What’s On

VSA Hockey Series

7-28 March, 2:30pm onwards at the Monash University’s Hockey Grounds in Clayton. The games will be played over 4 weekends, March 21will be the official day of the games. Free event organised by the Victorian Sikh Association, with entertainments. For details call Gurbinder Gill on 0430 107 480 or secretary@victoriansikhs.com

Odissi performance

14 March at Darebin Arts & Entertainment Centre. Dancing Moon and Sun dance performance in celebration of Dr Chandrabhanu’s 60th birthday. Tickets: $35/ concession: $28. For bookings and inquiries call 9428 4395: Ambika: 0414 678 923; Deepika: 0400 536 597

Mehfil Night

19 March, 8-10pm at Coburg Library Hall, corner of Luisa and Victoria Street, Coburg. Open night with keyboard support and karaoke for singers. Free event supported by the Australia India Society of Victoria. Enquiries- Phone Dr.Saratchandran 9366 5444

Sundar Kaand Path recital

2-5 April at 5pm. Recital of Sundar

Kaand Paath (fifth chapter from Sri

Ramcharit Manas) by Poojya Sri Ashvin Kumar Pathak. Free event organised by Australian Association of Indian Culture and Education. Venues: 2 April: Chandler Community Centre, Keysborough: 3 April: Wyndham Leisure and Events Centre; 4 April, Sai Baba Temple Camberwell; 5 April: Cafe Saffron Restaurant South Morang. Prasad sponsors and volunteers, please contact Amitabh Singh 0422 028 076 and Aastha 0413 156 139 or email aaice.inc@ gmail.com

Vedanta Society Lectures

8 April, 7.45 - 9 pm Lecture on Gita

Ch.8- Akshara Parabrahma Yoga (The path to the eternal Brahman) by Sw. Sridharanandaji of Ramakrishna Mission @ Law Lecture Theatre L1, Building

12, Monash University, Clayton campus, Wellington Rd.

9 April, 7.45 - 9 pm Lecture on Gita

Ch.8- Akshara Parabrahma Yoga (The path to the eternal Brahman) by Sw.

Sridharanandaji of Ramakrishna Mission @ Law Lecture Theatre L1, Building national training sector enrolments jumped 44 per cent on 2008, reflecting the popularity of private training colleges as lucrative businesses thrive on fees from international students. What this means is that most of the 2007-2009 intake will be left stranded with these new changes. Most will not be able to secure employment sponsors, thus in limbo will have to return to India with the rug being pulled from underneath them.

12, Monash University, Clayton campus, Wellington Rd.

10 April, 11 am to 12 noon Lecture on Gita Ch.8- Akshara Parabrahma Yoga (The path to the eternal Brahman) by Sw.

Other small businesses are also being impacted. Restaurants crucially applying to bring over chefs from India now have to make financial guarantees to sponsor the applicant. We all know that small business will not be able to sustain such requirements. Temples and other places of worship requiring specialist religious workers will suffer the same.

I suspect international college closures to be the tip of the iceberg. Many other businesses will suffer the same fate. In the long term, we will all experience the negative flow-on effect at a community level.

We understand and support the idea of aligning our skilled migration program with the economy in order to maintain the inflow of quality migrants. However, the way these changes have been approached means Australia may be throwing the baby out with the bathwater. That is, our economy will miss out on talented individuals with assets, experience and ideas coming to this country because of a cloud of uncertainty that hangs over its reputation for giving people a fair go.

In the demand for skilled talent in the western world, I believe other skilled migrant destinations including Canada, UK and US will again grow in desirability as their visa processing process is significantly clearer, and they maintain a consistent policy stance and campaign that has emphasised the importance of skilled migrants.

At this point, there needs to be strong leadership and first hand communication to the Government from the Indian community to express what is happening. Without this clear communication, the other issues around community concerns for safety and the spectre of perceived racism will facilitate the decision of international students to eliminate Australia from their future plans more likely.

I advice students affected by these changes to lobby their community bodies to engage with Local Government at an effective level. I urge our community bodies to come together and approach these discussions in parallel. In Melbourne, I encourage Mr Jose Alvarez and Dr Luigi Soccio from the Immigration Department help direct these dialog.

Harvin Dhillon President Victorian Sikh Association

There is something quite creepy, and seriously undemocratic, about the way Brumby uses Overland as a virtual uniformed cabinet minister, a kind of unelected deputy premier.

Hardly a Victorian has heard of the Police Minister or Attorney-General, but Overland is everywhere in the media extolling the virtues of Victoria’s police policies - a very dysfunctional element of a very dysfunctional government.

Shyam Adhikari Glen Waverley VIC

For a few years, we had the Labor Premier John Brumby and his Police Commissioner in denial over violence in our streets, in particular violence targeted against Victorians of Indian background or Indians living in Victoria.

The huge swing against the State Labor Government in the Altona by-election was a tribute to Ted Baillieu’s honesty and courage and readiness to speak the truth in the face of terrible obfuscation by the State Labor Government.

Thank you Altone voters for showing your support to Ted Baillieu, and the Indian community.

Mahek Usmani Glen Waverley, VIC

Sridharanandaji of Ramakrishna Mission @ Law Lecture Theatre L1, Building

12, Monash University, Clayton campus, Wellington Rd.

Gangaur Mela 2010

25 April, 11:30 am to 3:30pm at Hawthorn Town Hall, 360 Burwood Road, Hawthorn (Mel Ref 45 A10). Rajasthani Kutumb of

Victoria presents “Rangeelo Rajasthan” a musical featuring festivals of Rajasthan. Traditional Gangaur sawari and ghoomar dance, henna painting, turban tying and traditional cuisine. Tickets: $5 per person (children under 3 free). For enquiries call Rakesh Saraf 0414 853 557, Sury Prakash Soni 0433 661 327 or visit www.rajkov.org for ticket outlets.