2010-08 Sydney (2)

INDIAN LINK

PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra

ASSISTANT EDITOR

Sheryl Dixit

CONTRIBUTORS

Mamta Sharma, Ritam Mitra, Preeti Jabbal, Noel G deSouza, Rani Jhala, Shivangi Ambani Gandhi, Sandip Hor, Shafeen Mustaq, Gaurav Surati, Suil Ranadive, Priya Nair, Saroja Srinivasan

ADVERTISING MANAGER

Vivek Trivedi

02 9262 1766

ADVERTISING ASSISTANT

Priti Sharma

02 9279 2004

GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LAYOUT

Darren Monaghan

Indian Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, maybe reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to Indian Link

Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 or GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001

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

Email: info@indianlink.com.au

And the next Australian Prime Minister is ...

It will all be over on the night of August 21.

What was expected to be a boring, staid affair has turned out to be quite exciting, as two leaders with limited public appeal have done their best to throw their all into this fight. Liberal leader Tony Abbott, a former boxer, has to date withstood all punches thrown at him by the Labor Party. Julia Gillard too has neutralized allegations of knifing Kevin Rudd, and both leaders have shown remarkable restraint in their personal styles in this campaign.

Whoever enters the Lodge will have to grapple with the threat of a double dip recession in the United States, fear of a slow down in the Chinese economy and perhaps an even bigger challenge of negotiating with the Greens at every step of the way.

For the Indian Australian community, clearly the Liberal Party has more to offer. While Labor has promised a lot of benefits for those living in Western Sydney – home to many Indian Australians, it is to be seen if this collusion of the state Labor government and Federal Labor will have any legs, or will it be an empty promise. For those who are riled about the Labor Party’s refusal to sell uranium to India, the Liberals have promised they will initiate the sale, but for peaceful purposes. The Visa Capping bill introduced by the Labor government will be withdrawn by the Liberals, if they form the government. Thousands of Indian students and

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

professionals, whose lives are in limbo due to this stalled bill, will feel that a heavy burden has lifted from their shoulders. The Liberal Party had also started a more active engagement process with India during their last term in office, but unfortunately since Labor came into power, this momentum has slowed. This will change if the Liberals are reinstated.

Within the Indian community, there have been some interesting observations. One, which a recent Indian Link survey pointed out, was the perceived shift towards the Liberal Party within the Indian- Australian voter base. Traditionally, Indian Australians have been Labor supporters, but both the survey and anecdotal evidence gathered point to a shift towards the Liberal party. This shift is across age groups and period of stay in Australia. While it is generally accepted that Labor is more open about migrants, their recent announcements about immigration and asylum seekers, have been noticed by Indian voters, who have moved away from them.

Building on this observation is the rise of our local group of community leaders, who are opening up about their support for the Liberal party. This is in sharp

contrast to earlier elections where there was overwhelming support from community leaders of all things Labor. Now in Sydney, one has observed a more robust support for Liberal party candidates with dinners and functions being held to introduce them to the voting Indian community.

And yet, there is no major IndianAustralian player in the field. Yes, we have some independents and some Greens candidates, but nobody from Labor or the Liberals. It is indeed lamentable that no one from a community of 500,000 in Australia has been able to achieve this endorsement. But again, discussions with a number of politically aligned Indian Australians indicate that it will not be long before one emerges. For the local community, the challenge will then be to examine the policies of this individual and if so inclined, support the candidate. It will indeed, be a proud moment for all of us when an Indian Australian makes his or her maiden speech in Canberra.

Till that time, we have the power in our hands to make a difference to the future of this country for the next three years. Let us value this privilege and use it wisely.

What’s On

Alaska

11 Aug - 28 Aug A disturbing and unflinching play about power and race relations.

Venue: Studio 1, Pier 4/5, Hickson Rd, Walsh Bay Details at www.atyp.com.au

The Indian Empire: Multiple Realities

19 Aug – 7 Nov

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney’s The Indian Empire exhibition showcases prints, photographs, posters and textiles, of British Raj India created by Europeans as well as Indians of the time. Check out the portraits, depictions of the manners, customs and costumes of the Indian people, as well as topographical prints in the ‘picturesque’ style then in vogue in England. Also included are lithographic prints created from the first introduction of the press in India in the mid-19th century. Details at www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au

Rakhi with Brahma Kumaris

Fri 20 Aug A Rakhi celebration will be organised at Brahma Kumaris Raja Yoga Meditation Centre, 78 Alt Street, Ashfield, 6.oopm. Program includes meditation, a talk on the spiritual meaning of the festival, the tying of Rakhi followed by light dinner. Details BK Ashaben 02 95852727.

Yama Sarshar with Nafas

Sat 21 Aug The Nafas drums group led by Yama Sarshar present their new work Rhythms of Life at Blacktown Arts Centre, 78 Flushcombe Rd, Blacktown, at 8.00pm. Commissioned by the Blacktown Arts Centre, Nafas is a new music collaboration which combines world rhythms and melodies within a contemporary featuring

the drumming practices of Afghanistan, India, Africa and western traditions.

Details 02 9839 6558

Rakshabandhan

Sun 22 Aug To promote and develop universal fellowship and friendship in a multicultural society, support and promote multiculturalism, Vishva Hindu Parishad of Australia Inc’s NSW Chapter will organise a day-long celebration of the Hindu festival of Rakshabandhan. 11.00 am at Harvey Lowe Pavilion, Castle Hill Showground in Sydney. Entry is free. Details Brij Pal Singh 02 9484 5204.

Chinmaya Mission events

Sun 29 Aug Stage production Journey of a Master, will tell the story of Swami Chinmayananda, the inspiration behind the Chinmaya Mission. 5pm onwards at Greenhalgh Theatre, UTS Ku-ring-gai, Linfield. For bookings and details contact Rahul on 0402 587 579

Thur 2 Sept Shree Krishna Janmashtami Program at 6.30pm - 9.30pm (includes Pooja, Children’s program/performances, Dinner Prasad) at Harvey Lowe Pavillion, Showground Castle Hill and 9.30pmmidnight at Chinmaya Sannidhi. Details 02 8850 7400

Spiritual leader Bhagyaji visits

21 Sept – 11 Oct Global Organisation for Divinity announces the Sydney tour of spiritual leader Bhagyaji. He will give public lectures, conduct a mass prayer for world peace and harmony, and attend workshops and seminars. Details Jayanthi Ramanan 02 9614 1784, 0430 487 781.

Krishna Janamastami

25 Aug - 1 Sept Celebration of Lord

Krishna’s birthday, 7:30pm to 9pm daily at the Sanatan Cultural Centre, 1050 Richmond Road, Marsden Park. Maha prasadum will be served daily after the prayers. Details Sajana Nand 9626 5857 or Vishnu Sharma 8883 1880.

Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Society events

Sun 5 Sept Celebration of Sri Krishna’s birthday. Program includes group chanting of Sanskrit and reading of English meaning of Chapter 7 of Bhagavad Gita, 2 talks including one by Rev.Pravrajika Ajayaprana Mataji, sharing of offered sweets and savouries. 10.40am to 12 noon.

Sun 12 Sept Young people’s Discussion Group for ages 15 and over. Theme: Control Your Negative Emotions. 3.00pm to 6.00pm. Venue: Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon. Details 9745 4320 or vedantasyd@idx.com.au

Combined Universities’ Cultural Night

Sat 25 Sept The annual cultural extravaganza organised by the Indian societies of the major universities in Sydney will be held at Hills Centre, Castle Hill. The theme this year is A Mystical Rendezvous: Elegance Through the Ages, and the night includes a special dance competition segment entitled Flaunt Your Flava. Details at www.sydneyculturalnight.com

Raja Yoga Meditation classes

Om Shanti Margaret Goodwin, on behalf of the Brahma Kumari Raja Yoga Centres in Australia, runs Raja Yoga Meditation classes on Tuesdays 6pm and 7pm. Venue Alpha Park Centre, Alpha St, Blacktown.

(Next to the childcare centre, opposite Westpoint). Please call 8600 0150 to book. No charge for the classes, though voluntary donations may be made to help with the costs to provide the classes.

Other locations at which to learn Raja Yoga Meditation

Ashfield: call Pranita 9716 7066

Canberra: call Panna 6260 5525

Liverpool: call Sashi 9607 2916

Parramatta: call Margaret 8600 0150

Penshurst: call Asha 9585 2727

Wollongong: call Ami 4227 2241

Shri Shirdi Sai Temple

Shri Shirdi Sai Temple is now open between 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm every day. Enjoy Bhajans from 6.30 pm to 7.30 pm on Sundays. Sai Mandir is located at 420 Liverpool Road, corner of Hill Street, Strathfield South, NSW 2136. For detailed temple timings, please visit the temple’s website www.shirdisai.org.au or call 0432 502 493.

Water confidence and safety classes for Indian women

This FREE class is for Indian women who: - live in the Ashfield Council area - have no swimming experience - want to learn how to perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) - would like to meet other Indian women in the local area.

To secure your place, book early! For more information and bookings phone Ashfield Council on 9716 1844 or email jaey@ashfield.nsw.gov.au

If you are interested in being trained as a swimming instructor or volunteering for this project, contact Jae on 9716 1844. You must be a woman of Indian background.

A new ‘lease’ on life

BY MAMTA SHARMA

With some 1.1 billion people, diverse regions and a vibrant democracy, India has made progress on a scale, size and pace that is unprecedented in its history. However, despite the success, thousands of Indians are finding it hard to save a deposit for their first home.

Housing supply is chronically short in major cities across the country. Estimates by the Planning Commission and Census of 2001 show that over 20 million households do not have affordable and adequate housing facilities, and around 99% of the total housing shortage is in the economically weaker sections and lower income groups.

With the market taking care of housing needs of middle-income and affluent groups, migrant workers and other low-income groups are forced to move into shanty towns and slums.

Affordable housing is like a fresh lease of life for poor people, and can solve the housing problem of urban low and mediumincome families without interfering with market prices.

Bringing this perspective to the people of Ahmedabad in Gujarat is an Australian housing organisation. Community Housing Limited (CHL), a national and international affordable housing provider from Australia, has entered the Indian market with its first project under construction in Naroda, an eastern suburb in Ahmedabad, where 500 affordable homes are being built.

A not-for-profit and registered charity, Community Housing Limited assists people in need with access to affordable and sustainable housing, and is the national provider of affordable housing in Victoria, NSW, WA, SA and Tasmania.

The Naroda project is a joint venture called Sustainable and Affordable Housing Solutions (SAHS) which, besides CHL, comprises of Indian partner V Worldwide Group and a global association of social entrepreneurs called ‘Ashoka’. The housing partners have also received funding from the Federal Government, who have very publicly supported the introduction of quality built, low cost housing for the country. It is the first time an Australian housing organisation has operated in India, and the impact of its value to affordable housing work in the country has been felt immediately.

“We will soon be launching a pilot affordable housing project in Ahmedabad. CHL is bringing in the experience, expertise, financial models, training and employment opportunities which it is looking to share with both SAHS and all those involved in this first project,” said CHL’s Managing Director, Steve Bevington.

The CHL Project in Naroda will commence construction in October and is expected to be completed in 18-22 months thereon. The properties will be available for home ownership to low income households and people from economically weaker sections of society. The properties will not be marketed openly; rather they will be offered through NGOs to specific households who are in high housing need, living in slums

families without interfering with market prices

and informal housing. Those who have successfully shown a record in meeting microfinance repayments can therefore, secure a housing loan from a financial institution.

Sharing the inspiration behind CHL’s initiative of community housing in India, Mr Bevington said, “CHL is committed to providing affordable and sustainable housing for anyone who needs it – it’s a basic human right. We have branched out from Australia, first to Timor Leste, and then to Chile and India due to significant needs in these countries to assist those living in poor housing conditions and also develop partnerships which provide CHL with the opportunity to assist. CHL is introducing its mission to assist people out of housing poverty through bringing its experience and expertise to assist people living in informal and slum housing conditions in India.”

There are many other cities in India apart from Ahmedabad which are more in need for community housing. So what was it that made CHL choose this city for its India foray? “ While conducting the feasibility study across a few states in India, we discovered that there was an urgent need to assist the 600,000 households in slums in Ahmedabad. The city is historically a very progressive one, so we were certain that this kind of initiative will be appreciated and supported. In addition, there are significant Indian NGOs working amongst those in need and landholders who are combining with CHL to develop affordable housing projects and ensure they are directed to those most in need,” explained Mr Bevington.

Mr. Bevington claimed that the quick momentum established in getting the project started in Gujarat attests to the seriousness with which the local authorities view

sensitive – has emerged as one of the major hubs for attractive residential schemes of late.

Among the advantages of Naroda emerging as the new realty hub is also the fact that it is better connected with the Expressway, national highway and also has direct road connectivity to Gandhinagar and other

The CHL managing director says the Naroda project will be a pilot for further development of affordable housing with the aim of developing a model which can be replicated to assist the rehousing of 29 million families in housing need across the country. “Once this project is established and its outcomes evaluated, we certainly have plans to do more work in other cities,” he added.

“The affordable housing concept is very new in India. There are a few others being established and we hope that it will gain momentum with the introduction of subsidies from the Government,” Mr Bevington reiterated.

When asked about their initial working experience in India, Mr Bevington said, “Highly professional and very committed to solving the housing affordability problem across the social spectrum. Everyone we engaged with there recognised the importance of the success of this pilot project in making further contributions in other parts of the country.”

One problem with community housing has been how to give the most with less money. However, Mr Bevington says that CHL has developed its expertise in this area in Australia across 16 years, and as an industry has developed a world-class approach to delivering quality-built community homes.

“We’re a vertically integrated company and

quality-built property for tenants who usually pay around 60-75% of the normal market rent” .

On CHL’s future plans in India, Mr Bevington said, “CHL’s entry into the Indian market will see no shortage of project opportunities. Recent data published by the Ministry of Urban Development quantifies India’s rapid urbanisation with the growth of population in major cities growing by an average 31.2%, and in rural towns by 17.9% over the last decade (2001-2011).

The urbanisation of major cities such as Ahmedabad over the last decade has been dramatic, and the need to find affordable housing solutions for many living in poor conditions has risen sharply on the national agenda in India. We have been working hard to get this pilot project up and running in Ahmedabad. Once prospective partners and people in need in other States see the work being done, I think our approach to housing will receive an enthusiastic response.”

“It should be noted that this pilot sits well within the target range of the Indian government’s implementation plans for subsidies to assist households in slums access home ownership. This is through an ambitious programme to tackle the problem of slums and poverty alleviation over the next five years,” he added.

More Indians will inevitably make urban India their home and the housing shortage in these areas could be much more than what has been pegged by the government. The sheer magnitude of the problems of the urban poor living in slums shows that the government alone cannot solve them. But unlike other relatively more intractable public policy problems, solving the low-income housing conundrum in India is tantalisingly within grasp. A few policy changes to catalyse the private sector, combined with restructuring the government’s own initiatives could trigger a dramatic change. However, it is the participatory effort through the mechanism of organisations like CHL that can be a possible answer to eliminating the problems faced by millions of Indians who are suffering in slums.

A not-for-profit Australian organisation could hold the key to better and more affordable housing for India’s urban poor

The Australia-based Community Housing Limited (CHL) is currently building 500 affordable homes in Naroda, an eastern suburb in Ahmedabad, India. (Below), CHL’s Managing Director, Steve Bevington

Taking the concept of ‘emotional intelligence’ to India

Yvette Vignando, a Sydney mum of three school-aged boys, has just returned from a trip encompassing Kodaikanal in south India to Chandigarh in northern India, where she conducting workshops for teachers on “Emotional Intelligence (EI) in the Classroom”.

