia," he told Sky News Australia.

"I think the premiers and chief ministers recognised that last week, they're seeing the pressure on their hospital systems because of the problems in general practice. If we

don't turn that around, then the whole of our healthcare system is going to be under enormous pressure."

Additionally, the government has flagged giving pharmacists the ability to prescribe medications for common conditions rather than requiring a GP visit.

According to the Pharmacy Guild of Australia (PGA), the measure would circumvent 6.5 million GP visits every year.

Butler said it "doesn't make sense" to have health workers not working to the full extent of their training.

Majority Australians in favour of Indigenous Voice to parliament: Poll

CANBERRA, Feb 6: Support for a proposed Indigenous Voice to Australia's Parliament remains high ahead of a referendum, a new poll revealed.

According to the poll published by News Corp Australia, 56 per cent of voters are in favour of enshrining the voice in the constitution, 37 per cent opposed and 7 per cent undecided.

A referendum on changing the constitution to establish the voice is expected to be held in the second half of 2023.

If successful, Indigenous Australians would be acknowledged in the constitution and included in the law-making process, with the body to advise Parliament on issues relating to First Nations people.

Senator Patrick Dodson, the government's Special Envoy for Reconciliation, said the body could also have a role advising the national cabinet, which consists of the prime minister and state and territory leaders.

"I'm not sure how that's going to work out in the legislative framework of how to

interact with the parliament and the executive government, but I would think that national cabinet is one of the aspects that you'd want to be able to talk to," he said.

The support for the proposal revealed in Monday's poll is a boost for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who has come under pressure from the Opposition to reveal details of how the voice would function.

Neither the conservative Liberal Party nor progressive Greens has yet announced whether they will support a yes vote in the referendum.

Monday's poll found only 28 per cent of voters said they were "strongly" in favour of the Voice and 23 per cent strongly opposed, meaning almost 50 per cent of the population could still be swayed.

In order to be successful a referendum must achieve a double majority, meaning a simple majority of voters nationwide and a separate majority of voters in at least four out of six states in favour.

(IANS

Australia, NZ announces USD 11 million in aid for quake-hit Turkey and Syria

assistance and psychological support."

More than 4,300 people have been killed and thousands injured after a magnitude

7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria early Monday, according to officials and agencies report.

At least 4,372 deaths have been confirmed after a powerful magnitude

CANBERRA, Feb 7: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced USD 11 million in aid for earthquake-hit Turkey and Syria.

Both leaders pledged a combined total of USD 11.5 million in aid for victims of the devastating earthquake. During a joint news conference in Canberra on Tuesday, Albanese said the country would provide an initial USD 10 million in humanitarian assistance through the Red Cross, Red Crescent and humanitarian agencies.

"Australia's assistance will target those in greatest need," he said.

Meanwhile, Hipkins, who is on his first state visit to Australia, said Wellington would contribute USD 1.5 million.

In a statement, New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said the "humanitarian contribution will support teams from the Turkish Red Crescent and Syrian Arab Red Crescent to deliver essential relief items such as food supplies, tents and blankets, and provide lifesaving medical

7.8 earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria early Monday.

Turkey's toll rose to 2,921 as of Tuesday morning, according to Yunus Sezer, Turkey's head of disaster services.

A total of 15,834 injuries have been reported, Sezer said in a news conference in Ankara.

Sezer said he would provide a more comprehensive update at 6 am local time (10 pm ET).

In Syria, 1,451 deaths and 3,531 injuries have been reported by officials.

Thousands of buildings collapsed in both countries and aid agencies are particularly worried about north-western Syria, where more than 4 million people were already relying on humanitarian assistance.

The quake, one of the strongest to hit the region in more than 100 years, struck 23 kilometres (14.2 miles) east of Nurdagi, in Turkey's Gaziantep province, at a depth of 24.1 kilometres (14.9 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

At least 100 aftershocks measuring 4.0 or greater have occurred since the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck southern Turkey on Monday morning local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.

As the time from the original earthquake extends, the frequency and magnitude of the aftershocks tend to decrease.

However, 5.0 to 6.0-plus aftershocks are still likely to occur and bring a risk of additional damage to structures that are compromised from the original earthquake. This brings a continued threat to rescue teams and survivors.

The aftershocks stretch for more than 300 kilometres (186 miles) along the fault zone that ruptured in southern Turkey, oriented from southwest to northeast and stretching from the border with Syria up through the province of Malatya.

Millions of people in northwest Syria -mostly women and children -- were already in "dire need" of humanitarian aid before the disaster, according to the United Nations, amid a harsh winter and a cholera outbreak. Turkey has taken in about 3.5 million Syrian refugees in recent years, according to the UN refugee agency, many of them in places now devastated by the quake.

Kerem Kinik, president of the Turkish Red Crescent, tweeted that his group is shipping extra blood to the earthquake zone. State media has said that more than 14,000 people were injured. The organization tweeted that it has sent five mobile kitchens, 77 catering vehicles, almost 2,000 tents and more than 25,000 blankets.

US state's Senate passes bill to allow fireworks during Diwali

from South Jordan, the Senate Bill 46 was approved unanimously.

The bill would designate Diwali as a state commemorative period and will allow the sale and discharge of fireworks during the five days of Diwali, which is usually between late October and early November.

have helped create a better sense of understanding in our state," Senator Fillmore said in a statement.

"This bill recognises others' cultures, contributing to the wonderful tapestry that is Utah."

NEW YORK, Feb 7: Lawmakers at the Utah Senate in the US unanimously passed a bill that will make Diwali a state commemorative period, and allow discharge of fireworks during the Indian festival of lights.

Moved by Senator Lincoln Fillmore

Fillmore said one of his constituents in Herriman reached out to him and gave him the idea for this bill, which needs just one more vote before heading to the House of Representatives.

"I appreciate Utah's Indian community. Their collaborative efforts to organise events to include the neighbouring communities, as well as their efforts to increase education about Hinduism, Jainism and Sikhism,

The bill will be scheduled for a third reading at the Utah Senate in the near future. Diwali was celebrated in the White House for the first time in 2002, and in 2007, the US government gave official recognition to the festival.

In 2021, the Diwali Day Act was introduced in the US to declare the festival a federal holiday.

This year, Diwali will fall on November 12. (IANS)

Delhi court restrains Shikhar Dhawan's estranged wife from defaming him

NEW DELHI, Feb 4: Delhi's Patiala House Court has restrained the estranged wife of Shikhar Dhawan from levelling defamatory allegations against the India cricketer.

The family court passed an order directing Dhawan's estranged wife Aesha Mukerji, an Australian national, not to post anything defamatory against Dhawan on social media or to speak anything which could tarnish his reputation.

A plea was filed in the court by Dhawan against Mukerji claiming that his estranged wife had been threatening him to ruin his career, adding that she even circulated defamatory messages to the CEO of the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals, Dheeraj Malhotra, with an aim to tarnish his reputation.

Dhawan has a son from this wedding who is presently in Mukerji's custody in Australia.

Judge Harish Kumar, however, said that if Mukerji has "real" grievances against Dhawan, she cannot be restrained from lodging them with the concerned authority.

However, the judge said: "She can certainly be restrained from sharing her grievance against him (Dhawan) with her friends, relatives, peers of parties as well as from making it public even before

approaching the appropriate authority."

"In these circumstances, she is hereby restrained till further order from circulating any of her grievances against Dhawan or her version of the dispute involved herein or

the alleged defamatory and false material against him in social media, print media or to any other forum or to friends, relatives or colleagues of the parties," Kumar said.

(IANS)

In a first, Indian American named President of Harvard Law Review

NEW YORK, Feb 6: The Harvard Law Review has elected Apsara Iyer as its 137th president, making her the first IndianAmerican woman to head the prestigious publication in its 136-year history.

The 29-year-old Harvard Law School student, who has been investigating art crime and repatriation since 2018, succeeds Priscila Coronado.

"Since joining the Law Review, I have been inspired by her (Priscila's) skilful management, compassion, and capacity to build vibrant, inclusive communities. I am so grateful that we 'Volume 137' inherit her legacy, and I am honoured to continue building on this important work over the next year," Iyer said in a statement announcing her appointment.

Iyer graduated from Yale in 2016 with a B.A. in Economics and Math, and Spanish. Her dedication to archaeology and indigenous communities led her to pursue an MPhil at Oxford as a Clarendon Scholar and, in 2018, to join the Manhattan District Attorney's Antiquities Trafficking Unit (ATU), a Harvard Law Review release said.

At the ATU, she investigated art crime, coordinating with international and federal law-enforcement authorities to repatriate

more than 1,100 stolen works of art to 15 different countries.

Iyer enrolled at Harvard Law School in the fall of 2020, where she is a student in the International Human Rights Clinic and member of the South Asian Law Students Association.

Committed to fighting illicit antiquities trafficking, Iyer took a leave of absence from Harvard Law School in 2021-22 to return to the DA's Office, where she worked on an international antiquities trafficking investigation and rose to be the deputy of the ATU.

"Apsara has changed the lives of many editors for the better, and I know she will continue to do so. From the start, she has impressed her fellow editors with her remarkable intelligence, thoughtfulness, warmth, and fierce advocacy. The Law Review is extremely lucky to have her lead this institution," Iyer's predecessor, Coronado, said.

The Law Review, founded in 1887 by future Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, LLB 1887, is an entirely student-

edited journal with the largest circulation of any law journal in the world.

Former President Barack Obama was the journal's first Black president.

Getting married in Australia

CHARACTERISTICS OF MARRIAGES

The number of marriages registered was considerably lower in 2021 than before the pandemic, but the characteristics of those who were able to marry have remained reasonably stable. In 2021, the median age at marriage for males was 32.1 years and for females was 30.5 years. 80.7% of marriages were officiated by a civil celebrant.

In 2021 there were 2,842 samesex marriages registered, a slight decrease of 60 (2.1%) compared with 2020. Same-sex marriages represented 3.2% of all marriages registered in Australia in 2021.

Although there have been fewer same-sex marriages every year since their introduction at the end of 2017, the largest decrease occurred between 2019 and 2020 at the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Same-sex marriages as a proportion of all marriages have decreased each year since their introduction, accounting for 3.2% in 2021 compared with 5.5% in 2018. In 2021, more female same-sex couples married (1,771) than male same-sex couples (1,072). This was the case across all states and territories.

Most state and territory Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages

provide couples an alternative to marriage in the form of a relationship register, exceptions are Western Australia and Northern Territory. Relationship registers provide legal proof of a relationship. Registers are available to adults who are in a relationship as a couple, regardless of their sex or gender. Registered relationships are not included in marriage statistics. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have had little impact on registered relationships. This information is based upon the data from Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

If you have further questions, you may contact me on 0425 853 086 or navee64@gmail.com.

From Obscurity To Triumph

The Indian Mate’s chronicles of a journey of self-discovery

pastures. This was not, however, an instant migration to La La Land, for there are no free lunches in the world. A slow rise to prosperity came at the high cost of homesickness, second-guessing his own decisions, and a constant sense of brooding and despair of being away from family. Braving these emotions he soldiered on, using his IT proficiency to help Australian businesses grow and get more bang for their buck using technology. One fine day, he reached out to 7News TV anchor Gemma Acton with the

Henry Ford once famously said, “When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the aeroplane takes off against the wind and not with it.” Such are the ways of adversity, though. It is the quotes of legends and philosophers that tell us how to tide through them. But the tiding starts only when we are caught in the sea storm ourselves.

Divesh Sareen – tech enthusiast, entrepreneur, and now author – appreciates this as well as anyone else can, for he has faced many a storm to emerge stronger. Born to a middle-class family in India, his childhood was fraught with hardships that accompany a family in the throes of money problems. For a child who must pick between expensive gifts and fast food and a comfortable education, making choices is a skill acquired early on. This skill has held him in good stead as he has traversed a long journey from the by-lanes of Ludhiana to Melbourne, negotiating the numerous bends along this adventurous road.

Whilst a rapidly developing India was taking to the advent of the dot com boom and McDonald’s and multiplexes like a fish takes to water, a teenaged Sareen was the responsible oldest sibling in his household calculating his next move that could give his loved ones a more fulfilling life. He did what any good middle-class Indian student would; excelled academically, pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Punjab, and then got a foot through the door that opened into Australia’s lucrative

offer of sprucing up her professional website. The forging of an atypical friendship was an added bonus to, well, an improved website that Acton made good use of.

Help is not on offer only for websites, though. Sareen has learnt that his growth as a person and as a professional is tightly coupled with his desire to assist others. This could often be helped with technology; at other times, he uses the written word to share his wisdom and experiences with aspiring and recent migrants who must feel the same blues as he once did. The goodwill and gratitude he has earned from his actions are reflected in the massive attendance he garnered at the launch of his book The Indian Mate.

“The book was once a blog,” he tells us. “A blog that wanted to chronicle the events of my life and inspire readers to believe that an underdog can accomplish a dream even if the odds are stacked against him.” When he started pouring his heart into it, he realised there was a lot more to tell the world than he had initially imagined. Transposing his recounts into a book was the next logical route to take. Two hundred thousand words and

half a decade later, here we are – attending the launch of his book on the ground he had always dreamed of visiting if only he could fork out enough money to buy a ticket to it: the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground.

