2009-11 Sydney (1)

INDIANLINK

PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Usha Arvind

Sheryl Dixit

MELBOURNE

Preeti Jabbal

CONTRIBUTORS

Raka Mitra, Preeti Kannan, Shivangi Ambani Gandhi, Farzana Shakir, Sudha Natarajan, Sydney Srinivas, Chitra Sudarshan, Indranil Halder, Noel G deSouza, Madhuchanda Das, George Thakur, Thomas King, Shafeen Mustaq, Ruchi Lamba, Guneeta Dhingra, Rajpaul Sandhu

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Vivek Trivedi 02 9262 1766

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT

Priti Sharma 02 9279 2004

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Darren Monaghan

Indian Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, maybe reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to Indian Link Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 or GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001

Ph: 02 9279-2004 Fax: 02 9279-2005

Email: info@indianlink.com.au

Justice at last O

n the same day as The Times of India and other Indian media screamed headlines of yet another attack on an Indian student in Australia, there was barely, if any, coverage of Judge Pamela Jenkins sentencing an attacker Zakarie Hussein, to four and a half years in jail with a minimum parole period of 2 years. Hussein was standing trial for assaulting Indian student Sukhraj Singh at a convenience store on December 1, 2008.

This is probably the first case of a successful prosecution of an attack against an Indian student which has emerged in the past few months.

The Indian Australian community, both the students and the elders, need to acknowledge and accept the merits of the system and use it to their advantage. The judicial system in India is clogged and often bogged down. Recently, there have been attempts made in India to fast track certain processes; however the reality is that it takes time for the system to go through its process and for justice to be done. The presumption of innocence until a person is found guilty, is at the base of both Indian and Australian legal process. The reality however, is that the legal process moves a lot quicker here, as has been evidenced

I am completing my Diploma of Business? What to do?

DiD you know? Enrolment into Certificate iV or higher course is essential for students from Assessment Level 4 countries like india? if you have completed your Diploma of Business, you’d need at least a confirmation of enrollment for a course at a Cert iV level which will be combined with the eCoE for the Certificate iii course at the time of lodging an extension of a student Visa.

What are alternative pathways available to me?

By PAWAN LUTHRA

in the Singh case. The judge in this case noted that the victim presented no threat to the attacker and was attacked for the sheer thrill of it. She also pointed that short of becoming prisoners in their homes, there is little potential victims can do to prevent such attacks. In this, one does tend to disagree with her. To ensure that these attacks become an unpleasant memory of a time past, victims need to step forward bravely. They need to pursue their case within the legal system and ensure that justice is done. Often the victims do not come forward, concerned about the effect this can have on their potential residency application or the time they will need to spend at police stations or court rooms recounting their incidents. Victims need to be assured that they will be supported on all these issues. The various Indian student associations and other community organisations need to counsel their members that it is in everyone’s best interest that they allow the full judicial process to take place. As more reports of successful prosecution

emerge, not only will it deter potential attackers, but will instill confidence in the community at large that the police and the legal system will assist them in their adopted country.

At the same time, students need to understand the government systems are different in Australia as compared to India. Basic issues like tax returns have rules which need to be followed strictly in Australia, while in India, there is still a considerable gap in these areas. Australia’s “matching” system can pick up discrepancies. Driving and public behavior are also areas which need to conform to the standards of the host country. Mutual respect is important; this leads to confidence in each other, and overall, a more tolerant society.

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Indian Link’s Pink Appeal concludes

Dear Readers

As you must be aware for the last month we at Indian Link have been very busy with the Breast Cancer awareness and fundraising campaign. Thanks to all of you we are pleased to say that this campaign was very successful.

The month of October was the Cancer Council’s month for Breast Cancer awareness. As part of Indian Link newspaper’s initiative and with the help of supporters together we were

have raised $2300!

Our target was to raise $2000 and with your help we have surpassed our target amount. In addition to the fundraising activities we hope we have been able to bring some awareness to you about this terrible disease and how important it is to self examine and be breast aware.

The generosity from all of you has been sensational and we would like to applaud all the donors. Every dollar makes a difference and brings us closer to finding a cure for this disease.

A big thank-you to the sponsors of the three fabulous pink sarees, Saree Haven and the Mitra family. We are sure the winners will look stunning in these sarees!

If you would still like to make a donation, please visit the cancer council website directly to make a donation to this important cause.

Our best regards

The Indian Link Team

Clockwise from extreme left: Pooja Rastogi, Poonam Chandiramani, Ashima Aggarwala, Priti Sharma, Raka Mitra, Annie Pathania.

Indian Link’s Pink Appeal Winners

First prize winner SWETA PATIL

Sweta wins a pink sari valued at $600.00 donated by Saree Haven

Second prize winner MANJIT GUJRAL

Manjit wins a pink sari valued at $300.00 donated by Saree Haven

Third prize winner MALLI IYER

Malli wins a pink sari valued at $100.00 donated by the Mitra family

Our thanks to readers who contributed

Shilpi Sanghera

Manisha Mude

Usha Khurana

Craig Barnett

Sunny Karan

Varshalee Sanyal

Gopal Ganawani

Soma Goswami

Aditi Coomar

Rima Singh

Sweta Patil

Aparajita Mitra

Vimla Luthra keys2wealth.com.au

Anuradha Basuroy

Malli Iyer

Garima Mishra

Anita Giananey

Sonu Sodhi

Anne Kelly

Rili Pal

Cheryl Moulton

Cath Bowdler

Satyendra Solanki

Parul Sarvaiya

And some members of the Indian Link team who have requested anonymity

Our thanks also to our valued advertisers who participated

Sheela and Akhilesh

Chaukra of Quality Care Nursing Agency

Manjit and Kanwar

Gujral of Concord Function Centre

Biljana Khurana of Migration Centre Pty Ltd

Nathan Rees reports on the students’ issue

NSW Premier Nathan Rees acted quickly and decisively when he called the first round table meeting of community representatives and government ministers in the wake of attacks on Indian students in June. At that meeting, he set in motion different working groups to work on this problem. To bring the community up to date, a second round table meeting was conducted by the Premier office in early November.

Briefing the group, Commissioner Andrew P Scipione from the NSW police confirmed that a lot has been done to improve the law and order situation where Indian students reside and work.

“More importantly, I have liaised extensively with Mr. Ashwani Kumar from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in India and we have both exchanged ideas on the problems which the Indian students are facing. We now have an ongoing arrangement with CBI on this matter,” he said.

David Riordan, chairman of the Ministerial Task Force on International Education, confirmed that his team had received over 72 written submissions and had over 18 face-to-face meetings with student bodies and community leaders. “Though the issue of general welfare of the students, quality of education and marketing of education courses are all important, it is overall student experience which we have focused on”, he said.

Stepan Kerkyasharian, Chairman, Community Relations Commission also told the gathering of the work his team have accomplished, with advice from Indian Consul General Amit Dasgupta. “We have interacted extensively with Indian students and community leaders through meetings in Strathfield and Parramatta Town Halls. We also successfully ensured that there was complete inter communal harmony when passions were running high in June and July”, he said.

A manual containing all pertinent information for students from India, is in preparation after

the research conducted by the CRC. It is hoped every student will have a copy before they leave India.

The Indian Consul General Amit Dasgupta expressed his appreciation for the work being done and the help being given by the police department, David Riordan’s department and especially the wonderful work being done by Stepan Kerkyasharian. “But the problem, I often encounter is where to turn to when students come to me with specific problems”, he said. As there are so many different departments connected to the students issues, it does get a bit confusing, Consul General told the Premier. He urged the Premier to consider a centralised body, perhaps set up an international students centre.

Premier Rees promised to look into all the suggestions. He reminded the gathering of his own visit to India later this month and promised to hold regular round table meetings with the community

Pawan Luthra

NSW Premier Nathan Rees chairs a meeting of various departments working on the Indian students’ problem

A Diwali prayer at Parliament House

The annual Diwali celebrations at the New South Wales Parliament House was one of the most colourful and multicultural events in Sydney, to say the least. From the light-decked Parliament to traditional Indian dances, the celebrations alongside Australian political bigwigs, including NSW Premier Nathan Rees, resonated with the true spirit of the festival and reflected the links the community had forged with its adopted country.

A home away from home for Indian migrants and expatriates here, the festivities were distinctly reminiscent of the joy associated with Diwali in the sub-continent, minus of course the fireworks. Nearly a 100 people from the Indian and Australian community had gathered at the event on the night of Wednesday 21 Oct.

Acknowledging that Diwali is a unique festival that holds special significance to not just Hindus in diverse India, but for also people from different religious backgrounds, Rees, who was taking part in the celebrations for a second consecutive year, said Diwali is increasingly becoming “one of the key community events of the Australian calendar”.

“Diwali is central to your cultural and spiritual lives, and a great enrichment to the cultural fabric of Sydney, NSW and Australia. We work hard together and we play harder together in cricket,” joked Rees.

The recent spate of attacks against Indian students, however, was not lost on Rees or the other officials who spoke on the occasion.

“We know some of the issues that have been brought to the surface particularly in Victoria but also right here in Sydney with regards to Indian students in Australia. Well before the highlighting of security issues, we had already set up a ministerial task force to look at all the issues of international education in NSW. That report is being prepared and is under consideration. There are recommendations which will assist Indian students in NSW that will be implemented without delay.”

“Many of you were at the round table meeting that were held in response to the Victorian issue where I convened with community leaders and student representatives so that we could chart a plan to prevent the sort of issues that had occurred in Melbourne.”

He also announced the launch of the much anticipated Z-card that will provide key information on NSW to Indian students before they leave home to pursue their studies. The card is being prepared following consultations and workshops with students and the NSW Community Relations Commission (CRC) to equip students with information on a range of issues pertaining to transport, accommodation, health, legal matters, interaction with the police, tenancy and industrial rights.

“One of the issues was the shortage of basic information, emergency system, commercial and industrial rights, tenancy issues. I am happy to announce that we have come up with a new approach and we have put together with the help of CRC, a pocket size compendium of information that addresses all the issues that have been raised. That card will soon go in to production and we will begin distributing it to students before they even leave for Australia,”

he added.

The Premier is set to visit India shortly – he will be there just after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd concludes his own New Delhi trip.

The Indian Consul General Amit Dasgupta noted that the distinguishing common factor between the two countries was that they were both ‘consistently, persistently and very strongly parliamentary democracies’.

“India recently had its elections where 417 million people voted. As we speak, we have a parliamentary secretariat delegation that is in Canberra following procedures in the Parliament that we can learn from. This delegation would be in Sydney next week. I dare say there will be much we can learn from and improve,” he observed.

Touching on the student issues, he said, “In the last six or seven months I have been here as part of my tenure, it was extraordinary for me at the time of deep crises, receive the kind of support from parliamentarians, from the Premier of NSW, the police, the administration and from everyone else I have been in contact and in touch with. This possibly was the principal reason as to why, while there were a large number of incidents in certain other cities, NSW was mercifully one where the Indian community felt very safe.”

Comparing the festival’s light to transparency and accountability, Dasgupta said, “I think the student issue has allowed the system to see better, where the inadequacies lie and therefore find a way of correcting it.”

John Aquilina, Leader of the House, and a regular at Diwali and other community celebrations, took the cue too.

“Light helps show us the way,” he said. “I would like to think today one way in which we are looking forward is showing the way towards greater understanding of one another, greater interaction and integration of the multicultural community, showing the way for our Indian community from so many different parts of India to be able to enjoy the experience of being in Australia. Light stands for knowledge. We are hoping to know more about each other, very important part of our community.”

Minister for Citizenship, Virginia Judge, who helped light up Parliament House as part of the Deepavali Festival of Light celebrations, said, “The Rees Government is proud to be taking part in one of the most colourful cultural events in New South Wales. Deepavali is the largest festival on the Indian sub-continent and literally means rows of lights. With nearly 100,000 Indians living in NSW, the festival plays an important role in strengthening and building intercommunity relationships.” She added that the festival was a ‘positive and uplifting celebration that represents hope, renewal, forgiveness and compassion’.

Taking off with a puja and light of the lamp, the festivities concluded with traditional dances by a number of youngsters. Prominent figures from the Indian community were present at the event. Raj Datta, who was instrumental in bringing Diwali to the NSW Parliament and who has coordinated the event ever since its inception, provided the vote of thanks.

This marks the sixth year the Parliament House has turned on its lights for Diwali.

Diwali is central to your cultural and spiritual lives, and a great enrichment to the cultural fabric of Sydney, NSW and Australia

Premier Nathan Rees

PREETI KANNAN was at Macquarie Street to see the Diwali lights come on at Parliament House

A Hindu priest chants a prayer as NSW Premier Nathan Rees and Citizenship Minister Virginia Judge light the traditional Diwali lamp

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COMMUNITY NOTICEBOARD

Diwali dinner

6 Nov India Club presents a Diwali dinner at Castle Grand, Castle Hill, Cnr Pennant and Castle Sts. 6.45pm for 7.15 start. Details Shubha Kumar 02 9873-1207 / 0402 257 588

South Asian Seniors Information Session and Luncheon

19 Nov The Home Care Service of NSW, Multicultural Respite Network and Sri On Foundation are organising an information session and lunch for frail-aged people, people with a disability and their carers living in the Liverpool, Bankstown and Fairfield areas. Venue Milperra Community Hall, Ashford Ave, Milperra. Time 11am-2pm. Details Jay Raman 0410 759 906.

India’s TERI University seeks VC

Expressions of interest are sought from academics of Indian origin in Australian universities for the post of Vice-Chancellor of TERI University in New Delhi, India. Details maybe sought from the Indian Consulate in Sydney (Ph 9223-9500) or by contacting Dr S Sundar of TERI at New Delhi (91-11-2468 2100 / 4150 4900).

Yoga at Marrickville

In partnership with NSW Sport and Recreation, Marrickville Council presents a program entitled Sport-a-Month. This encourages children and adults to try sports they never thought they would, under the guidance of local coaches and club representatives. Each month a new sport, a new challenge, is picked for those who are keen to give it a go. For the month of November, the sport picked is Yoga.

Three local Yoga Schools are participating in Sport-aMonth: Samadhi Yoga in Newtown where some classes are targeted at specific groups such as ‘mums and bubs’, The Yoga Nook in Dulwich Hill, and Yoga to Go in Petersham.

To take advantage of this month’s Sport-a-Month,

simply choose a yoga session at one of the three local yoga schools, complete the registration form and hand it in on the day. To register or for more information on Sport-a-Month, phone Council’s Recreation Officer on 9335 2191 or visit www.marrickville.nsw.gov.au

Indian Film Festival 2010: Short Film Competition

The Indian Film Festival 2010 is running a short film and video competition that will see the winner awarded with the IFF 2010 Best Short Film Award, an airfare to India and an internship with UTV – one of India’s leading film and television production and distribution companies. The winning film will also be screened on India’s World Movies television channel. Films must either include content related to India or be entered by an Indian-Australasian writer, director or producer. Shortlisted films will be screened at IFF 2010 in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Auckland. Films/videos can be shot on any format but must be submitted on DVD or 35mm film and must be less than 10 minutes.

Entries close 15th December 2009.

Details of how to enter at the festival website www. iff2010.com

Dancing for charity

21 Nov Hema and Sudhakar Rao present their second annual fundraising program for the Mathru Blind School in Bangalore. This year’s event, called Dances of India, will be held at Epping Community Hall, Oxford St, Epping and will feature the community’s leading dance schools. Funds raised will be used by Mathru to strengthen their Braille library. A voluntary donation of $25 per family will be appreciated. Enjoy a sumptuous meal cooked by volunteers. Details Hema Rao 02 9868 6942, Mob: 0416 343 577

Curries by Candlelight

13 Dec Enjoy a Christmas meal with an Indian feel,

at Pennant Hills Community Centre, cnr Ramsay and Yarrarra Rds. All proceeds will be donated to Hornsby Hospital’s Koala Care Cottage. Details Pam 4733 0445 or Shalini 0410 485 522.

ERRATA

In our last issue (Indian Link Oct-2, 2009) inadvertent errors were made in the article Lasting impressions by Sudha Natarajan in the Seniors column. Dr TK Natarajan’s photograph was incorrectly captioned as Dr Badve, and Nirmal Kapila’s photograph as Vasantha Ramamurthi. The errors are regretted. Ed.

MS Appeal

I have entered the 2009 MS Sydney to Wollongong Bike Ride (90K+) and have committed to fundraise $500.00 in support of those affected by Multiple Sclerosis. I am looking for people to sponsor me for the noble cause.

Please take a moment to view my online fundraising web page and help me reach my fundraising goal. It’s quick and easy. You can donate securely online using your credit card by clicking on the link below: http:// register.gongride.org.au/?jitender

All information is secure and all donations will be sent electronically to MS Australia - ACT/NSW/VIC. A taxdeductible receipt will automatically be sent to your inbox once the donation is verified.

Multiple Sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system affecting more young adults than any other neurological condition. Your donation will go directly towards providing a wide range of services and support to people living with MS. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Jitender Singh Beniwal 0413 167 238

MAKERS

A success!runaway

He is fondly referred to as the ‘Flying Sikh’.

At 77, Harbhajan Singh Aulakh, winner of 10 medals at the recently concluded World Masters’ Games 2009, could not have been described more aptly. Hailing from Punjab, the Land of Five Rivers, Harbhajan has made all Indians proud by bagging 4 gold medals (400m, 800m, 1500m, 2000m steeple chase), 4 silver medals (100m, 100m hurdles, 200m and long jump) and 2 bronze medals (high jump and triple jump) in the Olympic style event for the veterans held in Sydney.

The seventh World Masters’ Games that took place from 10-18 October 2009 at Sydney Olympic Park, were an initiative of the Government of New South Wales. The games have been held every four years since their initiation in Toronto, Canada in 1985. Sydney had the honour of hosting the event this year after Brisbane (1994) and Melbourne (2002).

The World Masters’ Games are the world’s largest multi-sport event, attracting twice as many competitors as the Olympic Games. The games are open to people of all abilities and most ages with the emphasis on participation. To compete at the Sydney 2009 World Masters’ Games, people needed to satisfy their sport’s minimum age.

Harbhajan revealed that 45,000 competitors from 95 countries including Canada, South

America, South Africa, India, China and New Zealand participated in the games which were formerly known as the Veterans’ Olympic. He was in the 75-80 age group but pointed out that age was no bar to enthusiasm and talent as there was a 101-yearold participant for the shot-put event.

There were 28 sports on the calendar divided into two categories. The Sydney 2009 World Masters Games Advisory Committee endorsed

He has also participated in three other World Masters’ Games and has walked away with many medals.

Shedding a light on the secret of his success that allows him to have the stamina of a much younger person, Harbhajan Singh is modest in conceding that it is all about running.

“I am up at four in the morning every day to work out and go for my daily run. I top it off with an afternoon work out”.

And what about his dietary habits?

“I take no special dietary supplements or special energy drinks. I stick to a simple Indian diet, but avoiding too many spices”.

Harbhajan is blessed with three children and three grandchildren but notes regretfully that none of his family shares his enthusiasm for sport and fitness.

To participate in the World Masters’ Game, Harbhajan had been preparing for the last three years. He is currently getting set to impress in the Australian National Olympics to be held in March 2010 in Melbourne and also the next world games.

With such a spring in his feet and success in his grasp, it is no surprise that he has no plans to retire any time soon and insists he will be competing for as long as he can.

Farzana Shakir

I am up at four in the morning every day to work out and go for my daily run. I top it off with an afternoon work out

The local Punjabi community felicitate Aulakh for his medal haul at the Games (Left) Harbhajan Singh Aulakh at the World Masters’ Games in Sydney

Waking up to a Diwali morning

The fragrance of jasmine, roses and champaka flowers gently waft through the sandalwood incense, mixing and mingling on the way with the aroma of cooking in the kitchen, slowly drifting up to the bedrooms….

You lie there pleasantly awake but not fully so, wondering whether you are still dreaming… the gently tinkling sound of pooja bells bringing you to reality….

It is Diwali.

This is how we woke up to Diwali when we were young. Soon Mother would be next to the bed gently shaking us and whispering, “Time to wake up … have your bath and put on the silk pavadai (skirt) I got you from Madurai and then you can play with the fire crackers….”

We would want to stay in bed a little longer, enjoying the drifting fragrances for a little while, but we didn’t want to miss on dressing up, being with the other children, laughing and playing with the fire crackers, making sure our new dress did not go unnoticed by our friends….. well, it was Diwali!

We would soon find ourselves in the bathroom, a little towel around our middles… Mother would take some warm oil in her cupped palm… her mouth moving as she uttered the morning prayers. We watched her face for a while and then bent down as she gave our head a little push before she placed the oil on the crown and massaged it in circles… now we would be sleepy again, but we didn’t want to be sleepy…

It was Diwali!

The smell of oil, and the shikakai powder that removed and washed it off, made us feel clean and fresh. We would rush to the prayer room, draped in a dry towel. Prayers, first; then, a little bit of the Diwali medicine Mother would have kept at the altar… it tasted good, strange but good… it was sweet yet a little bitter, a little sour, a little tangy … yet it signified something. (Which Mother explained once we grew up to understand: one must learn to accept all - every taste that you may be exposed to - and find a balance). As we brought our palms together in prayer for all good things, my own thoughts would go to the presents the relatives would bring around - mostly token amounts of money, and of course packets of fireworks - and that would make me happy.

Next would be the most exciting part of the

get this really good silk skirt and blouse. But usually, Father and Mother would plan months ahead to get us the best. “Pattu Pavadai” (pure silk skirt) was expensive and for middle class consumers like my parents it came with great effort and made it really special. Somehow their love and caring passion towards dressing us up in our best became woven with the dresses themselves, and when I think back, whatever money I spend on my own designer sarees these days does not make me feel as happy and secure as those Diwali mornings when I was lovingly dressed by my parents… That was Diwali.

Today, I see it in a foreign land, celebrating with all my lovely senior friends. It is a sea of

ceremony of lighting of lamps and singing of Aarathi by the seniors of RAIN (Resourceful Australian Indian Network).

This year it was held in Timothy Reserve, a park next to the Hurstville Oval. The dressing up seems to be just as important now as it was back then - we have a catwalk by designer Julie Scott. Julie and Roshantha have worked hard modelling the silk dresses specially designed for the occasion by Julie and the silk sarees take the shape of modern dresses in subtle shades and wraps and stolls of rich zari woven Indian silk material.

The programme is highlighted by participating Women’s Interfaith Network (WIN) ladies who ‘Reach out’ to the multicultural audience who enjoy the relaxed atmosphere and great Diwali delicacies. (This was a part of the Discovery festival by the Hurstville City Council and a project by RAIN funded by Penshurst RSL as part of their CDSE funding).

Children eagerly swing their bodies as Gracey from Platinum Indian Entertainment group delights them with Bollywood dancing. The audience clap and cheer as the several Australian children who are at the park, join in the dancing on stage. This was a genuine celebration of intergenerational bonding with the multicultural diversity of Australia shining forth in total harmony.

All of us gathered agreed that this is a truly Australian Diwali.

The dressing up seems to be just as important now as it was back then – (today) we have a catwalk by designer Julie Scott

Sudha Natarajan

(Above) RAIN Seniors perform a traditional Diwali ritual

(Left) Gracey gives an impromptu lesson in Bollywood dancing

girl in

With love from Sydney

When a group of people share the same dream, it becomes a premonition of reality. This is exactly what happened when four young families in Sydney shared the dream of doing something for their homeland. Rima and Divesh, Soma and Dibyendu, Aditi and Indranil, and Varshalee and Debraj: four young couples, one big dream.

They did it in the form of Kali Puja. In West Bengal, Kali Puja falls on the same day as Diwali. And just as Diwali brings a promise of hope and light where there was none before, Kali Puja does the same for scores of Bengalis. So it is through this unique medium these young men and women have chosen to raise funds for those in need.

They named their group Iti Sydney, which in English translates to “With love from

Sydney.” Because these families had the courage to dream together four years ago, a handful of children have the option of pursuing a higher education. Iti Sydney has sponsored the education of a young girl in West Bengal – she is currently at medical college. The charity has also helped in setting up a mental asylum in West Bengal to help those in need.

Not just restricted to projects in India, Iti Sydney has raised money for several local projects including the Cancer Council.

Every year Iti Sydney hosts a Kali Puja festival. The organising members all wear the same uniform of traditional Bengali colours of white and red. The focus of the event is the cultural program consisting of Bengali song and dance. This year the theme was “Bengali Folk and Modern.” Bengal has

a diverse culture of music and is often lost in lieu of greats like Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul.

Following the traditional Kali Puja and cultural programme all guests were invited to share in a delicious dinner including Bengali favourites of green mango chutney and kheer. There was also a pani puri stall which remained crowded for most of the evening. All donations were voluntary and it is through the continued love and dedication of volunteers and support of the community that they can continue their good work.