While in India, Yvette spoke to teachers at Kodaikanal International School, three Jain Group schools at Bangalore and Hyderabad, Bal Bharati School in Delhi and Yadavindra School in Patiala.

In spite of the strong focus on high academic achievement in Indian schools, Yvette was heartened by the receptive response of teachers she met in India.

“Many Indian teachers said they are interested in nurturing and educating the whole child – mind, body, spirit and social and emotional development,” she said.

Mindful of the pressures that teachers face in India to achieve high test results for aspirational parents, Yvette feels optimistic about the potential for growing a focus on social and emotional education in Indian schools.

Feedback from teachers in India to the workshops was overwhelmingly positive with comments such as: “You have left a huge impact on our staff members which is evident in the way they are conducting themselves in the school. Although it is just the beginning of our association and

learning, it has made us see a difference to their mindsets and approach in handling the students. As a keen observer of people, I am able to see that involvement of the staff members in solving issues with students.”

In April this year, Yvette met with former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd at Epping Boys High School during the Community Cabinet Meeting. She spoke to him about the importance of social and emotional learning being included in the Australian National Curriculum and sent her presentation to then

Minister for Education, Julia Gillard.

Formerly a lawyer, since changing careers Yvette has offered high level executive coaching and workshops specialising in EI to schools, corporate and government clients. In 2000, Yvette attended the first international conference on Emotional Intelligence (EI) in San Francisco. She returned inspired to help Australian parents and teachers develop children’s social and emotional skills. On July 1, Yvette launched happychild.com.au to make a difference to children’s parenting

and education. The new website provides a rich mix of articles, blogs and expert online seminars for parents interested in maximising their children’s social and emotional wellbeing. Yvette is a pioneer in introducing the EI concept to Australia. Her clients have included high schools, a School Principals’ conference, the ABC, St George Bank, Sydney Water, Attorney General’s Department, The Myer Family Trust, The University of Sydney and Tata International (Australia).

Yvette Vignando at the Jain International School in Bangalore and at the Kodaikanal International School

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Amazing Aamir

BY PREETI JABBAL

He has made a success of etching indelible and distinct characters through his choice of scripts and superlative performances. Aamir Khan is up there in the top echelons of contemporary Indian cinema. He continues to be a remarkable certainty in an otherwise uncertain and unpredictable Indian film industry. No longer enmeshed in the ‘oh-so-cute-lover-boy’ image, he has a fan following bordering on adulation. If we can capsule his career in a sentence, he has put Indian cinema on the international landscape.

It was quite early in the day when I walked into Sofitel Hotel in Melbourne to meet superstar Aamir Khan, who is arguably the most powerful and influential man in the Indian film industry today, superceding even the Big B. As we were introduced by his publicist we shook hands, I thought of all my sadly envious friends who had asked me to return and shake hands with them to have some of his magic rub off, and I smiled to myself. With a small crack about ‘a gun to my head’ because I had only a few minutes to interview Aamir which meant no preliminaries, it would have to be straight into the questions. He smiled politely in understanding, and because of our proximity, I couldn’t help but notice that his eyes were not black or brown, but more the colour of rich honey.

Aamir Khan answered my questions with practiced

ease, stopping occasionally to consider what he should say next. Understandably, he was on the defensive when my question pertained to his statements last year, in relation to the Indian students’ issue here. At that time, he had condemned the Australian authorities for not taking enough action to put an end to the violence against the students. He deflected my query with charm, and given the time restrictions, I had no opportunity to probe further. I could see signs of fatigue from a long flight on his handsome face and some close up shots confirmed my observation. Despite the tiredness, Aamir still looked every bit the chocolate-faced hero who continues to have half the female population in India swooning, although it’s been years since his admirable debut in Tak. And in honesty, I have to admit that I’m one of them.

More than two decades later, his youthful appearance absolutely defies his 45 + years of age, and it is hard to believe that his son Junaid, from his first marriage to Rina Khan, is already 17 years old. Playing the part of a 20-something student in 3 Idiots was a remarkable feat which only Aamir could pull off, and which he did with the same dedication that had him mercilessly pump iron to acquire the imposing physique needed for his role in Ghajini. Nothing succeeds like success and after being associated with two of the highest grossing movies in the Indian film industry (Ghajini and 3 Idiots), Aamir the strategist is now all set to impress again, this time with Peepli Live.

Aamir Khan was in Melbourne introducing the new film to audiences at the Melbourne International Film Festival.

He spoke to Indian Link about the movie, his

across a script that moves, touches and excites me, and it’s only then that I work with it”

was received very well at its first screening at the Sundance Festival. I am hoping it will be liked by everyone.

You have the knack of creating something new or off-beat that works; it could be a comment, hairstyle, production or movie. So what makes you decide that a script will work?

I don’t have any preconceived ideas when I read a script. I feel that my core responsibility as an entertainer is to give people a good time. I look at that responsibility very seriously when I choose a script. It is impossible for me to guess exactly what an audience would want, so I don’t do that. I myself am

It’s rare to meet an actor with the versatility, talent and downright charm that simply sweeps you off your feet

Photo: Preeti Jabbal

the audience when I come across a script that moves, touches and excites me, and it’s only then that I work with it. After that I hope people will like it too.

In your blog you have expressed pre-release nervousness about this movie, even asking non resident Indians to promote it. Is your target the overseas market?

No, our target and primary market is Indians, whether they live in India or overseas. Peepli Live is a film that offers a great window into life in rural India. The issues that the film raises are common issues, and hence it will resonate with everyone globally. Countries where rural life and farms are affected by drought or global recession will relate to the story. In that sense, it has the potential to reach out to everyone around the world.

In your opinion do Indian movies deserve a global market?

There is a lot of talent in the Indian film industry and a lot of potential to entertain a wider audience. However all along we have had such a large and healthy audience of traditional Indian film lovers that we have not had the bandwidth to look at a world audience. We are very happy and busy with our own audience but if the right material comes along, we can pitch it at a wider audience. For example Peepli, I think, is the kind of film that can engage a world audience. Let’s see how it is received.

Your own films and the way you work have changed the Indian film scene to some extent. How should the industry further evolve?

One of the things I feel about Indian cinema is that we

need to give a lot more value to writers and writing in our movie-making process. A lot more time and effort and even money should be spent in developing scripts. This is one of the things that I would like to see change in Indian films.

You have knocked back film awards and even Madame Tussaud’s, so how about Hollywood?

I don’t mind working in a Hollywood/international project and I have been offered many roles, but I haven’t yet come across anything that excites me yet.

Tell us about your philanthropic work, the charities you support and how you give back to the community.

There are several public service issues with which I am involved. I have made two films on education. I support Teach For India, a campaign that invites 100 children who have completed higher education to invest 2 years of their time in teaching in municipal school. This gives an opportunity for youngsters to give back to society. I also support Prevention of Suicide and Right to Information. I also feel that anything I want to contribute to society is right there in my films.

With your undeniable influence in India, are you tempted to join politics?

No! I have no interest in joining politics. I do not see myself as a social activist; I see myself as an entertainer, and my primary responsibility is to entertain an audience.

Last year when the students issue was at its peak, you made some comments that fuelled the

media hypes up everything?

I don’t think there is any country in the world that is free of violence and a certain amount of racism. India is no exception. I felt that it was unfortunate that these incidents should occur, and I spoke my mind. Each one of us should speak about issues that concern us.

You shot Dil Chahta Hai in Sydney before the media kerfuffle over attacks on Indians in Australia. Would you shoot here again? It depends on the film. If there is a script that requires us to shoot in Australia, I will.

What’s next on the cards?

After the release of Peepli Live I will be releasing Dhobhi Ghat which is written and directed by my wife Kiran. I have also acted in it. That should be released sometime in January-February

2011. I am also currently working on Delhi Belly with Imran Khan as one of the leads, along with a bunch of new actors. Frankly, I have been so busy with Peepli that I haven’t looked at anything else. Hopefully once this is released, I will look at new scripts and see what excites me.

Photos courtesy of Mitu Bhowmick-Lange of Mind Blowing Films

“One of the things I feel about Indian cinema is that we need to give a lot more value to writers and writing in our movie-making process”

Aamir is fascinated by Cover Drive, a sculpture of Don Bradman by Mitch Mitchell in the Baggy Green Room, National Sports Museum, MCG . (Right) Aussie cricketer Damien Fleming shows cricket fan Aamir around the MCG.

Performing for the press

Even the most talented of actors are up against it when facing the press live, but Aamir Khan takes this challenge too, in his stride. PREETI

Another slick and assured performance was delivered by superstar Aamir Khan as he answered questions at a press conference held in Sofitel recently. The charming actor used all media-savvy strategies to his advantage while speaking on subjects as varied as Twitter, Indian students, social engagement and the upcoming release of his film Peepli Live. Aamir Khan was in Melbourne for the Australian premiere of Peepli Live as a guest of the Melbourne International Film Festival.

Aamir Khan had a message for youngsters, especially students, from all parts of the world. “Follow your dreams,” he said. “It is important for all of us to be honest to ourselves. Try not to compromise on your happiness due to pressure from others. You need to know what makes you happy.”

Citing his own example he added, “It is really important for me to do what makes me happy. If I make mistakes in the process, I treat them as a learning experience. Doing things that make me happy has worked for me.”

The star who made cinematic history with the song Papa kehte hain chose to quote his mom instead. “My mom always used to encourage me by saying that no matter what you do in life, you should always think of what the other person is going through and not hurt anybody,” he said.

“I have always wanted to do films that excite me; at the same time I want to do films that are economically viable so nobody loses money in the process,” he claimed. “I try to combine the two. As an entertainer I try to reach my audience and entertain them, and at the same time touch on a social topic. However, not all my films are on social topics, some are plain romantic or simple comedies. I enjoy watching and making films that are not conventional”.

When asked what people will take away from watching Peepli Live Aamir said, “Peepli Live is a movie that will make you laugh, it will touch you and engage you. It is also sad at times, but it is a very sensitizing script. As a society we tend to focus all our resources on cities, in the process we forget our villages. We are not aware of how things work in villages. Peepli Live is essentially a script about the growing divide between urban and rural India. I am hoping that this film will sensitize the issues faced by people living in rural areas”.

Not only does Aamir possess good looks, acting prowess, fame, fortune and a fan following, he is articulate and very willing to comment, especially on his blog. “As a citizen it is important to engage socially and politically, and voice your concerns,” he said. “I am not a social activist but I live in a democracy where we can express our thoughts, and I like to comment on issues that I feel strongly about, as a human being.”

Aamir’s blogs have generated a lot of interest in India, where he is treated almost as royalty by movie lovers.

According to Richard Moore, Executive Director of the Melbourne International Film Festival, the 5 to 6 Indian movies that featured in the 2010 festival were termed ‘Not Quite Bollywood’. Indian films, according to him, have started making a bigger presence in festivals around the world. “A new trend is emerging within Indian cinema and it is now more visible in the world market,” commented Richard.

Mitu Bhowmick Lange from Mind Blowing Films, who was instrumental in getting Aamir to Melbourne, agreed with Richard. Mitu will be distributing Peepli Live in Australia and she has also been hired by the Directorate of Film Festivals in India as their curator of Australian/NZ films for the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). This year Mitu also brought Rani Mukerji, Raju Hirani, Imtiaz Ali and now Aamir

JABBAL

reports

competition from hits like Avatar, What about the Morgans? etc.” She added, “The fact that Indian films are being appreciated here is a very big factor for directors, actors and film makers in India. They are happy to endorse this appreciation and do business with Australia.”

At the end of the conference Aamir commented that he was not comfortable calling Indian cinema ‘Bollywood’. “Hindi cinema can be called mainstream Indian cinema, not Bollywood!” he said. “It’s not fair to forget that there are films made in various languages. Hindi cinema is just one part of Indian cine scene, so it does not make sense to put all Indian movies under the

best thing about Indian cinema,” he concluded.

Later that evening, Aamir’s movie Peepli Live premiered to rave reviews and was attended by a predominantly Indian audience. “For us, Aamir is the best thing that happened to Indian cinema,” said an ardent fan. “Melbourne was lucky to host such a tremendously talented artist.”

Throughout the conference the actor was relaxed, nonchalant, decisive with his comments and completely in control of the media barrage, proving his mettle as a highly accomplished actor. On seeing him perform live, one can understand why he truly deserves the accolade of Superstar.

“Hindi cinema is just one part of Indian cine scene, so it does not make sense to put all Indian movies under the title Bollywood”

“I am not a social activist but I live in a democracy where we can express our thoughts, and I like to comment on issues that I feel strongly about as a human being”

Photo: Preeti Jabbal

Aamir Khan with Mitu Bhowmick-Lange of Mind Blowing Films and Richard Moore of MIFF

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Food glorious food!

In this column, we look at vocations in which members of our community are involved. Here, food technologist KANAN PATEL tells us about her work in the food industry

My job title

Food Systems Auditor

My educational qualifications

Are in Food Technology

What my job entails

I audit the food safety management systems of food companies. This includes looking at the procedures that are in place from the moment the raw material comes into the company, till the finished product goes out, or a particular part in between. For example, I might be inspecting how the purchase comes in, how it is sorted and stored, how it is transformed, packaged, stored again and dispatched. I check out the procedures in place against a set of prescribed rules, designed to Australian or international standards, depending on whether the company services the domestic or international market. The businesses I visit could be high-risk industries (such as airline catering), or low-risk (those for example that package, not produce). Over the years, I’ve been to a variety of food businesses - chicken factories, wineries, bakeries, confectionaries, dairies, beverage factories.

What a typical day is like

Every audit starts off with a meeting with top management. We set out our aims of the audit and check records. Then we walk around the production floor, and check to see there are no slips in process – is everything abiding by set standards? After years in the job, it is easy to pick out good management practices, as opposed to a clean-up job that was done the day before. Issues that are identified as requiring attention are discussed and written out in a detailed report. The client has anywhere between 14 and 30 days to close off concerns, depending on the nature of the discrepancies. A check is performed after.

What is tough about my job

Sometimes we get a difficult client who will argue constantly and that can be stressful. I suppose you could say that the travelling involved could be a concern too, but I’m really enjoying it. I’ve been all over the country, every major centre, and many

smaller cities too like on the NSW central coast, Griffiths, Tanunda (Barossa Valley), and am about to do Tamworth. It’s good fun. The family is now ok for me to leave them for 2-3 days at a time – my husband is supportive and our two teenagers are quite independent. Having devoted a major portion of my life to the kids, I’m doing my own thing now and I know my family respect me for it.

The positive aspects

I love the versatility in my role. The jobs that come my way are in such a variety of food factories that there is no room for monotony, thank god! I also love the social aspect – I’ve met such interesting people just this month alone. But the thing that fascinates me most is the technology. When I first came out to Australia and saw my first egg packaging factory, I was mesmerised. I

could not take my eyes off the machine that sorts out the eggs for weight and size. In the ‘candling’ process, light and mirrors are used to identify cracks etc. And then a vacuum arm puts the eggs in the cases. The entire automated procedure still fascinates me. You know, people say there is beauty in nature, but there can be such beauty in automated procedures! Technology fascinates me… I’ve just been looking into a new one, actually – plastic wine bottles, coming soon!