On the twin occasions of Australia Day and the Indian Republic Day 2023, true to the theme of an Indian rediscovering himself in Australia, The Indian Mate was released in the august presence of Gemma Acton, sporting legend Glenn McGrath, among several other dignitaries from the Australian government and the Indian High Commission. Lauding Sareen’s book and the sentiment of the dark horse that it speaks to, McGrath spoke about the power of self-belief which, not unlike Sareen’s case, helped him take the road less travelled to reach heights less scaled.

By Nishant Kaushik

The book, available in two volumes, is available for purchase on the author’s website https://theindianmate.com/order/

The Forgotten Women of Kabul

Afghanistan’s national team of women cricketers fled the Taliban in 2021 to call Melbourne their home with their new coach, Arvind Suresh, and a new team’s name: Afghan Melbourne Cricket Club.

Most stories of heroism are based on one character, but when it’s a clan of twenty-two women it becomes a story of extraordinary courage and unity. When I first heard the story of the Afghan Melbourne Cricket Club last year, I couldn’t ignore the displacement these women had faced while embracing and adjusting to a new country after fleeing the Taliban’s banning of women sports.

In August 2021, when the Taliban took over Afghanistan, the girls had their payments stopped and any homes of women athletes were raided or warned of ramifications. The girls fled to Pakistan to seek refuge elsewhere.

Of the twenty-five girls whose lives were shattered in a wink of an eye, twenty-two of them were granted immediate visas to Australia, two in Canada and one in England. Of the twenty-two in Australia, half are in Melbourne and the other half in Canberra. The forgotten women of Afghanistan feel that the ICC has failed them, and it was only a handful of people in Australia who left no stones unturned to make things possible for these girls.

I spoke with the Amiri sisters, the excaptain Nazifah and team member Firoza. Their fourteen-day ordeal from Kabul to Pakistan, then Dubai, and then their final journey to Melbourne, speaks of resilience.

As a migrant, I know how hard it is to settle in another country and give up

everything familiar; moreover, these women were sent into exile just for being athletes.

Nazifah, then the captain of the Afghan Melbourne Cricket Club, said the first place to be taken over by the Taliban was the city of Herat (east of Afghanistan) where they lived. She, her husband and Firoza took off to Kabul at once.

For fourteen days they tried but couldn’t go to any embassy. As soon as they returned to Herat, her teammate Nahid (now the captain of their team) called them back to Kabul, as some friends were willing to help them.

Nazifah was reluctant because she felt she was not only jeopardising her and her husband’s life, but also her young sister’s. After a full guarantee, she left for Kabul once again and would eventually reach Australia on the 15th of October.

Firoza had started playing cricket at the age of sixteen and only got contracted to the national team in January 2020. Everything changed in 2021 when their homes were raided, and they ran for their lives across the border.

Now the girls are slowly rebuilding their lives in Melbourne, adjusting to the new culture, people, and language. They didn’t waste any time picking up their cricket bats. After two months in Melbourne, they not only started playing interclub matches but also regrouped as a new local team, named the Afghan Melbourne Cricket Club.

Firoza said, “After the bad situation,

it was a great time for us to play cricket. We girls just want to play cricket. Thank you [to] coach Arvind and his wife Abhi, who made this possible. My dream is not giving up and playing for Afghanistan from Australia.”

But there’s a united credit among the girls towards their coach Arvind Suresh, an engineer turned sports administrator from Chennai, India. He calls himself a cricket tragic and selflessly gives back to the sport, so much so that he also started volunteering at his local club coaching U12s.

After working for years in the sports industry in India, Arvind moved to Melbourne in 2016 to complete his Master’s in Business (Sports Management) from Deakin University. After university, Arvind was fortunate to start working full-time at Cricket Victoria in 2017. Here he met Emma Staples, who was then the Head of Diversity and Community Engagement at Cricket Victoria.

Emma approached him in early 2022 about a group of girls who had recently ‘moved’ to Australia from Afghanistan who loves cricket, and if he would be interested in a training session. The girls came to Carnegie Cricket Club.

Arvind said, “I saw them for the first time there – I distinctly remember a group of girls walking cautiously towards the ground and as they got closer, their eyes lit up seeing the cricket nets, balls, bats, and stumps! They could not control themselves and I could see their love for

cricket. I fell in love with them right then!”

The next step was to find a competition for the girls to play. The Mid-Year Cricket Association was running a women's competition in winter for the first time in its history. Emma and Arvind thought that this was the perfect opportunity to get the girls into playing some matches and getting a feel for community cricket in Australia before the actual cricket season.

They made jerseys for the girls and had Mel Jones present it to them on the day of their first match. It was a very emotional

It was a learning curve for Arvind to learn about Afghanistan through their stories. He remembers a session at Monash University when one of the girls fell flat to the ground, covering her ears, after what she thought a ‘bomb’ had gone off when it was a small object that fell on an asbestos roof. “It was a very powerful moment for me personally –to be grateful for the life we are living here in Australia,” says Arvind.

We indeed take so much for granted with our freedom, when then there are girls in Afghanistan who are denied education or any

“I don’t want to stop dreaming and I also want the girls in Afghanistan not to stop dreaming. We want to play cricket and play for Afghanistan,” Nazifah adds.

The girls found some ground when Cricket Australia announced last month that it cancelled an upcoming series against the Afghanistan men’s team, but a lot still needs to be done by Cricket Australia and the ICC. It’s time for action now, especially when the community has united to give that hope to these young athletes.

This is their home now; they are scared to contact their families back home because of concerns for their safety, and the Taliban changes their rules every day.

As Nazifah adds, cricket is a mind game and they have endured in the last sixteen months – all that is now left for them is to just play.

A special thank you to Emma Staples for bringing the story to me for G’day India; we first spoke about this story almost a year ago in a fashion show. And a special mention to Arvind’s lovely wife Abhirami Venugopal, who is also the team manager! She gets the girls pumped up every week to conquer the world!

I would just like to conclude by saying the girls could be in exile, but “Not Out.”

By Nandita Chakraborty

Cinderella with a ‘Sunder’ Twist

Sunderella – A Musical Extravaganza, infused with a desire to provide blatant masala entertainment with a dash of messaging around acceptance and inclusivity.

‘It all started with an awakening in my early twenties,’ Bali Padda tells us with a smile. There is a freshness, a passion about him, that betrays any sense of anxiety one must feel in the days leading up to helming an event of great social and creative significance. After having been the producer of the queer Bollywood stage show Sunderella for five years, Padda has now taken up the responsibility of directing the 2023 edition of the hit play.

‘Directing Sunderella is not something I had planned for,’ he tells us. However with his rich experience in stage acting and a passion for Bollywood to boot, the creative team thought of him as an ideal contender to steer the show as the director. No mean feat, this. The play, which runs over four days, will witness a grand display of song and dance that comes nicely wrapped in a significant production cost. Scrape the grandeur and the

opulence to uncover what happens behind the scenes to make this happen, and you are looking at a year of hard toil and sweat as a group of passionate collaborators journey together from inception to scriptwriting, and then from acting and choreography workshops to final dress rehearsals. Amidst all this, like a true project manager, Padda must also devise smart ways to keep the budget in check. This could sometimes take aggressive scouting for elegant but reasonably priced costumes from a not-forprofit designer; at other times, this is about securing grants from advocates of the queer community – case in point, the organizers of the Pride event.

So how did a former IT web designer find his way into theatre? Bali attributes his early days to the conservative Indian family values that drove him toward a secure, mainstream career carved out of a good education. The

first Australia-born of his family that migrated to this nation in 1979, he was heavily invested in all the ‘good Indian boy’ trappings of securing high grades, getting a plush job, and doing his family proud. ‘But my true calling always lay in the performance of fine arts before an audience,’ he recalls. ‘Be it dancing or acting before friends in school, or at stage plays. I was in love with the idea of being able to distribute my creative energy to people around me. In my early twenties, I went on to pursue an acting stint with Young Vic, a theatre group based in London. There was no looking back from there.’

Sunderella is infused with a desire to provide blatant masala entertainment to its audiences with a dash of messaging around acceptance and inclusivity. The conception of the show had coincided with the passing of the marriage equality law in Australia. But as Padda rightly describes, the mere passing of a law does not change social biases overnight. It takes communities and strong voices to drive home a frequent reminder that love is love - irrespective of gender, sexual preferences, caste and creed. ‘And we have received the kind backing of voices such as the Sydney Pride Festival Committee and

the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, among others, that lends credence to our cause.’

The moral takeaway from the show aside, the audience are invited to have a ball as Sunderella’s artists entertain them with a flamboyant musical themed on the Indian film industry which, as the director notes, has itself matured with its recognition of the community’s rights and tribulations. From using gay characters as props for comedy to the more recent sensitive portrayal of LGBTI characters on screen, Indian cinema has travelled a long way in the right direction. What has stayed timeless is its association with dance and music.

With a flair for tapping his own feet to many a tune and riding high on the success of his directorial debut Guards Of The Taj, Bali Padda now waits with bated breath to get his audience to dance to the rhythm of his troop. The show kicks off at the ARA Darling Quarter Theatre in Sydney on the 1st of March 2023, smack in the middle of this year’s Sydney Pride Festival.

By Nishant Kaushik

Sangam’s Mosaic with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Sidney Myer Music Bowl (SMMB) comes alive on the 15th of Feb 2023 with a musical and cultural journey of discovery in this ground-breaking Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) concert event, Mosaics - contemporary sounds of Melbourne.

The theme inside the musical composition explores Sivanesan’s homeland of Sri Lanka, via oral interviews with individuals set to poetry, that explores the civil war, its aftermath and the creation of refugees and migrants who are unable or unwilling to return home. The work also explores the learning, the struggles and hope, juxtaposing that against reminiscing the fragmented memories, the smells, tastes, the comfort, and the fear of a home long gone.

Becoming brings together ancient poetry written by Andal, with contemporary poetry and dance by Priya Srinivasan with powerful movement from classical and contemporary Indian dance traditions. It is set to beautiful music with haunting ragas by the renowned Carnatic vocalist and composer Uthra Vijay, with rhythmic structures created by the brilliant percussionist/ mridangam maestro Sridhar Chari.

Mosaics is a celebration of the breadth and diversity of music in Melbourne. As part of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Sidney Myer Music Bowl Free Concert series, experience brand new classical music alongside some of Melbourne’s finest emerging contemporary voices, and a profound musical and cultural exploration of Tamil Australian music incorporating visuals and storytelling.

The MSO is proud to have an ongoing investment in nurturing the next generation of Australian musical talent. The concert opens with a world-premiere performance by composer Melissa Douglas - her first commission as the MSO’s Young Composer in Residence. Ascension is music that flirts with darkness but ultimately delivers an uplifting musical ascension where optimism triumphs.

In the second half, the MSO is joined by Sangam Ensemble Agam, in Tamil refers to the interior landscape.

Also, a platform for South Asian artists headed by Priya Srinivasan and Hari Sivanesan. Agam brings three intertwined stories of Tamil Australians (past, present, and future) from migrants and refugees who come from colonial pasts to live and work on the unceded lands of the Kulin Nation. This performance from a non-western perspective, in a genre bending form, imagines music as dance, visuals, history, politics, entertainment

and powerful storytelling, all at once.

The MSO commission enables the exploration of interiority from a range of viewpoints bringing the mythological, ancient and the contemporary together. All the music has been created in collaboration with the very talented composer Alex Turley.

New Homes is a stunning Veena Concerto originally composed by Hari Sivanesan for an MSO-Sangam exchange in February 2022.

The Veena is an ancient 7 stringed lute, and this is the first time that a Concerto with a contemporary theme has been written for the instrument.

The Way Forward takes the powerful mythological character of Hanuman, known to be the figure of resistance, strength, innovation, and love, as a force to reimagine our contemporary pluralistic society. He brings different fractured tribes of humans and creatures together and they build bridges.

Indian dance in a visually stunning experimental performance.

By Nandita Chakraborty

For more information: https://sangam.com.au.

Venue - Melbourne, Sidney Myer Music Bowl

Date - 15TH Feb 2023, Wednesday

Entry - Free

The Oak Leaf Affair

MasterChef finalist and restaurateur, Sarah Todd officially opened a new cooking school in Richmond by Okami Japanese Restaurants

delivering Japanese buffets with fifty restaurants in Victoria, Adelaide, and Hobart.

Kevin said “We are delighted to be opening this new professional institute here in Melbourne. We have assembled a topclass team of staff who are passionate and dedicated to their craft. In the coming year, we will strive to deliver an open and honest level of communication with our students enables them to strive to achieve their goals. Now we have twenty students but full of enthusiasm and confidence as in recent months we welcome more as we open the doors to both our local and international students.”

The presence of government dignitaries from Visit and Global Victoria is evidence that we need the hospitality team to thrive with the motivation of bringing students both local and international students back.

MELBOURNE, Feb 3: Oak Leaf Education Institute will open its doors to students in late March this year.

It’s a well-needed institute to provide a much-needed boost to the crippling hospitality staff shortage in Australia.

