G'day India January 2020 Issue

JAN 2020

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VOL 14 ISSUE 153

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IN THE NEWS

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Dedicated fund to support Victorian bushfire survivors

MELBOURNE, Jan 5: Following a generous outpouring of support from across the state, the Victorian Government has launched a new fund dedicated to helping Victorians impacted by the recent and devastating bushfires.

Established in partnership with the Bendigo Bank Community Enterprise Foundation and the Salvation Army, the new Victorian Bushfire Appeal will provide practical support as these Victorians begin to rebuild their lives.

The use of funds will help to meet the most urgent needs of local families – covering the cost of everything from a grocery shop to replacing school uniforms.

The Appeal will also help address the most immediate priorities of communities, including the rescue and rehabilitation of local wildlife.

“These families have already shown the most remarkable courage amid their profound loss. Through this fund, we’ll help make sure that at the very least they don’t have to worry

about the small but vital things like putting food on the table or getting their kids to school,” Said Premier Daniel Andrews.

Donations to the new fund will be held in a dedicated account overseen by Pat McNamara, former Victorian Deputy Premier and Minister for Police and Emergency Services.

The Government will contribute $2 million to the fund – matching existing bushfire funds generously donated by Victorians – and ensuring impacted families and communities have the support they need right away.

Victorians wanting to make their own donations can do so, by visiting: vic.gov.au/bushfireappeal

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Premier declares a state of disaster for local areas and resorts

MELBOURNE, Jan 2: Premier Daniel Andrews has declared a State of Disaster for six Local Government Areas and the Alpine Resorts, after considering advice from the Minister for Police and Emergency Services and the Emergency Management Commissioner.

The Premier is satisfied there is an emergency that constitutes, or is likely to constitute, a significant and widespread danger to life or property in the following part of Victoria: East Gippsland Shire, Mansfield Shire, Wellington Shire, Wangaratta Rural Shire, Towong Shire, Alpine Shire, Mount Buller, Mount Hotham, Mount Stirling Alpine Resorts.

Conditions are expected to deteriorate and the Government’s priority is the safety of Victorians.

A state of disaster: May be declared to exist in the whole, or parts, of Victoria, Exists immediately upon the making of the declaration and remains in force for seven days (unless another declaration is made), Can be revoked or varied by the Premier at any time.

The declaration gives the Government, through the Minister for Emergency Services, the powers and resources it needs to keep Victorians safe.

To date, Victoria’s recent fires have already destroyed more than a million hectares and hundreds of buildings, displacing thousands of people and leaving many local families in desperate need of help.

This is the first time the Victorian Government has used these powers since they were included in the Emergency Management Act 1986 following the devastating Victorian Bushfires in 2009.

Through the Victorian Bushfire Appeal, we’ll make sure these Victorians are getting the dedicated support they so deserve.

(Media Release)

The Government has already established a Bushfire Response and Recovery Taskforce to support communities and help them rebuild from the devastating fires still burning in the east of the state.

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Dealing with the immediate aftermath of the fires while many fires continue to burn across the state is a significant challenge that involves all levels of government.

(AGENCIES)

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

PM says bushfire Prime Minister cancels India criticism won’t distract him from work trip over bushfire crisis

CANBERRA, Jan 4: Prime Minister Scott Morrison has cancelled an official visit to India amid the ongoing bushfire crisis in his country that has so far killed at least 20 people and has destroyed thousands of acres of land.

Morrison on Friday called his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on the phone to inform him about the cancellation of his fourday trip which was to begin from January 13.

Morrison has called an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) to discuss escalating the military response to bushfires, which were expected to be exacerbated by catastrophic weather conditions.

“The role of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will become greater and greater in the days ahead, particularly when the things they do, the airlifting, the evacuations, the engineering support, the ¬accommodation, the evacuation centres,” Morrison told the media.

“All of this (will) become more and more required as these fires get larger and larger.”

When asked if he has requested additional firefighting support from overseas, Morrison said “of course”.

Temperatures across Victoria and New South Wales (NSW), the two states that have been hardest-hit by the fires in recent days.

(AGENCIES)

CANBERRA, Jan 5: Prime Minister Scott Morrison dismissed a suggestion that the country has lost faith in his leadership amid the ongoing bushfire crisis that has claimed the lives of 23 people and caused widespread destruction.

Asked about criticism of his handling on the bushfires at the weekend, Morrison said in a press conference that it would not stop him from getting on with the job at hand.

Australia bushfire smoke turns Auckland skies orange

AUCKLAND, Jan 5: Thick smoke from the raging bushfires in neighbouring Australia turned the skyline of New Zealand’s Auckland city to an ‘eerie’ shade of orange.

New Zealand meteorology service MetService in its forecast said that an upper level jet of westerly winds was driving the smoke across the Tasman Sea towards New Zealand.

The smoke was expected to arrive Sunday evening and was likely to disperse by Monday morning.

It is the second layer of smoke coming from the Australian bushfires, which is covering the North Island and upper parts of the South Island.

“There has been plenty of criticism,” he told reporters. “I can’t be distracted by that.”

Australian Defence Force (ADF) reservists will be deployed to help with the recovery from catastrophic bushfires in an unprecedented move.

“What (the public) needs us to do is to focus on, all of us actually. All of us, focusing on the needs and the communities in getting the support where it needs to go. That is very much my focus,” he added.

The pair also announced A$20 million ($13 million) in funding for four additional fire-fighting aircraft and the deployment of Royal Australian Air Force and Navy craft for rescue efforts.

The nationwide bushfire death toll since September rose to at least 23 after two people on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island and one in New South Wales were reported dead.

Shane Fitzsimmons, the commissioner of New South Wales’ Rural Fire Service, told reporters that he was “disappointed and frustrated” that the government had not told him about the ADF support before announcing it publicly.

Morrison and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds announced that 3,000

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(AGENCIES)

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Much of the South Island awoke to sepia skies on New Year’s Day before the smoke spread to the North Island.

MetService said it was possible that people would be able to smell and taste the smoke.

However, long-lasting health effects are not expected.

The New Zealand government pledged 22 more firefighters to help fight the destructive bushfires in Australia that has so far claimed the lives of 21 people since they started in September 2019.

Also, New Zealand Defence Minister Ron Mark said that three Royal New Zealand Air Force NH90 helicopters and crew, two Army Combat Engineer Sections as well as a command element will be sent to Australia next week.

“The latest NZDF support is being provided in addition to the latest rotation of five NZDF firefighters deployed to bolster numbers of emergency responders on the ground,” said the defence minister.

It is understood that many of the NZDF personnel were called back during their holiday leaves to assist Australian firefighting.

(IANS)

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Australia’s catastrophic bushfires The bushfires devastating Australia have been raging since September, laying waste to wildlife and private property alike. Experts are fearing that a humanitarian crisis is imminent as the country faces the worst fire season in recorded history with three more months of the summer season left.

The environmental calamity has been stoked by a combination of extreme winds, record-shattering heat waves, and drought-parched forests, grasslands, and brush. Australia’s bushfires have also grown so monstrous that they are generating their own weather in the form of pyro-cumulonimbus clouds—or thunderstorms that create more fires—according to Victoria’s Bureau of Meteorology.

Some quotes...

“Bushfires beyond words, firefighters are real heroes,” - David Warner, Australian opener

“My heart goes out to our friends and family in Oz,” - Nicole Kidman, Hollywood star

“It is heartbreaking to see the devastation the bushfires are wreaking across the country and to see so many people and communities suffering,” - Craig Tiley, Tennis Australia CEO

“It is special to see so many athletes from various sports getting in behind the real heroes who are fighting to save lives and properties around our country,” - Chris Lynn, Big Bash League captain

“Australia has burnt more than 12 million acres this season, they are not even halfway there its peak fire season, Devastating bushfire is tragic,” - Yuvraj Singh, former Indian batsman

“A reminder that Australia is on fire and people are voluntarily risking their lives to keep communities and homes safe,” - Simu Liu, Marvel’s ‘Shang-Chi’ star

“It’s sad to see what is happening on the south coast of Australia. People have lost their homes and everything they own,” - LaMelo Ball, NBL star “My heart has been broken these last days watching the situation deteriorate there,” - Jonathan Van Ness ‘Queer Eye’ star “I am totally devastated watching what is happening in Australia right now with the horrific bushfires,” - Pink, American singer

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Steve Irwin’s family helps Indian eatery provides free over 90,000 animals in meals to bushfire victims Australia CANBERRA, Jan 5: Late wildlife conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin’s family has put in a group effort to help over 90,000 animals in Australia.

Australia has been hit by savage bushfires, hundreds of animals and 22 people have died.

Bindi, Steve’s daughter, took to Instagram account of her family’s zoo -- Australia Zoo -- to let people know that they are doing their utmost to help the wildlife as much as they can.

She wrote: “With so many devastating fires within Australia, my heart breaks for the people and wildlife who have lost so much. I wanted to let you know that we are safe. There are no fires near us at the Australia Zoo or our conservation properties”.

“Our Wildlife Hospital is busier than ever though, having officially treated over 90,000 patients. My parents dedicated our Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital to my beautiful grandmother. We will continue to honour her by being Wildlife Warriors and saving as many lives as we can.”

Late last year, Bindi led the tributes to her late father on Steve’s national day.

THE owners of an Indian restaurant in Australia were giving out free meals to those affected by the devastating bushfires in the state of Victoria, one of the worst hit, a media report said.

“We follow the Sikh way of life. We are just doing what other Australians are doing today, and that is to serve and pray for the people who have been hit hard by these terrible bushfires.”

Kanwaljit Singh and his wife Kamaljit Kaur own the Desi Grill in Bairnsdale in eastern Victoria where fires have destroyed homes and resulted in one death.

Singh said his team helped volunteers cook 500 meals on New Year’s Eve.

The couple and their staff have been cooking curry and rice which is being handed out by Melbourne-based charity The 15th November event honours Sikh Volunteers Australia to those living in Steve on the anniversary of his death, with Bindi calling him “the world’s greatest temporary shelter.

Wildlife Warrior and my superhero.”

Singh, who has lived in the area for six Steve died from a stingray attack aged years, said he felt he had a “duty” to help his fellow Australians.

44 in 2006 while filming a documentary.

He was survived by wife Terri, daughter “It’s terrible out there. People are Bindi and son Robert Clarence, now 16. severely affected, and they need food and shelter. It’s our duty to serve them when (AGENCIES) they need us the most,” he said.

“We have the capacity to cook for up to 1,000 people in a day... We have stock of rice, flour and lentils which we think should be sufficient for the next week or so,” Singh said.

Since September fires have killed at least 20 people in Victoria and New South Wales and dozens remain missing.

The fires have so far destroyed more than 1,300 homes.

Temperatures across the two states that have been hardest-hit by the fires in recent days.

(AGENCIES)

Austarlian army reservists begin bushfire emergency operations

SYDNEY, Jan 6: A contingent of 3,000 Australian army reservists were deployed to assist fire crews and emergency workers with evacuations and disaster recovery efforts, following a horror weekend of raging bushfires across the country.

around 6.3 million hectares of vegetation destroyed.

Although bushfires are a regular occurrence in the country, the size and scale of this year’s wildfire has been unprecedented with at least 25 people dead, over 1,300 homes burnt and

Announcing on Saturday that the volunteer fighting force would be involved in assistance operations, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: “I have no doubt (the states) will have a long list of recovery

The Australian Defence Force (ADF) have received a Call-Out Order of Reservists for the first time in the country’s history.

tasks that they will be performing... rebuilding bridges, roads and other critical infrastructure and we will work hand in glove.”

“The priority for those involved will be to assist in ensuring the safety of life, support the evacuation of affected people, provide assistance to communities and support-managed evacuation centres,” the ADF said.

But as well as being handed routine

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tasks like clearing fire trails and bringing in supplies, Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie confirmed that army reservists will also be given the gruesome job of burying the thousands of livestock that have been killed by the bushfires.

While a cool change has brought some temporary relief to many firehit communities today, conditions are expected to worsen later in the week.

(IANS)

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NEWS VICTORIA

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Too many lives lost on Victorian roads in 2019 VICTORIA’S road toll is the worst in three years with the Andrews Labor Government joining forces with Victoria Police and the Transport Accident Commission to work hard to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

introduction of compulsory seat belt laws to the no tolerance approach to drink driving, but more needs to be done to make our roads safer.

Last year, the Labor Government committed more than $120 million Minister for Roads, Road Safety and dollars to increase mobile speed camera the TAC Jaala Pulford today joined enforcement by 75 per cent. To support representatives from Victoria Police, the this, a new fleet of state-of-the-art mobile Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and road safety cameras is currently being the newly created Road Safety Victoria to rolled out at more locations across reflect on the heartbreaking year and urge Victoria. all Victorians to take extra care on our roads.

Victoria Police have been given greater powers for on-the-spot license Last year, 263 Victorians lost their lives suspensions for excessive speeding, to on Victorian roads and hundreds more help stop dangerous hoon drivers in their families have been shattered – a daughter tracks. who will grow up without a dad, a friend who has lost their best mate or a sister The Government is also installing whose life has been forever changed from proven road safety infrastructure, including a catastrophic injury. flexible safety barriers that are saving lives on high speed roads. Over 2,300 Fatal crashes were up across every kilometres of road safety barriers have road user group including drivers and already been installed which has seen the passengers, and vulnerable road users number of deaths and serious injuries on such as pedestrians and motorcyclists. these roads almost halved.

Speeding, drink and drug driving, distraction, fatigue and not wearing seatbelts were all common contributing factors to the increased road toll. Speed was a factor in 22 per cent of crashes, around one in five crashes involved fatigue and distractions like mobile phones are having deadly consequences.

Victoria has always been a world leader in its road safety approach – from the

Aussie students admit schools are not preparing them for jobs of the future 90% OF PARENTS LOSING FAITH IN AUSTRALIA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM

AUSTRALIA, 6th January 2020: Ninety per cent of parents consider Australia’s education system to be ‘poor’ or having ‘room for improvement’, according to new research from Cluey Learning.

Unsurprisingly, 80 per cent have some concern about their child being negatively impacted by the current education system.

For the first time ever, no lives were lost Chief Learning Officer at Cluey on the Hume Freeway, with more than 230 Learning, Dr. Selina Samuels, expects barrier hits each representing a potential students and their parents will increasingly saved life or injury avoided. take educational matters into their own hands in the 2020s.

People dying on our roads is a preventable tragedy which is why the “A growing number of Australian families Government has also established Road are no longer willing to rely purely on Safety Victoria and work is well underway the government or the school system for to develop Victoria’s next road safety solutions. We’re seeing a growing hunger strategy. for additional educational support across

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the country. Parents are worried that their children are getting lost in the system, with their individual learning needs going unmet. There seems to be greater awareness that the process of ‘learning to learn’ is more complex than we may once have believed and needs to be addressed throughout a child’s day-to-day life, not just at school.”

Students and parents believe that intelligence (IQ), emotional intelligence (EQ), social intelligence and adaptability (AQ) will all be essential qualities for a child’s success in the next decade. Dr Samuels predicts that as technology redefines how we work, the lesser known adaptability quotient will be a key driver of career success.

(Media Release)

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Saving Victorians millions on their first home

Regional Victoria leads jobs growth REGIONAL Victoria leads the states in jobs growth and has the lowest unemployment rate, despite a softening national economy The Australian Bureau of Statistics today confirmed 20,000 people found work regional Victoria in the three months to November, including 8,400 new jobs in Ballarat, 4,300 in Geelong and 2,600 new jobs in Hume.

Regional Victoria’s unemployment rate remains at 3.7 per cent – the lowest recorded in the nation and well below the Australian average regional unemployment rate which sits at 5.1 per cent.

Despite weakening national economic conditions and falling consumer confidence, the Andrews Labor Government’s strong economic management and investment in the roads and

rail, healthcare and education regional Victoria needs continues to boost jobs and business activity across the state.

Since the Labor Government was first elected in November 2014, regional Victoria’s unemployment rate has decreased by 2.9 percentage points.

More than 71,000 people have found jobs in regional Victoria since then – an increase of 10.9 per cent – the second highest percentage increase among the states.

The Labor Government is supporting regional businesses by further reducing the regional payroll tax rate, with the regional payroll tax rate to be slashed to just a quarter of the metropolitan rate by 2022/23 – creating more new jobs and generating economic growth.

VICTORIANS buying their first home have collectively saved more than $735 million this year thanks to the Andrews Labor Government’s stamp duty concessions.

Under sweeping changes introduced by the Labor Government to make it easier for people to get into the property market, first home buyers in Victoria get stamp duty discounts on houses up to $750,000 and don’t pay any stamp duty on properties under $600,000.

All new first home buyers are also eligible for a one-off $10,000

First Home Owner Grant, which the Labor Government doubled to $20,000 for regional first home buyers.

From January to November this year, Victorians saved more than $576 million in total off stamp duty – with individual home buyers saving tens of thousands of dollars on their first house.

First Home Owner Grants totalled almost $160 million in the same period.

The most popular postcodes for first home buyers under the scheme this year include 3064 (Craigieburn, Donnybrook,

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Roxburgh Park, Kalkallo, Mickleham), 3029 (Hoppers Crossing, Tarneit, Truganina) and 3978 (Cardinia, Clyde, Clyde North).

Victorian first home buyers have now saved a total of $1.72 billion since Homes for Victorians was first introduced in July 2017.

Despite a general downturn in the property market, Australian Bureau of statistics housing data shows lending to first home buyers has jumped by almost 10 per cent since Homes for Victorians was introduced, to 31 per cent of the market.

NEWS VICTORIA

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G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

How safe is your car?

A new centre in Melbourne has the answer

M

elbourne, Dec 19: With the opening of three new Independent Vehicle Integrity Centres (IVIC) were launched this month, you can now find out if your collision repaired car is crashworthy.

The centres, a brainchild of Tony Murdaca with more than 40 years of automotive industry experience, will pave

Joining hands with Murdaca in the setting up of these new centres are Nick Bahl, Remy van de Wiel and Robert Richter who worked together to In 2006, Tony founded IVIC and since formulate, establish and implement a that time has inspected, tested and business and a team of highly skilled and assessed thousands of post collision knowledgeable industry professionals cars for safety. More than 80 per cent of those cars inspected have failed the IVIC who, like themselves, are dedicated to Integreity Inspection, leaving their owners ensuring that cars on Australian roads asking themselves, ‘ How safe is my car?’ are safe. the wat for vehicle safety on Australian roads.

The IVIC Integrity Inspection uses exclusive state-of-the-art inspection technology and equipment to ensure cars are crashworthy. If cars are crashworthy, they are safe and protect better their occupants in an accident.

(Gday Staff)

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NEWS NATIONAL

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

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IIT Kharagpur offers Prime Minister announces compensation scholarships for Australian students for volunteer firefighters KOLKATA, Dec 10: In a significant boost to its ongoing academic exchange programmes with Australian institutions, IIT Kharagpur has instituted competitive high-value scholarships for students from the University of Melbourne enrolled under the Dual Doctoral Programme (DDP) jointly conducted by the two institutions, an official said.

SYDNEY, Dec 29: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a compensation scheme for volunteer firefighters in New South Wales (NSW), who have been battling the catastrophic bushfires in the state.

In a statement, Morrison announced that NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) volunteers who are self-employed or work for small or medium-sized companies will be able to apply for up to A$6,000 ($4,189) in compensation from the government.

“While I know RFS volunteers don’t seek payment for their service, I don’t want to see volunteers or their families unable to pay bills or struggle financially as a result of the selfless contribution they are making.

“This is not about paying volunteers. It is about sustaining our volunteer efforts by protecting them from financial loss,” Morrison added.

under the scheme.

Morrison said that Australia’s other states and territories can request a similar scheme based on their level of need.

However, opposition party leader Anthony Albanese said that volunteer firefighters from every state should be able RFS volunteers who spend 10 days or more fighting fires that have affected much to access compensation for their service.