Food technology has intrigued me for as along as I can remember. Growing up in Gujarat in a large complex in which all the extended family lived together, my sister and I often helped the other women in the family with massive amounts of food – spices for example, would come in bulk and they would be cleaned, ground, stored. Same for rice, wheat, pulses. You know that Anand is India’s leading dairy centre. When we were there on holidays, we saw how the industry worked, and did our bit, because the entire town was involved with milk! It was routine responsibilities, but somewhere it must have sparked off something in my mind. For my sister, the fascination led to cooking. She’s a very successful doctor in the US now, but has kept up her passion for food and has just released a range of her own sauces. I enjoy cooking too – my family eat home-cooked meals 6 days of the week, but I guess, the natural inclination has always been towards the technology of it all.

I’m quite enjoying working in the industry here. Systems and procedures are usually very well regimented, and the system for checks and balances is also quite stringent. It is also reassuring - and pleasing - to see such high management commitment.

Advice to others who may want to enter the industry

Love everything about food, firstly! But also make sure you have a scientific background, in terms of proper qualifications – do all the relevant courses so you are well-armed with the technical knowledge. If you know your stuff, and love what you do, nothing can stop you from achieving success.

Kanan Patel spoke to Rajni Anand Luthra

Kanan Patel during a visit to a Barossa Valley winery

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Launching Parramasala at the historic Roxy Theatre, NSW Premier Kristina Keneally acknowledged the importance of the festival in the landscape of Sydney, and expressed her pleasure in announcing the festival, especially after the highly successful AR Rahman concert held in January this year.

“Parramasala is a brand new cultural event in the NSW Master Events calendar, and the NSW government is proud to support this event,” Ms Keneally said. “The festival showcases NSW’s rich cultural heritage, and will be a premier art event across Australia and the Asia Pacific region”.

Phillip Rolfe, Director of Parramasala, introduced the many events which will be held during Parramasala. “We have been keen to give the audience an insight into the rich art and culture of South East Asia, with an emphasis on India. Through a combination of free and ticketed events, we hope to bring many visitors into Parramatta,” he said.

Speaking to Indian Link, Mr Rolfe also said that as there are so many activities planned for the five days, it might be an idea to stay at one of Parramatta’s many hotels and fully experience the many flavours of Parramasala.

Some of the highlights of Parramasala will include:

l Kailash Kher and Kailasa, one of India’s most popular bands making its Australian debut with a free concert in the Crescent Amphitheatre, Parramatta Park;

l A Throw of Dice , a free outdoor screening of the 1929 Indian silent film

masterpiece, with a new score composed and performed live by world renowned UK composer, DJ and music producer Nitin Sawhney, with full orchestra (also at the Crescent);

l The Chennai Tapes, a one-off concert featuring India’s Sruthi Laya Ensemble and Paul Grabowsky’s Australian Art Orchestra;

l AMillionEyes , Western Sydney resident and Indian dance legend Anandavalli in collaboration with world renowned contemporary Indian musicians Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan; and l TheGuruof Chai, a comic one-man play by New Zealand’s Indian Ink Theatre Company

The patron for Parramasala is Cricket NSW supremo, Dr Harry Harinath.

“I am particularly excited about the Parramasala’s 20/20 competition which will take place between the Parramatta District Cricket Club team and a South Asian XI. After all, cricket is a great connection between the two regions and along with the arts and culture, it is important to also have cricket as part of the programme,” he stated.

Dr Harinath urges all Indians in Australia to come over to Parramatta and enjoy the festivities.

Kailesh Kher, Nitin Sawheney, Tap Kathak, Masala Nights, regional cultural shows, movies, food stalls, street decorations, cricket… it’s going to be a medley of masalas at Parramasala, and the show certainly promises to be a garam one!

For more details visit www.parramasala.com

Parramatta City Council Lord Mayor Cr Paul Garrard and Premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, celebrate the launch of Parramasala with guests Photo: Karen Steains

Anandavalli Kailasa

Nitin Sawhney

Celebrating India

Strong Liberal presence at I-Day dinner

“This special celebration of Independence Day through a festive dinner, was the brainchild of four Indian Australians,” said Dr Jagvinder Virk to Indian Link

Joining him in making this endeavour a reality were Sydney businessman Vipin Sharma, banker Rahul Jethi and his colleague, Raman Pillay. What transpired was an evening of light entertainment and food, with the Liberal Party NSW leader Barry O’Farrell in attendance, alongside a number of other Liberal Party candidates for the upcoming federal elections.

The event began impressively with a giant screen displaying an audio visual presentation of the National Anthem of both countries. Over 250 guests mingled at the venue of Castle Grand at Castle Hill, and a commendable number of invitees were from mainstream Australia. The evening however, saw an overwhelming presence of members from the Liberal Party, causing murmurings from those present at the lack of bipartisan presence at the function to celebrate India’s Independence Day.

Jagvinder Virk clarified this by saying that the whole program was put together at a short notice within just 10 days, and the guests were invited through personal contacts. “I personally invited the Labor Party ministers, but they could not make it. We invited the Liberals and they were able to attend,” he stated.

Of the Liberal Party candidates contesting the elections, Charles Camenzuli for Parramatta, Jayme Diaz for Greenway and Alex Hawke for Mitchell were present and each addressed the gathering.

Alex Hawke, Member for Mitchell, spoke passionately about the need for the Australian government to engage more with India, claiming that selling uranium to India would be a step in the right direction. He also elaborated on reasons why the Liberals can help create better relations with India, as opposed to the Labor Party.

NSW Opposition leader Barry O’Farrell commended the Indian community for their ethos and their excellence at being good citizens. “I want there to be better peopleto-people ties between the two countries, which can increase trade between them. By increasing business we can increase revenue for NSW, which can help us get this state back in action,” he said.

Earlier, the Master of Ceremonies Rahul Jethi, urged all Indians in Australia to keep their culture together and alive, and to pay homage to all those who gave their lives for the cause of India’s independence. This feeling was reiterated by other speakers at the event, including Nihal Gupta and Jagvinder Virk.

Awards for community service were handed over to Vikram Sharma, Kumud Merani, Jayaraman Guruswami and Dr Kapila. Bollywood dances and bhangra kept the guests entertained, and the dinner from Billu’s catering was enjoyed by all.

Nonetheless, it would have been more pleasant to see a larger bipartisan participation in the celebration of India’s Independence Day.

UIA’s India Australia Friendship Fair

It was that time of the year again when Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush was teeming with the sights, sounds and the tastes of India. The occasion was August 15 marking India’s 64th anniversary of Independence and thousands of Indians got together once again to celebrate this wonderful day in their adopted homeland with their Australians friends at the India Australia Friendship Fair 2010.

Hosted by The United Indian Associations (UIA), the fair provided an

excellent opportunity to meet people and immerse yourself in culture and eat, play, love and rejoice the Independence day with plenty of entertainment for the whole family.

The fun began at 11am and continued all through the day. Performers from all ages and talent took on the stage to entertain the crowd by showcasing the rich vibrant Indian culture and heritage in the form of traditional Indian dance, Bollywood music and colourful costumes. Be it culutural dances, patriotic numbers like Vande Matram, actress Madhuri Dixit’s dance hits or Riaga Ringa from the album Slumdog Millionaire,

the performers presented them all as the audience of thousands sang, clapped, whistled and some even danced along.

Another highlights of this year was Aboriginal dancers, Australian heritage dancers and Brazilian dancers to name a few.

Food stalls from every possible Indian restaurant in NSW provided a diverse range of delightful Indian cuisine be it Samosa, Chole Bature or Jalebi. You name it and they had it on the plate for you.

Kids seemed to be the happiest lot enjoying camel rides, swings, buying toys of their choice and the little ones playing in the

NSW Opposition leader Barry O’Farrell joins the community at an Independence Day dinner

It’s an Independence Day party at UNSW

The ladies’ love for clothes, jewellery and henna too was taken care of by various stalls for the same.

Though the warm and sunny day helped generate a record crowd for the event, the rain gods too made their presence felt by interrupting the event for some time. However, it was not long before the audience was hooked to the multicultural entertainment again.

After a series of cultural programmes came the Dandi March ceremony which was joined by people of all ages holding the tricolour. The ambience turned patriotic

accompaniments sang the Australian and Indian national anthems and audience stood up in respect and joined.

Besides UIA members including Association President Mrs Aruna Chandrala, various dignitaries including Federal and State Parliamentarians as well as Indian Consulate representatives along representatives from the Prime Minister Office and Leader of the opposition. Prominent political personalities included NSW Premier Ms Kristina Kennelly, Indian High Commissioner Sujata Singh, David Borger, Robert Mclleun, Auburn

Mayor Paul Thompson, Ray Williams, Malcolm Turnbull, Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison, Anthony Roberts, Barbara Perry and others.

With Federal elections around the corner and the event providing a huge platform to reach out to the Indian community, the full attendence of Australian political leaders from both parties at the fair was no surprise. But, surprisingly the election campaign tone was missing in their speeches and the leaders chose to cherish the Indo-Austaralia relation. The only campaigning one could see was that from the Liberal party on hundreds of blue ballons.

NSW Premier Ms Kristina Kennelly seemed to be in an Indian mood to the fullest as she started her speech with the traditional Namaskar and went onto talk about the “amazing relationship and contributions” the members of the two countries share. She also promised $50,000 to next year’s Fair and appropriately concluded her address with Jai Ho.

Welcoming the community on behalf of UIA, Association President Aruna Chandala urged the state government for concession in sports for Indian students at par with the local students. She also mentioned the idea of having an India House which could work better for the disadvantaged community members.

Propagating “India Australia Bhai Bhai”, Sujata Singh urged the Indian community to do its best and with respect to make sure that the Indo-Australian relationship reaches to its full potential.

Many other sports personalities – Nathan Bracken, Haley Butler, Gavin Robertson and many athletes also visited the event.

However, the main attraction of the show seemed to be Masterchef Australia contestant Jimmy, who happily obliged the people who wanted to take pictures with their new found “star”.

And then came the lucky part of the event. Winners were announced for the raffle draw featuring prizes such as including LCD TVs and Return Air Tickets to India.

It was time now for the star attraction of the fair …a live performance by Bollywood singing sensation Mikka Singh. However, a long wait and an out-of-form singer disappointed many in the audience who left. But then there was no dearth of Mikka fans who danced to the tunes as he sang his famous Bollywood and Bhangra numbers. From Rang de Basanti to Singh is King to the latest Dhanoo, his fans enjoyed it all.

The evening culminated with exciting fire works.

There could have been no better way to encourage understanding between the cultures of the two countries than at such a great party. And yeas a great party it was! If you like food, dance, music, shopping for clothes and jewellery and a great day out, you would not have been disappointed.

Indian students at UNSW celebrate Independence Day

The UNSW Indian Cultural Association (UNSW-ICA) organised an Independence Day celebration on Aug 12 at the University’s Round House. Nearly 50 students attended.

Also joining the gathering were Indianorigin members of teaching staff Dr. Srikanta Bandyopadhyay (School of Materials Science and Engineering), Prof. Veena Sahajwalla (Faculty of Science Director) and Dr. Rudrajit Mitra (School of Mining Engineering).

The three members of staff jointly lit the traditional lamp to start off the proceedings, and then unfurled the tricolour as the students sang India’s national anthem.

Prof. Sahajwalla delivered the guest address and then Dr. Bandyopdahyay (the ‘singing professor’) presented a patriotic song in his inimitable style. The President of ICA Muthukumar Chockalingam spoke about the newly formed organization, outlining its plan of action for the coming months.

ICA has been doing a sterling job in providing support to international students from India, especially after the events of last year. It has organised social get-togethers such as at Diwali, and this year hopes to institute motivational awards for students from India, as well as organise charity works in deprived sections of India.

Dr. Kama Maclean, an invited guest from UNSW’s School of History gave an outstanding speech about India-Australia relationship initiatives and the new courses for Indian students at UNSW. She officially invited everyone to take part in a very special occasion coming up shortly, the inauguration of a bust of Mahatma Gandhi on September 1 at Library Lawn, UNSW.

From amongst the students, Amit (from Jawaharlal Nehru University) spoke about unsung heroes of the Independence movement, and Keerthi performed on the violin. Dr. Rudrajit and Mr. Agniva’s melodious Bengali and Hindi songs went down well, as did the bhangra dance by the Abhinay Dance School.

Consul General of India (Sydney) Amit Dasgupta reads out the message of the President of India on Independence Day

UIA’s India Australia Friendship Fair attracts thousands again this year

Giving street kids a voice

An Indian filmmaker captures the stories of street kids in Cairns

BY SHIVANGI AMBANI-GANDHI

The mention of Cairns immediately brings to mind golden sunshine, beautiful blue waters and the underwater wonders of the Great Barrier Reef. However, underneath this paradise-like façade is the sobering census information from the year 2006 showing that close to 15,000 people in Carins are homeless.

Of these, the worst of the victims are the street kids, forced to sell their bodies to paedophiles for enough money to buy food. One everyday hero, Dr. Harald Falge has been working for the past 18 years to provide these children food, advice, compassion, and very soon, even shelter.

The film traces the journey of Dr. Falge, with his initial humble efforts, making meals at home to distribute to street kids, to the establishment of Street Level Youth Care - an organisation through which the Cairns community contributes towards alleviating the problems of the homeless

And Indian-origin director Vijaykumar Mirchandani, has captured the story on camera in a new documentary, Where the Streets Have no Name

“I was reading through the information about winners of the Australia Day awards and found Dr. Falge’s story very interesting,” says Mirchandani.

The film traces the journey of Dr. Falge, with his initial humble efforts, making meals at home to distribute to street kids, to the establishment of Street Level Youth Care - an organisation through which the Cairns community contributes towards alleviating the problems of the homeless.

The narrative documentary captures the story through a series of interviews with Dr. Falge, volunteers of Street Level Youth Care, government officials, and of course, the street children themselves.

whereabouts.”

It took a gradual build-up of trust, before the kids would share their stories, Mirchandani can now reveal.

“I gave them the example of Slumdog Millionaire. I told them, ‘You can be a Slumdog Millionaire - you can be a voice for other street kids’.”

He was finally able to break the ice and some of the most potent moments of the film are when the kids talk about the time they have spent on the street, especially when they reveal the spaces they occupied to sleepfrom abandoned cars, to clearings in the bush. “I had to explain to them that I would not reveal the specific location, but I needed to show the conditions under which they survived,” says Mirchandani.

The film shows that the food that Dr. Falge offered the kids was only a small portion of his commitment to the street kids. More importantly, many of these kids just need advice, hope, and someone who listens to them, without judging them. The film ends on a high note of

composers and singers (including Ursula Yoich) who provided seven soundtracks to the film for free.

Although the film has had no success with film festivals in Australia, it has been screened at the Michigan Film Festival in May earlier this year, and is due for screening at the Bliss Festival in Colorado and the Phoenix International Christian Festival.

Mirchandani, who has been a seasoned television professional for the past 15-years, says that he is now committed to making documentaries on social issues that create awareness.

“I am working on documentaries about autism, dyslexia and one about a home for destitute women seamstresses. I want to bring some meaning to my work and do something for society.”

To make a donation towards a new home for the homeless kids in Cairns, please visit: www.haraldshouse.com

Harald feeds street kids in a park

(Above) Vijaykumar Mirchandani

On location under a city bridge

Masti bhara hai samaa

MAMTA SHARMA was in the audience as Avijit Sarkar channeled Manna Dey

Ae mere zohrazabeen

My dad sang this playful teasing Manna Dey favourite to my mum whenever he was happy or she was upset or annoyed over something. I cherish the memory every time I hear the song. And when Avijit Sarkar sang it at a recent Sydney concert, the memory came alive once again.