More pictures at www.indianlink.com.au

“Every little bit counts,” notes Soma. “Some lend their hand at chopping vegetables and cooking in the morning;, others help set up the stage and decorate the hall, and many help welcome the guests – we couldn’t have done it without the help of each of these individuals”.

This year Iti Sydney raised $5,500 from the Kali Puja Cultural Program.

For me, the highlight of the evening was to see the young children on stage – some as young as 2 years old! Iti Sydney not only sends a bit of Sydney to Bengal, but instils a bit of Bengal in the Sydney kids. For these are the children who we hope will one day carry the torch so lovingly lit by their parents and continue the work that brings hopes to so many.

Raka Mitra

Iti Sydney has sponsored the education of a young

West Bengal –she is currently at medical college

Ten years of social service at IWA T

his year marks the 10th anniversary of the Indian Welfare Association of NSW (IWA), a not-for-profit organisation formed in August 1999.

The organisation marked the occasion with the first of two annual sight-seeing tours and picnic to the Napean and Cordeaux Dams on 10 October. The event was open to both members and non members and 35 turned up to avail of the fantastic opportunity to mingle and have fun. Saraswathi Venugopalan, secretary of IWA, maintained the numbers were relatively low owing to many cancellations by seniors due to the prevailing unpredictable weather conditions.

The tour departed from Parramatta at 8.30 am on a one-hour drive to Cordeaux dam. But due to security reasons only the catchment area was made accessible to visitors. That didn’t deter the picnic goers, however, from having a good time and enjoying morning tea by the waters. The party then headed to the Napean Dam for lunch which was catered by IWA and included in the admission cost. The families enjoyed music and games and embarked on the return trip at 4.30pm, stopping at a park to stretch before reaching home by 5.00pm.

According to Saraswathy, “The excursion was a huge success as everybody loved it and we received positive feedback from the members.”

The organisation was established with the main objective of providing a platform to the Indian community to socialize and form a network. IWA acquired its initial 50 members

Saraswathy insists, “The main aim of IWA is to serve the community. The Association has been motivated by a strong desire to promote measures for the welfare of the community as a whole and the elderly in particular.” She highlighted the fact that there is already a sizeable number of Indian seniors in Sydney which is set to grow with the influx of Indian migrants into Australia in the coming years. And that ‘the initial joy of being reunited with their dear ones often gets diminished in an external atmosphere of cultural differences.’ So the need for an association catering to the unique requirements of this section of the community ‘assumes greater relevance and importance.’

The organisation looks after the special needs of senior citizens by organising periodical tours and visits to places of interest and establishing retirement residences and nursing homes for those who prefer to live in independence. IWA also strives to provide relief to those with disability caused by old age by arranging for special home care and housing adapted to their needs.

Other agendas on the calender are the planning, directing and carrying out of educational, recreational and benevolent social services for the community like organised temple tours, picnics, sightseeing tours, cruises and retreats.

The organisation is striving to encourage the younger members and their families to participate and volunteer in the restoration of

educational and literary sessions for its members and is planning to introduce stress management courses for the younger members to help them deal with the day-to-day pressures of living in a foreign country.

The members can also take advantage of the well stocked Library with over 600 Tamil books on philosophy and religion by well known writers, in addition to weekly, fortnightly and monthly magazines from India.

Saraswathy highlighted some of the past achievements of the association as follows.

“We extended our moral and financial support for nearly a year to an Indian family with a handicapped child till they got settled in Sydney. Our help also extended to a young man from India on a work visa who suddenly took ill and who needed intensive medical care and treatment. We raised funds for relief measures in Gujarat earthquake and also for the Tsunami victims. We arranged to buy and donate fibre glass fishing boats to the fishermen in Cuddalore District. We also raised funds for the relief measures for victims in Canberra Fire in 2002-03 and Queensland Cyclone in 2006.”

In addition, the association is constantly striving to add and improve its facilities, which is indicative in the setting up of a hobby and learning centre in October 2008 to organise group activities and to promote art, religion and handicrafts etc. A Study Circle was inaugurated on 28th September 2009 to involve members in group discussions.

Indian Welfare Association also organises two tours or picnics every year of which the next one is set to be a day cruise in January 2010.

The membership fee is a nominal $20 per annum for families and $10 for singles.

Farzana Shakir

Members also take advantage of IWA’s well stocked Library with over 600 Tamil books on philosophy and religion by well known writers, in addition to weekly, fortnightly and monthly magazines from India

(Left) An IWA study circle in session

(Above) Trip to the Cordeaux and Nepean Dams

A Persian king comes to Sydney

The Parsi community in Sydney paid homage to a towering figure in Zoroastrian history late last month, the emperor Cyrus the Great (circa 600 BC – circa 530 BC).

A statue of Cyrus, the founder of the Persian Empire was unveiled by the Australian Zoroastrian Association (AZA) on Oct 29.

Oct 29 has been designated as the International Day of Cyrus the Great, a matchless King of Persia. Cyrus is deeply revered for his great tolerance and just treatment of the conquered nations in his vast empire. He is celebrated to this day for enshrining fundamental human rights in his Cylinder as the standard for his time and for all times. (The Cylinder, a part of Persia’s cultural identity, has been described as containing the edicts of “the first human rights charter in history”).

Nearly 150 people gathered at AZA House at 196 Annangrove Road, Annangrove to commemorate Cyrus the Great’s legacy. A statue of the 2500 year old emperor, designed by renowned Australian sculptor Peter Schipperheyn was unveiled. Doing the honours was Adil Sarkari, the President of the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce Australia (WZCCA), said, “We Zoroastrians are using this celebration not only to reflect on the past glory and the remarkable qualities of philosophical and ethical foundation laid by Cyrus some 2550 years ago, but also to celebrate and work towards the rights in terms of equality for the communities of the world and mankind at large”.

WZCCA is associated closely with the AZA. The AZA has wide social and cultural aims, (such as Seniors groups, Sunday schools etc). WZCCA’s aim is to foster entrepreneurship among the Parsi community here, to mentor its members in employment and guide them in business. It has held regular seminars, instituted awards and developed scholarships for education.

Nearly 3000 Parsi families live in Australia, 1200 of them in NSW.

To see the sculpture of Cyrus the Great or to learn more about the AZA or WZCCA, call Adil Sarkari on 0419 673 142.

Cyrus the Great

A Zoroastrian, Cyrus the Great is known in history as a great military strategist, statesman, administrator and pioneer in the proclamation of human rights.

He conquered most of Southwest and Central Asia, from Egypt and the Hellespont in the west to the Indus River in the east, to create the largest empire the world had yet seen. Under his Achaemenid dynasty, ethnically diverse people living in these lands were all brought together as one. The empire was a successful early model in centralized administration and establishing a government working to the advantage and profit of its subjects.

He was loved and respected not only by his own people but also his enemies.

Cyrus’ seminal contribution though, is in the field of human rights. Using the power of his office to good effect, he decreed a universal charter for human rights for all people. The king’s edict for equality of rights served in advancing the social and cultural precepts of the diverse people of

his empire. Although ethnically Persian, the benevolent king considered himself a trustee of the diverse nationalities of his kingdom. Parochialism and ethnocentrism were alien to this visionary monarch.

An illustration of the benevolent beliefs and practices launched by this great historical visionary is his landmark action in 539 B.C. Having conquered Babylon, the benevolent King Cyrus freed the Jews from captivity and empowered them to return to the Promised Land to build their temple.

For his acts of kindness, Cyrus the Great is immortalized in the Bible in several passages and is called “the anointed of the Lord.” Throughout recorded history, the Jews looked to Cyrus’s people, the Iranians, as their friends and protectors against oppressors such as the Seleucids and the Romans.

Some contemporary Muslim scholars have suggested that the Qur’anic figure of DhulQarnayn is Cyrus the Great.

The rise of Persia under Cyrus’s rule had a profound impact on the course of world history.Persian philosophy, literature and religion all played dominant roles in world events for the next millennia

(Top) Adil Sarkari unveils the statue (Above) The local Parsi community gather for the ceremony

(Below) Peter Schipperheyn’s Cyrus the Great

GALLERY

More pictures from the Parsi community www.indianlink.com.au

CanberraCalling

A networking forum by the Indian High Commissioner in Canberra brings some of the best minds of the community together. PAWAN LUTHRA reports

This is an opportunity to exchange ideas amongst ourselves and a forum to network”.

That was how the Indian High Commissioner to Australia, Her Excellency Sujatha Singh described the select gathering of Indian community leaders in Canberra on 28th October 2009.

Over 50 representatives of various Indian associations, academics with an Indian connection and community leaders discussed issues of mutual interest at this very special meeting.

The scene was set at Hotel Hyatt alongside Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra and delegates had flown in or driven in from Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and NSW – in fact all the states where members of the Indian diaspora can be found. Chaired by Deputy High Commissioner VK Sharma and hosted by the High Commissioner, the two Consul Generals of India, Amit Dasgupta from NSW and Anita Nayar from Victoria were also present to absorb the feedback from the attendees and give their own viewpoints.

For over 2 hours, delegates to this mini and private Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas - strictly by invitation only - came forth with their ideas and suggestions on various issues covering the life of Indian-origin Australians. Topics which were brought up included the still-hot Indian international students issue, the role of Indian employers vis-a-vis Indian students, domestic violence etc. As each of the 50-odd guests stepped up on the platform and presented their suggestions, the Indian government representatives kept copious notes. Later the High Commissioner spent over an hour presenting her and her team’s views on the matters raised.

The topics raised, discussed and analysed included the following.

The students’ issue

The delegates felt that the students coming to Australia need to be made aware of the reality of living, studying and working in Australia. These might be problems faced because of not being aware of the types of courses they are enrolling for, the dangers of late night travel, and the problems with employment including exploitation by their employers due to their lack of awareness of Australian rules and regulations. The delegates also raised questions regarding the policing of education consultants in India and their governance. AIBC Chairman Emeritus Neville Roach, one of the speakers, said regarding the issue that we Indians living in Australia have a responsibility to help the Australian and State Governments to win back the confidence and goodwill of the Indian community here and in India. We need to convince the authorities to act more sensitively, he added.

Vish Vishwanthan from the Federation of Indian Associations in Australia (FAIA) also felt that the Indian reportage of the attacks on the students created a bad image of Australia in India. He urged the Australian Government to work with the Indian media to repair some of the damage done to this representation of Australia in India.

Umesh Chandra, President GOPIO from Queensland however, stressed that it is important to face up to the fact that Australia is a racist country and if that fact is denied, then this problem will not be solved. He stressed that students should be made to feel more welcome and there should be job opportunities created for them in their own communities.

Building on this Neville Roach added, “In relation to the attacks on India students, we should encourage Australian Governments and our fellow Australians to avoid the usual kneejerk reaction of denial when allegations of racism are made. This only destroys our credibility. Instead all such allegations should be taken very seriously and thoroughly investigated, with appropriate action against proven perpetrators.”

Gambhir Watts from Bharatiya Vidya Bhawan raised the transport problems which students face in Australia. He felt that this was a discriminating factor against overseas students.

Umesh Kotur from Chandana TV was keen to make available orientation courses for the new migrant.

In response to issues relating to the students, High Commissioner Singh agreed that this one issue has dominated the relationships between the two countries in the past 6 months. “My colleagues, Consuls General Amit Dasgupta and Anita Nayar have spent a lot of time in the last six months talking to students in Harris Park, in Sunshine, in Footscray, in taxis and restaurants and then we have been camped inside the Australian Parliament meeting the various MPs on these issues. We can possibly write a Ph D thesis on the topic”, she told the gathering. “Our job is to protect the legitimate interests of the Indian students in Australia; after all, they are Indian nationals,” she strongly stated. “However”, she continued, “the students need to recognise that their first job is to study, so if they have to write an exam anytime, they should be able to do so”.

Mrs Singh urged the local Indian community to get involved in the welfare of the students. “There are 100,000 students and over 300,000 (settled) Indians here: it will be great if the seniors can reach out to them, become a mentor to them, guide them. It will go a long way,” she said.

However, she also cautioned that the system of getting visa approvals for students in India is getting tougher. Practices in the Australian High Commission have changed such that now all visa applicants are being interviewed and it is believed that there is an 80% refusal rate for new visa applications. The Indian government has

Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India to Australia, addresses a gathering of leading members of the community

Mrs. Singh agreed that the denial of the sale of uranium to India has been a stumbling block in the relationship between the two countries. She conceded that lobbying the powers-that-be, from within the Indian community here, could be a possible help in the process

image of Australia. This needs to be corrected and the Australian High Commission in India is doing this”, she clarified.

“I also believe that for Indian employers there should be a voluntary code of conduct which they need to adhere to and the Consul General’s office in Sydney will be working on this,” she added.

Domestic violence

Many delegates were equally concerned about the rising incidence of domestic violence in the community.

“Unfortunately, some domestic violence issues are being imported from India with new migrants unaware that certain issues which are taken for granted in India can be counted as domestic violence here in Australia”, one delegate stated. In reply, the High Commissioner urged the various associations to be more involved in educating the community here.

“The associations need to be more relevant with the changing needs of the community, there has to be education at grass roots levels,” Mrs Singh said.

Senior citizens

The Australia-India Parliamentary Group, led by Julie Owens (Member for Parramatta), joins the gathering

Raji Swaminathan from Sydney Tamil Sangam raised the issue of an aging diaspora. Not only is the organic Indian Australian aging, but also parents migrating here have greater needs, she noted.

“It is difficult to find facilities which can take care of them who understand the language, cultural habits such as vegetarian food or even

simple issues such as how to tie a sari”, she said.

A number of other delegates echoed her views.

“From the High Commission’s position, it is very difficult for us to contribute significantly in this regard,” Mrs. Singh said, adding, “I do urge you however, to raise it with your local MPs”.

Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas

The Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas has failed to excite the Indian Australians, some of the delegates reflected.

“While it is a great idea, we only get to know in November as to where it is being held and as such find it difficult to plan to attend,” it was stated. Neville Roach, the only Indian-Australian to have been honoured with the Pravasi Bharatiya Award and a member of Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council, recounted to the group the importance of attending the PBD as a team.

“From the US, there are over a thousand attendees. They sit together, they lobby as a team, and are accorded special forums at the PBD. From Australia, we do not have these numbers which makes it difficult for us to be a force at these functions,” he said.

The High Commissioner agreed that there should be sufficient advance notice as to the venue of the PBD so that guests can plan their other travel around it.

“However, the date of 9th January is fixed, as it is the day Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa,” she said. She also confirmed that Australia needs a stronger voice and bigger numbers need to attend the PBD.

Uranium sale to India

An interesting point emerging from the delegates was the urgent need to lobby the Australian government to consider selling uranium to India.

“The nuclear non-proliferation treaty is outdated and is a discriminatory tool used to whip India. While certain signatories of the treaty like China use uranium to further their influence and assist countries such as North Korea, Pakistan and Iran, Australia is ignoring this fact. India needs uranium to meet its growing energy needs. Australia continues to preach its commitments to climate change, and urges countries like India to reduce their emissions, yet they do not want to help India use a much cleaner source such as uranium,” it was observed.

The delegates urged the formation of a lobby group which can educate the local Indian community on these issues and then from the grassroots, lobby with the

them know their feelings about this discrimination against India.

Mrs. Singh agreed that the denial of the sale of uranium to India has been a stumbling block in the relationship between the two countries. She conceded that lobbying the powers-that-be, from within the Indian community here, could be a possible help in the process, while stating vehemently that she was not in a position to be able to tell the community here what to do.

“The non resident Indian community in the US played a major role in lobbying the US government in passing the bill to transfer peaceful nuclear know-how to India,” she noted, implying that perhaps a similar stance from within the community here could possibly achieve the same.

Other delegates such as Shail Chandra and Dev Tripathy from Hindi Samaaj, raised the issues of Hindi language teaching in the community. Members from Melbourne such as Ravi Bhatia, Sanjay Jain and Sydney’s Dr. Yadu Singh raised issues both privately and publicly of the students and racism in the community.

Later, the High Commissioner invited the delegates to meet with members of the Australia India Parliamentary group at the High Commission. There the group led by Julie Owens, Member for Parramatta met with the delegates and spoke about the growing strength of relationship between the two countries.

An afternoon such as this brought together some of the best in the Indian community from around Australia under one roof to discuss issues of concerns to the Indian diaspora.

While the High Commission picked the brains of those present, for delegates themselves, it was an opportunity to put their concerns forward to representatives of the Indian government here, while availing of the priceless networking opportunities that it all opened up.

A mini Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas, it certainly helped rally the community together.

Photos Michael Thorne

On your marks, get set, go: India 2010

Mrs Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India to Australia, has urged the Indian community here to get behind the nation’s efforts in ensuring the 2010 Commonwealth Games will be a success.

“The lead up to the Games gives us a great chance to showcase India to Australia,” she told delegates at the Canberra conference.

“As the Queen’s baton relay makes its way across select Australian capital cities, it is important that the local Indian community get involved in these activities”.

A series of business events are being organised as a curtain raiser, Mrs Singh outlined. These include certain sector specific sessions such as automotive components, food processing, entertainment (especially automation and post production), pharmaceutical, bio technology etc.

Entertainment troupes from India will visit Australia to promote the cultural dimension. The Government of India Tourist Office, she added, will play a pivotal role in spreading the spirit of the Commonwealth Games through the local Indian Australian community to the mainstream.

Delegates network over drinks and dinner

Themaster’stouch

Art brings hearts together. Bhratanatyam is the simplest art form. Take your body language and put it in an artistic way; it becomes Bharatanatyam. In this sense every one of us is a dancer,” said V P Dhanajayan. Later, the master Sri V P Dhanajayan’s entire performance stood a testimonial to his words.

The occasion was the staging of Bhakti Margam (The Path of Devotion), a dance recital by his group Bharata Kalanjali at the Everest Theatre, Seymour Theatre Centre in Sydney on Oct 24.

The Dhanjayans (V P Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan) form a celebrated dance couple from India. They have been performing Bharathanatyam for a number of years, improvised the art form, trained many students and also bagged the Padma Bhushana Award recently from the President of India.

Classical dance lovers of the community had the rare chance of viewing them in a live performance.

Two items – Nandanaar Charitam and Radha Madhavam became the centre point

of the show. The former depicted the story of Nandanaar, a poor untouchable a devotee of Lord Shiva. His life ambition was to go and see the great idol in Chidambaram and offer his prayers. He could only go if his landlord permitted him. The landlord agreed, on the condition that Nandanaar till forty acres of land and harvest the crops the same night. As can be guessed the Lord came to Nandanaar’s rescue. It was Dhananjyan in the role of Nandanaar. The music – Thillai Ambara started and began one of the great abhinayas on stage – effortless, natural and appealing. He portrayed brilliantly the feelings of despair, disappointment, surprise and fulfillment. The acting was of such style that it transcended all music. It appeared as if he could bring out all the emotions behind the story without the aid of music – vocal or instrumental. Sometimes

the violin background was enough; no words were required. The pathetic appeal behind Oru tharu naam poyivaru, Harahara Jagadheesha, Arul puri Paramesha, VarugadAmo ayya, was remarkable. The finale after Nandanaar merged with Lord Shiva was a fitting one, with the chorus

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which is a not-for-profit organisation incorporated in Sydney, NSW with the primary objective of promoting Indian classical and folk dancing in Australia. It seeks to support, promote and nurture the local talent in Australia and offer young

dancing to Kanaka Sahai thirunatanam. The other number Radha Madhavam was a feast, where the couple performed to selections from Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda. Radha waits for her lover Krishna who arrives very late. She thinks that he has gone to the other Gopikas and is enjoying their company instead. She does not want to receive him: Yahi Madhava, Yahi Keshava. Expectation, anxiety and anger on the part of Radha were brought out capably by Shanta while the playboy Krishna’s role was taken up the master, Dhanajayan. While the drama played out, the proponents did not appear to be Radha and Krishna at all; this episode became that of any couple anywhere in the world - yours and mine. It was very clever handling by the master; his

of performances by well-known overseas artistes, workshops and lecture demonstrations. It aims to provide a platform for young dancers to showcase their creative endeavours. For more details visit www.natyanjaliaustralia.org

master’s touch was evident. The stubborn girl and the mischievous husband pacifying her with Priye charusheele rendered in pleasing ragas, heightened the effect. The wink of the eye that the master gave as the couple happily exited the stage, showed that it is a human drama after all!

The other items in the recital were handled by the disciples of the couple –Divya Shiva Sundar, Seetha Sasidharan, Lavanya Raghuraman and Gopukiran Sadasivan, each of them being a professional dancer. Nrittaswaraavali had the four performing an abstract dance to the tune in Mohana raga Sa Ri Sa Da Pa Ga Ri Sa Da Ri Ga. Many picturesque poses and pleasing combinations were the highlights here. In some sense it was all knit around Male and Female attraction, union etc. The male stood and the female danced around him or vice versa. The female did its best to attract the male.

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Rama Nataka keertanai enacted Ramayana and Mahabharata in brisk movements to the eternal composition En pallee kondirayya. The KrishnaKalinga episode was enjoyable. Nrittaangahaaram (Thillana) was marked by excellent coordination amongst the dancers.

A live orchestra from India performed for the dancers. N Sasidharan’s majestic voice filled the auditorium. His voice heightened the experience at many of the key situations. K P Ramesh Babu provided the Mridnaga support and Kalairasan Ramanathan, the violin support.

Sydney Srinivas

Bhakti Maargam

Radha Madhavam

PEOPLE PARTIES PLACES

Diwali

night organised by the Indian Cultural Association of UNSW

THIS www.indianlink.com.au

Shruthi Sriram celebrates her 9th birthday at Sydney Ice Arena

Akhilesh, Saisha, Sreenidhi and Hrishi learn a Diwali prayer

A very Indian brekkie on an iconic Aussie bridge

event to begin and the excitement palpable in the air.

Zooming through the Harbour Bridge, I’ve often wondered what it would be like to stop and stare at the magnificent iron arches of the Coat Hanger. As if reading my mind, Nathan Rees rolled out an emerald-green grass carpet, and invited 6000 Sydneysiders to indulge in a leisurely breakfast, and watch the sun rise over our glorious harbour, atop our most iconic bridge. Yours truly and three friends were among the lucky ones.

On the morning of October 25, 2009 we began our journey towards Milson’s Point with some anticipation: a forecast of stormy rains threatened to ruin the day. At 5am on the train from Town Hall, the atmosphere was similar to taking a train to Olympic Park for a major play-off: crowds eager for the

Once at Milson’s Point, we knew we were part of something special - the station underpass was swarming with volunteers and crew dressed in Breakfast on the Bridge regalia; families, couples and friends lined up to get onto the bridge; helicopters hovering above capturing the moment for posterity; roving entertainers building up the mood; and of course the Harbour Bridge looming over the scene, almost within reach.

As we made our way along the two kilometre walk up to the bridge, the stage was set - we were in a charming country town. The fiddler played his gentle tunes from an antique car, folk musicians welcomed guests from a dusty truck, floral garlands were strung across the bridge, cows in their stables were waiting to be fed by the guests, shiny red apples lay at the base of trees, and finally we could feel the freshly damp grass under our feet.

We were given our token for allocated picnic spots: at number 6, we were bang

in the centre of the bridge, the sails of the Opera House suspended just behind us. Hungrily we unpack our picnic bags - walnut bread, muffins and yogurt. Then our friends open up their goodies: spicy moong, crisp Gujarati khakhras, peppered puris and the Indian elixir of life, steaming masala chai. It turned out to be a very Indian nashta on an iconic Aussie bridge.

And then the goodies began pouring in. First off, the tempting Bartalow apples we weren’t allowed to pluck earlier. Then the rich, organic Yalla yogurt, fresh bread from Abbott’s Village Bakery and real fruit Cuttaway Creek jam - a delicious display of local NSW produce.

We chattered away, eating the delicious brekkie. Our cameras clicked madly trying to capture this awesome event and this new perspective of the bridge which looks so different from underneath, even if you’ve done the Bridge Climb.

As if these memories weren’t enough, the lovely volunteers get into action again - this time distributing Breakfast on the Bridge

2009 souvenirs! It was our very own piece of history to take home. For now though, we put on the caps and badges. The helicopters fly around, and the crowds rise in undulating waves. This is the moment - a moment in Sydney’s history, where many of her residents - across age, religion and racecame together to regale in her beauty. After all the excitement, comes the moment of silent contemplation. The sun shines brightly and the clouds have parted, and the true majesty of this imposing piece of architecture dawns on me. In the midst of this crowd of 6000+, for a moment I was alone with the bridge - she spoke to me, her massive iron arms seemed to extend in a gesture of friendship. Thus far, I had been a stranger in a strange land. Today, I know her a little better, and perhaps she knows me a little too.

Breakfast on the Bridge was a highlight event as part of the month-long festival Crave Sydney 2009 and will be back next year.

(Left) Anticipation heightens as we get closer to the bridge...