It’s also an initiation to invite international students from all over the world to study alongside local students in this purpose-built cooking school - which includes a state-ofthe-art, on-site large commercial kitchen.

The institute will offer industry-accredited courses, at affordable rates, including Certificate III in Commercial Cookery: Certificate IV in Kitchen Management and a Diploma of Hospitality Management. In a unique offering, students will also be offered a guaranteed work placement at its expanding network of Okami restaurants across Australia.

A special blessing ceremony by internationally renowned painter and gallery owner specialising in Aboriginal art Stan Yarramunua marked the acknowledgement and respect to the country. The didgeridoo echoed throughout the kitchen as the guests felt humbled walking through the smoke with the traditional Tanderum ceremony.

Soon after the ribbon cut ceremony, the kitchen buzzing with Sarah Todd and Dulan Hapuarachchi from Masterchef season 14 to a cooking demonstration.

Front seat to Sarah’s signature crab pani puri with wasabi, caviar and the goodness of Australian produce was a testament to her flare in French and Indian amalgamation.

The facelift of the humble pani puri or gol-gappa was indeed bursting with flavour, especially the unique pinch of chaat masala sold me to it. The pani-puri adding the needed texture to the crab and wasabi took me to my happy place.

Sarah said “I always find a way to experiment new dishes with foreign ingredients and find a balance. Love the way that wasabi feels in your mouth elevating the crab with the pani puri.”

The banter between Dulan and Sarah was about who ate the most; it totally impressed me with Sarah’s winning number of twenty.

I spoke with principal Kevin Sun who not only ate seven of those delicious pani puris but also said that in recent months Australian education institutes have been inundated with applications from international students.

The demand has exceeded pre-covid levels at some institutions, with Indian, Pakistani, and Nepalese students driving the rebound. In 2019, before the pandemic, the student sector added $40 billion to the Australian economy.

Okami had been

The soaring cost of living and the frustrated feeling of the hospitality industry is imminent to a much-needed welcome of this institute; the overall student visa applications are forty per cent higher in the second half of 2022.

We at G’day India wishes the Oak Leaf Education Institute the very best in this wonderful venture.

By Nandita Chakraborty

Love-All, Game “Sania”

A story about a star who is more like a sister

I began to notice her softness which was beautiful to see evolve in this hardworking, straight shooting, determined, young sports star. If she trusts you, you will get to share a relationship with her that is honest and authentic, and she will do anything for people she loves. She is a woman that wants to see other woman succeed and she is a true role model for women across the world to dream big and never give up on their passion. Sania did not just fight to become an elite athlete; she fought her way to become a woman in power and a role model to other women to fight for what they believe in.

I found it hard to hold back the tears this Australian Open; knowing it was the last time I would sit in that players box, the last time I would walk through the players' lounge and walk past the likes of Federer, Nadal and Hingis, the last time I would cheer on my incredible cousin Sania.

Iremember going to India to visit family in 2000. I was staying with my Uncle Babu in Bangalore and I recall him asking me to come and look at his computer screen. He wanted to show me a young cousin of mine named Sania Mirza who was in the newspaper. He believed one day she was going to be an International Tennis Superstar. I remember Babu saying, ’watch this space, she is going to be incredible.’

It was not long after that I met Sania in Australia as she began touring and competing in the Juniors. What humble beginnings I recall. Uncle Imran, Sania’s father and coach, made it look so simple to take his daughter around the world to help her achieve ‘pro’ status. But after understanding the sacrifices it took for the whole family to assist Sania in achieving her dreams was no small task, it was something I truly admired. It takes commitment from each family member to reach the heights that our cousin Sania has and it is a tribute to her mum, dad and sister for pushing her to achieve her dreams. Not that Sania would have needed much pushing, she had and has the determination of a bull!

I’ll never forget the day she played against Serena Williams in 2005, I was beyond impressed. This young cousin of mine was a mind-blowing tennis player playing with the elite at just 18 years old; I mean are you for real!! I felt so lucky to witness her rise to stardom, sitting in the players' box with my

family, cheering on like familial fans! That was the moment her life really changed, and she became a media sensation.

It was hard to grasp her stardom. Living away from India and not witnessing the fame she had gone through becoming India’s first female tennis Grand Slam winner and Number 1 doubles player in the world. She had been coming to Australia for the last 18 years. For families such as ours that migrated to Australia in the 70’s, we were starved of family and so we looked forward to our cousin and Uncle coming annually to spend time enjoying the traditional annual dinner and fun times at mums, where Sania enjoyed all her Hyderabadi favourites that mum cooked especially for her. Not only is she a tennis fanatic, she is also a biryani fanatic and I will certainly miss the annual event enjoying family times and tennis every January.

Sania is the sort of person you won’t know what she thinks as she keeps her emotions close to her chest. The Sania I know is a young woman that loves her family and is an extremely doting, loving, and sacrificing mother to Izhaan. Sania becoming a mum is where

To retire and end your career at your final Grand Slam as runners-up of the Mixed Double Finals alongside friend and first partner Rohan Bopanna, was truly inspirational to watch. Her tears and emotional speech were a tribute to the 18 years she spent here in Australia every year, a home away from home, where playing in front of her supportive family meant so much to her and she too was going to miss that. Six Grand Slam titles to her name and number one world status for ninety-one weeks! What an extraordinary career Sania, thank you for being an amazing cousin and friend, thank you for sharing your glory with us and thank you for what you achieved as an Indian Women in sport and the message you have given to millions of girls around the world that they can be anything they put their minds too. I am so proud to call you family.

By Cousin Husna Pasha (Straight from the heart)

THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

Do you consider yourself to be more fortunate than others who pursue their dreams? Are they more intelligent? Additional talent? Making your ambitions come true is primarily dependent on hard work, self-awareness, focus and perseverance, however luck, fate and genes may also play a tiny role. This is encouraging news since it puts your achievement in your own hands.

Here’s how you use the methods, techniques and habits that entrepreneurs, artists, sportsmen, and politicians amongst others have used to achieve their goals.

Organise your dreams around the aspirations of your heart. A solid foundation for communicating your aspirations is created by developing a clear understanding of what is important to you, what fulfils you, what your mission is, and what you seek. Moving past wishful thinking is the key to maintaining motivation and staying on track.

To achieve your dreams, create a route. It takes the best of intentions. Identify the steps necessary to achieve your ambition and break them down into smaller steps. Determine the knowledge you need. Collect useful resources. To stay on track, make sure to set deadlines. Start out slowly to build success.

Be responsible for your accomplishments. Make sure your strategy gives you the ability to carry it out on your own and don’t rely on others to succeed. Keep in mind that you are accountable for both who you are and what you do. Focus on the things you have control over. Put an end to wasting your time and energy fretting or fussing about things that are out of your control.

Reduce or get rid of items that are not important to you or don’t help you realise your dream. Up until you provide the space and time for it, nothing will change. You might need to adjust your timetable. Some activities that don’t help you achieve your objective might need to be cut out. You could need to get rid of people who are unfavourable, are there just to fulfil your obligations, are abusing

you, or lead you in the wrong route.

Take advice from your uncertainty. Your dreams will be sabotaged if you allow anxiety and uncertainty to rule your life. On the other side, you might utilise doubts to highlight challenges or issues that need to be resolved. Feel the apprehension or worry, yet proceed, nevertheless. Live by the idea that failure and mistakes are just temporary, a chance to learn, and a chance to perform better the following time. Thomas Edison made a thousand fruitless attempts to get his electric light bulb to function.

Develop mental agility and be receptive to new concepts Keeping your mind busy, responsive, and better able to solve difficulties means learning something completely new, innovating, or producing something. Even if it’s only taking the longer route to work or reading a book you wouldn’t normally, broaden your horizons and try new things. Don’t let your head become cluttered. You can get rid of memories by writing them down. Make space in your head so that your purpose and your ambitions remain front and centre rather of being pushed to the rear. Work it. Strive for victory. Nobody claims that it will be simple. However, if you don’t try, you most certainly won’t succeed. Nearly all successful people in their fields will admit that they toiled for their

goals. The work is everything, as Russell Simmons has remarked. You won’t be given anything by accident. Go to the library and start studying the law if you want to be a lawyer and view yourself as one. Rapping is a great way to be noticed if you want to be a rapper. Live as though you are already in the position you desire.

Regularly review your progress. Reviewing your progress is critical if you want to understand what you have achieved. By doing this, you will be able to determine your progress toward goals over time, if you are still on the course you set for yourself or have veered off it, and much more.

Envision Your Success. You can attract success by visualising it. Close your eyes and visualise how it will feel to achieve your objective. This is a fantastic motivational strategy to use when you’re struggling to reach your goals or are feeling sad.

Consider constructive criticism. Some individuals may wish to assist you, despite the fact that there will be plenty of people who will want to stop you from pursuing your goals and you should steer clear of them to prevent distractions. Pay careful attention to what individuals have to say and be receptive to criticism.

Remember to relax and keep your confidence up Knowing that not everything will go as planned during the process is essential if you want to realise your dreams. Due to various setbacks along the route, you cannot become downbeat and pessimistic. Keep a positive attitude and confidence even if everything goes wrong. You need to stop for a bit and unwind even when you’re sprinting toward your goal. Avoid getting too anxious since that will just make it harder for you to accomplish your objectives.

If you need it, ask for assistance. There is nothing wrong with asking a professional for assistance if you believe they can help you get closer to your goals.

By Husain Minawala

5 SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS THAT WILL DEFINE 2023

One of the most significant digital marketing tools today, social media has an impact on how content is produced and maintained. Social media has evolved into a key channel for brands and content producers to connect with their target audience due to their vast user bases and strong conversion rates. Social media has changed significantly in recent years, and in 2023, this tendency is predicted to continue.

Reflecting on the trends brands and people can expect to witness in 2023, Pushppal Singh Bhatia and Ravneet Kaur from the popular influencer duo - That Couple Though share, “One of the most important highlights for 2023 will be an increased focus on short-form content on social media platforms. However, while short-form content is crucial, it has raised concerns about the fleeting nature of trends and has led to a need for brands to strike a balance between staying true to their message while also leveraging social media to reach their audience. This in our opinion is going to be the main focus for 2023.”

Ditching trends for brand value

Many industries have similar products or services, but each one still has a unique value proposition. This may or may not be reflected in their social media presence, especially with agencies jumping on viral TikTok trends. As a result, many brands are becoming similar on social media. Therefore, in 2023, it will be important to focus on maintaining brand authenticity in social media communications to ensure that each brand stays distinct and creates a credible online presence for its target audience, regardless of trends.

Capturing Audience Attention

The average attention span of users on social media is relatively short, and they often scroll quickly through their feeds. Bite-sized content allows users to quickly consume and engage with a brand’s message, making it more likely that they will stop and pay attention. Bite-sized content is easy to share and can be easily repurposed across different platforms. This increases the chances that users will share the content with their own followers, amplifying the brand’s reach.

Being Real

Social Media often presents a distorted view of reality by promoting an idealized image. It is important for both individuals and companies to be authentic and promote inclusivity in their content. For instance, beauty and fashion brands can create content that is inclusive of all

genders and sizes. This approach allows for genuine communication and a better connection with the audience. This is also applicable to every other business including the hospitality sector that wants to communicate that its location is the ideal choice for dining experiences.

Social Shopping continues to grow. Social shopping refers to the integration of social media and e-commerce, allowing consumers to purchase products directly through social media platforms.

This trend is expected to continue growing in 2023, with an even bigger emphasis on the concept of “Social Shopping.” Additionally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and

Virtual Reality (VR) are also becoming more prevalent in marketing. While these technologies are still in the process of developing and becoming more integrated into everyday life, they have already begun to have an impact on the world of social media.

Influencer Marketing expand into PR Campaigns Companies continue to increase working with influencers as a way to build positive relationships with their target audience, and this paves way for an ever-growing integration with modern-day or rather postpandemic PR activities. (IANSlife)

INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF BECOMING PREGNANT IN YOUR 30'S

Women who want to have children can improve their odds after turning 30. We are all aware that a woman’s fertility can decrease as she gets older.

Women are born with a fixed number of eggs, and as they get older, both the quantity and quality of these eggs decrease.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that while fertility problems are typically thought of as a female health concern, male variables like low sperm count and mobility can also have an impact on a couple’s ability to conceive.

Dr. Shobha Gupta Medical Director and Infertility Specialist from Mother’s Lap IVF Centre, New Delhi and Vrindavan said, “The amount of sperm carried by the average guy today is roughly half that of forty years ago, and the majority of sperm does not naturally get very far into the female reproductive system.”

If there are no physiological issues, lifestyle factors may also be involved. These may include having a weight problem or abusing alcohol.

Here, Dr. Gupta shared her top advice for boosting fertility, which includes when to have sex and how much junk food to consume.

EAT HEALTHY MEALS

In general, avoiding junk food is a great idea, especially if you’re trying to conceive. Changing your nutrition is a crucial component of getting your body ready to have a body.

Dr. Gupta revealed, “the best method to prepare your body for conception is to have a nutritious diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates, protein, and good fats.”