(MEDIA) of NSW will be eligible for compensation

Twitterati pray for respite from Australian bushfires

AS Australian authorities battle to tackle the bushfires raging across the country, reports of death of half a billion wild animals in the inferno in New South Wales made the Twitterati discuss the enormity of the situation, with fears that the situation may worsen. #PrayForAustralia trended on Twitter with 834K tweets.

One user listed the number of people and animals that had perished in the fires.

He said that apart from 24 people, 8K koalas, 500M other animals were dead.

More than 1,400 homes were destroyed, over 5.5 million hectares burned, and more than 10 million people faced toxic bushfire smoke, he added.

Twitterati posted pictures of animals burnt to death or those rescued by firefighters and others.

A user wrote: “This is just heartbreaking.

Please pray for Australia.”

One said: “Let’s pray together for rain in Australia.”

A post read: “Let’s pray hard for them.

There are not only humans, but also thousands of animals which are affected.” “#PrayForAustralia. Pray for heavy rain over there. God, please show us Your mercy. We realized that we don’t take good care of this earth as you want us to do,” read one tweet.

(AGENCIES)

IIT Kharagpur’s Director (Officiating) Sriman Kumar Bhattacharyya made the announcement at the launch of the Melbourne India Partnership Program and Academy Conference at Melbourne.

Each student would receive an annual funding of AUD 30,000 (approximately Rs 14.6 Lakh) -- an amount equal to their home scholarships -- which would cover their tuition and other fees, living expenses and travel cost for the programme, according to an IIT Kharagpur statement.

The highly competitive scholarship will be offered initially to two inbound foreign students from the prestigious Australian University starting from academic year 2020-21.

IIT Kharagpur conducts joint doctoral programs with several world-class Australian universities such as Curtin, Wollongong and James Cook, designed to build academic and research collaborations from the grounds up.

During the programme, students carry out research under the joint supervision of faculty members from both institutions and need to spend a minimum of one year at the partner institution. A single thesis is written and submitted to both institutions who then review it to their own exacting standards. If the thesis is accepted by both institutions, the student

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is awarded the joint doctoral degree.

Since its launch in 2018, nine students from IIT Kharagpur have enrolled in the joint doctoral programme with University of Melbourne while one student from the Australian institution came under the DDP. “We realised that there is a need for providing financial assistance to the foreign students as many of them support their families back home with their stipend.

“Just as our students studying in top foreign universities are funded under various scholarship and fellowship schemes, If we want to attract high quality international students, it is essential that we provide competitive scholarships,” said Baidurya Bhattacharya, Dean, International Relations at IIT Kharagpur, and part of the Institute’s delegation to Melbourne.

In addition to Australia, IIT Kharagpur is also setting up joint doctoral programmes with University of Auckland in New Zealand and the University of Alberta in Canada. The Institute is further exploring to expand the scope of such dual degree programmes and funding opportunities to other foreign students, especially in ASEAN and SAARC regions.

(AGENCIES)

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WORLD NEWS

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Trump puts India in a bind over Iran

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON, Jan 4: US President Donald Trump’s claim that the slain Iranian military commander and intelligence chief Major General Qassem Soleimani was responsible for terror plots in New Delhi has cornered India that shares a delicate relationship with Iran.

The US killed the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Soleimani and other top military leaders in an airstrike in Baghdad.

Though President Trump did not give any specifics on Friday about the IRGC terror plots in Delhi, many in official circles here believe that he was alluding to the 2012 bombing of the car of the wife of the Israeli defence attaché in New Delhi.

Israel had blamed Iran for the attack, which was seen as retaliation for the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan by the Mossad in a similarly executed attack.

An Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Ahmad Kazmi, who was arrested and later released on bail, was accused of having carried out the reconnaissance for the Quds Force, Iran’s external intelligence agency headed by Soleimani.

While the US is India’s most important ally and Israel remains a strategic partner on many core issues, Iran enjoys significance given its geographical location, religious demographics and its overall sympathetic view of India.

New Delhi hopes that the Chabahar Port in Iran, which it is helping develop to access oil and gas resources in Iran and Central Asian countries, will offset the competition that Beijing poses with its Gwadar Port built in Pakistan’s Baluchistan province.

route to move freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia, is another major dream project aimed to benefit both India and Iran economically.

Around five million Indians live in the Iran which holds huge religious and cultural influence over the Shia population (16 to 25 million) in India.

“The attack by the US on IRGC commander can destabilize the entire Middle East and it will hurt India’s relations with Iran. It is not good for us because we will need to evacuate our citizens. Oil prices will go up and remittances will go down. We stand to lose a lot,” a senior Indian diplomat who didn’t want to be quoted said.

Even as the US has exempted New Delhi from the conditions of the sanctions it has imposed on Iran, Tehran’s oil supplies to India has shrunk while American oil imports have risen significantly. India is also relying on imports from Iraq.

Given the grave provocation, Iran has been threatening to retaliate against the US strike, which it called “state terrorism” in its official statement at the UN. “Republic of Iran reserves all of its rights under international law to take necessary measures in this regard in particular in exercising its inherent right to self-defence,” Iranian Permanent Representative Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi at the UN said.

It is “self-evident that the US shall bear full responsibility for all consequences”, Iran has threatened.

As the situation escalates in the Middle East, both the US and Iran are likely to pressurize their respective allies to abandon transactional approach to international relations.

Iran, affected badly by the US sanctions over its refusal to pursue nuclear programme, seeks to recover its economy with the help of accessing Asian “India may have to pick a side this time. markets using the Chabahar Port.

But not standing by Iran will cause it more harm than good,” an official in the Indian Similarly, the North-South Transport embassy at Tehran said. By Aarti Tikoo Corridor (NSTC), the sea, rail and road

Indian-origin Lisa Nandy announces bid for Labour leadership

LONDON, Jan 4: Lisa Nandy, the Indian-origin British MP, has launched her bid for the Labour leadership race, vowing to “bring the party home” to its traditional heartlands after it suffered its worst defeat in over 70 years in the December 2019 election, it was reported.

The Wigan MP is the fourth contender to officially declare her bid in the race, alongside Birmingham MP Jess Phillips, Shadow First Secretary of State Emily Thornberry and Shadow Minister for Sustainable Economics Clive Lewis.

She announced her bid in her local constituency paper - a move symbolic of her promise to change the perception of Labour as London-centric.

Nandy wrote that a future Labour government should give “power and resources” to “every town, city, region and nation in the UK”.

“We must leave behind the paternalism of the past and give people the ability to deliver change for themselves.

“I am determined to defeat (Prime

Minister) Boris Johnson in order to lead the compassionate, radical, dynamic government that I firmly believe you want and deserve,” she added.

Labour suffered its worst defeat at the polls in over 70 years in the December 12 election, as many northern heartlands turned blue (Conservative) for the first time.

Nandy’s announcement came hours after Philips announced her bid to replace incumbent leader Jeremy Corbyn, in which the Birmingham MP called for a “different kind of leader”, metro.co.uk reported.

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer and Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey were also believed to be considering a leadership bid.

A timetable for the leadership election - and any rule changes - is set to be decided by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) on January 6.

(AGENCIES)

#MeToo founder says movement bigger than Weinstein

NEW YORK, Jan 4: Two years after #MeToo became a global phenomenon, founder Tarana Burke acknowledged that the movement was “inextricably” linked with Harvey Weinstein, but insisted that the future of the struggle does not depend on the result of the disgraced Hollywood mogul’s upcoming trial for sexual assault.

#MeToo and Weinstein “are inextricable because people relate them together”, Burke said, though hastening to add that just as survivors of sexual assault “can’t tie their healing to the outcome ... to what people call justice, to the legal system, we can’t tie our work and the outcome of the movement to the outcome of his case”.

“He’s one person, he doesn’t define this movement at all. In fact, the movement is not defined by any perpetrator, regardless of whether Harvey Weinstein goes to jail or not, there are still people who he harmed and those people need to see some accountability and those people need resources so that they can heal,” the veteran activist said.

Weinstein, according to Burke, is “just indicative of how large the problem is”.

Weinstein’s trial on charges that include two counts of rape is set to begin on January 6 in New York.

Burke, 46, launched ‘Me Too’ in 2006, yet it was only in the wake of the 2017 revelations about Weinstein’s alleged misconduct toward actresses and other women in the film industry that the movement blew up into #MeToo.

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“Whether or not he goes to jail we still have work to do to end sexual violence,” she added.

Burke, herself a survivor of rape and sexual abuse, wants people to understand that #MeToo’s mission was not only about giving a voice to victims, but also helping them to recover and move on with their lives.

She also dismissed the notion that #MeToo was anti-men as one of “so many misconceptions floating around”, pointing out that men are also victims of sexual assault.

(AGENCIES)

BUSINESS

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Air India to be operational till privatisation

NEW DELHI, Jan 3:Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri has reassured Air India’s employees that the passenger carrier will remain operational till its privatisation process is complete, one of the airline’s unions said.

Puri was speaking at a meeting with Air India’s employees’ unions.

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA), one of the unions which was present in the meeting, said that all the unions opposed privatisation, but the minister stated that the government does not have funds to infuse into Air India.

“The meeting was called to have constructive dialogue and address the genuine concerns of the employees,” the ICPA said.

Puri, the union said, said that Air India will run till its privatisation and requested all the unions to cooperate towards the process.

According to the ICPA, the minister expressed his displeasure over pilots and engineers demanding the government-owned airline to waive off their notice period.

He said pilots and engineers are required to run the airline, the union added.

Last week, the ICPA in a letter to Puri said: “It is unfair for the Government of India to keep us bonded with the notice period while we are not being paid on time and our dues are not cleared.”

Terming the Civil Aviation Minister’s earlier statement that if Air India is not privatised by March 31, 2020, the airline will be shut down as “a matter of concern”, the pilots’ union had said in the letter: “With this uncertainty over the survival of our national carrier and with no ‘Plan B’, we request you to ensure that we are not treated like bonded labour and allow us to quit Air India without serving the notice period and clear all our dues immediately.”

At present, the union has 800 pilots as its members. As per the letter, currently 65 pilots have tendered their resignations and are serving the six-month notice period which is due for completion “very soon”.

The Centre is likely to issue the expression of interest (EoI) for divestment of its stake in the national passenger carrier during the first month of 2020.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah heads the panel looking after the divestment process. Its other members include Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Commerce and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and the Civil Aviation Minister.

In the previous Modi government, then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley headed the ministerial panel called the Air India Specific Alternative Mechanism (AISAM).

After failing to find a bidder then, the government is working on a war footing to sell Air India to a private player.

(AGENCIES)

17

Cybercrime:

Online payment systems to be prime targets in 2020

MORE cybercriminal groups will target online payment processing systems in 2020, researchers from global cybersecurity and anti-virus brand Kaspersky have warned.

Over the past couple of years, so-called JSskimming (the method of stealing of payment card data from online stores), has gained immense popularity among attackers.

Kaspersky researchers in their latest report said they are currently aware of at least 10 different actors involved in these type of attacks.

Their number will continue to grow during the next year, the report said, adding that the most dangerous attacks will be on companies that provide services such as e-commerce as-a-service, which will lead to the compromise of thousands of companies.

“This year has been one of many important developments. Just as we predicted at the end of 2018, it has seen the emergence of new

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cybercriminal groups, like CopyPaste, a new geography of attacks

by Silence group, cybercriminals shifting their focus onto data that helps to bypass antifraud systems in their attacks,” Yuriy Namestnikov, Security Researcher at Kaspersky, said in a statement.

“Behavioural and biometrics data is on sale on the underground market.

Additionally, we expected JS-skimmer base attacks to increase and they did.

With 2020 on the horizon, we recommend security teams in potentially affected areas of the finance industry to gear up for new challenges,” Namestnikov said.

In addition, cybercriminals will also target mobile investments apps which have become more popular among users around the globe, according to the predictions from Kaspersky on the expected development of the threat landscape in the financial sector.

Not all of these apps utilize best security practices, like multifactor authentication or

protection of the app connection, which may give cybercriminals a potential way to target users of such applications Kaspersky research and monitoring of underground forums suggests that the source code of some popular mobile banking Trojans was actually leaked into the public domain.

Previous similar cases of malware source code leakage (like Zeus, SpyEye) resulted in an increased number of new variations of these Trojans. In 2020, this pattern may repeat, the researchers warned.

Their prime targets are small banks, as well as financial organizations recently bought by big players who are rebuilding their cybersecurity system in accordance with the standards of their parent companies.

Besides, it is expected that the same banks may become victims of targeted ransomware attacks, as banks are among those organisations that are more likely to pay a ransom than accept the loss of data.

(AGENCIES)

18

DIASPORA

Dubai-based Indian teen designs calendar to promote dog adoption

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Indian-origin scientist finds dead probiotic that can fix leaky gut

A team led by an Indian-origin scientist has identified a dead probiotic that can reduce age-related leaky gut and control harmful, ageing-related inflammation.

Leaky gut, in which microbes and bacteria in the gut leak into the blood stream through holes or cracks in the intestinal lining, causes an increase in low-grade inflammation, and these conditions are common in older people.

This resulting inflammation

is thought to play a role in the development of many age-related diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease and decline in physical and cognitive functions.

Medicine and principal investigator of the study published in the journal GeroScience.

In the study, Yadav’s team first screened eight strains of humanorigin probiotics in roundworms, a “We know that probiotics are commonly used model with a short instrumental in maintaining a healthy lifespan of 11 to 20 days. gut and preventing leakage, but there isn’t much data available to They discovered that a strain of pinpoint which ones work and which Lactobacillus paracasei (D3-5), even ones don’t,” said Hariom Yadav, in the non-viable or heat-killed form, assistant professor of molecular extended the roundworms’ life span. biology at Wake Forest School of (AGENCIES)

Global Child Prodigy Award won by Indian girl from Dubai

A Dubai-based Indian girl, who can sing in 120 languages, has won in the ‘Global Child Prodigy Awards 2020’.

A Dubai-based Indian teenager, who is considered as one of the youngest fashion designers in Asia, has made a 2020 calendar with models in her creations posing with rescued and adopted dogs, aimed at spreading the message of pet adoption.

Apeksha Bonoj (14) has designed more than 200 outfits ever since she turned 10 and also owns her own fashion brand, Apek, with international models sashaying down the ramp in her outfits.

Apeksha has used her “Gleam Cocktail Collection” to make the calendar with the theme, “Paws for a Cause”.

The class 10 student decided to feature the dogs along with her muses after she learnt about many painful stories of abandonment and animal cruelty.

“There are lots of dogs that were getting abandoned and were rescued,” Apeksha said.

“They were injured and starving. Many were caged for several months, with some eventually being put to sleep.”

Shot by international fashion photographer Vipin Hari, the calendar showcases different shades of glamour blended with the innocence and elegance of the rescued and adopted dogs.

The calendar, which will be gifted to animal rescue centres, welfare activists and others, also carries some inspiring messages that promote pet adoption.

(AGENCIES)

The 13-year-old Sucheta Satish, known as the Dubai Indian High School’s nightingale, won in the singing category, her father T.C. Satish said.

The Global Child Prodigy Award is a platform to celebrate children’s talent and power in different categories such as dancing, music,

arts, writing, acting, modelling, science, innovation, sports etc.

The awards are supported by the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam International Foundation and Oscar award winning music producer A.R. Rahman to name a few.

Speaking about her win, Sucheta said: “I was selected for the award for my twin world records for singing in most languages during one concert and the longest live singing concert by a child which

I had set as a 12-year-old two years ago in Dubai at the Indian Consulate Auditorium when I sang in 102 languages over 6.15 hours.”

Sucheta can presently sing in 120 languages.

“The award ceremony in New Delhi , where 100 Global Child prodigies across the world were honoured in different categories.”

(AGENCIES)

Scientist of Indian-origin creates ‘Lemon’ for better drugs

AN Indian-American drug discovery researcher-led team from Purdue University has created a new framework for mining data for training Machine Learning models.

The framework called ‘Lemon’ helps drug researchers better mine the Protein Data Base (PDB) -- a comprehensive resource with more than 1,40,000 biomolecular structures and with new ones being released every week.

“PDB is an essential tool for the drug discovery community,” said Gaurav Chopra, assistant professor of analytical and physical chemistry in Purdue’s College of Science.

The problem is that it can take an enormous amount of time to sort

through all the accumulated data.

part of their software suite, and develop custom functions in a “Machine learning can help, but standard manner to generate unique you still need a strong framework benchmarking datasets for the from which the computer can quickly entire scientific community, said the analyse data to help in the creation researchers. of safe and effective drugs,” Chopra said in a paper published in the Jonathan Fine, a PhD student in journal Bioinformatics. chemistry who worked with Chopra to develop the platform said: “We The Lemon software platform is created Lemon as a one-stopa library with Python bindings that shop to quickly mine the entire mines the PDB within minutes. data bank and pull out the useful biological information that is key for Loading all traditional files in developing drugs”. the PDB takes about 290 minutes, but Lemon does this in about six Chopra has also worked with the minutes when applying a simple Purdue Research Foundation Office workflow on an 8-core machine. of Technology Commercialization to patent other innovations from his Lemon allows the user to write lab. custom functions, include it as (AGENCIES)

UAE-based Indian kid’s robot A small robot built by a nine-yearold United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based Indian child which segregates waste, will be showcased at the Expo 2020 Visitor Centre in Dubai, it was reported.

to be showcased at Dubai Expo

By turning waste into something that would be useful for farming, he seeks to “turn the desert into a garden”, adding that his vision for the project was to “promote chemical-free agriculture”.

Nine-year-old Putsala Harshith, who originally hails from Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh, is a class four student at the Bright Riders School Abu Dhabi. His project, called “Robotic waste segregation to organic composting”, was chosen to be part of the Expo 2020 Young Innovators programme.

He has also made a cleaning robot using old cars, cardboard and motor. “I had made a smaller robot to help my mother.

Now I have made a bigger one to help with cleaning.”

For the past few years, Harshith is also leading a campaign against plastic use. He makes paper bags to replace the plastic ones.

“My robot, Wsegrebot, segregates waste into green, wet, metal, paper, wood and plastic. The wet and brown waste, like paper and wood, will be shredded.

Then the waste is converted into organic compost, which turns into soil when mixed with sand,” Harshith said.

He will continue and expand his drive when he visits Srikakulam during vacation.

“I have taken my campaign to 20 schools in Srikakulam.”

(AGENCIES)

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WEIRD NEWS

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

One in 3 UK primary school kids think cows lay eggs

Sheep in bra: Bizarre clothing takes internet by storm

YOU have watched the photos of pets dressed up in costumes are increasingly popular, particularly at Halloween.

it can be traumatized on the ground, and unless the situation can be corrected, is a cause for euthanasia”, added further.

But recently a bizarre picture of a sheep in the UK wearing a bra is taking rounds on the internet. The photos were posted

by Franklin Vets Lifestyle Farms captioned “Sheep in a bra! This photo is not staged.”

People on Facebook posting not only which style they prefer, but also support their way to take care of sheep.

“’Rose’ (the name of the sheep) was pregnant with triplets, and the sheer weight of her udder damaged the Suspensory Ligaments that hang the heavy organ from her body. When this happens the udder can hang so low that

THIS survey of children is certainly not about the birds and the bees. But still, the findings are embarrassing, at least for their parents and teachers concerned.

The survey finds that one in three primary schoolchildren in Britain think that cows lay eggs, Mail Online reports.

Three out of 10 children aged six to 11 do not even know that tuna comes from fish. One tenth say they have never tasted cherry tomato.

The report quotes experts that the findings show a huge lack of knowledge among UK children about the source of their food. This indicates the need to inculcate relevant knowledge in children at an appropriate age.

The latest poll involving a sample size of 1,000 schoolkids has been conducted by a charity and a kitchen appliance firm.

British Nutrition Foundation ad polled 27,500 children two years ago, only to find that one in three think that cheese comes from plants and tomatoes grow underground.