(Top right) Wearing Breakfast on the Bridge souvenirs

(Right) A very Indian brekkie

SHIVANGI AMBANI-GANDHI rediscovers the Sydney Harbour Bridge during a very special breakfast

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Laughter is the best medicine

Comic act Allah Made Me Funny will first make you burst into side-splitting laughter and then leave you pondering over your own prejudices, writes

In a 2-day comedy festival, with over 200 comedians, it is tough to keep the audience laughing through your hour-long gig. It is even tougher to keep them thinking long and hard after the final jibe has been made.

The trio of Muslim comedians Allah Made Me Funny, who performed at the World’s Funniest Island comedy festival held at Cockatoo Island on October 17 and 18, 2009. were a comic act with a message.

“Sir Peter Ustinov once said: ‘Comedy is just a funny way of being serious,’” founding member of Allah…Azhar Usman says.

“That’s the history of standup as an art form. It is born out of the politics of racial agitation of the 1940s and 1950s in the United States, developed by Black American and Jewish American comedians,” he adds.

Allah Made Me Funny confronts every stereotypical notion about Muslims and demolishes it, while eliciting side-splitting laughter. During his gig at Cockatoo Island, Usman said, “What are the two biggest stereotypes about Muslims? Muslim men are terrorists, and Muslim women are oppressed. If they had ever been to a Muslim household they would find that it is in fact the exact opposite.

Muslim women are terrorists and Muslim men are oppressed.”

On a more serious note, Usman writes in our email interview, “There is a long history of Western portrayals of Muslims as barbaric and violent. Interestingly, in the Middle Ages, European Christendom held two dominant views regarding Muslims: that they were violent, and that they were sexually promiscuous. Nowadays, so-called “Westerners” tend to think of Muslims as violent and sexually repressed. That’s an interesting shift, and probably the subject of a fascinating PhD dissertation. I sure would like to know what the hell happened along the way!”

SHIVANGI AMBANI-GANDHI

The other myth that the Allah… trio often try to dispel, is the notion of the homogeneity of Islamic communities in the US and around the world. In fact the trio is exemplary of the diversity of the community: Allah… comprises of Indian-American Usman, African-American Bryant “Preacher” Moss, and Arab-American Mohammed “Mo” Amer.

This also means that each of them finds unending fodder for comedy in their own cultural backyards. “My standup is very personal. I talk about myself, my life, my experiences, and my own ideas,” says Usman.

The trio pick on seemingly innocuous activities that often turn into tense situations for Muslims: greeting fellow Muslims in Arabic in public, calling out to a naughty nephew named Mohammed in a crowded mall, and the worst of all, going into an airport. Amer draws on his Palestinian background and his very Arab family to elicit laughs over everything from checkpoints to marital misunderstandings.

Moss offers a warm and irreverent perspective on being both Black and Muslim. Meanwhile Usman can hardly resist taking on Bollywood dance sequences and Indian accents and mispronunciations.

Usman also does a show with a couple of other Indian-American comedians called Make Chai Not War.

“The present tensions between religious identity groups in South Asia are very modern manifestations of distortions of religious teachings,” he says. “It is religious fundamentalism of the ugliest kind, because it seeks to reduce hundreds of millions of people into simple labels. Our show acts as a small antidote to that phenomenon by recalling the good ole days when Hindus and Muslims lived and worked together as brothers and sisters in Mother India.”

Usman is also currently working on a humour book project titled Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Muslims but Were Afraid to Ask (No Really Afraid!). He also works as a writer and producer, and is currently developing treatments for two screenplays, as well as two TV shows. He is star and creator of Tinku’s World, a semi-scripted alternative web comedy show.

Besides comedy, Usman is involved in various forms of activism. “My comedy is supplemental to the rest of my life, in that regard, where I find myself involved with all sorts of activism and social projects besides my work as a standup.”

He helped co-found the Nawawi Foundation (www.nawawi.org), a research institution that primarily supports the ongoing research and academic writing of the Scholar-in-Residence, Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah. “He is one of my shaykhs (spiritual guide), and his writings inspire and inform just about every aspect of my life and thought,” he says.

Usman was also inspired in his teenage years by alternative readings of US history, including Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States and the books of Noam Chomsky. “I also came of age against the organic musical phenomenon of hip-hop and rap music, heavily inspired by the lyrics of Public Enemy and the like.”

However, he was always a funny kid, he says. “The class clown, so to say. But I never imagined a life as a professional stand-up comedian. I finally decided to try standup in early 2001, and I quit my day job as a lawyer to pursue my comedy career full time in early 2004.”

Since then he has toured around the world, including a short tour of India in 2008 and the first stand-up comedy show in the history of Egypt in 2007. He has even done a private show for former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, while he was still the sitting leader. “It was at a guy’s house in Dallas, Texas. That was one of the most surreal nights of my life. I remember him laughing. A little.”

For more information visit www. allahmademefunny.com and www.azhar.com

Allah Made Me

Funny confronts every stereotypical notion about Muslims and demolishes it, while eliciting side-splitting laughter

(Above) Allah Made Me Funny

(Below) Azhar Usman at the World’s Funniest Island comedy festival

Living for others

For Ranbir Singh Bedi, two decades of community service paid off when he was recognised last month by the United Nations’ Universal Peace Foundation (UPF) for his immense contribution to the Sikh and Australian community.

Bedi, 57, a Senior Executive at the OP Industries in Clyde, is the only Indian in Australia to have received the ‘Living for Others Peace Awards’ this year.

A visibly thrilled Bedi said the award was very close to his heart and couldn’t have been better timed. “It was a very proud moment for me and my family when I was recognised by the UPF for my work. I am extremely humbled that they recognised me for my work. This is a real encouragement to me and hopefully others who want to also work for the community. I always wanted to do something for others and this award motivates me to continue working harder,” he told Indian Link award function in Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club.

Bedi was nominated by the Sikh Association.

The UPF award is meant to recognise the efforts of people who help forge understanding between people of different ethnic backgrounds and bring people from varied backgrounds together.

An engineer by profession, Bedi has been an active member of the Sikh community, helping them integrate in to the Australian society. He has contributed immensely to the community’s development. To his credit, he has played an important role in the construction of Sydney’s first Sikh Gurudwara in Bankstown and in establishing a Punjabi community language school in Revesby, besides many other accomplishments.

Bedi and other Sikhs in the community have been actively part of the Australian society and have been encouraging other Indians to follow suit by being involved with the Rotary clubs, Anzac Day and the Clean Up Australia Day.

“We are involved in many activities as we want Australians to know that we are very much a part of their society. I like working for the community and we should be willing to help others,” says a passionate Bedi, who moved to Sydney with his family in 1985.

“We also played a band on Anzac Day this year, which became extremely popular,” he adds. He also helps young immigrants and students settle in to Australia.

Recalling the task of setting up the first Gurudwara, the President of the Association says that changing perceptions about the Sikhs in Australia hasn’t been smooth sailing. “We wanted to build a temple and it isn’t easy as establishing a church. In 1979, a house

was bought for the purpose of constructing a Gurudwara and I got involved only in 1985. We started talking to the Bankstown Council and had to get neighbours to approve it. Finally, after getting all permissions, construction started in 1997 and it was complete in 2002,” says Bedi, also a life member of the Australian Hindi Indian Association and a Justice of Peace for the past two years.

The Gurudwara spans an area of 3000 sq metres and has a membership of over 1000 people. It can seat over 700 people at a time. Changing perceptions and gaining acceptance for the 20,000-strong Sikh community in Sydney hasn’t been very easy, concedes Bedi.

“Since we wear turbans and are distinctly different from other ethnic communities, the acceptance has been slightly harder. Unlike in countries like England or America, which has had over three generations of Sikhs, Australia is very different since many Sikhs started moving only from the 1990s,” he observes,

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2009

adding that often they are mistaken to be Muslims.

“Earlier, people didn’t know who the Sikhs were. We want Australians to understand the differences. But now, they are realising that Sikhs are a distinctly different community and it only helps that the Indian Prime Minister is also a Sikh,” he adds, smiling.

The engineer encourages Sikhs to keep their identity intact and not worry about wearing the turban. “It is a part of our identity. When I moved here, it was a bit difficult. I had to wear a hard hat in the construction industry but always got exemptions. People used to look at me strangely. Even, now they sometimes do. I have accepted I am different and that it is natural they would look at me. But I always smile at them and say “How’s it going?” in the Australian way,” he quips, adding that people shouldn’t feel uncomfortable about their identity as people would eventually accept them for the way they are.

Preeti Kannan

Bedi and other Sikhs in the community have been actively part of the Australian society and have been encouraging other Indians to follow suit by being involved with the Rotary clubs, Anzac Day and the Clean Up Australia Day

Ranbir Bedi with his mum Kartar, wife Rani and daughters Silky and Rishi at the UPF ‘Living for Others’ 2009 Awards night

Karan Johar, Kajol and Kareena are coming to town

The adaptation of stepmom co produced by sony pictures and dharma starts today!! kajol kareena and arjun...debut director siddharth malhotra” tweeted Karan Johar earlier this month.

Soon you can expect Bollywood’s leading film-maker to tweet about our beautiful Sydney Harbour, the iconic Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House, and even our glorious beaches.

That’s right, Karan Johar is coming to town... and so are stars Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. They bring with them, 200 jobs for local cast and crew.

“This is the first movie to be shot from beginning to end exclusively in Sydney,” said the Hon. Virginia Judge MP, during a media address at the Parliament of NSW on October 27. “This film will put Sydney on the radar of the cash rich Indian film industry.”

“It will take Sydney to Bollywoodand an audience of more than one billion people,” Ms. Judge added.

“We are excited to showcase the very best that Australia has to offer and hope to bring back some of the infectious spirit and charm that has become synonymous with Australia and Australians,” Karan Johar has said in a media release.

The film will begin shooting across varied locations in Sydney next month and continue over 6 weeks. Anupam Sharma of Australian production firm, Films and

iconic locations, as well as “small pockets of beauty” will feature in the film.

Although Johar’s Dharma Productions did assess a range of foreign locations for their Hindi remake of Stepmom, “once it came to Australia, it was always Sydney,” said Sharma. “You don’t have to sell a beautiful city like Sydney - it sells itself,” he added.

Filming Protocol, which slashed red tape for film-makers in NSW, also had a big role to play. Sharma acknowledged the persistence of government agencies as well as Screen Australia to help bring such a major project to Sydney.

Besides, the Minister and Sharma both expressed hope that Johar will do for Sydney what Yash Chopra has done for

Swiss tourism. “Dharma Productions is known to showcase the shoot locations beautifully and increase tourism to the place,” said Sharma.

We also hope we will make it more often into Karan Johar’s tweets. Sharma is confident: “Sydney will start making news (in India) because Karan Johar has decided to film here”.

Shivangi Ambani-Gandhi

(Above) Karan Johar

(Left) Minister Virginia Judge and Anupam Sharma

President Pratibha Patil

President Pratibha Patil in Britain

India’s President Pratibha Patil visited Britain on a three-day state visit in lateOctober.

She was a guest of Queen Elizabeth II at Windsor, and the two heads of state participated in ceremonies relating to the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in New Delhi.

The President also met with Prime Minister Gordon Brown, leading businesspersons, and members of UK’s Indian community.

She became only the third Indian President to visit Britain after S. Radhakrishnan in 1963 and R. Venktaraman in 1990, and the first since the two countries signed a landmark strategic partnership agreement in 2004 - a reason the two governments are attaching a great deal of importance to the visit.

Mrs Patil was accompanied by her husband Devisingh Ramsingh Shekhawat.

Indian President, British Queen launch Commonwealth baton relay

President Pratibha Patil joined Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II to launch the 2010 Commonwealth Games baton relaydescribed as the longest and most inclusive in history - at a gala Indian ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

The 51-year-old tradition - a curtainraiser to the Commonwealth Games that are held every four years - took place on the last day of Patil’s three-day state visit to Britain, with the Queen formally bidding farewell to Patil at the Palace’s Grand Entrance.

The baton, packed with high-tech cameras, sound-recorders and LED lights all made in India, contains a message to the athletes from the queen that will be opened and read out at the launch of the Games in New Delhi Oct 3.

The relay will cover more than 190,000 km and 70 countries and territories as it travels 240 days around the world - making it one of the longest relays in the history of the Commonwealth Games.

After a colourful performance of Indian music and dance on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, the baton was passed in turn from the Queen to Patil, to Sports Minister M.S. Gill, Games Organising Committee Chairman Suresh Kalmadi, and finally to the 14 athletes who began the baton relay.

Running with the baton outside the Palace in central London were shooter Abhinav Bindra, former British runner Sebastian Coe, former Indian cricket captain Kapil Dev, tennis star Sania Mirza, ‘Flying Sikh’ Milkha Singh, British runner Kelly Holmes, England cricketer Monty Panesar, boxer Vijender Kumar, squash player Misha Soni, wrestler Sushil Kumar, British wheelchair table tennis player Susan Gilroy, weighlifter Karnam Malleshwari, hockey star Dilip Tirkey and decathlete Gurbachan Singh Randhawa.

They were cheered by hundreds of people who lined the gates of Buckingham Palace. The baton will enter India from the Attari border with Pakistan June 25 before starting on a 100-day journey of 28 States and seven union territories, covering a distance of over 20,000 km.

The relay will end at the opening ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Oct 3, where athletes will be read out the Queen’s message, engraved on a miniature 18-carat gold leaf representing the ancient Indian ‘patra’ - currently locked in a jewellery box inside the baton.

Allow more Indians to work in Britain: President

In a meeting with politicians and industrialists, President Pratibha Patil urged Britain to allow “freer movement” of Indians wishing to live and work in this country to enable India-British ties to achieve their “full potential.”

“For any relationship to achieve its full potential, the enhancements in business links have to be correspondingly matched by freer movement of peoples, professionals and business travellers,” the visiting president told the UK-India

Business Council (UKIBC) in London. Patil’s comments came after Britain’s Business Minister Peter Mandelson urged greater economic liberalisation in India in the areas of financial and legal services.

The British government has made it increasingly difficult for skilled Indians to live and work in Britain, with a new Points Based System laying down strict preconditions of income (40,000 pounds or more per year), qualification and language skills.

A large number of Indian companies, particularly in the Information Technology sector, have complained that the rules make it difficult for them to work in Britain.

The meeting was attended by top British and Indian businessmen, including Tata managing director Anwar Hassan, Vodafone CEO Vittoria Colao, Standard Chartered

Bank vice-chairman Tom Harris, UKIBC chair Patricia Hewitt and Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi.

“Our economic policies have acceptance across our political spectrum. India is, undoubtedly, among the most attractive destinations globally for doing business,” Patil said at another meet, a banquet in Guildhall, the 800-year-old home of the City of London Corporation.

Her assurance came after the Lord Mayor of the City Ian Luder told a banquet hosted in her honour that he had recently come across Indian financial practitioners and officials who were “cautious about reform”. Patil told guests that comprehensive economic reforms undertaken in 1991, along with India’s steadily increasing urbanisation and rapid growth of the electronic media have brought about “sweeping changes in the lifestyles and consumption attitudes of our people”. “The availability of cheap consumer finance has served to increase disposable incomes,” which in turn had fuelled demand for goods and services - “ranging from home appliances and electronic goods to restaurants, travel, communication and entertainment”.

“Today in India we have a very substantial middle class with growing purchasing power. All this should be of interest to businessmen all over the world,” she added. India is the second largest investor in Britain after the US in terms of the number of jobs created by Indian companies.

Trade between the two countries touched a record 12 billion pounds last year.

More than 600 Indian companies have investments in Britain - two-thirds of them in the ICT and software sector - and some 74 Indian companies are listed on the London Stock Exchange, compared to 12 in New York.

Queen wore a dress made from forgotten Indian cloth

The British Queen wore a dress fit for royals at her state banquet for President Pratibha Patil - after finding the Indian fabric lying unused in a cupboard for

Elizabeth II’s stunning pale gold lame dress made its debut at the banquet after being delivered to her in the morning by her

“It’s an Indian material from an earlier visit, but the Queen couldn’t remember when,” a royal spokeswoman told IANS at Windsor Castle, the 900-year-old castle where Elizabeth II hosted the dinner attended by 150 guests, including Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

“She had it in the cupboard and had forgotten about it. We think it could be from her first visit to India,” the spokeswoman added.

The 83-year-old Queen had the fabric turned into a glamorous dress by her personal dresser Angela Kelly, said to be a close aide to her.

It turned out to be the most glamorous outfit of the evening.

The British monarch has visited India thrice - in 1961, 1983 and 1997.

UK’s Indian community greet the President

Some 400 Indian origin Britons greeted Patil at a reception in central London in a recognition of the importance of a community that has grown to some two million in strength.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II presents India’s President Pratibha Patil with the baton to launch of the XIX Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Relay for Delhi 2010, at Buckingham Palace, in London, on October 29, 2009. British and Indian sports stars carried the baton through central London on the start of its journey to the Indian capital.

(AP Photo)

The guests included Nobel-winning scientist Venkataraman Ramakrishnan, industrialists Swraj Paul, Srichand Hinduja, Raj Kumar Bagri, Nat Puri, Ghulam Noon and Kiran Bilimoria, politicians Navneet Dholakia (Liberal Democrat), Sailesh Vara (Conservative Party), Paramjit Dhanda (Labour) and Lord Adam Patel, leading academics and representatives from the worlds of business, medicine, charity and the arts.

President Patil urged the Indian diaspora around the world to help overcome the challenges presented by a resurgent India and help build a “great and dynamic” nation.

“You know the challenges that a resurgent India presents,” she told prominent members of the Indian diaspora at a reception hosted in her honour.

Pointing out that the Indian diaspora across the world number some 25 million and those in Britain more than 1.5 million, she said: “We seek to interact directly and substantially with them”.

“We must work in our individual ways to contribute to the objective of building a great and dynamic India which will be one of the mainstays of emerging global order,” Patil added.

She lauded the diaspora in Britain, saying that although they formed two percent of population, they contributed 4-5 percent to Britain’s Gross Domestic Product.

“Your hard work and industrious attitude have won you appreciation both in country of adoption and country or origin,” she said.

She praised the contributions of people of Indian origin to the development of postWar Britain.

“When we hear the prime minister of Great Britain... mention the excellent treatment he personally received from an Indian-origin doctor in the National Health Service, we feel proud of all of you,” she said.

Patil said the Indian diaspora was an important bridge between the two countries, pointing out that the architects of modern India -- Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel and B.R. Ambedkar -- had all been educated in Britain. Education had now been identified as a major field of collaboration between India and Britain, she added.

Patel takes ‘no offence’ at Prince’s Patel crack

Atul Patel, the Indian-origin head of a leading British housing association, has laughed off a joke about his surname cracked by the gaffe-prone husband of the British monarch.

The chief executive of LHA-ASRA said he took “no offence” at Prince Philip’s comments, which were made at a reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace Oct 13.

Patel was among 400 Indian-origin achievers lined up to be greeted by the royal couple at the reception held in advance of President Pratibha Patil’s Oct 27-29 visit to Britain.

According to The Sun newspaper, when

the prince reached Patel, he looked at his name badge and said: “There’s a lot of your family in tonight.”

The 670,000 Patels living in Britain make it the country’s 24th most common name.

However, Patel said later: “I took no offence whatsoever to the comment made by Prince Philip. I do not consider it a gaffe and took it in the light-hearted spirit in which it was intended.”

Britain and India had developed a closer relationship over the last 20 years, he said, adding: “Much of this is very clearly down to the tireless work undertaken by the Queen and Prince Philip across all the countries of the Commonwealth.”

“As a British Indian who has lived in this country for 43 years, I am proud to call it my home,” he said.

London duo hand over Gandhi letters to Patil - a gift to India

Describing Gandhi as a “spirit, not an individual,” President Pratibha Patil accepted the gift of Gandhi memorabilia on behalf of India from two leading members of the Indian diaspora in Britain.

“I feel that Gandhi was a spirit, not an individual - ‘vyakti nahin, shakti’,” Patil said departing from her prepared speech after accepting a series of letters written by Gandhi and a piece of khadi cloth signed by him.

Businessmen Nat Puri and Ghulam Noon, who jointly bought the items at a Sotheby’s sale in July for 17,500 pounds, made the gift

to India at a ceremony in the Indian High Commission - completing a unique hat-trick of similar presents made to the nation.

Puri, a philanthropist who founded the Purico Group, and Noon, founder of Noon Products, have gifted Gandhi documents and letters on two previous occasions in a gesture of gratitude to India that was started off by former London Metal Exchange chairman Lord Raj Kumar Bagri.

Puri and Noon gifted three lots of items: the first comprised three autographed letters from Gandhi to Maulana Abdul Bari, an Islamic scholar and a leading figure in the Khilafat movement, written in Urdu.

The letters refer to Hindu-Muslim relations, including communal tensions in Lucknow, and their personal friendship.

One letter, written from a prison thanked Bari, who worked closely with Gandhi from 1918 onwards, for the gift of cotton for spinning.

He signs the letters ‘Mo. K Gandhi’. The second lot comprised a piece of khadi cloth - the size of a small scarf - signed by Gandhi and said to have been woven by him. The hand-woven cotton piece with a purple border is signed by Gandhi and four others, including Pyarelal and Sarojini Naidu.

The cloth was a gift from Gandhi to South African-born actress Moira Lester, a friend of the late Maharani Gayatri Devi. The third lot has two autographed postcards addressed to Hamid Ullah Afsar, a prominent Urdu-language poet, in Urdu. IANS

Safe food, hygiene will make eating out a pleasure in Delhi

IN A MOVE TO project Delhi as a “safe food destination” during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, a massive refurbishment program is on to assess how hygienic the eateries in the metropolis are and how edible the food is.

The first leg of the survey showed that 125 eating joints among some of the most sought after places in popular hang-outs like South Extension, Khan Market, Gole Market, ITO and Dilli Haat failed to make the grade.

Cafes, snack bars and restaurants were found to be violating the basic norms. The toilets were dirty and kitchens dingy and smoky; the staff cared little for hygiene and served food without gloves.

The survey, conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), covers 883 eateries and hotels situated in close proximity to the Games’ venues.

Sarita Nagpal, CII deputy director general, told IANS that eating joints that are likely to attract tourists during the Games are under scrutiny.

“The Delhi government has short-listed the middle and three-star level hotels and eateries most likely to be frequented by visitors during the Games next year. What we at CII are doing is to survey these places for food safety and hygiene,” said Nagpal. “If the food safety and hygiene standards are found not up to the mark, then we train the people to raise the maintenance levels. The experience at the 125 hotels and restaurants fell below the required levels,” she added.

The second leg of the survey, which begins in another week, will cover some other prominent areas in the capital. In the South Extension area, the CII found the eateries and restaurants congested with nonfunctional exhaust fans, non-potable water, preparation of snacks out in the open and lack of hygiene among the catering staff.

In Khan Market and Gole Market, the hygiene levels in some of the well-known eateries like Kaleva, Bangla Sweets and Gupta Sweets were satisfactory, but in others it was not. Waste bins were found overflowing and there was water stagnation behind the restaurants with plates and cups strewn around.

The assessment was the same in Dilli Haat -- the well-known shopping complex in south Delhi with a wide range of food joints from various states.

Lepcha Dorji, a waiter at one of the eateries of northeastern states in Dilli Haat was unaware of the CII exercise.

“I don’t know of any such assessment, although our manager did mention that some officials will come to check our place so we should keep the tables and cooking area clean,” Dorji said.

Nagpal said the findings would be submitted to the government as well as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). “The objective is to get the eateries a certification from the Quality Council of India”.

Talking about the training program for the staff, Nagpal said: “It will be an on-thejob training on basic etiquette and hygiene, like wearing a uniform, gloves and head gear and trimming nails. The training will be just for a day or two. The aim is not to close down food joints and train the staff, forcing the hotels to incur losses. We only want to impress upon them how to welcome visitors during the Games”.

Delhiites have welcomed the initiative.

Anubha Dey, a homemaker said: “The biggest fear of eating out is the hygiene factor -- clean water and fresh foodstuff. I have two school-going kids and they love eating out, but often they come down with stomach infections because of the lack of sanitation.

“I hope the move will be sustained after the Games too,” she said.

Nagpal said the CII has prepared a set of safety guidelines for street hawkers and vendors.

“We have prepared a set of guidelines for the vendors. However, it is up to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to implement them,” she said.

Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta promised to provide cold carts with an official stamp of hygiene to lay out Delhi’s delectable street food -- spicy kachauris, piping hot gulab jamuns and spicy samosas - during the Games.

Delhi Mayor Kanwar Sain said that mobile squads of health officials will inspect these carts regularly to ensure safety standards.

“As of now, 1,000 carts are ready for vendors who have licences. They will have to make sure the food is tasty and the surroundings are clean,” Mehta added.