Avijit Sarkar, well known as one of the best entertainers in Sydney’s Indian community, has been regaling audiences with his broad range of Bollywood music, especially of yesteryear. In recent years, he has devoted many of his concerts and recordings for charity and fundraising. His Aug 7 concert, The Life and Music of Manna Dey, held at Red Gum Centre, Wentworthville, was another event dedicated to raising funds for the Australian Hindi-Indian Association (AHIA) Seniors’ Forum.

“Senior members of the community have a special place in my heart. As long as I am there, I will be with them because I know they will be with me always,” said Avijit before the concert.

During the ‘50s and ‘60s the classical rendition of orthodox songs sung by Rafi and Manna Dey had held listeners all over India spellbound. They continue to remain immortal more than 50 years after their creation. An audience of almost 200 people (mostly senior citizens) enjoyed these very numbers as Avijit took them on a musical journey with melodies of Manna Dey. He was accompanied by vocalists Pushpa Jagdish, Sadiq Rehmani and Sridani Dan.

Avijit proved his mettle, range and versatility yet again that evening.

Manna Dey was a flawless singer who could sing any type of song. From prayer numbers to qawwalis (Yeh Ishq Ishq hai) to romantic duets (Pyar hua iqraar hua), to fast numbers (Aaoo twist karen, Jhoomta mausam mast mahina) or patriotic songs (Aye mere pyare watan), he was the versatile genius. And Avijit paid handsome homage by recreating this wizard as best as anyone could.

He started appropriately with Tu pyar ka sagar hai (Seema) followed by Kaun aaya mere man ke dware (Dekh Kabira Roya)

The audience hummed along as Avijit sang Zindagi kaise hai paheli, a song that summarises the whole life of a human being, with the chorus members comprising students of Natraj Academy.

Sunil Vyas in the audience summed it up brilliantly as he said, “Avijit has a voice which best relates to most singers of yesteryears. Zindagi kaise hai …is one of my favourite melodies and I waited for him to get to this number!”

Throughout the concert, Avijit shared

Australian Chapter The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India

with the audience interesting anecdotes from Manna Dey’s life.

Not many know that Manna Dey was an excellent wrestler, boxer and a soccer player. He wanted to study law but was under the mesmeric spell of his illustrious uncle K .C Dey, well-known singer and popular star of New Theaters. The uncle took the nephew under his wings and the result was the phenomenon called Manna Dey (pet name ‘Manna’ was given by K.C. Dey - his original name is Prabodh Chandra Dey), who would go on to record some 3500 songs that refuse to age with time.

Even though Manna Dey has been a very versatile singer mastering every aspect of film songs, he is best known for his mastery over classical and semi classical songs. No wonder then that the audience whistled after Avijit ended that unforgettable Phoolgendwa na maaro (Dooj ka Chand).

pukar ke from Bimal Roy’s Do Bigha Zameen. Readers may recall that Pushpa – often referred to as “Sydney’s Lata Mangeshkar” - had the enviable opportunity to sing alongside the great man himself in 2001. Recalling the experience, Pushpa said, “It was a dream come true. I used to listen to Manna Dey’s songs on Vivid Bharti. It was a rare privilege to sing with him on stage, and I will always cherish that. More than an amazing singer, he is an amazing person, so down to earth”.

The audience pepped up when the duo sang Aaja sanam madhur chandni (Chori Chori), as the inexplicable mystery of the Raj Kapoor-Nargis equation came alive again. It is said that as Lata and Dey recorded the song, Raj Kapoor danced in the studio. Another melody that stood out, is one

that holds a special place in the hearts of millions of Indians and still brings gooseflesh to every nationalist. Only a week before Independence Day, Ae mere pyare watan (Kabuliwala), sung to perfection by Avijit, left some in the audience emotional. Avijit lightened up the mood with the Chunari sambhal gori with talented newcomer Srijani Dan. More of Manna Dey’s evergreens followed, such as Sur na saje kya gaun main (Basant Bahar), Jhanak jhanak tori baaje paayaliya (Mere Huzoor) based Darbari, and the yearning, moving tones of Poocho na kaise maine rain beetayi (Meri Surat Teri Ankhein) based on the early morning raga Ahir Bhairav.

And of course, you can’t go to a Manna Dey night and not have Laga chunri mein Dil hi to hai) on the menu: yeh to ho ! Probably the most well known classical song in Hindi films, Manna Dey sang it to perfection, and Avijit came close. He got maximum applause for the song. “Hamare liye to yeh hi Manna Dey hai,” said someone in the audience as they headed for Sadiq Rehmani joined Avijit after for the greatest song of friendship ever sung, Ye Na maangu sona chaandi (Bobby) Baboo samjho ishare (Chalti Ka Naam

With the heart warming Kasme waade pyaar wafa sab (Upkaar), that phenomenal song on friendship Yaari hai imaan (Zanjeer) and masterpieces like Dil ka haal sune dilwala (Shree 420) and Tere nayna talaash the hall resonated with Avijit’s powerful voice, perfect pitch and melodious

Pushpa rejoined Avijit for Pyaar hua (Sri 420), one of the most romantic sings ever sung in Hindi films, Masti bhara hai sama (Parvarish 1958).

Avijit delighted the audience by singing some of their requests including E bhai zaraa, Shaam dhale jamuna kinaare, Cham cham baaje re and Tujhe sooraj kahun.

And when asked which is his personal favourite of Manna Dey’s songs, Avijit replied, “It’s very difficult to isolate one song from a legend’s lifetime. Tum bin jeevan kaisa jeevan, Aayo kahan se ghanshyam, Upar gagan vishaal and of course, the classical songs, are on the top of my list.”

The singers were accompanied by Dr Dinakar and Akber Alibhai on keyboards, Sadiq Rehmani on guitar, and Abhijit Dan on tabla and percussion.

The troupe did their best to sing as many hits as possible, but for the many fans of Manna Dey’s melodies, one night simply wasn’t enough.

Empowering CA India Members to Empower Nation

Please send your interest to events@icai.org.au

www.icai.org.au

Winter is natok season

SANDIP HOR on the annual Bengali theatre festival

As winter progresses, natok or theatre thrives among the Bengalis in Sydney. It’s time for the Natyostav or Drama Festival, a flagship event in the annual calendar of the Bengali Association of NSW (BANSW), the oldest and one of the largest Indian community organisations in Australia.

Since its inception in 1975, each year its theatre-loving members have proudly staged a drama, alongside other cultural and religious programs. A few years ago the executive committee noted an increase of interest for theatrical performances and subsequently an increased membership.

Thus the single drama concept was extended to a drama fest, comprising of four short plays staged over two Saturday evenings.

The year the event was held at the Strathfield Girl’s High School on July 24 and 31, each evening featuring two presentations that drew a large number of stage enthusiasts.

The festival kicked off with Jiban Je Rakam (Life As Is), a short play with a simple and straightforward storyline quite familiar to all of us – the age old enmity between mother and daughter-in-law, stemming from one’s own suffering that builds and stays within as a tradition to be followed with others, when the opportunity arrives. That was the case with widowed grandmother Soudamini who was tortured by her mother-in-law and deprived of studying and singing. She accepted that as a part of a woman’s life and when her son got married, she did not hesitate in meting out the same treatment to her daughter-in-

law. Director Suvra Mitra, while gesturing that noxious relationship with sentiment, creatively showed how it is changing with time and generation, with the arrogant mother-in-law’s attitude changing, bringing about a happy ending.

Mita Majumdar, a veteran of many stage performances was brilliant as Soudamini, while Rajashri Roy as Madhumati, the daughter-in-law deserves mention for her youthful performance. Suvra’s introduction of the play and her cast was novel and innovative, and the sound effects and music throughout the play added an extra dimension to the overall performance.

Next on the program was Gulshan (Garden), a dynamic change from the previous drama that in essence negated an issue, and was relevant to our time. The story belongs to Laila, a Muslim girl from Delhi who unexpectedly finds herself stranded in Kolkata in the midst of a communal violence, and powerlessly takes refuge inside the home of a young Bengali bachelor Bhootnath Banerjee. Directed by Dipak Hor, the drama is filled with comedy, fear and melodrama and at times depicts how love, tolerance and harmony can still prevail in society, even under extremely difficult situations. The ending though melancholy, puts humanity ahead of caste, creed and religion.

The highlight of this play was its debut performers – Soumava Dey as Bhootnath, Anindita Mitra as Laila and Shampa Bhattacharya as the landlady. The director himself took the role of Sarkar Babu at short notice. I watched the drama from the wings, not because the auditorium was filled to capacity, but because I had been given a minor character role. This vantage position gave me the opportunity to observe the audience reaction, and it was clear that they were enjoying themselves.

The following evening began with Rahul Ganguly’s Brishti Asche (Rain is Coming), set in a drought stricken rural town of West Bengal. The play evolved around Brishtiwalla, a fantasy character who enters a middle class family overburdened with problems, with a pledge to bring rain. However, he actually shows them the path to living with hopes and dreams, in the midst of their glumness.

Within the Bengali community, Rahul is reputed to be a creative director. People come to watch his productions with expectations and Brishti Asche didn’t disappoint them. The overall performances were good; however Indrani Lodh, Ripon Barua and Saikat Das as the brothers and sister in the family deserve a special mention. Rahul’s composition of the scenes and sequencing of events were smartly stringed and his presence as Brishtiwalla was superb in style and character. At times his dialogue seemed to speed up, but perhaps that was a deliberate ploy to differentiate between fantasy and reality. The background music was balanced and well integrated with the milieu, particularly during the scenes where Bristiwalla gets Anshu to return to playing the drums and helps Tinni find her beauty again.

The last production of this year’s festival was Ashalin (Indecent) in which director Tito Roy commented on a very important aspect of society today – the fine line between so-called vulgarity and decency. Sujan, who lost his mother at an early age, grew up differently – his use of words to express himself was unusual. Taranath, his father’s friend, invites him to live with his family, but is consciously concerned about how his stern wife Aloka would react to Sujan’s own style of communicating. The drama ended when Sujan returned back home, leaving the family pondering over the difference between perceived civilised and uncivilised social ethics.

It was surely a different type of drama – bold and fiery with the entire cast doing their best to portray their roles with blend of humour and drama. However Smritish and Sharmila Ray as Taranath and Aloka, and Soma Goswami as Rina stood out for their eye-catching expressive recitals. However, the tabla playing in the background overpowered the dialogues, and drops in the sound system at times loosened the gravity of the scenes.

The two-day fest ended as a great success for the association, with all present appreciative of the four creative and well coordinated stage performances. The amateur performers, on stage and behind proved that their contributions were nothing less than that of professionals.

Ashalin

Brishti Asche

Jiban Je Rakam

Gulshan

Gulshan 2

21 months on, Taj hotel reopens fully after Mumbai Terror attacks

Nearly 21 months after the palace wing of the Taj Mahal Palace was destroyed in the 26/11 terror attack on Mumbai, the restored heritage suites opened their doors to guests Sunday - much grander than ever.

Paying a befitting tribute to the spirit and resilience of the nation, the iconic Taj chose Independence Day to begin a new chapter in its history.

Complete with multimedia systems and an emergency escape route, the wing has now upped its luxury quotient.

Occupying the sixth floor, the property is spread across 5,000-odd square feet. The palace wing will also feature a couple of new accommodation offerings in the form of duplex suites.

Guests in the palace wing will get to experience the attentive and personalised ‘Palace Butler Service’ where the butler will discreetly and efficiently guide them in the hotel.

The Palace Lounge will be a private retreat, exclusively for residents of the palace wing, for a cup of perfectly brewed tea or coffee; an evening cocktail or after hour chocolate and cognac.

High-end technology and interactive multimedia systems at the touch of a button ensure that the guest’s experiences are wired for efficiency and comfort. Taj Club rooms and suites come with chauffeur-driven luxurious Jaguar transfers.

The restaurants have also been renovated, including Sea Lounge and Golden Dragon. The Taj Ballroom, the Harbour Bar and Wasabi by Morimoto are accompanied by inspired cuisine from a team of acclaimed chefs.

Another added feature to the rooms and suites are the special levers that allow guests to open the window in an emergency. Upping the security quotient, special access control elevators are installed on the premises, allowing only guests to operate them with a valid key.

Internationally acclaimed designers like Lissoni Associati from Milan, BAMO from San Francisco, DesignWilkes from Malaysia and James Park Associates from Singapore carried out the extensive restoration of the heritage wing of the hotel.

On December 16, 1903, the Taj opened its doors to its first 17 guests. Over the years, the hotel has played perfect host to maharajas and princes, presidents and legends, performers and world figures, offering them the ultimate in luxury, fine dining and impeccable service.

While the adjacent tower wing was left unscathed in the 26/11 attack, the heritage wing was extensively damaged. It has been

BOLLYWOOD BONANZA: View of the facade of the section called ‘Culture Gully’ of the Bollywood theme park ‘Kingdom of Dreams’, a live entertainment complex built over 6 acres in Gurgaon, Haryana. The project aims to showcase high-quality Bollywood musicals, promote India’s culture and create a major tourist destination which the developers claim could be a onestop destination to experience India.

AP repaired at an estimated cost of Rs.175 crore.

RIM ‘optimistic’ on sorting

BlackBerry matter with India

Senior officials from Canada’s Research in Motion (RIM) recently met the top brass of India’s interior ministry in a last-ditch attempt to resolve their stand-off over access to decoded data from BlackBerry phones to security agencies.

“I’m optimistic,” said Robert Crow, the canadian company’s vice president for industry, government and university relations, after the meeting in New Delhi but declined further comment. He had also met with Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

The meeting came after India set Aug 31 as the deadline for all BlackBerry service providers to allow access to its encrypted data, even as the Canadian developer said in a statement from Toronto that it “has drawn a firm line” on the matter.

The company said it already provides telecom carriers some capabilities for “lawful” access to its data, but added that it also insists that any such capability given to carriers be limited to four criteria.

The company reacted after the Indian government set the deadline for access to two

of BlackBerry’s offerings -- the enterprise service, used mainly by corporates to connect their mail system with the device, and its messenger for instant data communications.

Listing the four criteria, the Waterloo-based firm said one such capability was “limited to the strict context of lawful access and national security requirements as governed by the country’s judicial oversight and rules of law”.

The second was that these capabilities should be “technology and vendor neutral,” which means RIM won’t allow itself to be subjected to conditions that are greater than those required from its competitors.

The third criteria is that it cannot be forced to change the basic security architecture of its enterprise services, which are the same across the globe. And the fourth point is it has a uniform global standard and makes no special deals with individual countries.

According to the company, the BlackBerry enterprise server was designed in such a way as to preclude RIM, or any third party, from reading its encrypted information under any circumstances, the company does not store or have access to such encoded data.

“Contrary to rumours, the security architecture is same around the world and

RIM truly has no ability to provide its customers’ encryption keys,” RIM said, referring to the enterprise product that is preferred by corporations and businesses.

India’s second demand for access to the widely popular BlackBerry Messenger also poses a big question mark for the company, which is using the feature as its trump-card in the face of onslaught from iPhone 4 and Google Android devices.

Research in Motion has shipped over 100 million BlackBerry devices till date, with some 46 million users through 550 telecom carriers in over 175 countries. The company doesn’t share country-specific data, but estimates suggest around one million users in India.