(AGENCIES)

19

A user praised the caretakers and wrote, “She’s very lucky.

Great owners.”

“I can tell you love your stock.

We need more farmers like you”, added another.

A post read, “Wonderful work team but would that make it a brasserie.”

A user wrote, “Haven’t heard of this being done before but then I am a townie. Super idea for the poor Mumma. Glad the lambs arrived safe and sound.”

(AGENCIES)

Peeing man at airport pisses off Twitterati

A video clip of a middle-aged man urinating while sitting at an “No flight for this mister no airport terminal has gone viral on brains,” said another user. the Internet, with social media users expressing shock and One post read: “I don’t believe dismay at the incident. it.”

‘Se-currrr-ity’?!” and “Ahh, we’ve all been there” were some other comments.

An Instagram post on the incident got 202,267 views. It was not known when the clip was shot or who the person involved was.

“Yikes! Did he get arrested?” said one user.

“Must be flying budget. It’s brings out the worst kind,” remarked another.

One Instagram user commented: “Seems fake....”

“Oh my”, “OMG, there are kids there”, “Didn’t anyone call

“WHAT THE F***,” said one shocked Instagram user.

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“Are you kidding me?! WT*?!” read another comment.

A user had a funny remark to make: “Is that Harvey Weinstein?”

(AGENCIES)

20

NEWS INDIA

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Ace lensman Atul Kasbeka

on evolution of Kingfisher Calendar

ACE photographer Atul Kasbekar has virtually witnessed the journey of the Kingfisher Calendar over 17 years now, through his lens. Having done numerous shoots for its pages, no one knows of India’s most glamorous calendar and its evolution better than Kasbekar.

It is time for the latest edition of the calendar, and Kasbekar walked down the memory lane.

“Earlier, there was a taboo around the Kingfisher Calendar.

People did not think highly of it. Earlier, it was taken very casually but now maturity is associated with it. There are more mature viewers now and a lot of thought goes behind it.

Also, people mostly used to look for the glam quotient but now things have changed,” Atul said.

According to him, representation of models in the

calendar has also changed.

“Now we celebrate women through our calendar. We celebrate their choices, their freedom, their individuality and, of course, their confidence.

Today, it is more beyond looks,” he explained.

The 2020 calendar features several top models including Aditi Arya, Aishwarya Sushmita, Pooja Chopra and Zoya Afroz.

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From Aishwarya Sushmita flaunting her curves in hot pink bikini against the backdrop of the azure blue waters of South Africa to Zoya Afroz acing the glam quotient in a black swimsuit, the 2020 calendar is no less than a feast for the eyes.

Kasbekar shot the calendar at beautiful locations in and around Cape Town, South Africa.

(AGENCIES)

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

21

ISRO belatedly admits Vikram ‘crash landed’ on moon

INDIA’S maiden attempt to soft land on moon during the Chandrayaan-2 mission failed in September last year, as its spacecraft Vikram ‘crash landed’ near the moon’s south pole due to a velocity glitch, a top space official said.

about 750 meters northwest of the main crash site,” Nasa said in a statement on its website on December 3.

Sivan, however, complimented Subramanian for locating Vikram’s debris.

“The velocity reduction was more than the required pace during the second (rough-breaking) phase of the lander’s descent. Hence, it was not able to perform the third phase, as it was beyond the navigational system,” state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Sivan said.

“I congratulate Subramanian and appreciate his efforts in locating our lander’s parts on the moon’s surface,” Sivan said.

Chandrayaan-2, comprising an orbiter, lander (Vikram) and a rover (Pragyan), was launched onboard heavy rocket GSLV Mark-3 on July 22 from ISRO’s spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 90 km northeast of Chennai.

Contrary to the space agency’s claim that Vikram had a hard landing on the lunar surface on that fateful day (September 7, 2019), Sivan admitted that the lander crashed on impact.

“For strategic reasons we could not admit Vikram crash landed because its images from the mission’s Orbiter did not show that it disintegrated on hitting the lunar surface as it fell in the shadow,” Sivan clarified.

However, Union Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh had told the Parliament during its winter session on November 21 last year that the velocity of the lander reduced more than what was anticipated, leading to the crash.

Admitting that the velocity (speed) reduction was more than it should have been, Sivan said as the descent was on an autonomous mode, the system was not designed to factor the deviation.

“The velocity was reduced from 1,683 metres per second to 146 metres per second. During the second phase of the descent, the reduction in velocity was more than the designed value.

Though ISRO had set up a committee to find out what went wrong with the lander on the descent mode that led to the mission control room on the ground (Bengaluru) losing contact with it, its report was not made public as the findings had to be analysed with the data generated during the incident.

“Due to this deviation, the initial conditions at the start of the fine braking phase were beyond the designed parameters. As a result, Vikram hard landed within 500 metres of the designated landing site,” Singh had said in a written reply to a query in the Lok Sabha.

An image of Vikram’s landing site, captured by Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) in December, showed 21 pieces of confirmed or likely spacecraft debris scattered over several kilometres, indicating that the lander disintegrated on impact.

After four earth-bound manoeuvres and trans-lunar injection, Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft was inserted into the lunar orbit on August 20. Vikram was separated from the orbiter on September 2. After two de-orbiting manoeuvres, a powered descent of the lander was initiated on September 7 for soft landing on the moon’s surface, about 600 km from its south pole.

The US space agency located Vikram’s debris with the help of Chennai-based As the lander’s velocity deviated in the techie Shanmuga Subramanian, who last 2.1 km of its descent, it hard landed contacted the LRO project with a positive 500 metres from the chosen landing site. identification of the debris.

A successful landing would have made “Subramanian contacted the LRO India the fourth country to do so after the project with a positive identification of US, former Soviet Union and China and debris. After receiving this tip, the LRO the first country to have landed so close team confirmed the identification by to the lunar south pole. comparing before and after images. The debris first located by Subramanian is

By Fakir Balaji

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22

OFF BEAT

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

29% Indians

G’Day Mate

!

feel women’s safety should be focus in 2020 AROUND a third of urban Indians (29 per cent) feel that safety for women should be India’s focus in 2020, said a new survey.

The survey from Indian YouGov also revealed that less than half of this number feel the economic condition (12 per cent) and job market (11 per cent) should receive attention in the New Year.

Not only do people feel women safety needs prominence, the survey also reveals that 45 per cent of the population were of the opinion that not much headway has been made in making areas safer for women.

According to the data of 1,011 respondents in India, higher number of Gen X (52 per cent) felt that measures for woman safety did not show any advancement in 2019 as compared to the millennials (40 per cent).

The study also shows that many feel economic conditions (39 per cent), political situations (35 per cent) and job scenario in the country (35 per cent) did not see any growth in 2019.

from the sports and entertainment world remained in the public eye throughout 2019, politics took precedence over them and the top three highlights of the year belong to this area When asked what according to them was the most important political event of 2019, the revoking of Article 35A emerged on top (with 28 per cent saying it was the most important event).

However, when asked to choose the highlight of 2019 from a combined list of 20 of these political, cultural and sports events, a quarter (24 per cent) chose the revoking of Article 35A as the spotlight event, the study said.

This was followed by the Ayodhaya case hearing (18 per cent) and BJP’s victory in the general elections (17 per cent).

Also, air pollution in Delhi remained in the limelight and is believed by a few (11 per cent) to be the greatest event of the year.

According to the survey, looking ahead at 2020, one in five (19 per cent) Indians However, over a third (35 per cent) said said India’s space project- Chandrayaan technological developments witnessed a 3 will be the biggest event of the new positive shift in the past year. year. Another 16 per cent think the T20 World cup will be a highlighting event.

The data also shows that happenings (AGENCIES)

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G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

This 23-year-old Indian hacker makes a killing finding bugs ETHICAL hacking is no new concept and India has seen a breed of such young enthusiasts in the past. What has changed is the money that comes with it as cyberattacks on businesses across industries have grown multi-fold in the era of digital transformation.

Meet 23-year-old Shivam Vashist from north India, a hacker associated with San Francisco-based HackerOne which is a vulnerability coordination and bug bounty platform and boasts of clients like Starbucks, Instagram, Goldman Sachs, Twitter, Zomato and OnePlus.

Better known by his handle @Bull on Twitter, Vashist is a full-time hacker who reportedly makes over $125,000 in a year by finding bugs.

Over the past few years, he has taught his brother the ropes of hacking, helped his father retire with peace and took family on sightseeing tours across the world.

“On average, I am spending about 15 hours a week hacking. However, it varies from time to time, depending on my schedule. Some days, I might be working on something for days continuously, while at other times, I may not be hacking for weeks,” said Vashist.

In the Asia-Pacific region, the number of hacker-powered security programmes has grown by 30 per cent year on year.

Hackers in the US earned 19 per cent of all bounties last year, with India at second spot with 10 per cent.

“In fact, HackerOne’s ‘Hacker-Powered Security Report 2019’ shows that $2,336,024 of the bounties awarded in 2018 went to the ethical hacker community in India,” said Vashist.

He started learning more about computers and the ethical hacking world when he was 19.

The family was worried in the beginning.

“However, they came to understand what I was doing over time, and know that an ethical hacker is completely legal, and a viable career. Since then, they have been very supportive,” he added.

He earned his first bounty at age 20 from InstaCart, and then MasterCard.

“It was an incredible feeling, I couldn’t believe I did it! The rush it gave me left me sleepless for days,” said Vashist.

In August, HackerOne revealed that hackers earned $21 million in just a year reporting vulnerabilities via various bug bounty opportunities as governments’ efforts to fix malware increased a whopping 214 per cent globally.

Food delivery platform Zomato has paid more than $100,000 (over Rs 70 lakh) to 435 hackers till date for finding and fixing bugs on its platform.

“Hacking gives me a high when I am able to think of creative ways to tackle the challenges and discover vulnerabilities that no one has yet found,” said Vashist.

(AGENCIES)

23

GETTING MARRIED IN AUSTRALIA

Certificate of Marriage On the day of your marriage, the certificate you receive is a legal certificate, however, it only proves that a legal ceremony took place. It is also important to remember that this certificate cannot be replaced under any circumstances. After receiving the required documents from your marriage celebrant the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages will register your marriage.

Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria all offer online registration of marriages enabling the celebrant to indicate if you wish to order the standard marriage certificate so please discuss this with your celebrant.

Once a marriage is registered, if you require a copy of the marriage certificate, you may order the standard marriage certificate from BDM. BDM do not automatically issue this certificate. A number of BDM’s also offer “commemorative marriage” certificates in addition to the standard marriage certificate as part of a package, but these are more for decorative purposes as they have no legal value.

There are a number of ways you can order a standard marriage certificate and the options can vary from State to State, etc so please discuss it with your celebrant or the BDM directly to determine the options available to you. You may order the Marriage Certificate directly from the relevant BDM via their online system.

In this case you will need to provide the required proof of ID documents either by mail or in person. The other option is by completing a paper application form and either forwarding this to BDM with the relevant documents or in person.

Some celebrants are able to include

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your completed form with the own paperwork they forward to BDM to enable your marriage to be registered so please check if they offer this service. The third option is via your celebrant through the relevant BDMs online marriage registration system. Once the online registration of your marriage is completed, if you are paying for the certificate, you may receive an email from the relevant BDM to finalise the payment for your certificate – in this case, no proof of ID documents is required.

Otherwise, some online registration systems allow the celebrant to enter payment details directly. It is important to remember the standard certificate of marriage will only be available once the registration process has been completed

by BDM.

24

DRIVING FORCE

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Meet the Khakh brothers who made a name through enterprise and culture

L

ovedeep Singh Khakh is proud of his roots which goes back to the northern Indian state of Punjab. His surname Khakh is derived from his ‘small town’ Khakh near Amritsar. Of course, it is not something peculiar to him alone. After all, most Indian names are based on a variety of systems and naming conventions. But for Lovedeep, it is an identity that goes beyond family history and extends to the branding of the businesses he has set up with his brother Arshdeep Singh Khakh in Australia. So, add loyalty, stability, and

says, “After my brother came to Australia, it gave me more energy to realise my ambitions.”

The brothers first forayed into the transport business after Lovedeep acquired all his experiences working with DHL company. “I was given the opportunity to manage the operations of vans and trucks and they really liked my work.”

After few years of working there, Lovedeep thought he could probably do

our own company when we are fixing someone’s car and give customers something better, say, luxury cars,” explains Arshdeep.

Among the fleet of rental cars Khakh Rentals offers are Range Rovers, Jaguars, Mercedes, Audis, BMWs, Bentleys and more. The brothers claim they rely very little on advertisement but events give them leverage. That is where their other company Khakh Production comes into play. Khakh Production does singing events and even hosted the

as it is free for them, we don’t charge from them but from insurance,” says Arshdeep.

So how do they see their companies growing? “In the future, you will get to see new things in the industry especially with the community getting stronger. Ten years ago, not many from the community owned luxury cars but Indian people love cars and you will see more on the roads.

Every house in Australia has at least three cars on an average, and the need for services that we offer will increase.

That’s why we are trying to grow and add more branches if needed,” says Lovedeep.

Clearly, for the Khakh brother it has been a journey of a decade growing businesses. Lovedeep says they have gone through the grind as students doing odd jobs and learning each step of the way. But importantly, they also have a message for students struggling to find their way here. “No job is a small job in the beginning, if you go through that hard part and complete your studies and work and study from your heart, everyone will appreciate that and you will grow personally and professionally. The most important thing is you learn even from a small job,” says Lovedeep.

Arshdeep seconds his brother saying they had their fair share of struggle, “but we were together and that made us stronger and handle problems better.

The struggle was there but we didn’t take it as struggle, it was a part of growing so we had the attitude that we had to do it.

The hard work paid off, we are satisfied now”.

bond to the attributes he ascribes to his many works.

better if he gave more time to his Lovedeep says he never harboured brains than his any dreams to go overseas. In fact, he physical hands. was a regular guy, born to a farming He left DHL but family and studying physiotherapy in continued his Khalsa College, Amritsar, when his uncle association with who was settled in Australia suggested the firm as he he moved here too. “I followed his advice, then got his own came here and, later, asked my brother fleet of trucks and to join me. It was a good decision,” he vans employed at reflects.

DHL. So, in 2006 Lovedeep left what he was studying in Punjab and came to Australia to pursue something different. Initially, he enrolled himself in a course in horticulture believing he could put his education to good use but soon realised he was not cut out for it.

With their enterprising bent, the brothers always wanted to do things independently without conditions. “That’s when we started our own transport business Taj Khakh Pvt Ltd without partnership,” says Lovedeep.

After a few months, Lovedeep changed his course and opted for automotive engineering. He also acquired a diploma in Business alongside. Armed with both degrees, he slowly got involved with businesses and was learning every day.

There were bigger dreams in his mind.

Today, the main family business Khakh Rentals has grown substantially within the niche Indian market here in Melbourne. What Khakh Rentals does is providing a car replacement for accident cars. But what makes it unique is that it provides replacement luxury cars on zero cost to customers.

Realising the strength of family businesses, Lovedeep asked his brother Arshdeep to join him here in 2008. “He guided me so I did the same automotive course and we opened a car workshop here,” says Arshdeep. It would mark the start of the Khakh brothers’ foray into their successful businesses. As Lovedeep

The idea for Khakh Rentals was born out of other related existing businesses - an accidental repair centre for car and their transport company Taj Khakh Pvt Ltd. “We were using the high-end cars from other companies to give our customers. We thought why not start

World Kabaddi 2019 in May. Interestingly, it was a ticketed game with 8000 people in attendance. A lucky member of the audience even won a Ford Mustang car. “Some people said we couldn’t pull it off without sponsorships or financial support. We proved them wrong and did everything on our own.

People loved it and it feels good to know that we achieved what we always wanted to do – getting youngsters involved in sports, promoting culture and providing entertainment to the community,” says Lovedeep.

“Khakh Productions gives us a chance to tell people about our businesses and what we do. For instance, most people in the community don’t know that they have the right to have a replacement car when their car is getting repaired especially when they are not at fault. So, we are trying to tell people to use our service

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Of course, the advantages of working in a family business is huge but in case of disagreements do they have a structure in place to solve it?

“Actually I think we never had any issue where he wants to do something and I don’t . I know if he wants to do something there will be a point behind it. As long as I understand the point, we go for it. And vice versa. So, it’s a collective decision all the way. We make sure that both us and our family agree on it,” says Lovedeep.

Importantly, as Sikhis the brothers believe in ‘sewa’ (service), something they inculcated from their father who spends most of his time doing that. “I believe in some way trying to help others give us good energy. We have a strong believe in Sikhism, it teaches you to treat everyone equally. We are not perfect at doing everything, but we try to do as much as we can,” says Arshdeep.

By Indira Laisram

EXCLUSIVE

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

25

In conversation with Indian cricketer

Mithali Raj in Melbourne

From taking selfies at the MCG to playing with kangaroos, Indian cricketer Mithali Raj is enjoying the hospitality of Australia experiencing some of the best food and drink, wildlife encounters, adventure tours and world-class sporting venues. As guest of Tourism Australia, the former Indian skipper is on few cities’ tour. She says this is not a luxury she enjoyed earlier when she came to play matches here owing to the tight schedules of the games. Raj was particularly fascinated by the Caversham Wildlife Park in Perth.

Melbourne holds a special memory as the Indian women’s cricket team won their first T20 series against Australia in 2016, reflects Raj. This time, Raj has had the opportunity to explore the lanes and bylanes of the city, enjoy the coffee shops and graffities that allure many a tourist. “Any art lover would enjoy the details of the art and, of course, any food lover would enjoy this city,” she smiles. We caught up with the former Indian skipper, who holds the record for playing the maximum number of ODIs in women’s cricket. Excerpts.

Why did you retire from T20?

If I have to concentrate on 2021 World Cup, I thought it would be wise of me to quit one format to prepare myself for it.

One Day International (ODI) has always been my format, Test has not been that frequent in women’s cricket – the last Test we played was in 2014. So, 2010 is my goal. Besides, players who have just started few years ago are very apt for this format because at the beginning itself they are taught how to go about the format. T20 came very late in my career but I gave it my all; I am content with the way I have played in this format and given my best-led India in a couple of T20 World Cups. I am now happy to move forward.

Quitting T20 in fact gave me a lot of time to work on my ODI series, fitness and training. If I continue playing both, I will be taking a lot more stress. The decision to retire from T20 had nothing to do with any controversy as reported.

You have become the first woman cricketer to have an international career lasting more than 20 years. What do you attribute it to?

Honestly, I have never really thought I would get to play two decades of cricket.

When I started playing, I just wanted to play one series and make my father happy, but that didn’t happen. I have always taken things year by year and never really planned long term. I always took World Cup to World Cup and there were times when I thought I would probably quit because of injuries and so on. Somehow things persisted and I always believed one has to be consistent in pretty much everything one does, not just in sports. Consistency is one of the primary factors for anybody doing well at a particular level.

When did you realise that you

wanted to turn cricket into your profession?

My father was very keen that I turn into a professional cricketer. At a very young age, he put me into the sport unlike my teammates who have played in the backyard or with their elder brothers. I have never played that kind of cricket. I was put straightaway in a professional set-up, I was enrolled at an academy in Secunderabad where my brother used to play. I didn’t experience the joys of playing in the street, which is a common sight back home. So, the first time I held my bat was with the help of a professional coach.

How has the support and interest for women’s cricket changed in the past few years?

A lot has changed after it coming under International Cricket Council (ICC) and the respective boards in different countries such as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for us. In India and around the world, cricket is represented by these bodies and it makes sense to come under them because a lot of things have changed about cricket now. They also now discuss about women’s cricket, people watch women’s cricket on television and there are a lot of followers.

The growth of women’s cricket in India is immense because of which a lot of branding happens to the sport, to the players, and the way the parents take initiative to enrol young girls who show interest in cricket. When I started, I didn’t know the set-up about women’s cricket as I was a school-going kid who had never seen girls play sport as such. Today, a lot of academies are very open to accepting girls.