Picturing the scene a year from now, Nagpal chuckled: “So a year from now, it may be a very different Chandni Chowk that you walk into. The otherwise laid-outin-the-open halwa and sweets will be all covered and served to you with a smile by a smartly uniformed halwai wearing a pair of gloves.”

Indian Oil depot fire still on, death toll 10

AN INDIAN OIL DEPOT in Jaipur caught fire leaving 10 people killed and 150 others injured. Three bodies were found from the depot premises.

“We recovered two charred bodies from the fire site,” Pradeep Sen, state home secretary, told IANS.

The five bodies are believed to be of the six IOC employees who were reported missing.

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan High Court on a public suit has issued notice to the state government seeking a reply on the efforts being made to extinguish the fire. A dark cloud of smoke has covered the

area, making breathing difficult. The state pollution control board is monitoring the air pollution level.

Sources in the IOC said of the 11 storage tanks that caught fire, three are burning while black smoke is coming out from the remaining eight.

Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora visited the accident site along with Indian Oil chairman Sarthak Behuri and other senior company officials.

The depot has about 50,000 kilolitres of petroleum products, worth about Rs.150200 crore.

People living in a vicinity of 5 km around the depot are complaining of difficulty in breathing and itching in the eyes.

“I have been having problems in breathing... I complained to my doctor and he told me it is because of the smoke in the air,” Adesh Kumar, a resident of a nearby colony said.

The state government has set up two committees to assess the damage to industrial units and nearby villages.

One of the committees will assess the damage caused to the different units in terms of building, plant, machinery and raw material and submit its report in seven days.

The association of Sitapura industrial area has said that of 1,100 units, 500 have suffered losses.

“Each units must have suffered a loss of Rs 500,000-700,000 due to the fire, and this figure does not include our production loss,” S.N. Kabra, president Sitapura Industrial Area, said.

India, US hope to set up body to promote partnerships in education

INDIA AND THE UNITED States have started a dialogue to put in place a formal arrangement to promote partnerships between their institutions of higher learning before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit.

The US education secretary Arne Duncan had responded positively to India’s proposal for setting up an India-US Education Council much on the lines of India-US Business Council (USIBC), Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal said.

Sibal said he had proposed a body on the lines of USIBC, which promotes

commercial relations between the two countries, in the education sector when the US Undersecretary of State William Burns came to New Delhi to prepare for the prime minister’s visit.

“And I raised that issue with education secretary Duncan who said yes we should try and see if that’s possible,” he said.

“And so a dialogue has already started and hopefully the (Indian) ambassador here (Meera Shankar) will carry this dialogue further. And if that is possible maybe that’s something that can be put in place before the prime minister comes,” he said.

Asked if like the USIBC, the proposed body would be composed of top educational institutions of the two countries, Sibal said it would also in addition include representatives of the industry and entrepreneurs.

“The second reason for the visit is we wanted to see if we could actually start a dialogue with these universities so that down the road we could actually enter into some kind of a formal arrangement with these universities,” he said.

Sibal, who is accompanied by leaders of some of India’s top institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), said he had brought along the representatives of our ‘navratnas’ in the education sector.

“We also wanted to show case that we have quality institutions with the leadership which has brought education specially IITs and IIMs now being recognised by the world.”

Luxury for foreigners, but why ignore Indian passengers?

INDIAN RAILWAYS IS mulling over a plan to attract foreign tourists with exclusive luxury coaches on all its major trains. But many domestic travellers say the ability to pay, and not nationality, should determine who is taken on board.

According to a railway ministry official who wished to remain anonymous, the Public Amenities Committee (PAC) last week recommended that exclusive “specially designed coaches” be added on trains for the benefit of foreign tourists.

Continued on page 43

Chinese cricketers wait for the start of the fourth One Day International (ODI) between India and Australia at the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) stadium in Mohali on November 2, 2009. China's cricket chiefs are so keen to make a mark in next year's Asian Games at home in Guangzhou that they have sent the women's team to train in India. A 15-member squad is currently learning the nuances of a sport unfamiliar in their country in the northern city of Mohali where they are being hosted by the PCA. (AP Photo)

Continued from page 40 “The committee’s recommendations are not final. The proposal will be examined and feasibility assessed. Then the railway board and the minister will examine the proposal and take a decision,” the official said.

Many Indians have been left wondering about the preferential treatment foreign travellers would get on Indian Railways, the largest state-run network of trains in the world.

“Nowhere else in the world does a train network have exclusive coaches for foreigners. While it may help railways earn more, it would be absolutely discriminatory.

The railways is not a private enterprise; they cater to the public!” said Venkatraman Srinivasan, 59, a Delhi-based business consultant.

Nikhilesh Tiwari, a student from Lucknow, said: “The government should base its judgement on cost, not nationality. The government is just looking for excuses.”

To attract foreign travellers, the select coaches will be designed to have more leg room, better designed seats and toilets, wider sleeping berths and aesthetic interiors. The windows too would be larger to give a better view of the landscape. Even those supportive of the idea of higher priced luxury coaches don’t believe that Indians should be left out.

“It is a nice idea to have luxury coaches. They will help in leaving a good impression on foreigners and in increasing tourism to India. But I don’t think to have them only for foreigners is fair,” said Rujuta Phadke, a student from Pune.

Phadke, however, said domestic travellers weren’t “sensitive enough to maintain the facilities provided”.

Faisal Siddique, a Delhi based-researcher, felt “it would be good idea if the government would do something for the Indian passengers” as well.

“It is really sad that the government has such little faith in the people of our country. I think we are educated enough to respect luxury coaches. Unfortunately, we do not get enough luxury in our own country, which is the main reason why Indians are now preferring international holidays.”

Tourists can currently enjoy lavish facilities only on board Palace On Wheels, Deccan Odyssey, Royal Rajasthan on Wheels, Fairy Queen and The Golden Chariot - all luxury tourist trains run by the Indian Railway Tourism and Catering Corporation (IRCTC).

The railways are keen on tapping ‘luxury’ travel by foreigners by extending better

facilities through exclusive coaches. The committee’s proposal also suggests keeping attendants for tourists as well as call-bell facilities in toilets to assist elderly and sick passengers.

“All in all, the idea is to make it a more professional experience for the foreign tourist,” the railway official said.

Service exports recovery likely by year-end: FICCI INDIA’S EXPORTS OF services, which declined in the first two quarters of 2009, will return to growth by the year-end, according to a report by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The overall services exports declined by seven percent during January-March this year and by three percent in the subsequent quarter as compared to a positive growth of 14 percent and 22 percent respectively in the first two quarters of 2008.

“All the major segments of services exports except insurance and financial services witnessed contraction since January 2009,” the chamber said in the report.

Added FICCI president Harshpati Singhania: “This has resulted in a subdued growth of 12.4 percent in India’s total services exports in 2008-09 as compared with over 22 percent increase in 2007-08.” The report said India’s exports of software services declined by 14 percent in the first half of 2009.

Earnings from travel fell by 26 percent during the January-March quarter and by nine percent in the subsequent quarter, signifying the effect of the slowdown on tourist arrivals.

Tourist arrivals were down by 9.5 percent in the second half of 2008-09 and by 1.8 percent in first quarter of the current fiscal, the FICCI report said.

Receipts from trade-related services dipped sharply by 56 percent and 27 percent respectively in the first and second quarters of 2009, it added.

Among other major segments, communication and business camp, professional services including management consultancy, architectural, engineering, technical and other business services also registered negative growth ranging from four percent to 53 percent. In recent years India has made rapid stride in services exports and improved its share in worldwide exports from 1.2 percent in 2000 to 2.7 percent in 2008.

India’s rank among leading services exporters in the world moved up from 22 to nine, with the value of commercial services

exports from India rising from $17.6 billion to over $102 billion in the same period. Services exports to the gross domestic product (GDP) ratio currently stands at around nine percent.

According to FICCI, the negative growth in the last two quarters is “a temporary phenomenon and our services exports have the resilience to make a quick recovery”. Said Singhania: “India has the capability to double its share in the global services exports in the next four-five years.”

But for that, he said, the developed world should offer “effective market access” for the service providers and professionals from India and other developing countries.

Aamir Khan, Anna Hazare for Kiran Bedi as CIC BOLLYWOOD ACTOR AAMIR Khan and social activist Anna Hazare are among several people who have urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to appoint the country’s first woman police officer, Kiran Bedi, as the Chief Information Commissioner (CIC).

Besides Hazare and Aamir Khan, Zee television owner Subhash Chandra and Magsaysay awardees Arvind Kejriwal and Sandeep Pandey have made the demand in letters to the prime minister.

The post of CIC fell vacant after Central Information Commission chief Wajahat Habibullah accepted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s request to head the state information commission. Habibullah resigned last month.

Besides the prime minister, Arvind Kejriwal, Sandeep Pandey and Anna Hazare have also written a similar letter to Congress president and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

They have also sent a similar letter to Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K Advani. A new CIC is likely to be chosen this week by a committee comprising of Manomhan Singh, Advani and Law Minister M. Veerappa Moily.

According to an official source, the strong contenders for the post included M.M. Ansari and A.N. Tiwari, who are presently commissioners in the Central Information Commission.

Advocating Kiran Bedi’s appointment, Kejriwial told IANS: “Her track record is fabulous. Wherever she has been, she has proved she can deliver. She is not scared of taking strong actions where needed unlike our present commissioners. She is known for her sensitivity as well as strictness”. “The process of appointing the CIC needs to be made transparent and the government should disclose how the people whom government is considering are better than Kiran Bedi and on what parameters,” he said.

Aamir Khan said in his letter: “We need a person who has demonstrated sensitivity, commitment and passion for public service. Bedi qualifies on all these fronts. She would bring honour to this post (CIC’s post) and provide justice. Should the government appoint someone else, we would be grateful if it (is) disclosed how that person was found more suitable than Bedi,” he said.

Bush stays at Mumbai’s Taj to express solidarity

FORMER US PRESIDENT George Bush made a point to stay at the terror-hit Taj Mahal Tower & Palace Hotel to express his solidarity with the victims of the 26/11 attacks, and hoped that the two countries

Continued on page 45

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Continued from page 43 will enhance their fight against terrorism.

Bush headed straight for the Taj Mahal Tower & Palace Hotel when he arrived in the city from Delhi on a whistle-stop visit in a private jet. He was the second high-profile US politician to stay in the hotel in an act of solidarity with 26/11 victims.

He was received by the hotel’s general manager Karambir Kang, who lost his wife and two children in the terrorist assault on the iconic Taj hotel, one of the places targeted by Pakistani terrorists in a threeday siege of Mumbai that killed over 170 people, including six Americans.

Interacting with the hotel staff, Bush expressed his solidarity with 26/11 victims, and expressed hope that the two countries will enhance their cooperation to defeat extremists and terrorists, source said.

The India-US CEOs Forum hosted a dinner for Bush where he met top Indian business personalities and underlined the need for expanding trade and investment between the world’s largest democracies. This is his first visit to the country after he was succeeded by President Barack Obama.

Incidentally, Bush was in India at a time when the US state department had issued yet another travel advisory on India, alerting its citizens to “continuing security concern” in the country.

The advisory warned US citizens that the US government “continues to receive information that terrorist groups may be planning attacks in India.”

In New Delhi, Bush spoke at a conclave organised by the Hindustan Times where he spoke about the need for India and the US to join hands in an ideological struggle against extremism that threatens both countries.

Bush also backed a place for India in the UN Security Council and described the India-US civil nuclear accord, which he struck with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as New Delhi’s passport to the world. Bush said he was incredibly optimistic about the course of India-US relations in the future.

Are we all militants, ask Kashmir’s pre-paid mobile subscribers

A WAVE OF ANGER HAS SWEPT

THROUGH JAMmu and Kashmir with the central government deciding to ban prepaid mobile connections in the state due to security concerns. Most angry are youths.

Even as the Kashmir government has promised to take up the issue with the centre, the ‘walk and talk’ generation in the state is furious that it has been clubbed with terrorists who misused pre-paid connections. “Are we militants?” Shahid Khan, a student, asked in anger and frustration. “Are millions of pre-paid connection subscribers terrorists?”

The decision to snap this service has resulted in total chaos among subscribers.

“It is strange that I should be punished because someone somewhere could be misusing the facility. This is unfortunate and condemnable,” said Muzaffar Ahmad, 23, a college student in Srinagar.

There are around 3.8 million pre-paid connections in the state. Most of them are from Airtel (one million), and new companies have come into the state, like Tata Indicom, Idea, Air Cel, Reliance. They have made huge investments, and they too are angry.

“This is a bad move,” an official of a leading mobile service provider told IANS. Most people, especially youth who have to deal with limited pocket money and prefer pre-paid connections, are very angry. “Until

Sunita Sharma, a young working woman. What surprises them is that the move comes right after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the state promising more opportunities.

Khurshid Ahmed, 28, a student of Kashmir University, said: “On the one hand the government says we must become information savvy and use the latest technology to keep pace with competitors from other universities and now the same government is pushing us back by at least a decade.”

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram, during his visit to Kashmir, had hinted at banning pre-paid connections.

The security concerns are rooted in the fact that the security forces were finding it difficult to trace the militants, who were passing on instructions to their cadres through mobile phones and also changing their SIM cards at will. Invariably, police found a number of SIM cards of various companies with the militants killed or captured during gunbattles.

“Pre-paid mobile connections had multiplied our challenges, and we were facing tough times in tracking the terrorguiding hands because they were having the power of mobile phones in their hands, besides guns,” a senior police official said. But he refused to comment on the home

ministry’s blanket ban on the prepaid SIM cards.

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti has termed the move as “unfortunate” and sought the prime minister’s intervention. “Pre-paid services should be restored,” she said in a statement. The decision has also not gone down well with hundreds of Kashmiris engaged in the business of selling pre-paid cell phone connections.

“We take sufficient documents to establish the identity of the subscriber before issuing the pre-paid SIM card and now since morning I have closed down my shop for fear that frustrated subscribers might manhandle me,” said a cell phone SIM dealer in Srinagar who did not want to be named.

Asked Ramesh Chander, a businessman: “If this is happening to mobile service providers, what sort of a message is being conveyed to industrialists and prospective investors across the country? That Kashmir is a state where terrorism is as high as before the services were launched in the state in 2003?”

Inside Julia’s vanity van:

Simple and ethnic Indian

HOLLYWOOD ACTRESS Julia Roberts’ love for simplicity and appreciation of Indian craft were more than evident inside her personal vanity van as she filmed in Haryana for the movie Eat, Pray, Love last month.

Extensive filming was made at Pataudi, the ancestral home town of one of Bollywood’s most popular stars, Saif Ali Khan, with the crew staying as guests at the Pataudi palace.

The Pretty Woman’s white air-conditioned vanity van, told a story of its own.

With two rooms and a washroom, it had sparkling black flooring and her character Elizabeth Gilbert’s name pasted on the door, as witnessed by IANS correspondents.

Colourful pillows with traditional Gujarati embroidery and mirror work adorned her van, a sneak peek revealed. The white, blue and yellow pillows added an ethnic touch and were placed on a sofa-

like couch.

One could also spot a baby chair for her children - four-and-a-half-year-old twins Hazel and Phinnaeus, and two-year-old son Henry - and a TV set for her entertainment inside the first room.

“Julia’s van had a bed inside the second room for her to lie down during breaks,” a source from the production team told IANS.

“But most of the time, she either rested in the room allotted to her inside the (Hari Mandir) Ashram or went back to Pataudi Palace if she had longer breaks to catch up with her children.”

In total, there were nine vanity vans for the “important members” of the cast and crew parked inside the Hari Mandir Ashram premises, said the source. There was also one separate makeup van and two mobile toilets parked for the convenience of the film unit.

A shed was especially made near the vanity vans where two huge ironing boards were placed to take care of the costumes.

The Oscar winner had been staying at Pataudi Palace, 40 km away from the Indira Gandhi International Airport, with her three kids and their nannies since Sep 17.

Pataudi Palace, which belongs to the erstwhile prince of Pataudi and former India cricket captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was converted into a heritage hotel after being acquired by the Neemrana Group of Hotels, which is reputed for restoring and managing heritage hotels.

The 41-year-old was in India with her Hollywood colleagues Billy Crudup, Javier Bardem and Richard Jenkins under director Ryan Murphy’s direction.

Based on author Elizabeth Gilbert’s memoirs, Eat, Love, Pray features Roberts as Gilbert who travels to Italy, India and Indonesia in search of peace. The India part of the film was shot at the Ashram, the local market here and Mirzapur village, near Delhi.

The unit is currently in Indonesia for the last leg of the movie. The shooting will be wrapped up in November and the film is expected to be released in 2011.

Bollywood actors Neil Nitin Mukesh and Manoj Bajpayee along with director Madhur Bhandarkar, promote their film Jail at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week as they walk the ramp for designer Reynu Taandon. (IANS Photo)

(Left) A Wendell Rodricks ensemble at the Wills India Fashion Week. (IANS Photo)

Aussies in

3

Ricky Ponting watches as MS Dhoni makes an unsuccessful attempt to take a catch

Activists of the nationalist Shiv Sena stage a protest

Yuvraj Singh and Ricky Ponting react to the disturbance caused by spectators during the Mohali ODI

Drinks break has a new avatar

Olympic athlete Cathy Freeman watches as former Australian cricket captain Allan Border gives batting instructions to kids at New Delhi’s Satya Bharti School

The Aussies celebrate as Sachin is run out during the New Delhi ODI

4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

2 INDIAN LINK

India

Milestones in Indira Gandhi’s life

Nov 19, 1917 Indira is born

1938

Joins Indian National Congress

1942 Marries Feroze Gandhi

1942 Imprisoned at Naini Central jail, Allahabad, on charges of subversion

19471964 Remains with her father Jawaharlal Nehru as hostess

1947 Under Mahatma Gandhi’s instructions, Indira Gandhi works in riot-

When 31 bullets felled Indira An eye witness account

It was Oct 31, 1984, a day like any other.

R.K. Dhawan, Indira Gandhi’s special assistant, arrived at 1, Safdarjung Road at 8 am to find the prime minister getting her famous tresses - with the distinctive streak of white rising from the centre - trimmed for a television interview.

“She gave me a set of instructions of how she had to receive the president (Zail Singh) who was returning from a trip abroad, and a dinner she was to host for a foreign dignitary that evening. She wanted to ensure there was no clash in timings,” recounts Dhawan, now 72, often referred to as Indira’s factotum, confidant and shadow all rolled into one, and who was associated with her for 22 uninterrupted years.

After the perfunctory briefing, Dhawan, remembered in political circles as one who wielded unparallelled power like no secretary to the Congress chief has, retired to his room.

All public appointments at the adjoining thick-walled white bungalow in Akbar Road, used for her official engagements, had been cancelled as Gandhi had arrived late from Orissa the previous evening.

Only a television interview with two- time Academy award-winning film actor and journalist, Peter Ustinov, was scheduled.

Ustinov waited under a tree in the sprawling lawns for an interview that was never to be. An hour later, everything changed.

Dhawan remembers each detail of that terrible morning.

“Just a few days earlier it was Diwali, and the gardens of the two houses that are adjoined were being cleaned. Mrs Gandhi had to wait for a while for the gardeners to clear out, to go for the interview and I noticed she was getting restless,” says Dhawan.

“When we finally got the go-ahead from security after about 10 minutes, I walked alongside her. As we reached the wicker gate that connects both gardens we saw Beant Singh, her Sikh bodyguard and dressed in civilian clothes, approach her.”

Before Dhawan’s very eyes, Beant Singh drew out a .38 revolver in a flash and fired three shots into Indira Gandhi’s abdomen. As she fell to the ground, Satwant Singh, who was from the Delhi Armed Police came running and emptied his carbine into her.

“It all happened so fast. Even today, I still shudder when I think of that moment when she was shot. Words fail me even now,” says Dhawan.

Gandhi was not wearing her bulletproof vest that morning, something she was advised to wear after she ordered the army to storm into the Golden Temple in June that year.

“I remember Beant Singh say as he put his revolver down - We have done what we needed to, now you can do what you have to,” recalls Dhawan, who immediately shouted for help.

Hearing the gunfire, Sonia Gandhi was the first to rush out from her room.

“She was shell-shocked to see such a spinechilling sight,” says Dhawan.

Though an ambulance was stationed in Akbar Road, the driver had gone out for tea. But not a minute was wasted and a bullet-ridden Gandhi was put into the official Ambassador car and rushed to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Instructions were specifically given at the office to be relayed to AIIMS that the prime minister was being brought in. But when they reached the hospital, Dhawan recalls, the authorities were unaware of what had happened.

“Soniaji was at the backseat, Indira Gandhi on her lap while M.L. Fotedar (a trusted Congress loyalist), me and the driver were in the front. I could see she was bleeding profusely.”

On reaching AIIMS, Indira Gandhi was wheeled into emergency. Within no time, doctors quickly moved her to the operation theatre, where it is believed they pumped in several units of blood.

“The doctors told me at emergency itself there was little hope. With so many bullets inside her, what could be left behind?” asks Dhawan, 25 years after the assassination that shook the world and India.

Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India for 15 years over two terms, died on her way to AIIMS. But she was not declared dead until many hours later. Official accounts spoke of 29 entry and exit wounds; 31 bullets were extracted from her body.

Later, the Justice Thakkar Commission of Inquiry pointed the needle of suspicion to Dhawan for allegedly changing the guard’s duties. That was unfounded and Dhawan was exonerated.

Sitting in his plush Golf Links residence in New Delhi, Dhawan is retired now, but remains a loyal Congressman with memories of that Oct 31 morning and its aftermath still coming back to haunt.

Murali Krishnan

1953-57 Serves as chairman of the Central Social Welfare Board

1955 Becomes member of Congress Working Committee

1956 Becomes member of Central Parliamentary Board

1956-60 Becomes president of Youth Congress

1960 Feroze Gandhi, her husband, dies

INDIRA GANDHI

25 years after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, MINU JAIN takes a look at the home where India’s most popular leader lived and worked

This is where she sat poring over files late into the night, here is where she slept, that is where she greeted visitors, and over there, is where she walked her last steps.

Twenty-five years after Indira Gandhi’s assassination, an eerie mise-en-scene of a life well lived and cruelly ended.

The Indira Gandhi Memorial in the heart of Lutyens’ Delhi was once a home. It is now a museum with the lives of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son - another former prime minister - Rajiv Gandhi, encased forever behind glass. The mother was gunned down by her Sikh bodyguards in the pathway connecting her 1 Safdarjung Road home to her office next door on Oct 31, 1984, unleashing a frenzy of revenge that saw 3,000 Sikhs being killed in three days. The elder son, who took over her mantle after her assassination and was blamed for the pogrom, was blown up by a suicide bomber in faraway Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991.

And the shadow of death lingers everywhere. Even through the cacophony of 5,000 visitors who every day file through the rooms that were for long the home of Indira Gandhi, during her days as

information minister in the 1960s and then during her two stints as prime minister.

Bits of Rajiv Gandhi’s kurta and the Lotto sneakers he was wearing, are inside a glass capsule, a tattered reminder of his violent death. A little ahead is another glass case and another testimony to murder.

The ethnic mustard yellow and block bordered cotton sari that Indira Gandhi wore that fateful morning - in readiness for a television interview with noted actor Peter Ustinov - is carefully pleated over a slab, the bullet holes evident and the spattered blood faded to a blotchy grey over the past 25 years. Carefully placed below are her simple black sandals.

Elsewhere are the many detritus of the lives lost forever. The dressing room where Indira Gandhi must have got ready that last morning, two balls of grey wool and knitting needles scattered on a stool - did the prime minister ever knit, one wonders - a comb and a few odds and ends

Simple accoutrements indeed, for a woman known the world over for her impeccable dress sense and innate poise.

(Only recently, her daughter-inlaw and the current President of the Congress Party Sonia Gandhi

1964 Nehru, her father, dies

1964-66

Serves as minister of information and broadcasting

1966 Becomes prime minister after death of Lal Bahadur Shastri

1971

Calls for general election’s and wins. Declares war against Pakistan

1973

Demonstrations in country over soaring prices and corruption

1974

India tests nuclear device

1975 Declares state of emergency

1977

Loses elections but faces charges of corruption and is imprisoned

1978

Released from prison. Becomes leader of Indian National

1980

Re-elected as prime minister

Sanjay Gandhi, her youngest son, dies in plane

June 1984

To crush secessionist movement in Punjab, launches

Oct 31, 1984 Is assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards.

recalled “the simple and austere manner of her living and conducting herself”).

The gracious book-lined study with a leather recliner, perhaps the only concession to luxury, and an incongruous Rubik’s Cube that no doubt belonged to one of her grandchildren; the dining table where the family met over meals; the simple, elegant drawing room where she must have greeted visitors; and her bedroom - with a single bed covered with a handloom bedspread.

And everywhere family photographs - some sepia-tinted with age - of her sons, her daughter-in-law and now Congress president Sonia Gandhi, her grandchildren, her father, India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru.