According to the company, more than 25 million of the total 46 million users worldwide use BlackBerry Messenger. RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie says the BlackBerry Messenger is so popular that its use has shot up nearly 500 percent during the fiscal year.

India’s directive on BlackBerry came after a meeting convened by Home Secretary G.K. Pillai with senior officers of the Intelligence Bureau, another intelligence gathering agency, the National Technical Research Organisation and the Department of Telecommunications.

Photo:

“If a technical solution is not provided by Aug 31, 2010, the government will review the position and take steps to block these two services from the network,” said a statement by India’s home ministry after the meeting.

“The meeting asked the Department of Telecom to convey to the service providers that two Blackberry services, namely business enterprises services and messenger Services, be made accessible to law enforcement agencies by Aug 31,” said the statement.

Eureka! Delhi school boys

discover new asteroid

Wonders never cease to exist. Two Delhi students have discovered a new asteroid as part of a unique astronomy project connected to the US space agency NASA.

Amanjot Singh and Sahil Wadhwa, both Class 12 students of Ryan International School, discovered a main belt asteroid (2010 PO24) on Aug 6 as part of the All India Asteroid Search Campaign (AIASC).

Asteroids are very small planet-like objects that generally go around the sun in orbits located between Mars and Jupiter. Sometimes these are nudged by gravitational forces out of their orbits and can come into contact with Earth.

“I am really excited about it,” Sahil, who wants to pursue a career in astronomy, said.

“Our task was to sift through the data and analyse it. Every day we used to send our findings to scientists in NASA and they used to tell us if we were successful in discovering an asteroid, a near earth object or a second time confirmation of the asteroid.”

The campaign conducted between May 17 and June 30 and from July 1 to Aug 13, was introduced in India for the first time and about 30-45 schools were be involved in it. This year 11 countries on four continents participated in it.

Behind involving school students in the project was the Science Popularisation Association of Communicators and Educators (SPACE) along with the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), an international educational outreach programme.

The students went through exclusive data files of the sky provided by the IASC using astronomical data analysis software. The data files had images of the sky taken in the night with 24-inch and 32-inch telescopes at the Astronomical Research Institute (ARI) Observatory in the US.

Sahil and Amanjot are looking forward to naming the asteroid discovered by them, though the process will take almost six years as per the international rule.

Three other students from Navrachana School in Vadodara, Gujarat, have made a Virtual Impactor Observation (VIO) discovery of a Near Earth Object (NEO)

An NEO is an object in the solar system whose orbit brings it in close proximity to Earth. A VIO is carried out to determine whether the NEO is likely to hit the Earth or not.

When NEOs are first discovered, the impact risk with Earth is evaluated. If that risk is high enough, the NEO is placed on to the potentially hazardous asteroid list maintained by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

“The observation made by students has led to NEO being officially removed from the list. This is a very rare and important observation,” C.B. Devgun, SPACE director,said.

Devgun said asteroids larger than about 50 metres could be expected to reach the Earth’s surface at an interval of about 100 years, causing local disasters.

“These collisions are unlikely, but programmes such as NEO at NASA precisely track these objects as, if predicted in advance to be in a trajectory that collides with Earth, warnings can be generated and

methods to avert them can be sought,” he said.

Indian missions asked to give long-term visas to PIOs

Indian missions have been advised to issue long-term extendable visas, and not short duration tourist visas, to Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) who are keen on visiting India, Eduardo Faleiro, Goa’s commissioner for NRI affairs has said..

Addressing a press conference here, Faleiro also appealed to all PIOs to apply for a PIO card that would entitle them to stay in India for a period of 15 years and thus drastically cut down on visa-related hassles.

“I had received several complaints from Goans holding foreign passports that some of our embassies and high commissions issue them tourist visas (valid for three to six months) at the end of which they have to leave the country though they have property matters to deal with and have families here,” Faleiro said.

He said the complaints had spurred an e-mail exchange with union Home Minister P.

Chidambaram.

“The home minister has assured me in writing that granting of tourist visas to PIOs was not correct and that he was advising missions concerned as well as the foreigners regional registration office in Goa to ensure that long term visas are issued to the said category of persons and these visas are extended from time to time,” said Faleiro, a former minister of state for external affairs.

Faleiro also gave the media a copy of an official letter from Chidambaram, in which the home minister has appealed to all PIOs to apply for the PIO or the Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.

“If they apply for either the PIO or the OCI card, they can stay in India for 15 years (in case of the PIO card) and 30 years (in case of the OCI) card. I would request you to advise them to apply for either the PIO card or the OCI card,” Chidambaram has said in his letter written to Faleiro in July.

The union home minister has also sought a list of missions/embassies and high

Continued on page 33

BACK IN BUSINESS: The newly-restored heritage wing of Mumbai’s landmark Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel before its reopening on August 15. Restoration work on the 105-year old section of the luxury hotel has taken 18 months after it was badly-damaged in the November 26 Mumbai terror attacks.

Photo: AP discovered during the same programe July 19.

commissions abroad which are in the habit of issuing tourist visas to PIOs.

The NRI affairs commissionerate in Goa looks after the interests of a large number of Goans who are employed abroad, a majority of whom are concentrated in countries located in the Gulf region.

Aamir comes to the rescue of “Rancho’s school” in Leh

The Buddha stood by the Druk White Lotus School, an architectural milestone just 15 km from Leh, when a cloudburst caused devastation in the cold desert region of Jammu and Kashmir last week. While it did suffer damage, the school is already looking forward to being “back on its feet”.

Popularly known as Rancho’s school after it featured in the movie “3 Idiots”, it was able to battle flash floods and mudslides thanks to its quake and flood resistant technology even as the Aug 6 cloudburst killed more than 165 people in and around Leh.

The school that received the British Council for School Environment Award for the “most inspiring building globally” in 2009 shot to fame after it was used to shoot the climax for “3 Idiots”.

Actor Aamir Khan is reportedly keen to help the school recover from the aftermath of damage.

“Very shocked and distressed to hear about the school we shot in Leh for ‘3 Idiots’. Trying to get in touch with the principal. I suppose the communications are down too,” the actor posted on his Facebook.

The actor found out through a journalist friend that “there were no casualties in the school”. “Just spoke with Mr.Prasad, the principal at the school in Leh. Big relief after speaking with him. (I) Am trying to go there,” Aamir wrote.

The school has 506 students. “All the 200 children who lived as boarders in the school were safe,” a spokesperson for Phillip Cornwell, the first chair of the Britain-based Drukpa Trust, which runs the school, said.

School principal Prasad Eledath has said cleanup and relief work has started with the help of the staff and he aims to “put the school back on its feet in a week”.

“The multi-award winning school was partially clogged by the mudslide that flowed through the eastern half of the school campus. Some of it seeped into the residential buildings and classrooms half way up the walls,” Cornwell’s spokesperson said.

The winner of three international architecture awards for its eco-friendly design and sustainability projects, the White Lotus School has been designed by the avant garde global design firm Arup.

“While it is too early to assess the extent of the damage, initial inspection indicated only limited structural damage to the buildings. The Arup-designed buildings seem to have withstood a major test,” the spokesperson said.

Arup is known for ambitious designs that are disaster resistant. Founded in 1946, the group designed the Sydney Opera House and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

The White Lotus School was conceived by the 12th spiritual leader of the Drukpa sect, Gyalwang Drukpa, and built by two Arup architects, Jonathan Rose and Duncan Woodburn. Built in 2001, it is managed by the Druk Padma Karpo Education Society, a local Ladakh-based non-profit group and Drukpa Trust. The Trust, a conglomerate of international charities, is the financial arm of the Tibetan Buddhist Drukpa sect.

The award winning features of the school, the spokesperson said, “were the ventilation improved pit latrines that did not need water, passive solar heating devices and trombe walls that trapped heat and released them slowly through narrow spaces, a gravity feed

water system that pumped snow-melt water from a depth of 30 metres and anti-seismic wooden rods and steel support structures to withstand earthquakes”.

One residence courtyard, the junior courtyard and the administration courtyard were inundated by mud, he said.

“The staff and volunteers have managed to recover some files and equipment. The IT room has been rendered non-functional. The eastern boundary wall has caved in as well as the wall in front of the school, but the buildings to the west have escaped damage. The dining hall and kitchen are intact,” the spokesperson said.

The solar water pumps are working and water supply was not affected.

MEA reaches out with Twitter to users’ surprise

Over a month after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) debuted on Twitter, the response from denizens of the fast-growing social networking site has generally been welcoming, although tinged with some surprise that the stodgy Government of India was finally waking up to the power and reach of new media.

MEA’s public diplomacy division created its Twitter account, indiandiplomacy, on July 8. It has since written 94 tweets - some of them being links to press releases and speeches and others being interactions with the tweeting crowd.

By Aug 14, there were 1,972 people who had linked up to the MEA website, purely through word of mouth and media reports.

A recent press release on Indian aid to Pakistan - the note was sent out through Twitter - was circulated widely in twitterland, including among the Pakistani ‘tweeple’.

“Perhaps for the first time Twitter is having such an a/c (account) from any Govt. Of India dept. We the people feel honoured,” Kaushik Dutta, an insurance executive, tweeted in appreciation of ‘indiandiplomacy’ July 11.

Similarly, Swamitra Singh from Kanpur gave his own welcome. “I heard about you via news. Now I am so happy that government is doing something for us.”

There was however a bit of confusion on how MEA will use this account. “Does this mean I can send grievances to you and it will actually be sorted out?” asked Faisal from

Mangalore.

There was an immediate response from the ministry official manning the Twitter account. “We may not be able to sort out grievances but we will certainly bring it to the attention of those dealing with the subject,” said ‘indiandiplomacy’.

Besides, some users were interested in knowing how Indian diplomats, known for their verbal skills, will adapt to the minimalism of Twitter.

“How will govt babus talk in 140 chractors. Used to writing 14000 page documents,” asked a Twitter user with the handle ‘iArifsyed’. The MEA’s reply: “We should not be prejudged.”

Several foreign governments, notably those of the US and Britain, use social media like Twitter and Flickr to reach out to younger people and have got encouraging response.

US President Barack Obama’s splash in the Gulf of Mexico was first put on White House Flickr page to give the messsage to Americans and the rest of the world that the BP oil spill-hit Gulf Coast is open for business..

T3 domestic operations put off, infrastructure not ready

The domestic flight operations at the Terminal 3 (T3) of the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport here have been delayed at least till 15th Sep 2010 as basic infrastructure like power and water supply is still not in place.

A team of officials led by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel recently reviewed the preparedness of various stakeholders for effecting transition of domestic operations to IGI’s T3.

It found a 220 KVA sub-station, which was to be commissioned by July 31, would be ready only by the middle of September.

“Presently, the quality of power supply is erratic which is affecting the sophisticated baggage handling and security equipments at the Terminal 3,” the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.

To meet the extra electricity requirement for the domestic operations from T3, the power sub-station is necessary to be commissioned.

“It was also observed that the Delhi Jal Board has not been able to provide the supply of three million litres per day of water

to the airport which it had committed earlier as per its requirement. The water supply continues to be erratic and much less than the required amount,” the statement added.

The shift from Terminal 1A & 1D (barring the three stand-alone low cost carriers) to T3 was earlier planned for Aug 27, the full service of Indian carriers -- Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines including JetLite and Kingfisher Red -- was supposed to shift domestic operations to T3.

Another pending project is construction of an alternate road connecting the present domestic side of the airport to T3. This road is expected to ease traffic congestion as right now there is only one approach to T3 from NH-8.

The Metro line connecting T3 to central Delhi also is not ready. It is likely to become operational only in mid-September.

“Due to these factors, and most importantly, to ensure that the domestic passengers are not inconvenienced in any manner because of shifting of operations to T3, the ministry has decided to hold the shifting of operations in abeyance,” said the statement.

The minister will review the position midSeptember, following which a decision will be taken on the date for shifting domestic operations to T3, it said.

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SWEETNESS GALORE: An Indian worker dries Seviiyan - thin vermicelli - at a food factory in Hyderabad. Seviyan is used for the preparation of “sheerkhorma”, a traditional sweet dish relished by the Muslim community during the holy month of Ramadan.

Photo: AP

There’s India in the air

Scenes from UIA’s India Australia Friendship Fair held at Sydnry Olympic Park on 15 August

GALLERY

Photos: PV Productions/Muneet Duggal

An insight into Ramadan

Ramadan,

BY SHAFEEN MUSTAQ

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. Muslims believe it is a holy month of immense blessings and reward. Every day during this month, Muslims around the world spend daylight hours fasting from sunrise to sunset, abstaining from food and drink.

Why do Muslims fast?

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. Muslims believe Ramadan is a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God and practice self-sacrifice. Ramadan is much more than just not eating and drinking, as quoted in the Qur’an: “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) selfrestraint” (Qur’an 2:183)

devotion and seeking Allah’s forgiveness. Zakah, charity and generosity Ramadan generates the spirit of giving and sacrifice. When we deprive ourselves of food and drink we realize the pain of those who cannot find the basic necessities of life.

Family Goodness must begin at home and Muslims should spend quality time with family members. Allah’s special mercy comes on the families that live in harmony Good conduct Try to be extra kind and courteous during this month. Forget your quarrels and disputes; reconcile and forgive. Do not get involved in backbiting, lying, cheating and anything that is wrong. Be good to your friends and neighbours and let your non-Muslim neighbours and co-workers know that this is your blessed and sacred time.

Tafakkur(reflection): Think, reflect and plan to improve the moral and spiritual condition of your own self and your family. Think about your wrongdoing and sins, and attempt to correct yourself.

dormant fat in body cells gets renewed and compelled into active participation in generating energy.

Mental acuity and stamina Fasting improves mental acuity as well as increasing physical and mental stamina. Fasting makes the body get used to working without the instant gratification provided by food and drink.

When is Ramadan?

Ramadan in 2010 began on August 11 and continues for 30 days until September 10 (dates are dependent on the sighting of the moon). The last day is a day of celebration marking the end of the month of fasting, known as Eid-ul-Fitr.

What is Eid-ul-Fitr?

Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam and Muslims believe Ramadan is a time to purify the soul, refocus attention on God and practice self-sacrifice

Muslims use this month to re-evaluate their lives in the light of Islamic guidance, to make peace and strengthen ties with family and friends. The Arabic word for “fasting” (sawm), literally means “to refrain”, not only from food and drink, but from bad actions, thoughts and words. Most Muslims try to get home before sunset so that they can break the fast with family and friends. Ramadan is not the ‘Month of Fasting’, instead, it is a time of seeking closeness to Allah. The means to achieve this is through fasting, prayer, zakat (charity), reciting the Qur’an, thankfulness, guidance and actions. The purpose is to please Allah, and Allah alone.

What makes fasting in Ramadan special?

While Muslims fast at other times during the year, this month is dedicated to a purification of both body and mind. To accomplish this, several factors are addressed: Intention Muslims try and remember that they are fasting in obedience to Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him or pbuh) said: “Whosoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking Allah’s reward, all his past sins are forgiven.” (Al-Bukhari, Hadith #37)

Sunnah The ways of the Prophet is called Sunnah Muslims try to fast as the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) fasted.

Wara This stands for avoiding bad actions. Fasting is not just about avoiding food and drink, but also learning how to avoid bad words and bad deeds. The Prophet (pbuh) said: “Whosoever does not leave bad words and bad actions, Allah does not care if he leaves his food and drink.” (AlTirmidhi 641)

Qur’an Muslims try and complete a whole recitation of the Qur’an by themselves during this month.