How long do you think you will be playing?

As of now, my goal is ODI World Cup 2021 in New Zealand. That would be

my last World Cup, and something I am aiming at. We play the next One Day in British summer (June-July), then we probably have an Australia tour after that.

Right now, preparations are on for the T20 World Cup. However, I will get a good two-three months of training, relax and reschedule my goals towards maintaining my form and my game and prepare my best for 2021.

How hopeful are you of winning ODI World Cup 2021?

As of today, we have a good side. We won pretty much all of our ICC championship series barring the Australia home series where we lost to Australia. On that basis, the team is good. But again, the preparation for the World Cup is very different, you would want your core to be in form. So we will see after the summer England tour how we are going forward.

Would you like to coach after full retirement?

I have not set my mind on a specific thing.

I will see what all avenues open up once I quit. There are many options for women cricketers these days such as being a match referee, commentator, office bearer or being a mentor to the team. Let’s see what opens up and where I can add more value.

Can India’s favourite sport cricket ever go mixed?

I think I approve of this concept. You need to see girls and boys playing together.

But when you see it at the international level, it is not practical because of the various factors that differentiate men and women. When it comes to the grassroot level and for young children, a boy should be comfortable playing with a young girl of the same age.

By Indira Laisram

(For full interview visit www.gdayindia.com.au)

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26

DALLICIOUS

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Rushina wows Melburnians with stories about the ubiquitous dal A celebrated food writer, author and culinary chronicler, Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal started out as one of India’s pioneering food bloggers. Her leap into the culinary world began inadvertently she admits, while looking for recipes online and blogging. The writing would open many doors of opportunity in the field and, later, turn her into an entrepreneur.

Today, Rushina heads A Perfect Bite, a premier food consulting which was set up in 2008 and APB Cook Studio which functions as a food lab, test kitchen and food content studio.

An expert in Indian and world cuisines, she specialises in Indian food studies, with a special interest in regional cuisines of Garhwali and Kutchi Bhatia communities. She is also the person behind initiatives such as Indian Food Observance Days, The Pledge to Eat Indian movement and the Godrej Food Trends Report.

With more than 15 years of experience in the Indian food industry, Rushina will be in Melbourne next week to talk about plant protein which is gaining currency these days. According to the author and cook, “Plant protein is being hailed as the future of food security globally. But in India dal (lentils), the ingredient, and the concept of dal, the dish, is rooted in the ethos of Indian culinary history. Over time, dal has come to be culturally important as well. It is one of the first foods we are fed, present in rituals, feasts and festivals. Today the sheer variety of dals – the umbrella term for dried legumes, pulses and lentils - consumed in India is incomparable.”

In conversation with Rushina Munshaw Ghildiyal on the evolution of dal as a as a primary source of protein and its impact on Indian culinary evolution, and more.

Tell us a bit about your culinary journey?

hard to digest. Undercooked versions can lead to upset tummies. But this can be avoided if they are properly soaked and cooked. It is important that the first-time cooks of dals learn to cook their beans and lentils properly. Skinned and split lentils like split mung or red lentils are easy to cook and easy on the stomach. I would recommend starting with those.

My journey has been one of serendipity. I am a culinary chronicler, teacher, corporate food consultant, and curator of food experiences. I write on food for several reputable publications and consult on food panels. I chanced upon food writing as a career option way back in 2004. In 2005, I started my career in food writing and also set up my first food blog. (I was one of India’s earliest food bloggers). Over the years I expanded my skills into food styling, and more. In 2008, I opened A Perfect Bite® Consulting, a premier food consulting firm. In 2012, I launched what was India’s first hands-on kitchen studio, The APB Cook Studio® which today functions as a food lab, test kitchen and food content Studio. Over a career spanning 14 years, I’ve had the privilege to working on some fantastic projects and been part of many wonderful start-ups.

What is your advice to people unsure of making the change to cooking more vegetarian food?

Try it! Vegetarian dishes and vegetables can add a lot of new textures, flavours and fun to everyday meals.

Can you elaborate a bit more about DALicious- the Ultimate Grain? What are some of the myths and facts about the ubiquitous Indian dal?

Is plant protein the future of food security globally?

That there is a yellow and a black dal and that is it.

Dal is typically yellow. This is because I cannot say whether plant protein is of the way it is cooked. All split dals the future. But for a while now, there has are typically cooked with turmeric been a growing concern globally about which makes them yellow so it can be the adverse effect of diets dependant misleading, but a yellow dal made of on animal-based foods such as meat, elaborate preparations with whole spices, split mung tastes very different from dairy, poultry and fish. Production of one made of split red lentils (which are sautéed garlic, onions, and tomatoes. these stresses the environment far What is one of the easiest reddish-orange when uncooked but are However way you choose to cook it more than food particularly protein from ways to cook lentils? cooked into a yellow dal). We also have everything works! Nothing can beat a plant sources, which is why the world is The easiest way to cook lentils would whole bean-based dals that may be meal of steaming hot rice and dal with a looking into more environmentally-friendly be the everyday dal we eat in India. red (red kidney beans and tomatoes) or little pickle on the side! options. Legumes and lentils have Dal (as the ingredient is also called) is black (made from black beans). These been identified as one possible solution boiled with water and then tempered with get their colour based on the beans used My favourite – very indulgent - way to and research is underway all over the spices. Dals can be thin and soupy or and how they are cooked. But they also cook dal however is to fry lots of garlic world in this area. My point is, India thick and textured depending on how they in butter or ghee (clarified butter) till it is take longer to cook and may be made for already consumes a plant forward diet, will be eaten. They go with steamed rice golden brown and add it to the boiling dal. special meals. we adapted to this way of eating eons or flatbreads as the daily meal every day ago. India eats more dal in more ways in many homes in India.

That Dal is boring – it is not! We eat Garlic and chillies are my absolute compared to any other culinary culture in at least 30-40 types of dal (the grain) in favourite ingredients. the world.

India, which are cooked into thousands of What ingredients go best dishes. I could cook a different dal every Dals are a go-to food, an integral half with dal? What are your But what can first time day of the year without a single repeat! of the cereal-pulse combination that is favourite ingredients to cook Indian-food cooks absolutely the mainstay of the contemporary Indian That Dal is difficult to cook. It is not like with? not compromise on especially diet. They have also been carried with all foods. One needs to understand the Dal can be as simple as the lentils Indians wherever they have travelled and when cooking dal? nuances of cooking dal. But once you do, boiled and tempered with a little are found in Indian diaspora cuisines all Cooking the beans/ lentils thoroughly. it is easy. over the world. And it is the consumption asafoetida or cumin and flavoured with Whole legumes and beans have earned (As told to G’day India) turmeric and salt. Or it can also have of this that I will be talking about. themselves a justifiable reputation as

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2020 VISION

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

27

Ace your New Year resolutions!

O

ver the years we’ve reduced the value of “resolutions” to mere statements we make at the beginning of every year.

We do this to challenge ourselves and to give more meaning to our lives, only to miserably fail within a few months. And it has become so normative to us to break these resolutions that we never question our inefficiency to follow through.

Renowned Life and Business Coach, Sanjeet Ray, explains why this happens and what one can do about it:

1. Check the feasibility

The first and foremost key to a foolproof resolution plan is to check the feasibility of the plan. In simple words this means to get a thorough reality check of the situation you’re currently in and the situation you want to push yourself to be at with this plan.

Start by questioning yourself with a big eWHY’. Why is it this goal important to you? Why do you want to start going to the gym? What makes you want to take up piano lessons? Why do you want to start waking up at five in the morning daily? What about a vegan lifestyle fascinates you and why you want to make the switch? Why do you want to start a new vertical in your business venture?

Dig deeper within yourself to figure the true value behind these resolutions. Why is that goal so important to you and what

as months go by is the one that took that resolution to be fit and accepted their defeat by not following through with their plans. It may seem like this crowd that stopped coming to the gym due to a lack discipline. However, in reality, they have simply not asked themselves the eWHY’. Which is why that first step is so important.

benefits will you get from it. Introspect your answer carefully to understand how to place this goal of yours in your range of priorities. You may have multiple goals for 2020, arrange them in order of importance to establish what your topmost priorities are.

2. Chart out a roadmap

Now that we’ve understood the emotional value behind our goals and have placed them in order of importance, start by charting out a roadmap to it.

Quantify your goal and give it a number; For example, if your resolution is to pick up on your writing habits, challenge yourself to write 12 pieces within the first 3 months, 15 pieces in the next 3 months and so on. Break the timeframe into sections and schedule your targets by evaluating your current capacity.

3. Check up your resources

Ask yourself the following questions: What are the resources that you have?

What are the ones you can avail?

How much should your target be in order to make sure that you are logistically capable of carrying it out?

What have your previous patterns with this kind of activity or experience been like?

When you weigh all of these answers, you’ll understand how much you currently have to offer, how much more would you need to offer; and what would you have to do to harness that extra bit. Fill in the gaps to execute your goals and be successful at your resolutions.

4. Discipline is key

A lot of people feel that they don’t have enough discipline and that is why their resolutions fail. People say that January is the month where gyms are the most crowded however by the end of the year all of that crowd has disappeared and the gym is lighter again.

This crowd that disappears gradually

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You will never be disciplined about your resolution. Unless you realise the value, it holds, unless you realise the repercussions, you will not have the will to follow through. You need to determine in terms of worth, what it means for you to achieve this particular goal. Exactly how important is it for you and what is the price you will pay for not doing it? Once you have assessed that, you will pursue it diligently because now you know the exact value of this resolutions of yours.

While allotting targets to yourself, be reasonable. Understand your past patterns and study them. Why did you find it difficult to wake up early in the morning? Why do you end up staying late the previous night? What occupies your time at night and what shifts are feasible to make in your schedule to be able to sleep early and wake up early the next day? Don’t push yourself to achieve unrealistic standards.

The key is challenging your limits but challenge them to a point where you can endure it.

(GDI)

28

TECH

G’DAYG’DAY INDIAINDIA | JANUARY | JAN 2020 2014

ART & CULTURE BEAUTY

By Sanchita Abrol

Sangam: The intersection of contemporary and classic I

ndeed, this year Melbourne has witnessed some small scale to really large events promoting the wide-ranging South Asian Diaspora in Australia. Sangam was one of them. However, this festival was different because, wherein the classical arts are seen through the lens of certain techniques, in Western or South Asian context, this platform had the freedom of space. This freedom provided the performing artists a plethora of creative thoughts which filled the space with many intercultural dialogues.

Whether it was through the medium of music, dance, visuals, literary readings or stand-up comedy, discussions about LGBTQIA, the implied discrimination faced by the first, second or even third generations of the diaspora, the issue of cultural relativism, the argument of historical purity vs contemporary approaches and also traditional philosophies in a contemporary take, were common.

Festival showcasing many domestic and International artists was curated by

D

Dr. Priya Srinivasan, acclaimed veena artist and singer Hari Sivanesan, and award-winning artist Uthra Vijay, spread for 3 days with 4 events held at the Bunjil Place and Dancehouse.

Ganga Crossings was the first event, where David Balaban on sitar and Aman Kalyan on Tabla representing Melbourne Hindustani Classical Society opened the space with their infectious music. The choice of pieces in different Taals like Teen Taal and Ek Taal were extremely beautiful. The second act was by legendary violinist Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi from India joining hands with Melbourne based renowned Mridangam player Sridhar Chari. From classic composition by Tamil poet ‘Sadasiva Brahmendra’ to another piece ‘Kavava Kanda Vava’, the duo performed exceptionally. The third act featured the two pieces developed in 5 workshops with renowned dancer Priyadarshini Govind from India. The first piece was

pure dance or ‘Nritta Ang’ combined with expressions or ‘Abhinaya Ang’ to express Subramanya Bharathi’s composition by 9 talented dancers. The second piece was a pure ‘Abinaya Ang’ showcasing a group of young women chattering about the current favourite of Krishna.

Birrarung DadaDesi co-curated

by Nithya Iyer and Vidya Rajan featured 16 emerging and established artists.

More experimental

performed a monologue exploring his identity while basing his movements on the ‘Karnas’ given by the Natyashastra. ‘I am born in the land of sunburnt country...

I stand alone’. With this he disclosed his vulnerability through the dance of a stand-alone tree on a western music.

Kathak performance by Aparna lacked the quality in movements and the wardrobe malfunction didn’t help the artist. But the violinist Maiyurentheran Srikumar was the highlight of the day.

Another comic Pawan brought out the emotions as a kid growing up in Australia and the prevailing discrimination moulding the submissive thoughts.

less traditional performances of the day were not meant for the usual South Asian classical spectators, it was an idea to find the perfection in the imperfection of the classical techniques. From the western perspective, it was an attempt of removing the one-dimensional view of South Asian classical arts. Whether it was a success was left to individual spectators.

It began with quick witted Vidya Rajan sharing her usual WhatsApp family chats with a Piano track to dramatically present the communication chaos each morning in a usual diaspora family with members in different countries. The professional dancer Shriraam Theiventhiran

‘Moving from comic to Tragic’, as stated by Carnatic singer Arjunan Puveendran who sang about Sita, retold the tale of Rama through a female perspective. Dancer Kersherka Sivakumaran in the role of Sita expressed the tear jerking Sita’s strong side in questioning the morality of Lord Rama.

Even though Sangam was successful in gathering the bouquet of many artists, the depth in the individual performances was missing. Thoughts were overpowering the creative space. Was it too much to absorb or was it intended like that? This could be argued.

Shades of Draupadi

r. Janaki Rangarajan an acclaimed Bharatanatyam artist, in her solo explored the unheard incidents from the life of the iconic Draupadi.

In art and culture landscape, where the notion of Draupadi is till date considered ambiguous, Janaki in her personal quest tried to understand her beyond the famous disrobing scene from the epic Mahabharata.

With compassion for Draupadi, Dr Janaki’s performance was divided in different acts. Each segment was equally powerful and ended on a thought-provoking note through the segments of spoken words.

With her awestricken ‘Abhinaya’, Janaki expressed that where till date our society is not ready to hear a female’s voice, what Draupadi must have gone through in that era. In the complete performance, Janaki expressed Draupadi’s emotions while finding answers for her own questions, which contributed to a personalized approach and a present-day outlook.

Janaki’s crisp footwork and symbolic movements engrossed the onlookers and the intense expressions communicated very well. The music and the poetry were aptly chosen for a piece like this.

Unravelling the layers of the ideal Goddess Draupadi, creative genius Dr. Janaki presented the hidden sensitive female, Draupadi. The event was very well organized by the Chandralaya School of Dance, Melbourne. Many art and culture connoisseurs were present at the function.

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SPORTS

5

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

s n o s r e p s t r o sp

W

hile all eyes will be on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and how Indian athletes fare in the mother of all competitions, the year ahead will also be about looking at sportspersons who have made a mark in 2019 and will look to continue in the same vein at the start of the new decade.

Five sportspersons cutting across disciplines who can make an impact this year:

Shreyas Iyer (Cricket) The much-debated No. 4 conundrum for Team India in the limited overs set-up finally came to a stop as Shreyas Iyer made the position his with some stellar knocks in 2019. The Delhi Capitals captain played with maturity and looked sharp on the field as well, prompting head coach Ravi Shastri to say that their No.4 headache looks to be over. Iyer looks set to only get better in 2020 as India prepare for the T20 World Cup slated to be played in Australia in October.

Saurabh Chaudhary (Shooting) Saurabh Chaudhary showed he has the appetite for success as he scaled new heights by smashing the world record on his way to a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup, thus securing a Tokyo Olympics quota also. Saurabh also won the mixed pair event alongside Manu Bhaker, another young prodigy. He also finished No. 1 at the Munich World Cup, recorded another podium finish (bronze) in the individual event of the Rio de Janeiro World Cup, won silver at Asian Shooting Championships and another mixed event alongside Yashaswini Singh Deswal. And thus, this young shooter from Uttar Pradesh will be expected to bring more laurels to the country, both at the Olympics and other events.

Vinesh Phogat (Wrestling) Vinesh Phogat underlined her potential with a bronze medal in the World Wrestling Championships after she registered an

Sports fraternity gets behind bushfire relief efforts

T

he Australian sports fraternity has come in unison in order to raise money to support people and communities across the country affected by the devastating bushfires.

the ongoing ninth edition of the Big Bash League (BBL) have also pledged to raise money by donating to the bushfire appeal in Australia for every six they hit this season.

Bushfires are raging across Australia, with New South Wales and Victoria greatly affected, causing huge loss to life and property. There is also a “catastrophic” fire warning in Western Australia, while Tasmania and Queensland states have also been badly affected over the past several months.

Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell and D’Arcy Short will each donate A$250 towards the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal for every six they hit in the BBL.

During the inaugural ATP Cup tennis tournament which starts Friday, each ace served across the 10-day tournament at all three venues in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth will deliver A$100 to the Australian Red Cross bushfire disaster relief and recovery efforts.

With more than 1,500 aces expected to be served by singles and doubles players across both the group rounds and Final Eight in Sydney, the ATP Cup contribution is expected to exceed A$150,000.

Some players have also started to get involved individually, with Alex de Minaur, Nick Kyrgios, John Millman, John Peers and Sam Stosur all pledging personal donations for every ace they serve.

Kyrgios pledged to donate A$200 for every ace he serves over the next month, and de Minaur, Millman, Peers and Stosur all followed suit with similar promises.

Meanwhile, cricketers participating in

29

who can make a difference

in 2020

emphatic 4-1 victory over Greece’s Maria Prevolaraki in Russia. That made her the first Indian wrestler to qualify for the 2020 Olympics. She also became the first Indian woman wrestler to make the cut through Worlds, a feat which only strengthens her stakes at the Tokyo Olympics. With Sakshi Malik struggling, Vinesh will be India’s best hope for glory in Tokyo.

Amit Panghal (Boxing) Amit Panghal’s consistency can only be matched by the legendary MC Mary Kom. The boxer shifted from 48kg to 51kg but that too did not dampen his spirits as the 23-year-old fetched India its first ever silver at the men’s world championships.

Panghal’s 2019 gold rush began in the tournament, which was also his last competition in the 49kg category. Since moving to 52kg, he won gold at the Asian Championships and is a bright prospect going into Tokyo 2020.

for India

G. Sathiyan (Table tennis) Table tennis doesn’t have a bright history for India at the Olympics but the sport is making giant strides riding Sathiyan’s coattails in the past year or so. 2019 saw India’s highest ranked paddler come of age and take over the mantle from Sharath Kamal.

Sathiyan became the first Indian to break into the top-25 of the ITTF world rankings when he rose to 24 in July. He also downed quite a few top-20 players, including World No. 5 and young Japanese teenage sensation Harimoto Tomokazu. Sathiyan’s sixth-place finish in his first-ever Asian Cup also helped him qualify for the World Cup where he made the main draw after topping his group. Come Tokyo 2020, it remains to be seen whether they make it, but the year ahead looks more than promising for Sathiyan.

By Debayan Mukherjee

Kohli named captain of CA’s Test XI of the decade

In the A-League, Melbourne Victory, Melbourne City and Western United have come together to support the bushfire disaster appeal. For every ticket sold at this weekend’s round 13 matches in Melbourne, A$2 will be donated, reports The Guardian.

NBL star LaMelo Ball has pledged to donate one month of his salary to help victims of the devastating fires.

The Australian and New Zealand cricket teams, currently involved in the Test match in Sydney, also paid tributes to the firefighters battling catastrophic firestorms around the country. The crowd at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) rose to its feet to join both the teams in a minute of applause to honour the volunteer firefighters before the start of play.

Australia’s ODI series against New Zealand in March will be used to raise funds for bushfire ravaged towns. Cricket Australia has confirmed that money raised from the two matches at the SCG would go to the Red Cross.

(AGENCIES)

V

irat Kohli has been named captain of Cricket Australia’s Test XI of the decade.