This is essential for both men and women because eating carrots helps women avoid anaemia during pregnancy and elements like zinc have been shown to boost sperm quality.”

LOWER STRESS

It should come as no surprise that stress affects your chances of becoming pregnant because, if you needed another thing to worry about, stress is the cause of many illnesses and discomforts.

Your brain’s hypothalamus, which controls your hormones and menstrual cycle, can be impacted by stress. It can

result in you ovulating later than normal or not at all. Do think about relaxing and removing yourself as much as you can from situations that make you anxious by using natural stress-reduction techniques like yoga or meditation.

WATCH THE ACTION

Pregnant women are advised to refrain from using tobacco products, drinking alcohol, and eating a lot of non-vegetarian foods. It’s important to note that abstaining from these vices prior to conception will increase your chances of getting pregnant. The doctor recommends women limit their alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per day because doing so can alter their oestrogen levels and decrease the number of eggs they still have.

Reducing caffeine consumption is also worth considering if you drink a lot of tea and coffee as high levels of caffeine have been linked to reduced oestrogen levels which can prevent ovulation and reduce your chances of conceiving.

Ejaculated sperm enters the cervical mucus fast, aiding its passage through the reproductive system. For hundreds of sperm to prepare the path for the “survival sperm” to fertilise the egg, millions of sperm must access the cervix. However, less than 1 per cent of sperm reach the egg in the absence of assistance. You can change and try the different positions or alternately, you can pull your legs upside down to ensure that the sperm remains inside after having sex.

ENGAGE IN REGULAR SEX

According to studies, couples who have sex at least every other day have

a higher probability of getting pregnant than couples who don’t. “Make sexual activity enjoyable rather than a chore. Timing is important because even in women with regular cycles, the reproductive peak might change” said the doctor.

START SEEKING PREGNANCY EARLY

Your odds of a simpler conception increase the earlier you begin trying to conceive in your 30s. There is also an increased likelihood of miscarriage as a result of the declining egg quality and quantity.

As many of their friends and family members have already started a family or are about to do so, women in their 30s may also experience extreme anxiety when it comes to having children. Many medical practitioners notice that these women experience significant mental stress prior to pregnancy. Early conception attempts reduce this strain because the eggs are of higher quality and there are fewer social demands.

SEE YOUR DOCTOR FOR ADVICE IF YOU HAVE NOT CONCEIVED AFTER SIX MONTHS.

There may be physiological issues at play in some situations. Due to disorders including polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), hormonal issues, early menopause, fallopian tube obstruction, or structural abnormalities in the uterus, some women fail to ovulate. Endometriosis and uterine fibroids, which can both impact fertility are more common in older women.

Your partner could possibly be the source of the issue. Male infertility can result from sperm deficiency, sperm abnormalities, or problems with sperm migration. Semen quality can also be affected by issues with the testicles brought on by trauma, cancer, surgery, obstruction, or infection.

Some men may also have issues with ejaculation or not create enough hormones to form sperm. Your GP can perform a few quick tests and, if necessary, refer the two of you to an infertility specialist.

Romantic relationships in contrast with De-facto relationship

BY GURPAL SINGH

More often a party may allege that one was in a De-facto relationship and make a claim on the property of the other partner. Such a connotation and claim of a de-facto relationship may not necessarily hold the ground unless the test of de-facto as required by the Family law Act 1975 (the Act) is made out. Not all unmarried relationship are de-facto relationship and in the absence of registration, it can be unclean when a relationship makes a transition from simply romantic and casual to a de-facto one.

The parties who are not married can make a property claim under the Act provided the claimant falls within the meaning and scope of de facto relationship within the definition provided by the Act.

There are several factors that the court will consider determining the existence of a de facto relationship. A few material factors include the couple living together and/or spending significant time with each other at any one’s home; the existence of sexual and intimate relationship; the length of time; extend and degree of financial dependency and arrangement of financial support on each other; ownership, use and acquisition of joint assets’ sharing of expenses for day to day living; the degree of mutual commitment to a shared life, registration of the de-facto relationship in a particular state or territory as a civil partnership; care, support and welfare of a child or children of the relationship and the extent to which such care support and welfare is provided; holding such relationship

in the public eye being the reputation and public aspects of the relationship, and whether one of the party to the relationship was already married and living with the other spouse but spending time with the claimant of de facto.

The court would emphasise on the cumulative effect of the circumstances for determining if the relationship was merely a romantic entanglement or a serious living together. However, there is no rule of thumb and cases must have subjective scrutiny for such a determination.

The question of whether a relationship was a de facto relationship was the subject of appeal in a recent case. The claimant claimed that the parties were in a de facto relationship having lived together for five of the seven years of their relationship and romantically involved. The responding party sought to exclude the claimant against his substantial assets, asserting that the relationship never amounted to more than ‘friends with benefits’ between landlord and the tenant.

The primary judge ruled in favour of the respondent and held that the parties were only in a romantic relationship, not quite reaching the de facto status. However, the appeal court overturned the decision while looking into the details and criteria for establishing the de facto relationship within the scope of the definition provided by s4AA of the Act. The other factors including some indicated in the previous paragraph are provided in scope of the definition and ‘having regard to all the circumstances of their relationship, they have a

relationship as a couple living together on a genuine domestic basis.

The dispute in regard to de facto relationship usually involves detailed evidence from each party, family members, friends or other acquaintances who may often not lie to get involved.

The Full Court in an interesting case found that the parties were not in de facto relationship in the circumstances where they had an extra marital affair for a number of years. One of the party made a monthly payment to the other party towards financial support and the de facto partner acknowledged during the court process that the parties had been in a relationship. In another matter an on and off relationship of 9 years was found to be a de facto relationship where the parties lived together in multiple residences on and off and the de facto husband had been making a financial contribution to the de facto wife’s business. In another instance, a same sex ‘friends with benefits’ relationship of 8 years was found not to be a de facto relationship although the parties did maintain sexual relationship and some financial dependence upon the one of the party. In another interesting situation the court found that same sex couple were in a de facto relationship, however made no orders for financial division as they had kept their finances separately to the exclusion of each other.

In the absence of intrinsic factors discussed above a relationship shall remain to be that of romantic one.

If the court determines that the de facto relationship exists, it will then exercise the process and criteria which apply in relation to the separated couples and make an order for division of the property after considering the respective contributions to the relationship and their future needs.

Gurpal Singh is the principal lawyer of Melbourne law firm, Saundh Singh & Smith

Tips to get motivated and read more

BY ARCHITA BAWEJA

Sometimes I am a newsreader, other times a dentist or a scuba instructor. This is what happens when I read a book, and every time I enjoy the feeling of being in another profession for a few days. The best part is how a book stimulates my mind and invigorates me. Some books draw me towards them, I especially like to read memoirs or autobiographies, fiction and philosophy. The one that I am reading at the moment is Spare by Prince Harry. Leaving aside all the controversy, I have always been intrigued by the monarchy, the Queen, Princess Diana and now her son Harry.

I was also always into Paulo Coelho books. He wrote some amazing books like The Alchemist, Veronica decides to die and the Zahir to name a few. I read a few in the last few years and then life came in the middle of it. I am one of those guilty people who say that they do not find time to read.

I wanted to read more and that’s when I reached out to my friend Annie who is a voracious reader and likes reading most genres. She is always seen with a book or two and loves to read. She knows most words in the English language and her knowledge on most subjects is above the average person. I wanted to ask her how she

gets motivated to read and if she could give me some tips to help.

Here is what she has to say -:

1.) To start off, read only what you are attracted to: Whether you are reading fiction or nonfiction books, it’s important to enjoy what you read. Your friends or colleagues may recommend books that they love, but those books might not necessarily be the ones you enjoy. Instead find books that spark your interest and curiosity. Those books will keep you hooked and you will read much

faster.

2.) Carry your book with you: You can read while you are travelling on a train or on a holiday, while on a plane or on a beach. There is always an opportunity to read.

3.) Start with smaller books: If you are a novice, start with smaller/ thinner books that have lesser pages. This will give you the motivation to finish the book. And once you finish a book, it’s a great stimulus for the next one.

4.) Mark or highlight the important points: This especially goes for nonfiction books. Try and mark important points, phrases and words so that you can refer to them later on. Interactivity helps one better retain information.

5.) Make a list: There's a sense of achievement and gratification in tracking the books you've read. You'll always be able to reference the list or provide recommendations and will be encouraged by the compounding effect reading has. Soon after you begin, you'll already have a handful of books completed, and it will be motivating to see that list grows.

6.) Make reading a routine: Like any other hobby or activity we need to make a habit of reading and the best way to do that is to add it to your daily routine. Pick a time that suits you, be it reading before bedtime or early in the morning. Alongside this, set a goal of how many books you want to read in a week or a month and hence a year.

In the end with the right mindset, a set goal, and a good dose of motivation, you can start to read more and thus develop this beautiful habit. Pick up a book that interests you and get started now.

Archita Baweja of Melbourne is an engineer by profession but a writer at heart

Tech giant Apple will reportedly launch its foldable iPad with a “carbon fibre kickstand” next year.

The information was shared by analyst Ming-Chi Kuo on micro-blogging platform Twitter on Monday.

Kuo tweeted: “I’m positive about the foldable iPad in 2024 and expect this new model will boost shipments and improve the product mix.”

“My latest survey indicates that the foldable iPad will feature a carbon fibre kickstand. Carbon fibre material will make the kickstand lighter and more durable.”

He also predicted that iPad shipments will have a year-on-year (YoY) decline of 10-15 per cent.

Moreover, Kuo said that the iPhone maker might not release any new iPad in the next 9-12 months because “the iPad mini refresh is more likely to begin mass production” in the first quarter of next year.

Meanwhile, in October last year, it was reported that the tech giant might launch its first foldable iPad rather than iPhone in 2024.

(IANS)

Apple AR headset may feature health & wellness experiences

Apple will reportedly bring health and wellness experiences in its upcoming augmented reality (AR)- mixed reality (MR) headset, media reports said.

The tech giant’s upcoming MR headset is expected to offer well-being features such as exercise and meditation, reports AppleInsider.

The iPhone maker has not yet announced its MR devices, but it is expected to launch the first one this year.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the tech giant was developing software that will give users an easier way to create their own AR applications on its upcoming MR headset.

Apple hopes that with the software tools, even people who don’t know computer code will be able to tell the headset to build an AR app, which will then be available for download on Apple’s App Store.

Earlier this month, another report mentioned that the MR headset will use motors to automatically adjust lenses for perfect images.

Haptic smartwatch for blind, visually impaired to be launched by IIT Kanpur

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur on Friday announced to launch “haptic smartwatch for the blind and visually impaired” in association with Ambrane India Private Limited for mass manufacturing and sales of the smartwatch.

The haptic smartwatch comes in two variants and has 12 touch-sensitive hour markers arranged over the dial face, and the users will be required to scan the markers with their fingers.

“We believe that this watch will make a great social impact by enabling the visually impaired and blind to make seamless use of this technology for everyday usage,” Prof. Abhay Karandikar, Director IIT Kanpur, said in a statement.

“The watch will soon be commercialised by Ambrane India and will be available in the market at an affordable price. This development is a testament to IIT Kanpur’s commitment to promote inclusivity through novel technology development,” he added.

Moreover, this watch is a fusion of tactile and vibration watches.

This watch eliminates the fragility of the tactile watch and the complexity of vibration watches that generate more than 20 pulses, creating a watch that is easy to operate, private, affordable, and robust.

Further, the use of innovative haptic icons makes navigating the menu simple, and a simple gesture like a double tap can open a specific health monitoring app.

These numbers are communicated in a similar way as the time.

The smartwatch comes equipped with features such as a heart rate monitor, step counter, hydration reminder and a timer that users can set using a simple gesture.

(IANS)

(IANS)

Apple may launch foldable iPad with ‘carbon fibre kickstand’ in 2024

Smartphone app may help spot stroke symptoms as they occur

A new smartphone application may help people who are having a stroke or their family and caregivers recognise common stroke symptoms in real time, prompting them to quickly call healthcare providers.

Called FAST.AI, the app might be as accurate at diagnosing stroke as a neurologist, which may minimise the long-term effects of a stroke and improve chances for a full recovery, preliminary research suggests.

FAST.AI is a fully automated smartphone application for detection of severe stroke using machine learning algorithms to recognise facial asymmetry (drooping of the muscles in the face), arm weakness and speech changes -- all common stroke symptoms.

The smartphone application uses a facial video of the patient to examine 68 facial landmark points; sensors that measure arm movement and orientation; and voice recordings detect speech changes. Information from each test was sent to a database server for analysis.

“Early results confirm the app reliably identified acute stroke symptoms as accurately as a neurologist, and they will help to improve the app’s accuracy in detecting signs and symptoms of stroke,” said study author Radoslav I. Raychev, a clinical professor of neurology and a vascular neurologist at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Researchers validated FAST.AI’s performance by testing nearly 270 patients with a diagnosis of acute stroke within 72 hours of hospital admission at four major metropolitan stroke centres from July 2021 to July 2022.

Neurologists who examined the patients tested the app then compared the FAST.AI results with their clinical impressions.