The memorabilia scattered around have people entranced. Like Nehru’s list of probable names for his grandson, in his own handwriting. The Gandhis were stars, and continue to be.

“Oh, look, isn’t that Priyanka Gandhi when she was a baby. And see, there’s Rahul. Wasn’t he cute,” exclaimed Roshni, who had come with her parents from Bhopal, and was peering closely at the photographs that Rajiv had taken of

his family.

A walk through the memorial is all about getting closer to India’s ultimate political celebrities. And, of course, to grab a slice of history.

The gaggle of voices is representative of all that is India.

Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi... all merging into a cacophony of sound that quietens dramatically at the edge of the shimmering pathway of crystal that marks Indira Gandhi’s last steps.

It was about 9 am on a Wednesday exactly 25 years ago that Mrs Gandhi, as she was known, stepped out of her home to walk to her office where Ustinov was waiting under a tree.

Just short of the white picket gate, her Sikh bodyguards opened fire and emptied 31 bullets into the 66-yearold leader’s body.

A sheet of plain glass marks the spot where she fell.

A hushed silence falls over the gathering. A father takes his young daughter aside to explain to her the import of the event. A husband nods grimly at his wife, sharing her grief, however momentary.

They are casual tourists no more. Even 25 years later, they mourn her death -- and perhaps those of the 3,000 Sikhs who died in retribution.

(Left) The guardhouse from where prime minister Indira Gandhi’s Sikh bodyguards sprang out to empty 31 bullets into her. (IANS Photo)

(Below) The crystal pathway where Indira Gandhi walked her last steps on the morning of Oct 31, 1984. The spot where she fell after being gunned down is marked by a sheet of plain glass. IANS Photo

A migrant’s journey

DILJOT SIDHU looks back at those bitter sweet years of toil as he struggled his way to recognition in his adopted land

Every migrant has a story of the hardships they faced when they arrived in this country looking for greener pastures.

Here is mine.

I belong to a middle class family and both my parents are doctors based in Amritsar. I spent the first sixteen years of my life studying in Chandigarh. I arrived in Australia on 22 July 2002 to study IT at RMIT. All I had was $500 in my pocket, and a dream of becoming a self made man. I was only 19.

My mum held back her tears bravely as she and dad dropped me off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. I experienced mixed emotions as I bade them both goodbye. There was excitement and fearthe excitement of moving to a land where I had wanted to go for a long time, and the fear of the unknown.

I was lucky to have an uncle in Melbourne who received me at Melbourne Airport. I still remember the cold, windy and dark night. In the car on the freeway, I was mesmerized by the giant trucks that were rushing past us – they looked massive, and if I wasn’t so tired, I would have playfully counted the wheels on them! They also looked bright and shiny as if they were brand new. So this was Australia – huge, fast, shiny clean. And new. So new.

I felt comforted as I called my parents back home.

The next day Uncle told me how to get about. Train, bus, timetables, tickets.

First day at Uni started at 5am. Freezing cold at the bus stop, and then train to the city. Completed the enrollment formalities. I was the only Indian in my course.

After a long day at Uni when I came home, the next thought on my mind was finding work and accommodation. Fortunately for me, Uncle allowed me to board with him until I was comfortable with the environment. The career services desk at my Uni gave me advice on how to create a resume. I had classes at Uni from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday. After class I would walk to the businesses which were open and personally hand them my resume. At a Subway outlet, I was told that a job was available as long as I shaved off my beard. I politely refused and walked out, not letting

it show that I was left dumbfounded at the condition placed.

times. But I remained persistent with my job hunting efforts.

was offered the weekend graveyard shift, which no one else wanted, at a Shell petrol pump. Down to my last $2, I accepted.

on the weekends.

More than once, I wished I could take time out and go off with friends to have a good time. But I remained positive and reminded myself that I am here to achieve something in life and make my parents proud. My only companion, a local Punjabi radio program which played listeners’ requests on Saturday nights from midnight to 2 am.

I mopped the floors to Babbu Mann, stocked the fridges to Harbhajan Mann and put away delivery pallets to Malkit Singh. Sometimes I’d think to myself, is this what I came to Australia for? But then I kept myself motivated by thinking this is only the beginning for me and I have to achieve a lot in life. The battle was always on between Emotional-Me and PracticalMe. Thankfully for me, PracticalMe came up trumps just a little more frequently!

I’d finish my shift at 7am, and wait for the first train at the station. It came an hour and a half later.

During summer vacations I worked 60-hour weeks. Some

days, I’d finish one shift at one petrol pump and start the next shift immediately at another site. For me summer vacations meant more money and more work. This made my desire to succeed even stronger.

I had a small circle of friends by now, mostly others like me who were all slogging away at uni and at work. They were sort of a support group for sure, but we had no time for masti.

Nearly six months down the track I brought my first car for $350, a 1983 Toyota Corona. Now it was easier to travel to and from work.

Also after living two years with my uncle, I moved into a rental place, sharing with a friend. Life was not easy, but as they say, when the going gets tough, the tough get going, and so was the case at my end.

I completed my studies in December 2005 and gained my permanent residency in March 2006. Now I wanted to fulfill my dream of working in the public sector. I started applying for jobs in the IT sector and was successful in gaining a position in IT at Telstra.

I bought myself a champagne gold Honda Civic. I had only been with Telstra a brief while, when I was offered a position at the Victoria Police, looking after the grant of private security licenses. My parents were proud and happy when they learnt I was one of five candidates selected out of a pool of 150 candidates.

After working for the Victoria Police for a period of 2 years, I fulfilled another longstanding dream – owning my own house. I had been saving for a deposit, and in 2007, moved into my own four-bedroom place.

Very shortly after, I met Manpriya. Just like her name, she became the true love of my life. We wed in India in April 2008.

I applied for a position at the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. This time round, with my Lady Luck by my side, I was able to secure that position easily.

After a few months with Immigration I was offered a position at the Department of Justice. I took that on board and am currently working there.

Today when I look back, I don’t regret my decision of coming to Australia, despite those initial hardships. There are no shortcuts to success. Determination, focus, hard work and most importantly a strong belief in oneself, are the key elements of success.

Opportunity comes to those who look for it. While it may be difficult to secure a white collar job, it is not impossible … remember, the word ‘impossible’ could really be read as ‘I M Possible’.

Some days, I’d finish one shift at one petrol pump and start the next shift immediately at another site

Diljot Sidhu now works for the Victoria Government’s Depatment of Justice

(Below) Diljot with his bride Manpriya

Lucknow as you never knew it

CHITRA SUDARSHAN is fascinated by an 18th century French settler who made his home in a northern Indian city

Seeds of Empire by Gwayne Naug is a book that will warm the hearts of those who hold Lucknow dear: it is the first book of the Ferenghi Quartet and it recreates the exploits and achievements of Claude Martin (1735-1800), a Frenchman who ended up in the East India Company, made Lucknow his home, and lived and died there. His legacy is writ large everywhere in Lucknow, and several impressive buildings that he designed and built in that city still stand today as a testament to the abilities of this very impressive man.

Martin’s real-life adventures inspired this story. He was born in Lyons, France, into a humble background, and at the age of sixteen, signed up with the French Compagnie des Indes and arrived in India in 1752 to begin his military career. When the French lost the colony of Pondicherry in 1761, he could foresee the end of French hopes in India, so he crossed ranks and accepted service in the Bengal army of the British East India Company. Despite the overtones of treason implicit in that act, it was to prove a sound decision in hindsight: for Martin rose to the rank of Major-General in the British Indian army within 2 years – which led to better and more lucrative posts, and amassed a vast fortune during his lifetime. On his death in September 1800, he left the majority of his estate to charity with a large portion dedicated to the founding of schools at Calcutta, Lucknow and Lyons. There are seven schools named after him: two in Lucknow, two in Calcutta, and three in Lyons; the La Martiniere Colleges in these cities continue to educate and mould thousands of young people of all races and denominations even today – thanks

to Claude Martin’s generosity and foresight. The small village of Martin Purwa in India was also named after him.

Inspired by the real life exploits of Claude Martin, Seeds of Empire is a fictionalised history that covers one of the most exciting periods of European and Indian history. When author Gwayne Naug first gazed upon Claude Martin’s portrait in a school in Lucknow, she knew she wanted to write about him. In the following years she visited Lyons, interviewed several people in Lucknow who told her stories about Martin, and she was able to access documents about him in the Indian government’s archives. The author has used the facts about his life to weave it into a work of fiction and the result is a historical novel filled with intrigues, wars, romance and adventure, too true, strange and marvellous to be fiction alone!

What we have here are several fascinating narratives: the making of the British Empire in the subcontinent, eighteenth century India and the exploits of an unsung hero.

In Europe, a war was raging between the French and the British, and it forms the backdrop for their struggle to control India. The Carnatic wars between the brilliant English strategist Robert Clive and the Frenchman Dupleix are retold here from the perspective of the young Martin as a French Dragoon: the author describes with some authenticity the battle for Pondicherry that ended in the terrible defeat of the French at the hands of the British in India; Martin’s perilous voyage in a crowded ship with other French prisoners of war to Calcutta from Madras; the friendship he strikes with a British officer on the way, his service in the Bengal army. He later became the Surveyor of Bengal, and demonstrated a great gift for cartography.

In 1776, Martin was allowed to accept the position of Superintendent of Arsenal in the employ of the Nawab of Awadh, Asaf Ud Daula in Lucknow – the city in which he lived until his death. It was mainly during that time

When author Gwayne Naug first gazed upon Claude Martin’s portrait in a school in Lucknow, she knew she wanted to write about him

that Martin amassed his enormous wealth of 40 lakhs. There the two basically became the architects of Lucknow, and Martin’s hand can be seen in the city’s architecture even today. The Kothi Hayath Baksh that Martin designed is the Raj Bhavan (Governor’s residence) today; the imposing Constantia and Farud Baksh He was a collector, with an impressive collection of books [some 40,000 volumes] and more than 650 paintings [mostly Mogul painters] of birds.

A clever businessman –he started a bank in Lucknow, and became a successful indigo farmer. He remained a strategist and a soldier all his life, but he loved architecture and building and cartography. But these tales must await the next volumes in the quartet.

The author, in this volume, brings the story up unto his initial years in the Bengal Army, his besotted obsession with a Spanish dancer, the purchase of his first property in Chandernagore and his investment in indigo plantations with the gems that a fellow soldier bequeaths him – this is a veritable tour of eighteenth century India. From bloody battles to romantic liaisons, the author’s descriptions evoke India of the era pretty well, and the characters are vividly brought to life. The author is obviously fascinated with her subject and it shows. Anyone interested in British India of that time will find this book fascinating.

Revisiting a Bengali classic

THEY SAY that revisiting the classics is like gaining a fresh insight into them. As I took a second look at an old favourite recently, I found this to be more than true.

Most Bengali readers would have heard of Mansur Mian-r-Ghora (The Last Ride), an award-winning film directed by the flamboyant Nabyendu Chatterjee. It is based on a book by the same name, written by noted academic, writer and artist Amarendra Sanyal, who is in Sydney currently.

Meeting him in Sydney at social engagements, I was inspired to go back to the book as well as the movie.

The story is set in the Calcutta of the 1990s. Mansur Miyan ekes out a living by plying a horse-drawn carriage on the streets of Calcutta. In earlier days, the carriage was much in demand, such as during the dazzling weddings of the well-to-do. With

the passing of decades, though, Mansur finds less and less work, as modern modes of transport become readily available. His family urge him to give up the carriage and find a more suitable form of income, but Mansur cannot bring himself to do so. You see, he loves his carriage (which was given to him by an English woman upon her return to England after 1947). It has become an integral part of his life. In fact, it is a metaphor for his own life – giving it up would be akin to giving up a major part of himself.

The story, it dawned upon me, closely depicts the financial management concept of time value of money. (This is the idea that a dollar today is worth more than a dollar in the future, because the dollar received today can earn interest up until the time the future dollar is received). The carriage held high psychological value for

the proponent, even though its economic value lay depleted. An inability to reconcile the two created much angst, not just within the individual, but also within his immediate family, as witnessed by the growing generation gap between father and son.

Some of Dr Sanyal’s other works include the English play The Rusted Chain based on a tragedy in a mental institution (which was picked for an international play writing competition held in Athens in 2003) and Bengali stories Bada Banti, Janaika Pani Parthini and Prathom Balabasha as well as hundreds of short stories. He has received various playwright awards as well.

Dr Sanyal’s next fiction is based on Australian life and society – apparently, it includes colourful Indian and Australian characters.

Indranil Halder

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UN country development ratings are dubious

By NOEL G DE SOUZA

In October this year, the UNDP (United Nations Development Program) released its Human Development Report for 2009. It rates India as the 134th country out of 182 in its “human development index” (HDI). China fares better at 92 and Brazil much better at 75.

How come these three most talked about economies fall far behind tiny Malta (whose majority migrate to get jobs), Cyprus (a small divided island) and very tiny Andorra, which are classified as having “very high human development”? Astoundingly, the Occupied Palestinian Territories are ranked at 110, higher than India at 134!

India and China are ranked as “medium developed” whilst Brazil is in the “highly developed” group. These emerging economies have high scientific achievements, including space and nuclear science, and vast pools of qualified personnel. Yet they rank much lower than small countries with no such developments at all. The “very high”, “high”, “medium” and “low” human development rankings are reminiscent of the discredited “first”, “second”, “third” and “fourth” worlds of yesteryear.

Iceland,

which is obtained by dividing a country’s Gross Domestic Product by its population. But this does not indicate how income is distributed. The oil-rich Gulf countries such as Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have high income which is concentrated in a few hands. This accords them “very high human development” even though they import highly educated staff from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Similarly oil-rich Libya and Venezuela get a rating of “high human development”.

The HDI supposedly measures human quality of life or well-being. Prof Daniel Kahneman (Princeton University) debunks the materialistic basis of well being in Would You Be Happier If You Were Richer: A Focussion Illusion

Though a psychologist, Kahneman was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics

The other criterion used is literacy. The large emerging countries may have a sizeable illiterate minority but they also have a sizeable highly educated pool of experts. Some countries with small populations might have high literacy but mediocrity in their contribution to science and knowledge.

The World Economic Forum’s Financial Development Report (2009) tells a different story. Its Index ranks China 26, Brazil 34, India 38, Russia 40 and Pakistan 49 (out of 55). “No other countries are projected to rise to the level of China, India, or Russia, and none is likely to match their individual global clout,” says a US Government document Global Trends 2025

The undisputable world power, United States, leader amongst the world’s major inventors, ranks 13th, behind Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, despite those countries being largely dependent on it. These ratings make one believe that the system is pro-Scandinavian and the “very high human development” list indicates that the system is Eurocentric. Iceland, now considered a failed economic state, ranks third in the world!

The ratings throw up strange results. A “high human development” rating is accorded to some Caribbean nations (like Cuba, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, St Kitts and Neves, Dominica and St Lucia) and to some Indian Ocean countries (like Seychelles and Mauritius). In contrast, ratings are heavily skewed against large and complex countries such as Brazil, Russia, India and China.

One criterion used is per capita income

Surprisingly the HDI index is based on the ideas of Amartya Sen (Nobel laureate) from India and Mahbub ul Haq from Pakistan, though it is not known if their concepts have been properly utilised. The question to be asked is, does one measure fit all countries, and does that measure have to be favourable to Scandinavia? The United Nations has a duty to treat countries fairly. Its HDI listing throws up many anomalies and damages the reputation of the world’s emerging countries.

Indians would be dumbfounded to learn that Bhutan, virtually a protectorate of India, ranks two notches above India in its HDI rating. However, Bhutan itself does not give credence to materialistic ratings. Way back in 1972, King Jigme Singye, who began the process of modernising Bhutan, suggested a system of ratings not based on purely materialistic indicators but on spiritual values as well.

Known as the Gross National Happiness (GNH) indicator, it includes psychological aspects to define the quality of life being thus more holistic. This system has aroused considerable interest in certain quarters in the West and international conferences are being held to discuss it. Professor Kahneman’s work in the USA echoes this concept.

Strangely India and some other countries have been suffering this denigration of their reputation with silence. There does not seem to be any reaction in the Indian press. These ratings carry the weight of a United Nations agency. It is likely that these ratings will find their way into school and university textbooks as being authoritative and give a highly misleading picture.

now considered a failed economic state, ranks third in the world!

Why the China threat story sells in India

MANISH CHAND looks behind the scenes of the ‘Hindi Chini bhai bhai’ rhetoric

It’s the season of China-bashing in India. In bad old socialist days, the ruling party in India was quick to conjure up the “foreign hand” to distract public attention from a host of domestic crises. Now, it’s the turn of marketdriven media to manufacture “external threats” to spike their TRP ratings.

But blaming the “testosterone-driven” media for sexing up the spectre of China threat, as top officials and the army chief have done, is only part of the story. It’s easy to scoff at “conspiracy theorists,” but paranoia is sometimes an act of good citizenship. Instead of discrediting the media, it’s important to understand why the China threat story sells in the overheated media marketplace in India.

First, recent incursions, dismissed by India’s External Affairs Ministry as routine incidents that occur due to differences in perception about the Line of Actual Control (LAC), are by themselves not alarming. But they have gained credence due to a string of much-reported hostile posturing by Beijing against Indian interests over the last year. It started with China trying to block India’s quest for global nuclear trade in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in September last year despite a pledge at the highest level that Beijing won’t stand in the way of India’s journey to nuclear liberation. In the end, China did not stand in the way of the deal it perceived as Washington’s strategy to contain its rise. However, its calculated vacillation had exposed chinks in the 2.0 version of Hindi-Chini bhai bhai. It also unveiled China’s anxieties about India emerging as a rival power in the Asian hemisphere with US support.

India, however, chose to put China’s negative NSG role behind in the interests of keeping relations on an even keel, but the message was not lost on India’s opinion-making class and news-consuming middle class.

A few months later, China again tried to play the spoiler by trying to block India’s $2.9 billion development loan proposal at the Manilaheadquartered Asian Development Bank. China put its foot down on the grounds that a part of the package included $60 million for Arunachal Pradesh over which Beijing claims sovereignty. The move was seen by many in India as a devious manoeuvre by Beijing to internationalise Arunachal Pradesh in multilateral forums where its clout is steadily growing.

China’s double standards came to the fore when it signed an MoU with its client state Pakistan in August to construct 7,000 MW Bunji dam in Northern Areas of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, which is claimed by India in its entirety.

Amid all these negative signals, the two emerging Asian powers have kept their diplomatic engagement on course by downplaying irritants and broadcasting aloud the latest bilateral trade figure, which is said to have surpassed $50 billion. The leaders of both countries never tire of ruling out rivalry and repeating the ritualistic talk of enough space for both India and China to grow, but such platitudes have not entirely obliterated the trust deficit that dates back to the bruising 1962 war.

More recently, an article attributed to a Chinese strategist - subsequently disowned by the powerful Chinese strategic establishment - exhorted China to balkanize ‘Hindu India’ into 20-30 independent states, eliciting a sharp reaction from India’s External Affairs Ministry. Coupled with these discordant notes is the growing unease India is feeling with Beijing’s

calibrated string-of-pearls strategy of extending its influence among India’s neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

The resonance of the China threat has another deeper source in the collective Indian middle class psyche that has nothing to do with Beijing’s perceived hostility. It is the appeal and power of the China Rising story. China, with its double digit rate of economic growth over the last three decades except for this recession-ridden year, has outstripped India in virtually every sphere, be it infrastructure development, poverty eradication, energy security, Olympic golds or cutting-edge areas of science and innovation.

More Indians are travelling abroad now and are familiar with the shining, world-class cities Beijing and Shanghai have morphed into and they can’t find a parallel nearer home. One has only to compare the ruthless efficiency and panache with which Beijing hosted the 2008 Olympics with the kind of panic that has gripped India months before the Commonwealth Games 2010 to understand why the China threat stirs the great Indian middle class.

But the threat, as the Chinese character for that word suggests, also represents an opportunity. Instead of being intimidated, India should seize the hour and seize the day (in Chairman Mao’s famous words) to revive and sustain its economic growth, bolster its woefully inadequate infrastructure and transform this country with over five hundred million poor into a developed country in the next decade or so.

The deadline for China threat is 2020, the defining year Beijing has set to mark its entry into the developed world. If India’s rulers are still posturing by that time and not addressing the all-too-real issues of development and equity, then the threat has a potential to turn real, albeit not necessarily in the sense of a military confrontation.

Recently, an article attributed to a Chinese strategist, exhorted China to balkanize ‘Hindu India’ into 2030 independent states

The cup of life

Iwas shocked to have discovered it last Sunday morning… how could it have happened? It wasn’t there … life needs prioritization and planning…just because it had demurely acquiesced to occupy any corner of my life that I conveniently chose to designate it didn’t imply it couldn’t wreak havoc on my senses and subsistence. I felt stranded, dizzy and helpless… look how incomplete, demotivated, restless and out-of-control I was without it.

No, it wasn’t my invaluable (pun intended) wallet or my glass of favourite “one shot and straight to heaven” drink, as you would’ve logically thought, but something dearer a zillion

“If you are cold, tea will warm you. If you are too heated, it will cool you. If you are depressed, it will cheer you. If you are excited, it will calm you”.

William Gladstone

“The first bowl sleekly moistened throat and lips. The second banished all my loneliness. The third expelled the dullness from my mind, sharpening inspiration gained from all the books I’ve read. The fourth brought forth light perspiration, dispersing a lifetime’s troubles through my pores. The fifth bowl cleansed every atom of my being. The sixth has made me kin to the Immortals. The seventh...I can take no more.

Lu

Tung,

Chinese Poet

times over and yet equally unacknowledged in my life - my tea. Humble in frame and look, but magical, mesmerizing, mystifying and mammoth in feel and effect. It was absconding because I had committed the gravest of all mistakes that a chai lover and liver (pun intended again) could’ve ever thought of committing. Well, the unpardonable fault of forgetting to replenish stocks of the tonic of life. It was too late - the bolt from the blue had already struck - there I stood profoundly challenged at all planes of existence.

Call it my addiction, my compulsion, my intoxication; for me it’s my passion, my devotion, my religion. It’s been with me

troughs and crests of life - always extending me the support and strength of a guru to his eternally harried shishya. It’s helped me to think, imagine, plan, express, manipulate, decide and soak in divine pleasure. Its endless pyaalis goaded me to laugh in gay abandon during those days of fun, friendship and canteen addas which I thought would last forever. It was privy to all the now-seemingly-silly milestones in my life like my coy and pink blush on that first date when I was floating on cloud nine and the day I wept consolably when that same cloud crash landed and reality hit me real hard. It helped me rise from the ashes thereafter and garner inspiration from the timeless phrase aur bhi gham hai zamaaney mein mohabbat key siva. It motivated me, inspired me, cajoled me, moved me, shook me, challenged me, aroused me - but alas, it never was able to impress me about its indispensability.

It helped me to concentrate during that frantic, last minute midnight frenzy the day before the exam and also provided me with the strength to keep my eyes open during the actual grind. It advised me to think like the Buddha when I felt forsaken, and shared my exultation when I felt triumphant like Ashoka. Whether it was that promotion party or the engagement bash, the exuberance at the first anniversary celebration or the calm retrospection on the 10th, it has been always by my side through life’s undulating landscape. But in spite of it all - it was just another taken-for-granted cup of tea.

However, last Sunday, the equation changed in a whiff. It was revenge time. As I staggered to the supermarket in search of the nectar of

engagement

anniversary celebration

“Pour me a little more tea, would you dear? I can drink it till it comes out of my ears.”

Garek, Star Trek, Deep Space 9

“Thank God for tea! What would the world do without tea! How did it exist? I am glad I was not born before tea.”

William Gladstone

“My dear, if you could give me a cup of tea to clear my muddle of a head I should better understand your affairs.”

Charles Dickens

life, I didn’t presume that tea dear tea was in the revenge exacting mood and mode. Here you go - my brand of tea was unavailable and would be so for the next couple of weeks till fresh stocks arrived, I was told. Life was mean, cruel and definitely not worth living on an early Sunday morning, I thought. I could almost feel my chai ki pyaali smirking at me from the heavens above. I was shattered, and haggardly paced up and down the supermarket aisle. I could have had tea at the nearest café but I was never used to sipping my first morning tea bound by the rules of worldly formality. I had always sipped it loud and long, soaking in the sublime sea of tea nirvana, always in the snug comfort of my sofa with my legs up. That’s how my tea tasted best and provided me with the solace and inspiration as also energized me to think clear and take on the harsh world.