In an XI that consists of the biggest names to have made a mark in the longest format of the game in the last 10 years, Kohli was hailed by CA for evolving into “one of the game’s most respected figures over the years” apart from his prowess with the bat.

Kohli, however, would bat lower down the order in this XI with his regular number three position taken up by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson.

Former England skipper Alastair Cook was selected as the opener with Australia’s David Warner as his partner. Williamson is followed by Australian stalwart Steve Smith.

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Kohli comes in after Smith at No.5.

Any team playing against this side wouldn’t have too much respite even after dismissing half the side as at No.6 comes South African great AB de Villiers, who is also chosen as the wicketkeeper.

England all-rounder Ben Stokes finds his place at No.7. Among the bowlers, South African legend Dale Steyn and England duo of Stuart Broad and James Anderson will handle the pace department with Nathan Lyon of Australia as the lone spinner.

The list also had honourable mentions for every position and Ravichandran Ashwin was named along with Lyon.

(AGENCIES)

30

TRAVEL

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Jaisalmer The G o l de n Fo r t

I

remember my first view of Jaisals Fort - it literally took my breath away. Despite having seen umpteen photos, perched on the top of a hill, the Fort was a vision out of a fairy tale.

Year after year, countless tourists from all over the world are totally mesmerized by the Jaisalmer Fort, built of rare golden sandstone. There are few places in India that can rival the medieval charm and magnificence of this 12th century Fort with its intricately carved havelis.

or towers form a defensive inner-wall perimeter that is about 4.0 km long. The fort now incorporates 99 bastions, of which 92 were probably rebuilt between the period of 1633 and 47. The fort also has four massive fortified entrances leading from the town. One of the gates was once guarded by cannon. Visitors to the fort must pass these four massive gateways

the huge temple built by Askaran Chopra of Merta dedicated to Sambhavanaha. It has more than 600 idols and old scriptures. Other temples include the Ashtapadh built by Chopra Panchaji and the Laxminath temple dedicated to Vishnu and Lakshmi.

However, visitors are most interested

owned and lived in, some of these have been turned into museums. The Vyas haveli which was built in the 15th century is still occupied by the descendants of the original builders. Another example is the Shree Nath Palace which was once inhabited by the prime minister of Jaisalmer. Some of the doors and ceilings of the older buildings are splendid examples of designs of intricate carved wood dating back to hundreds of years.

Also worth noting is the Fort’s ingenious drainage system known as the eGhut Nali’, which allows for the easy drainage of rainwater away from the fort in all four directions. Over the years, haphazard construction activities and building of new roads has greatly reduced its effectiveness.

The approach to the Jaisalmer Fort adds to the first glimpse. There is this straight road without any trees and roadside habitation to break the monotony, when suddenly from a distance of around 12 kilometres, the Fort comes into view perched on a table mountain rising up like a mirage... just like Satyajit Ray’s eSonar Kella’.

Jaisal, ruler of Lodhruva - that lies 16 kilometres west of Jaisalmer - was conscious that his fortress on the plane was susceptible to invasion and wandered around the neighbourhood to find a securer vantage point. Local legends say that Jaisal came across a Brahmin hermit living next to a spring, that overlooked the triple-peaked hill known as eTrikuta’. The hermit told Jaisal that many years ago, another hermit had foretold that a town would be built close to the spring and a situated along the main approach to the fort would be built on top of the hill. And citadel. so, it happened, just as predicted.

Within the Fort, there are many beautiThe fort is built on a hill that rises to ful palaces, havelis and temples. These more than a height of 250 ft above the include the Raj Mahal Palace, which surrounding countryside. It is 1,500 ft was earlier the former residence of the long and 750 ft wide and the base of the Maharawal of Jaisalmer. There are 7 fort has a 15 ft tall wall forming the fort’s beautiful Jain temples, all built with yellow outermost ring as well as two more walls sandstone and dating back to 12th - 16th for its defence. The fort’s upper bastions century. Among Hindu temples there is

The Fort was built to withstand the heat and the sand of the Thar desert, the Fort now also has to be able to survive heavy rainfall. Quirks of weather were totally unheard of in Jaisal’s time! Conservation of the Fort has been occupying the minds of many and one can see that this year’s rain has added to their problems. These are warnings that cannot be ignored. For those who have not visited Jaisalmer a speedy visit is advised. in the numerous havelis in the Fort.

These are large houses built by wealthy merchants with ornate sandstone carvings. Among the most popular being the ePatwon ki Haveli’. Many of these dwellings are hundreds of years old and have elaborate carved from in yellow sandstone. Some may have many floors and countless rooms, with beautifully decorated windows, archways, doors and balconies. While most of the havelis are

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Beginning from November and right up to the end of March, is the best time to visit Jaisalmer. The Desert Festival is usually held around early February when the whole region comes alive with camels and colourfully clad desert folk. Drives out to the sand dunes offer spectacular sunsets and a chance to see the desert folk in their natural habitat, dancing and singing in the sand.

By Shona Adhikari

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

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RELATIONSHIPS

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

‘Indian women prefer Office flirting cuts stress, men aged 30-40 for extra makes co-worker feel powerful marital af fairs’

I

n some cheer for employees in the holiday season, researchers say that workplace flirtation that does not cross the line makes the co-worker feel attractive, socially connected and powerful, thus reducing the job stress levels in the office environment.

In three different studies, the team led by Leah Sheppard, assistant professor of management at Washington State University, found that non-harassing social sexual behaviour (call it flirting) in the workplace, if enjoyed, can provide psychosocial resources (such as feeling powerful, socially connected and physically attractive) that protect recipients from stress and its negative outcomes.

I

ndian women prefer older men aged between 30-40 as partners for extra marital affairs, while men mostly prefer women partners aged between 25-30, shows data from the extra-marital dating app Gleeden.

As per the kind of relation, men are ‘open to everything’ and mostly look for ‘anything exciting’, while Indian women are more cautious and mostly prefer ‘virtual’ exchanges, according to the data revealed.

Indian users prefer to connect from their smartphones, and they favour the app vs the mobile website, it said.

The spend on chat an average of 1.5 hours, split in 3 visits, and connect mostly between 12pm and 3pm, during lunch break, and between 10pm and midnight, when the spouse is distracted or asleep, the company said.

The report also showed that Delhi ranked 4 in the Top 5 ‘unfaithful’ cities in the country and subscribers from Delhi represent the 18 per cent of Gleeden’s community in the country.

While Bengaluru ranked 1st, Mumbai and Kolkata is on 2nd and 3rd, followed by Delhi and Pune.

The most relevant thing about Delhi is that the ratio men: women is 65:35, which

is the highest percentage of women vs men compared to the country’s average (70:30).

Women from Delhi are also the most active online and spend in chat over two hours daily.

They are aged between 30 and 40 years old and they seek mostly men with the highest income, such as doctors, dentists, higher-up managers and chartered accountants.

On Gleeden, overall, 12 per cent of subscribers are married people looking for an extramarital exchange with a person of the same sex. Out of this 12 per cent the majority are women (18 per cent of the overall community vs six per cent of men).

The company also revealed that only three per cent of married subscribers selected ‘homosexual’ as their sexual orientation, and one per cent ‘bisexual’.

Despite the numbers being lower in India than in other countries of the world, the company did witness an increase of same sex encounters during the past six months (+45 per cent), which means that after the abolition of the section 377 people feel freer to express their sexual preference and to pursue homosexual or bisexual encounters outside their wedlock.

(AGENCIES)

“We use time-lagged data to demonstrate that the frequency of receiving flirtation at work is more positively related to psychosocial resource accumulation to the extent that it is enjoyed, and the resulting resources predict lower levels of stress,” Sheppard said in a paper published in the journal Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes.

The findings showed that “participants who experienced higher levels of enjoyed flirtation were more protected from the negative effects of workplace injustice on insomnia and job tension”.

However, workers tended to dislike social sexual behaviour when it came from someone with authority over them, like bosses.

In the second study, the researchers use timelagged data to demonstrate that the frequency of receiving flirtation at work is more positively related to psychosocial resource accumulation to the extent that it is enjoyed, and the resulting resources predict lower levels of stress.

“Though we fully recognize the dangers of certain forms of sexual behaviour in organizations, our work suggests that there is an entire repertoire of social sexual behaviour’ occurring in organizations that resides in a space that is distinct from sexual harassment,” wrote

The reach this conclusion, Sheppard and her coauthors analysed surveys from several hundred workers in the US, Canada and the Philippines about their experience of receiving “social sexual behaviour”.

“Importantly, these behaviours are not always driven by romantic interest and tend to be instinctive behaviours even among those in platonic opposite-sex relationships,” the authors wrote.

In the first study, the researchers developed and validated a measure of non-harassing social sexual behaviour that is conceptually and empirically distinct from sexual harassment.

“We also uncover two distinct forms of social sexual behaviour -- flirtation and sexual storytelling (a worker sharing a personal story about a past sexual experience or an erotic joke, etc),” the study said.

Participants were largely neutral on “sexual storytelling”.

the authors.

“Our research serves as a foundation for future theory that situates social sexual behaviour as a potential mechanism by which employees might obtain validation, feel a sense of inclusion, and relieve stress,” they added.

Researchers hoped that the current work would inspire future investigations into what we regard as a neglected area of research.

“To ignore the effects of enjoyed ‘social sexual behaviour’ is to miss the opportunity to gain a richer understanding of the full expression of human behaviour in organizations.

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Wor king wives a ge w e ll, live lo nge r af t e r r e t i r e me n t

I

n good news for working women, new research reveals that women who were employed consistently during their prime years had better physical health than their non-working counterparts as they reached golden years.

data from the National Longitudinal Survey of mature women in the US.

Working women were also less depressed over the next decades as they entered old age, and even lived longer, said Jennifer Caputo, research scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Germany.

Their analyses showed that women who regularly worked for pay during the first 20 years of the study reported fewer physical health limitations and symptoms of depression as they aged over the next 16 years than women who didn’t work for pay, including housewives.

“Many women in this study went to work in low-status or traditionally male-dominated fields. It is perhaps especially telling that despite these less equitable conditions, they were healthier later in life than women who didn’t work outside the home,” said Caputo in a paper published in the journal Demography.

Caputo and her co-authors analysed

The survey began in 1967 with about 5,100 women aged 30-44, and followed them until they were 66-80 years old in 2003.

They also had more than 25 percent lower risk of having died by 2012.

Consistently negative experiences with work did appear to take a toll on women’s health later on.

Those who perceived discrimination at work, didn’t particularly like their jobs,

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and said they did not feel committed to their work had poorer physical and mental health as they aged.

However, women with these experiences were still healthier in late life than non-workers.

The authors also found that taking into account income, occupational class, and hours worked did not fully explain why working women were healthier and lived longer than non-working women.

“Women’s health is benefitted by being employed, regardless of their economic situation and even if they don’t always have the best working experiences,” said Caputo.

“For the first time. we were able to show a positive long-term relationship between working at midlife and health over many following years, even past the age of retirement,” she added.

(AGENCIES)

LIFESTYLE

Indians like

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

to holiday

70% parents cannot control their own online activity

A

round 70 per cent of parents admit that they themselves spend too much time online and 72 per cent feel that internet and mobile device usage in general is impeding family life, a new report said on Friday.

er Product Marketing at Kaspersky.

In a bid to promote self-regulation online, the study conducted by the Global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky found that 52 per cent parents trust their kids to know when enough is enough.

Along with this approach to their children’s online activity, the survey also shows that parents are not restrictive about their own mobile phone habits or the amount of time spent on the internet: 70 per cent recognised that they are somewhat addicted to the web.

According to the data, fathers seem to be

T

his one comes a big surprise, but Indian travellers prefer and intend to travel alone. The study by recent study by Hilton Honors, an award-winning guest loyalty program of global travel and hospitality company Hilton, finds that 40 per cent of travellers based in India intend to “go solo” when they travel, as compared to 25 per cent of Asia Pacific counterparts.

The survey included close to 1,120 travellers aged between 20-45 in India who were segmented by life stage. The primary motivation for 66 per cent of these intrepid travellers is to experience “life-changing moments” that push them out of their comfort zone and challenge them to think differently. Indians want to travel alone inspired by mindfulness, nature and sustainability.

Of all the experiences, nature tops the list of things Indian solo travellers are seeking with 68 percent choosing nature closely followed by sustainability at 67 per cent. Solo travellers are also more likely than other Indian travellers to seek ways to nurture their spirituality with 66 per cent and 62 per cent are happy to embark on volunteering opportunities.

As opposed to couples those who are single appear to be prioritizing wellness

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“This time is actually even more important and valuable for families and friends, to connect, create special bonds and share memories,” Titova said.

and self-care and are more likely to seek out experiences not only in nature, but also to try their hand at sports, outdoor adventures and wellness activities. They are also more likely to value personalisation than Asia Pacific travellers, such as in-room entertainment that is tailored to hotel guest’s preferences.

The top pick from international destinations chosen by Indians are Sydney and Melbourne. The Gold Coast is popular with younger families and Perth with older families.

“It’s clear that travel is no longer just about a beach getaway or an overseas shopping spree. Travellers are on a mission to collect as many adventures and unique experiences as possible. This isn’t just because they want shareworthy content to post online, but also because they want to feel productive and that they’ve made the most of their time. By constantly engaging in new experiences, going to new places, and stepping outside of their norm, they feel that they’re regularly progressing in becoming more well-rounded as well as more knowledgeable individuals,” said Sarah Somerville, Senior Director, Customer Engagement, Loyalty and Partnerships, Asia Pacific, Hilton.

(AGENCIES)

more trusting of their children to know when to take a break, with nearly three in five (57 per cent) taking this approach, compared to less than half (48 per cent) of moms.

The survey also revealed that 40 per cent of parents do not feel the need to control or oversee their children’s online activities or internet usage at all.

This could be a risky strategy as, despite kids’ familiarity with online applications and navigating the internet, cyber risks are only a click away.

“Internet and digital services offer kids a wide range of engaging content, and can take a hold of their attention for a long time.

It must also be remembered that the real world can be even more engaging, especially if parents are ready to invest their time and spend it together with kids, doing joint activities,” Marina Titova, Head of Consum-

Furthermore, 84 per cent of them admitted that they have used internet connection or mobile devices in front of their child or children at home.

According to the data, 51 per cent have sometimes allowed internet and mobile devices to interrupt a conversation with their children.

To help your children allocate their time appropriately online, the global cybersecurity firm suggested that introduce rules for the whole family, so children don’t feel singled out or unfairly restricted in their internet.

This could include no phones at the dinner table, having a curfew on device usage or even leaving devices downstairs at bedtime, the company said.

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O w n i n g a c a r mea n s m ore s ex fo r mille nnials

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illennials, please take note if you are about to own a car (or if your parents are gifting you one on New Year) as this can boost your sex life too. According to researchers, owning a car gives young adults higher self-esteem, making it a status symbol that women find attractive, and fall for them.

Having a car increased sexual desire and the probability of having action between the sheets, reported researchers from the University of Colima in Mexico.

Owning a car early in life “can act as a sexual enhancer in emerging adulthood.

Women still demonstrate a clear preference for men that possess or show the potential to acquire material resources,” said study

lead author David Soriano-Hernandez.

For the study, published in the journal Sexuality Research and Social Policy, the researchers asked 809 students aged 17 to 24 studying at a small university in Western Mexico about their sex lives.

partners, and increase in the frequency of sexual activities.

According to the researchers, having their own cars gives young men higher selfesteem and is a status symbol women find attractive.

The students were surveyed in relation to their sexual conduct, along with other socioeconomic aspects.

Those with a car typically had sex twice as often, and with double the number of partners.

The participants were then separated into two groups, one with cars and other without it.

One drawback was that they were engaged in unsafe sex, the researchers said.

Having a car increased sexual desire and the probability of having sexual intercourse at a younger age, of having more sexual

A car also makes it easier to get to places for sex and can be used at public places too, it added.

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“It is not unusual for cars to have a type of erotic effect on their owners and spectators.

Expressions such as ‘hot’, ‘sexy’, and ‘exciting’ are often used to describe automobiles,” Soriano-Hernandez said.

The study noted that the automobile can also act as a sexual enhancer in emerging adulthood, which should be taken into consideration in the development of sex education strategies.

Given that emerging adults in the study belonged to a vulnerable and psychologically immature group, future studies are required in other social groups to reach a broad conclusion, the researchers noted.

(AGENCIES)

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

34

HEALTH

Th re e cups of f ilte r e d Walking, cycling to work co ff e e m a y pr o te c t y o u may be good for your heart fro m di a be te s “Our results now clearly show that filtered coffee has a positive effect in terms of reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But boiled coffee does not have this effect,” Landberg added.

With the use of these biomarkers, the researchers were able to show that people who drank two to three cups of filtered coffee a day had a 60 per cent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes than people who drank less than one cup of filtered coffee a day.

Consumption of boiled coffee had no effect on the diabetes risk in the study.

To differentiate the diabetes risk for boiled and filtered coffee, a new technique called metabolomics was used, in combination with classic dietary questionnaires.

Metabolomics makes it possible to identify the blood concentration of specific molecules from a given food or drink and use that as an objective measurement of intake - instead of simply relying on self-reported intakes from the questionnaires, which are prone to large errors.

“Metabolomics is a fantastic tool, not just for capturing the intake of specific foods and drinks, but also for studying the effects that that intake has on people’s metabolism.

We can derive important information on the mechanisms behind how certain foods influence disease risk,” said study lead author Lin Shi. According to the researchers, many people wrongly believe that coffee has only negative effects on health.

I

This could be because previous studies have shown that boiled coffee increases the risk of heart and vascular diseases, due to the presence of diterpenes, a type of molecule found in boiled coffee.

The study, published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, shows that the choice of preparation method influences the health effects of coffee.

“But it has been shown that when you filter coffee, the diterpenes are captured in the filter. As a result, you get the health benefits of the many other molecules present, such as different phenolic substances. In moderate amounts, caffeine also has positive health effects,” Landber said.

n a good news for coffee lovers, researchers have found that coffee can help reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes - but only filtered coffee, rather than boiled coffee.

The findings from Chalmers University of Technology and Umea University in Sweden, offer new insight into this connection, using a novel method to help differentiate between the effects of filtered coffee and boiled coffee.

“We have identified specific molecules ‘biomarkers’ - in the blood of those taking part in the study, which indicate the intake of different sorts of coffee. These biomarkers are then used for analysis when calculating type 2 diabetes risk,” said study researcher Rikard Landberg, Professor at Umea University.

Many other types of coffee preparation were not specifically investigated in the study, such as instant, espresso, cafetiere, and percolator coffee.

The study stresses that the health impacts of coffee do not depend solely on if it is filtered or not. They also vary with how the coffee beans, and the drink in general, are managed.

(AGENCIES)

W

alking and cycling to work is associated with fewer heart attacks in adults, say researchers, adding that could provide important health benefits.

According to the study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, in areas where walking or cycling to work were more common in 2011, the incidence of heart attacks in UK decreased for both men and women across the following two years.

“Our study at the University of Leeds shows that exercise as a means of commuting to work is associated with lower levels of heart attack. The benefits of regular exercise are numerous and we support initiatives to help everyone become and stay active,” said study co-author and Olympic-medal winning triathlete Alistair Brownlee.

The study looked at the 2011 UK Census data, which included 43 million people aged 25-74 years employed in England, and found that 11.4 per cent were active commuters. Walking was more popular than cycling (8.6 per cent vs. 2.8 per cent).

Active commuting was defined as people who reported their main mode of transport to work as either ‘bicycle’ or ‘on foot’ in the UK Census.

Rates of active travel varied significantly between local authorities across England, with as few as five per cent of people walking or cycling to work in some authorities, compared to as many as 41.6 per cent in

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other areas.

There was also a sex difference for active travel in the 2011 Census data, with more men cycling to work than women (3.8 per cent vs. 1.7 per cent), but more women walking to work than men (11.7 per cent vs.

6.0 per cent).