The analysis found that the smart phone app accurately detected stroke-associated facial asymmetry in nearly 100 per cent of patients.

The app accurately detected arm weakness in more than two-thirds of the cases.

While the slurred speech module remains to be fully validated and tested, preliminary analyses confirmed that it may be able to reliably detect slurred speech, according to the researchers.

A limitation of the study is that neurologists (not the individuals, family members or caregivers) conducted the screenings and taught patients how to use the application.

The findings of the study are set to be presented at the American Stroke Associationa’s International Stroke Conference 2023 in Dallas, the US, from February 8-10. (IANS)

Telegram adds real-time message translation in its new update

Telegram Messenger has added major features in its latest update to its application, including Translating Entire Chats, Profile Picture Maker, Emoji Categories etc.

With the “Translating Entire Chats” feature, premium users will be able to translate entire chats, groups and channels in real-time by tapping the Translate bar at the top.

However, all users can translate individual messages by selecting them and tapping “Translate”.

The “Profile Photo Maker” will allow users to quickly turn any sticker or animated emoji into a profile picture for their accounts, groups or channels. Everyone can use animated and custom emojis for these pictures, even if they don’t have Telegram Premium, said the company.

Moreover, the company also added “Emoji Categories”, in which users will get stickers and emoji sorted by categories.

Telegram users can send more than a million different stickers and emojis, but choosing the right one doesn’t have to be a full-time job, the company added.

The messaging platform also introduced the “Network Usage” feature, which will

allow users to see how much data has been used by Telegram with detailed pie charts for Wi-fi and mobile data -- and adjust their auto-download settings to suit their data plan.

With the “Auto-Save Incoming Media” feature, users can control when media is saved automatically to their gallery based on its size, type and which chat it was received from.

This feature also supports exceptions, so users can only save exactly what they want.

In addition, Telegram also introduced Granular Media Permissions, Annual Premium Subscription, Chat Selection for Bots, Re-Login with Apple and Google ID, New Custom Emojis, and New Interactive Emojis. (IANS)

Dating and Deal Breakers

A staggering 59 per cent of these men and women claimed that the traits displayed by the people they prefer to ignore are ones that are deal-breakers for them.

The App questioned these young daters for more information in an effort to better comprehend these defining deal-breakers or non-negotiables, as you may. According to the report, nearly 24 per cent of daters over 30 will reject a person based on their occupation and level of education. The survey’s findings also indicate that excluding these fundamentals from your dating profile will result in more rejections.

The dating app’s Founder and CEO, Ravi Mittal, said, “From the approximately 24 million chats exchanged last month, we noticed age and differing moral values to be the most frequently mentioned non-negotiables for daters. Most daters are seeking genuine profiles to get serious with; we have recently launched a new feature that gives our users real-time data on the suspended accounts. This feature comes as an industry first move to show QuackQuack takes swift action against suspicious profiles.”

Similar Moral Values Are Essential

34 per cent of the daters from tier 1 and tier 2 cities said contradicting moral values and thought process is a deal-breaker. When asked why, these daters mentioned that later in the relationship, these very differences in thinking might become the root cause of conflicts and

eventual breakups. Additionally, they voiced that dating someone who does not understand or respect your morals is not a delightful experience.

The green-eyed monster is not a good look!

Excessive jealousy was deemed a dealbreaker by more than 37 per cent of daters. These daters, ranging between 25 and 30, mostly working professionals, expressed that unreasonable jealousy in a person that almost inches towards obsessiveness can indicate more serious issues at play. It can lead to trust issues and aim to control your life.

Age is not just a number for some daters.

Age can be a non-negotiable for women. Around 26 per cent of women aged between 26 and 29 disclosed passing on men who were five years or older than them. In contrast, the survey shows that women above 30 are more likely to hit like on a man’s profile, even if they are five to six years older. The age of a man can be a deal-breaker for women, but that depends on their own age.

Where do you live?

Location was found to be another nonnegotiable among the daters from tier 1 cities. 22 per cent of men from the metropolitan cities of Delhi and Bangalore admitted not dating women from other locations. For 13 per cent of these users, it is because they don’t want to commit to a long-distance relationship. For the remaining 9 per cent, it is largely because of the

difference in the ways of life of city dwellers and people from the suburbs.

Cheaters won’t be entertained.

The survey shows that 29 per cent of men and women said infidelity is an absolute dealbreaker. A portion of these people mentioned they even pass on people who have cheated on their exes, evaluating the chances of them repeating the same. They expressed how trust is one of the founding pillars of any relationship, and knowing that a person has broken someone’s trust in the past, they can’t imagine being in a genuine commitment with such people, even if that seems unfair.

Addiction is a deal-breaker

The survey results show that 21 per cent of people from tier 1 and 2 cities find addiction a non-negotiable while looking for a match. They think of it as an “unattractive and unhealthy trait” in a person, and the daters looking for an exclusive and serious relationship don’t want to commit to someone who smokes or drinks their way through life.

Genuine or Nothing

On an obvious note, 39 per cent of daters mentioned genuine connections on dating apps are a huge turn-on. From their recent study, it was found that most users are looking for serious and exclusive relationships over casual dating.

Popular dating app, QuackQuack, analysed 12,000 of its 25-35-year-old users from tier 1 and tier 2 cities. The users of the dating and friendship app were surveyed on what led them to like one person’s profile but pass on another.

Couples don’t have the same experience when both work from home

In dual-earner couples, working from home may be a better deal for husbands than wives in some ways, according to two related studies of workers in China and South Korea.

The research showed that both husbands and wives completed more family-related tasks when they worked from home versus the office. However, when wives worked from home, husbands completed fewer family tasks than when their wives worked in the office. Wives did not complete fewer tasks when husbands worked from home. In addition, wives in both studies felt increased guilt about failing to accomplish housework and spending time with their families when they did more work at the office. In men, that result was found in one study.

“We found that men and women don’t have the same experience working from home,” said Jasmine Hu, lead author of the study and professor of management at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.

“There are still some gendered differences in how they manage their job and family responsibilities.”

The study was published recently in the journal Personnel Psychology. The researchers did two studies, both during the COVID-19 pandemic. One study involved 172 married dual-earner couples in mainland China who had at least one child. That study was done near the beginning of the pandemic in April and May of 2020.

The second study was done in South Korea, later in the pandemic from June to August 2021. This involved 60 dual-earner couples, some with children and some without.

In both surveys, all participants completed two surveys each day for 14 consecutive workdays. Each husband and wife reported their work-from-home status and the amount of work and family tasks they completed.

They also completed various measures, which could include work-family conflict and family-work conflict, how much guilt they felt toward their families and their work, and their psychological withdrawal from work and family.

Findings showed that when husbands had flexible work schedules, wives completed significantly more work tasks when working from home than in the office. When wives had inflexible work arrangements,

husbands completed significantly more family tasks when working from home.

“These findings suggest that husbands could help remote working wives when they have more flexible work schedules and do more family tasks when their wives have more rigid work schedules,” Hu said.

Overall, the results suggested that when the boundaries between work and family time are blurry, dual-earner couples feel the conflict.

Findings showed that when employees (both husbands and wives) worked from home, they increased how much work they completed around their home and family, but that increased their feelings of interrole conflict, psychological withdrawal from work and feelings of guilt concerning work for their employer.

“Managers should form realistic expectations about how much work their remote working employees can effectively handle and show more understanding of the home working situations of dual-earner couples,” Hu said.

Hu said the results suggest husbands with flexibility in scheduling work time can

provide more support for their wives to complete their remote work tasks.

“Organizations and managers should give their male employees more flexibility when possible so they and their families can better adapt to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.

While many of the work-from-home policies this study investigated were put into place because of the pandemic, Hu said that things won’t go back to the way they were when the pandemic is over.

“COVID-19 forever changed how we work. Remote working is going to become much more of a norm,” she said.

“People have really gotten used to the benefit of working from home and many won’t want to go back to the office full time.”

Hu said she sees hybrid work as the best possible future for working couples. “This will allow employees to have the flexibility they get from working at home, while also having the opportunity to interact more with colleagues at the office, which can increase collaboration and inspire creativity and innovation,” she said. (AGENCIES)

HEALTH

TAKING KIDS OUTSIDE CAN HELP MITIGATE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF SCREEN TIME

Whether it’s a tablet, phone, computer, or television, your young children are undoubtedly spending a lot of time staring at a screen, therefore you probably worry about it. Most likely, you’re interested in learning how screen time impacts your child’s development and whether there’s anything you can do to lessen any adverse consequences.

According to Japanese research, more screen time at age 2 is associated with poorer communication and daily living skills at age 4--however, when children also play outside, some of the negative effects of screen time are mitigated. In the study, which will be published in March in JAMA Pediatrics, the researchers followed 885 children from 18 months to 4 years of age. They looked at the relationship between three key features: the average amount of screen time per day at age 2, the amount of outdoor play at age 2 years 8 months, and neurodevelopmental outcomes--specifically, communication, daily living skills, and socialization scores according to a standardized

assessment tool called Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale-II--at age 4.

“Although both communication and daily living skills were worse in 4-year-old children who had had more screen time at aged 2, outdoor play time had very different effects on these two neurodevelopmental outcomes,” said Kenji J. Tsuchiya, Professor at Osaka University and lead author of the study, adding, “We were surprised to find that outdoor play didn’t really alter the negative effects of screen time on communication--but it did have an effect on daily living skills.”

Specifically, almost one-fifth of the effects of screen time on daily living skills were mediated by outdoor play, meaning that increasing outdoor play time could reduce the negative effects of screen time on daily living skills by almost 20 per cent. The researchers also found that, although it was not linked to screen time, socialization was better in 4-year-olds who had spent more time playing outside at 2 years and 8 months of age.

“Taken together, our findings indicate that optimizing screen time in young children is really important for appropriate neurodevelopment,” said Tomoko Nishimura, senior author of the study, adding, “We also found that screen time is not related to social outcomes and that even if screen time is relatively high, encouraging more outdoor play time might help to keep kids healthy and developing appropriately.”

These results are particularly important given the recent COVID-19-related lockdowns around the world, which have generally led to more screen time and less outdoor time for children. Because the use of digital devices is difficult to avoid even in very young children, further research looking at how to balance the risks and benefits of screen time in young children is eagerly awaited.

Coffee may cut severity of fatty liver disease in diabetics

Health tip:

The Pros and Cons of Allon-4 Dental Implants

The secret to a sparkling smile is impeccable teeth. We know how much our teeth matter when it comes to looks and missing some of our teeth is not only bad for the looks but also affects proper chewing. It is a pain going through teeth loss, but on the bright side for those of us suffering from teeth loss, dental implants work just like natural teeth.

Read on to know more about Allon-4 dental implants.

Dental implants are teethrestoration treatment. It includes inserting tiny posts of titanium fused with other friendly metals into your jawbone in a quick surgical procedure. These posts serve as anchors for the overlay dentures, which are a set of artificial teeth for a whole jaw.

To support the dentures, the dental implants are inserted into four places that are strategically designed. This method is known as All-on-4 dental implants.

Caffeine, polyphenols, and other natural products found in coffee may help reduce the severity of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) among overweight people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), a new study has shown.

NAFLD is a collective term for liver disorders caused by a build-up of fat in the liver. These can lead to liver fibrosis, which can progress to cirrhosis (scarring of the liver) and liver cancer, according to a study by the Portugal-based University of Coimbra.

The main cause of NAFLD is not excessive alcohol consumption, but rather an unhealthy lifestyle with little physical activity and a highcalorie diet.

“Due to changes in modern diet and lifestyle, there is an increase in obesity rates and incidence of both T2D and NAFLD, which can ultimately develop into more severe and irreversible conditions, burdening healthcare systems,” said the corresponding author of the study, John Griffith Jones, PhD, Senior Researcher at the University of Coimbra, Portugal.

“Our research is the first to observe that higher cumulative amounts of both caffeine and non-caffeine metabolites in urine are associated with a reduced severity of NAFLD in overweight people with T2D,” he added.

In the study, participants who consumed more coffee had healthier livers, but subjects who consumed more caffeine were less likely to develop liver fibrosis, whereas patients who consumed more non-caffeine coffee components had a lower fatty liver index score.

The study suggests that for overweight type 2 diabetes patients, a higher intake of coffee is associated with less severe NAFLD.

Additionally, the study cited that other coffee components, including polyphenols, reduce oxidative stress in the liver, in turn reducing the risk of fibrosis as well as improving glucose homeostasis in both healthy and overweight subjects.

All these factors may also alleviate the severity of T2D, the study mentioned.

It takes a period of up to three-six months for healing after inserting the implants. Once the implants are fused in with the jawbone, overlay dentures are secured on them using screws. Let us look at some of the pros and cons of the All on 4 implants.

PROS

1. Fewer Insertions

All on 4 dental implants require minimum insertions. An overlay denture is supported by only four titanium implants. The positions of these implants are strategically designed to withstand all the chewing forces and pressures in the oral cavity. Other options of dental implants for multiple teeth include All-on-6 and All-on-8.