Prayer or Salah,Du`a’ and Dhikr Muslims try to pray on time and observe all the prayers. They should do more dhikr (remembering Allah) and du`a’ (supplication) for themselves and others. The last ten nights are the best time for

Be cheerful and happy Ramadan is not a time of mourning or sadness, it is a time of thankfulness to Allah. In a Hadith it is reported that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “When you fast, anoint yourself. Let not the signs of fast be seen on you.” (Al-Bukahri, Al-Adab al-Mufrad)

Health benefits of fasting

Fasting has been proven to have numerous physical health benefits when done correctly.

Rest and rejuvenation The entire digestive tract from the mouth to the intestines are at rest during the fast, giving these organs time repair and renew themselves. Detoxification Food gives us nutrition as well as toxic by-products which are excreted in urine, stool and sweat. The detoxification process is undertaken by the liver, which has time to catch up with its pending work during the hours of fasting.

Prevention of cell choking Each cell in the body is a chemical factory. The constant supply of digested products causes cells to ‘choke’, however fasting allows this to subside.

Weight loss Fasting leads to modest weight loss which improves blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep, atherosclerosis, heart diseases, lung diseases, obesity, digestive disorders, fatty liver, infertility and prevention of heart attacks and strokes. If done correctly, fasting can act as an insurance against the obesity pandemic overtaking our society.

Tuning and toning During fasting, the glycogen storage in the liver gets depleted during the day and replenished at night. Similarly, the

Eid-ul-Fitr otherwise known as Eid, is the Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. Eid is an Arabic word meaning “festivity”, while Fitr means “to break fast” and the holiday symbolizes the end of the fasting period. On this day Muslims wear their best and visit friends and family to indulge in food and fun.

How can I learn more about Ramadan?

There are several Islamic radio stations which you can tune into to hear the azaan at iftaar time, daily lectures, Islamic messages and news:

• Sydney’s Voice of Islam radio station, 87.6 FM (www.sydneyislamicradio.com)

• Sydney Islamic Radio, 92.1 FM (www.2mfm.org/)

What is the MEFF?

Sydney’s annual Multicultural Eid Festival and Fair (MEFF) will be held on Sunday 26 September 2010 at Fairfield Showground. MEFF is a showcase of Islamic unity in diversity, and Australian multiculturalism in action. On the day, the venue of Fairfield Showground will be turned into a multicultural market place with rides and over 100 stalls selling a variety of food, clothing, jewellery, Islamic books, toys, show bags and more. Further information is available at www.meff.com.au

As Muslims around the world to observe the Holy Month of

it’s important to focus on the true significance of this time

The Taj Mahal is a favourite spot for offering prayers on the last day of Ramadan which is celebrated as Eid-Ul-Fitr Photo: AP

For more information or to register your attendance to our September seminar, please call 1800 ForexCT (1800 367 392) or contact Nav Kumar on 0432 745 660 or email seminars@forexct.com. If you are interested but are unable to attend the above date, please contact us and we will try to organise an alternative time for you.

The focus for criticism

India’s unprecedented and continued success offers ample material for its vigilant critics to downplay actual achievements

BY NOEL G DE SOUZA

India has fascinated Europe for centuries. The great voyages of discovery (Spanish and Portuguese) were intended to discover sea routes to India. Ever since, two dominant modes have persisted in perceiving India either as an exotic and colourful country, or as a country reeking of poverty and backwardness. The latter perception is academically promoted as the Traditional Society Theory, wherein developmental ills are attributed to traditional social structures (in India’s case these being caste and religion).

Latin American social scientists, incensed at the misrepresentation of their countries’ developmental problems, champion the alternative Dependency Theory, which explains colonial backwardness as resulting from exploitive structures set up by colonial powers. They argue that traditional society explanations are an excuse to cover colonial exploitation.

India has been getting away from the above two situations, along with other emerging economies like China and Brazil. No satisfactory theory has yet been developed to explain India’s evolving success. Indeed, UN agencies are manufacturing reports denying India’s success with the ridiculous claim that

the majority of its people live in poverty which surpasses sub-Saharan Africa.

The world’s eyes are now focussed on India because of the Commonwealth Games. There are perpetual critics of the country whose reactions to the Games can be predicted in advance. Remember what happened when the Beijing Olympics were about to begin? China had to face criticism that areas consisting of old dilapidated housing were being cleared to build Olympic facilities. There was initially much talk about the quality of air in Beijing and when steps were taken to reduce air pollution, the critics shifted the focus to human rights and the unrelated Tibet issue.

The expected lines of attack against India follow a familiar pattern. If there are problems with completing games venues, then India’s “inefficiency” will be highlighted. There is already talk about incomplete venues, but completed projects like Delhi’s modern airport and its new metro system are being ignored in the foreign media. If the Games appear to be succeeding, critics will

talk about money being wasted on the Games and not being spent on the poor.

It is normal to expect the usual foreign criticism because habitual critics jump on the bandwagon, no matter what the issue. Similar views can be expected from local critics. It is baffling when Mani Shankar Aiyar (a Congress MP of the Rajya Sabha) said he wished the Games to fail because he believed that only evil will patronize the games! His views have been brushed aside by both the government and the opposition.

The alleged corruption involved in the granting of contracts for the Games is manna to India’s critics because such news can be expected to be given prominence in parts of the foreign media even though its veracity remains to be proven.

The British Prime Minister David Cameron’s visit which took place only weeks prior to the Games, has become like a prelude to the Commonwealth Games. His highlevel large ministerial delegation has been described as a mission to create jobs. Britain sees the potential for nuclear power plants and cooperation in scientific areas like space and computers.

The British Prime Minister is following in the steps of his Portuguese and French counterparts. These former colonial powers now see potential for trade and other cooperation in India. Not surprisingly, Mr Cameron’s visit evoked criticised in parts of the British press. However, the British Minister for Business, Vince Cable, whose

first wife Olympia Rebello was of Goan origin (sadly deceased), has eulogised India’s “remarkable economic transformation … within half a century.”

India is not showcasing itself exclusively by the Commonwealth Games. It has immense scientific achievements to show to the world, such as its very successful space program with which it is forging ahead. Again, that is another area that evoked criticism less than a decade ago when India announced its desire to become a major space player. The main criticism at that time was the habitual pious-sounding statement that the large expenditure required for the space program could instead be spent on feeding its poor.

The necessity of the space program for studying and controlling India’s resources and the spin-offs it provides for defence were ignored by such critics. The success of the space ventures has silenced them. India is earning money from its space program by selling satellite images and providing satellite launch facilities. It continues to fire rockets with multiple satellites from several countries. ISRO’s Chairman K. Radhakrishnan has announced several new projects such as a Regional Navigational Satellite System which has both civilian and defence uses.

May the Delhi Commonwealth Games succeed and may the infrastructure developed for the occasion serve that city for a long time to come, just like the Sydney Olympics has done.

There is much talk about incomplete venues, but completed projects like Delhi’s modern airport and its new metro system are being ignored in the foreign media

Tackling hostile hacking

India has awoken to Chinese e-incursions on its IT and telecommunications facilities, and has put measures in place to prevent the breach of classified information

BY GAURAV SURATI

Many of you would have heard or read about incursions by the Chinese army (known as the People’s Liberation Army) taking place on India’s border with China, along the international border. But there are the lesser known cyber attacks (which I like to call e-incursions) taking place from Chinese hackers into the computer systems of the Indian government, businesses and academics. By computer systems I am referring to servers, computers and other networking devices that are used to store and transmit several gigabytes or often terabytes of data. A recent report from Canadian and American researchers called ‘Shadows in the Clouds’ suggests that there are systematic cyber attacks carried out by Chinese hackers in sensitive places like computers of the Ministry of Defense (MoD) in an attempt to steal secret, highly classified documents. Researchers have claimed that this spy ring has also tapped into Indian embassies in Belgium, Serbia, Germany, Italy, Kuwait and the United States to assess the Indian government’s relations with other countries throughout the world.

Professional hackers armed with sophisticated hardware and software can be very hard to trace, given the complexity of the internet today. In a bid to pilfer India’s defense project documents, it’s hard to

rule out that these hackers wouldn’t have tried to tap into India’s premier defense establishment DRDO (Defense Research and Development Organisation). DRDO has many branches spread right across India, and they are involved in projects like missile development, electronic warfare, avionics and tank armament. Hacking into DRDO’s computer systems to steal design blueprints, project details and other bits and pieces of information could be very fruitful for these infiltrators, and the information could easily get leaked. Any seepage of such highly sensitive information could turn out to be devastating for India and its armed forces. Even computers in the office of former National Security Adviser M K Narayanan, haven’t been spared. Earlier this year, reports from British newspapers suggested that Chinese hackers have also tried to penetrate computers of the National Security Adviser and Mr M K Narayanan has admitted to such attacks.

Given the sophistication and complexity of such attacks, it’s always difficult to trace

back their exact origin. Even if originating locations are found, it is a major challenge to book and prove offences against the culprits. Obviously, the common man is left wondering what sort of security measures can be taken to thwart such attacks. Well, anti-virus, firewalls and anti-hacking security software could serve as the first line of defense. Apart from this, developing much harder to crack algorithms could be possibly the best solution to scramble (encrypt) and unscramble (decrypt) stored information. If recent reports are to be believed, the Indian government’s cyber efforts are stumped by its ability to produce only 3-4 encryption algorithms in a year. According to a new government proposal, the National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) will be responsible for developing offensive capabilities. Under this newly drafted strategy, NTRO and DIA will join hands to recruit IT professionals from the industry and provide them a legal shield (under the IT Act, hacking is a punishable offence) while getting them to find a solution through ethical hacking indulged in by hostile countries. ‘Ethical hacking’ is a term used to describe someone who penetrates into his own company network, seeking any vulnerability in order to make it more secure. In other words, the motive behind ethical hacking is to provide some kind of benefit to the company or a nation. Many large companies and countries like the United States maintain teams of ethical hackers in order to locate and patch up any vulnerability in their computer networks. Now the Indian government too,

is taking measures to involve engineers and scientists from IITs and Indian Institute of Science (IITSc) to develop highly encrypted algorithms in large numbers.

Moreover, in order to reduce the chances of any such sabotage from a hostile country, the government, along with the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) has amended the licenses of telecommunication service providers to make them completely responsible for their networks. Under these new rules, service providers like Tata, Reliance and BSNL will now have to engage government approved, internationally certified network auditors for network forensic, network hardening, network penetration tests and risk assessment.

Equipment vendors like Cisco, Ericsson and Huawei (Chinese vendor) will be required to allow service providers and the DoT or designated agencies to inspect their hardware, software, design, development, manufacturing facility as well as their supply chain. Vendors can also face fines and get blacklisted if a security breach is detected at a later stage.

The rift between the Indian government and Blackberry manufacturer Research in Motion (RIM) to give message intercepting capability is the latest development in this area.

Especially after the Mumbai terror attacks and the method in which the attacks were carried out, the Indian government seems to be on the right course by not taking any chances and protecting its computer and mobile networks. On the other hand, the Indian IT and telecommunication market is too lucrative for service providers and vendors to miss out.

Hacking into DRDO’s computer systems to steal design blueprints, project details and other bits and pieces of information could be very fruitful for these infiltrators, and the information could easily get leaked

Technology and your new business

Here are a few tips towards getting your IT needs in place when embarking on a business venture

Internet connection

BY SUNIL RANADIVE

If you’re thinking about starting a business, technology might be the very last consideration on your mind. With a long list of tasks ahead (like getting a logo and stationery designed, finding an office, and working out your marketing plan), you may just requisition your home computer to start running your new business. In this article, we look at some of your very first technology decisions.

New computer or home PC?

For a while, a home computer may be adequate to handle the necessities of your business. However, if your computer time is conflicting with the children’s need to surf the internet for their homework, it may be time to consider a dedicated business computer. It is also worthwhile to consider keeping children away from your business computer. Study any system specifications carefully and check the manufacturer’s websites. Many ‘cheap’ retail deals are superseded models, cannot be upgraded easily or may not connect to a bigger computer network, which will all be important as your business grows. Also, talk to your accountant about any tax benefits for which you may be eligible.

Voice over IP

When considering a phone number for your business, take a look at your Voice Over IP (VOIP) options. The quality of this technology has improved significantly and it can provide great local, national and international phone rates. Today’s systems can plug into a standard cordless phone and your internet connection, so your computer doesn’t have to be turned on for you to make and receive calls. It makes a fantastic ‘second line’ for businesses that run from your home. You can have your office phone answered outside of business hours, and still receive personal calls on the standard home phone line.

An internet connection will be the most critical link for your business. Several providers offer various plans and packages. A broadband bundle plan can be a good option if it suits your needs. Check that the plan you choose offers enough monthly data allowance. Monitor internet usage month to month, and update your plan or change the ISP if required

Internet domain name

Once you have decided on a business name, look at registering your internet domain name. This will prevent someone else from registering it. Having your own domain name (like yourdomain.com) will give your emails a more professional look, and enable you establish a simple webpage. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a comprehensive website before the first day of actually doing business. As long as your contact details (phone number, email address, fax number, and location) are easy to find and you have some great information about why your business is different from competitors, you will give search engines something to find. This is much better than an ‘under construction’ visual or no internet presence at all. Use your domain name in your email address to offer more credibility; rather than operating from a free email account (like myname@ gmail.com). You can still use your internet provider for your email service; however using a domain name in your email address will give you flexibility to change your ISP if required. Make certain to check what protection they have in place against email viruses and spam. It is recommended to subscribe to a good Anti Spam service. Remember to include your website and email address on all stationery and marketing materials.

Data Backup

Your business data is vital. Protect it appropriately. Ensure a backup strategy is implemented and automated, or regularly carried out. Install and regularly update Anti Virus software. Consider an IT professional to look after your business computer. This ensures little or no worry about that part of your business operations, giving you much-needed time to focus on building your business.

Having your own domain name (like yourdomain. com) will give your emails a more professional look, and enable you establish a simple webpage

The World

in a City

By SANDIP HOR

When the courteous hotel concierge asked, “What’s your plan for today sir, a visit to the ski resort for some snowy dives or a leisurely camel ride through the sandy desert?”, I was momentarily baffled. But I soon realized that I was in Dubai where anything is possible, from skiing inside a shopping mall to golfing under floodlights.

My mission in this hot desert city often referred to as the jewel of the United Arab Emirates, was to get a first-hand impression of how filthy rich, apparently, a state could be. And “simply intriguing” is the best expression to describe my feelings. First time visitors, like me, are sure to be incredibly stunned by its galaxy of skyscrapers and ultramodern lifestyle facilities, many of which are stringed with superlatives such as tallest, largest, first, only and so on.

That discovery made me quickly infer that the metropolis has grown and still lives with a thirst to beat the world everyday in everything, and my niece Rupa who lives there totally agreed with me. “It is indeed their motivation,” she said. “Here big is only a stepping stone towards bigger.”

… when five stars are accepted as a global standard for luxury accommodation, Dubai moved a step ahead to introduce the Burj Al Arab, the world’s first seven star hotel

For example, the impressive Tower of Emirates building till recently drew the attention of visitors as the tallest structure, but passed over the crown to the imposing 828m high, Burj Dubai, now the tallest freestanding edifice in the world. Decorated internally by Georgio Armani, its 160 floors house several luxurious private apartments, office blocks and shops, a large swimming pool, a mosque and the first Armani Hotel.

