2010-01 Sydney (2)

A year of living dangerously

Amit Dasgupta on the first year of his tenure as Consul General of India (Sydney)

INDIANLINK

PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra

ASSISTANT EDITORS

Usha Arvind

Sheryl Dixit

MELBOURNE

Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS

Halder, Shafeen Mustaq, Farzana Shakir, Alpa Shah

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Vivek Trivedi

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Priti Sharma

02 9279 2004

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Darren Monaghan

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The underbelly of the local community

In the website of a prominent Sydney newspaper recently, three stories related to the underbelly of the local Indian community featured on the same day. Crime allegations of rape, murder and domestic violence were the themes of these articles, the accused all being of Indian background. After years of only reading the successful stories of Indians Down Under, it was a day when the seedy side of the community hit the headlines.

In one article, the NSW Police had arrested three persons in connection with the murder of 25-year-old Ranjodh Singh, whose burnt-out body was found in Griffith on December 29th Gurpreet Singh and his 20-year-old wife Harpreet Bhuller and another Indian have been charged with the murder. In a second article, an incident of domestic violence caused the NSW Police to charge Chamanjot Singh in connection with the murder of his wife by slitting her throat. The third headline was that of Paul Rajendran, an Indian national who was pronounced guilty of raping an aspiring lingerie model, by a jury of seven women and five men.

The comments column related to each article unleashed great hostility towards Indians in Australia, arguing about the hypocritical attitude of those living here when issues of racism were raised in India in the past five months.

Meanwhile, police have charged an Indian man in Melbourne, Jaspreet Singh

By PAWAN LUTHRA

for accidentally setting himself on fire in a failed bid for an insurance claim.

Surprisingly, the media in India has been silent about these issues. While the accused in Ranjodh Singh’s killings have had their alleged deeds reported, there is no space in print or on air, for reports of the other two. Selective reporting and Australiabashing seem to be the order of the day. The Indian media has not only been remiss in reporting these issues, they also have failed to report on other misdemeanours which have emerged from Down Under in the last few months – these being of an Indian student arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl on an inner city train, or the Indian national who absconded to India while on bail, charged with killing a pedestrian while driving recklessly. Indeed, a shameful omission from the Indian media when Australia features so highly on their mainstream news these days. Like any other growing community, Indians in Australia have their set of problems, some inflicted upon us, some perpetrated by us.

As a community, we need to note that the dark underbelly will be exposed as our community grows. Certain stereotyped issues will also add stigma to being Indians

down under. It is left up to us individually and collectively to allow a more balanced picture to emerge. As has often been pointed out, Indians in Australia on the whole make great citizens of their new country. They are well educated; have strong work ethics, and family values are well ingrained in them. These qualities often reflect in their respect for those around them. What is needed for the Indian community in Australia is to highlight the achievements of the successful Indians in Australia, not only to their mainstream friends in Australia, but to local newspapers in India. We have Indians who are successful professionals having made a mark for themselves in retail, electronics, IT, medicine, academics etc. These are the people whose achievements need to be lauded at various community gatherings and programs.

There are many success stories from those among us and these people need to step forward voluntarily and attend various Indian gatherings to further instil confidence in those living here.

While the meek shall inherit the earth, at other times, the high achievers’ public presence will instil more confidence in the local mindsets.

Ruchir Punjabi, Ritam Mitra, Astha Singh, Noel G deSouza, Indranil

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Paes-Black claim mixed doubles title

Top seed Leander Paes levelled with Mahesh Bhupathi’s 11 Grand Slam titles when he, partnering Cara Black, outplayed Russia’s Ekaterina Makarova and Czech Jaroslav Levinsky 7-5, 6-3 to clinch the Australian Open mixed doubles title at Melbourne Park on Jan 31.

It was Paes and Black’s second major win together after losing in back-to-back finals at the Wimbledon and the US Open last year. Their only title had come in the US Open in 2008, their first outing as a team. The win gave 36-year-old Paes his 11th Grand Slam title, bringing him level with compatriot Bhupathi, also his one-time doubles partner. Incidentally, Bhupathi and Sania Mirza were the defending champions this year but had to pull out due to Bhupathi’s injured calf muscle.

Paes now has six doubles and five mixeddoubles titles. It was also his second Australian Open mixed doubles title having won his first in 2003 with Martina Navratilova.

For Black, it was her ninth Grand Slam title. She also reached the women’s doubles at Melbourne with Liezel Huber where they lost to Venus and Serena Williams.

“Winning Grand Slams is obviously fantastic in a partnership,” said Paes. “Our experience came in handy. I love playing with Cara. What I really respect about Cara is that, in particular, she is a very sensitive human being. She is intelligent and hard working. Every time I step on the court with her I know she’s going to put everything out there.”

For her part, Black said Paes had promised her that they would win at Melbourne.

“We talked about it last year. He promised me we were going to get this one. He’s good at keeping his promises,” Black said.

The Indo-Zimbabwean pair proved too strong for the unseeded Levinsky and Makarova, who were playing their first Grand Slam final.

Paes led the charge with his strong net play and nimble footwork as the top seeds wrapped the contest in one hour and eight minutes under a closed roof on Rod Laver Arena.

Paes and Black served solid, with 79 per cent of their first serves in, while Makarova and Levinsky could manage just 53 per cent.

Makarova and Levinsky fought hard to break twice in the first set, but were broken back five times in the match.

The first set saw five breaks as both pairs made tentative starts.

After trading breaks twice, Paes and Black broke Makarova’s serve to go 6-5 ahead and then closed out the set with a solid game in 36 minutes.

The Indo-Zimbabwean pair cruised to a 2-0 lead in the second set. Paes’s swift winners at the net and Black’s solid serve kept them ahead and when they broke again at 5-3, they won the championship.

Other Indian links at the Australian Open Men’s Doubles

In the men’s doubles event, Leander Paes and Czech Lukas Dlouhy, seeded third, got

his Belarussian partner Max Mirnyi, who reunited for the season, went down to Michael Kohlmann of Germany and Jarkko Nieminen of Finland 4-6, 4-6. However, the doubles campaign of Somdev and Amritraj ended in the second round with a tame 1-6, 3-6 loss to 11th seeds Simon Aspelin of Sweden and Paul Hanley of Australia.

Rohan Bopanna and Pakistan’s AisamUl-Haq Qureshi bowed out in the men’s doubles first round, losing to South Africa’s Rik de Voest and American Scott Lipsky 6-4, 1-6, 6-7 (6).

Women’s Doubles

In the women’s doubles event, the 10thseeded pair of Sania Mirza and Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual battled past Swiss Timea Bacsinszky and Italian Tathiana Garbin to reach the third round, but lost out 4-6, 3-6 to seventh seeds Alisa Kleybanova of Russia and Italian Francesca Schiavone.

Singles

India’s star player Sania Mirza crashed out of the Australian Open first round losing to Aravane Rezai of France in straight sets at Melbourne Park. She lost 4-6, 2-6 to the 26th seed Rezai.

Sania could convert only one of her eight break points while Rezai broke four times to win the match in 69 minutes.

It was the third meeting between Sania and Aravane with the latter now enjoying a 2-1 record.

Sania was the only Indian competing in the singles event as Somdev Devvarman, Prakash Amritraj and Yuki Bhambri bowed out at different stages of the qualifiers.

The 23-year old Hyderabadi, ranked 56th, inspiring. She crashed out early at Auckland and Hobart warm up events. (We know now that she was battling personal issues, as she announced the break-up of her engagement soon after the Australian Open).

Juniors

The juniors section saw two Indian players Rishika Sunkara and Vaidik Munshaw.

Sixteen-year-old Rishika went down tamely to third-seeded Russian Daria Gavrilova in Australian Open tennis girls’ singles. Rishika, who came through the qualifiers to be in the main draw, lost 0-6, 2-6 in the second round. She bowed out of the doubles first round with her Japanese partner Yuki Ito.

Vaidik went down fighting to 13th-seeded Belgian Arthur De Greef 4-6, 6-7(5), and crashed out in the first round of the boys’ doubles as well.

Leandar Paes and Cara Black

Photo: AP

Sania: First round exit

Letter to the editor

Are we bridging the gap, or exploiting it?

The past 12 months have been traumatic, insightful, interesting and eventful. Uncovering the strength of the Indian Government in their stern approach to challenge the violence against Indian students here indeed was energising for our roots. It has also provided a forum to clean up the undercover exploitation of our own people by our own people. On this issue I applaud the courage our Consul General has shown despite opposition, to ascertain that every business must obtain a certificate of a scrupulous law abiding employer from the government to enjoy our continued patronage.

The concert of A R Rahman was nationally applauded as a grand success. Record collection of 75,000 spectators in Parramatta Stadium, without incidence of drinking or violence, must also be a record for Australia. We graciously accept these compliments as we are Indians who enjoy life in peace and harmony.

We are thankful to the NSW Government who chose A R Rahman as part of Sydney Festival.

The hype of celebration continued with the festivities of Republic Day/Australia Day function. The flag hoisting was as gracious as usual which has now become part of our community calendar to which most of us look forward with a great deal of fondness.

My concern was the two competitive Republic Day/ Australia Day functions on two consecutive nights which duplicated the efforts of dignitaries who attended it. I consider this unnecessary and divisive. Both functions required a great deal of time, energy and cost to organise. Both were equally noisy from the performers’ as well as the audiences’ platforms. Speeches were repeated and so was the theme of cultural programs. I was not alone in questioning the wisdom of the wastage.

The Indian community of NSW is a relatively small ethnic group despite its estimated Australian population of 250,000. Although we

proudly promote unity in diversity, we lose the concept of it when we disagree with each other. Instead of reconciliation, we are adopting retaliation to challenge those we disagree with. We do not bridge the gap, we exploit it.

Australia now has a rich supply of exceptionally intelligent, passionate, energetic, motivated and dedicated Indians whose energies must be tapped for the best outcome, especially when they are engaged in loosely organised unremunerated social and community activities. They have ideas about leadership but may not have skills and maturity for it. With their outstanding professional performance and passionate heart for their motherland, time, energy and cost efficiency must rank highly. Frustrations of bringing reforms in any community is enormous and a quick recipe for “burn out”.

We do need “whistle blowers” in our community like any other. Allegations against large organisations may not be unfounded and must be investigated for transparency and accountability. There was an unfortunate incident of reimbursement by the family of a reputable committee member who misappropriated the funds of his large umbrella organisation. Nevertheless there are credible people who contribute to our organisations physically, mentally and financially.

Many years ago I participated in a debate through your newspaper about the credibility of Indian organisations, soon after one of them lost a government grant of $35,000 due to internal conflicts. We echoed each other in pledging to bring stability and unity in our community which unfortunately still remains a desirable but unfulfilled dream.

This is yet another endeavour to limit the proliferation of multiple organisations with similar goals and objectives. It divides the community with cracks, conflicts and animosity.

“In the end will be remembered, not the words of the enemy but the silence of a friend.”

Shailja Chaturvedi Hindi Samaj

What’s On

Raja Yoga Weekend Retreat

5 Feb All are invited for a Raja Yoga weekend Hindi Retreat on Experiencing Inner Power & Protection starting 7:00pm at Brahma Kumaris Centre for Spiritual learning, Leura. Details contact www. bkwsu.org/au/retreats then click Blue Mountains or phone 02 47842500, mobile 0431 446 056.

Harbour Cruise

6 Feb NSW Indian Welfare Association is organising a Harbour Cruise from 6.30pm to 10.30pm by the Three Tier “MV Blue Moon Majestic”. Boarding at Birkinhead Point. Prizes for the best dressed; dance to the music of DJ. Licenced Bar on board. Cost, including Buffet Dinner, is $30 for members and $40 for non members. Children below age 12 will be charged $20. Details contact N Sampath 9893 7729 or Saraswathi Venugopalan 9838 0654.

Stree Shakti: An exhibitions of paintings

Upto 15 Feb Indian artist Pinky Bhatt presents her recent works in an exhibition entitled Stree Shakti at Concord Library, 60 Flavelle St Concord. Details ring 9911 6210.

Bollywood Extravaganza charity event

27 Feb Bollywood Dhamaka presents a night of live entertainment (including Saaz live band, singing, dinner and live entertainment) at Bowman Hall, Campbell St, Blacktown NSW. All proceeds go to Australian Hindu Multicultural Association inc. and Sanatan Cultural Centre Trust. Details Suresh Gowda: 0401 432 282

Upanishads short course

Starting March SVT Vidyalaya presents Upanishatsarasangraha a rare and free opportunity to learn the essence of all Upanishads. Sri Vasudevacharya, Senior Disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswathi will teach the course. In eighteen classes, he will systematically explain the meaning of the most outstanding mantras from all the principal Upanishads. This is a unique course that will prove of great benefit to spiritual seekers. All are welcome. No prior knowledge necessary.

WHEN: First 3 Sundays of each month, Start: SUN, March 7, 2010 (3pm-5pm). Finish SUN August 15, 2010 (3pm-5pm)

WHERE: Darcy Road Public School Hall, Wentworthville

Details Kumar 0407 108 372 or Shobana 0422 732 907

Dancing to spirituality

28 Mar Natyadharshan Dance School presents a charity dance program, at Casula Power House Theatre, (Casula Road - near Jolly Knight Motel) 6pm. Details call Sashi Bala on 9607 2916 / 0434 233 115 or visit www.natyadharshan.com

Volunteers needed for 2010 Sydney Royal Easter Show

The Royal Agricultural Society of NSW (RAS) is inviting people over the age of 17 to become volunteers at the 2010 Sydney Royal Easter Show, which runs from 1 – 14 April.

Volunteers can apply to work in areas such as administration, information and ushering, or with the animals.

Each volunteer is asked to take on a minimum of eight shifts over the 14 days of the Show, with at least four of the shifts on high traffic days. For this, each volunteer will receive access to the Show for its duration, meal vouchers, an official volunteer uniform and exclusive entry to the Volunteer Green Room. All volunteers will be provided with job specific coaching and training, and must also complete an Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) induction which can be completed online.

People interested in becoming a volunteer can visit www. eastershow.com.au/volunteers for additional details and to download an application form.

Volunteer interviews will be conducted by appointment on Saturday 6 February. Please register by contacting Rosemary Ferrari, Sydney Royal Easter Show Volunteers Coordinator, on (02) 9704 1297 or email volunteers@rasnsw.com.au

Kathakali

11 Mar Spirit of India presents Kathakali dance drama The Killing of Dushasana performed by the world-renowned Kerala Kalamandalam Dance Company. Seymour Centre, 7pm. Booking www.seymourcentre.com.au or phone 02 9352 7940.

Australia Day Award for Sanjiv Dubey

The Indo-Australian Harmony Cricket Series is a unique cricket tournament, inspired by the Indian Premier League.

Founded less than six months ago, it has grown to become a contest between 26 different cricket teams, all hailing from different communities, not only from South Asia but the mainstream community as well.

For promoting social inclusion and equal competition, irrespective of culture, social or religious association, the brain behind the event Sanjiv Dubey has won an Australia Day award this year from his local council, Parramatta.

“I can’t be happier,’ Sanjiv revealed to Indian Link soon after accepting the award from Parramatta Mayor Paul Garrard. “I’m living my dream”.

The dream actually began when he was a Year 5 student back in India. A keen sportsman already, he had organised his first ever cricket competition, between the different classes at his local school.

Little did he know that the very same formula would be put to use again, for another much larger contest, so far from home.

Sanjiv, president of the New Australian Sports Association, is a well-known sports coach in Sydney’s Indian community. He founded the Footwork Academy of Sports through which many kids have honed their cricket as well as soccer skills. As a Phys Ed teacher, Sanjiv coordinated the Premier’s Sporting Challenge at his school a couple of years ago. It occurred to him that then he ought to do something at the community level.

“I charted out a program, but never thought it would go on to become such a huge platform”.

The Indo-Australian Harmony Cricket Series that he launched last year, sees teams

compete in 8-A-Side, 20-20 and 30-30 competitions. The teams enjoy the backing of local businesses, whose name they proudly bear, and the matches are played in the Parramatta region.

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 noted.

“Many of them are really quite talented, and I hope they get noticed”.

Some players have already reached acclaim as Ranji Trophy players (Suleman Syed of the Hyderabad Travels team played for India’s Hyderabad, and Mayank of MIT played for Baroda). Jai Poria of the Ryde Automotives Haryana Bulls has played for NSW Under-19s. Two players even have some international experience – Shashi Keshri of the Nepal team represented his country at the Under-19 level, and Naran of SKLPS Simba played Under-19 for Kenya. The weekend games at Parramatta Park have begun to attract many onlookers, who come by to support their teams. (Perhaps there’s a role for cheerleaders now….?)