The researchers acknowledged that the big risk factors for heart disease are a lack of exercise, being overweight, smoking and diabetes.

After adjusting for these, the researchers found that active commuting was linked with additional health benefits in some cases.

For women who walked to work there was an associated 1.7 per cent reduction in heart attacks the following year. For men who cycled to work there was also an associated 1.7 per cent reduction in heart attacks the following year, the study said.

“Whilst we cannot conclusively say that active travel to work lowers the risk of heart attack, the study is indicative of such a relationship,” said study lead author Chris Gale, Professor at the University of Leeds.

“The effect of active commuting is fairly modest when compared with the stronger determinants of cardiovascular health such as smoking, obesity, diabetes, and regular exercise. However, this study clearly suggests that exercising on the way to work has the potential to bring nationwide improvements to health and wellbeing,” Gale said.

(AGENCIES)

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

ASK Dr. Raj… This months Q: WARTS:

Q: Hello Dr Raj, My wife has devel-

oped several knob like growths on her face, arms etc in the last one year. Initially we noticed 2 such growths, one on the chin and other at the tip of the nose. These were freezed first and then laser burned when they reappeared later within 3 months. Now these growths are multiplied and we are greatly concerned that these may continue to spread and about health implications. This started shortly after my wife went for an aid camp as a volunteer. Mr. A.

Reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation

Health tip: an available opportunity.

A detailed case study is required for effective treatment. Homeopathy has a proven track record in treating warts and also preventing their recurrence.

The ideology behind this is not everyone exposed to the virus get warts.

This is because of the strength of their immune system and its response.

Homeopathic remedies will stimulate a similar response in the affected person’s immune system, thus the warts gradually dry drop off and in most cases do not reoccur.

Freezing of warts is called Cryotherapy. The wart is sprayed with liquid nitrogen at very low temperatures allowing the wart to drop off. Side A: Dear Mr.A, Warts are common, effects include pain, swelling, scaring and are caused by a viral infection and the results are not permanent. (viruses in the human papillomavirus Laser treatments burn off the wart but (HPV) family) and are contagious once again, may not be a permanent when in contact with the skin of the solution because the virus which causinfected person. Warts usually disap- es the wart is still well and truly alive pear after few months however can within your body. I have heard the also last several years and reoccur. continuous use of Apple Cider Vinegar Warts can grow on various parts of the on the wart surely helps the wart to body, face, inside the mouth, genitals, disappear but would not recommend hands, fingers etc. Also warts are of the use of such treatments by yourself different types such as flat and filiform without medical supervision when you warts (more common on the face), have available natural therapy alternaplantar warts, mosaic and genital tives. warts etc.

By Raj Kothuru Please send any of your health related questions to drYour wife could have picked up the raj@aurahealth.com.au with Ask Dr Raj as the subject virus in her travels or the virus could line or ph: 94788649 / 0425761826. The questions will be have been dormant and manifested at published with your identity protected.

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Compound in green tea plant may treat tuberculosis

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n antioxidant found in the green tea could become key to tackling tuberculosis, a new research has found.

Through laboratory investigations, the research team from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) discovered how the prominent compound, known as epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), can inhibit the growth of a tuberculosis-causing bacteria strain.

The EGCG does so by binding to an enzyme that provides biological energy for cellular activity.

The process results in a dip in the amount of energy the bacteria has for its cellular processes vital for growth and stability, such as cell wall formation.

“Our discovery of the EGCG’s ability to inhibit the growth of M. tuberculosis will allow us to look at how we can improve the potency of this compound in green tea, and other similar compounds, to develop new drugs to tackle this airborne disease,” said study lead researcher Gerhard Gruber, Professor at NTU. According to the researchers, cells require energy for vital processes such as cell wall formation to take place. They get their energy from an energy storage molecule made by an enzyme called Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase.

family as M. tuberculosis.

These mycobacterial strains share a similar structural composition.

The team first found that alterations to the genetic code for ATP synthase resulted in an enzyme that produced fewer energy storage molecules in the bacterial cells, slower cell growth, and an altered colony shape.

With this data, the scientists then screened for and found 20 compounds that could possibly bind to ATP synthase and cause the same blocking effect, and then tested them for their efficacy.

Only EGCG, a natural antioxidant that occurs in a large amount in green tea, showed it had the same crucial effect of reducing energy storage molecules in the bacterial cell, the study said.

The research team is now looking at optimising the activity of EGCG for increased efficiency and potency in fighting the tuberculosis bacteria.

Without energy for essential cellular activity, a cell loses its stability and eventually dies.

Their ultimate goal is to develop a drug cocktail that will tackle multi-drug resistant tuberculosis.

To determine the factors affecting the production of ATP synthase, and thus, the amount of energy a bacterial cell has for growth, the research team studied mycobacterium smegmatis and mycobacterium bovis, both of which belong to the same

The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, could pave the way for the creation of novel drugs to combat tuberculosis, one of the most deadly infectious diseases in the world.

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(AGENCIES)

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HEALTH

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Egg intake d oes n’t up Food we eat during day

hear t disease, stroke risks

impacts our night sleep

A said.

sleep expert in the UK says the food we eat during the day can have an impact on each one of us when we go to bed, a media report

In a recent study by Sealy UK, over 65 per cent of the 2,058 Britain citizens surveyed had admitted to waking up feeling tired on at least three days every week, Mail Online reported.

The research found that vegans fared worst of all when it came to sleep quality. They woke up feeling tired -- on an average -- four days a week. More than one in five admitted to feeling sleepy every morning.

So, can eating certain things help us sleep better?

H

eart-healthy diets are naturally low in dietary cholesterol and can help reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, say researchers, adding eating one egg a day is not associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Too much cholesterol in blood contributes to formation of thick, hard deposits in arteries, a process that underlies most heart diseases and strokes.

Reducing dietary cholesterol by focusing on an overall heart-healthy diets that replace saturated fats with polyunsaturated fats remains good advice for keeping arteryclogging LDL (low-density lipoprotein) levels healthy, according to the scientific advisory from the American Heart Association.

“Saturated fats -- mostly found in animal products such as meat and full fat dairy, as well as tropical oils -- should be replaced with polyunsaturated fats like corn, canola or soybean oils,” said Jo Ann S. Carson from UT Southwestern Medical Centre in the US. “Foods high in added sugars and sodium (salt) should be limited,” Carson said.

The meta-analysis included in the advisory included randomised, controlled, dietary intervention trials designed to prove cause

Sleep expert Holly Housby points out that foods can indeed help us get us a better night sleep. and effect.

R

esearchers have developed a new version of Mediterranean diet that includes meat to cater to Western tastes and also deliver health benefits.

A typical Mediterranean diet includes extra virgin olive oil, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, wholegrain breads, pastas and cereals, moderate amount of fish and red wine, and low consumption of red meat, sweet and processed foods.

Soy products are a good source of tryptophan. Tofu is also rich in protein and can contain calcium, both of which are sleeppromoting compounds.

Eggs are high in vitamin D and contain tryptophan, both renowned for sleep-inducing properties.

Discussing the findings of the Sealy UK survey, nutritionist Dr Tom Hill was quoted: “Whilst the evidence for a role of nutrition in sleep is limited, it is well recognised that being very overweight may reduce sleep quality.

According to researchers, it’s reasonable to eat one whole egg (or its equivalent such as 3 ounces of shrimp) daily as part of a hearthealthy diet for healthy individuals.

“Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight through a balanced diet may be beneficial to maintaining healthy sleep in the long run.”

“Consideration of the relationship between dietary cholesterol and CVD risk can’t ignore two aspects of diet. First, most foods contributing cholesterol to the US diet are usually high in saturated fat, which is strongly linked to an increased risk of too much LDL,” Carson said.

Ne w Medite rranean die t lets you eat meat withou t any g uil t

Milk is another good source of melatonin and tryptophan. This is because cows are milked at night, when their melatonin is naturally higher.

Avocados contain magnesium that decreases your levels of cortisol -- the stress hormone -- thus helping to calm the nervous system in preparation for sleep.

This relationship persists after adjustment for dietary fat type. As per the advisory, in general, egg intake was not significantly associated with the risk of cardiovascular disease in the studies that were examined.

(AGENCIES)

Salmon, especially the wild variety, is a source of nutrients that encourage sleepregulating hormone serotonin. Salmon is a good source of omega 3, magnesium, Vitamin B6 and tryptophan, all of which encourage serotonin.

Cherries contain antioxidants like anthocyanins, which work alongside melatonin to help you maintain a deeper sleep for longer, the daily report said. Like oats, cherries are extremely high in melatonin.

According to the study, published in the journal Circulation, there is a dose-dependent relation between dietary cholesterol and higher levels of artery-clogging LDL when the range of dietary cholesterol tested was beyond that normally eaten.

“Second, we know from an enormous body of scientific studies that heart-healthy dietary patterns, such as Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets are inherently low in cholesterol,” Carson said.

sleep due to vitamins and minerals that support relaxation. These are a natural source of melatonin -- a hormone that regulates our sleeping and waking cycles.

Holly said: “Many of us are desperate to achieve a better night’s sleep, but seemingly, lots of us are unaware of how the foods we eat during the day can have an impact on us during the night.

One of them is cheese, especially mozzarella, a source of tryptophan that plays a vital role in the production of serotonin and in turn sleep-inducing hormone melatonin.

“However, it’s not just about your diet.

Those looking to improve their sleep should look to do everything possible to create an environment which makes top-quality sleep more likely.

Carbohydrates have been shown to make tryptophan more available to the brain, so your late night cheese toast may actually be beneficial for sleep, the report added.

Oats can also help improve the quality of

“This could include investing in a comfortable and supportive bed, avoiding alcohol in the hours before bed, or implementing a regular pre-sleep routine.”

The new version of the Mediterranean diet includes 2-3 serves (250g) of fresh lean pork each week.

This study compared the cognitive effects of people aged 45-80 years and at risk of cardiovascular disease following a Med-Pork or a low-fat diet (often prescribed to negate risk factors for cardiovascular disease).

The findings published in the journal Nutrients showed that the Mediterranean-Pork (Med-Pork) diet delivers cognitive benefits.

“The Mediterranean diet is widely accepted as the healthiest diet and is renowned for delivering improved cardiovascular and cognitive health, but in Western cultures, the red meat restrictions of the diet could make it hard for people to stick to,” said Alexandra Wade from University of South Australia.

“By adding pork to the Mediterranean diet, we’re broadening the appeal of the diet, while also delivering improved cognitive function,” Wade said.

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(AGENCIES)

The results showed the Med-Pork intervention outperformed the low-fat diet, delivering higher cognitive processing speeds and emotional functioning, both markers of good mental health.

“Improving people’s processing speed shows the brain is working well,” Wade said.

“Then, when you add the fact that pork production emits only a fraction of the greenhouse gases compared with beef, and the Med-Pork diet is really ticking all boxes -taste, health and environment,” Wade said.

(AGENCIES)

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

37

He a lthy snack s f or y our mid- m e a l c r a v i n g s

S

nacking in office is almost inevitable. But more often than not, employees catch them in front of calorie-laden vending machine options, or worse, street food like samosas and pakoras that are high on oil and salt content.

Del Monte suggests these healthy mid-meal snacking options for your tea-time cravings that fuel up your body with energy.

1. Trail mix A trail mix combines foods which are a great source of good fat, dietary fibre and protein in one delicious snacking experience. This means you’ll feel full for longer and will still be consuming lower net carbohydrates.

But like any pop music masterpiece, it’s all about getting the right mix. Make sure to get your sweetness from natural sources and not from candy or chocolate pieces. Add dried fruits, nuts and granola for a simple, nutritious trail mix.

2. Prunes and dried cherryberry mix Prunes are great for the digestive system, so consuming them regularly ensures regular bladder and bowel movement. Full of fibre, you can include them in your diet as a snack or a delicious addition to your favourite recipes. Dried cherry berry mix is the combination of cranberries, cherries and blueberries which are good source of

dietary fibre. It is a perfect snacking option especially for those in between times.

3. Roasted bell pepper and black olive pasta salad Cravings can get intense sometimes, but that does not mean you always need to tuck into chips, namkeen or a samosa. You can always give your snack a healthy and yummy spin. Take, for instance, pasta salad is full of flavour from fresh tomatoes, roasted bell pepper, and black olives. Tossed with easy dressing and fresh parsley making it a go to snack between hectic office hours.

4. Corn salad

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Maize (from which corn kernels spring) is one of the most commonly consumed grains. For your munching time, make yourself some no-cook corn salad with sweetcorn, tomatoes, onions, coriander, lemon juice and olive oil.

5. Blueberry oatmeal cookies Nothing can beat tasty, homemade cookies.

Bake yourself some oatmeal-based cookies on the weekends and keep having them with your evening cup of coffee or tea or with your glass of milk. You can also store them in a box and eat on the go.

(AGENCIES)

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

38

c la she s 20Ye20: a r o f bi g

i n B o l l y wo o d

The year 2020 will see the might of stardom being tested, as films led by superstars like Akshay Kumar, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan are set to clash at the box office. At the same time, the trend of movies inspired by true events and people will continue to dominate, with films like “83”, “Shakuntala Devi” and “Thalaivi” courting limelight. The year will also see actors such as Vicky Kaushal trying out new genres like horror.

JANUARY:

The new year will begin with “Bhangra Paa Le”, starring Vicky’s brother Sunny Kaushal, Rukshar Dhillon and Shriya Pilgaonkar. It hit the screens on January 3, 2020 along with “Sab Kushal Mangal” with actor Akshaye Khanna. The film will also launch star kids -- Padmini Kolhapure’s son Priyaank Sharma and Ravi Kishan’s daughter Riva Kishan.

FEBRUARY:

Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s directorial project “Shikara - A love letter from Kashmir” is set to be released on February 7, 2020.

Audiences are excited for this one as he will be returning to the director’s chair. His last directorial feature film “Eklavya: The Royal Guard” released in 2007.

Filmmaker Mohit Suri’s “Malang”, starring Anil Kapoor, Disha Patani, Aditya Roy Filmmaker Ramesh Sippy’s much delayed Kapoor and Kunal Kemmu, will release “Shimla Mirchi”, which stars veteran on February 7. Valentine’s Day is reactress Hema Malini, Rakul Preet Singh served for Imtiaz Ali’s next which will bring and Rajkummar Rao is also released on together Kartik Aaryan and Sara Ali Khan January 3. on the big screen.

A week later, the star-studded “Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior”, which is about the battle of Sinhagad in 1670 that was fought between Tanhaji Malusare and Udaybhan Singh Rathod, will release in 3D. It will have star couple Kajol and husband Ajay Devgn working on a film together after 2010 live action animated “Toonpur Ka Superrhero”. It will also reunite the “Omkara” co-stars Ajay and Saif Ali Khan.

The same day will see actor Vikrant Massey and Deepika Padukone-starrer “Chhapaak”, which is based on the reallife story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, hitting the screens.

“Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2” actors Sonnalli Seygall and Sunny Singh’s light-hearted family comedy “Jai Mummy Di” is set to release on January 17.

Dancing its way to theatres on January 24, 2020 will be director Remo D’souza’s “Street Dancer 3D” with actor Varun Dhawan, Shraddha Kapoor and Nora Fatehi.

Filmmaker Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari’s “Panga” in which Kangana Ranaut plays a kabaddi player is also set to release on January 24.

The following week, will have Saif Ali Khan-Tabu-starrer “Jawaani Jaaneman” releasing on January 31. The rom-com will mark the debut of Alaia F., daughter of Pooja Bedi, in an important role. The film is directed by Nitin Kakkar of “Filmistaan” fame.

Vicky will debut in the horror genre will “Bhoot Part 1- The Haunted Ship” on February 21. Actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s “Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan”, which is the second instalment of the hit film “Shubh Mangal Saavdhan”, is also scheduled to release on February 21. The film will reunite “Badhaai Ho” stars Neena Gupta and Gajraj Rao with Ayushmann.

Universe, will release on March 27.

APRIL:

April will begin big with Ranveer Singh playing legendary cricketer Kapil Dev in “’83”. The Kabir Khan directorial is about India’s historic victory at the cricket World Cup of 1983. The actor will also share screen space with wife Deepika Padukone the film that is set for April 10 release.

“Lootcase” will also hit the screens on April 10.

Hardik Mehta’s “Roohi Afza” set for April 17 release will have Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor as the lead actors. It will face a tough competition from “Gulabo Sitabo” - a Shoojit Sircar directorial with Amitabh Bachchan and Ayushmann Khurrana fronting the cast.

Amitabh’s “Chehre”, which has the megastar also directing the upcoming film’s chasing-and-combat scenes, will release on April 24. Anurag Basu’s “Ludo” The month will end with a women-oriented is also set to release on April 24. film “Thappad” featuring actress Taapsee Pannu. It will release on February 28.

MAY:

MARCH:

Tiger Shroff will return in his action avatar in “Baaghi 3”. The Ahmed Khan directorial will release on March 6.

Actress Janhvi Kapoor will be seen essaying the role of Indian Air Force combat pilot Gunjan Saxena in “The Kargil Girl”, which is set to release on March 13.

Rajkummar Rao-starrer “Turram Khan”, which has been renamed “Chhalaang”, will also release on March 13. This will be Rajkummar’s sixth collaboration with filmmaker Hansal Mehta. The duo has in the past worked together in “Shahid”, “CityLights”, “Aligarh”, and “Omerta”, besides the web series “Bose: Dead/Alive”.

“Angrezi Medium”, to release on March 20, will bring Irrfan Khan back on the big screen. He had been lying low for around a year after being diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour. Actress Kareena Kapoor Khan will be donning the khaki in Himesh Reshammiya’s “Happy Hardy And the film, which is the sequel to the widely appreciated 2017 entertainer “Hindi Heer” is also set to release on the same day. The movie has been majorly in news Medium”.

Another much-awaited cop movie with Akdue to its soundtrack that features the shay Kumar in the lead -- “Sooryavanshi” Internet singing sensation Ranu Mondal.

-- part of filmmaker Rohit Shetty’s Cop

May 1 will see David Dhawan bringing back “Coolie No. 1” in a new form with actors Varun Dhawan and Sara Ali Khan.

Mukesh Chhabra’s “Dil Bechara”, starring Sushant Singh Rajput, will hit theatres on May 8. Ribhu Dasgupta’s Bollywood version of “The Girl on the Train” with Parineeti Chopra will release on May 8 too. Actress Vidya Balan’s “Shakuntala Devi” based on the life of the late mathematics genius Shakuntala Devi will clash with the films on May 8.

Akshay’s “Laxmmi Bomb”, a remake of the super-hit Tamil horror comedy “Muni 2: Kanchana”, will hit the theatres on May 22. It’s also the day when Salman Khan’s “Radhe”, helmed by Prabhudheva, will release.

JUNE:

“Indoo Ki Jawani” and “Nikamma” are set for June 5 release. “Khaali Peeli” will release on June 12, followed by “Mumbai Saga” by Sanjay Gupta on June 19. June 26 will see actress Kangana Ranaut as late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa in “Thalaivi”.

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JULY:

July 10 will have “Sadat 2” from the Bhatts family. The Mahesh Bhatt directorial will star Sanjay Dutt, Pooja Bhatt and Alia Bhatt.

“Shamshera” starring Ranbir Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt will clash with “Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2”, starring Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani, on July 31.

AUGUST:

“Bhuj: The Pride of India”, “Attack” and “Hungama 2” are set to release on August 14.

Shahid Kapoor’s “Jersey”, which will also feature his father Pankaj Kapur, will hit the screens on August 28.

SEPTEMBER:

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Gangubai Kathiawadi” with Alia Bhatt will release on September 11.

OCTOBER:

If September will have a few releases, October 2 will be flooded with new movies. The Gandhi Jayanti has been booked for “Sardar Udham Singh” by Shoojit Sircar, “Satyameva Jayate 2” by Milap Milan Zaveri and “Toofan” by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.

NOVEMBER:

The same goes for November 13.