But now distraught, distressed and dejected, I decided to settle for the brand of light, organic herbal substitute that sneered at me from the shelf-another hard-to-gulp challenge for me the kadak chai types. I managed to rush back home with my remaining stamina and the unimpressive substitute. The water took ages to boil this time and tore my patience to shreds - beating even my 9-year-old who I’d assumed had the world record at that. I closely studied and smelt the new variety and kept reassuring myself that life, after all, was also about new experiments with newer truths. I finally sipped with utter indifference and disdain. Lo and behold - I felt my senses being revived, my brain being re-awakened and the bouts of energy rushing into all the corners of my body - and as I was able to think straight. My cup of foster tea gently hammered the grand realisation into my grey cells - black or red, herbal or kadak, don’t you forget - it isn’t just about a cup of tea my friend, but the cup of life…

It advised me to think like the Buddha when I felt forsaken, and shared my exultation when I felt triumphant like Ashoka. Whether it was that promotion party or the

bash, the exuberance at the first

or the calm retrospection on the 10th, it has been always by my side through life’s undulating landscape

MADHUCHANDA DAS pays homage to the humble chai garam – her passion, devotion and even religion

“[I am] a hardened and shameless tea drinker, who for twenty years diluted his meals with only the infusion of the fascinating plant; who with tea amused the evening, with tea solaced the midnight, and with tea welcomed the morning”.

Samuel Johnson

Community cricket series continues to prosper

E

ven as India is in the throes of the cricket fever at the ongoing IndiaAustralia series, a community cricket series currently ongoing in Sydney is increasing in popularity.

Cricket fever has reached at its pinnacle among players from the Indian subcontinent here at the 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup being played in the grounds of historic Parramatta Park. The Park attracts more than thousands of people on the weekends along with the regular senior citizens who are keenly following the cricket tournament.

Among the frequent visitors to the park is also the NSW Premier Nathan Rees checking the progress of the games – he often steps on to the field to have a chat with the players.

The 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup is currently being played among 10 different teams from the sub continent. These are the Group Colleges of Australia, Melbourne Institute of Technology, Ryde Automotives Haryana Bulls, Mantra West Ryde’s Chandigarh, Hyderabad Travel’s Sydney Deccan Chargers, Limra, Nepal Cricket Association and Ford Pro Vibrant Gujarat.

The 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup is named in commemoration of Governor Lachlan Macquarie’s bicentennial year.

In the series so far, Group Colleges of Australia became the first team to storm in the semi-finals of the ongoing 30/30 GCA Macquarie Bicentennial Cup. The Manager Jenny McCarthy is confident that GCA boys will improve their performance and win the 30/30 Competition after finishing runners up in the recently concluded Indian Link Cup.

Organised jointly by Footwork Sports Academy and New Australians’ Sports Association, this is the second tournament to be held in recent months. (The Indian Link Cup concluded recently, and a third series is set to begin shortly).

The brain behind the event, Sanjiv Dubey, is not new to the scene. A well-known sports coach, he founded the Footwork Academy of Sports through which many community and mainstream kids have honed their cricket as

well as soccer skills. As a Phys Ed teacher, Sanjiv is passionate about his sport as well as coaching. He is also a sports writer and commentator.

For the cricket tournaments, Sanjiv has found he has reached out successfully to international students, who are represented on each of the teams. They come from all over the subcontinent, and seem to have found a ‘home away from home’ and like-minded friends, during the series.

“I think it gives a great boost to their selfesteem to be participating in a large-scale community event in which their individual talents come to the fore,” Dubey told Indian Link. “Many of them are really quite talented, and I hope they get noticed”.

Some players have already reached acclaim as Ranji Trophy players. One player even has some international experience – Shashi Keshri of the Nepal team represented his country at the Under-19 level.

Finals of the contest will be held on 22 Nov.

Round 1

l Mantra Ryde’s Chandigrah (165 all out) won against Limra (99 all out) by 65 runs

l GCA Yellow (152 all out) lost to Ford Pro Vibrant Gujarat (153 for 3 in 27 overs)

l MIT Yellow (61 all out) lost to Ryde Automotives Haryana Bulls (3/63) who won by 7 wickets.

l Nepal (122 all out) lost to GCA Red (126 for 6) in 22 overs

Highlights Abhinav from Gujarat stole the show with his unbeaten knock of 87 not out. Navdeep from Chandigrah was another star performer, scoring 53. Both won Man of the Match awards in their games.

Round 2

l GCA Yellow (194 all out) lost to Limra (197 for 8), Limra won by 2 wickets

l Chandigarh (190 all out); defeated MIT Red (92 all out).

l Haryana (154 all out) lost to Nepal (155 for 2)

l Hyderabad Travel Sydney Deccan Chargers (140 all out) lost to GCA Red (141 for 7) in 29 overs.

Highlights Karamveer’s 64 for GCA against Limra; ex Ranji trophy player Mayank’s 66 against Mantra Ryde’s Chandigarh, and Naveen’s 68 for Nepal Cricket Association.

Round 3

l MIT Red (163) defeated GCA Yellow (110 all out)

l Limra (166) lost to Gujarat on averages

l MIT Yellow Vs GCA Red: GCA won by forfeit

Highlights Outstanding performance from Limra’s Amoodi, a fine knock of 42

The 20/20 MIT Sydney Cup starts on 29th November where more than 16 teams are expected to play. For details ring Sanjiv Dubey on 0433 669 334.

(Top left) Harpreet Singh of GCA faces the ball

(Top right) MIT’s Paresh Patel at the crease

(Right) Century maker Sulemanullah Syed

(Below) Shashi Keshri of Nepal team

Today, for tomorrow

The year is 2050. World population is ten billion. It is unbearably hot. The populace is uneducated, unskilled, un-nurtured, and self the rule of the day. Once industrialised, the world today is untidy, unclean, un-organised. Snow-capped mountains of the past are truly The Mountains Of The Past. Sea levels have risen by metres. Jobs and facilities have ceased to exist. Agriculture is perished for fresh water levels have subsided. Strictly rationed drinking water and food items are now a memory. It hasn’t rained for years. Drinking water and food as wages are now faded past. Skin and blood diseases are rampant as liquid in systems is deficient. A ten year old is now bald and wrinkled, like a sixty year old of the past. There are no physicians as literature and culture are deceased. Walking is the only mode of transportation for world economies have crumbled. Sleeping under the sky is ubiquitous as there are no shelters. Obtaining by hook or by crook to survive is the order of the day. Human flesh as food and blood as water is now a practised necessity. Even roots are considered edible - and promptly attract killing for. Colder regions are a few and are deserted as there are no clothes to wear. There are no birds, wild or domestic animals as there is no water or food for them. The institution of religion, firm and sustained for centuries, is now obsolete. Defunct for ages, Hollywood, Bollywood are not even in people’s memories. Seas are more salt than water, hence the fish are dead. Atmospheric carbon dioxide is negligible, therefore, oxygen levels have diminished.

Scientists had warned that overpopulation had begun to tilt the planet from its axis. But the populace was too busy in selfish idiosyncrasies and ignored warnings.

The future is strictly now: this moment - not the next, and it is too late to remedy it. People are dying of starvation and disease by the millions a day. And those who will somehow survive their own doing, will be left to start it all over again. We humans failed in protecting our planet we beautified ourselves. Self-interest failed us to sacrifice our todays toward preserving our tomorrows.

George Thakur

Temptations of

By THOMAS E KING

At any time of the year the mountainous hinterlands of Koi Samui look like the welcoming committee at the annual general meeting of Coconuts R Us! As far as the eye can see only green palm fronds wave in unison. Millions of swaying coconut palms are indeed a cordial greeting but the centrepiece of this 80-island archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand offers much more.

If Koh Samui’s powder sand beaches and secluded bays dotted with sun-bleached rock formations are not enough, then there are jungle-covered mountains concealing waterfalls and cool rock pools, exotic butterflies, wild orchids and gigantic ferns.

Tourism is relatively new to Thailand’s third largest island. It’s only been since the early 1970s that beachcombers drawn by the natural charms of the turtle-shaped island began arriving. Far more recent is the range of sophisticated accommodation developed

for comfort craving visitors who want to experience one of Thailand’s most popular islands.

Rental vehicles can be hired for a selfpropelled loop around or even across the island’s mountainous interior. Otherwise, song-taos (small pickup trucks with two rows of seats) and seelors (small, covered lorries) regularly crisscross the island.

One place to start your exploration is from Na Thon, the 4000-strong ‘capital’ of Koi Samui. All facilities that travellers need are located in its sleepy port-facing main street: post and internet, chemists and supermarkets, travel agents and dive shops, inexpensive restaurants and beach hotels and the ferry terminal where boats connect Samui with the mainland.

One attraction of Na Thon is its small collection of old teak Chinese shop houses and cafes. While such veterans are now almost gone from the scene in Bangkok, there are still a few examples of this old-fashioned style of Thai architecture to be found in the back streets of Na Thon.

Koi Samui is not filled with manmade attractions. Most points of interest have resulted from the forces of nature except for a solitary 12m-high statue of Buddha. “Big

Buddha” as he’s known locally sits on an islet off Bo Phut Beach at the northern end of the island. A sunset view of the beach with the statue dominating the skyline is an impressive sight.

Farther on I discovered another scene stealer, the Na Muang Waterfalls. Cascading in two tiers from mountain origins, these lace curtains are the typical hidden-in-the-jungle waterfalls. Located about 10 km south of An Thon, the journey is worth the effort for those who like swimming in the privacy of their own waterfall-fed, sandy-bottomed pool.

The allure of this pocket size island is strong but more temptations await in the far north western provinces of Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. The name Chiang Mai (as well as Chiang Rai) can be used in two ways. The first is Chiang Mai Province, one of the farthest of the country’s 76 self-governing administrative divisions.

Chiang Mai, when referring to the prosperous city, is Thailand’s second largest urban centre. Reached in just over an hour from Bangkok, Chiang Mai is a world away from the high rise and busy Thai capital. This provincial capital is cooler and far less congested and visitor facilities are absolutely first rate. And there’s enough to do and see

There are powder sand beaches and secluded bays, sunbleached rock formations and jungle-covered mountains, waterfalls and cool rock pools, exotic butterflies, wild orchids and gigantic ferns

There are superb views of coconut palms and distant islands from the Santiburi Samui Country Club.

Thailand

that an increasing number of visitors spend their entire holiday in and around the city.

Chiang Mai is a favourite place and during the half dozen times I’ve been there I’ve seen a fair share of the 120 temples contained within municipal limits and photographed many of the architectural treasures scattered around the old walled city. (Parts of the late 13 th century earthen walls built by King Mengrai remain.)

Just outside city boundaries I’ve strolled along the street of craftsmen at Ban Thawai, a thoroughfare lined with dozens of small-scale handicraft factories turning out takeaways like silverware, ceramics, lacquer ware and masterpieces in wood. As well I’ve climbed the 300 ceramic-tailed dragon steps to the hill-crested golden temple, Wat Phra That Doi Suthep.

In August I visited the National Elephant Institute for the first time. Created in 1991 as a means to protect the endangered Asian elephant, the centre has courses where you can become a mahout for a day or longer. There is also an elephant hospital and a performance centre where elephants demonstrate skills used in the jungle. A few talented elephants have even mastered the brush and produce one-off paintings that are

sold to visitors.

Another reason for going to Chiang Mai is that the city can be used as a base for an excursion to Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle. Located at the northern extreme of Thailand, where the Kingdom meets Laos and Myanmar (Burma) at the confluence of the Mekong River, this highly fertile area has a history as a leading opium producer.

The Thai Government, in a concerted move to not only change this image but stop the practice has curtailed most poppy cultivation and instituted programs to teach hill tribe people new ways to earn their livelihoods such as producing alternate agricultural crops like macadamia nuts and coffee and reviving almost-lost handicraft techniques.

The scheme has worked well. An increasing number of tourists arrive each year, lured by the legacy of the region’s notorious past, its true scenic beauty and the distinct hill tribes of northern Thailand. ‘Hill tribe’ is a common designation for ethnic minorities living (generally) in the remote mountain highlands of northern and western Thailand. Each tribe and there are subdivisions to confuse matters even more has its own customs, language, food habits, spiritual beliefs and, the easiest distinguishing characteristic for foreigners,

dress style.

I saw a few hill tribe women dressed in black jackets and red skirts as I arrived at Sop Ruak, a tiny town on the Mekong River, north of Chiang Rai. Standing on the Thai soil of a steep hill overlooking this small outpost at the very apex of the Golden Triangle I gazed out and over the mighty Mekong. A few vessels were slowly moving through the muddy water of the world’s tenth longest river. On my left was mysterious Myanmar. On my right was even more enigmatic Laos. I had finally reached the edge of the Kingdom.

Travel Notebook Thailand

FLIGHTS

Thai Airways International has three flights a day from Sydney and a twice daily service from Melbourne to Bangkok. There are numerous onward flights connecting Bangkok/Chiang Mai and Bangkok/Chiang Rai. For information and bookings contact THAI reservations on 1300 651 960 or see www.thaiairways.com.au

TRAVEL

Samui as well as Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai are popular destinations included in the Thai Airways International Royal Orchid Holiday program. For information and bookings see your travel agent or contact Royal Orchid Holidays on 1 300 369 747.

PACKAGES

For booking any travel arrangements in Riga or Latvia contact the Baltic travel specialists MyPlanet, tel 1800 1800 221 712. Visit www. myplanet.com.au

ACCOMMODATION

Offering 144 luxurious guest rooms – 48 pool villas – with stunning views of the Gulf of Thailand, the Nora Buri Resort & Spa is an idyllic sanctuary on the east coast of Samui. E-mail reservation@ noraburiresort.com. See www.noraburiresort.com

Within easy walking distance of Chiang Mai’s night bazaar, the well landscaped Shangri-La Hotel is a “City Resort” with 281 guest rooms decorated in contemporary Northern Thai decor. E-mail slcm@ shangri-la.com See www.shangri-la.com

Set in 160 acres of indigenous forest and landscaped gardens, the Anantara Golden Triangle offers 77 comfortable rooms that have views to Burma and Laos. E-mail goldentriangle@anantara.com. See www. anantara.com

INFORMATION

The Tourism Authority of Thailand will send out holiday brochures and maps on these tempting areas of Thailand. Contact the TAT, Level 2, 75 Pitt St, Sydney, tel 9247 7549. E-mail: info@ thailand.net.au See www.tourismthailand.org

Towering over a tiny islet, the 12 metre high Big Buddha is Samui’s lofty but serene landmark.

Photos: Thomas E. King

Accompanied by a traditional orchestra, a graceful dancer acts out the legends of Northwest Thailand.

Watch four footed ‘artists’ paint pretty pictures at Chiang Mai’s National Elephant Institute.

s the Australian summer rolls around, it is important to take care of our skin. The face is the part of the body that is the most exposed to the elements at any given time and it needs some TLC to keep the skin firm and supple and in good condition.

A facial is a cosmetic treatment of the face, commonly involving a variety of skin treatments, such as steam, exfoliation and extraction. While stereotyped as a woman’s domain, more and more men are finding the benefits of facials in maintaining a fresh face which begets a healthy mind and body.

Facials can be a delicious pampering session at salons involving creams, lotions, masks, peels, and massages. But clear, healthy, lustrous skin requires a few minutes of care everyday. A skincare routine should ideally start in the pre-teen years and be followed regularly for the best results. Also, a healthy balanced diet and an efficient digest-absorb-assimilate cycle inside your body are crucial for vital, healthy skin.

According to Ayurveda, the first requirement for healing oneself and others is a clear understanding of the three doshas. Inside the body, there are three doshas which govern its chemical and physiological activities. These three doshas are Vata (from ether and air), Pitta (from fire and an aspect of water), and Kapha (from water and earth).

Three simple twice-a-day steps

Ten minutes is all it takes each morning and evening to care for facial skin.

Cleansing

Cleansing is the process of removing surface grime, makeup and impurities; it stimulates your skin and prepares it for nourishment. Cleanse your face and neck each morning and night. Choose a nonsoap cleanser appropriate for your skin type. If you have dry Vata skin (space or air predominant skin), choose a rich, nourishing cleanser that won’t strip the natural oils from the skin, with ingredients like oatmeal, almond meal and cream. If you have sensitive

fire predominant skin, choose a gentle herbal cleanser that will purify without irritating the skin.

Sandalwood in fine oatmeal with a little cooling milk and rose water makes a gentle Pitta-pacifying cleanser. For oily earth or water predominant skin, a stimulating product that contains oil-balancing herbs such as lavender, lemon, neem and tulsi helps cleanse and clarify.

Prepare your cleanser if you are starting with a dry mix. Then splash your face with lukewarm water to open the pores. Never use hot water on your skin; it will cause your skin to literally wilt. Using your fingertips or a soft washcloth, gently apply the cleanser to your face and neck in smooth upward strokes. The skin surface should get stimulated without being pulled or stretched. Rinse off with warm water, and finish with a final splash of cool water. If you wear make-up, two cleansings of the face at night may be appropriate to make sure all of it is cleansed off.

Toning

Toning removes any lingering impurities or greasy residue and helps balance the pH of the skin. It closes the pores and stimulates circulation, helping to prepare the skin to absorb nutrition from the moisturiser that follows. Choose a

toner appropriate for your skin type, and look for toners without alcohol, colours or artificial fragrance. Rose, sandalwood and cucumber based toners are good choices. If your toner is a spritzer, close your eyes and gently mist on face and neck. Dab any excess gently with a ball of cotton. Alternatively, apply the toner to the face and neck with a ball of cotton, using smooth, gentle upward strokes.

Moisturising

Ayurvedic Facials A

All skin types need moisturising. Moisturisers seal in surface moisture and help keep skin soft and supple. If enriched with skinfriendly herbs and essential oils, moisturisers also nourish the skin

Facials can be a delicious pampering session at salons involving creams, lotions, masks, peels, and massages. But clear, healthy, lustrous skin requires a few minutes of care everyday

and enhance skin immunity. Natural ayurvedic moisturisers contain herbal extracts and essential oils in an oil base-richer oils for dry skin and light oils for oily skin. Gotu kola, shatavari, turmeric, sandalwood, brahmi, amalaki, tulsi and neem are examples of nourishing, ojasbuilding herbs that are considered skin rasayanas in ayurveda. Immediately after removing the toner and while your skin is still slightly damp, apply the moisturiser. Gently massage the moisturiser into your skin with smooth upward strokes.

Additional care, once or twice a week

Exfoliation once a week for Kapha skin, and once every other week for Vata and Pitta skin, adds that extra glow.

Facial Mask

All types of skin benefit from periodic deep-down exfoliating treatment; if you have really oily skin, you may want to exfoliate at least once a week. At its most basic, a facial mask is a little oatmeal or chickpea flour mixed with water and a touch of honey. You can add almond meal, rosewater and a couple of drops of wheat germ oil for dry skin, almond meal and pure aloe vera juice for sensitive skin and Bentonite clay, lemon peel and tulsi or neem powder for oily skin. You can also enrich the mask with pure essential oils suitable for your skin type. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, embedded dirt and toxins, and stimulates the skin, making it receptive to the nutrient-rich facial moisturiser that should follow. Wash your face with lukewarm water. Apply the mask with smooth upward strokes with your fingertips or a ball of cotton. Wait a few minutes in a relaxed position while the mask dries. Rinse off with plenty of warm water and follow with a moisturiser appropriate for your skin type.

SHAFEEN MUSTAQ provides advice on skin care based on dosha types

l Indian Groceries

l Carrom boards, Badmintons Sets

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l Large range of temples available in

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QUOTABLE QUOTE

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.

Dr Seuss DL

By Devna and Manan Luthra

YOUR TURN

Oh, what a feeling

A poem by Harneek Kaur

Oh what a feeling it is when a baby is born

Oh what a feeling it is when a birthday card is torn

Oh what a feeling it is when a family is happy Oh what a feeling it is when a baby forgets its nappy

Oh what a feeling it is when a baby loves its teddy

Oh what a feeling it is when someone has nobody

Whatever the feeling, happy or sad, you must thank god for the moments you’ve had!!!!!!!!!

FOTO CORNER

What we like about Diwali

DIWALI

* Sparklers and fireworks

* The burning of Raavan

* Putting money in the puja plate

* Flowers rangoli

* Getting presents from the family

* Plucking leaves from the mango tree in the backyard

* Turning on all the lights in the house

* Arranging the statues of the gods and goddesses and the puja plate things

* Lighting candles and diyas

* Diamond (kaju) burfi

* Diwali smell (incense sticks)

* Decorating parts of the house with tinsel (mum uses the same ones for Xmas – how confusing)

DID YOU KNOW...

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.

Donkeys kill more people annually than airplane crashes or shark attacks.

The first product to have a barcode was Wrigley’s gum.

Venus is the only

planet in the solar system that rotates clockwise.

The first owner of the Marlboro cigarette company died of lung cancer. So did the first ‘Marlboro Man’.

Walt Disney was afraid of … mice!

ML and DL

Moosa and Naureen say their prayers at Eid

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The weekend paratha

By RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

Right, I decided, I’m making parathas for breakfast.

Of course, the other choice was to sleep in (an unheard-of luxury), but call me a sucker for punishment … or someone who has lost the ability to sleep in even when there is a window of opportunity.

“Parathas for breakfast!” I declared chirpily…

… to a lukewarm reaction from the audience.

“Put some vegemite on mine,” said Beta blandly, without taking his eyes off the computer screen. It was as if camouflaging the ‘exotic’ paratha with some of his ‘native’ food would make it more palatable.

Beti was, like, you know, whatever… I should have slept in.

An hour later I had them all - Beta, Beti and Hub-of-the-House - lined up on the breakfast bar talking animatedly as they lapped up hot parathas. Of course, the box of tissues was emptying liberally, as everybody mopped the oil off their parathas… only to top them with neat little cubes of butter!

I hid a smile as Beta said, “Can you put some ghee on mine, please Mum –just a little bit?” (He pronounces it as “gee”, without the h: my Australian-Born Confused Desi).

The vegemite jar was nowhere in sight.

***

The paratha, especially of the stuffed variety, only makes its appearance rarely on my breakfast table. Weekday mornings it is out of the question; and weekend mornings are just as busy, what with sport and all.

In years BC (Before Children) though, we indulged on most weekend mornings. They were brunch, rather than breakfast. The aloo (potato) paratha was by far the most popular, but the gobhi (cauliflower) and mooli (white raddish) parathas were not far behind. My paneer parathas never came out good. A friend taught me to cook spinach parathas with a little besan added in the dough. Leftover-dal parathas were another favourite.

Today parathas are a rare treat. Most people avoid them because they can be a heavy meal, but from what I’ve noticed, put parathas in front of them, and nine times out of ten, they will be relished.

You probably have your own little top tip for a yummy paratha favourite, such as using oil from the pickle jar for that special spicy touch, or using tomato sauce or Nutella (yes, Nutella!) as a stuffing, or using a touch of milk (or even yoghurt) to soften your dough. Mine is: add a touch of chana flour (not besan) to your dough for a tastier paratha.

***

The sheer variety in stuffed parathas never ceases to amaze me. You can make your stuffing with all kinds of grated veggies, cooked dal or even minced meat. Most of these would be stuffed inside a little packet

of dough to be rolled out and then cooked on a griddle. For watery vegetables though it turns out better if you mix them in the dough itself.

Every so often I come across a stuffing that simply blows me over. Fancy a sharaabi paratha? Read on!

Serve hot with plain yogurt, butter and spicy pickles, and wash down with masala chai.

Carrot filling

Grate small tender carrots and add chilli powder, salt and fresh lime juice.

Radish filling

Grate tender white radishes, add salt and leave aside for a while. Then squeeze out water and add grated ginger, fresh green chilli and some tender leaves from the tops of the radish, chopped. Add coarsely powdered pomegranate seeds and salt to taste.

Egg filling

Boil and mash eggs. Add salt, pepper, chilli powder, fresh coriander leaves and a touch of oil.

Methi (fenugreek leaves) filling

Cook in a little oil the methi leaves with green chillies, salt, chilli powder, any other masala powders and a touch of tomato, until dry. Remove from heat and cool. Then add the flour with enough of water to form a pliable dough. Make small balls of dough, roll out into parathas and cook on a hot griddle.

Paneer filling

Grate paneer and add finely chopped onions, green chillies, fresh coriander and mint leaves, salt and amchur (mango powder) or chaat masala or powdered pomegranate seeds.

Pudina (mint) paratha

Blend together fresh mint leaves, lemon juice, a touch of cumin seeds, green chillies and salt. Use this to make your dough, along with water, salt and a touch of oil or ghee. Make your parathas with this minty dough.

Pumpkin filling

Grate pumpkin and mix with fresh coriander leaves, about 2 tsp sesame seeds, same amount ajwain seeds, green chillies, salt, coriander powder and lime juice. Add a touch of turmeric powder to heighten the yellow colour.

If pumpkin is of a watery variety, mix all the above in the flour and knead your paratha dough with it.

Alternately, you could cook your pumpkin with desired masalas and use this as a filling.