Among the frequent visitors is former NSW Premier Nathan Rees – he often steps on to the field to have a chat with the

NRI Award for Harry Walia

At the NRI Awards held in New Delhi in early January, Sydney’s Harmohan (Harry) Singh Walia was awarded the Community Leadership Award.

Instituted by the India Empire monthly magazine, the theme for the NRI Awards 2010 was “Excellence, Purpose and Achievement in the Overseas Indian Community.”

Harry Walia’s citation read as follows:

Harmohan Singh Walia has demonstrated significant and lasting contribution to the support of the Indian Diaspora in Australia. He has been able to provide this much-needed leadership in mentoring the community as GOPIO Sydney North West President.

At a time when India has raised serious concerns about attacks on students, he has liaised with local authorities. He offers overseas students free guidance seminars on immigration, jobs and living and adjustment in Australia.

Mr Vayalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs responsible for framing policies for over 25 million members of the Indian Diaspora, presented the award to Mr Walia.

Harry Walia is currently active in the community as president of the GOPIO (Global Organisation of Persons of Indian Origin). However he has enjoyed high profile in Australia’s Punjabi community ever since he came here in 1991. He became involved in many community activities such as Punjabi radio and Gurudwara programs. At the

Sydney 2000 Olympics, Harry won an opportunity through his work to carry the Olympic Torch, and the news caused much enthusiasm in the Punjabi community which was much smaller then than it is now. Soon after, he found opportunity to extend himself into the mainstream with activities of the Australian Labor Party, of which he had become a member quite soon after his arrival here. He contested the Local Council elections at the Baulkham Hills Shire Council in March 2004, and the federal elections at the Mitchell constituency in October 2004.

Mr Walia is an industrial engineer by background.

At the January event, sixteen distinguished Overseas Indians from 11 countries received the NRI Awards. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Dr Lenny Saith, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister in Trinidad and Tobago.

The other awardees included Ms Nishma Gosrani from the U.K. (Most Promising Overseas Indian Female), Mr Jean Regis Ramsamy from ReUnion Islands (Most Promising Overseas Indian Male), Mr Logie Naidoo from South Africa (Community Service in African Region), Mr Mahyendrah Utchanah from Mauritius (Community Service from Africa and Indian Ocean Region), Judge Ajit Swaran Singh from New Zealand (Community Services in Asia Pacific Region), Mr Krishnamurthy Kumar from the

players.

The current tournament is in the final stages, with the winter season commencing in May. No less than 36 teams have expressed an interest in playing next season.

“We are currently in talk with some Ranji players in India to come and play next season,” Sanjiv revealed. “Who knows, we might even have an IPL-style auction …”.

But before this, Sanjiv is preparing to launch a special day of women’s cricket shortly. Stay tuned for more on this one!

Our heartiest congratulations to Sanjiv, a member of the Indian Link family (a contributor both to the newspaper and to Indian Link Radio).

Rajni

U.A.E. (Community Services in the GCC), Mr Harmohan Singh Walia from Australia (Community Services in Asia Pacific Region), Dato’ Professor Joseph Adaikalam from Malaysia (Business Leadership in South Asia and Far East Region), Dr Rami Ranger from the U.K. (Business Leadership in U.K. and Europe), H.E. Mookhesswur Choonee from Mauritius (Cultural Leadership), H.E. Pundit Maniedeo Persad from Trinidad and Tobago (Excellence in Diplomacy), Mrs Leela Gujadhur Sarup from Mauritius (Academic Leadership), Dr Samir Shah from USA (Excellence in Software and IT), Dr Mani Bhaumik from USA (Excellence in Sciences) and Dr Ruby Dhalla from Canada (Political Leadership).

Anand Luthra

Parramatta Mayor Paul Garrard with Sanjiv Dubey and his family (wife Shalini, daughter Shubhika and son Dev Sarang)

Vyalar Ravi, Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, presents Harmohan Walia with his award

Speaking with Indian PM on behalf of Indian-Australians

Prominent Indian-Australian Neville Roach AO was appointed to the Global Advisory Council to the Indian Prime Minister in June last year. As part of a select group of 20 overseas Indians including Jagdish Bhagwati, Rajat K. Gupta, Lord Khalid Hameed, Laxmi Mittal, Indra Nooyi amongst others, he travelled to New Delhi early this year to participate in the inaugural meeting of the council.

A likely joint initiative between the Indian Prime Minister’s office, the Ministry for External Affairs and the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, the council has been set up to draw upon the experience and knowledge of eminent people of Indian origin in diverse fields from across the world.

Very humble about his appointment, Neville credits the desire of the Indian government to make relations with Australia better, as the reason behind his appointment in the role. A previous Pravasi Bhartiya Samman award winner, Neville already had a profile in the Indian government before this appointment.

Talking of the first meeting held on the 7th of January this year, a day before the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas, Neville shares that his main expectations were not only to gather the views of the Indian government about its priorities, but on the whole to get a perspective from other members about organising the Diaspora of Indian communities harmoniously, with tailored support for strengthening their roots in the respective countries.

desire to listen to all Indians based abroad, and use their support to promote India as a nation. Neville claimed he wanted to understand the Indian government’s position on India’s priorities, so that he can discuss them with the community in Australia to further share those views with Australians on India’s priorities. Neville also spoke about the potential of trade partnerships between India and Australia in Technology, Science and Vocation Education sectors to name a few that came up at the meeting.

More broadly, members were of the unanimous view that India and its overseas community can and should build a strong, strategic and mutually beneficial partnership.

“Prime Minister Singh welcomed the ideas and suggestions made by Members of

on one platform such an exceptional group of eminent achievers as the Members of the Global Advisory Council”.

When asked about the future of the council, Neville said, “It is likely that members of the council will be invited to be part of specific task groups. This will allow a more intimate involvement around specific actions and targets to support the country”.

He added that the next meeting is likely to be held in the middle of this year.

Pravasi Bhartiya Divas followed on the 8th of January where Neville says, the questions around the safety of Indian students in Australia featured in quite a few of his discussions. He added that the position of the government is slightly different from that of the Indian media, in that, the Government

has repeatedly articulated that the Australian government act swiftly on ensuring the safety of its citizens. Neville expressed strongly in his various interactions that Australia is a successful multicultural society and that it is taking significant action to ensure that the incidents decline over time.

Neville is of the view that there is still much goodwill, from the Indian Prime Minister and those present at the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas towards Australia. For this goodwill to not be eroded, he says, much will depend on the coming days on how Australia deals with the safety of Indian students.

On 26 January this year, Neville served as Australia Day Ambassador at the Willoughby Local Council’s Australia Day celebrations.

Ruchir Punjabi

Neville Roach (back row second from right) at the inaugural meeting of the Indian PM’s Global Advisory Council

Gem of an idea

Plato, the Greek author and philosopher famously stated that “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Almost 2500 years on, his words are still extremely relevant – and even more so in this current climate, with efficient, affordable and sustainable power distribution being the matter at hand.

When Sydney-based Indian origin entrepreneur Khimji Vaghjiani came up with a gem of an idea to provide a service in a critical area, he did not know it would take him on to win an international award.

Founded in 2008, his company SolarGem is much more than your average electricity company. The business aims to “light up the world”, implementing clean solar technologies in a bid to provide, in an affordable manner, off-grid energy to the world’s 1.6 billion people without electricity in rural and regional populations. Recently, the company was one of 7 selected from an initial group of 68 in Australia, to compete at an Innovation Shootout competition, held at Microsoft’s Silicon Valley Campus in California. Only two of these companies were from NSW.

The Shootout’s main objective is to showcase Australian technologies, with the companies given five minutes to convince a panel of Microsoft Staff, along with industry analysts and Silicon Valley venture capitalists, that their respective technologies had potential for success in the US. The event was held as part of the G’Day USA: Australia Week, which promotes Australian culture, business, fashion and food throughout the US.

Khimji Vaghjiani, CEO and co-founder of the company, says of the achievement: “Participating in the Innovation Shootout was an extremely valuable opportunity. The advice, feedback and guidance we received from everyone involved gives us the building blocks we need to work towards our goal of breaking into the US market”.

Solar-Gem, as the winner of the 2010 Innovation Shootout, received a prize package which will help its business take off in the United States. The package includes various types of support, with

legal, financial and marketing consultation worth approximately $40,000. However, the company had humble beginnings; speaking of the journey, Vaghjiani says, “A couple of guys got together and came up with some ideas. Then we took the opportunity in the market, particularly in India. We got the response that there was definitely an opportunity here. We got the product together, built the first prototypes as you do, and acquired initial investment funding. Soon the government asked us to put in an application for the G’Day USA: Australia program”.

And indeed, in front of an audience of over 350 people, along with an elite panel of judges, Vaghjiani believes it was his team’s ability to demonstrate his marketability, along with a “little bit of passion” from his side, which earned the company the title.

With some of the big names in the judging panel, such as Allison Leopold Tilley, partner at Pillsbury; Microsoft’s Dan’l Lewin, corporate Vice President and Deborah Magid, Director of Software Strategy at IBM Venture Capital Group, it was naturally a huge achievement for this small innovative company.

“Solar-Gem solves several critically important global problems at one time,” said Mark Anderson, CEO of Strategic News Service and chair of the panel. “Their technology can be a great enabler

panels, the company uses innovative designs that do not require trained technicians for installation – indeed, the lights can easily be screwed to walls or ceilings, or even tied to posts and ceiling rafters with such readily available materials as string or wire. In addition, the solid state LEDs used are impact and shock resistant – they are completely weather proof, crucial for the remote areas these are employed in.

Efficiency is a factor - a single Solar-Gem modular can power up to 6 LED lights, each with independent dimming. Modules can be used in any number of ways – for example, modules can be added to power small appliances like electric hotplates; however, the USB capability allows the battery unit to even charge mobile telephones and laptops!

Of course, the clean energy in use is a huge benefit of the product – Solar-Gem provides a solar off-grid solution that eliminates the indoor air pollution as a result of burning solid fuels which alone claims

portable generators, are 25% cheaper than using charcoal and as a result of this, create a more empowered and uplifted community. The company’s solar generator is in fact currently being used as a backup in the emergency hospital ward in the Republic of Congo – a country where most of the media is owned by the government.

As Vaghjiani adequately explains, “What we’re trying to do is a good thing”.

Solar-Gem has placed units on trial at mining sites, and even in our own backyard (albeit the very far-away backyard of the remoter regions of Western Australia). Their main market, however, lies within India, and the team hopes to grow and expand the business in the country, with an obvious focus on the rural areas.

Vaghjiani enjoys “being able to make the decisions yourself …you can be creative, be able to know that you’ve got the freedom of driving it as fast as you can.” With such a great start to the journey, there is certainly no limit as to how fast this car will drive…

expert coaching in

Sydney entrepreneur Khimji Vaghjiani’s company, offering clean energy solutions, wins an innovation competition. RITAM MITRA

Solar-Gem provides a solar off-grid solution that eliminates the indoor air pollution as a result of burning solid fuels which alone claims 1.5 million lives every year

Khimji Vaghjiani’s company Solar Gem wins the Innovation Shootout competition at G’Day USA 2010. Mark Anderson, CEO Strategic News Service and chair of judging panel, presents the award.

Photo: KazzaDrask Media

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Meeting the Prime Minister on Australia Day

You’ve been happy here,” Kevin Rudd said to me, “then write to your friends (back home) and tell them as well”.

I had been talking to the Prime Minister of Australia at an Australia Day function. When I was introduced to him as an international student from India, he asked me where I came from. We spoke about my PhD for a bit. Then he asked if I had had a comfortable stay: I assured him I had, and told him of my experiences as a student here.

Mr Rudd came across as friendly and approachable, delightful and very well spoken. He seemed genuinely concerned that Australia is being seen as a tough place for Indian students.

“The attacks on Indians and Indian students are very unfortunate …” he said. “Australia is really a very safe country to live and study in”. He mentioned his own multicultural family as a case in point –some close family members are not of Australian origin, he informed me. It was at the recommendation of the Consulate General of India (NSW) that

I received an invite to the Australia Day Reception on 24 January at the Museum of Contemporary Arts in Circular Quay.

I was pleasantly surprised at getting the invite, but was also proud to be representing international students. When I left India in 2007 to fulfil a long-cherished dream of gaining a higher degree from abroad, I had never imagined that I would be a special invitee of the Prime Minister at such a formal event!

Entering the grand function, I was

somewhat overwhelmed, but soon felt amazed at how casual and relaxed it all was.

The PM’s wife Therese Rein was there, and the Premier of NSW Kristina Keneally and her husband. I got an opportunity to shake hands with them all. The other invitees, nearly 300 in number, were diplomats, scientists, economists, businessmen, new citizens, Olympic athletes …

I got a chance to speak to Robin Bell

– Olympic

champion (who also studied from the University of Sydney) and his wife Julianne.

In his speech Mr Rudd mentioned all the people in Australia contribute to making this country great, and all the eminent personalities present are the building blocks of society.

But I will remember best his short personal conversation with me.

“Tell your friends and family,” he said, “that the few incidents of hostility that we have experienced lately, cannot replace the warmth (that genuinely exists)”.

Astha Singh of Kanpur India, is working towards a PhD at the Faculty of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources, University of Sydney. A Faculty Merit Scholarship holder, she has been teaching undergraduate students as well as presenting research papers at conferences all over Australia.

Human chain for peace and harmony

The Sydney Tamil Manram, the peak Association for all Indian Tamils in Sydney, along with the Indian community in the Hills district organised a Human Chain for Peace and Harmony on 26th January. The event took place at Balcombe Heights, 92 Seven Hills Road, in the Avenue of Trees where the main Australia Day entertainment had been organized by the Hills Shire Council. A human chain consisting of both

Indians and Australians was formed on the occasion. This was followed by laying of wreaths on the Soldiers memorial, “By laying the wreath on Australia Day the Indian community in Sydney - as recent migrants - wish to acknowledge the great sacrifices that have been made in Australia’s past to make what Australia is today,” stated Immanuel Selvaraj of the Sydnbey Tamil Manram.

Kayak

Indian student ASTHA SINGH finds herself invited to a special event

Celebrating two National Days in one

Australia India Day Function

It looked set to be the mother of all celebrations with over four hundred attendees and a wall-to-wall appearance of Australia politicians keen to show their support for the Indian community in Australia.

Cultural performances were meant to ensure that there was a feast for the eyes, while a feast of the edible variety seemed sure to satisfy the palates of the attendees.

The Australia India Day Function Council led by Sydneysider Yadu Singh delivered on all of the above. It however, failed to deliver on issues of manners, proper protocol and attention to detail which had a few guests wincing in embarrassment on more than one occasion.

Yet to the 400 plus Indian Australians gathered it was an evening to enjoy and celebrate the national days of the two nations they hold dear to their heart, and whose relationship has experienced trying times in recent months.

Yadu Singh has been a passionate supporter of Indian students in the past year since he was appointed to the now-defunct Indian student committee established by Consul General Amit Dasgupta. Over the year in which student issues have hit headlines, his comments and blogs have been well noted by the media. A long term ambition by him has been to establish a benevolent fund for the Indian community and the function celebrating the two national days was an opportunity to start this ambition plan. Speaking to Indian Link, Singh confirmed that the evening raised between $3,000 and $4,000 for the benevolent fund.

“Exact figures will be available as we audit the function receipts in due course,” Singh said.

With ACR Travel offering a free return ticket to India for auction during the evening and Billu’s Catering made available at extremely subsidised pricing, savings from the gate money was a start in the right direction.

“However, we still have to finalise the finer details on how this benevolent fund will work,” Singh admitted.

The politicians spoke with fervour on this special occasion. David Clarke from NSW Liberals got a rousing applause for his belief in all things Indian. Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey (representing Opposition Leader Tony Abbot) reiterated his party’s commitment to selling uranium to India. From NSW Labor, Barbara Perry represented the NSW Premier - she reconfirmed her party’s commitment to the local Indian community with the recently funded and concluded AR Rahman concert and the Parramasala program later this year. The chief guest of the day Maxine

McKew, Parliamentary Secretary for Infrastructure representing Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, also spoke about her regard for the Indian community.

Consul General Amit Dasgupta took the opportunity again to voice his commitment to ensuring correct work conditions for Indian students in Australia. While the speakers of the evening clearly were appreciated by the attendees, the entertainment of traditional and modern dances was also enjoyed by many. They highlighted the fun element of Indian culture to emerge.