Linked to it is the world’s largest shopping complex - the Dubai Mall, whose total area amounts to almost 50 soccer fields. In addition to its 1200+ retail outlets, there is a huge size aquarium where over 33,000 aquatic animals, including large sharks and stingrays are watched by hundreds, through the largest viewing panel on earth.

Dubai doesn’t even hesitate to outshine the rest of the world comprehensively, by showing of its wealthy might. For instance

when five stars are accepted as a global standard for luxury accommodation, Dubai moved a step ahead to introduce the Burj Al Arab, the world’s first seven star hotel. A symbol of extreme opulence, it is very exclusive. Unless you are a guest of the hotel or have a confirmed booking at one of their several restaurants, going past security is simply impossible. So like many, I viewed the icon, built on an artificial island mimicking a billowing sail, from a distance. The exterior is visually resplendent particularly at night with choreographed light effects, as hordes of visitors come along to glimpse the spectacular change of colors from the adjacent Jumeirah beach.

Though sports like horse racing and golf are not among the most favourite leisure activities of the Arabs, Dubai didn’t mind throwing a bit of money at those by hosting the Dubai Cup, the world’s richest horse race. The Dubai Desert Classic is a PGA golf tournament whose prize money lures top golfers of the world, including the legend Tiger Woods. Where greenery is a thought in dream, the city boasts of several world class golf greens, and the 18-hole, Scottish style, Nad Al Sheba course is the only one in the Middle East where play is under floodlights. For a skiing experience, you are no longer required to go to Europe or New Zealand. Just visit Ski Dubai, an indoor ski resort inside the Mall of Emirates that offers an amazing snow setting to enjoy skiing and sledging, or simply a play in the snow. “It’s a great option for dads to take their kids on a few hours’ of snow experience while Mum’s off for a retail therapy session in peace,” said Rupa.

Unlike outdoor ski resorts, this one is open throughout the year and you don’t need to come prepared with appropriate clothing and accessories, as the ticket price includes supply of all these items. “With 5 runs, the longest being 400 meters with a fall of over 60 meters, the experience is no different to sliding down the slopes of the Alps or the Rocky range,” remarked Aussie blonde, Elisa.

Unfortunately the extraordinary retail fling of Dubai, often referred to as the City of Shopping Malls, hijacks visitors from its other delights which showcase traditional Arabic and Bedouin culture. I took time off from the world of high rises and air-conditioned shopping arenas to visit the Dubai Museum, located in the 1787-built Al Fahidi Fort. From various photographs I discovered how laid back this beacon of the Middle East was, a mere forty years ago before oil surfaced in the region. I cruised the Dubai Creek, the

The ultramodern metropolis of Dubai lives with the incredible sentiment of outshining the world with wealth

city’s life line, and got a taste of the trading practices on water since the early days. I explored on foot the various souks and was fascinated by their bustling energy, particularly at the world famous gold souk, where a dazzling variety and display of pure gold jewellery, intricately crafted by jewelers from India, proved to me that if gold is a measure of wealth, then this place is wealthy beyond imagination.

It’s a common saying in Dubai that the emirate is owned by the Sheikhs, but served by expats, as it is considered a dream destination by many for business or employment. Dubai is a melting pot, where all religions and races are welcome, politics is unheard of and the central theme for its people is to make money.

Indians constitute almost 50% of that total expat population, many holding top professional positions or owning businesses and stamped as wealthy. However on the other end, there are a large number of compatriots, as well as Pakistanis, Bangladeshis and Sri Lankans, working as cooks, waiters at small eateries, shop assistants, taxi drivers, construction and municipal workers, or as maids in the houses of the rich. Conversing with some of them, I picked up some of the darker aspects of this illuminated city. Their income, compared to Dubai standards, is low and not enough to live a decent life. Housing is very expensive, so most with their families back home, cram themselves in cheap, impoverished accommodation, work almost ceaselessly without leisure or social activities, and drag through a life which, perhaps, they hate. So, all that glitters in Dubai is not gold.

This raise the question about the city’s huge debt which has prompted some to comment that Dubai has been punching above its weight and will soon reverse back to where it came from - a coastal fishing village. Well, time will only be able to answer that, but from what I witnessed, I believe the amount of investment made will not disappear. Strategically located between th financial powers of Europe and the Far East, Dubai will still remain as the biggest deep water port in the region. Ships will continue to dock, people will continue to come and do business, currency will change hands and someone, behind the scenes, perhaps have already started planning something taller than Burj Dubai.

Travel notebook Dubai

GETTING THERE If a 14-hour haul doesn’t bother you, fly Emirates Airlines (www.emirates.com) directly from Australia to Dubai. An alternative is to fly Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) with a stopover and aircraft change at Singapore.

GETTING AROUND

Taxis are easily available and the recently opened Dubai Metro (www.dubaimetro.eu) is another convenient way of meandering around.

ACCOMMODATION

For an experience of a lifetime, you may wish to splurge at the opulent Burj Al Arab Hotel (www. burj-al-arab.com). Otherwise, a range of quality accommodation is available to suit your budget. Check www.expedia.co.in for the best deal

LOCAL SIGHTSEEING

See the main sights of Dubai from a open top Double

Decker bus that allows hop on, hop off service at all sights (www.bigbustours.com)

EXCURSIONS

No visit to Dubai is complete without experiencing its surrounding deserts and getting a taste of the true heartland of Arabia. Popular things to in the sand are camel riding, dune driving, sunset watching and finishing the day with a typical Arabian dinner under the stars, while enjoying music, belly dancing and sheesha smoking.

CURRENCY

Dirham is the local currency, with 1US dollar = 3.67 Dirham

VISA

Australian Nationals do not require visa to enter Dubai, but for other nationalities, check with the United Arab Embassy in Canberra

1. Burj-Al Arab Hotel 2. Inside shopping mall 3. Spice shop 4. Dubai Creek 5. Golden art 6. Gold souk Photos: Sandip Hor

Ramadan recipes to relish

You may or may not be fasting at this time of Ramadan, but try these iftaar favourites anyway, says SHAFEEN MUSTAQ

Ramadan has its own standard fare in the subcontinent. In Dhaka, where I was born, the markets are full of fried snacks and wholesome meals to reward the fasting person. Here are a few golden oldies that are a must-have at every iftaar - quick and easy recipes that everyone will love.

Piaju (Onion Lentil Snack)

An absolute favourite among young and old alike, this recipe can be altered to include potatoes or spinach to suit a variety of tastebuds.

2 kg red lentils

2 white onions finely chopped

1 tsp salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 small green chili peppers finely chopped

1 tsp ground coriander

Soak lentils in cold water for one hour.

Drain and pat dry with papers towels then blend in blender 2 cups at a time. Add onions, salt, pepper, chilies and coriander.

Mix all ingredients and drop spoonfuls in hot oil and fry until golden brown. Serve warm.

Chotpoti

This is probably the most popular snack among the urban people of Bangladesh. Usually this is available in roadside stalls and fast food stores.

2 cups white pea (soaked overnight)

2 medium onions (thinly sliced)

1 tomato (thinly sliced)

2 large potatoes (boiled and thinly sliced)

2 egg (boiled and thinly sliced)

1 cucumber (thinly sliced)

Beguni

Beguni is a deep fried delicacy which is a favorite snack of the Bengalis. The chief ingredient is eggplant and besan or Bengal gram flour. The vegetarian fast food shops of Kolkata, known as ‘Telebhajar Dokan’ sell begunis. You can also make them at home.

Begunis are hot favorite among Bengalis all round the year but are more in demand during rainy evenings. The Potla’s Shop in Baghbazar, north Calcutta is well known for its begunis and other Bengali fast foods. Here is how you can toss up beguni at home.

1 eggplant cut into thin slices

1 tsp turmeric powder

1 cup gram flour

½ tsp onion seeds

½ tsp red chilli powder

1 cup cooking oil

½ tsp baking powder

Salt to taste

Water as required for making the batter

Oil for deep frying

½ bunch coriander leaves (finely chopped)

3 green chillies, chopped

1 tsp rock salt

2 tbsp vinegar/lemon juice

Regular salt as per taste

2 tbsp sugar

100 gms tamarind

Dry masalas:

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp coriander

4 red chillies

5-6 whole cloves

6 black peppercorns

1 tsp five spice powder

½ tsp aniseed

Make a consistent batter of all the above ingredients except the eggplant slices and the oil.

Cut the eggplant lengthwise in thin slices. Now halve the pieces again.

Heat oil in a deep pan and bring to a boil.

Now dip each of the eggplant slices in the flour mix and deep fry them until they turn crispy.

Place the fried eggplants on tissue papers for the excess oil to be soaked away.

Serve hot with Khichuri. You can also have it as a snack.

Sweet corn casserole

4 potatoes

½ cup grated cheese

2 cups frozen corn or 1 tin corn

1 small cup fresh cream

1 tsp ground green chillies

1 sliced onion

1 tsp cumin

1 tbsp ghee

salt and pepper to taste

Roast all the dry masala in a hot pan very lightly, cool and grind altogether.

Cook the soaked white peas with a little salt and turmeric in a pressure cooker till they become soft. The peas should not be totally mashed - they should be left with a little water.

Boil the tamarind in a cup of water. Add a pinch of red chilli, sugar and a pinch of dry roasted cumin powder. Boil for ten minutes. Cool and strain, and reserve the

Cube and boil potatoes. Mix potatoes with the rest of the ingredients. Sauté onion until light brown in ghee and cumin.

Mix this in the corn mixture.

Set in a casserole dish. Spread a little grated cheese on top.

Bake on 180 degrees for 15 – 20 minutes.

Khichuri

4 medium potatoes (cubed)

½ tsp red chilli powder

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 1/4 cup green gram split, (moong dal)

roasted

250 gms cauliflower florets

liquid only. Cool and then add lemon juice and rock salt.

Take a big bowl. Mix the cooked white peas, tamarind juice as cooked in the last step and all other ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Place in small individual serving plates. Garnish with coriander leaves, fried onions, bhujia and or nimki Depending on your taste you can vary the amount of roasted masla and tamarind juice.

Salt to taste

6 green chillies

1 ¼ cup rice

2 tsp cumin powder

½ cup peas.

For the seasoning

4 tbsp ghee

2 bay leaves

3 red chillies whole

4 green cardamoms

6 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks, 1-inch each

Roast moong dal, cut cauliflower florets and slit green chillies.

Make a paste of turmeric powder, cumin powder and red chilli powder. Wash rice and drain.

Take sufficient water in a big size pot and stir fry dal and rice in it.

When the rice is half done mix in masala paste, green chillies and vegetables, and simmer till they are cooked.

To season, heat ghee in red chillies, bay leaves, garam masala and stir fry for a minute. Pour onto cooked khichuri.

Brides personality by

Bold or blushing? Traditional or simple? Decide on the look that will compliment your personality even as a bride, writes

PRIYA NAIR

Ever thought of choosing a bridal look to suit your personality instead of blindly following modern trends regardless of whether they suit you or not? Well, here are some personality types to choose from, so pick the one that suits you the most.

We will feature four different personality types. I have found inputs that blend the best with these types and of course, individual tastes and family dictates must be considered, so you don’t go wrong.

Let’s begin with the simple and the traditional brides. In my opinion, the simple and traditional look is the easiest to get, as it cater to most kinds of people. But if you are a modern girl, the traditional look might require you tweak your body language to that of a demure person, to be able to carry off all that jewellery.

The simple look leaves you with lots of room to explore the possibilities of accessorizing it differently. You can go heavy with make-up, or just that one piece of beautiful jewellery which can change your look completely and make a statement all by itself. But, like I said, choosing a look requires due consideration and not blind adherence to trends.

The blingy bride

Now, you may be a person who has a vivacious personality. You make heads turn wherever you go and you have like a zillion friends. So when someone like you gets married, the last thing you want to do is look like a washed out version of yourself.

Make-up: For your face, use liquid foundation or a moisturiser that is tinted. Then use powder with a touch of glitter in it to make your face glow. Choose a blush in a shade as close to your skin tone or a coral shade.

For your lips, you can go with a neutral peach or nude shade and then apply a coat of gloss on it. Or you can go with a colour that best suits what you are going to wear.

For the eyes, go all out and jazz them up. Let them add to your vivacious appeal. Apply eyeshadow in shades of dark grey or navy blue then top with a shade of electric blue or purple over it. You can also add a shade which has an element of the metallic glitter in it. Apply mascara and your liner should be in a shade that complements the eyeshadow colour.

Hair: You could have it set in an intricate style where the front is pinned up and away from your face while the back can be set in rollers to hang loose. Or you

could go for the gelled back look if you plan to wear a strong head piece as jewellery.

Clothes and accessories: For you, going over the top should not be a problem since you have a strong personality to carry it all off. Go for an outfit in a strong colour like emerald green or deep plum or burgundy. These lend themselves to bling without looking trashy. You can either go for a lehenga with a corset and an elaborate stole to drape. Or you could opt for a saree that has a lot of bling and embroidery.

The embellishments can be sequins, crystals or beads.

For your jewellery, you can either go for pieces that complement each other. Or you could go for that one strong piece that may overshadow other jewellery you are wearing but make a statement. It could be an antique choker or a big ring or very blingy earrings made with diamonds or gemstones.

For the mehendi, you can choose an intricate design

that can be done up to the middle of your arms.

The modern bride

Now, this would be the rarest category because, no matter how modern our outlook to life, there is something about weddings that makes one want to go back to their roots. Still there are a brave few who might want a small wedding with a cocktail party for the reception instead of the traditional stuff.

Make-up and hair: For your face, you could go minimalist with tinted moisturiser and powder. Then add a dash of colour with a rose pink blush or a peach if the pink clashes with your outfit.

For the eyes, you can opt for a metallic silver grey for the eyeshadow but only a hint of it. Or, you could go for a muted purple especially if your outfit is in the same colour.

For lipstick, go with the shade of outfit you are

You can go heavy with make-up, or just that one piece of beautiful jewellery which can change your look completely and make a statement all by itself

Blingy bride

stay minimialist, a nude lip gloss would work best.

For your hair, ask the stylist for a modern hairstyle that doesn’t lend itself to traditional jewellery or a tikka. A classic French knot or a ponytail with your hair away from the face would also work. If you like, you could even leave your hair loose and play around with extensions.

For the mehendi, since you are very modern, go for an abstract design that doesn’t extend beyond your palms. Clothes and accessories: You can play around with traditional attire by giving it a modern look. Choose a silhouette that follows the contours of your body like a fish-tail one or a simple straight one with a slit on the side to allow movement.

If you are skipping the wedding ceremony, you could opt for a sleek evening gown for the reception, more in keeping with your personality. It could be in a shade of gold or a deep purple or silver.

You can even go for a modern sari made with French lace or net and accessorise it with a strappy blouse or a corset instead of the traditional choli.

For the jewellery, most brands today stock extremely modern designs in gold and diamond jewellery. Choose an abstract piece in white diamonds with matching bangles or bracelets if you are wearing lace or silver or a classic gold piece if you wearing earth or gold shades. Again, let one piece stand out or let them all be subtle to just complete the look.

Modern Bride would be the rarest category because, no matter how modern our outlook to life, there is something about weddings that makes one want to go back to their roots

The simple bride

You have a quiet personality and prefer the simple things in life to the flashy. But hey, if it’s your wedding day, the woman in you isn’t going to be able to resist all that bling – because that is the done thing – and peer pressure will make you want to dress up. But you can still retain your personality by having a classic, simple, yet very bridal look.