2. Enjoy All Your Favourite Food

After getting All-on-4 dental implants, you can eat all your favourite foods that you could not do without the full set of teeth in your mouth. You must have craved some foods and drinks in the teethloss phase, and now you can eat them to your heart’s content. Just remember that the food should not be too hard to chew and clean your teeth after eating.

3. Better Aesthetics

Dental implants look better than temporary dentures or other teeth restoration methods as they have a positive impact on your looks. Dental implants enhance your jawline and make you look younger.

4. Reduces Jawbone Deterioration

The friendly amalgam of titanium

and other metals merge with the jawbone over time. This process is known as osseointegration. Due to the presence of these metals, the bone deterioration seen in normal individuals as a side-effect of aging can be reduced.

5. Better Longevity

When cared for properly, All on 4 dental implants last much longer than other methods. There are even cases where dental implants have lasted a lifetime.

6. Easy to Care For

Looking after All-on-4 dental implants is as easy as your natural teeth. A normal oral hygiene routine of brushing twice and flossing once a day would suffice. As they are not your natural teeth, any food particles stuck between the artificial teeth cannot decay them. However, care must be taken as the food particles can decay the tissues of your gums which can lead to a bad situation.

CONS

1. Must be precise

When going for All-on-4 dental implants, make sure you are consulting an experienced dentist since the success of dental implants depends greatly on the skill and expertise of your dentist. Dental implant surgery needs to be effective. Visit our dentists at Healthy Smiles Dental Group for a detailed analysis and check-up. Our expert dentists will be more than happy to help you out with your dental needs.

Bottom Line

As with any surgical procedure, the surgery for a dental implants procedure also has its risks and precautions involved. Make sure you follow the guidelines provided by the dentist. To decide if All-on-4 dental implants are a treatment option for you, visit our dentists at Healthy Smiles Dental Group. Feel free to contact us on 03 9877 2035.

Dr Ved Berani

Principal Dentist & Clinical Advisor

Healthy Smiles Dental Group 150-152 Canterbury Rd, Blackburn South VIC 3130

Call us: (03) 9877 2035 www.healthysmiles.com.au

Mixing a teaspoon of honey in a glass of pomegranate juice is sure to cure indigestion problems

BDS(Mum), ADEC(Aust), MBA(Melb), FIADFE, MFGDP(UK)

Eating mixed tree nuts helps reduce cardiovascular risk

In a study published online, researchers discovered that eating a variety of tree nuts, including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts, improved tryptophan metabolism in overweight and obese people. In particular, serotonin, a neurotransmitter, and cardioprotective tryptophan metabolites both increased.

In a previous study, researchers at UCLA demonstrated that consuming 1.5 ounces of tree nuts per day (versus pretzels) during 24 weeks of weight loss and weight maintenance, resulted in weight loss, increased satiety, decreased diastolic blood pressure and decreased heart rate. Tryptophan (found in tree nuts) has been indicated as an important factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is metabolized in the gut, producing many bioactive metabolites that are important in immune regulation affecting chronic diseases such as diabetes and CVD. The current study looked at whether tree nut snacks, as part of a hypocaloric diet, could modify the gut microbiome, resulting in increased levels of cardioprotective tryptophan microbial metabolites.

Plasma and stool samples were collected from 95 overweight or obese participants and were evaluated in the current study for tryptophan metabolites and for gut microbiota. “We’ve known for a long time that tree nuts can help decrease CVD risk, and these findings provide some possible explanations,”

Lead researcher, Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition at UCLA said, “We discovered some new associations between tryptophan metabolites and blood pressure, heart rate, and satiety in overweight/obese subjects, suggesting a broader impact of tryptophan metabolism in overall health, including

cardiovascular health.”

Another interesting finding was the significant increase in blood serotonin levels (60.9 per cent and 82.2 per cent increase from baseline at week 12 and 24, respectively) in both the weight loss and weight maintenance phases, in those who consumed mixed tree nuts. “This is the first time we’ve seen mixed tree nut consumption associated with an increase in serotonin levels in the body,” explained Dr Li.

“While more research is needed, this is exciting since serotonin can have an important impact on mood and overall mental health.”

Research has shown that people get about 25 per cent of their calories each day from snacks and a large proportion come from desserts, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets and salty snacks.

“Replacing just one of those snacks with 1.5 ounces of tree nuts may help improve overall health and reduce the risk for various chronic diseases,” stated Maureen Ternus, M.S., R.D.N, Executive Director of the International Tree Nut Council Nutrition Research & Education Foundation.

OBESITY CAN LEAD TO 13 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CANCER

Obesity can lead to the development of 13 different types of cancer, experts said, adding people with obesity or severe obesity are 1.5 to 4 times at risk of developing cancer in organs like oesophagus, stomach, liver, pancreas, colorectal, gallbladder, kidney, and thyroid.

Tausif Ahmed Thangalvadi, Medical Director at NURA, a collaboration between Fujifilm Healthcare and Kutty’s Healthcare offering AIenabled imaging in Bengaluru, highlighted key findings from a working group document of the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) on the occasion of World Cancer Day.

Research has shown that obese women also face the impact of reproductive organ cancers like endometrial (4-7 times the risk compared to non-obese women), breast cancer (1.5 times) and ovarian cancer (1.1 times).

Breast cancer and colorectal cancer are the most common obesity related cancers in

women and men, respectively, with 30 per cent higher risk compared to non-obese people. A 2019 study found that obesity related cancers accounted for nearly 4 per cent of the global burden of cancers, Thangalvadi said.

As per Unicef’s World Obesity Atlas 2022, India is predicted to have 2.7 crore children with obesity by 2030, he said.

Thangalvadi said: “There are many ways in which obesity can increase the risk of cancer. Fat tissue in the human body releases excess levels of oestrogen, which in women leads to an increased risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. High levels of insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in obese people increases risk of colorectal, kidney and prostate cancer. Obesity also leads to chronic inflammation and oxidative stress on tissues, further increasing the risk of cancer.”

(IANS)

Older adults with asthma at high risk of depression during Covid

Older adults with asthma were at high risk of depression during the Covid-19 pandemic, a new study has shown.

According to the study published in the journal Respiratory Medicine, the numbers were extremely concerning for older adults with asthma who had previously experienced depression, with approximately one-half experiencing a recurrence of depression during the autumn of 2020, which was significantly higher than recurrence rates among their peers who did not have asthma.

However, those who were lonely had substantially elevated rates of depression.

“When considering the high comorbidity between asthma and depression prior to the pandemic, combined with the loneliness associated with extended periods of lockdown and the stress over being labelled high risk for severe Covid-19-related outcomes, it is unsurprising that this population experienced a precipitous decline in mental health during the pandemic,” said first author, Andie MacNeil, a research assistant at the Canada-based University of Toronto.

Using longitudinal data, the study distinguished among 2,017 respondents with asthma between those with pre-pandemic history of depression and those who had never experienced it before.

While respondents with a history of

depression had the greatest risk, 1 in 7 of those without a pre-pandemic history of depression was depressed during autumn 2020, showing the impact the pandemic had on these formerly mentally healthy older adults with asthma, said the study.

“The pandemic has had detrimental consequences for the mental health of older adults, particularly those who are also navigating chronic health conditions, such as asthma,” says co-author Grace Li, a PhD candidate at the Canada-based University of Victoria.

Furthermore, respondents with asthma who experienced an increase in family conflict during the pandemic were found to be more likely to develop depression by the autumn of 2020.

The researchers also discovered that having a loss of income or being unable to obtain necessary supplies or food during the pandemic was linked to depression in people with asthma.

FIZZY DRINKS, READY MEALS MAY BE LINKED TO INCREASED RISK OF CANCER

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods such as fizzy drinks, mass-produced packaged bread, many ready meals and most breakfast cereals, may be linked to an increased risk of developing and dying from cancer, a new study has shown.

According to the study by the UKbased Imperial School of Public Health, the researchers found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a greater risk of developing cancer overall, specifically with ovarian and brain cancers.

It was also associated with an increased risk of dying from cancer, most notably ovarian and breast cancers.

The study states that every 10 per cent increase in ultra-processed food in a person’s diet resulted in a 2 per cent increase in cancer overall, and a 19 per cent increase in ovarian cancer specifically.

Moreover, each 10 per cent increase in ultra-processed food consumption was associated with a 6 per cent increase in cancer mortality overall, as well as a 16 per cent increase in breast cancer and a 30 per cent increase in ovarian cancer.

“This study adds to the growing evidence

that ultra-processed foods are likely to negatively impact our health including our risk for cancer. Given the high levels of consumption in UK adults and children, this has important implications for future health outcomes,” said Dr Eszter Vamos, lead senior author for the study, from the School of Public Health.

The researchers also discovered that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to an increased risk of developing obesity and type 2 diabetes in UK adults, as well as a greater weight gain in UK children from childhood to young adulthood.

“The average person in the UK consumes more than half of their daily energy intake from ultra-processed foods. This is exceptionally high and concerning as ultra-processed foods are produced with industrially derived ingredients and often use food additives to adjust colour, flavour, consistency, texture, or extend shelf life,” said Dr Kiara Chang, first author for the study, from School of Public Health. The WHO and the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation have previously recommended restricting ultra-processed foods as part of a healthy sustainable diet, said the study.

DIA MIRZA

SHARES HER POSTMOTHERHOOD, GREEN GOALS FOR THE NEW YEAR

For Dia Mirza, her work as an actor, producer, eco-entrepreneur and the UN Secretary General’s Advocate for Sustainable Development Goals, coalesces around the passion to serve a higher purpose and somehow impact the world in a positive way. She says, “As a mother, I feel compelled more than ever to amplify urgent environmental causes like climate change because the clock is ticking and unless we work hard collectively to reverse its impact, we will pass on to our children an unsustainable and unhealthy planet.”

Dia cites the Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, which was a collective commitment to improve health and education markers, reduce inequality, spur economic growth, protect and preserve oceans and forests while countering climate change and says, “Every year, we must do all we can to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” In 2023 too, she says, her work at the individual and collective level will serve the larger vision of the SDGs.

Adds Dia, “Because of COVID-19 and the debilitating after-effects of climate change, the SDGs have suffered many setbacks globally. We need to double up efforts to change that and especially work towards providing inclusive and accessible education to the girl child. In 2023, I am also hoping to put the spotlight on numerous environment champions across India and its heartlands. People like Dr. Anil Prakash Joshi from Dehradun with his innovative concept of GEP (Gross Environmental Product) which assesses monetary value of the quality and quantity of resources from the forest, air, water and soil and is one of the components of green GDP.”

She also mentions Dr Chetan Solanki, the man who is on a journey to make India - Solar Literate and adds, “These are the kind of unsung icons I want to engage with to find and amplify solutions to further realise the SDGs in India. Conscious

capitalism and circular economy are some of the other ideas that I would like to discuss more extensively this year.”

As an eco-investor, Dia has already committed resources and energy to green brands like Beco, Shumee, Greendigo, and Allter and will also be on the lookout for more individuals and companies that are creating sustainable solutions and need a little help. She says, “We need to start looking at a more sustainable lifestyle as the norm and not the exception anymore. And to do that, more such green brands need to come into the mainstream. As an investor, my goal is to work towards that ideal.”

As a producer and an actor, Dia says, her work will continue to address questions about gender, social and economic inequities, the right to education, to a healthy environment and a lot more. She concludes, “There is a thread of intentionality in everything I do so now I want to tell stories that can be powerful agents of change at some level and can generate ripples of positivity and inspire a sense of purpose in those who watch them.”

(IANSlife)

4 DECADES IN BOLLYWOOD

Bollywood star Anil Kapoor has summed up his journey of over 40 years in Hindi cinema, where he has been feted with numerous awards and honours.

Anil took to Instagram, where he shared a string of photographs featuring his journey of four decades in Bollywood. The pictures show Anil winning multiple award during his run in the showbiz industry.

He captioned it: “In the 4 decades that I’ve been around, tides have changed, talent has changed, tastes have changed and audiences certainly have changed... The one thing that hasn’t changed is the virtue of hard work, persistence and conviction, and they are rewards enough.. But a few awards don’t hurt.”

The 66-year-old star, who has appeared in over 100 films in his career, established himself as a leading man with his roles in ‘Meri Jung’. He was later seen in blockbusters such as ‘Karma’, ‘Mr. India’, ‘Parinda’, ‘Tezaab’, ‘1942: A Love Story’, ‘Taal’, ‘Nayak’, ‘Welcome’, ‘Race’, ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, ‘Malang’ and ‘Jugjugg Jeeyo’ to name a few.

He made his debut in international films with Danny Boyle’s Academy Award-winning film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’.

Looking forward, Anil will next be seen in the upcoming action-thriller series ‘The Night Manager’, which also stars Aditya Roy Kapoor. He will also be seen in the film ‘Fighter’ starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone.

(IANS)

ONE THING THAT HASN’T CHANGED IS VIRTUE OF HARD WORK: ANIL ON

ADITYA ROY KAPUR DID RIGOROUS HOMEWORK FOR ‘THE NIGHT MANAGER’

Bollywood actor Aditya Roy Kapur, who is gearing up for the release of his webseries ‘The Night Manager’, spent time with actual night managers to get a sense of their world and their profession.