What however, was very noticeable, was a clear lack of etiquette on the part of some of the attendees, as well as the lack of protocol shown by the organisers. It was disappointing to note the loud talking at the rear of the hall while the main guests were addressing the gathering. At times, it resembled a noisy market with little respect shown for the speakers.

Normal protocol has the chief guest as the first speaker of the evening, followed by others in receding hierarchy. However, at this event (not including the Consul General) this happened in reverse order. The look of surprise on the face of Maxine McKew, was clearly visible as an Opposition member from NSW Parliament, rather than her own self representing the Prime Minister, was called upon first to address the gathering.

Federal Liberal member from North Sydney, Joe Hockey could not contain his own surprise as he was introduced as ‘the future Prime Minister of Australia’ while he was there representing his Parliamentary Leader Tony Abbot.

It was also disappointing to note Singh’s pointing out to NSW Minister Barbara Perry that she was wearing an Indian dress, and then urging all politicians to do the same for next

UIA celebration

The mood was light, high-profile and perhaps a tiny bit cramped. But that is not a bad thing given the sold out nature of the evening for the United Indian Associations’ Australia Day - Indian Republic Day celebrations.

Guests ranged from the Leader of the Opposition NSW Barry O’ Farrell, Stepan Kerkyasharian (Chair of the Community Relations Commission), Paul Garrard (Lord Mayor of Parramatta), MP David Borger (representing the Premier of NSW), Phillip Ruddick (representing Federal Leader of Opposition), Laurie Ferguson (representing the Prime Minister), Neville Roach AO (Chairman Emeritus Australia India Business Council), Consul General Amit Dasgupta, various other members of Parliament both State and Federal, and leading members of the community.

The fact that Australia and India share a common day provided a positive buzz to the evening.

There were a fair few speeches, all recounting the strong bilateral ties between India and Australia and the contribution of Indian migrants to Australia. However, perhaps the strongest message for the night came from Amit Dasgupta. The Consul General spoke about providing ideas to the Australian government for helping international students. He also spoke passionately about the importance of treating our own with respect - especially in cases of students where some of them are exploited with low pay and long hours.

Dilip Chopra, acting President of UIA announced the setting up of the Indian Benevolent Fund with seed money of $5000/- and appealed to the community to

year, while failing to point out that most Indian Australians had themselves turned up in western suits, not traditional Indian attire.

The formal part of the evening over, the guests were left to fend for themselves. As the long lines were formed for the buffet dinner, there were no special arrangements for the guests. A number of them decided to leave rather than being left to stand with a plate in their hand in a long queue for their dinner. Even as they were leaving, there was not a single host to see them off and thank them for their time. A function which had such robust support from the community and well wishers ended in a disappointing manner for most of the special guests.

What occurs at these functions reflects on the community as a whole and surely more thought needs to go into the actual execution of the evening.

As one attendee observed, “The heart of the organisers was in the right place, yet the actions in carrying out the event left a lot to be desired”.

Pawan Luthra

services to the community’s senior citizens.

A

Yadu Singh (extreme left) with chief guest Maxine McKew, Robert Redfern (Commander, Parramatta Local Area Command) and others

special guest at the event was actress Carol Furtado, leading lady from the

the strength of the Indian community in Australia. Ruchir Punjabi

Amit DasguptaYear of living da

Sydney’s Consul General of India found himself thrust into the spotlight almost immediately after taking over as the representative of the Indian Government here. A year on, he chats with

PAWAN

LUTHRA

, CEO of Indian Link about the challenges of the past year

Since his arrival in Sydney just about a year ago, Consul General Amit Dasgupta has certainly made his presence felt. Within weeks of assuming office, he was confronted with the explosion of attacks on Indian students. A concerned local Indian community, pressure from the Foreign Ministry in India, and the mood in India certainly kept this diplomat in the limelight all year round. His comments in the media have been well received: his articulate views on SBS’s Insight program particularly, won him many admirers. Amit Dasgupta offers us a peek into the challenges that defined his past year in Australia.

PAWAN LUTHRA: It is about a year since you took over the helm at the Indian Consulate in Sydney. Was it a baptism of fire for you?

AMIT DASGUPTA: Yes, it was quite traumatic, quite dramatic, but I am quite pleased that after I arrived in Sydney, based on briefings I had got from my predecessor, I decided to establish a student liaison committee and task them with coming up with, a) what they perceive as the problem, and b) what we need to do. So when the first attacks happened, we were up and running and that was sheer coincidence and good luck. I guess with a large influx of Indian students, I wanted to understand what was happening and so in a meeting with Indian community services and presidents of various associations, a committee of 4-5 people who volunteered was established. This committee delivered and helped us at the time of the student attacks. Once their job was done, this committee was dissolved. Meanwhile, the student issues had reached greater proportions and I found various associations such as the AIBC had set up student committees and they came up with recommendations.

Regarding the attacks on Indian students, I do not know why they’ve happened. I keep hearing words like soft targets. I have taken the position that this is an unacceptable term to me, because the key of policing is crime prevention and if you cannot prevent a crime and a crime indeed takes place, only two courses of action are left: one is, the catch the criminal, and the second is, ensure such a crime does not reoccur. If you use a term such as ‘soft target’, today it will be Indian students, and tomorrow it will be the elderly, perhaps even children and the disabled…there will be no end. If a crime takes place, it means policing has not been in order.

PL: Have the attacks been racially motivated?

AD: I do not think that all crimes are

racially motivated. If one looks at the age and profiles of the assailants, their average age is 17-19 years, or people who are intoxicated on alcohol or drugs, possibly unemployed. The Indian community carry cash and they get mugged late at night. The Chinese move in larger groups and can protect themselves better. Let’s also be clear that the attacks are happening in one State above another, and this suggests that this State has less effective policing.

PL: What is the progress on issues of travel concession, affordable housing and job placement services for students?

AD: The NSW Government-constituted task force has given its report which is, I believe, under examination and being studied by the NSW cabinet. A decision will be considered and conveyed in the next few days. I do not have a copy of this report - it has not been shared with me; however, my understanding is that at least on housing and unemployment there has been some progress. The travel concession is a political decision. I have raised it once again, and also set up the suggestion of establishing an International Students’ Centre.

PL: Should the Indian government have taken strong steps to curb the mis-reporting by the media, which has resulted in such negativity about Australia?

AD: India, like Australia, has a free press. And the media always offers readers and viewers what they anticipate their audience will want. It is a reflection of their perception and with the number of the attacks on Indian students going up, the feeling in India was that Australia is not the safest place - this was something that the Indian media latched on to. When the attacks took place, the coverage by the Indian media brought the two heads of state together on a subject that deserved attention. I also believe that to talk about a ‘racist Australia’ is a catch phrase, but quite frankly I do not believe that anyone in India seriously believes that Australians are racist. The real problem the Indians are facing is that attacks are taking place and continuing, and that no one has been caught. It is very difficult to tell a parent when you return their deceased son or daughter that Australia is a safe place and that all Indians are welcome, and that this is nothing but a crime. A parent does not derive any comfort from that. I believe that the political leadership in India has shown maturity. Because at the end of the day, they have to respond to a situation when an attack takes place. We’ve always perceived Australians to be laid back, happy-go-lucky and exceptional people

through his head without provocation and then further attacks took place. The victims received no support from the system, and the attackers were not caught. In Sydney the whole situation was different. We reacted quickly, the NSW Government

coming here for their PR, they are the risk takers. Their figures are not falling due to the ‘fear factor’. The figures are falling due to new restrictive visa regimes which are leading to low enrolment. When the visa regime is strict, you are basically

ngerously

culture, work within the boundaries of the law and receive at least the minimum wages, will have a very good experience. They will become positive ambassadors of Australia and this is what an overseas

The recent AR Rahman concert was meant to promote harmony amongst the Indian and mainstream communities. However, on the day, there were less than 10% Australians in the audience. Was it just pandering to the Indian community, or did it truly raise the level

AR Rahman is a legend, but on that day the Sydney Festival had another concert on at the Domain, and this caused competition between two great artists. Naturally the Indian community preferred Rahman and perhaps the only thing which the Australian community might know about him is Jai Ho. Also, staging the concert in Parramatta meant that the Indian community was targeted. The NSW Government took it as a major initiative and their purpose was well served. The Indians felt good, and the Australians did

Do you feel that the local Indian community organisations are doing their

Unfortunately I feel that there are far too many associations in Sydney. There are almost 60 local associations. I recognise that sometimes it’s a good thing to bring people of a certain community together who have similar interests, but it’s important that the effect is not to dilute, when instead, we can put together a collective viewpoint. My hope is that issues will bring people together, rather than separate them. I recognise that associations and organisations are required to be divided on linguistic grounds. I do not see anything wrong in this, as long as people can come together for important

On another issue entirely, there have been complaints about your own office regarding visa turn-around times, which can stretch up to 11 days. What is being

I am reviewing this and I will be recommending, whether it’s accepted or not, to increase the turn around time to 15 working days. This is also the time period which the Australian Government takes, as per their website. My thinking is that we should give an outer limit and work within it. Do note that the number of visa applications are increasing and our resources are getting decreased. This is a

What message would you like to give to the Indian student community?

only way to do that is to learn as much as possible. Be proud that you are Indian, but also be proud that you are here.

PL: Your message to the established community here?

AD: I say with folded hands, never forget that you are Indian as well as Australia. We need to ask ourselves, how can we improve the relationship between India and Australia?

PL: Your message to the Australian Government?

AD: The attacks are taking place, and need to be addressed. A clear message has to be sent to parents in India. Not just the ones whose children have not been affected, but even those whose children have been harmed. Secondly, go beyond the trivialities. A common love of love cricket and curry is all fine… we now need to identify if there are more substantial issues on which Australia and India need to engage.

PL: Your message to the Indian Government?

AD: The Indian Government needs to recognise, and I believe it has, that the India-Australia relationship is strategically important and we need to identify how we can strengthen this, by working with the Australian Government on this.

PL: When your tenure as Consul General is complete, what would you like to have accomplished?

AD: Hopefully the student issue is not the only defining issue – I hope I am still Consul General when M S Dhoni and his merry men come here and beat the Australians in cricket! But seriously, one of the core issues for me is to increase trade between India and Australia. I would also like to see definite resolves on the students’ issue. Two resolutions which will build up great confidence will be setting up an International Student Centre and offering travel concessions. I would also like to increase community awareness of Indian establishments underpaying Indian students. If that can be improved, I will be very pleased. If I can see Indian associations work collectively on issuebased matters, I will be pleased. If the Indian community can join together and offer their voice and opinions in politics etc, it will please me. The important thing for the Indian community is to take itself seriously. That is the core issue and if the community realises that they can make a difference and that they are not merely a drop in the ocean, that they have critical numbers which should be heard, it will be something I will be pleased to have achieved.

Up close and personal with Amit Dasgupta

Favourite holiday destination: I like wild life and photography, so Ranthambore and Sunderbans (anything wild life related)

Favourite food: Bengali food, East Indian food and then South Indian Food

Favourite Indian restaurant in Sydney: I enjoy the Barramundi at Akis at Woolloomooloo

Non Indian: Aria. I am going to Tetsuya’s in March which is reputed to be one of the best in the world.

Favourite movie (Bollywood): Old films like Pyasa and Guide. I also enjoyed Parineeta though (maybe due to the Bengali connection!)

Favourite movie (Hollywood): An old movie called The Man from La Mancha with Sophia Loren and Peter O’Toole

I relax by: Reading, writing and cooking.

I like to cook: Seafood - in a style I call fusion, but my family calls it confusion.

Favourite song: Frank Sinatra’s My Way

Favourite book: Enjoyed reading The Little Prince by Antoine de SaintExupery

The book I am reading now: Reading a few, actually: What We Knew (about the Germans’ awareness during World War II as to what the Nazis were doing to the Jews), Viktor Frankl’s 1946 book Man’s Search for Meaning and John Howard Griffins’ Black Like Me

after his course. He is very happy despite the tribulations he went through when the college collapsed. There are far more wonderful stories than sad ones. The students who get good orientation, who assimilate well with the mainstream

AD: If you have left the shores of India to come to study in a foreign land, it’s important to recognise that there are rules and regulations in this country which you need to follow. You need to adapt to this, make the most of your life here and the

The interview took place at the studios of Indian Link Radio. Full interview can be heard on Indian Link radio on Sunday 7th February at 9 pm, repeated on Tuesday 10th February at 3 pm. Radio is available through subscription or online at www. indianlink.com.au

If I was not a diplomat, I would have been: A cook

Three people I would like to have over for dinner: Sachin Tendulkar, Nicole Kidman and Steve Waugh.

Dasgupta’s last novel Indian By Choice was published in 2009

UIA confronts CG Amit Dasgupta

The United Indian Associations (UIA) has recently challenged Consul General Amit Dasgupta on a number of issues, the dominant one being the Consul General’s public announcements of ensuring that Indian restaurant owners pay their employees wages as per Australian law.

In a tersely worded email, Rohitas Batta (Chair Community and Students Liasion Committee, UIA) stated, “We look forward to your role as a neutral diplomat who may either assist to cement any differences within community groups (rather than aggravating), or keep distance as has been done by previous diplomats”.

UIA Secretary Moninder Singh has confirmed that the UIA Governing Council including President Aruna Chandrala, Dilip Chopra, Sunil Srivastava, Sunil Salunke and Logessan Pillay, agree with Mr Batta’s views. While on the surface protocol is being maintained, it seems that severe tensions are simmering behind the scenes at what is seen by UIA as an interference by CG Amit Dasgupta in areas where he has no jurisdiction.

Mr Dasgupta has come out publicly urging Indian restaurant owners and

other employers of Indian students to conform to the law with respect to their employment conditions. He has expressed his concern that one of the reasons that Indian students are forced to work more than other international students is that they are being exploited by their very own.

“By paying our students their just wages, we will ensure that there is less exploitation within the community, and students are more stable financially. This will assist in creating a safer working environment for these Indians,” Amit Dasgupta has stated.

The UIA has expressed its dissatisfaction with these statements by the Consul General. Speaking to Indian Link, Secretary Moninder Singh expressed discomfort at the public articulation by the CG of these views.

“It will appear to most Australians then that all Indian restaurant owners exploit Indian students. This is not the case and so should not be portrayed as such”, Singh said.

He further stated that Indian employers, especially restaurant owners are doing a social service to the students by employing them.

“If not Indian businesses, who else will employ them? The importance of Indian employers has now increased tremendously as under the new rules each student doing trade qualifications must

have one year’s full time job contract and get his / her skills assessed at the work place before they become eligible for migration to Australia. If Indian employers don’t employ these students, hardly any student will be able to settle in Australia,” Singh said.

This statement has been challenged by Consul General Amit Dasgupta.

“There are Indian restaurants who have combined commerce with morality. Though the jurisdiction of implementing the issues regarding work conditions rests with the NSW government, it is also within my jurisdiction to advise these students to follow the law. Like I did when the demonstrations in Harris Park were taking place. I advised the students not to take matters in their own hands, to not indulge in any vigilante actions. It is an important issue that our students are treated fairly and we must be united in this endeavour. I see this as a matter of great distress and this should stop. I do not see this as social service at all – one can use all kinds of phrases to justify breaking the law, but it’s not the right thing to do.”

Amit Dasgupta told Indian Link.

He has also stated that he will only attend functions such as Republic Day, Australia Day, Holi etc if the organisers can guarantee that they have certification from their caterers that they pay their employees as per Australian law. Indian Link confirmed both with Yadu Singh,

who organised the Australia India Day function on 24 January, and with UIA who held a similar function a day later, that while they had endeavoured to provide this certification to the Consul General, they could not do so due because the request came too close to the actual day of the function.

The Consul General did confirm that no such certificate was provided but still decided to attend, as it would have looked odd if he stayed away while many high-

profile Australian guests attended.

“But I did not eat at these functions,” he told Indian Link categorically.

The Consul General has also met with leading Indian restaurant owners at his office recently and conveyed his concerns. He is pleased that most of them agree with his point of view of adhering to Australian law and ensuring that correct wages are paid to their employees.

The UIA has also criticised the Consul General for his handling of the VIP invitations to the recently concluded AR Rahman concert in Sydney. Organised by the Sydney Festival with the blessings of the State Government, the concert organisers had a specified number of VIP allocations for the day. These special guests were to be feted with drinks and nibbles before enjoying the concert in prereserved seating in the first 20 rows of the performance venue.

The Consul General’s office was asked to forward 200 names from the Indian community to join this special VIP area, which included the Premier Kristina Keneally and Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh. The list was directly forwarded to Sydney Festival authorities.