“Prithviraj”, which will launch former Miss World Manushi Chhillar as an actress, will release along with “Rannbhoomi” and “Dhaakad” with Kangana Ranaut showing off her action moves in the film.

There will be a breather. Then “Maidaan” starring Ajay Devgn will release on November 27.

DECEMBER:

Christmas time, which has proved lucky for Aamir Khan, will have the superstar’s “Laal Singh Chaddha”, a remake of the Hollywood film Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks, clashing with Akshay’s “Bachchan Pandey”.

(Release dates may be subject to change)

By Natalia Ningthoujam

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

W

hile most stars are busy holidaying in exotic locations to usher the new year, a couple of our B-Town denizens have also reserved some time to share concern about nature and the planet.

Bhumi Pednekar took to Instagram to share a video that talks about how we as human beings are responsible for climate change, pollution and global warming. The video shows Bhumi actively taking part in cleaning up garbage from a beach.

“We need change today and the change starts with me :) Thanking all the #ClimateWarriors who have worked so hard towards preserving our home.

Here’s to loving and co-existing with our planet, our home. Let’s all become climate warriors. #Happy2020 #ClimateWarrior,” she captioned the video.

A

Another B-Town actress speaking on similar lines is Esha Gupta. She participated in a mangroves clean drive along with MLA Aditya Thackeray and other citizens.

ctor John Abraham says his biggest advantage is that he is not afraid of failure.

“I come from a very middle-class background and even today, I hold on to Sharing photographs of the initiative on those values very strongly. My biggest Instagram, the actress wrote: “Success is advantage is that I’m not afraid of failure. not a big step in the future, success is a And when you’re not afraid of it, you can small step taken right now”… makes me so do whatever you want because you’ve proud to see so many people who walked seen failure and success in the same with us for the mangroves clean drive this measure. So, failure really doesn’t affect weekend. @adityathackeray your love for me,” John said. our home is immense, the voice of today is for a better tomorrow. @saherbhamla The actor expressed his views when he @rajlakshmivpatil so proud of you two appeared on chat show “Not Just Supper for getting the millennials out that day in Stars” along with his personal trainer Vinod making beach cleaning fun. Let’s all be Channa. The show is aired in India on Zee greedy and move towards protecting what Café. we need @unep @bhamlafoundation.”

The actress was lauded by fans.

Talking about his friends, John said:

“One of my close friends, Suku, is an auto rickshaw driver. He ferries me regularly from my home to the office and back.

Once Suku and me went to watch a Tamil film, ‘Kaakha Kaakha’, and it was on his recommendation that I re-made this movie into ‘Force’.”

Being someone who believes in living a simple life, John also confessed that he prefers spending on others.

“I don’t spend on myself as I don’t like it,” he said.

When host Gunjan Utreja asked John about his holiday plan, the actor said: “I am a self-confessed workaholic. I have had a holiday for only five days in the last eighteen years.”

(GDI)

A

ctor Angad Bedi says it hasn’t been an easy journey for him in the industry, and getting praise from filmmaker Karan Johar is a signal that he is headed on the right way.

Angad is overwhelmed that he got a chance to work with Karan again on his upcoming production “The Kargil Girl”.

“Despite being a producer and director of his stature, Karan has his

ear on the ground. He is always looking out for talent. He is really appreciative of good work and keeps that in mind every time an opportunity presents itself,” Angad said.

“I remember his kind words after ‘Soorma’. It hasn’t been an easy journey for me to get where I am, so his words of praise were a reiteration that I was headed the right way. We were looking for the right opportunity to work together again. ‘The Kargil

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JUN 39

Girl’ is a perfect film that is all heart.

My character is incredible, and I hope people love it as much as we did while making it,” he added.

“The Kargil Girl” is a biopic of Indian Air Force combat pilot Gunjan Saxena, and stars Janhvi Kapoor in the titular role. Janhvi will be portraying Saxena, who entered the war zone during the 1999 Kargil War. Directed by Sharan Sharma, it will hit the screens on March 13 this year.

(GDI)

(GDI)

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

40

A

ctress Kriti Sanon made her Bollywood debut five years ago with “Heropanti”, and since then has never looked back. Last year, she featured in the multi starrer biggie “Housefull 4” with Akshay Kumar, and also starred in the multiplex superhit “Lukka Chuppi” opposite Kartik Aaryan. Her other two films last year, “Panipat” and “Arjun Patiala”, may have fared below expectations but her performance in these films were applauded.

Kriti feels she is evolving as an actor.

“I have definitely evolved as an actor over the years. I had no training in any filmmaking course, and I don’t have a film background. Whatever I have learned is on the job. My acting process is very organic and spontaneous, but it does require a bit of homework. There’s no fixed formula. One should be able to understand his or her craft better and figure out what’s working and what’s not.

Or, one needs to work by hit and trial or think of how else you can surprise the audience. All these things keep me growing,” she said.

Kriti also believes in analysing her work. “When it comes to my performance, I am very much critical about it. I analyse my performances and see what went wrong or right. I feel the day I really get happy or satisfied then my mind will become stagnant. That’s what I don’t want.

A

ctor Varun Dhawan will next be seen in the dance movie “Street Dancer 3D”, and is these days heaping praise on the dancing talent of the country. He claims over the next ten years, India will take over the global dance scene.

“The kind of talent Indian dancers have, I can say proudly we are one of best countries when it comes to dance. In the next 10 years, India is going to take over the dance scene. Dancers in our country struggle a lot because dance never used to be considered as a profession,” said Varun, at the launch of the song “Garmi” from “Street Dancer 3D” in Mumbai. He was accompanied by co-actor Nora Fatehi, the film’s director Remo D’Souza and producer Lizelle D’Souza.

He added: “I have spent so much time with dancers -- and Remo sir is one of them -- because he started as a background dancer. It gets really tough when parents of dancers or society don’t look at dance as a career. They (Parents) feel that their kids are damaging their family’s reputation by dancing because it is not work. I feel that it’s work. They (dancers) travel to train in the morning and then reach their dancing venues.

Sometimes they practice on the road, so this film is dedicated to all the dancers because if you can feel the music then anybody can dance.”

“Street Dancer 3D” will clash with the Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari-directed “Panga”,

starring Kangana Ranaut, on January 24, about which Varun said: “Ashwiny and (her husband and filmmaker) Nitesh sir are people I have met on a few occasions.

Kangana (Ranaut) is someone I have known for a lot of years and I admire her work. I feel both films are very different, and we are in 2020, so I think we shouldn’t think about box-office clash. I feel people should watch both the films. This film (‘Street Dancer 3D’) genuinely marks my return to doing films for kids. For the longest time, I did not make a film for kids and when I say kids, there is a kid inside all of us so. So, this film is for all of you.

I hope kids and parents will have a good time watching the film.”

“Street Dancer 3D” highlights IndiaPakistan issues through the scope of dance and music.

Talking about the film’s message, Varun said: “Our characters in the film are dancing for India, and (they are) Pakistani immigrants. I think your motive behind being a dancer matters, and it drove me to do the film. Dance is not only for enjoyment but through the medium you can express a lot and you can change lives. In our country, when a kid is born or at birthday parties and at weddings, we dance a lot. I feel we are a very expressive dancing nation.”

“Street Dancer 3d” stars Varun with Shraddha Kapoor, Nora Fatehi, and Prabhu Deva.

(GDI)

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“I have learned from mistakes and by doing this, I feel I have broadened my horizon. Now I look at things from different perspective,” she added.

Not only this, the 29-year-old is now open to do more risky and challenging roles. And this realisation came to her a little more after portraying the role of Parvati Bai in Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Panipat”.

“Roles like Parvati Bai encourage you and give you the confidence of doing something different. It was not easy for me to essay that character because it was based on a real person who is an important figure of our history. I am fortunate that I got the chance to do that role and I feel I am more confident to take risks now and surprise people, and myself too.”

In 2020, Kriti is all set to woo her fans with the roles she has never done before on screen. She will be seen playing a surrogate mother in “Mimi”, and is also a part of Akshay Kumar’s “Bachchan Pandey”.

“I am very much excited for ‘Mimi’ because it is the first film that weighs completely on my shoulders. The topic of the film is very important and not many films have properly been made on the subject of surrogacy. I am very happy to work with people who have managed to create such an important movie,” Kriti emphasised.

By Simran Sethi

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

JUN 41

I WANT TO BE A Pooja Hegde

A

ctress Sunny Leone feels she lives in a bubble, and says that she would like to believe that the whole dialogue around women empowerment and the #MeToo movement has changed people’s mindset.

After making quite an impact in the West, the #MeToo wave swept into Bollywood last year. It was triggered off when Tanushree Dutta revisited an unpleasant episode involving veteran actor Nana Patekar on the set of “Horn ‘OK’ Pleassss” in 2008.

Gradually, many more dark truths from the world of Bollywood came to light, with women naming and shaming predators.

The likes of Vikas Bahl, Chetan Bhagat, Gursimran Khamba, Kailash Kher, Rajat Kapoor, Alok Nath, Anu Malik and Sajid Khan were named, for using their position to exploit the vulnerable.

Asked about the change that came with the #MeToo movement, Sunny said: “I don’t work in an office. I live in a bubble, but I do think, and I do believe that the

more women talk about these issues of sexual harassment or (instances of people) making them feel uncomfortable at work, whether it is women or men... I have to say that it does happen to men as well.

It is just not recognised because ‘he is guy what is the big deal’.”

“If someone is bothering them at the work space or someplace else, the more that they speak up, the more they make it aware that no it is not okay ... I think yes things will change.”

“Especially when so many things have come out through social media, media outlets that I have to assume that people are thinking twice that ‘ohh am I being videotaped, recorded or will she have a moment (in the future)’. I am sure that it makes (such) people uncomfortable,” she added.

Sunny was glad that a message around the importance of consent was included in web series “Ragini MMS Returns Season 2”. She has a cameo as a paranormal expert in the ALTBalaji series.

(GDI)

Language can’t be a barrier for actor: Ali Fazal

A

ctor Ali Fazal, who will be next seen in Hollywood film “Death On The Nile”, is open to work in all types of languages. He never wants language to be a barrier in his career.

“Language cannot be a barrier for any actor. Neither can their geographical location nor their ethnicity be. My motive is to create a world filled with great content with people who are so invested in their art that where they come from ceases to matter. We are no longer in that phase where one has to shift Hollywood to be in Hollywood. I am going to continue living in India and keep flying in and out,” he said.

Fazal also expressed his desire to work down South.

“Sometime earlier this year, I wanted to desperately do a south language film be it Tamil, Telugu , Malayalam because they are making some world class cinema in these very languages.

“That’s the endeavour to seek out good work in every language possible, and find characters that challenge me and enthuse me to push myself beyond my comfort zone and absorb their complexities,” he added.

(GDI)

B

ollywood actress Pooja Hegde wouldn’t mind a change in her profession. Well, not seriously, but the actress does wish she was a Christmas caroller!

Pooja is currently vacationing in Vienna and actively posting pictures of the scenic city on social media.

The actress took to Instagram to share a picture where she can be seen standing in front of a beautifully decorated shop selling

Christmas presents. She feels it is the season to be jolly and she does not need alcohol to be so!

Pooja captioned: “Is it too late to apply as a Christmas caroller? #whyamilikethis #tistheseasontobejolly #noalcoholneeded”.

On the work front, Pooja Hegde was last seen in “Housefull 4”, which has entered the 200-crore club.

Deepika gets 1.2 mn followers on TikTok in less than 12 hrs

A

ctress Deepika Padukone made her debut on TikTok a day prior to her birthday, and received a grand welcome from her fans on joining the platform, amassing 1.2 million followers in just 12 hours.

Deepika, who is busy promoting her upcoming film “Chhapaak”, joined the destination for short-form mobile videos on January 4.

The first six videos posted by her reached 54 million video views with three videos crossing over 12 million views, individually. Some of the videos show the superstar grooving to trending challenges on the platform. She has also posted a dance video, a rap video as well as an introduction video. Laxmi Agarwal, on whom “Chhapaak” is based, features in two of the actress’ videos too.

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(GDI)

FOOD

42

bon appétit

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Did you know:

95 biryanis per minute are ordered in India from Swiggy

Top food trends in 2020:

From going ‘Glocal’ to Sustainability

F

rom the revival of traditional cuisine to the growing popularity of some international ones, sustainability to going ‘glocal’, experiential dining over fine dining; the Indian food and beverage industry will see these trends in 2020, say experts.

Veterans of the field who share major food trends that might make wave in the year ahead.

1. Chef Zoravar Kalra Traditional v/s modern cuisine: Diners globally, today, have become quite adventurous and have allowed their curiosity to get the better of them. This curiosity to try new dishes/cuisines has given space for fusion variations to come up. There is enough demand for authentic as well as contemporary Indian cuisine in their respective spaces.

Modern Indian cuisine is only set to take centre stage in times to come.

Going glocal’: Glocal (globally local) is the new wave. The times to come will witness use of many international ingredients in Indian dishes and many Indian spices/ingredients in international favourites, not just within the culinary boundary of India, but overseas as well. The newer generation is ready to experiment in order to find newer and finer flavours.

International cuisines: After Japanese and Teppanyaki, other international cuisines like Vietnamese, Cambodian, Mexican and Lebanese will see a surge in popularity in India in the coming years.

2. Chef Vineet Manocha Experiential dining: It is becoming trendy. More and more chef led establishments with open interactive

kitchens, customised food offerings are getting popular. The guests are getting more and more inquisitive to know the details or story behind the food and the reason why chef has brought a particular item on the menu.

The gut health: Health especially the gut health is a big trend. Fermented food fermented non-alcoholic drinks are getting popular.

Sustainability and hyper local produce: These are already trending and will continue. Veganism is getting popular and so is organic food. Guests are taking more and more interest in local farm raised produce. Getting to know the source (traceability) satisfies the guests immensely.

Zero-waste movement: Chefs are becoming adventurous in using the peels, scales and presenting all the wastage as blissful food.

Delivery and take-out is increasing: The restaurants have to become more and more delivery and take-away friendly.

3. Chef Qu Xue Wen Cook-your-own-dish: Not to be mistaken as a meal kit, the do it yourself Chinese cuisine is an amalgamation of ingredients, spices and hot sauces which gives you the liberty of cooking your own dish, according to your palate, quite similar to the Chinese steamboat.

Faux meat for the pescatarian: Food consumers today are quite evidently getting ready for plant-based meat.

Producers of meal alternatives consider this as a unique opportunity to introduce their products into the food market.

This is a game-changer for the nascent

imitation-meat market, which accounts for about only one per cent of the global meat consumption.

Open hearth cooking: One of the biggest trends of 2020 is the live fire/ wood fire cooking. It is gaining popularity every day and diners seem to love the idea of getting to interact with and watch their meals being prepared. Even though the wood fire oven for pizza is quite common, the open hearth gives you a lot more options.

4. Chef Osama Jalali Regional food: A lot of regional foods will make come back. The modern cooking techniques like molecular gastronomy will fade away.

Modern plating: Modern ways of plating will play a major part in 2020. The idea of community table will grow.

5. Chef Vicky Ratnani Farm to table concept: I think more vegetarian food, more plant-based food, the concept of directly from the farm to table basically healthier eating.

6. Chef Tarun Sibal Collaborative cuisine: It will be the biggest trend in the year 2020.

Collaborative cuisine is about combined ingredients, native cuisines, cooking techniques and flavour combinations and dish out magic on plates.

Mushrooming: You will be seeing a lot of use of mushroom in the year 2020.

There will be the use of Mushroom Coffee, Mushroom Chocolate and Mushroom Pickle, etc. are the things that

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you will get acquainted within 2020.

Grazing tables: Family style grazing table is a feast for the eye and an open invitation for everyone. One can lay the buffet of breads, dips, fresh or dried fruits, nuts, bite-sized sandwiches, as long as it can be picked up with the hands and will save time and space.

Chefs will use the grazing table for community-style feasts in restaurants.

7. Chef Manoj Rawat Less fine dining: As hotels, special tables or fine dining will be less frequent as whole mind-set of get together is changing. Now days, its semiprofessional not much of hype and different venues.

Special menus/foods: As food allergy and intolerance is more and more common (thanks for medical science for exploring), hence, a requirement for more menus and varieties for celiac, keto diet, vegan foods and more. This will also affect food packaging or companies as well.

Hotels preferred destinations: However, there would be more and more options for food and beverages, but I still feel that hotels would still be preferred place for events, brunches, parties and more.

8. Chef Sidharth Sharma Eco-conscious eating: It will gain momentum, things like where and how your food is being produced.

African cuisine: In terms of culinary trends, African food seems to be getting a lot of attention globally.

By Puja Gupta

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Drug addict to MasterChef Australia: Jock Zonfrillo’s incredible journey addiction, there has to be something more compelling than the addiction itself. For me, it was food. It was far more compelling for me to be attracted to in order to move away from that period in my life.”

What’s the biggest learning which you got from that period of your life?

“I really think support is the answer for a lot of stuff… (The kind of) Support is probably different for each individual. If somebody would have told me on some level that I understand you and support you then it would probably have made that part my life a lot easier,” he said.

O

nce a homeless drug addict, Jock Zonfrillo has become the new face of widely popular cooking reality show “MasterChef Australia”, all thanks to his passion for food, exceptional culinary skills and philosophy. He credits food for not only helping him kick his addiction but also turning his life around.

struggle from. I make no illusion that I’m the only person who struggled with drug addiction. I come from a place where drug addiction is very much the norm and many addicts can’t cope unless there’s something which is more compelling than the addiction of drugs. It is hard to overcome it and food for me was far more compelling than drugs,” Zonfrillo said.

Born and raised in Scotland, Zonfrillo got addicted to heroin at 15. He was sacked from his job. In just two years, he was homeless, broke and looking for a job in the culinary industry. That’s when he knocked at the door of the famous chef Marco Pierre-White, who hired him, and Zonfrillo started his second inning of his career and life.

“If it wasn’t for food, I am afraid, that I wouldn’t have been able to overcome that period in my life… Life would not be what I imagine now. I certainly credit food... It has played a huge part in saving me as a person and putting me on the right track because if it hadn’t been for that there wouldn’t be (anything) more compelling for me to leave that part of my history behind me,” added the 43-year-old.

“Unfortunately, drug addiction is a real thing and something that many people

He continued: “In the case of any

“When you are an addict, you become isolated, simply because you’re an outcast. In this day and age, it is less like that because people are a little bit more accepting to people that have an addiction or trying to get over in addiction, but that was not the case in the 1990s...I think people who are going through that needs support.”

Zonfrillo has attained celebrity chef status, and has a successful restaurant chain. He along with chef Andy Allen and food writer Melissa Leong will be replacing George Calombaris, Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan as judges of cooking reality show “MasterChef Australia”.

“We are always very humbled and grateful to be asked to be up here on the show. I think being a part of the show is to be part of the community of hospitality and cooking here in Australia. We’re a country of many cultures, and I think ‘MasterChef’ exemplifies that very well,” he said.

By Sugandha Rawal

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Idli dunking in tea? Netizens reacts on bizarre food combination

S

teamed, puffy and delectable, Idli doused in the ever-so soothing sambhar sure makes for one of the nation’s most favourite breakfast.

Recently a recently a person adopted a new dip for Idli and the combinations of food that everyone would turn your heads.

A Reddit user decided to change the dip of Idli from sambhar to Tea. The user shared a video on the website and captioned, “Hello, I am new to India. I hope I am doing this right.”

The 8-second video features the person dunking a piece of Idli in a cup of tea.

The viral video take the round of the Internet and caught everyone’s attention online.

A user wrote, “Took me a while and a second look to understand this. With all the violence around, it’s hard to find the joke when disguised. This was a good one though.”

“Aap Chronology samajhiye, Pehle Idli aati hai, fir chutney, Baadme Chai!!”, added another.

A post read, “As a person from Chennai... who loves idly and sambhar? I just wish I could u dip in hot sambhar...”