The actor, who plays the titular role in the series, said: “There are a few interesting and unique things one has to do for every role. I think in this case he is a night manager at a hotel so I think every time you have a profession that is very specific, one of the joys of being an actor is getting to research these different professions and try and meet people in those professions to understand what goes on in front and also behind the scenes. Part of the prep for me was meeting them.”

Walking down the memory lane, he further mentioned: “I actually went and met a night manager. I spent a couple of days with her, interviewed her and quizzed her about her life and the effect that the profession had on her as a

person to understand what goes into the job. You know, it’s a highly qualified profession.”

‘The Night Manager’ is a Hindilanguage adaptation of John le Carre’s eponymous novel.

Talking about what he imbibed from them, the actor said: “You have to go through years of training for it, so I was trying to understand basic dos and don’ts, body language, tonality. I think one big part of playing the night manager was getting that aspect of it right. So that kind of looked convincing on camera when I was portraying myself as a manager, which was very interesting.”

Produced by The Ink Factory and Banijay Asia, the series is created and directed by Sandeep Modi and second director Priyanka Ghosh. ‘The Night Manager’ is set to stream on Disney+ Hotstar from February 17. (IANS)

ABHISHEK PROVED NAYSAYERS WRONG WITH HARD WORK: AMITABH BACHCHAN

As Abhishek Bachchan turned 47 on Sunday, megastar Amitabh Bachchan penned a note for his son on his birthday.

In his blog, Big B opened up about how Abhishek has always tried his best to deliver a remarkable act despite all the trolling and criticism. Big B wrote, “And Abhishek for the 5th Feb 2023 ... and his 47th ... and how time has flown by ... going back in time all the memories of the day and the several days that kept giving us the joy and the pride and the pleasure of Abhishek .. and now to see him achieve his worth through his hard word, quietly, and proving all the naysayers wrong! It is a delight for a Father for his Son but mostly for the Son who has through the dint of his hard work and perseverance shown the mettle of his calibre and his confidence . That is the pride that one honours.”

Bachchan said that Abhishek “took his own decisions” and “defied the norm”.

“.. he made his own choices ... defied the norm and proved it .. with his success ..Winning the Kabaddi Championship, by the select of his team, who everyone said was poor and weak and incapable .. but he inspired the boys and came out victorious .. despite all the bias reporting and negative opinions against him and the team,” he wrote.

Big B called Abhishek a “pride of the

family.”

“By winning the Best Actor for ‘DASVI’ .. his choice of film story and crew ... and delivering a performance that got universal praise .. a complete transformation from all that he had ever done before ... flawless and complete ..And then to be the at the top of the MOFN .. the Mood Of The Nation list ... that is a true reflection of his standing ...A pride of the family .. a pride for the Father,” he added.

Abhishek made his Bollywood debut with Refugee in 2000 and since then has never

shied away from shedding his vanity to take up challenging roles which push him out of his comfort zone. Be it ‘Guru’, ‘Paa’, ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ or ‘Dasvi’ or the series, ‘Breathe: Into the Shadows’, Abhishek has played many brilliant characters on screen that have managed to leave an imprint on the viewers and critics.

He will be seen in a special appearance in Ajay Devgn’s directorial ‘Bholaa’, which will hit theatres this March.

SRK’S ‘PATHAAN’: CAN’T ARGUE WITH THE FIGURES

Shah Rukh Khan has returned to the big screen after a gap of four years. And it was by no means a red-carpet welcome back.

The actor, who has reigned as the quintessential romantic hero, was making one more attempt at blending romance with action, albeit the emphasis was on action.

The promotion of the film was launched with a very sensual song, ‘Besharam Rang’, on YouTube. Even as the song was garnering a few thousand hits per minutes, it triggered varied reactions, mostly negative. It is a fact that movie lovers feel somehow let down by the stars they have idolised in recent times and it is not limited to Shah Rukh Khan.

The movie market was expected to improve for the better post the pandemic lockdown, but that is not how it happened. Films were being rejected left, right and centre! Be it Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, or Aamir Khan. The year 2022 saw the smallest success count of just about three films (out of 96 releases), though the normal minimum success ratio has been 8 to 12 per cent over the years.

This, when after the Covid-19 lockdowns, when people were starved of outings, movies and other source of entertainment, they were expected to throng the cinemas. That is not how it happened. People had alienated themselves from cinema and cinema theatres. Whoever the stars may have been, people did not want to watch their films.

Yes, they had found the alternative to visiting movie theatres in various OTT platforms that had mushroomed before and during the lockdowns and the realisation that whatever the film, eventually it is bound to be available on an OTT platform.

There were many challenges to films, but the films have always been the first choice for the audience; the OTT platforms could not have deterred people from going to the cinemas. If that were the case, the business of Hollywood films, South Indian films and even some regional films should have suffered as much. Yet, they were all doing exceedingly well!

The film trade, the exhibitors and, probably, the moviegoer was waiting for that one film that would be the reason to visit a cinema. And the song ‘Besharam Rang’ kind of helped create that curiosity, though no one expected that the film that would draw the footfalls in hordes would be a Shah Rukh Khan film, that too with the actor playing an out-andout action hero. He was loved as a romantic hero and his earlier attempts to veer away from that image were not fruitful. What also mattered was that the production house, Yash

Raj Films, too, was not enjoying a good run despite releasing some high-budget films recently.

What worked for ‘Pathaan’ was the way the film’s promotion was planned. It was kept in the news. Earlier it was in news all along negatively, but the PR exercise followed by SRK’s team turned it around. A few days before the release, a TV news channel devoted a minute or two to the film on a regular basis. One day, a TV channel announced that four lakh tickets were already sold in advance.

How did the channel know that? India has no centralised portal to keep such a record!. In fact, no news media -- print, electronics or TV -- has sources to get this information. They reported what was fed to them! At the same time, there was also an anti-’Pathaan’ lobby, which claimed that all the advance booking was SRK’s own doing and tickets worth Rs 20 crore had been bought through the newly created fan clubs.

Videos to this affect were posted online showing a SRK fan club member visiting a cinema in Hyderabad and buying all 400 tickets and also displaying a wad of currency notes. SRK made calls to whoever mattered and won the war of campaigns.

This time, Shah Rukh Khan has gone all out and his film has been covered by not only Indian, but also the international media. Whatever the quality of the content of a film, the industry has one rule. Finally, the figures speak. And the figures of ‘Pathaan’ do that loud and clear. You can’t argue with figures.

The Union Budget: Once a dreaded word For years, the film industry dreaded and

got worked up whenever the Union Budget was due to be announced. Governments thought nothing about the film industry and treated it like a milch cow. The film industry was subject to taxes on the import of negatives and to add to that the excise duty on the release prints. The only way they went was up.

There was no corporate or institutional finance in those days, due to which a filmmaker borrowed from individual film financiers and ended up paying a minimum of 36 per cent every year as interest on the borrowings deducted in advance per quarter. If he borrowed Rs 10 lakh, he got Rs 9.1 lakh in hand!

The reason a filmmaker dreaded the Budget was because the new taxes and levies would only push the costs higher. A producer tried to release his films before the new budget proposals came into effect -- that is, by March.

Post additional taxes, the only media writing about the plight of the films industry were the trade papers, which had limited or no circulation outside of the film trade. To the mainstream media these things did not matter mainly because they had little knowledge of the film industry, nor cared about how it worked, let alone understand its plight.

Now, when there is no reference to the industry in the Union Budget, there is no reaction from the film fraternity. There is no import duty, nor is there any excise duty. Today, film prints are in the digital format, but this excise business, anyway, was stopped long ago.

But then, our people are never satisfied and continued to complain. In this 2023-24 Budget, and even before that, they wanted the GST on film tickets to be reduced from 18 per cent to 12 per.

This expectations of the industry were really not practical; they were a sign of greed. When films were a state subject, entertainment tax varied from 100 per cent to 150 per cent, but the industry never complained.

In this generation, the film folk are mostly educated, but they never apply their learning or their mind when it comes to such things. What is your problem with GST? You are not paying it, the one who buys a cinema ticket pays it.

If your film is worth it, they will pay your unreasonably enhanced admission rates plus GST. And, if you think that the GST reduction will bring in more footfalls, why don’t you cut your admission rates, which are abominable at best of times?

By Vinod Mirani

I WANT TO SHIFT GEAR

CONSTANTLY: KRITI SANON

Bollywood actress Kriti Sanon, who is gearing up for her upcoming film ‘Shehzada’, likes to walk the fine line between high-content and high-entertainment films and the films in her pipeline for this year prove the same.

Talking about what audiences can expect from her in 2023, Kriti said: “The audience can probably look forward to far more versions of me. It starts with a very glamorous one which is a family entertainer, followed by probably my biggest film, ‘Adipurush’, which I am extremely proud of. Then there is a lot of action coming in with ‘Ganapath’, something I have done for the first time. You will see me ride a dirt bike, throw kicks and punches and also use a weapon.”

She added: “I am also doing a quirky love story with Shahid Kapoor. We are teaming up on screen for the first time, so you will see fresh chemistry. Then there is ‘The Crew’, which has three women (Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan and me) coming together, having a lot of fun and creating something amazing.”

She also spoke about how she picks up various characters and roles.

The actress further mentioned: “Till ‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’, I was getting small-town

roles one after the other. So, I did the war epic drama ‘Panipat’. Then I took up a strong and meaty role in ‘Mimi’ and moved on to the next level. I want to shift the gear constantly and not stay in one particular zone. You have to move on and think what’s next, otherwise you will stagnate.”

The actress, who is at the top of her game, hopes to surprise audiences with some exciting projects that showcase different sides of her persona and talent in 2023 with ‘Shehzada’, ‘Adipurush’ and ‘Ganapath’.

RANDEEP HOODA TRIES HIS HAND AT WRITING AS HE RECUPERATES FROM RIDING INJURY

Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda, who is currently recovering from an injury, is using his time to explore the writer in him. The actor was recently injured while riding a horse.

He reportedly fainted and suffered serious injuries while riding. However, he decided to get his thinking cap on and went into writing mode, creating stories and poems.

The actor has penned many short stories inspired by real life in the span of his time in recovery.

Randeep said: “I can vouch now that the left side of your brain (knee) makes you more creative. Since I was playing a writer on screen it seemed like a natural thing to do while recovering.”

The actor is set to don multiple hats and while he turned writer and director with ‘Veer Sarvarkar’, he has also produced ‘Laal Rang 2’.

“It becomes difficult to be at absolute rest, and hence, I found a way to utilise my time in writing instead and I can definitely tell you that one of the scariest things in life is to sit with a pen with a blank page in front of you,” the actor added.

Randeep was last seen in the Netflix series ‘Cat’ and it opened up to a positive response. The series, created by Balwinder Singh Janjua, marked the actor’s second collaboration with the streamer after the 2020 hit film ‘Extraction’.

Did you know:

5 HEALTHY INGREDIENTS FOR FITNESS ENTHUSIASTS

Fitness enthusiasts are always on the lookout for ingredients to help boost their fitness journeys. While chemical supplements are widely available in the market, the goodness of ayurvedic ingredients does not usually get the attention it deserves.

Ayurveda is a centuries-old Indian healthcare practice. It aims to maintain health and wellness by balancing the mind, body, and spirit, and it focuses more on prevention than treatment. To accomplish this, it takes a holistic approach that encompasses nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle adjustments.

Ayurvedic herbs and spices play a significant role in this approach. They are believed to give a range of health advantages, including better digestion and mental health, and actually protect your body from sickness.

Here are 5 healthy ingredients for fitness enthusiasts shared by Dr. Kriti Soni, Head of R&D, Kapiva:

Ashwagandha: Originally from India, ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) is a little woody shrub. Its roots and berries are used to make a well-known Ayurvedic medicine. It is classified as an adaptogen, which means it is believed to help your body cope with stress more effectively. Cortisol is a hormone that your adrenal glands create in response to stress, and studies have shown that ashwagandha lowers cortisol levels. Fitness enthusiasts can benefit from it to relieve stress-both physical and psychological. Ashwagandha may also improve muscle growth and blood sugar levels.

Shilajit: Shilajit is an ingredient that has been used extensively in Ayurvedic medicinal practices to treat a wide range of ailments. It is abundant in minerals and contains a major compound known as fulvic acid. While working out, fitness enthusiasts lose essential electrolytes that aid in regulating water balance, muscle contractions, nerve impulses, and metabolism by sweating. Shilajit is rich in certain mineral content, which has the ability to replace these electrolytes, thus maintaining physical performance and endurance.

Triphala: Triphala is an Ayurvedic cure

made from the three medicinal fruits listed: Amla (Emblica Officinalis, or Indian gooseberry) Bibhitaki (Terminalia Bellirica) Haritaki (Terminalia Chebula) According to research, Triphala may lessen arthritic inflammation and prevent or slow the spread of several cancers. Furthermore, Triphala is also beneficial for improved digestion and oral health. Fitness enthusiasts may benefit largely from including Triphala in their diet, as it can promote overall health and wellbeing. It acts as a colon toner and helps in strengthening and toning the tissues of the colon. As a result, it helps manage weight.