The UIA found that their role was marginalised in this event. UIA President Aruna Chandrala has told Indian Link, “It was regrettable that while this concert was announced on UIA’s platform by the Premier of NSW, we were unable to take an active role in coordinating any aspect of it.”

Consul General Amit Dasgupta has said that the Consulate was asked to provide an official list by the AR Rahman organisers, which it did as requested.

“I took a very clear and transparent decision on how the names were selected. I am quite happy and comfortable with the list from the Consulate. Names were included of the presidents of all associations. There were those who had complained that their names were not included but it is not for the Consulate to go around and find out if the person continues to be the president of that association. If there is an election, then it would be a dignified practice that my office be informed. There is a case where an invitation was sent out to a person who was a past President but he refused to give it to the current President. Now that is not a situation I can deal in,” Amit Dasgupta told Indian Link

Pawan Luthra

Though the jurisdiction of implementing the issues regarding work conditions rests with the NSW government, it is also within my jurisdiction to advise these students to follow the law

Amit Dasgupta reads out to Sydney’s Indian community the President of India’s Republic Day Address on Jan 26

Scripture lessons the fun way

It was a long weekend of fun.

Nearly 60 kids got together in late January to attend the annual 3-day Children’s Camp organised jointly by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Hindu Swayam Sevak Sangh. Held in Heathcote this year, the camp was aimed at sustaining cultural morality amongst the children and enhancing their leadership and soft skills.

The children, all aged between 7 and 14, gathered at 7.30pm in the main hall of the Heathcote Scouts Centre, on Thursday 21 Jan. The camp began with an invocation to Lord Ganesha, the god of good beginnings.

And then the fun and games began, literally. The enthusiastic youth volunteers got the little ones going with their icebreaker games. By the end of the night, as the children relaxed and made friends, they were divided into four groups – named Sathya, Dharma, Shanthi and Prema, after some essential elements in Hindu philosophy.

It was an early start next morning, 6am, as the kids went outdoors for physical exercises. And then onto a fun-packed day

- Yoga basics, Surya Namaskar, traditional games, discussion about various aspects of our culture, skits, story telling, quiz, patriotic songs, arts and crafts, talents exhibition, and much much more. And no, there was no time for Ipods or Playstation portables or Nintendo DSs.

The bush-walks got everyone in touch with nature, and the Holi activity put everyone in an even happier frame of mind. (Unfortunately the camp-fire was cancelled due to extreme weather conditions and a

total fire-ban on the Friday).

The children also enjoyed a visit to Sri Venkateshwara Temple at Helensburgh.

Participants were served with delicious vegetarian food, prepared by a group of volunteers. The menu included dishes carefully chosen from both North and South Indian delicacies.

On the last day Sunday, after the bushwalking activity and then showers, the kids performed their skits and exhibited their new skills in front of an invited audience. Some wonderful episodes from the Panchatantra and from the lives of great personalities like Emperor Ashoka, Martin Luther King and Kalpana Chawla, were presented.

Hemant Suryavanshi, Satish Tirumalai and Gopal Chintakindi were the principal co-ordinators for the camp, assisted by a group a self-less volunteers.

The children were managed by a group of about 20 youths, led by Archana Rao, Harini, Pratmesh, Prabhanjan and Vaishnavi.

These youths extensively planned and executed all the physical and educational activities at the camp. Later, they revealed being overwhelmed with the many positive experiences they had experienced whilst managing and inculcating the community spirit amongst the kids. All of them recommitted themselves to be part of this children’s camp next year and expressed a sense of satisfaction for having spent three fruitful days as role-models for these younger kids.

And when it was time to go home, everybody lingered on, as if they wanted the camp to go on longer!

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And now it’s 2 Grammys for Rahman

INDIANS WENT Jai Ho once again this week when music maestro A.R. Rahman scored a double triumph at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, a year after bagging two Oscars for his foot tapping music for Slumdog Millionaire

The composer bagged the best compilation soundtrack for a motion picture and another one for the best motion picture song at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards.

He won the award with veteran lyricist Gulzar and Tanvi Shah who wrote the Spanish lyrics for it.

“This is insane, god is great again,” a beaming Rahman said after receiving the award at the biggest show in the music world. The other Indian contenders, Zakir Hussain and Amjad Ali Khan, could not manage to win the golden gramophones. “Insane, eh? I never even dreamt about winning all these awards,” Rahman posted on his Twitter page shortly after receiving the award.

Just a year ago, Rahman’s music for Slumdog Millionaire, a screen adaptation of Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup’s novel Q & A, had propelled him to the record books as India’s first double Oscar winner.

Besides the Oscars and now the Grammys, the Chennai musician’s composition for the film has also won him other prestigious international awards like the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), Critics Choice Award and the Golden Globe.

“We all are very proud of him. This magical musician has brought more honour to India, his family, fans, friends and his entire team. Such a young man has made his mark on the music map of the world. All of us should put him on our shoulders,” said Gulzar who shares the prestigious award with him.

“I am proud of Rahman as a special friend and composer who made India proud in the world of music. It’s his true dedication towards innovative music and his connection with divine energies. Bravo Rahman!” exclaimed filmmaker Subhash Ghai who roped in the composer for his films Taal, Kisna: The Warrior Poet Yuvvraaj

Director Imtiaz Ali added: “It fills me with pride. Also makes me think if he is getting this much accolade for Jai Ho, wonder what the reaction of the West will be when they discover the rest of Rahman? I’m waiting to see the man go from strength to strength.”

The composer’s sister Reihana said winning awards was “a way of life” for her 44-year-old brother.

“It’s a good start of the year. (Winning awards) is a way of life now since he has won so many,” Reihana told NDTV after her brother won the award.

“When he was going for the Golden Globes last year, he was doubtful about his win and so were we, but after he got that, it has been awards and awards for him, so we were quite sure that he will get the Grammy as well,” she added.

The song was crooned by Sukhvinder Singh, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Vijay Prakash with support from Rahman and Shah. Global honours may have come his way only since Slumdog Millionaire, but the unassuming composer has been contributing to world music for quite a while.

He composed music for The Lord of the Rings theatre production, for instance, as well as for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Bombay Dreams

His talent first came to the fore with Roja

in 1992, and there has been no looking back since for the musician, who has just been awarded the Padma Bhushan, India’s third highest civilian award.

The accolades have not stopped. ***

Indian head for Amnesty

International

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL has appointed Salil Shetty, an Indian who headed the UN Millennium Campaign, as its next secretary general.

Shetty takes over the job in June 2010, succeeding Irene Khan who stepped down after eight years as Amnesty Secretary General Dec 31, 2009.

Amnesty - the global human rights watchdog - said Shetty, with a strong track record in the non-government and intergovernment sectors, will lead its 50th anniversary expansion plans.

“We are thrilled that Salil will be joining us and leading Amnesty International as we renew our fight to end injustice - campaigning with those imprisoned because of their ideas, those on death row, those being tortured, and those who have their rights denied because they live in poverty,” said Peter Pack, the chair of Amnesty’s International Executive Committee.

“As we approach our 50th anniversary, we have ambitious plans to expand our work, especially in the global south, and Salil has a solid track record in mobilising people, civil society, governments and international organisations in the fight for people’s rights and dignity,” added Pack.

“I feel privileged to be given this amazing opportunity at a time when the world needs human rights for all more than ever before,” said Shetty, who becomes the first Indian to head the human rights body.

Amnesty International, founded in

London in 1961, has more than 2.2 million members and supporters in more than 150

Food security, productivity remain major concerns in

THE SENSE OF COMFORT over India’s food security is somewhat misplaced and both the availability of produce and controlling prices remain challenges needing focussed attention on farm productivity, Prime Minister Manmohan

“Our experience in the past two years has brought to the fore the importance of food security and the need for containing prices,” the prime minister told the first annual conference of chief secretaries

“For some time past, there was a false sense of security that availability of food has ceased to be a concern. Similarly, many felt that we have been able to control prices,” he said in a rather frank assessment

He, accordingly, urged the state governments, too, to focus their energies on farm productivity and said there was great scope for improving the yields of major crops and hoped to see greater efforts in

“Our agricultural productivity still ranks far below the best in the world.”

Drawing comfort from the manner in which India handled the challenges posed by the global slowdown in a much better fashion than many other economies, the prime minister stressed that inclusive growth remained the government’s centre-

“Fast economic growth has little meaning if it does not lead to the well being of the poor and the disadvantaged, of our farmers and workers, of our children, students and women. The benefits of the development process have to percolate to every part of our country.”

He said it was for the bureaucracy to ensure that the numerous welfare programmes of the federal and state governments are implemented in the spirit in which they have been conceived, without roadblocks and leakages, through decentralised governance.

“All this constitutes a huge task that requires dedication, commitment and persistence. I would like to add here that the central government does recognize that there is always room for improvement in these schemes and programmes.”

The prime minister also expressed concern over poor infrastructure in the country and said states that have lagged behind must go that extra mile to remove all the bottlenecks. “Shortages of electricity, poor roads, over-crowded ports, delayed flights, all retard our economic efficiency and damage our international image. States that have relatively better infrastructure attract investment while the others lag behind,” he said. “This is a lesson which all States have to imbibe.”

***

Mumbai belongs to all of India: Chidambaram

SLAMMING THE Shiv Sena for its controversial “Mumbai for Marathis” slogan, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said such a “pernicious” thesis has to be rejected and the city belongs to all of India. “We reject the thesis of Shiv Sena. Mumbai belongs to all of India and all Indians are

Continued on page 30

AR Rahman after receiving the Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media award for Jai Ho from the movie Slumdog Millionaire at the 52nd Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on January 31, 2010.

Photo: AP

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free to live and work in Mumbai,” Chidambaram told reporters. “As a matter of policy, we reject the theses of the Shiv Sena and the MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena). These are pernicious theses and they have to be rejected,” he said.

The home minister said that the Maharashtra government was “competent” to handle the situation in Mumbai after the Shiv Sena Sunday objected to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s (RSS) view that the city is for all Indians.

“If the government of Maharashtra seeks our advice, we will advise them. But I am sure they are competent to manage the situation,” Chidambaram said.

IPL fiasco: Parliamentary panel summons PCB heads

A PARLIAMENTARY PANEL has summoned officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to explain the circumstances under which the country’s players were ignored at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction last week.

The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Sports will question PCB chairman Ijaz Butt and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Wasim Bari on the IPL fiasco in which none of the 11 Pakistani players on offer found any takers. This apart, the officials, as also Pakistani team coach Intikhab Alam, will have to explain the 0-3 loss to Australia in the Test series and the 0-5 loss in the just-concluded One-day International series.

The two Twenty20 match ban handed to stand-in captain Shahid Afridi for ball tampering in fifth ODI at Perth will also come in for discussions, with PCB director general Javed Miandad being summoned “to know the reasons and problems which the legendary batsman (Afridi) is facing besides hurdles in PCB”, Online news agency reported.

The standing committee had taken “belligerent notice of Pakistan’s pathetic defeat at the hands of Australia both in Tests and ODI’s besides Pakistani superstars being ignored for the cash rich IPL”, the agency added.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned Afridi for two Twenty20 matches. Afridi, who was leading the side in the final ODI in the absence of an injured Mohammad Yousuf, was caught by TV cameras appearing to chew on one side of the white ball, shortly before the umpires changed it at the end of the 45th over. Afridi admitted the charge, after which match referee Ranjan Madugalle slapped the ban.

UN climate panel informed of India’s mitigation efforts

INDIA INFORMED the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) of its efforts to address global warming by trying to reduce its emissions intensity by 20-25 percent by 2020, but stressed that the agriculture sector would be kept out of this.

In a message sent to the UNFCCC secretariat, the government formally conveyed that India will endeavour to reduce its emissions intensity by 20-25 percent by 2020 in comparison to the 2005 level through domestic mitigation actions, an official release said.

Terming this as India’s contribution to the global efforts to address climate change, the government, however, has clarified that its domestic mitigation actions will be entirely voluntary and will not have

a legally binding character.

It also said the mitigation actions will not apply to agriculture sector and the emissions from agriculture sector will be excluded from the assessment of emission intensity.

“The mitigation actions will be taken in accordance with the principles and provisions of the United Nations Framework Convention, which require developing countries like India take these actions in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibility and respective capability. Developed countries, known as Annex I Parties, meanwhile, undertake mitigation commitments with specific quantified targets to reduce their emissions,” the release said.

India “intends to implement its mitigation actions in accordance with the provisions of the relevant national legislation and policies and will elaborate in due course the actions required in various sectors to achieve the overall objective of the emissions intensity reduction,” the release added.

***

Samajwadi Party expels

Amar Singh and Jayaprada

“ET TU BRUTE”. That’s what Amar Singh said after being expelled from the Samajwadi Party (SP) by his one-time mentor Mulayam Singh Yadav who he stressed had not just betrayed him but also “Talibanised” the “primitive” party.

“All I want to say is, Brutus tum bhi. But it has come with a relief,” Amar Singh told IANS in an exclusive interview, recalling Julius Caesar’s dying words on Brutus’ betrayal in the Shakespeare play.

“Har fikr ko dhuwain main udata chala gaya,” he added in a light vein about his predicament, remembering the famous Hindi film song.

The industrialist-politician, who resigned from all party posts a few weeks ago, came out openly against Mulayam Singh and his family.

“I know who had drafted the abuses against me. They called me mad, shameless, scoundrel. The SP leaders were not speaking their own language. I know how it works in the party,” he said shortly after the announcement in Lucknow that he along with actor-MP Jaya Prada were being expelled for indulging in “anti-party” activities.

Asked who he was referring to, Amar Singh said: “Of course Mulayam Singh and his family. He son (Akhilesh), his Yadav cousins.”

Amar Singh said he was suffocated with the “Talibanisation” of the “primitive” SP and that he had attained political nirvana after being expelled.

“I am hurt, but I am feeling relieved. It is like attaining political and social nirvana for which I am thankful to my party leaders.”

Seated in his plush 13th floor office in Kasturba Gandhi Marg in central Delhi, Amar Singh said he was now aiming higher and planning a computer revolution

in India’s villages. This was exactly the issue, he said, that led to his rift with the Samajwadi Party.

“Our party is primitive. They are opposing computers and English language. The Talibanisation of the entire thing was suffocating. It (resignation) should have happened earlier,” said the former high profile SP general secretary.

“I will go to rural India with computer revolution and will start it Feb 26 from Azamgarh district and my friend Amitabh Bachchan will inaugurate that,” he said. Did that mean he was creating the ground for a new regional party in Uttar Pradesh? Amar Singh didn’t rule it out but said it was too early to confirm it.

“I will work for separate states of Harit Pradesh, Purvanchal and Bundelkhand. I will work for positive politics,” he said. Amar Singh, who was known as the face of the SP and also the man who attracted the big and the famous to the party, said categorically that he was not warming up to either the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) or the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) to look for political alternatives.

“I am not a political animal. I have other things to do for my people.”

The SP’s future as a party opposing the technological revolution would play out for all to see.

“I won’t comment on that. It will sound as if I am bitter after being expelled but the entire nation will see that.”

Indian soldiers march in blanket fog conditions at the 60th Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26, 2010.

Photo: AP

On the high

seas

Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam, Survey our empire, and behold our home Byron To people, like me, who have only worked in shore-side occupations, life on the sea will always hold an element of awe, romance and to some extent, fear. Seafaring souls tell me that life on the seas is not only about loving the wind on the face as one skims across the water; it is a combination of innumerable nautical miles, hard work, adventure, thrill, monotony, exhaustion and sometimes loneliness.

While sailing through oceans of stories and visiting ports of the world, nautical life has always intrigued me. When Scott Cook, from the Stella Maris Seafarers Centre offered me an opportunity to spend time on an Indian-run ship that was visiting Melbourne, I went armed with camera, notebook, recorder, windcheater, solid shoes et al, to look at the world from the deck of the m/v Clipper Trust.

Built in Cochin, India the Clipper Trust is

owned by Danish group Clipper M/S and contracted by CSR to carry raw sugar to Melbourne’s sugar refinery, and gypsum to CSR’s plasterboard factories. Classified as a 30,000 DWT bulk carrier, the Clipper Trust was delivered and launched in Kochi in January 2007.

This cargo ship had docked into Yarraville Port in Melbourne just before Christmas, carrying 28,000 tons of sugar from Bundaberg, Queensland.