A user remarked, “You look at him and think, “how is this person eating that?”

(AGENCIES)

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FOOD TREND

‘ Th e re i s q u i t e a f ight in In d i a n F& B in du s tr y ’

C

elebrity Chef Vicky Ratnani who has been in the food industry for more than 30 years says that when he started cooking, chefs were looked down upon and were always behind the stove and kitchen walls. But chefs today are getting the recognition that was needed, he says. In a freewheeling chat, Ratnani opens up about his journey, his love for cooking, upcoming projects and more.

Read on: How has your journey in the industry been?

Ratnani: Well, it’s been over 30 years for me in the food industry and I moved back to India 10 years ago where I opened Aurus, Nido, Konner house. I did a lot of television shows and before this, I used to work in the UK where I used to be the executive chef of the Cunard Line based out of South Hampton in the UK. So, scotch and Scotland has been a part of my life. I have travelled the world, I have circumnavigated the world seven times and worked with 37 different nationalities.

Now, I have a cookbook, a lot of shows on TV and a property which is called Vicky the gastronaut where I travel around the world cooking and eating.

Korean, South Indian. So, I think I am not really a fussy eater.

How do you manage to combine nutrition and taste in a dish?

Ratnani: I think today everyone is on a conscious lifestyle. So, definitely we pick the food which is in season. We don’t put too many carbohydrates, we choose good fats, very good oil to cook. We don’t fry too many things and we like the food of the grill. So, I think you have to have a sensibility depending on the season, the kind of people you are serving, where you are serving. What price points.

Where do you see the future of the Indian F&B industry?

Ratnani: I think it’s tough, there is a lot of competition. There are a lot of cloud kitchens coming up. People want to reduce labour costs; rents are high, but I think there is quite a fight in the food and beverage industry. I think it’s growing but at the same time, even the consumer is getting a lot more educated.

So, you know the operators have to be careful.

As a chef, did you come across any kind of criticism?

How did you get into cooking?

Ratnani: Well nobody is perfect and at the end of the day you should be open to criticism because people who are your well-wishers will always give you the right feedback but yes as a chef, as F&B and in a creative space or an artiste, be ready for criticism because it’s not for all.

Ratnani: Well, I loved eating before learning how to cook. So, I think because I love food so much I wanted to cook.

Cooking as a profession - how do you think people’s perception has changed over time?

What are the three ingredients that are a must in your kitchen?

Ratnani: When I started cooking, it was looked down upon. The chef was always behind the stove and kitchen walls. And people generally see what is always at the front of the house but now it’s over, chefs are actually coming in front of the house, getting the recognition that was needed, he is the Rockstar and face of the establishment.

How would you define your love for cooking?

Ratnani: It’s unconditional and everlasting.

Ratnani: Well, very good olive oil, top quality salt and fresh vegetables.

How/what is your daily food routine?

Ratnani: Well, breakfast is normally cereal or fruits, sometimes eggs depending upon the time and day of the week. Lunch is pretty lite; it could be anything. I am not really picky about what I eat I am just picky about what I serve people.

What’s your favourite food/dish?

Ratnani: Well, comfort food is Rajma chawal, Sindhi curry and biryani and experimental I like to eat all kinds of foods. I like Japanese,

If not a chef, what would you have been?

Ratnani: I would have become a travel photographer or a DJ. What are your next projects?

Ratnani: I am planning restaurants overseas, a restaurant in Bandra and expansion of the Inox insignia product all over India.

By Puja Gupta

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

A fitness savvy

chef’s prescription

to corporate warriors

C

hef Ajay Chopra, who hosted and judged the initials seasons of MasterChef India, says food and fitness should be looked at together.

The chef, who took the fitness route when his “love for food started to show” on his body, is promoting a fit life in which nutrition is key.

“It’s not about dieting or eating less, it’s about eating right, healthy and natural.

In the everyday three meals, we overdo protein or fat. It has to be a balanced diet, because our bodies are designed that way,” Chef Ajay said.

He is currently associated with the Get A Life Fitness app, a wellness aggregator targeted towards corporate employees.

His fitness mantra for the stressed lot of corporate warriors? “When it comes to corporate life, I know there is stress, I know there are targets to be met, but 15 minutes of workout is important. If you are working for long stretches on your corporate ventures, every hour, get up and have a cup of green tea or just hot water, instead of having tea or coffee.

When something is stressing you out, know that it’s just a job.”

Personally, the chef swears by some easy lifestyle tricks that helped him shed 20 kilograms “Start small. I started to avoid white

sugar, and instead adopted raw sugar or jaggery. I took fruits before my meals. I started to use cold-pressed oils because they are good for our body. Today, labelling is just a joke. I ate fresh produce and did not touch processed food. Every week, I fast a day that helps to shed off the extra.”

After two decades of being a chef, what have been his major takeaways?

“Seeing multiple levels, crossing multiple hurdles and then coming to a place where you still can’t say you have arrived is a good feeling. Every day is a new day, a new challenge, and you keep accepting that and moving forward.

What I leave home with is a desire to learn more, always stay hungry.

“I have realised that when I put myself in the other walks of life, that being a chef helps you to understand life in a much wider spectrum. We deal with food, with perishable things, and people. If I talk to MBA students, I realise I have used most of the management techniques in my cooking. I am a much more wholesome person as a chef, and being a chef widens your horizons as a person,” Asked about his top culinary trends for 2020, Chef Ajay says that chef-driven restaurants, and those focusing on healthy, vegan, organic foods will pick up, and so will eating in and cooking in-house.

By Siddhi Jain

Scientists discover how to make perfect head of beer

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rinkers will soon be cheering all the way to the bar as researchers have taken a big step forward in solving the puzzle of how to make the perfect head of beer.

Beers drinkers might be able to enjoy a pint where the head lasts all the way to the bottom of the pint glass, according to the findings.

The study, published in the journal Chemical Communications, solved a long-standing mystery related to the lifetime of foams.

The researchers from the University of

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Manchester in UK used a nuclear reactor to fire neutrons at fluids to assess their foaming qualities.

“Just like when we see light reflecting off a shiny object and our brains help us identify it from its appearance, when neutrons reflect up off a liquid they are fired at we can use a computer to reveal crucial information about its surface,” said study lead researcher Richard Campbell.

“The difference is that the information is on a molecular level that we cannot see with our eyes,” Campbell added.

(AGENCIES)

RECIPE

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

Cocktail Rava Masala Uttapam

Shahi Palak Tikki

This very popular dish originates from the South of India. A favourite Indian pancake. This is yet another instant recipe that comes to rescue when you have run out of ideas for a quick snack or even breakfast. This recipe has been modified using (rawa/sooji) semolina. These Cocktail size fluffy rava uttapams are instantly cooked and served with a variety of toppings.

These also resemble mini pizza and taste simply delicious!

A good party snack or just to have for lunch or dinner

South Indian Pancake

INGREDIENTS

1 cup semolina (rava) 1 cup yogurt 1/2 cup mushrooms chopped 1 small carrot grated 1 small tomato chopped 1/2 capsicum chopped 1-2 tbsp coriander chopped 1-2 green chillies chopped Salt to taste Oil for shallow frying

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Cheesy Spinach Patties

Spinach Bread Cheddar Cheese Cumin seed

INGREDIENTS

1 bunch 6-8 slices Cut to 1cm cubes 1 tbsp

Garam Masala Black Pepper Salt Oil

2 pinch 1 tbsp to taste for frying

TEMPERING

1 tbsp oil 3/4 tsp mustard seeds some curry leaves

METHOD

Serves 4-5

In a bowl, mix the semolina, yogurt and salt. Add the green chillies and coriander along with a little water to make a batter of soft dropping consistency.

Tempering of the batter- Heat oil, add mustard and allow to sizzle and then add the curry leaves. Remove from heat and pour over the batter and mix well Just before serving, heat a pan with a little oil. Pour a heaped tbsp of batter and spread it like a pancake. Put the veggies of your choice on the top of each uttapam giving a variety of flavours. Cook until the edges are light brown. Turnover and cook the other side for about 3 mins or till done. Serve hot immediately.

Serves 4-6

METHOD

Chop spinach finely. Wet bread slices and squeeze out the water, crumble and add into spinach. Add salt, black pepper, cumin seeds and mix well into the mixture. Take some mixture on your

palm and flatten it, place the cheese cube in the center and fold into a ball and flatten. Now these tikkis are ready to fry on medium heat till golden brown and crisp.

Serve hot with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.

By Narita Singh

ACCOMPLIMENTS:

TIP:

Serve with sambar , coconut chutney or both and lassi of your choice on the side.

Don’t worry if you do not have sambar and chutney-it’s just as delicious with Tomato Ketchup!

Try plain uttapam served with jam. Kids will just love it.

recipe

BY MANJIT SETHI

www.gdayindia.com.au | M: 0412-114-383

from the private collection

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ASTROLOGY

MESHA (Aries)

You can look forward to several profitable opportunities for financial advancement during this coming month. There is a legitimate reason to expect a sudden windfall. Further there are good chances for those of you who go in for speculation activity or even gambling, to fare quite well, in your pursuits. In any case, for most of you, quick gains are very likely, as a result of your efforts. This will be a beneficial month, in so far as your efforts in education are concerned. Overall, a beneficial month for you.

Best days: 3, 12, 30 Lucky Colour: Red, Orange & Cream

SIMHA (Leo)

A month during which your financial prospects don’t look too bright, since the stars are not in an obliging mood. Any dispute or litigation is almost certainly going to be decided against you, resulting in substantial losses. Further, some of you would be inclined to do other people’s dirty work in order to make a fast buck. As things stand, luck would be nowhere in sight and you would find yourself in the middle of a very thick soup indeed. Refrain from such actions. Also, an unfavourable period for making investments and to launch new ventures.

Best days: 5,3 Lucky Colour: White & Orange

DHANU (Sagittarius)

You would do well, therefore, to keep this situation under control otherwise work could come to a stand still. There would be a lot of travel, but this also would bear little fruit, because of a basically disorganised approach to your own affairs still any sojourn to the East would bring some gains but this, too, could only be marginal. You must not lose your cool and refuse to get drawn into any sort of a confrontation. This should keep things under control. The family atmosphere would also remain tension-ridden, with no signs of harmony among the members.

Best days: 9, 18 Lucky Colour: Red, Blue

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

VRISHABH (Taurus)

By D. Narayan (Tantracharya) MITHUNA (Gemini)

The scenario for your career prospects is quite bleak this month. There is very chance that some of you would tend to operate outside the law for quick gains and thereby create uncontrollably adverse situations. Firmly refrain from such activity and stick to your normal work. Travel also would fail to bear any fruit, though there might be some marginal percentage for you in a sojourn towards the North. Further, there are grounds to believe that speculative activity would bring serious losses.

The picture so far as your financial prospects are concerned is pretty bleak, since the stars are in a somewhat forbidding mood. Musicians, dramatists, film- makers, and practitioners of the other arts would do well to make provisions for a rainy day, since they would face a tyring time during this coming month. There would be loss of opportunities for all of you. There are chances that some of you would suffer serious losses from gambling and such-like activities. You may, therefore, desist.

Best days: 9, 18, 27 Lucky Colour: Green, Blue

Best days: 2, 7, 9 Lucky Colour: Red, White, Yellow

KANYA (Virgo)

TULA (Libra)

Best days: 3, 12 Lucky Colour: Orange, Green

Best days: 9, 18 Lucky Colour: Red, Blue

An excellent month during which you would tend to go for your targets like a bullet. Astral influences would endow you with a fine manner of handling your juniors and subordinates, so that you would be able to derive optimum benefit from their services. A certain instinct of the hunter would enable you to seize any opportunity that might come your way. Travel will also bring gains, Further there is the likelihood of some old person doing you a favour that could substantially boost your career prospects.

MAKARA (Capricorn)

There would be a lot of hard work and the returns nowhere near commensurate with the effort put in. This would add to the difficulties. The redeeming feature of this period would be the inclination of most of you to lead a principal life, and not deviate for the sake of convenience. A month during which you can look forward to realizing a rich harvest of gains from your travels, since the augury from the stars is quite favorable on this score.

There is a distinct possibility of big success in the ventures of those undertaking a trip abroad.

Best days: 1, 3, 4 Lucky Colour: White, Green, Blue

A good month during which sizeable gains would accrue to you from travel, since the stars have decided to bless you. Writers, poets, journalists and others, would have excellent opportunities for exciting travel. You would tend to travel alone mostly by rail or by road with a fair measure of air travel. Also, on the cards is a trip abroad. Not all your travels would be for business purposes. Those that are would be extremely profitable; the rest would be very pleasant and satisfy you in a deeper score. West is the most favourable direction.

KUMBHA (Aquarius)

You would have excellent opportunities to advance your financial prospects this month. Some of you would be endowed with the skill to handle your subordinates or workers in a manner that will enable you to derive the optimum benefit from their services. This would greatly improve your financial standing. This month your family affairs may have to face rough weather, Financially, you all may not do too well. Indications are that you might have to face many kinds of problems on this score, and therefore, it would be a good thing to carefully plan out your expenses well in advance.

Best days: 5, 3, 6 Lucky Colour: White, Green

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M: 0425 660 220

KARKAT (Cancer)

A month, during which you should have fairly smooth sailing to your targets in so far as your career is concerned. Some old person or a female colleague would render extremely beneficial service to you, that would substantially boost your career prospects. Do not lose your cool and refuse to be drawn into any sort of confrontation. This should help quite a bit. Majority among you would be prone to indulge in speculative activity again, for quick profit. There is a good chance that they would face serious losses.

Best days: 9, 18 Lucky Colour: Red, Blue

VRISHCHIK (Scorpio)

A profitable month, during which your financial prospects look good. In addition, there is a distinct possibility of a favour being done to you by a member of the female sex, which could well turn out to be a financial boon. Performing arts practitioners of the fine arts can especially look forward to a highly satisfying spell both in terms of financial gains and creative output. The climate would also be congenial for investment and new enterprises.

Best days: 1, 3, 4 Lucky Colour: Red, Orange

MEEN (Pisces)

An excellent month, during which you should be able to considerably advance your financial prospects. This month, some of you would have a way of handling your juniors or workers in a manner enabling you to derive maximum benefit from their services. This would greatly boost your financial situation. A month during which the outcome would a source of much satisfaction to your family members, There is a probability that you all would be benefited by a good turn done to you by someone below you socially.

Best days: 2, 7, 9 Lucky Colour: Red, Yellow, White

CLASSIFIEDS

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

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48

L AUGHTER HAVE A LAUGH

WITH AGE - COMES WISDOM!: A 70-year-old retired Military officer had one hobby - he loved to fish.

He was sitting in his boat the other day when he heard a voice say, ‘Pick me up.’ he looked around and couldn’t see anyone.

He thought he was dreaming when he heard the voice say again, ‘’Pick me up. ‘ He looked in the water and there, floating on the top, was a frog.

The retired officer said, ‘Are you talking to me?’ The frog said, ‘Yes, I’m talking to you. Pick me up, then kiss me; and I’ll turn into the most beautiful woman you have ever seen.

I’ll make sure that all your friends are envious and jealous, because I will be your bride!’ The retired officer looked at the frog for a short time, reached over, picked it up carefully and placed it in his shirt pocket.

T HERAP Y

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

He opened his pocket, looked at the frog and said, ‘Nah. I’d rather like have a talking frog than a nagging wife...

One day a Professor was talking about marriage in the class...

Professor: What kind of Wife would you like Johnny?

Johnny: I would want a wife like the moon...đ&#x;Œ™ Professor: Wow!! what a choice....

So, you want her to be Cool & Calm like the moon? đ&#x;Œ™ Johnny: No, no...

Professor: oh, so u want her to be Round and white?

Johnny: No, no...

Professor: Oh, so u want her to be Fair and Beautiful like the moon?

Johnny: No, no...

I want her to be Exactly like MOON ....... Just Arrive at Night and Disappear in the Morning Professor fainted

The frog said, ‘What, are you nuts? Didn’t you hear what I said?’ I said, ‘Kiss me, and I will be your beautiful bride.’

D

Melbourne’s tropical wonderland bursts into colour this summer

iscover Australia’s largest floral display of Lotus and Waterlilies at Blue Lotus Water Garden in Melbourne’s Yarra Valley from December 26, 2019 to April 13, 2020.

Each year Geoff and Yvonne Cochrane open their 14 acre garden to thousands of visitors from Australia and beyond who come to admire the beauty of exotic Lotus flowers and magical Waterlilies.

Thought to be the largest garden of its kind in the southern hemisphere, Blue Lotus Water Garden features dozens of man-made lakes and ponds covered in thousands of spectacular water flowers each summer HIGHLIGHTS OF BLUE LOTUS WATER GARDEN: Monet’s Lake A special feature of the Garden is ‘Monet’s Lake’ which is the largest lake on the property holding 11 million litres of water. The lake contains over 70 varieties of waterlily flowers including a prized collection of Claude Monet’s original waterlilies from his garden in Giverny, France. It also features a 300m walk through the centre, with 11 bridges including our famous red arched bridge. Filled with native water birds such as Giant Egrets, Water Hens, Spoon Bills and a variety of ducks there are many stunning photo opportunities.

Lotus Lake and the Golden Lotus Lotus Lake is so beautiful you will never want to leave! The lake produces the largest

Japan. Dr Oga successfully germinated 1 of three seeds found and named it the Oga Lotus. Blue Lotus Water Garden is fortunate to have received seed progeny of this stunning lotus and it is now on display in the Japanese styled pond.

display of lotus flowers in the Garden with over 10,000 blooms on display including Carolina Queen Lotus and Cream Lutea.

A special feature of this walk is the Golden Lotus exhibit. This spectacular double yellow flower has more petals than any other lotus in the garden – 88 in fact. The origins of this lotus is a mystery, however we believe the variety originated in China. The Golden Lotus grows in its own pond on the eastern side of Lotus Lake and is at its peak in February – March.

Native Lotus and Waterlily exhibit New to the Garden in 2020, this exhibit features a specially built greenhouse containing a collection of the most stunning tropical waterlilies and lotus plants native to Northern Australia. Thought to be the only display of this kind in southern Australia, it’s a great opportunity to see these beautiful flowers up close without having to take a trip to northern Australia – and it’s crocodile free! Best viewing will be from February onwards..

Giants of the Amazon Giants of the Amazon are on display in the Tropical World Complex, housing the largest species of waterlily known to man including the Victoria Longwood (hybrid) Waterlily. These amazing waterlilies are distinguished by their massive leaves, known as lily pads, which can reach over 2 metres in diameter with flowers bigger than a dinner plate.

Ancient Japanese Flower – Oga Lotus Lotus flowers have been around for thousands of years, possibly even before dinosaurs. In the Garden’s Japanese pond, visitors will see one of the oldest varieties of lotus flowers known to exist, believed to be over 2,000 years old. This ancient flower was discovered by Dr Ichiro Oga during an archaeological dig in 1951 at the Hanamigawa River, Chiba,

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Flower Fairy Garden Children are not forgotten at this stunning oasis with a Flower Fairy Garden located on the shores of Silver Lotus Lagoon complete with fantasy cubby houses, a rainbow slide, wishing well and the new magic mister.

On weekends and public holidays the Flower Fairy Queen flies in for story time and the best bit, kids entry is free!

Perfectly located for a day trip, the Gardens have numerous picnic areas, shelters, BBQ facilities, cafÊ and ice-cream shop. Also on site is Australia’s best lotus and waterlily nursery, a fabulous gift shop and Rod’s Garden Shop.

Open: December 26, 2019 – April 13, 2020 - 7 days a week | Time: 10am – 5pm Address: 2628 Warburton Hwy, Yarra Junction Tel: (03) 5967 2061 www.bluelotus.com.au Tickets: Adult $20, Students and Seniors $17.50.

Children free (Under 15 when accompanied by an adult).

G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

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G’DAY INDIA | JAN 2020

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