Chana dal filling

Soak chana dal for 4 hours. Cook it in a saucepan with salt and turmeric added, with just enough water so it doesn’t stick to the bottom, until just done. Drain and grind coarsely. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and roast dal briefly. Then add some asafetida, red chilli powder, coriander powder and garam masala, and for khatai, amchur or chaat masala or pomegranate seeds. Add fresh coriander leaves if you like.

Matar (green pea) filling

Cook and coarsely mash peas. Heat some oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and cook mashed peas briefly. Add grated ginger, green chillies and asafetida. Then add salt, red chilli powder and a touch of jaggery (or brown sugar). Turn off heat and add lemon juice, some fresh coriander and mint leaves.

Leftover rice filling

Mix left over rice with finely chopped onions,green chillies, red chilli powder, garam masala, coriander powder, salt, amchur/chaat masala/pomegranate seed powder and fresh coriander leaves.

‘Sharaabi’ paratha

No, you don’t make your dough with beer, wine or spirits for this one. All you do is, soak dried fruit such as sultanas, raisins, apricots, figs, overnight in a little alcohol (vodka or a sweetish wine). Drain, mash coarsely and mix with sugar, jaggery or brown sugar, fresh grated coconut, cardamom powder, nutmeg, and almond meal. Use this to make up a sweet paratha. Serve it by itself, or with some roseflavoured syrup, or perhaps, with some good quality vanilla ice cream.

‘Paan’ filling

This is another sweet variation and can be served just like the sharaabi paratha. The ingredients though, might be hard to source in Oz - you’ll need fresh paan fillings (not the leaves) - yes, the local paan stall variety.

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Northern Hemisphere experience shows importance of flu jab

While flu is not normally on our minds at this time of year with summer around the corner, the facts are that the Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (Human Swine Influenza) continues to circulate in Australia, and we still have people in hospital being treated for complications.

The Northern Hemisphere experience of Pandemic H1N1 continuing to spread during their summer, shows how important it is to be vaccinated.

As the Northern Hemisphere heads into winter, a second wave is becoming apparent with the United States declaring an emergency in its response and Canada, Mexico and some European countries reporting increasing cases.

As of 17 October 2009, worldwide there have been more than 414,000 laboratory confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 2009 and nearly 5000 deaths reported to WHO.

As many countries have stopped counting individual cases, particularly of milder illness, the case count is significantly lower than the actually number of cases that have occurred. WHO is actively monitoring the

progress of the pandemic.

In Australia, the total number of deaths related to Pandemic H1N1 2009 (Human Swine Influenza) notified nationally has been 187. 4904 cases of hospitalization have been reported since the flu first became known. The peak was in July, and there has been a decline in notifications since.

A second wave in Australia cannot be ruled out, particularly with the Christmas-New Year holiday season approaching and people travelling to and from the Northern Hemisphere.

Everyone is being urged to consider a Pandemic H1N1 flu vaccination. Talk to your doctor about it whether or not you had a seasonal flu shot this year.

While initially specific groups were targeted for vaccination such as those vulnerable to severe complications including Indigenous people and pregnant women, there is now capacity for everyone over the age of ten to become vaccinated, government sources have said.

Children under 10 years are not being offered the vacccine yet until data from the trials on younger children is finalised and evaluated, which is expected soon.

Everyone aged 10 and over, but those who are most strongly recommended for vaccination are people most vulnerable to severe outcomes from the virus and the people close to them, that is:

• Pregnant women

• Indigenous people

• Parents and guardians of infants up to six months of age

• Children in special schools

• People with underlying medical conditions which could include: heart disease, asthma and other lung diseases, cancer, obesity (BMI > 35),

diabetes, kidney and liver disease, neurological disease.

• Healthcare workers

Family, carers and friends of vulnerable people should also be vaccinated.

The vaccine is provided free, but a consultation fee may be charged by a healthcare provider.

Information on Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 (Human Swine Influenza) is available from 13 HEALTH (13 432 584), or the Commonwealth Swine Influenza Hotline on 1802007.

SRI GAYATHRIMATHA JYOTISH MANDIR ASTROLOGER & PALMISTRY

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The light of friendship

RUCHI LAMBA on the difference between good friends and polite friends

Aclose friendship is like a delicate flutter of a candle’s flame on the night of Diwali. It may not be the most efficient way of lighting a room, but it is soothing to the eye, despite its fragility. There are candles that you use as decorative pieces, and there are candles you light on Diwali to give a whole new meaning to the word light. Just like there are friends that you have polite chats with, and there are your best friends.

They are the people who root for you, no matter what. You tell them your deepest, darkest secrets and instead of heading for the door, they stick around and your bond with them grows stronger.

Friendship is about being what a hero of mine described as “balcony people” instead of “basement people.” Basement people are those who live in our minds, telling us we will never amount to anything, that we are doomed to fail and that we are unsuccessful. Balcony people are those who are consistently cheering us on. They support us in our attempts to find our voice, to live in ever widening circles, to dare, to create and break through our lives’ sound barriers.

The best spouses are also best friends who can share the deepest parts of hearts - the parts that are about “being who you are” as opposed to “doing what you do”. In these kinds of friendships, the conversations may appear to be about everyday topics such as what happened

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at work, their health and family. But what feeds their soul, binds them together over the years and takes them to ever deeper dimensions is the conversation they have at the spiritual level. That is the place where your soul stands exposed before someone else and receives unconditional acceptance in return.

Best friends are the people with whom one feels safe to talk about mad, sad and hurt feelings. Most other relationships stay at the polite level where everything is “fine,” although we all know that’s not true. But best friends never shy away from those times when our need is greatest - when our feelings have been hurt, when we are so angry we could spit

fire, or when we are grieving for someone we just lost. It is exactly at those times that you learn the difference between your best friends and your polite friends.

Investing in time with best friends is profoundly spiritual. Being able to be your true self before another, and knowing that you will be accepted, gives one the courage to work through the tougher parts of life. It is a natural path that allows one to connect with the spirit of God. We can’t be fully alive without it.

So, next Diwali, as the light from your candles in front of your house adds beauty to your home, may the light of friendship and joy also enlighten your soul.

Best friends are the people with whom one feels safe to talk about mad, sad and hurt feelings

WENTWORTHVILLE

WOW -WHAT A HOME 50 Craddock Street This home sits on the high side with a wonderful northerly aspect featuring 4 bedrooms polished floor boards throughout, modern kitchen with granite bench tops and new stove + dishwasher, large separate lounge & dining area with reverse cycle air con, large sun drenched veranda at the front and huge entertaining area out the back, remote tandem lock up garage, extra features such as alarm, storage, shutters & walk to all amenities. This home will be gone before you know it so don’t miss this opportunity!

Open For inspection: Saturday 1:30 – 2:00pm Auction: Saturday 21st November 2009 On Site at 2.00pm Laing & Simmons Toongabbie 9631 5555 Contact Leanne Ollerenshaw 0414 790 887 TOONGABBIE

WENTWORTHVILLE

PRIME LOCATION 54 Essington Street

AUCTION

Situated in one of the most popular streets in Wentworthville is this well presented 3 bedroom home with separate lounge with air conditioning, modern kitchen with dishwasher, updated bathroom, sunroom, extra toilet outside, garage + carport. Set on 638sqm block,. Ideal for the first home or build your dream home. NOT TO BE MISSED!

INSPECT: Saturday 11:30am - 12:00pm

AUCTION: Saturday 7 November 2009 @ 12:00pm Onsite

easy walk to station + shops. Inspect Now!

TOONGABBIE $529,000

1,151SQM BLOCK

kitchen with Gas cooking and bathroom and extra toilet and lock up garage. All conveniently located close to shops, school and transport. DON’T MISS THIS

TOONAGBBIE $389,950

TOONGABBIE

ROOM TO MOVE

Extra large townhouse in popular complex with 3 good sized bedrooms, spacious L shaped living area, ensuite to main bedroom and third toilet downstairs, modern kitchen with gas cooking, ducted air conditioning, double garage with remote door and extra large private courtyard. INSPECT NOW!

Laing & Simmons Toongabbie 9631

TOONGABBIE $389,950

TOONGABBIE

LOADS OF CHARACTER

This old style country home consists of 20m frontage, east facing, and set on 815sqm block. Features include 3 bedrooms, original kitchen and bathroom, large lounge and dine area, reverse cycle air conditioning, above in-ground pool and LUG. In need of a little TLC.

Laing & Simmons Toongabbie 9631 5555 Contact Leanne Ollerenshaw

PARRAMATTA $289,950

TOP LOCATION

Close to Parramatta CBD is this unit which has lots to offer.

Featuring 2 bedrooms each with its own balcony, separate lounge and dine, lounge also has a enormous balcony with great afternoon shade for your enjoyment, air conditioning, lock up garage with remote control access and transport.

Situated in a security block this unit is sure to please. Be the first to inspect!!

Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

Contact Jim Malamas

Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000 Contact Alan Fowler 0413 057 699

GREAT STARTER

This large 1,151sqm block is a great opportunity featuring 3 bedroom brick veneer home, 15.24m frontage, ducted air conditioning, separate lounge, neat kitchen and bathroom, second toilet, huge separate entertainers area out the back, LUG and in-ground swimming pool. All set close to schools, shops and trains.

Laing & Simmons Toongabbie 9631 5555

Contact Leanne Ollerenshaw

$389,950

Situated in a quiet residential street you find this clad and tile home with separate lounge, large eat in kitchen, 3 spacious bedrooms, garage which has been converted to a sleep out, private rear yard & close to transport. A MUST TO INSEPCT!

Laing & Simmons Toongabbie 9631 5555 Contact Alan Fowler

9688 4000 Contact Leanne Ollerenshaw

$399,950

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This 3 bedroom Torrens Title villa is a great starter with features such as built-in’s to all bedrooms, ensuite to main, remote lock up garage & internal access, modern kitchen, modern bathroom, large lounge & dine area, huge yard with off street parking, ducted air conditioning and street frontage. Short walk to all amenities. BE QUICK!!

Laing & Simmons Toongabbie 9631 5555

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SOUTH WENTWORTHVILLE $399,950

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If you are downsizing or looking for a villa style home but don’t want to be in a complex, then this property should suite you! This stand alone 3 bedroom Torrens Title home features large bedrooms, modern timber kitchen, modern 3 way bathroom, good size lounge and dining, lock up garage and located in a quiet street close to all amenities.

Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

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THE COMPLETE PACKAGE

Situated close to school, shops and transport is this 5 bedroom home is sure to please, 2 spacious living areas, original kitchen, 2 original bathrooms, separate dine and lounge, split system air conditioning, security alarm, all bedrooms includes built-in’s, great outdoor entertainment area with double lock up garage. Set in a great quiet location. INSPECT NOW!

Laing & Simmons Toongabbie 9631 5555

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WENTWORTHVILLE $299,950

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Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

Contact Alan Fowler

The night I died

A short story by RAJ PAUL SANDHU

AND I died. I was dead.

Very, very dead.

I died exactly at the time predicted by that Mystic Oldman SadhuBaba.

And there stood the smiling Yama, the Chauffeur, sent by the Lord of Death, in his rock-star shiny red leather jacket and red shoes. I can’t remember if he was wearing a shirt. Yama smiled, looking through his dark Versace glasses, and said Yamaste, with a slight bow and hands pressed together.

“The Lord has sent for Thee”, he said, pointing towards the sporty, Black V24, Bubalus bubalis. As his laughter got throatier, his face reminded me of Bollywood’s super villain Gulshan G.

***

Something drew me to Mystic SadhuBaba. I met him while travelling in India last year. He was waking along a lonely highway, in the 48-degree heat-fest. The highway mirage was causing an illusion of oil puddle on the road. I slowed down and pulled the window down. “Would you like me to drive you to the next town”?

Baba was in his 60s, dressed in a minimum of cloth, with long beard, matted long locks twirled into a towering bun on his head. His eyes were so red, that if I took his photo, the red-eye reduction option would seem useless.

“Where are you going?” I questioned as he sat motionless on the passenger seat.

“Around the country” he replied without looking at me.”

So how do you get around the country?

He looked puzzled. “Free travel, free meals, free hashish… life is good for SadhuBaba in India”.

Closed answers were all I got for the many questions I asked him over the next hour. At the outskirts of the next town, SadhuBaba signalled me to stop. He got out and looked at me through the window.

“Son,” he said, with an other-worldly look in his eye, “You are going to die in a year’s time”. “What?” I said, dumbfounded.

“Listen to me, my boy,” he continued as if in a trance.

“When your time comes, go freely. Become free of the fear of death, and let go of all attachments to pleasure, home and family”

I could feel the colour drain from my face. “But how do you know this?” I asked hastily. “I just know. In a previous life, your parents prayed for years for a chance to have a child. Their prayers were answered, but they had to choose: they could have a gifted son, but one with a short life on earth, or a child of low intelligence but with a long life. Your father chose the former, and was blessed with you. You are destined to die at the age of 30. Your age has been set, and you will die, the day you turn 30.”

I had had enough.

“Get a life, you little hashbashing, chillumsucking Rastaman!”

I floored the accelerator and SadhuBaba disappeared behind the cloud of smoke and dust.

My eyes flashed at the thought of turning the car around and running the man down twice over.

SadhuBaba was right.

***

On Sunday night at 7.15pm, I was dead. And as soon as I was dead, the list of things that I wanted to accomplish before my death, started flashing in my mind.

Very quickly I realised that I had not written my autobiography, nor had I left that million dollars behind for the family. I had not finished researching the family tree. And most importantly, I hadn’t said “I love you, Mum”.

***

Black Bubalus bubalis was speeding towards the final destination, Vaikuntha. I looked the odometer; the digital display indicated 350. We arrived at the Gates of Vaikuntha on a foggy Monday morning. We pulled up in front of the 100 story building named Akashic Death Records. There was a continuous announcement being made on two gigantic loudspeakers: “Dear deads, your secrets are safe here; we’re an eternal custodian of significant afterlife events for the citizens of earth Under Death Registration Act, year 10235 BC. Our business is conducted with sensitivity in the knowledge that the information we record and release concerns significant personal and emotional events in people’s lives”. The sign on the gate read “Authorised personnel only. Trespassers will be prosecuted”.

Jaya and Vijaya, the two guards, were on the gates with The List in their hands. Jaya walked up to me, and after checking my ID, said, “Before you meet with the Lord, I should tell you - you really didn’t do anything particularly good or bad. We’re not sure what to do with you. Tell us some thing you did down below … that can help us make a decision as to whether you should go to hell or heaven”.

I knew this was my last chance. What should I say that would sell?

After thinking for about 12 seconds I replied, “Well, there was this once I was driving along the Princes Highway… I came upon a cow who was being chased and harassed by a gang of Bullheads. Bullheads, you know… huge creatures with bodies of men and the heads of bulls. I followed the gang to their clubhouse. There I saw a hairy guy, who was built like a brickhouse, with tattoos all over his body and rings pierced through his nose and ears. I walked up to him, looked into his eyes and ripped off the earrings. I grabbed both his testicles with my left hand and said, ‘Don’t you ever…’”

We arrived at the Gates of Vaikuntha on a foggy Monday morning. We pulled up in front of the 100 story building named Akashic Death Records

As I finished telling the guards my story, there was pin drop silence. I was hoping for some positive outcome.

“I m impressed,” Vijaya finally responded, breaking the deadly silence, “And when did this happen, Mr Dead?”

“On Sunday night at 7.15pm”, I said without thinking, and with my most innocent face. All three, Jaya, Vijaya and Yama burst into hysterical laughter.

When they stopped laughing, some six hours later, Yama sat down next to me. He looked around and said “You know, honestly, that was the funniest joke I have ever heard. Now tell me where do you want to go, son”?

I spoke before he finished “I want a chance to go back and tell to my mother I love her”. Yama asked me to extend my hand. I don’t remember whether he gave me something or not. Then I was pushed down. I was in a free fall. ***

I woke up screaming in the bed.

“Are you alright?” Mum called out from her room. And then walking in and drawing my curtains back, she said in that voice she used in my childhood, “You didn’t say the Hanuman Chalisa* last night, did you?”

“Mum,” I croaked as she sat down on my bed, “I love you”.

* A Hindu prayer

Raj Sandhu is an active member of the Australian Society of Authors

Merchandiser – Field Sales

We are looking to increase our team of on the road merchandisers for promoting and selling exciting new beverages like bottled water, energy drinks, and juices. In your role of Merchandiser, your role will be challenging yet extremely rewarding:

l You will have a territory and customer base that are your responsibility (Sydney CBD)

l You will have a minimum number of customers you will need to see on a daily basis

l You will cross sell and up sell new products and new locations of your brand in store

To be successful for the position of Merchandiser you will have some prior field sales experience, particularly in cross selling and up selling. You will have the ability to develop a quick rapport with people and love a challenge! Your verbal and written communication will be excellent and you will be extremely self motivated.

Contact immediately at 0401297679 or email your resume at amitbatish@yahoo.com

Your immigration questions answered

I am here on an Indian on a student visa subclass 573. I am currently in Melbourne. I have finished my Masters in Professional Accounting and have IELTS of 6.0 overall and all the bands have 6.0 or above score. I have completed my Masters degree 3 months ago and have got a total of 110 points on the DIAC points test. I have lodged an application for a subclass 485 visa. I have been granted a Bridging Visa A. I have heard about the Professional Year Program but cannot attend it multiple days of the week. Is there a distance education option for Professional Year Program? (I have a job where I work 9 am – 5 pm on all weekdays). Could you also explain what is taught in a professional year program?

Anjali Jain, Melbourne

Dear Anjali, You do not have the option for a Professional Year Program in Distance Learning Mode. However I do have an option of a SMPIA program where you will need to only attend on Saturdays. The details of the Professional Year program (PYP) are given below for your understanding.

By Amit Baijal

The Professional Year program (PYP) is a Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) approved course that equips students with the professional and practical skills required to work in the computer industry in Australia. This program is one of the pathways from university to employment within Australia. The program has been designed, under DIAC guidelines, principally for international students seeking to gain permanent residence. At the completion of your program you are able to apply to gain 10 additional points towards migration.

The Professional Year Program does not guarantee permanent residence, but does assist in gaining the additional points required.

You need to have ready the following to apply for a Professional Year Program:

• Resume

• Certified copies of all certificates, degrees and transcripts.

• Your IELTS test result.

• Passport copy.

• Confirmation of application and 485 visa copy.

• Skill Assessment code & Professional Membership number, provided by the relevant Professional Body

Course Description

The course covers 4 components

1. The first component is Business Communication including working in teams, planning, problem solving and self management.

2. The second covers Australian Workplace Practice which includes workplace safety issues and other Australian Government regulations.

3. The third component is the Professional Internship. This is where students undertake a 12 week practical work experience (unpaid) program in a company to assist them in developing their employment skills. The internship module is an all important component of the PYP. It allows students to experience work with a credentialed company in a professional environment.

4. The final component focuses on content knowledge within the profession. The PYP in Information Technology covers material approved by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). Graduates of the PYP are entitled to membership of ACS.

Class Timings

One of the providers that I can recommend you provides the above 4 Modules with a total of 44 weeks

tuition (11 weeks per module). The mode of delivery is face to face teaching (classroom based only; no distance education option is available) with students attending 9 hours of classes per week. Classes are held only one day a week on Saturdays for the convenience of the students.

Please note that individual circumstances may differ. The above information is generic in nature and it is strongly recommended that you speak to a registered migration agent prior to taking any decision based on the above information. Please visit MARA website for a list of Registered Migration Agents. www.mara.com.au

If you would like your specific question to be answered please email us at amit@visainfo.com.au You may contact Amit Baijal for further information on 02 9233 3128 / 02 9231 2651

Level 9, Suite 3A, 428 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000

MARN: 0746261 MMIA: 3143

QEAC: D019

We give protection from all magic

Tamleni Indian Supermarket 103, Rawson Street, Auburn, NSW 2144

Sleeping with the enemy

APARNA JACOB

on her friendship with a person from ‘the other side’

hen I was at UNSW, a new guy showed up in my class during the second semester. He was fair skinned, had curly brown hair and very Persian features. Being a self-proclaimed loner and generally an unhelpful person, I decided to ignore him.

I found him the next day standing in the biscuit aisle at Woollies. It was too late to hide, so I introduced myself and we exchanged phone numbers. He was Pakistani and I was Indian.

Let’s be friends, he said. Imagine what a political statement that would be

I don’t have friends, I said because I had a reputation to maintain.

Okay, enemies then, he said smiling and holding his hand out.

We had a lot in common, we discovered in the first week. We both secretly played Bollywood music on our laptops; we had read the same books; we loved the same food, and when we got homesick, sneaked off to Fox Studios to watch a Bollywood film with Shah Rukh Khan in it.

You do know Bollywood is Indian and not Pakistani, I once commented, aware that I was starting something.

Okay, you can keep your Shah Rukh Khan, you know, he said. We have Salman Rushdie. He’s Pakistani.

What do you mean? He’s Indian, grew up in Bombay.

SEEKING BRIDES

Australian citizen, Maratian Naidu Catholic, 6ft tall 31 years, born 22-05-78, never married, kind and loving nature. Seeking girl with good moral values, family oriented, kind, caring, honest and educated. Please contact # 0415 440 293.

Alliance invited for Australian citizen, 36 years, 5’10”, divorcee, Hindu male, from well established Sydney-based family. Working as Analyst in Sydney. Seeking good looking and qualified match from Australia or India, preferably Hindu with family values. Caste no bar. E-mail: madhurmilan@y7mail.com

Indian born Australian citizen, 31 years old, 5’5” working as a full time Government employer for the Railcorp in N.S.W non-smoker, non-drinker, never married, seeks bride 23 to 30 years old, with good cultural and family values. Only Muslims please, from any country. Please respond with details and photo to shafi_baig1977@yahoo.com.au

Well-settled Sikh family from Australia seeks beautiful, tall, slim, fair, educated match for their handsome, clean shaven, IT professional son; 29/6’2’’. Caste no bar. Send bio-data and photo to wahroongah@gmail.com

Sister seeks a suitable bride for her handsome Hindu Khatri brother, 28, 6’1” working as Service Manager, Sydney, and studying Masters of Accounting. Please respond with details and photo at

No, he didn’t.

Yes, he did...

No, he didn’t.

Do your research. He’s Indian.

Score India.

And another time he said, You say “really” like a real Indian. Reeaaally?

I am Indian, what’s your point? I said getting angry.

Just saying...

Score Pakistan.

But, he gave me God of Small Things when I told him I’d read it five times but had never owned a copy. Arundhati Roy’s Indian, I said immediately.

I know, he said. You’re always copying her style

At least I’m a better writer than you, I shot back.

People who haven’t read Dostoevsky, cannot claim to be good writers.

We always spoke, argued and fought in English, but sometimes I felt this intense itch to say something nice in Hindi.

Isn’t that strange, I once wondered aloud, that some emotions can only be expressed in a certain language?

If you’re talking about higher emotions, you are better off speaking in Urdu. It’s so much more refined than Hindi. This Bambia Hindi you speak is garbage.

Yes, it was a very tiresome relationship. But it was also fascinating. I wondered what my father would think of my Pakistani boyfriend. My father with his pictures of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi on his office wall, next to the Indian flag and the photo of himself in the Indian navy uniform. My father who slept

Matrimonials

rashi.sethi@hotmail.com or call 0433 059 618.

Seeking very slim, educated match for a very handsome, slim Jat Sikh boy, 28, 5’ 9” innocent divorcee, IT professional. Australian citizen. Please respond with details and photo to mrhs09@yahoo.com

Australian citizen, 36 years old, employed full time, 170cm, non smoker, non drinker, never married, from Baha’i faith, seeks female of Indian background for marriage. Please reply to mills_35@yahoo.com.au

Caring, sincere, slim, youthful looking, male divorcee, Hindu, Indiaborn, 50-year-old Australian citizen, in professional government job, seeks a suitable match. Caste and religion no bar. Looking for caring lady with family values. Call 0416 099 177. Only genuine enquiries please.

SEEKING GROOMS

Seeking professionally qualified and well settled Sikh boy with strong cultural values and good family background, for slim and good-looking Arora Sikh girl, NZ citizen, 24 / 5’4” B. Business, (pursuing CPA), working in Auckland as financial analyst. Family well settled in Auckland, Sydney. Please

send details including recent photos to pkathuria@optusnet.com.au

Seeking alliance for 44-year-old, simple, caring, never married, hardworking Christian orphan lady. She works for a convent school in India and enjoys the simplicities of life. She possesses good family values. Please contact (02) 9832-2056 or email dollysigler@gmail.com

Professional qualified match for 38/165, never married, fair, slim, Punjabi Arora engineer, Aus citizen, doing Govt job. Early marriage. Can relocate. Parents well-settled in India. Educated family. Caste no bar. Respond with photo. Contact mr15840@yahoo.co.in

Sister and brother-in-law seek a suitable groom for a lovely 24-year-old, Fijiborn Hindu girl, independent, fair, lovely girl, Australian citizen, professionally qualified currently working in a Australian company. Family well settled in Australia. Seeking a qualified match from suitable 25-29-year-old boys with strong family and cultural values, and good family background. Please email bio data and recent photographs to arieso@rediffmail. com

Avery warm, simple hearted, caring, extremely hardworking, attractive, never married, 40-year-old Christian,

uneasily the night before the Indian cricket team played Pakistan. Who nearly had a stroke if they lost.