A safety helmet was provided, the security check was completed and I climbed up a gangway with Scott, who proved to be an excellent guide. Shaking hands with young Sydney D’Costa, the Second Officer, I took in the ship’s atmosphere. Someone had taken great pains to decorate it with Christmas stars and tinsel. A small Christmas tree sat in the corner of the dining room secured and fastened like all other furniture and the TV, to avoid movement and injury when the sea got choppy.

Before lunch, Sydney took us to the upper

deck to view the proceedings. Massive cranes were being used to offload sugar in a systematic manner. The crane operators were seated several feet above ground in a tiny compartment handling the machines expertly. Looming clouds and spitting rain were not favourable for offloading sugar, and they had to stop work several times due to inclement weather. The Captain Henry Robbins had planned a Christmas party and he was not pleased at the possibility that the delays could set his ship behind schedule.

A beaming chef invited me to have lunch on the ship after I had finished the official tour. His kitchen was spotless and a yummy looking curry was cooking in a large pan. I thought to myself, ‘If I had to spend months on this ship, I would make sure I remain in the cook’s best books!’ The delicious prawns and pulao that were dished out for us at lunch reminded me of my trips to coastal parts of India and their distinctly coconut flavoured food.

The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting an impressive engine room, viewing gigantic propellers that kept the ship afloat, admiring navigation charts, meeting more crew and finding out about their life on board. The ship’s Second Engineer Raju Mayapalli, had brought his wife and child along with him on this trip, a privilege only accorded to officials. Being the only family on board, Raju’s wife was getting

A typical bachelor pad with oodles of alcohol, smokes, Christmas paraphernalia and a skeleton with a dog collar reflected the Captain’s larrikin spirit

PREETI JABBAL delves into the life of seafarers, while enjoying a first-hand experience on board the m/v Clipper Trust

bored, but tried to keep herself occupied with reading and her 5 year old child, who had already developed sea legs.

Some of the crew had gone ashore on a break, but those who remained seemed to be working constantly.

The interesting tour continued with a visit to the Captain’s cabin. A typical bachelor pad with oodles of alcohol, smokes, Christmas paraphernalia and a skeleton with a dog collar reflected the Captain’s larrikin spirit. Henry Robbins is originally from Mumbai, India but has settled in Melbourne with his wife and two daughters. From what Scott tells me, he is well liked by his crew and loves to party. As more visitors came in to meet the Captain we moved on to have a look at where the ship crew’s quarters. Their accommodation is small and simple but sufficient, according to Sydney.

Isn’t a mariner’s life hard, living in close quarters for months at a time with few technological amenities, as well as living with frequent threats of storms, fire and the possibility of being taken hostage by pirates?

“It’s all part of the job,” smiled Sydney.

Several hours and numerous photos later it was time to return to the Seafarer’s Centre, and on the way Scott regaled me with stories of life-long friendships with sailors, anecdotes of tough times on the sea, more details of his role as a ship Liaison Officer and the history

of Stella Maris Seafarers Centre. He called it a home away from home where seafarers can get in touch with their families through computers and wireless internet, arrange money transfers through Western Union, find tourist and other information about Melbourne and relax or pray when they come offshore.

According to Scott he is warmly welcomed on board with very few exceptions, and his visits are highly appreciated. “Ship visitors listen to seafarers. If seafarers have problems, ship visitors offer any assistance possible. Ship visitors also offer other practical help, for example: distributing maps of local services; offering books, videos and DVDs to the crew; providing international phonecards at the best rate available; and providing transport to shops or seafarers’ centres,” he said.

Melbourne’s Stella Maris Seafarers Centre is one of 385 similar organizations around the world. Each has a charter from Rome to be led by a chaplain. These centres are the Catholic Church’s official missionary work in its care of seafarers. The Stella Maris Seafarers’ Centre Melbourne opened officially in 1973. Since that time, there have been a number of part-time Chaplains and numerous volunteers who have continued to care for seafarers with generous hearts - all in the spirit and tradition of Stella Maris and the Apostleship of the Sea.

The Centre also provides accommodation to sick or rehabilitating seafarers. It has a souvenir and snack shop on the premises, and provides a hall and other facilities to hold events The car park under the centre funds most of its activities, according to Scott.

“We respect and value all religions and beliefs,” he said. We approach seafarers as friends and offer support on the seafarer’s term. “We do not try to convert anybody, but we provide them the facility and means to enjoy their offshore visits and assist them in their spiritual needs, if required. A lot of Indian ships and crew enjoy coming to our centre,” claimed Scott.

The wife in every port, travel and cultures crossed… I am not sure if this is the reality of a seafarer’s life or just wishful thinking. After spending time on the ship I am convinced that whether it is rough weather and daily survival, or playing cricket with a coconut on an uninhabited beach, perhaps even breaking ice in freezing temperatures – every mariner has a story to tell. Life on the high seas is rich and bears little resemblance to any other.

(Top) Second Engineer Raju Mayapalli and his family on board the Clipper Trust

(Middle) Tons of sugar being offloaded from the Clipper Trust to go to the CSR Sugar Refinery

(Bottom) Hard yakka on board the Clipper Trust

Freedom from fear

SHAILAJA CHANDRA on the establishment of a new platform to address domestic violence

Imet Billo when she was emotionally in turmoil and struggling legally. Three psychiatrists she had consulted had given the diagnosis of mental illness, confirming that she was incapable of taking care of her one-year-old son and the custody of the child must be given to her estranged husband. Before taking the reports to the court, a thoughtful social worker suggested that she must be examined by a culturally sensitive mental health professional, lucky for her.

Billo came from a prosperous, well educated family of Punjab who married into a family of similar background settled in UK. After the birth of her daughter the family demanded huge sums of money from her parents which was apparently the family custom.

Billo and her family felt insulted by this demand and declined to offer the gift. This resulted in increasing family conflicts and domestic violence.

Billo subsequently returned to India to her parents with her daughter.

Billo’s parents saw an impressive matrimonial ad a few years later from a family settled in Australia. They liked the prospective groom and his family who had no objection in marrying a divorcee with a child. Initially Billo’s family hesitated in arranging the wedding within a week as desired by the groom, too short a time to investigate, but in the end accepted the assurance of the groom and his mother.

Billo’s daughter was happy with her grandparents and she remained with them in India.

Billo started to have doubts about her new husband as soon as she landed in Sydney. With time her suspicions became real as she started to experience mental and physical abuse. Her daily routine of

emotional anguish, verbal and physical attacks slowly changed her personality and life. She became depressed, insecure and fearful which was translated by the local health professionals as mental illness.

The timely help of one psychiatric report overturned the previous three. Billo not only got her son back but also her independence and dignity. Today she is living happily with her teenage daughter from the first marriage and her young son, in her own home and fully employed.

Billo’s story is neither new nor single. Countless Billos sacrifice their lives in the fire of domestic violence which does not have any boundaries. Every section of the community around the world experiences this heinous act of violence. It is a complex problem which not only emotionally damages the victim but every aspect of the victim’s personality and life.

Love and positive emotions are the key to all human relationships and happiness. That is why we passionately want to safeguard this invaluable treasure and sometime it results in senseless desire of possession. The worst impact of this tragic situation is on the children of the family who are innocent and helpless.

According to Indian statistics, every 3 minutes a woman is victimised in domestic violence; every 6 hours a newly

is raped and 70% of all women in some form experience domestic violence. According to the survey 56% of women believe that under certain circumstances a husband has the right to assault his wife. The impact of violence is worst during pregnancy. Female victims of domestic violence have more children, suffer more from HIV and have 12% higher rate of suicide.

The Indian Government has been pondering on this issue for some years. It has always been vigorously opposed at every level of the society before declaring it a national crime. To address this issue at the international level, the government has taken further steps to stop Non-Resident Indians returning to India to marry and then mistreating their spouse.

Each country has its legal implications against domestic violence. It is widely advertised in Australia to eradicate this shameful social ill. The Indian Government has taken a praiseworthy step through its foreign missions which in Australia is through the High Commission in Canberra and Consulates in Sydney and Melbourne.

The victims of domestic violence are generally women though men are not totally spared. With pressure from their families many young women settled in Australia marry men from India who only finds out the facts on arrival here. This leads to marital discord and domestic violence.

Consul General of India (Sydney) Amit Dasgupta has formed a committee to address the issues of domestic violence at personal level. The committee comprises of legal and mental health professionals. If you know of anyone who may require these services you can contact the consulate or his office through phone, email or post. You can make anonymous contact for yourself or anyone else in confidence. Help can also be sought from your family doctor, police, hospital or mental health facility in your area.

Peace, health and happiness in the family are our birthrights. They are the strongest foundation for our society, our nation and our future. We must defend these with all our might.

Dr Shailaja Chandra is a practicing psychiatrist with nearly 35 years’ experience

WE GIVE PROTECTION FROM ALL MAGIC

A pact for progress

DALBIR AHLAWAT chronicles

the challenges and prospects that have shaped Australia-India relations up to the present

Over the past decade, AustraliaIndia relations have been in a quagmire, particularly because of the current spate of attacks on Indian students and the conducting of nuclear tests in 1998, which have resulted in critical rethinking in both countries. During the last two years, about nineteen Australian and Indian ministers have exchanged visits, but the outcome has remained merely surfacial. Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s recent visit to India has resulted in a somewhat substantial understanding, not only in bilateral relations but also in issues related to regional and international fora.

Since India’s independence in 1947 and Australia’s development of independent foreign policy in 1941, both countries shared common goals and values such as liberal democracy, freedom of press, peaceful co-existence, universal application of human rights, nuclear disarmament and respect for international institutions. However, considering the geo-strategic locations and polarisation of international politics, both countries found each other at odds, mainly on the issues of Kashmir, Australia’s alignment with the US and India’s inclination towards the USSR, and Australia’s suspicion of India’s intention to occupy its Coco Islands. This relationship of see-saw continued during the Cold War era. The disintegration of the Soviet Union, India’s liberalisation of its economy and inclination towards the US were factors that forged the Australia-India interests towards convergence. However a big downturn appeared in 1998 when India conducted its nuclear tests; Australia not only reacted fast and sharp, but also got the first rank in calling back its High Commissioner from New Delhi. This reaction was further strengthened by indications that India should sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Notwithstanding this, India religiously stood its ground despite mounting pressure from different corners of the world, resulting in Australia issuing a

public statement that export of uranium to India would be dovetailed to its signing of the NPT. Now that the US has accorded a special status to India for nuclear exploration, Australia still retains consistency in its policy.

The current spate of attacks on the Indian students and the Indian media’s mounting pressure on their government to tackle the ‘racial’ attacks on Indian students brought the Indo-Aussie relationship to its lowest ebb. Public opinion in India certainly considers Australia as a ‘racist’ country. High level visits by Julia Gillard, Stephen Smith and Kevin Rudd to India and SM Krishna to Australia, assured a higher order for the safety of students and improved quality of Australia’s international education sector worth $15 billion a year. Handling of this issue proved exemplary on both sides. However, it needs to be seen how public opinion about Australia’s image as a “racist” country will be addressed within the Indian public psyche, and in case such incidents are repeated in the future, how the two countries will respond.

Convergence

Canberra and New Delhi are now placed in a predicament and within the evolving global order, both have to work within a broader framework encompassing their ally - the USA, and an emerging robust regional power - China, to play a cooperative role at regional and international levels. During Stephen Smith’s visit to India, the two foreign ministers in the sixth Australia-India Foreign Ministers’

Framework Dialogue reiterated a higher level of understanding on bilateral, regional and international cooperation. A feasibility study on a Free Trade agreement between Australia and India was also given a final consideration.

With current bilateral trade of around $19 billion, India is heading to be Australia’s third largest export market. Witnessing the trends, two-way investment continues to grow in new sectors like energy, information technology and biotechnology. Furthermore, the evolving trade relationship can be gauged by an agreement signed in August 2009 between India’s Petronet LNG and Exxon-Mobil. Under this $20 billion agreement, 1.5 million tones of liquefied natural gas will be supplied to India each year for 20 years.

Canberra and New Delhi have to seriously consider the issues of nuclear non-proliferation, India’s stance of remaining firm in not signing the NPT and on the issue of export of uranium to India

Strategically also, with the balance of power shifting towards Asia and increased organised terrorist activities, the two countries have much to share. India’s geo-strategic location ensures a transit of half of the world’s maritime trade through the Malacca and Lambok Straits. Innumerable smaller islands in the Indonesian archipelago provide sanctuaries to arms dealers and contraband merchants, so India could help Australia not only in protecting sea-lanes for safe passage of commercial vessels, but also in patrolling the high seas for drug and human cargo traffickers.

Challenges

Australia and India share membership of the Indian Ocean Rim countries, G20, the ASEAN Regional Forum and the East Asia Summit, and common issues such as climate change, use of clean energy, fighting against terrorism and peaceful coexistence.

Initially, Australia has been invited by India, the leading member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to be an observer at its meetings. This accelerated Australia to Look-West and develop a better understanding of the region.

India has been lobbying for the reformulation of international institutions to represent the modern day world. It has emphasised on reformulation of the UN and its agencies and has consistently claimed its place as a permanent member of the UN

Security Council. In addition, since the early 1990s India has been seriously pursuing the Look-East policy to be actively involved in Asia Pacific affairs and acquire membership of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Australia has assured India of its support, but it needs to be seen how Australia will respond to the issues of climate change and terrorism because both countries have varying understanding of these issues. For example, though both share perceptions on abating terrorism it needs to be seen whether Australia is in a position to shift its policy stand on Kashmir and support India vis-àvis its neighbours.

Conclusions and Cautions

Australia understands that the balance of power is shifting towards the AsiaPacific, mainly with the India and China as emerging powers. This view was aptly reinforced by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying, “The 21st century will be an Indian Century. The world will once again look at us with regard and respect”. This was further reinforced by Stephen Smith, when he frankly admitted the anomaly that “for many decades, Australian Governments underappreciated India, its potential and its importance for the future not just of our region, but of the world.” Perhaps this may be corrected in time by supporting India’s claims for permanent membership in UNSC and APEC. Notwithstanding increasing cooperation and assurances of support, Canberra and New Delhi have to seriously consider the issues of nuclear nonproliferation, India’s stance of remaining firm in not signing the NPT and on the issue of export of uranium to India.

Also, will Australia be able to maintain a relationship with India in the wake of signing a free trade agreement with China? No doubt, consistent and appreciable efforts are being made to address the student issue and attempts are being made to bridge cultural gaps; however this issue is capped, yet not resolved. Perhaps it should be researched in-depth involving both Indians and Australians and the claim of “racist” attacks be addressed.

Against this backdrop, both countries should be assuring and commit only what they can honour, because simply signing Memoranda of Understanding, as has been the trend in the past, will not suffice in progressing the Indo-Australian relationship.

Dr Dalbir Ahlawat is an Honorary Associate at the Department of International Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney.

Australian PM Kevin Rudd with India’s President Pratibha Patil

India survives the Copenhagen “ambush”

fear that agreeing to cut an already low emission per capita (India’s is only 1.29 metric tons) would handicap development.

By NOEL G. DE SOUZA

The not-so-secret agenda of the Copenhagen Climate Change conference was to pressurise China and India into binding commitments to reduce carbon emissions; this ignores the fact that China emits only half of what Britain and several European countries do per person whilst India has amongst the smallest per capita emissions compared to any industrial country.

Making the USA commit to a binding treaty would have been a feat because the USA had not ratified the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions. Even if all the heads of government at Copenhagen had signed a binding commitment, that would not have been final as legislatures like the US Congress and the Senate have to pass ratifying legislations. The French High Court only recently (January 2010) declared as unconstitutional a law, promoted by President Sarkozy, to reduce emissions.

The developed world has been polluting the atmosphere for over one-and-half centuries. Initially, it was industrialisation but now it is lifestyle which involves the excess use of petrol-driven cars and heavy energy use in households. The developed world emits far more carbon per capita than do China and India. The USA and Australia rank as the worst polluters at around 17 metric tons per capita. Even if this is halved, which is a huge demand, the per capita emissions would be much higher than that of China’s.

The Copenhagen conference revealed the world’s inequities and the impossibility of finding a solution to satisfy all countries.

Major fractures exist within both developed and developing countries. A rift exists between the Europe Union, which adheres to the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol, which the USA which does not.

The developing world is fractured between the emerging nations (the BASIC countries: Brazil, South Africa, India and China), the oil-rich states (particularly Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Iran) and the LDCs (the 49 Least Developed Countries, 33 in Africa and five in the subcontinent: Afghanistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives and some in the South Pacific).