Turmeric: Another well-liked Ayurvedic treatment is turmeric, which is the ingredient that gives curry its characteristic yellow colour. Its primary active ingredient, curcumin, is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Test-tube research suggests that it might be just as effective as other antiinflammatory medications, if not more so, and without any of their negative effects. Additionally, turmeric may aid in the prevention of heart disease in part by enhancing blood flow, just as effectively as exercise or other prescribed drugs.

Cardamom: (Elettaria cardamomum), known as the “queen of spices,” has been used in Ayurvedic medicine since ancient times. According to research, those with high blood pressure may benefit from using cardamom powder to lower it. There is evidence that inhaling cardamom essential oil may improve the body’s ability to absorb oxygen when exercising. Ayurvedic studies suggest that adding cardamom may lower blood pressure, improve breathing, and heal stomach ulcers. However, the more human study is required before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Ayurvedic herbs and spices have been an integral part of traditional Indian medicine for centuries. An increasing amount of scientific evidence supports their many proposed health benefits, including protection against type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Thus, adding small amounts of these ingredients may help both flavor your meals and boost your health. That said, large doses may not be suitable for everyone, so make sure to seek advice from your healthcare provider before adding Ayurvedic supplements to your fitness regimen.

(IANSlife

Being a good source of Vitamin A and Papain, papaya helps in removing dead skin cells along with breaking down the inactive proteins

THE FUTURE OF TEA CAFES IN INDIA

Why do you suppose tea exists as the most popular beverage on Earth? Tea and conversation are always in the making, whether it’s for house visitors or when socialising. Tea is one of the most well-liked and historic drinks in India. For many years, Indians have savoured this hot beverage, which they regard as one of their nation’s most treasured contributions to the wide range of local foods and beverages they have to offer.

Some of the trends that are expected to dictate the landscape of the tea industry in the forthcoming times are:

Customer preferences are more complicated now than they ever were: The emergence of globalisation has resulted in a significant increase in the complexity of consumer demand. Due to the opening of international barriers, customers now have access to a wider variety of products, which has led them to start looking for innovation and diversity everywhere.

The demand for tea in today’s market is focused on a variety of exotic and blended tastes that are fresh and innovative, therefore this situation does not differ for teas. The growing demand for innovation among consumers is leading to an increase in the consumption of flavoured teas. In addition, customers’ preferences for nutritious foods and products have grown over the past few decades. These days, everything must be completely non-toxic, healthful, and hygienic,

from the primary food material to the packaging.

Capitalization of tea’s therapeutic and medical qualities: Several “new” sorts and strains of tea are appearing on the market. This, along with the health trend, has given the market the chance to profit from the wonder beverage’s varied medical characteristics. Many different kinds of tea have therapeutic and restorative effects that soothe the mind and body. As more individuals, particularly young people, suffer from chronic physical and mental illnesses, these are becoming incredibly popular nowadays. Shortly, it’s anticipated that young people will become even more interested in therapeutic teas like immune boosters, stress relievers, teas for sleeplessness, teas for inflammation that contain adaptogens, and Ayurvedic spices like Cordyceps.

Gourmet teas and teas for gifting: In recent years, the gift industry has seen a rise in tea sales. Nowadays, companies provide attractive gift bundles of top strains. Because they are favoured for giving and hence are predicted to be in higher demand, gourmet teas and custom blend teas in opulent and practical packing like pyramidal teabags are popular choices. Infusion-based teas or new, trendy tea varieties are becoming more and more popular among consumers, especially those looking to give tea as a gift. This trend is anticipated to grow in the future because tea is so prevalent in India.

Growing brand awareness: As gifting tea packets becomes the norm, brand awareness increases. People are now increasingly choosing branded labels over goods from tea vendors in the unorganised sector. This has spurred global investment in marketing and contemporary tea cafes.

The increased interest in hygiene and healthrelated issues has also contributed to the rise in brand preference. Customers who are worried about the originality and hygiene of the goods are also inclined to resort to brands since people normally anticipate a commodity to be superior if it is branded. Modern consumers seek products that are innovative, adaptable, and compatible with their fast-paced way of life. All of these can be offered under one roof thanks to a brand’s diversity and reach.

Demand for Sustainability: These days, sustainability is the rule rather than the exception, and the FMCG industry is no different. The sale of certified tea is increasing quickly. In the modern tea industry, fair trade is a crucial factor. Other methods of implementing sustainability include the use of organic teas and cooperation with rainforests. One might anticipate long-lasting consequences on the tea business as a result of the growing need for and knowledge of sustainability.

By Jagdish Kumar

Plant-based eating- what’s the fuss about?

BY DEEVYA GUPTA

Plant-based eating is becoming increasingly popular like many other diets. While there may be a bit of momentum building up, it is actually nothing completely new, especially when it comes to Indian foods. As with any particular diet, any form of restriction of a complete food group may result in deficiencies of certain vitamins and nutrients that our body needs.

What is considered as plant-based eating?

There are a few different forms of plantbased eating. This can be the same as being vegetarian (no meat products consumed) or vegan (no meat or animal products consumed, including dairy). Another option is ‘flexitarian’, where for the majority of the time, a vegetarian diet is observed with the occasional intake of meat.

Is there any benefit of going plantbased?

Some research suggests that there has been a reduction in chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers with plant-based eating. These benefits may be mostly observed with the increase in the overall intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds

and, therefore, reducing the overall intake of processed foods.

Is plant-based eating sufficient to give my body all the nutrients it needs?

There are certain nutrients that are easily found in animal products however they can also be found in a variety of plant-based foods. Here are some to keep in mind:

Iron: Iron foods can be easily found and absorbed from red meat, however if wanting to obtain these purely from plant-based

foods, these can be found in lentils, legumes, tofu, seeds and nuts. There are also cereals and whole grains which may be fortified with iron. In addition to this, it is recommended to include foods high in vitamin C to help with the absorption of iron, such as tomatoes, broccoli, lemon juice, capsicum, or fruits.

Omega 3 fatty acids: These are essential fatty acids that are commonly found in seafood and fish however can also easily be consumed with the intake of walnuts, flaxseeds/linseeds, green leafy vegetables and chia seeds.

Vitamin B12: Found in meat and eggs and is an essential vitamin for our body’s function. For anyone who is following a diet with no meat or eggs in the long term should consider having B12 fortified foods or even supplementation to avoid anaemia. Levels of B12 can be checked by the GP for anyone who may be at risk of deficiency.

Calcium: The most known source of calcium is dairy products however calcium is also found in dairy-alternative milks that have calcium added. Other sources include chia seeds, tofu, kale and celery.

Should I change to plant-based eating?

No one diet would fit all. Overall increasing the intake of vegetables, fruits, nuts, lentils and reducing processed foods is positively linked to health benefits that we can all enjoy.

Written by Accredited Practicing Dietitian Deevya Gupta

Please note this advice is of a general nature. If you have any concerns or queries you should get tailored advice from an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and always consult with your General Practitioner before making any changes. Feel free to contact us if you require any specific Dietitian advice.

Deevya Gupta is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian in Melbourne | W: www.abcofnutrition.com.au

Masala Tuna Pasta

This dish is cooked in a similar way to the Mediterranean style but with a twist of Indian.

Ingredients:

250 g pasta (cooked)

185 g tuna with chilli (can)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 garlic cloves crushed

1 med onion roughly chopped

1 carrot diced

1 small eggplant diced

1 zucchini diced

1 red (bell) pepper sliced

1 green (bell) pepper sliced

180 g mushrooms sliced

3 tomatoes sliced

4 tbsp tomato puree (pasta)

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp curry powder

salt and black pepper to taste

Heat oil in frying pan (skillet) and cook the garlic, onion and chilli flakes and stir for about 2 mins.

Add the tuna,carrot,eggplant and sauté for 3 mins. Now add the zucchini, mushrooms and the peppers and cook 3-4 mins. Blend in the tomatoes and puree.

BY MANJIT SETHI

recipe from the private collection

Method:

season curry powder, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and cook about 8 mins, stirring occasionally. Cook the pasta in salted water for 10 mins. Drain well and add to the sauce. Mix well and serve hot.

Garnish: with chopped coriander

Serves 4

ASTROLOGY

Mesha (Aries)

This month your financial prospects look quite good and could well establish you on a permanently sound footing. Many of you can look forward to reaping a rich harvest of sudden gains. Others would gain through speculation, which would also bring in rich profits., your relations with your superiors would assume such pleasant dimensions that you would stand to gain very much from these.

Best days: 3, 12, 30

Lucky Colour: Red, Orange, Cream

Simha (Leo)

There are clear indications that speculation would result in serious losses for some of you. The lesson is evident, that you should stay away from gambling of all varieties. Further, there is the likelihood of your relations with your superiors deteriorating to such an extent that losses become a distinct possibility.

Best days: 5,3

Lucky Colour: White & Orange

Dhanu (Sagittarius)

The picture of your financial prospects this month is none too bright, There is a distinct likelihood that your relations with your superiors would nose-dive to such an extent when serious losses clearly loom over the horizon. This, you should prevent by some advance actions and foresight. Speculation, also, would in all probability, result in serious losses for some of you.

Best days: 9, 18

Lucky Colour: Red, Blue

Vrishabh (Taurus)

A gainful month, in so far as your financial prospects are concerned. Many of you can look forward to reaping a rich harvest of sudden gains. Speculation would also benefit quite a few among you. There is also a good chance of a favour being done to done to you by some old gentleman which could easily turn out to be a financial boon.

Best days: 9, 18, 27

Lucky Colour: Green, Blue

Kanya (Virgo)

A favourable set of circumstances would provide excellent opportunities to you for career advancement. You would work hard and succeed in realizing your planned objectives. There is every chance that this would create a whole new range of possibilities for you and you would go on to a much better job or a change of operation in your business. All for the betterment.

Best days: 3, 12

Lucky Colour: Orange, Green

Makara (Capricorn)

Existing operations would fail to deliver anticipated or planned results, despite a great deal of hard work put in by you. Nor are the signs at all favourable for launching any expansion or entirely new venture. Those seeking loans from a bank or financial institutions would probably see their projects drag along and get obstructed.

By D. Narayan (Tantracharya) M: 0425 660 220

Mithuna (Gemini)

Full of buoyant energy, in a favourable situation, you would do very well for yourself financially during the coming month. This month you would have the courage of your convictions and the necessary drive to forge ahead in your pursuits and achieve success. You would be helped greatly by an extremely favourable set of circumstances.

Best days: 2, 7, 9

Lucky Colour: Red, White, Yellow

Tula (Libra)

There are indications that speculation would result in serious losses for some of you. Therefore, you should stay away from gambling of any sort. Relations with your superiors or employees are also likely to come under a cloud, to the extent that serious loss would become almost certain. The climate would also not favour investment or new ventures.

Best days: 9, 18

Lucky Colour: Red, Blue

Kumbha (Aquarius)

There are distinct possibilities that most of you would have to struggle quite a bit for the realization of your goals, and even then you would not be able to achieve much success. any pending loan application, or a proposal for fresh advances to banks or financial institutions would have little chance of approval. Further, people in overseas trade would in all probability, have to face a good bit of rough weather.

Karkat (Cancer)

There are clear indications that speculation would result in serious losses for some of you. The lesson is evident, that you should stay away from gambling of all varieties. there is the likelihood of your relations with your superiors deteriorating to such an extent that losses become a distinct possibility. Take remedial action well in time and prevent such an eventuality.

Best days: 9, 18

Lucky Colour: Red, Blue

Vrishchik (Scorpio)

This month your professional advancement is quite favourable. There is a distinct possibility of significant professional gains through association with several learned people with whom you would come in contact. You would also derive significant benefits from your superiors with some of whom you could also have serious differences.

Best days: 1, 3, 4

Lucky Colour: Red, Orange

Meen (Pisces)

There is a distinct chance that some of you would be influenced by a mean streak and be goaded into severely exploiting your workers, subordinates, or just people below you in the social strata, for selfish ends. These efforts of yours would be met with stiff resistance and could well create an extremely unpleasant situation for you.

Best days: 1, 3, 4

Lucky Colour: White, Green, Blue

Best days: 5, 3, 6

Lucky Colour: White, Green

Best days: 2, 7, 9

Lucky Colour: Red, Yellow, White

Did I read that sign right?

In an office:

*TOILET OUT OF ORDER...... PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW*

In a Laundromat:

*AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT*

In a London department store: *BARGAIN BASEMENT UPSTAIRS*

In an office:

*WOULD THE PERSON WHO TOOK THE STEP LADDER YESTERDAY PLEASE BRING IT BACK OR FURTHER STEPS WILL BE TAKEN*

In an office:

*AFTER TEA BREAK STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD*

Outside a second-hand shop:

*WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN?*

Notice in health food shop window: *CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS*

Spotted in a safari park: *ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR*

Seen during a conference:

*FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN’T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR*

Notice in a farmer’s field:

*THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES*.

On a repair shop door:

*WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING. (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR - THE BELL DOESN’T WORK) *

We all need a good laugh, keep on smiling