It was mostly this perverse delight on both sides that kept us together.

He once sniggered at a text message he received from his brother about us. What did he say? I demanded. You don’t want to know, he said. Of course, I checked his phone when he was away and found this text message, “Shabaash beta! Give it to India. Go Pakistan!”

Another time, a walk in Hyde Park ended in a teary argument when he threatened to hurl my bag into the pond in front of the war memorial unless I shouted, “Hindustan Murdabaad, Pakistan Zindabaad!”

I’d never thought about being a patriot before. My father’s excessive flag saluting and making us watch the Republic Day parade when growing up, pretty much beat that out of me. But this was not something I was going to say. My bag ended in the water.

But there were good moments too. Times when we’d take trains across Sydney all the way to Enmore to eat salaan and roti at a tiny Pakistani joint, the countless times we sang Chal chaiyya chaiyya and the hours spent listening to Nazia Hassan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Each day, we found something else we loved and shared, things most Indians and Pakistanis would have in common. We felt like siblings, cousins, at least neighbours.

We often sat on the rocks at Coogee beach thinking how sad it was that we had to come half way across the world, to Australia, to discover this.

seeks groom. Working for a MNC in India. She is very family-oriented with good moral values. She’s a blessing. Please contact 0425 253 501 or email angelina2003@gmail.com

Sydney-based Hindu girl (never married, 36, 160 cm), occasionally non-veg, speaks Hindi, Fiji-born, plans to settle in Australia , completing PhD (mid 2010). Seeking a qualified professional for marriage (35-41, 165+). Caste no bar. Please send details/recent photos to youdee02@yahoo.com

Seeking professionally qualified and well settled match for 34/165cm, slim, fair, beautiful, Australian citizen girl, engineer by profession, working as Project Manager in IT in Melbourne. Girl innocently divorced after brief marriage, no issues. Please respond with complete details to sanjuus@rediffmail.com or 0414 901 508.

Alliance invited for a Sikh girl, (dob June 74/ 5’2”), working in Delhi. Seeking educated Sikh/Punjabi boy. Call brother on 0432 020 068 or email matriprofile08@gmail.com

Punjabi Arora parents invite wellsettled/ professional match for never married fair slim beautiful 36/ 165 Information Technology professional. Working in MNC. Australian citizen. Status family. Caste no bar. Early marriage. Respond with photo. Em: sydgirl09@gmail.com

Each day, we found something else we loved and shared, things most Indians and Pakistanis would have in common

‘n’ You Tarot ‘n’ You

ARIES March 21 – April 20

Now is the time for making long-term plans. Assessing goalsboth personal as well as professional - and gearing up to attain the same in times to come, is suggested for you this month. Tarot advises, make good use of the present opportunities, and seek fulfilment of those you had left unfulfilled earlier. Beware though, you need to avoid confrontations. The challenge is to remain connected to all the things in life even when the going gets tough.

TAURUS April 21 – May 21

You are likely to come across a person who is virtuous and honest. This month seems to be linked with domestic happiness and strong relationships. Use this time to study the depth of things to develop an inner understanding. Tarot advises you to adopt a mature approach in life and proceed after thinking and rationalising. You can achieve success in creative disciplines. In a relationship reading, Tarot indicates an offer for friendship or a deeper level of commitment in a relationship.

GEMINI May 22 – June 23

This month the focus is on self-confidence and perfect planning, leading to success and happiness. You may have been self-reliant in your project while working hard with your inner strength and putting in the best efforts. The success achieved by you is likely to make you feel happy and secure. Tarot predicts that financial rewards are around the corner, and further, that you are likely to achieve this success comfortably. Business decisions emerging from negotiations are likely to be fruitful.

CANCER June 23 – July 22

Tarot signifies the need to be observant and subtle in approach in whatever you do. You may get help from a person of insight. Tarot signifies journey by air as also much awaited news, be it about a plan or an idea. You may easily give in to inspiration but you need to check often on the practicality of your plans. In your relationship, there are more chances of indulgence in dreaming than any practical efforts to make the dreams a reality.

LEO July 23 – August 23

This is a time of reflection. Your life right now, is stable and secure. You are able to rethink on your priorities, like further study, a holiday or even another line of work. The decisions made by you now would exert a marked impact on your future, so plan carefully! Hard work and perseverance will bring you success. There could be some encouraging news and assistance. Favours done in the past will be returned. Your journey to success, however, is a steady rather than a speedy one.

VIRGO August 24 – September 22

There is a focus on the realisation of what you desire and your inner strength to achieve the same. Domestic changes are likely to take place. You may find yourself thinking about moving on in life towards a new setting. You experience a desire to explore more opportunities for fulfilment. This could be a search for deeper commitment within your present relationship. It could also mean spending time in meditation or in a study. Make the most of it!

LIBRA September 23 – October 23

Tarot sees a confident approach to life in general. You are required to be adaptable. Gains and victory are on the cards. Past efforts bring rewards. Legal matters would be resolved favourably. You may receive public acknowledgment for your work. In a relationship reading, Tarot sees that both you and your partner have similar goals in the relationship and are likely to achieve these goals. A new stage of commitment may be seen in the relationship

SCORPIO October 24 – November 22

You have given up old beliefs and attitudes and have adopted a newer understanding of life and are now able to work towards your ultimate fulfilment. All you need to do is, be true to yourself and the attainment of your goal. You are likely to cultivate new relationships as great spiritual growth and learning is involved in them. The changes observed are from within, rather than on the physical level. All the best to the new you.

SAGITTARIUS November 23 – December 21

The card for you signifies the end of a challenging situation. Tarot suggests the onset of a long awaited change. You need to bear in mind that each experience we have in life is meant to give us a message, which eventually aids us in our evolution. You need to focus on the lesson in the situation you have been in, learn from it and put your best foot forward. You are likely to come out more positive and capable.

CAPRICORN December 22 – January 19

You may feel restricted as it is possible that you are unable to see anything with a clear perspective. You seem to have submitted your personal power to the challenges posed in front of you, leaving you feeling trapped in a specific situation. You are undergoing a mental conflict due to an inner crisis and therefore you are under stress. Do not loose hope as issues and situations will get sorted out in due course. Hang in there.

AQUARIUS January 20 – February 18

Congratulations to you. This is a time when material stability and security are seen. It represents completion of a project. If thinking about your career, Tarot indicates advancement and promotion. There is a focus on congenial family relations. Financial security is predicted for you as well. You may be in a position to help out a member of your family who is going through a difficult financial time. Travel and movement are on the cards.

PISCES February 19 – March 20

Ongoing strength and courage will be needed in order to do what you believe in. In business terms, Tarot foretells the possibilities of entering overseas deals. The physical energy and effort that you put into achieving your heart’s desire will be worth it. The card drawn for you represents valour, discussion, difficult negotiations and competition in business. You should not only concentrate on external challenges but also on those from within. In your relationship, expect challenge as the level of commitment deepens.

Salman Khan fans queue up for a glimpse

Never mind the long wait. From elderly matrons to giggling girls - hordes of fans queued up outside the capital’s Delite Cinema for a glimpse of Salman Khan who turned up only three hours late to open the advance bookings for his film London Dreams.

Clad in a ‘Being Human’ white shirt and tattered blue jeans, the 43-year-old actor arrived with director-producer Vipul Shah in a black Audi SUV. His arrival brought the traffic at the Asaf Ali Road to a grinding halt.

“I am sorry for being late. I could not get up early,” apologised Salman.

“I have sold tickets for this one (film) and I’ll usher the audiences for my next film,” he added.

Salman’s presence helped the sales of the tickets for the film. “The two-screen theatre sold close to 500 tickets, courtesy the hype created by the actor. Also starring in the film is Ajay Devgan. The film is about “deep friendship more than any love triangle or music”, said Salman.

Sister act

Shilpa Shetty may have got engaged to London-based beau Raj Kundra after a two-year courtship but she is determined to wait for sis Shamita before she announces the big day.

“It’s been a time of both joy and sorrow for me. The joy is obvious because Raj and I feel happy to take our relationship to the next level, but as most of you know my sister Shamita could not attend. She doesn’t even know”, lamented the bride-to-be.

Shamita, who is currently participating in Colors’ reality show Bigg Boss 3, is locked in a house with 10 more inmates and has no connection with the world outside.

“It will be a big shock for her when I show her the ring. She’ll kill me, I’m sure”, confessed the former Big Brother contestant.

Shilpa who is very close to sis, is determined to have Shamita by her side as she goes public with her big step.

“I wanted to have Shamita there during this special moment, but I had to be considerate towards Raj’s family too. So for all those who wanted to know why I went ahead without Shamita, it was a difficult decision but this is the answer”, she explained.

So far Shilpa has not commented on her sister’s stay in Bigg Boss house. But now she says that she is proud of Shamita.

“I’ve never commented on what I

think of her in there, but just want to say she’s been the pampered baby in our house. It made our whole family so proud to see her have no airs and do all the chores with no qualms. She’s never cooked in her life and I saw her make rotis. I felt terrible watching her cry on TV, but I am amazed to see her growth on the show. This will definitely make her a stronger person. So proud of the way she’s conducting herself with so much dignity.”

“I knew they would order me to give up movies. Luckily, because my helmet covered my face through most of the mo’bike racing scenes, I tricked them into believing it was a body-double”, confesses the Main Hoon Na star. But the

me to be alive to complete the film,” he said.

Ever since Sanjay’s near-fatal fire accident in 1989 in Mysore during the shooting of the serial The Sword Of Tipu Sultan, Sanjay and Zarine are paranoid

GUESS WHO GUESS WHO

The girl on the right went on to become a star. Can you identify her?

(Find the answer under Caption Contest)

SHILPA & SHAMITA SHETTY

VIRAL

BHAYANI and ABHILASHA SENGUPTA bring us up-to-date on what’s hot and happening in Bollywood

about shooting mishaps. Sanjay suffered extensive burns and almost lost his life.

become a movie actor, their first and only pre-condition was no dangerous stunts. Zayed now hopes his parents accept the truth. “If you are an actor, you gotta do it all. One can be wounded even while standing under a roof. Jo hona hoga woh hoga (whatever has to happen, will happen),” he said.

The best birthday ever

Asin Thottumkal, whose back-to-back promotional campaigns for London Dreams left her exhausted, ushered in her 24th birthday quietly with a few friends and family members. And she savoured every minute of it.

A quiet dinner with eight of her closest friends was her best present ever.

“We had a ball. At midnight they

From earning a meager Rs 30 a day, Gupte has now jumped onto production bandwagon as well. “With your wits in place, you can get it through. And money is no problem, when a film brings in Rs.140 crore (Taare Zameen Par), then every second person (considers you) because of an unfortunate herd mentality,” said Gupte, who is also a painter and musician.

“I now have 17 locked scripts with me. I have written and completed them all. Some of them are Happy Diwali, Underbelly and Stanley Ka , which is my next,” Gupte said. But Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte his next? Sapno Ko... is yet to be locked. I think that will take a backseat as of now. The film is about the large economic disparity among children and I want it to be told. It should transcend barriers; therefore I want to start shooting it once everything is in place,” added the scriptwriter-director-actor.

Stanley Ka Dabba is already on floors and he has started directing it. Gupte is planning to release it next year “when children could watch it during summer holidays”.

Just like Taare Zameen Par that was initially directed by Gupte before Aamir Khan took over, both Stanley Ka Dabba and Sapno Ko... are also children-oriented films.

Sanjay Dutt on Ketosis diet to look young in Knock Out

Sanjay Dutt has been shooting with the much younger Kangana Ranaut Knock Out and if they look compatible in spite of the latter being half his age, it’s all because of a special ketosis diet - a high-fat, lowcarbohydrate food.

acclaimed directorial debut Luck By Chance. But for her second film Zoya Akhtar has specially written a part for brother Farhan.

“It’s a road movie set in Spain about three boys and one of the three characters is definitely Farhan. I knew I wanted him. I was very clear that I wanted to work with him again,” said Zoya.

Daughter of well-known lyricist Javed Akhtar, Zoya informed that her writer filmmaker-actor brother will not only act in the film, but also pen the dialogues for it.

“I am writing this film with Reema Kagti. I’m wrapping up the script but it is not locked yet. Then probably I’ll sit with Farhan for the dialogues and the casting,” she said.

Throwing light on the film, she said: “It’s a coming-of-age genre. But it’ll be simpler than Luck By Chance and simpler to understand. A feelgood factor will be there in that sense,” said Zoya.

Abhay Deol dons producer’s hat

As an actor he loves to experiment and as he turns producer with Basra, Abhay Deol promises to be high on content. The film is said to be an action thriller that will not only keep audiences on the edge of their seats but also make them think.

Abhay has roped in Navdeep Singh of Manorama Six Feet Under to helm the project that will feature him along with Shahana Goswami and another girl whose name has been kept under wraps. Basra is high on content, but a good dose

of action sequences will make it edgy and pretty dark as, he reveals.

The 32-year-old was launched by his uncle Dharmendra with Socha Na Tha in 2005. He then went on to prove his mettle with films like Ahista Ahista, Manorama Six Feet Under, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd and more recently Dev D

So does he plan to sign his cousins Sunny and Bobby Deol for his home productions?

“I would love to sign them for my films but it also depends on whether the role is right for them.” So, definitely not for the moment. Right now the actor is excited about his upcoming film Road with Dev Benegal and his romantic film Ayesha with Sonam Kapoor.

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made me cut a cake. I felt 12 years old again,” gushed the Ghajini star. Earlier in the evening Asin arrived home to a big surprise.

“When I opened the door the entire house was done up with balloons by my parents, just like they used to do for my birthdays when I was a child. I had to burst quite a few balloons because there was no room to even walk. I’ve never felt happier,” she said.

The actress who shed weight for her role in London Dreams gorged non stop on chocolate and cake.

The bubbly girl from the south also spent quality time with kids in her apartment block. Asin didi, as she is known is indeed a lucky girl.

Master of many projects

Just when you thought he was working on the script of his directorial venture Sapno Ko Ginte Ginte, the multifaceted Amol Gupte reveals he has a bank of 17 scripts ready with him and that his next movie is Stanley Ka Dabba

“Sanjay went on this special diet in June. It required him to take lots and lots of fattie food and no carbohydrates at all. In fact carbs would’ve been potentially lethal for this diet. In no time Sanjay started losing weight. And that too without having to give up his favourite food,” a source close to Sanjay revealed.

The 50-year-old, who is looking trimmer, plays an assassin out to get his victim with a sniper rifle in Mani Shankar’s Knock Out

Zoya Akhtar’s next a road movie, brother Farhan to play lead

He was her last resort for her critically-

SANJAY DUTT

Send in your responses to info@indianlink.com.au and win a surprise prize

Last issue Caption Contest winning entry

What are Asha Parekh and Waheeda Rahman saying to each other?

Asha: Omigosh, look at the blouses the young girls are wearing… Waheeda: Cool it, Asha; they’re probably saying the same about us… Pragya Parth, Strathfield

Pragya wins two tickets to a new Hindi film

ABHAY

AMOL GUPTE

ASIN THOTTUMKAL

Answer for GUESS WHO: Sonam Kapoor. The others with her are Siddhant (Shakti Kapoor’s son) and Kunal Rawal (who went on to become a successful fashion designer).

CINETALK

Pulsating action, innovative stunts

Film: Blue

Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Akshay Kumar, Zayed Khan, Lara Dutta, Katrina Kaif Kylie Minogue Director : Anthony D’Souza;

When the makers of a film proudly proclaim their product to be at par with their Hollywood counterparts, one is bound to be sceptical. More so because Blue is an action film, that too set underwater, which is not just a first in Bollywood but also a rarity in Hollywood.

So does Blue set new standards for Bollywood action movies? Does it actually get into the underbelly of the sea and show a world hitherto unexplored? The answer is yes.

Let’s put it this way - Blue may not be the most mind-blowing commercial action thriller that you would have ever seen. However, it certainly is the most innovative attempt that deserves to be acknowledged and lauded.

Action is truly the USP of the film and keeps the momentum going for Blue due to which one doesn’t quite miss the presence of a solid storyline.

From first till the last frame, it’s the amalgamation of action and an unknown world (under the sea) which brings in a novelty factor.

For those hunting for a storyline, Blue actually begins and ends at the basic synopsis level. Mr. Richie Rich Akshay Kumar wants a treasure to be explored and entices his employee and friend Sanjay Dutt with tempting offers.

Dutt is reluctant to take that dive into the sea even though his girlfriend Lara Dutta and brother Zayed Khan do present him enough reasons to take the plunge. Eventually he relents and the journey of Blue begins. Simple. There are five key action sequences that keep the pace up for the film. Each of the three bike sequences featuring Zayed become better and better and in fact his introduction a la Fast and the Furious is something unique for an Indian film.

The boxing ring sequence featuring Sanjay and Akshay does hint of Broken Arrow, though it works in establishing their characters. Most importantly, the entire underwater hunt sequence is a breathtaking affair.

Anthony D’Souza has a strong eye for visuals and that shows. Technically, whether it is camerawork or sound, Blue bears an international feel. Whether it’s Sanjay or Akshay, the revelation about their past isn’t quite hammer strong, even though convincing. Moreover, even though the film is a multi starrer, one does expect Akshay to be on the forefront. However, for a change, a film featuring him does allow equal screen space for other actors as well.

As for Lara and Katrina Kaif, their presence is required to make the film look good and in that aspect, they do well.

In a nutshell, Blue “ is made for those who want pulsating action, innovative stunts, glamour and some unbelievable moments that defy logic.

It mainly caters to the youth who want some non stop action, in the kind of films where bikes are meant to race through traffic, cars are meant to explode, women are meant to bring on a glamour quotient, villains are meant to be suave, action is meant to belong to never-seenbefore variety and technical aspects are meant to be superior to the best.

Joginder Tuteja

crunchy

Film: Fruit And Nut

Starring: Cyrus Broacha, Dia Mirza, Boman Irani, Mahesh Manjrekar, Rajit Kapoor

Director: Kunal Vijaykar

Fruit And Nut is a film which is neither sweet as a fruit not crunchy as a nut. In fact the best way to describe it is that its makers must have actually gone totally nuts in sanctioning a film - if it can actually be termed so - like this.

It is one thing to go bizarre, break the norms and come up with a quirky affair, but it’s an altogether different thing if the makers become completely overconfident, try to be extra smart and ultimately fall flat on their face.

Fruit And Nut falls in the latter category. For a movie that has been sold as a quickie comedy, there is not even a single scene that actually makes you roll with laughter. At most, there could be a faint smile or two at a few junctures. The film by itself is not even silly enough to be laughed at, if not laughed along with.

In fact the latter half is so unbearable that you actually contemplate walking out of the auditorium. Thankfully, it is the ‘unusual suspect’ Mahesh Manjrekar who actually manages to make you at least remain seated till the end credits start rolling.

Fruit And Nut tries to pack a lot in the overall narrative by introducing newer situations and characters practically every 10 minutes. Cyrus Broacha is a loser who doesn’t fit into any role, whether it is being an office clerk, radio jockey, watchman or even a help at a pizza shop. He fumbles at every step, literally so. Exaggeration is the name of the game here and though one understands where director Kunal was coming from when he created a character like this, it becomes a little too much to digest just 15 minutes into the film.

Dia Mirza as the “lady in sari” is a pleasant watch though and carries a touchme-not persona around her for most of the film. As a young woman who has been kidnapped, she does exude vibes of being someone who deserves to be rescued. However, the kidnapper in question, Boman Irani, gets annoying at places with his ‘Breakfast Kiya’ phrase. Of course the purpose here was to irritate but then there is always a thin line between an irritating character and an irritating actor.

Thankfully, this is where Mahesh Manjrekar comes in handy as his one liners do manage to bring on smiles at frequent intervals. Yes, just like all other characters in the film, he too is quite bizarre. One doesn’t quite mind that since the dialogues mouthed by him - a mix of Hindi, English and plain gibberish - belong to never-heard before variety. His novelty too starts fading

amusing’ madness, there are additional characters like the villain’s henchmen, a cop, hired assassins Salim & Sulaiman, a beggar turned RAW agent and a scientist - all of whom only make this 100-minute film seem like double its length. In the past, there have been quite a few quirky movies made and all have met with diverse results.

Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd worked while Bheja Fry paved the way for many more humorous films to come. However, in the last few months, there have also been releases like Aagey Se Right and Quick Gun Murugan, none of which managed to make any impact whatsoever at the box office. Fruit And Nut is all set to suffer a worse fate at the theatres.

Joginder Tuteja

A comedy your mum would enjoy

Film: All The Best

Starring: Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgn, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Mugdha Godse

Directed by: Rohit Shetty

In his first really decent and meaty role since Munnabhai, Dutt gets into the satirical groove effortlessly and fluently playing a visiting Bade Bhaiyya from abroad whom his kid brother Fardeen Khan (tolerably befuddled) must fool into believing he’s married and decent.

The guys in Rohit Shetty’s comedies are anything but decent. Rascals and rogues of the first order, Devgan and Khan are splendidly supported by a sparkling cast of comic actors ranging from Asrani to Johnny Lever to the wonderful Ashwini Kalsekar (remember how cheesy and charming she was in Rohit Shetty’s Gol Maal Returns?) to Sanjay Mishra (as a zonked out wannabe householder who says ‘Just chill’ as

though his tongue had just been through a sugarcane-juice machine).

The screenplay (Robin Bhatt) juices the material for all it’s worth. The constant flow of cheesy-breezy dialogues is littered with high-school humour but blessedly no vulgarity. This is one comedy you could take your mom to see without once walloping a wince into the wanton soup.

The burlesque is fast-paced though surprisingly restrained and has room galore for PJs. The one-liners are so silly and graffiti-like in their basic humour, you can’t but titter at the trivia wrapped in gloss that makes welcome room for Pritam’s pacy music without getting in the way of the oneliners.

So ok. This one doesn’t leave you... er, ‘blue’ in the face. The comedy is purely situational and the style purely ‘Rohit Shetty’. That means a bit of slapstick, a bit of that rapidly-moving tongue in the cheek, and a lot of Ajay Devgan.

And if you add Sanjay Dutt to the bubbly bouncy comic brew... man, you’ve got a show that’s on the road from the word go. This time the setting, if you must know, is Goa.

Shetty doesn’t use the tourist spot as a character. You suspect he places his colony of characters in the Goan location so they could all be camera-framed into a streamlined stampede.

There are only three female characters in the show, the rest are all guys playing conmen, goons, gangsters, wheeler dealers, warriors and worriers all of whom display an exemplary comic strength.

Sanjay Dutt gets it right after a long time. He has a lot of fun doing his part and he lets us share his enjoyment. Ajay Devgan’s comic timing has gotten rapidly dead-on under Shetty’s

tutelage. He gives Dutt tit for tat, and then some more.

Not all the material is uniformly amusing. Towards the finishing line you do begin to wonder how much longer it would take this wonky wacky world of wispy and reparable wickedness to set itself right.

Subhash K. Jha

Fun animation film is mythology lesson for kids

Film: Bal Ganesha 2

Director: Pankaj Sharma

More than half a dozen animated films released in 2008. However, most of them failed to make a mark, mainly because of sub-standard animation.

Now in 2009, comes the next installment of Bal Ganesha and among all the animation films based on mythological themes, this is easily the best India has seen so far.

The sequel to Bal Ganesha has not really been promoted. But the animation is of high order, characters are fleshed out well, the story is interesting, the music is catchy and most important, there are enough rib tickling moments that will keep kids rolling with laughter.

Cynics may compare the storytelling and animation of Bal Ganesha with that of Hollywood films. Though it may not be at the same level as its Hollywood counterparts, it does move in that direction. Film maker Pankaj Sharma sets the entire team of narrators, a bunch of mice, in the present time and uses tapori (street) language to make the narrative more crisp.

For those who missed the first installment of Bal Ganesha, there is a quick recap.

The film focuses on three stories, which are basically episodes from the life of Ganesha when he was a kid.

These stories revolve around playing games with a cat, writing of Mahabharat and battling with a demon.

The stories all have twists in the end. They also have messages but thankfully that is not thrust down the throat of the audience.

It is clear that Sharma has understood the pulse of his target audience.

Also, the song De Taali, which comes in the second half of the film is intelligently used to bring in a desired break between the stories.

Overall, Bal Ganesha is pretty good and deserves a watch.

Joginder Tuteja

Fruit And Nut

Bal Ganesha 2

All The Best