The emerging nations, which are industrialising and modernising, have been emitting substantial carbon into the atmosphere for about the last thirty years but their per capita emissions are lower to those of the USA and the European Union (5.3 metric tons). Countries like India

The LDCs are amongst the most affected and least able to cope such as with drought in the Sahara, rising sea levels in the Maldives and in Bangladesh and melting glaciers in Nepal. That is why those countries expressed their frustrations and ridiculed the paltry 10 billion US dollars being offered to them. They were somewhat assuaged when, towards the end of the conference, this was raised to ten times that amount.

There is a big gap between the LDCs and BASIC countries. Tuvalu, threatened by rising waters, wanted China and India to be subjected to binding commitments. When the USA, the world’s largest energy user per capita, is not bound by the Kyoto Protocol then how could one make demands on China and India?

The emission rates of the developed countries are so high compared to developing countries, that any uniform rate cut would leave the developed countries forever at an advantage, consigning the developing world to a low standard of living. World Bank figures show that high per capita incomes go together with high carbon emission rates. Two notable exceptions are France and Sweden which have high per capita incomes but medium per capita pollution. Incidentally, France produces a good deal of nuclear power.

The Kyoto Protocol includes a Clean Development Mechanism or CDM scheme. This allows developed countries to finance the development of CDMs in developing countries. For every metric ton of carbon prevented from entering the atmosphere, the host country gets one carbon credit which it can sell to a developed country. Bangladesh’s representative Q. Chowdhury lamented that whist his country has one CDM project, China and India have 1000 each.

The Copenhagen Conference has been characterised by some as a failure but by others as a first step. President Obama rephrased the UNFCCC (The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” to “common but differentiated responses.”

India, on its own, is using and developing technologies to reduce the use of oil by using energy saving devices and thus reduce its carbon emissions by as much as 25% by 2020 according to its Bureau of Energy Efficiency. Companies investing in energy saving programmes will get credits which can then be traded in an energy exchange market with other companies. A large educational programme for industries and grass roots has been launched. An expansion of India’s nuclear power generation will greatly reduce India’s carbon emissions.

High per capita income goes together with high carbon emission rates. A notable exception to this is France which has high per capita income but medium per capita pollution.

(It produces a good deal of nuclear power)

Kolkata The evolving city

and enthusiasm through the whole market.

Before going to Kolkata I had heard much about this historical city. The architecture, the food and the shopping dominated conversation. Looking at Kolkata city from the air I had high expectations of what the city had to offer. Landing at the airport I was underwhelmed. Travelling to Kolkata from Dhaka had accustomed me to the heat, the crowds and the general lack of space. And similarly to Dhaka all this was juxtaposed with the constant energetic chatter, the persistent call of street vendors and the static hum of Kolkata’s bright yellow taxis. Winding our way through the wide open

roads left over from the British Raj, we managed to find our way into the veins of the city, the small winding streets which were teeming with people. Our hotel was situated close to “New Market” and wishing to waste no time at all I went to have a look. It was empty. I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of bustle and thought to myself that I could get some shopping done in peace. But that was not to be. One of the vendors informed me that Sunday afternoon was the only time in which “you can see the ground you are standing on”. And he was right. When I returned the next day, the place was alive with a throbbing crowd that pumped energy

Having had my first taste of shopping, I was content to walk idly through the streets and explore the small shops and narrow streets which contained so many lives, livelihoods and lifelines. Kolkata’s streets had once been wide and open, built as they were by the British who had kept in mind their own roads. As time went on, people built shops and houses, one in front of the other, until the roads became narrower and narrower. This has resulted in a “closeness” that is reminiscent of the alleys of Old Dhaka.

I progressed onto Park Street with a mission - Mission Sari. I had heard so much about the designer boutiques on Park Street and their wide range and endless variety but nothing had prepared me for the number of

At that point I truly understood why Kolkata had been chosen by the British as the capital. Regardless of how the architecture of the city had evolved, or how the city had fared in comparison with its sister cities, the people and produce of this city were truly unique. The people with their mix of Indian and Bengali culture were cheerful and welcoming hosts, eager to assist and always with a smile. The actual city itself was a host to the culture and history of an India that had evolved drastically in the past century. Kolkata managed to maintain a flavour of the past, a respect to its traditions as well as a step into the future. A tram ride and a walk around Victoria Park was the highlight of my final day in Kolkata. The elegant walkways and the lush greenery juxtaposed with the gridlines that place with a unique history. One that is being

Dhaka-born Sydney-bred SHAFEEN MUSTAQ spends three days in Kolkata

A monumental relic, this tram has been in operation since 1849

Aerial view of Kolkata

Park Street: The place to go for saris

Street view of Kolkata

Rickshaw ride, anyone?

St Hoggs market, better known as New Market

Preserving the past

When I visit Calcutta, I love going to North Calcutta to buy books on College Street and to admire the grandeur of the old Calcutta houses. On this trip, I was looking for Sustra Samhita from Sanskrit Pustak Vandar. The day was Swami Vivekananda’s birthday and just across the road on Gour Mohan Mukerjee Street, I noticed a newly renovated house with a statue of Swami Vivekananda at the front. My curiosity discovered that it was the birth place of Swami Vivekananda and I ended up buying a Rs 100 ticket to see his ancestral home which is being preserved, renovated and restored by the Ramakrishna Mission.

Inaugurated by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of India on 1 October, 2004, it is a memorial and cultural complex that highlights Swami Vivekananda’s family background and his importance in history. A local newspaper stated that the central government is planning to celebrate Swami Vivekananda’s birthday as Heritage Day in educational institutions, to attract students towards conservation of our heritage. Swami Vivekananda preserved the true essence of Hindu culture and heritage, whilst promoting it across the globe. He was essentially a man without frontiers and was regarded as one of the architects of global unity in the future. With his unique idealism, he gave the modern world a few pointers such as: ride the crest of evolution and be the maker of one’s own destiny; reality is always in harmony with the discoveries of modern science; ethics and morality are based in freedom, fearlessness and strength; and, religion is free from superstitions, dogmatism and intolerance and therefore it should foster universal brotherhood and be the means of attaining the highest fulfillment in a person’s life.

Swami Vivekananda was born in 1863 in this wellpreserved house, as the eldest son of Viswanath Dutta and Bhuvaneswari Devi. Swamji’s mother was the only child of

Nandalal Basu of the renowned Basu family. Swamiji’s original name was Narendranath Dutta. His father Viswanath Dutta was an attorney-at-law, and a successful one. He earned well, but spent his wealth on leading an aristocratic life surrounded by relatives and friends. He also helped many young students with their education.

On 25 February 1884, Swamiji’s father died suddenly, plunging the affluent family into poverty, as they had no savings. Hardship followed, and to make things worse, some of their relatives put forth claims for the ownership of the property. The dispute went to court, and the legal battle dragged on. On settlement, the entire property was divided into ten parts. A portion of the house was even demolished to make a common passage for inhabitants of the building where Swamiji lived with his mother and brothers till their deaths.

The house was originally built 300 years ago, by Swamiji’s great-grandfather, Rammohan Dutta, who was an associate of an English solicitor and earned a lot of wealth through his profession. The house is in Simla Palli, a locality in North Calcutta and during Swamiji’s time, it was surrounded by a garden and a large open space beyond. With Calcutta constantly growing into a mega city, the road to the house is now a narrow lane, known as Gour Mohan Mukerjee Street.

I visited the museum section of the building which displayed historic

courtyard used to house a stable for horses, and adjacent to these were separate buildings for men and women. The ground floor in the main house was used as a kitchen and dining hall, and above were the residential chambers. From their enclosure ladies of the house could watch the great Bengali pujas and ceremonies held in courtyard. The ladies met, talked and moved freely on the roof. In 1963, the original building had reached near dilapidation, with 54 families and small business centres as its occupants. The site of Swamaji’s ancestral house had become a virtual slum. But the monks and devotees in Ramakrishna Mission had a growing desire and vision to take concrete steps towards establishing a memorial institution for Swamiji in the place of his birth. A proposal was sent to the West Bengal government in 1963, Swamiji’s birth centenary, and was accepted; however the existing tenants challenged the acquisition proceedings, leading to a legal tussle that lasted three decades.

With the consent of the Court, Ramakrishna Mission provided alternative housing for the tenants and the West Bengal Government acquired the whole building and an adjoining plot of land. The Bengal government handed over the property to Ramakrishna Mission, and they took on the task of renovation and restoration,

The reconstruction work started with cleaning up of the whole area and acquiring the original plan of the house from the Calcutta High Court. To reconstruct the house in its original format, brick, tiles and construction works came from different parts of Bengal such as Bakura, Birhum and Murshidabad. Dedicated and painstaking efforts led to preserving the heritage building with a meditation hall and museum, library and seminar hall, Vivekananda research centre and a rural and slum development centre. The whole project was estimated at a cost of Rs. 20 crores provided by Central Government (Rs 9.90 crores), West Bengal Government (Rs 6 crores) and Ramakrishna Mission (Rs 4.1 crores).

Walking through the living rooms with their black wood furniture, the Thakur Dalan, veranda and staircase, I felt that the ticket cost was justified and an integral part of Calcutta’s heritage is now preserved. The number of visitors increases steadily, as they pay homage to a great son of Mother India. Swami Vivekananda endured hardship until the end of his life to uplift the poor masses of India and also raised the prestige of Indian culture across the globe. Subhash Chandra Bose wrote, “Swamiji Vivekananda harmonised the East and West, religion and science, past and present. And that is why he is great. Our countrymen have gained unprecedented self-respect, self-confidence and self-assertion from his teachings.”

INDRANIL HALDER takes a journey into the ancestral home of one of India’s great visionary reformers

Tuning in to Nature

FARZANA SHAKIR explores the benefits of early rising

It’s second on my list of New Year’s resolutions, just below ‘making time to write more’. Our grandparents swore by it, and many religions endorse it.

The famous Benjamin Franklin observation, ‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ caught my fancy, and I embarked on a mission to find out if there was any truth to the claim. I wasn’t surprised to discover that there have been hundreds of experiments on the relationship between sleep and health, and scientists have discovered that to keep optimum health, one should sleep with the birds and rise before daybreak. The benefits of sleeping between 10 pm and 6 am are profound and in contrast, going to bed by 11 pm or later have been found to be detrimental to health, linking the habit directly to many modern diseases such as heart problems, liver diseases and cancer.

If you look around in Nature, you will find that everything follows a precise rhythm influenced by the rotations of the sun, moon and the earth. Sleeping and waking are part of that natural cycle just like the changes in seasons, the rising and setting of sun, the lunar cycle etc. The human body, like those of animals and plants, is meant to observe a natural rhythm to function at its optimum. This natural cycle is known as our body clock. Disruption of this due to incorrect sleeping patterns results in many diseases. This is mainly because the hormones and chemicals determining our energy levels are thrown out of sync, making us feel imbalanced and out of tune with our body clock and nature. Before the invention of electricity, people

used to sleep early as intended by nature, and availed of the best times to sleep, that is, 10pm to 6am. Between these hours the human body is designed to rest, repair, detoxify and rejuvenate. If we stay up late partying, working or eating, our energies our focussed on functions other than rest and recuperation. Our main body systems work according to a schedule.

l 9 pm – 11 pm is when the body gets rid of toxins from the immune system. The lymph nodes responsible for this function work best if the body is in a restive mode. Meaning one should be fast asleep by this time.

l 11 pm – 1 am is the time set by the body clock for the liver to eliminate harmful chemicals and rejuvenate. For this organ to properly execute this function, the body once again, has to be asleep.

l 12 am – 4 am is said to be the time when bone marrow performs its primary function.

l 1 am – 3 am is when the gall bladder rejuvenates by expelling toxins.

l 3 am – 5 am is the ideal time for your lungs to eliminate toxins and recover from any wear and tear.

l 5 am – 7 am is the best time to empty the bowel as the colon is ready to expel all the toxins the body has produced in the process of cleansing through the night, and in doing so the colon itself eliminates poisons and rejuvenates.

l 7 am – 9 am is the time to have breakfast as the body is thoroughly clean and ready to absorb nutrients through the small intestine. While it is important to avail of the best time to sleep, it is also imperative that we provide ourselves the ideal conditions that will be conducive to a productive sleep. Firstly, the bedroom should be totally darkened. When we sleep in a pitch dark room our brain produces a hormone called melatonin. This important antioxidant protects our DNA structure and prevents cancer. Even a small amount of light like that coming from a clock, a window or even a mobile phone charging could instantly shut off the production of melatonin. The second thing that we can do to regulate out biological clock and promote a well balanced sleeping pattern is to get some sunlight everyday and exercise moderately. Keep the bedroom free from electromagnetic fields by banishing the TV, computer and any other electronic item from it. There is no better tonic than having a hot shower before bed. Avoid drinking any fluids at least two hours before bed and make an effort to get up and go to sleep at the same time each day, until the body

gets set into its natural rhythm, after which the body clock will function so well, you wouldn’t need an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning.

Researchers have proved that sleeping early is good for our immune system. People who regularly sleep late at night are susceptible to infections. This is because the detoxification process works best before midnight. Sleeping early strengthens our metabolism and hence our ability to sustain exertion. It reduces levels of stress and inflammation in the body, while bolstering memory and keeping us alert as the memory consolidation process occurs during sleep. Sleeping early has also been linked to losing weight, as the hormones ghrelin and leptin responsible for regulating appetite function during sleep.

Benjamin Franklin also said: ‘The early morning has gold in its mouth’ and indeed

there is “a high correlation between success and rising early,” says writer Steve Pavlina. Some advantages of waking up early are that you get more time to prepare for your day, you feel less anxious and rushed. A walk in the park at this time is exhilarating as the air is crisp and fresh, and after a night of cleansing, the lungs are ready to absorb the goodness it offers. Early morning is the best time to study, meditate, pray, exercise and work as all systems are functioning at their optimum. By the time the rest of the world wakes up, the early riser has already had a headstart and that’s what you need to succeed in any race.

So there you have it, I’m convinced that ‘Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’ and it’s still not too late to add it to your list of New Year’s resolutions too....that’s if you wish to succeed.

Before the invention of electricity, people used to sleep early as intended by nature, and availed of the best times to sleep, that is, 10pm to 6am

(Sleeping) reduces levels of stress and inflammation in the body, while bolstering memory and keeping us alert as the memory consolidation process occurs during sleep

Kids C rner

By Devna and Manan Luthra

Did you know...

* At birth, Dalmatian puppies are always white.

* Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards.

* Google is a number: 1 followed by 100 zeros (it is sometimes spelt as googol)

* Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries

* The term ‘cop’ comes

Squeak Squeak!

from England. It is short for “Constable on patrol”.

* The skeleton of a 70kg body weighs 13 kg.

* Ice cream was invented in China in 2000 BC.

* Teeth are the only part of the human body that can’t repair themselves. DL

Pearl of wisdom

Poetry

In the 1960s

In 1961

I went up to the sun

I was very stunned And it was not fun.

In 1962

I did a little poo

It got stuck in the loo

And looked like a shoe.

In 1963

I did a little pee

I called it a she And made everyone see.

In 1964

I went down to war

I found I broke the law

And had to lick the floor.

In 1965

I learnt how to drive I hit a beehive

And the bees were on a thrive.

In 1966

I got into a fix

I had to collect sticks

To melt into bricks.

In 1967

I turned eleven

I met a girl called Evan And it was heaven.

In 1968

I met an old mate

We had a milkshake And it was great.

In 1969

Everything was mine. I started to shine

But the police gave me a fine. ML

I learnt a new word

Procrastinate Put off doing things as long as possible

Doctrine The teachings of a person or school or religion

Do you have any brothers or sisters? Do they often get on your nerves? Alvin, Simon and Theodore, three famous chipmunk rockstars, can tell you all you need to know on living with annoying siblings.

The movie AlvinandtheChipmunks:The Squeakquel , will have you laughing and sighing at all the crazy things they do and say.

Alvin, Simon and Theodore must leave the comforts of their luxurious life and endure the scary adventures of high school. Being trampled to death in dodgeball, making friends with new people, nerve-wracking band rivalries, learning wierd facts about their principal (she has a tattoo of them) – it’s a strange

The only bad thing about the movie is that the high-pitched squeaking of the chipmunks’ voices may cause temporary damage to the ears… DL

Your Turn

Pearl of wisdom

When your mum is mad and asks, “Do

her.

I look stupid?”, it’s best not to answer

WE PROVIDE PROTECTION FROM ALL MAGIC

Summer specials

By ALPA SHAH

Its summertime, but with the vagaries of weather lately, a hot day can turn chilly within the hour. So here are some recipes - all vegetarian - to beat the heat and chase away the chills, whatever the weather.

Watermelon Salad with Ginger Dressing

2 cups watermelon cubes

1 cup pineapple cubes (fresh or canned)

1 cup cooked sweet corn kernels

1 cup cucumber cubes

2 tbsp grated carrots for garnish

For dressing

½ tsp grated ginger

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp low fat yoghurt

1 tbsp milk powder

Salt to taste

Combine the watermelon, pineapple, corn, cucumber and salt together in a serving bowl and mix well. Refrigerate to chill.

To make the ginger dressing, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well. Refrigerate to chill.

Just before serving pour the ginger dressing over it and toss gently. Serve immediately garnished with carrots.

Cabbage and Apple Salad

2 cups shredded cabbage

2 tbsp chopped celery

2 cups apple cubes

Salt to taste

For dill dressing

1 tbsp chopped dill leaves

¼ cup low fat yoghurt (hung)

2 tsp low fat milk

½ tsp sugar

Salt to taste

For dill dressing, combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well.

Refrigerate to chill.

Immerse the cabbage and celery in a bowl full of ice-cold water for half an hour. This will make them crisp. Drain and add apple, salt and the dill dressing. Toss gently and serve immediately.

(Handy tip: cut apple cubes just before adding the dressing or they may turn dark).

Vegetable skewers

½ cup blanched baby corn, cut into 13mm pieces

½ capsicum cubes

½ cup deseeded and cubed tomatoes

½ cup paneer (low fat preferred)

½ cup onion cubes

For marinade

¾ cup yoghurt

1 tsp chilli powder

¼ turmeric powder

½ tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

½ tsp besan (chickpea flour)

Tom Yum Soup

For vegetable stock/soup base

½ cup roughly chopped cabbage

½ cup roughly chopped carrots

2 tbspn chopped celery

2 tbspn chopped spring onions

3 to 4 cauliflower florets

3-4 cloves (laung)

25mm (1” stick) cinnamon

1 bayleaf

Salt to taste

½ tsp dried fenugreek leaves roasted and crushed

¼ tsp ajwain or oregano roasted and crushed.

Salt to taste.

Combine the babycorn, capsicum, tomatoes, paneer, onions and add the prepared marinade in large bowl and mix well. Refrigerate to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Heat a non-stick pan on medium flame and when hot, dry roast the marinated vegetables on it for 15-20 minutes or till they turn slightly brown in colour. Remove from pan and pierce a piece of baby corn, capsicum, tomato, paneer and onion side by side on a skewer. Repeat with the remaining vegetables to make more skewers.

Serve hot.

Quesadillas

For tortillas

1 cup whole wheat flour (healthy version by replacing white flour with wheat)

¼ cup low fat milk

Salt to taste

Stuffing

½ cup grated paneer

½ cup cooked yellow sweet corn kernels

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tomato, chopped & without pulp

Salt to taste

To make the tortillas, mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and knead to a soft, smooth dough by adding enough water. Knead the dough well and keep for half an

For soup

1 green chilli cut lengthwise

3 fresh mushrooms, thickly slices

½ cup carrot strips

½ cup chopped spring onions

4-5 paneer or tofu cubes

10-12 cauliflower florets, blanched

2 tbsp finely chopped lemon grass

Salt to taste

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chillies in vinegar to serve

To make vegetable stock, boil all the ingredients in 4 cups of water on a

hour. Knead again. Divide into 6 equal parts and roll out each portion roughly into a (6” size) tortilla with the help of little flour. Cook lightly on a non-stick pan and keep aside.

Mix the stuffing ingredients together. When ready to serve, place a tortilla on flat, dry surface and spread a little stuffing on it. Place another tortilla on top and press well so that they stick. Repeat with remaining tortillas and stuffing, to make quesadillas. Cook on a medium flame on non stick pan (tava) on both sides until crisp. Cut into 25mm/1” pieces and serve immediately.

Green Cool Salad with Basil Dressing

2 cups shredded cabbage

1 tsp chopped celery

1 cup green grapes, cut into halves

½ cup cucumber cubes

For dressing

¼ cup thick hung low fat curds

1 tbsp low fat cream/milk

½ tsp lemon juice

½ tsp finely chopped lemon rind

1tbsp chopped basil

2 tbsp grated apples

A pinch of sugar

A pinch of mustard

Salt and freshly crushed pepper to taste

To prepare dressing, combine all the ingredients together into a bowl till smooth and refrigerate to chill.

Put the cabbage and celery into ice-cold water for half n hour. Drain, wrap in a

medium flame for 15 to 20 mins, till the liquid reduces to about 3 cups. Allow the vegetables to settle at the bottom of the vessel and drain out the stock. Discard the vegetables. Use stock as required.

To make the soup, boil the prepared vegetable stock in a deep vessel. Add green chillies, mushrooms, carrots, spring onions, paneer, cauliflower, lemon grass and salt, and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Add lemon juice and mix well. Serve hot with chillies in vinegar.

muslin cloth and refrigerate till ready to serve

Combine the grapes and cucumber in a bowl containing grapes and cucumber Sprinkle salt over it, add the dressing and toss well.

Serve immediately.

Zero Oil Potato Wafers with Mango Salsa

3 large potatoes, peeled Salt and chilli powder to taste

For mango salsa (makes apporx 1¼ cup)

½ cup chopped ripe mangoes

½ cup chopped tomatoes

1 tbsp chopped celery

2 tbsp chopped spring onion whites

1 tbsp chopped capsicum

½ tsp dry red chilli flakes

Salt to taste

Cut the potatoes into about 4 mm thick slices

Wash in cold water and dry thoroughly Arrange the slices in the baking tray in a single layer

Bake in a pre heated oven at 150 degrees for 15 minutes or till crisp. Keep aside.

To prepare salsa, mix the mangoes and tomatoes together in a bowl and lightly mash them with the back of the spoon. Add the remaining ingredients mix well and let them marinate for at lest one hour in the refrigerator.

To serve, arrange the mango salsa in the centre of a platter surrounded with zero oil potato wafers. Serve immediately.

NORTHMEAD $339,950

WALK TO WESTMEAD

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WENTWORTHVILLE

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Auction: Saturday 27 February 2010 on site at 12pm

Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

Contact Alan Fowler 0413 057 699 + Leanne Ollerenshaw 0414 790 887

$319,950

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Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

Contact Leanne Ollerenshaw

WENTWORTHVILLE $529,950

LOCATION, LOCATION

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Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

Contact Alan Fowler

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This well presented East facing apartment located on the top floor will be snatched up in a flash, features include 2 good size bedrooms, large lounge and dining area, modern kitchen with gas cook top, air conditioning, 2 toilets, large private balcony and lock up garage, all located with in walking distance to trains shops, schools and Woolworths.

Laing& Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000 Contact Leanne Ollerenshaw

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Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000 Contact Alan Fowler 0413 075 699 + Leanne Ollerenshaw 0414 790 887

ERMINGTON $649,950

SIT BACK & WATCH THE FIRE WORKS 3a Heysen Avenue

This 3-4 bedroom Torrens tile duplex is absolutely unique, features different living areas for you to relax in, including lounge, dining, rumpus + teenage retreat. Sit on the large balcony and watch the Rivercat go by or on those special occasions the fireworks with all this you would have no problems entertaining your friends and it even includes a large modern kitchen with gas cook top to help with your entertaining, other features include 2 modern bathrooms, internal laundry, loads of storage, lock up garage and well maintained yard. Open for inspection: Saturday 3-3:30pm

Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

Contact Leanne Ollerenshaw 0414 790 887

GREAT STARTER

Situated in 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 INSPECT!

Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000 Contact Alan Fowler

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WALK TO STATION

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Alan Fowler

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WHEN SIZE COUNTS

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Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

Contact Alan Fowler

TOONGABBIE $349,950

WELL PRESENTED MODERN TOWNHOUSE

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Laing & Simmons Wentworthville 9688 4000

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PROVIDE PROTECTION

Your consultation will be kept confidential Luck is in your hand, don’t miss it FOR APPOINTMENT PLEASE CONTACT: SWAMY JI

Contact no’s: 0432120236, 0422832303 or 0297476804

UNIT 6, 15-17

, STRATHFIELD NSW 2135 (Next to tennis court)

Green Eyed Monster

Dear Auntyji

I like writing short stories which get published in magazines. All the stories are fictional. My wife reads my stories but each time she reads one, she reads some meaning into them, and says that my life is probably based on what I write about. For instance, I wrote about a man who falls in love with his brother’s wife and my wife is now highly suspicious of Meera and me. How do you suggest I deal with this, Auntyji?

Auntyji says

It looks like your wife does not have a life, does she? You’ve got two options. One, you can tell her she’s a bloody idiot and that her accusations are simply a projection of her own dirty mind or, you can tell her it’s the truth and yes, you put all your real life episodes into stories, and deal with the consequences. Your wife is insecure and you must ask yourself, is that just her personality type, or have you given her reason to believe that she can’t trust you. Did you have an affair and spill your guts and now she can’t trust you, or is she simply a jealous type? I personally couldn’t stand to live with a jealous partner, but if you can, then good luck to you. Remember this, what standards are you prepared to accept? Do you like your wife accusing you of dumb things? If you like this behaviour, which some people do, then, I don’t see what your problem is. If you find your wife’s insecurities annoying, allay them by dealing with it.

Silver Spoon Silvia

Dear Auntyji

My husband has no control with our little daughter. When the five-year-old asks for ice-cream, even if she has a cold, he will give it to her. Whatever our daughter wants, she gets because my husband can’t seem to say no to her. If she cries, my husbands all melts and gets upset. Silvia is getting spoilt and can be a little brat sometimes, but my husband does not see the fault of what he is doing. To him, she is his little princess and can do no wrong. He panders to her every whim. If she gets teased by her brother, he gets all angry and Silvia gets her way not just most of the time, but all the time. If she wants pasta, that’s what she gets. If she wants to make juice, he’ll mess up the kitchen to please her. If she wants to watch me cook, he gets her a chair in the kitchen. If my other two kids say anything to her, they

Sex, Lies and Videotape Dear

Auntyji

SEEKING BRIDES

Fiji Indian Hindu family from Sydney, seek alliance for son, age 26, Australian citizen, fair, educated, 160 cm. Seeking bride under 25 years, slim, fair, sincere and pleasant personality. Contact parents at PO Box 502 Plumpton NSW 2761 or email at hum772009@gmail.com

Parents of Gujarati Patel boy seek bride for their son, age 29 years, Australian citizen, IT professional, permanent job. Visit www.Bharatmatrimony.com and search for his ID G584083 to find more details or call Kesh Patel on 02 8205 8409 / 0401 548 194 to discuss further.

Australian citizen, 36 years old, settled and working in Sydney as a professional employer. Seeking girl between 27 to up to my age (36), no caste bar. Please contact 0416 398 869 or for other details and photo mail me at satishsingh_2009@yahoo.com.au

Fiji Indian Hindu family from Sydney, seek alliance for son, age 26, Australian citizen, fair, educated, 160 cm. Seeking bride under 25 years, slim, fair, sincere and pleasant personality. Contact parents at PO Box 502 Plumpton NSW 2761 or email at hum772009@gmail.com

Australian citizen, Indian origin male, uni educated, govt job, own house, mid 40s, seeks honest Indian/ Fiji Indian lady for marriage. Please send details to email: tamave@hotmail.com or phone 0404 263 400.

do I deal with a father who is all twisted

Auntyji says

Yes, I can see your problem. I too have seen fathers who treat their daughter better than they treat their wives. As a result, their daughters grow up into snooty nosed little prima donnas whom no one likes. You should be blunt and tell your husband what you think of his behavior. Tell him that you too have the best interests of Silvia at heart, but little girls don’t need to treated like they are princesses, well, not to the degree where they are spoilt. It’s quite unnerving, not to mention irritating watching little girls get whatever they want because their daddies can’t say no to them. I say you put your foot down, woman, she is your daughter and no matter how blind or stupid the father is, he shouldn’t be raising a precocious child.

Matrimonials

Indian Catholic gentleman, 38 years, innocently divorced, handsome, responsible and affectionate nature, excellent family background, requests to meet a girlfriend or a female in matrimonial alliance. Hindu vegetarian lady welcome; nationality, religion or caste no barrier. Detailed information will be given in person. Please contact me by phone for appointment: (02) 9676 2512 or 0419 792 947.

Gujarati Brahmin family invites proposals for their pure vegetarian, non-smoker, non-drinker, broadminded, family oriented son, Permanent Resident of Australia, 24 years, 5’ 7”, B.E.Mechanical Engineer, settled in Perth. Alliances are sought from well educated, family oriented, spiritual and good looking girls from well cultured Gujarati families. Initial contact can be made at kulfunda@ gmail.com or 0402 433 385.

Sister seeks suitable bride for her handsome professionally qualified Punjabi Hindu Brahmin brother, 27, working as MBA in HR department in a reputed company in India. Boy teetotaller and belongs to well respected and well to do family in India. Please respond to sharmamona26@yahoo.com.au or call 0433 602 032.

SEEKING GROOMS

Seeking suitable professionally qualified, Hindu, well-settled match for Indianbased Hindu girl, never married, 30 years, 160cm, practicing as an architect and interior designer in India. Please contact Shivani Baheti (elder sister) on 0421530 876 or bahetived@yahoo.com.

Sister and brother-in-law seek suitable groom for Gujarati Brahmin girl, professionally qualified. Family well settled in India. Seeking 26-29 year old, qualified match with strong cultural and family background. Please email biodata and recent pictures to Meghna.joshi@ato.gov. au or contact 0433 613 676.

Parents seek educated and wellsettled boy for Hindu Punjabi girl, IT professional, Australian citizen, born 1977, 5’ 6” slim, never married. Please send details and recent, clear photo to vnsb2009@gmail.com

Australian resident, born December 74, 5’ 3” slim, fair, Hindu Punjabi Khatri girl, never married, seeks Hindu Punjabi educated boy. Please send details and recent photo to ranjeev333@yahoo.com phone 0061432 020 702.

Sister and brother-in-law invite well settled/educated match for a lovely Jatt

I recently bought a new television and a video recorder from a major shopping outlet. It was the floor model and we did get a large discount for it. When my husband and I installed it at home, we noticed there was a tape in it. We thought that it was a clean tape and when we played it, it was a demo tape but not how to turn the buttons on the TV but how to turn the buttons on your partner, during, you know, love making. Both my husband and I were totally annoyed by the tape and saw it for the next 100 minutes with our mouths open. Thank god my motherin-law had gone to satsang. We now do not know what to do. Should we return the video and the recorder to the shop or should we keep it? We are confused as we always thought these were the actions of perverts.

Auntyji says

Hai! Hai! What are you complaining about, woman! You were home-delivered a piece of erotica which normally have to be ordered in a brown bag from Canberra or for which you have to wear dark glasses and go to certain shops in Kings Cross. Just sit back and enjoy it. Make sure you do not leave it lying around the house or your mother-in-law may think it is the tape of a Ramayana episode which she misplaced when she migrated from India and the contents may just surprise her. Now if you still believe you need to get rid of this video, you can post it to (a) the shop where you bought the video, (b) a friend you believe is open minded, or (c) to Auntyji c/o Indian Link, GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001. I am sure Uncleji may learn some good touches. Though you know, you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Either way, do not fret about all this, enjoy or discard.

Sikh girl, 24 / 5’6”, completing IT in May 2010 (USA), plans to settle in Australia. Early marriage. Caste no bar. Seeking a suitable match with strong family values. Genuine enquiries please e-mail to shaadi1109@gmail.com with biodata and recent photo.

Sister and brother-in-law seek a suitable groom for a lovely Hindu Punjabi Brahmin girl, professionally qualified. Family well settled in India. Seeking a 25-29-year-old, professionally qualified match, with strong cultural and family background. Please email bio data and recent pictures to mittalarvind@hotmail. com or contact on 0421 669 534.

Seeking a groom for sister who is very warm hearted, caring, attractive, good cook and home-maker. Never married, 47-year-old Hindu Marathi. Hotel management qualified. Can work in Australia as a Certified Cook. Half of the family based in Australia. Australian PR or citizen only. Please email at rnita45@ yahoo.com

Seeking alliance for our 24-year old, 5’4” beautiful Sikh daughter. She is a finance professional with strong family values. We are settled in Sydney for many years. Please send your details and photo at kuldeeponly@gmail.com

Brother seek suitable groom for Hindu Gupta girl, professionally qualified. Family well settled in India. Seeking a 2830 year old, professionaly qualified match, with strong family values. Please send biodata and recent picture to vikjas@gmail. com or contact 0401 318 439.

ABHILASHA SENGUPTA brings us up-to-date on what’s hot and happening in Bollywood

Saif snags the Padma Shri

An overwhelmed Saif Ali Khan thanked all his directors for his successful film career that fetched him his Padma Shri national honour recently. “I am very proud and honoured to have received this honour. I would like to thank my family and loved ones who have been there for me and the industry for supporting me,” Saif said in an e-mail message. “I would particularly like to thank Imtiaz Ali, Aditya Chopra, Karan Johar, Ramesh Taurani, Farhan Akhtar, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Siddharth Anand, Kunal Kohli and Vishal Bhardwaj for having faith in me and making me who I am today,” he added. After debuting with Aashiq Awara in 1992, Saif had to struggle a lot till Dil Chahta Hai happened in 2001, marking a turning point in his career. Since then there’s been no looking back for the actor, as he enjoyed hits like Kal Ho Naa Ho, Ek Hasina Thi, Hum Tum, Parineeta, Salaam Namaste, Omkara and Love Aaj Kal. Well done and well deserved, Saif!

It’s finally happened, and about time too! Bollywood is set to stage its own Broadway at a special destination called Kingdom of Dreams in Gurgaon. The venue will offer Bollywood musicals, stage shows, theatre, performing arts, Indian culture, heritage, crafts, cuisine and shopping, all under one roof. According to a social networking link to the property, it will house an ensemble of a theatre and a lounge. While the 850-seater Nautanki Mahal will showcase Bollywood musicals every day, the approximately 100,000 sq ft Culture Gully will be an air conditioned arts, crafts and food boulevard.

shows a day, including Indian mythology, Balle Balle - My Big Fat Indian Wedding Show, and A Great Indian Talent Circus.

role in the dark drama which is releasing shortly.

Feisty Preity Zinta pulled off a stunt by jumping off the wall of a toilet at the Delhi airport after she got stuck inside for more than 10 minutes. “Spent 10 minutes stuck in the toilet at the airport...Finally had to climb the wall and jump over... People were calling out my name,” Preity posted on her Twitter page recently. The 34-yearold says she felt she would die in there, but managed to escape. “Thought I was going to die as I am claustrophobic. Pulled a muscle in my arm...,” she added. “Being a tomboy when I was younger definitely helped. Trying to climb a wall is never easy. Phew! Happy to go home now.”

So Preity’s doing her own stunts now, how’s that for a true artiste?

Vidya Balan in never-seenbefore role in Ishqiya

Promos of Ishqiya have caught on in a big

,” adds Vidya.

What do you mean, ‘direct dil se’?

“Well, she is someone who will do what she wants. In fact, the most thrilling part for me was that I was playing a bad woman for the first time. This doesn’t mean though that she doesn’t have good shades at all.

loves someone, she does so with an open heart and is all passionate. On the other hand, you make yourself her enemy and she won’t think twice about showing the violent and aggressive side of hers.” She also engages herself in a lustful bout with another man.

GUESS WHO GUESS WHO

(Find the answer under Caption Contest)

Directed by Abhishek Chaubhey and produced by Vishal Bharadwaj, the film is set in a small town in Uttar Pradesh. Vidya

Not only is she a good looker, she also loves adventure sports

PREITY ZINTA

She is a consummate Indian woman who can be a mother as well as a caretaker. She would make chai and food for you when you wish while behind closed doors she would expect her own needs and desire to be fulfilled. She is Rambha, Saraswati, Durga and Kaali - all brought together in one body.”

“2009 ended on a positive note for me with Paa turning out to be such a good commercial success while also gaining immense critical acclaim. Now in the case of Ishqiya, I genuinely hope that people like the film.”

Zarine says zilch to bikini

Flaunting one’s body in a bikini is no longer taboo in Hindi films, but new entrant Zarine Khan, who debuted with Veer says she would never be able to don a two-piece costume on screen. In Veer, the Mumbai girl was covered from head to toe throughout the film. But is she ready to play a chic urban girl and wear contemporary costumes in her future movies?

“I am more than willing to do so. What I am sure about though is that I would never be able to wear a bikini. That’s because I am constantly thinking that I am fat! Till the time this voice reverberates inside my head, I will always be apprehensive,” said Zarine in an interview. “I’m very conscious about my weight. In fact, during my school and college days, I used to weigh as much as 100 kilos. It’s only now that I weigh a lot lesser. I want to play all kinds of roles and get into the kind of attire that a Hindi film heroine is required to wear,” said the young actress, adding “However, before that I will have to get rid of all the excess weight that I currently have on me. It’s just a few more pounds to go and after that it should all be well.”

Zarine, who plays princess Yashodhara in Veer understands that if she wants to be in the business of showbiz, she will need a good figure. “Whatever role that I consent to play, it has to be done with dedication. However, I’m a new entrant and there are so many established actresses who are taking the size zero route. Obviously, I can’t beat them due to my body structure, but I wish to get into shape to the best of my ability,” she said.

Narrating her journey of weighty issues, Zarine said, “It was only after I started doing modelling that my weight went down by 40-45 kilos from an original 100. I have a tendency to lose and put on weight. While working on Veer, I was so happy. For a change no one was asking me to lose weight!”

In Veer she was not required to look skinny; therefore she could even pile on

chocolates.

Well, let’s hope Zarine keeps off the pounds, because this Katrinalookalike is already being called ‘Fatrina’!

Ranbir, Katrina up for awards?

Director Prakash Jha is confident that his film Raajneeti will fetch the prestigious National Awards for Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif. “This film will take Ranbir to another level,” said Jha. He has cast the actor as USeducated scion of a political dynasty who has to reluctantly return home to shoulder his family’s duties. “I hope, no,

I’m in fact pretty certain, he’ll win the National Award for his performance,” confided Jha recently. “Katrina has breathed fire and passion into her role. From the way she metamorphoses from a young vivacious girl, to the way she walks to give her public speeches as a politician. Audiences won’t be able to believe the transformation of Katrina.

I won’t be surprised if both Ranbir and Katrina win National Awards,” he added. He can’t stop preening over the fact that his Raajneeti features the maximum number of National Award winners in its cast, Arjun Rampal being the latest. “Everyone is outstanding in the film. And why not? I’ve a line-up of National Award winners in the cast - from Naseeruddin Shah and Nana Patekar to Manoj Bajpai and Ajay Devgan. When I heard Arjun had won the National Award for Rock On!, I was ecstatic. He is fantastic in my film,” enthused Jha, claiming that the film is the biggest multistarrer. “I think it’d be impossible to get so many stars under one roof for any other director,” he said proudly.

SRK’s query on love

How far would you go for love? If you haven’t given it a thought so far then have your answer ready because Shah Rukh Khan would soon be asking this question across the country. The superstar’s love query to Indians is part of a special promotional campaign for My Name Is Khan, says filmmaker Karan Johar. Establishing a connection with the people

and Kajol together on screen after eight long years, one can expect some fireworks during its promotions as well.

Keep on Rocking?

After its unprecedented success back in August 2008, a sequel to Rock On!! has been on the anvil. The movie’s two leading men Farhan Akhtar and Arjun Rampal were enthusiastic about the sequel right away, but director Abhishek Kapoor wasn’t keen on a follow up of the cult film. But on winning the National Award for Best Hindi film, he’s ready to change his mind. “A sequel seems like the right thing to do, and I’m all for it,” says Farhan. “However, the decision is entirely Abhishek’s.” On the other hand, Arjun Rampal, who never stopped his guitar lessons, is quite a proficient player now. Abhishek Kapoor reluctantly admits that he’s working on a couple of ideas for the sequel. “I don’t want to rush into a sequel just because it will be commercially viable. The sequel has to stand on its own feet and not just be

a carryover of the original,” he said in an interview. Let’s hope the sequel rocks the box office, just like its predecessor!

Aamir’s Padma Bhushan memory

Bollywood star Aamir Khan, who is riding high on the success of 3 Idiots, couldn’t have asked for more. When the actor received the “wonderful news” that he was recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the nation’s third highest civilian honour, his mother’s smiling face flashed in his mind. “I’m so happy to receive this unique honour. The first thing that comes to my mind is my mother’s smiling face,” Aamir SMSed from Utah, US, where he was attending the Sundance Film Festival. His production venture Peepli Live had its world premiere there. Directed by Anusha Rizvi, Peepli Live is a satire on rural life in India. It features Raghuvir Yadav along with debutant actors from Madhya Pradesh. “Indeed this has been a good day for me. First my film Peepli Live gets a superb response at the Sundance Film Festival, and then I receive this wonderful news of receiving the Padma Bhushan,” said the actor. “I only wish I was back home right now. I would like to thank God for these happy moments, and all my fans and wellwishers for their love, support and good wishes,” added the 44-year-old who is already a recipient of the Padma Shri. The actor has blazed a new trail to success with 3 Idiots. According to latest reports, Aamir’s movie that takes a critical look at the education system in the country has become the biggest grosser by earning Rs.382 crore worldwide till date. Well, that’s the Aamir we know and love… anything but an idiot!

Last issue Caption Contest winning entry

What’s

Some other good ones

is fast turning out to be a trend amongst the Bollywood biggies. Way back in 2006, Shah Rukh himself did so to promote Don - The Chase Begins Again. In recent times, while Aamir Khan has pulled out all stops to mingle with people across the country for his Ghajini and 3 Idiots, even a normally reluctant Salman Khan was seen stepping out for Veer.

As the much-hyped My Name Is Khan, which releases Feb 12, brings Shah Rukh

After

You better get uncle Yash to sign me for his next movie… this pic with you can do so much damage to my career. Maninder Sandhu

VIDYA BALAN

RUKH KHAN

AAMIR KHAN

An intended epic gone quite wrong

Film: Veer

Directed by: Anil Sharma

Starring: Mithun Chakraborty, Salman Khan, Neena Gupta, Sohail Khan, Zarine Khan.

Veer is one of those intended epics that goes wrong. Horribly wrong.

Director Anil Sharma had combined history and kitsch with compelling consequences in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. But in Veer, the khichdi of fact and fiction runs amok, creating a blend of babble and bloodshed that is more hysterical than historic.

Veer wallows in primitive valour. Father Mithun Chakraborty (the only tolerable performance in the litany of the unbearable) and son Salman Khan often mock-fight, as the burly members of their tribe urge them on like animals in a zestful zoo. Even Neena Gupta who plays Mithun’s wife (and has apparently forgotten she was once a good actress) joins in the macho revelry.

There are no smoking guns. Only shining swords slicing across the epic canvas with fashionable bravura. Costume dramas are very tricky cinematic efforts. How do the makers know if the clothes and props suggesting periodicity are going to work? In this case, they just don’t!

smack of amateurish stage plays where the actors create characters purely through props.

And here the props include the Buckingham Palace where our valorous hero Veer (Salman Khan) and his brother-sidekick (Sohail Khan, behaving as though he was in the sequel to Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya) teach those ‘Gora Log’ a few lessons on how to treat us Indians with respect and dignity. Where would independent India be without such strident architects of freedom? It is doubtful that a man like

costume jewellery (the diamond eartops could be the envy of all his leading ladies) scowling with the same intensity into the panoramic camera as he did earlier in Wanted.

Clothes definitely maketh this man, although Veer in one of the unintentionally funny sequences of the film reprimands the gora professor in London (teaching the most motley crew of colonists seen in any film) saying, “Clothes do not make the man, the man makes the clothes” - a quote he says he borrowed from George Bernard Shaw.

Where did he learn about Shaw? In school? Do such questions really matter when the intention is to create an optical illusion merging myth and history in a claustrophobic clasp that leaves no breathing space for introspective punctuations?

Veer is one sweeping rush of blood, sweat, gore, adrenaline and saliva. It is meant to sweep audiences off its collective feet. But its takeoff point, namely the ideological slant, is so faulty, you wonder what these blood-thirsty warriors are fighting for.

Most of the time the characters’ motivations are superimposed by a passionate but pedestrian melodrama.

Director Anil Sharma’s inherent sense of drama comes with the bloodsoaked territory. While in the father-son sequences he manages to create a scale and range that merge rugged machismo with a junk food version of patriotism, the love story featuring the nomadic warrior and the bereft princess from the enemy tribe is driven into a zero-chemistry zone by the pair.

Forget mutual passion, there’s very little drama or romance in the dialogues and the visual props for them to share. Veer gets details of the period and locations in place. But the inner conviction and a genuine passion that made Anil Sharma’s Gadar: Ek Prem Katha so special are completely absent in this film.

A biting look at the real world

Film: Rann

Director: Ram Gopal Varma

Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Riteish Deshmukh, Sudeep, Paresh Rawal, Rajat Kapoor, Neetu Chandra, Gul Panag, Suchitra Krishnamurthy

Rann is that rare cinema about the collective conscience which we often like to think has gone out of style. Like Mehboob Khan’s Mother India and Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Satyakam, Rann shows how tough it is to hold your head high up in dignified righteousness in a world where ethics crumble faster than cookies.

Ironically, there isn’t much sunshine in Rann The film has been shot in an anaemic light, symbolizing a world that’s largely losing light.

Cleverly, Ram Gopal Varma situates his morality tale in the cut-throat world of the electronic media where the TRP is god and deadlines the devil. And may the voice of the conscience rest in peace.

Without wasting time Varma introduces us to the plethora of characters who colonise the bowel of a declining channel run by the idealistic Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Amitabh Bachchan). Malik believes there’s room still for the straight and narrow path in a business where grabbing attention is the murder of all invention.

The glistening sweat on ratings, challenged eyebrows are captured through tight close-

ups of worried faces - Amit Roy’s sharply cruising lenses moving from face-to-face with obstinate restlessness - that give nothing and yet everything away.

As in Varma’s Sarkar, the moral battle lines in the media-run tale of Rann are drawn between the idealistic patriarch and his USreturned hyper-ventilating son Jai (Kannada star Sudeep) who is so anxious and ambitious, you know he will eventually cause trouble for his ideologue dad’s news-worthiness.

Trouble arrives in the flabby form of a seedy politician Pandey - played by Paresh Rawal and he re-embraces villainy with lipsmacking relish - who plunges into the TRP war on television with no sense of propriety. Pandey pompously tells Jai before they both conspire with the help of a rival television tycoon (Mohnish Behl) to trash the idealistic Harshvardhan’s reputation.

The plot accommodates more characters than a touristic island in the holiday season. Not one of the characters need any explanation or occupy a superfluous place in the plot.

Varma’s concern for the characters is genuine but non-judgemental. Each character, even the relatively-shadowy women, emerges as a casualty of an overcompetitive society where morality goes out of the nearest window.

The narrative is taut, restless and biting in its depiction of corruption in supposedly responsible places.

While much of film’s inner fire burns outwards from the pithy and peppery writing (Rohit Banawlikar), the essential core of

idealism is preserved in the understated relationship between the idealistic young rookie Purab Shastri and his mentor Harshvardhan. Wish this bonding was built on. As restless as his camera, Varma gives no space to the complicated labyrinth of relationships to grow. We are left to gauge the depths and dimensions that underline the furious flow of empathy and antipathy between various characters by reading between the lines.

The first two-thirds of the narrative creates a gripping patchwork of television, drama and politics and how the three worlds often come together to destroy the basic fibre of human morality.

It’s the last quarter of the narrative, where Harshvardhan, after realising he has been taken for a ride by his own son’s overambitiousness, that packs in the maximum punch.

Cleverly borrowing the premise for its climax from Mehboob Khan’s Mother India, Rann moves aggressively but confidently

into its passionate finale where the patriarchal television tycoon must expose some harsh home-truths to cleanse his own conscience.

Rann takes us into a world where right and wrong are more financial than moral issues, where the people who make news conveniently forget that the source is often the nadir of the conscience.

Rann is a razor-sharp bitter and biting look at the real world of rapidly-moving moral issues.

Varma extracts superlative performances from the entire cast - from Ritesh’s heartbreaking idealism to Neetu Chandra’s part as Jai Malik’s secret love interest.

As expected Bachchan as the conscience of the plot, presides over the speeedened proceedings with a thoughtful and gentle performance. His climactic speech makes us all sit up and think about the quality of work we do in order to keep up with the competition.

Luckily, Bachchan’s consistently excellent output is never dependant on the ‘competition’ around him. Ironically, his character is forced to stoop in order to conquer the TRPs.

Varma, lately guilty of making fairly compromised films, rises above the morass of mediocrity with a meteoric force, letting other filmmakers know what he is capable of achieving if he sets his heart to it.

Rann defines the role of the electronic media in today’s context with remarkable virility and dramatic force. This is Varma’s best work since Company

Subhash K Jha, IANS