Make-up and hair: Use tinted moisturiser and blush; also use some face powder with a hint of gold to give your face a glow. If you are not comfortable using blusher, choose a nude shade of lipstick which can double up as a blush.

For the eyes, use gold eyeshadow if you are very light skinned. If you are dusky complexioned, opt for a bronze or a dark metallic green or grey. Use only a single coat of mascara.

Opt for a hairstyle that is simple. A middle parting with a classic bun tied at the base of the neck will help complete that classic look. What’s more, this hairstyle will give you a chance to make it dressy with some jewellery.

For the mehendi, go in for a complicated design by all means, but don’t wear it all the way to the elbows. Just have it done till your wrist.

Clothes and accessories: Since you are a simple person and prefer the classic over glitzy stuff, go ahead and raid your mother’s or grandmother’s wardrobe. If you find an old classic Benarasi sari maybe in shades of cream and gold, this will work best. You can even see if they have some really old jewellery to add a touch of timelessness to this look.

If these options are not available, go for pastel shades like ivory, peach, pearl pink. You can either buy a simple sari with a touch of gold on it or a ghagra choli with an understated appeal. Delicate embroidery and net or lace would work best for this look. What’s more, since it is not very heavy, you will be comfortable.

The traditional bride

Are you are one of those people who can carry off a sari or salwar kameez like a ramp model? You look good in Indian-wear and that little nose ring and dash of kohl makes you look like a goddess. You love bangles and anklets. In this case the traditional look will work best for you.

Make-up and hair: Since you will most likely be wearing the traditional colour a bride wears – red – choose your make-up accordingly. Use a good moisturiser, foundation and then dust your face with loose powder, and complete with nude blush. Match your shade of lipstick to the red of your outfit. For your eyes, use a muted shade of copper for eyeshadow or a muted gold. You can use black or brown eyeliner to give your eyes a sharper look. For the lower lid, go with a thick line to add to the traditional look. Use two coats of mascara to balance the kohl.

For the hair, ask your hairstylist to help you decide. With long hair you can go for a long braid and flowers, or if you have medium length hair, go in for a more elaborate hair-do.

The traditional bride is synonymous with mehendi so go for a floral design all the way to your elbows.

Clothes and accessories: For you, really, the sky is the limit! You can opt for the traditional attire worn by girls from your community. Or you could go in for the more generic ghagra choli in bright red, embellished with zardozi embroidery.

Fabrics like heavy silks, brocades and tissue would work very well as they lend themselves naturally to the traditional look.

Jewellery could be in the traditional styles of kundan, jadau or antique gold. This would be across the board and you must wear kangans, jhumkas with ear extensions, a tikka (for the head) and a heavy necklace. If you have your nose pierced, you could even wear a big nose ring.

Simple bride

Sydney readies for Vaikunta Anubhavam in October, 2010

Back in the seventies, when a small group of professionals conceived the grand idea of a pan Hindu temple down under, it seemed like a mission impossible. Both money and manpower was scant. Hectic lobbying saw the grant of land by Wollongong Council for the project. An idol of the god of good beginnings - Ganesha was soon installed. Though the original group of founders started small, they dreamt big. Their vision backed by decades of commitment by ensuing generations, paid rich dividends.

Twenty-five years on, the southern continent is now home to one of the largest temples outside India. In October 2010, the Venkateshwara Temple Helensburgh will conduct Brahmotsavam (Brahma’s festival) to invoke eternal blessings and celebrate its iconic status in the community. Auspiciously, the event coincides with Sri Balaji Brahmotsavam in Tirupati.

In the Hindu pantheon, Balaji, an avatar of Vishnu is universal, with a large following irrespective of nationality, region or tradition. Thus diverse Hindus including Indian, Thai, Sri Lankan, Nepali, Malaysian, Balinese, Fijian, South African and of course Australians visit SVT. These groups also actively participate through the year and will manage various events during the ten-day festival.

A thanksgiving ceremony is dedicated to the divine preserver of mankind, ‘Brahma Utsavam’ derives from Lord Brahma, who worshipped Sri Balaji on the banks of holy Pushkarni in Tirupathy. For devout Hindus, Brahmotsavam is a rare opportunity for

Vaikunta Anubhava (experience the heaven itself), making it a truly unique experience in Australia.

The ten-day festival from 9-18 October will be preceded by a special obeisance to Lord Ganesha, as well as the rite of Ankura arpana (sowing the seeds of fertility, prosperity and abundance). Likewise homage will be paid to Sri Viswaksena, the leader of Vishnu’s retinue for safe completion of festivities.

The Brahmotsavam will commence with the customary Dhwaja Aarohana or the hoisting of Garuda’s flag at the Dwajasthambam. In keeping with our ageold traditions, the ten-day period will be marked by daily morning homam, Vedic chanting and elaborate evening alankaar and ritualistic procession; a visual spectacle not to be missed. The utsavamurthy will be taken out in a majestic nightly pageant on nine different vahanas, culminating in the grand chariot procession. A custom designed chariot has been specially created for the historic occasion. On Venkateshwara’s janmanakshatram (birth star), avabhritha utsavam will be held. The auspicious ritualistic abhishekam for Sudarshana Chakra, to be carried by the head priest, will be the highlight of the festival. Being blessed by the holy bath water is said to give lifelong protection of Lord Vishnu himself.

The celebration officially concludes on the 18 October with Dhwaja Avarohanam, the lowering of the Garuda flag and ritualistic farewelling of Gods and sages to Devaloka. Hectic preparations are already underway

for the special event. The temple itself is undergoing extensive refurbishments ahead of the big day. A new amphitheatre for cultural performances has been created. The event has attracted both overseas and local talent, particularly youngsters.

Elaborate infrastructure arrangements have also been put in place to cope with the increased devotee influx during the period. According to conservative estimates, devotee numbers will range from 400 daily on weekdays to 4000 on weekends.

Approximately 100 volunteers on weekdays will service their needs. The number will double on weekends.

Free bus transport, to help students, seniors and young families is being organized from key suburbs. Likewise frequent bus shuttles will also run to and from Helensburgh railway station. Annadhanam (free lunch) for all devotees is also being arranged through community kitchens on all ten days.

Meanwhile community groups have lent their support in a massive way. Diverse ethnic groups have already committed to manage each of the ten days, adding to the multicultural flavour and spirit of bonhommie. Each group is providing the social, physical and financial support by way of volunteers, daily community kitchen, participation in religious ceremonies and of course coordinating cultural programs, including many children’s activities.

Community groups are also canvassing support from within their own networks to make the event a huge success. This

includes participation, sponsorship as well as donations.

Major fundraising events by high profile overseas and local artists have already generated tremendous publicity and enormous goodwill within the community at large. These include sell-out performances by Carnatic vocalist OS Arun and Sydney based Rasika Dance Academy. The cultural calendar in the lead up to Brahmotsavam is equally hectic, with more artistes performing (Vidwan TN Krishnan, Usha Karunakaran to name a few). The ever-popular program ‘Darshan in Suburbs’, has also mustered lot of support with numerous community groups hosting the event around town.

“It is heartening to see this spirit of unity”, SVT’s Murali Dharan told Indian Link. “The temple is always open to new ideas and helps individuals and community organizations in every way possible. We are truly humbled by the support that has come from all community organisations, temples, missions, art/cultural/ study groups and student associations. Youth groups in particular are keen to play a major volunteering role at this festival...we wholeheartedly welcome their participation especially on Saturday Fireworks and Sunday Chariot pulling at the Brahmotsavam”.

Can there be a better illustration of the basic Hindu tenet of Vasudeva Kutumbam, he wondered.

Artistes, groups, individuals are all welcome. To participate, contribute, volunteer or find out more visit www.svtsydney.org or call 1300 626 663.

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BY SAROJA SRINIVASAN

Wisdom is to be gained at two levels. One is the ultimate spiritual wisdom: answers to questions such as who am I and what is the purpose of my life, and other perennial questions that haunt mankind at all times. The other is the contemporary living wisdom: the knowledge that helps us to maneuver through everyday hurdles and climb everyday mountains.

Wisdom is also to know how to find the means by which the second type of knowledge can be gained and used, but without losing sight of the subtle influence of the first – the spiritual wisdom – guiding us all the time.

In the present day world we are so isolated from our own true nature that often we seem to act like mechanical clones. To resign oneself to act in such a ‘mindless’ manner, steered on by blind adherence to topical influences, surely degrades the very divinity with which human life is bestowed.

Each of us has the capacity to lead a life which not only satisfies our individual wishes, but also acknowledges the obligation we have to a cosmic commitment to our fellow beings – both living and non-living. There is no one path that is ‘right’. Herein lies the difficulty: many people make the fundamental error of thinking that there is only one ‘right’ way, and more often than not it is ‘their way’. History shows that time and time again many have tried to railroad others to following their path as the ‘right’ one – be

it through religion or science or ideology. And again and again many a war has begun precisely because of this fanaticism of a few. True wisdom lies in having the capacity to act in a manner that illustrates the knowledge and lessons gained from our understanding that also benefits humanity at all times.

In everyday life we need to develop a capacity to see the other’s point of view. Sadly this is one commodity that is not available in abundance – it is rare and very often even more so in those in power. Hence the division between the haves and have-nots seems to be growing ever so wider. Those economically and politically powerful and influential appear to be oblivious to the plight of millions who are affected directly or indirectly by the self-centered decisions they make.

If only each of us could start to develop and implement a small amount of empathy, a little bit of compassion in our everyday life, the world would be a much better place. It is in

the absence of compassion and empathy that violence, hatred and bigotry germinate and grow. Those who have no sense of how the other feels, would have no clue as to how they may be affecting others. They continue to act totally from a self-centered perspective. If each of us were to act in a similar way, what would befall the human race?

Wisdom is not the domain of just a few who are endowed with super intelligence. It is in the grasp of every one who has been privileged to be born as a human being. The acquisition of knowledge may be influenced by opportunities that are present for some and not for many others. But the capacity to act wisely is almost always present, universally.

Sadly, often other influences such as poverty or lack of facilities curtail the acquisition of knowledge. Yet at the same time it is so rewarding to see many individuals who may be materially poor still retain the enthusiasm for life, drawing their inspiration from ancient wisdom traditions, in far greater abundance unlike those who may be responsible for maintaining their poverty. Those in political and economic power or indeed those who have the privilege of being materially well-endowed somehow seem to lack the wisdom to act with compassion, despite their knowledge. Perhaps it is time to redress this state of affairs.

Eggs

The TRUTH about Humpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men Couldn’t put Humpty together again!

Obviously Humpty was not really an egg. Well, what was he then? Apparently, Humpty might refer to King Richard III of England, the hunchbacked monarch, whose horse was named “Wall”. During the battle of Bosworth Field, he fell off of his steed and was said to have been “hacked into pieces”. But then again, Humpty Dumpty might have been a giant gun, a cannon, placed on a giant wall in the English city of Colchester. During the English Civil War (1642 - 1649), a shot was fired at the church that damaged the wall on which the cannon was positioned. The wall was damaged, causing the cannon to fall and break into pieces, which the King’s army could not reassemble, even though they tried.

Kids in the kitchen

Green eggs and ham

I would not eat them with a fox.

I would not eat them in a box. I would not eat them here or there.

I would not eat them anywhere.

I would not eat green eggs and ham.

I do not like them, Sam-I-am.

Dr Suess

How would you cook green eggs and ham, Cat-in-the Hat? Green food colouring, maybe?

Pearlofwisdom

Pearlofwisdom

beating them. Better still, use herbs to make your eggs green. Chop up your preferred herbs and blend them in the blender with your eggs, some salt and pepper and a little milk, and cook as usual –omelette or scrambled!

A true friend is someone who thi n ks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cr a cked

The present is an egg laid by the p ast, that has the future inside its shell. Zo

Did you know...

EGGS-cyclopedia

A large egg has less than five grams of fat, and less than 2 grams of saturated fat. Eating 2 eggs per day will not increase bad cholesterol for people with a normal blood cholesterol level. Eggs have 11 vitamins and minerals. One ostrich egg is about the same weight as twelve chicken eggs.

A fresh egg will sink in water, a stale one will float. The colour of the egg shell is not related to quality, nutrients or flavour. White shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and white ear lobes. Brown

shelled eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and red ear lobes.

Yolk colour depends on the plant pigments in the hens’ feed. Natural yellow-orange substances, such as marigold petals, may be added to lightcoloured feed to enhance colour. Artificial colours are not permitted.

A hen takes 24-26 hours to produce an egg.

An egg shell has 7,00017,000 pores on its surface through which moisture and air go in and out. Store eggs in the fridge in their container, or else the fridge smells will get in to the egg. ML

Laugh out loud

Did you hear the one about the egg? It’s not all it’s “cracked” up to be!

What do you call an egg that goes on a safari? An eggs-plorer.

What do you call a city with 20 million eggs? New Yolk City.

Why is the chef so mean? She beats the eggs.

What does mummy hen call her baby? Eggs-tra special.

What do chickens call a school exam?

Answer: Eggs-amination! ML

Foto corner

ostrich egg

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Pitch performance

In cricket, the pitch is an important factor that tests and determines the skill of both batsman and bowler

BY RITAM MITRA

More than in any other sport, the outcome of a match of Test cricket is extremely dependent upon the toss. This is, in turn, a result of the increasingly common one-sided pitches which offer little to no assistance to bowlers, as we (unfortunately) had to witness in the recent Test series between the now all-too-frequent opponents, India and Sri Lanka. However, alongside these subcontinent clashes, it was a breath of fresh air to see Mohammad Asif and Aamer terrorising the Australian and English batting line ups in England (albeit with Stuart Broad and James Anderson returning the favour to the Pakistani batsmen in an embarrassing fashion). As we will examine in this piece, drawing parallels between the pitches in these two countries brings up extremely revealing details.

Let’s begin with the raw statistics. In the five matches played on the subcontinent this year, the average amount of runs scored per wicket is, unfortunately for the bowlers, an unforgiving 48.73. It is incredible that four of these matches even had results – this is attributable largely, of course, to the ability of the batsmen from Sri Lanka, South Africa and India to score runs at a brisk pace (in other words, Sehwag). Can we blame this on meagre bowling attacks? If we consider Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, Zaheer Khan and Lasith Malinga as the pacemen, along with Murali, Harbhajan and Mendis as the spinners, then not really; in these men, we have a group of bowlers who would make any World XI on their day.

While the average runs per wicket in the past ten years in subcontinental Test matches is a respectable 35.40, the past two years have seen bowlers concede nearly 42 runs a wicket

In matches in England in 2010, we see that figure drop to a more reasonable and much more competitive 26.81 in six matches, all with results. It’s true that the Duke cricket ball, which is used in matches hosted by England, swings more proficiently and later than the Kookaburra, used by the rest of the world. But of utmost importance to this disparity in averages are the pitches in England which are much greener, and thus assist fast bowlers much more than the dry dustbowls produced in the subcontinent.

It is, of course true, that traditionally the dry pitches in India and Sri Lanka, along with less frequent hosts Pakistan and Bangladesh, have assisted spin bowlers later in a Test match. Cracks in the pitch open up, and rough is created by footmarks from the faster bowlers, which aids turn enormously. It is also true that the climates in these countries make it more difficult for curators to create a fair pitch for fast bowlers. However, while the average runs per wicket in the past ten years in subcontinental Test matches is a respectable 35.40, the past two years have seen bowlers concede nearly 42 runs a wicket. This is an alarming trend, which has implications not only on the entertainment value of the cricket enthusiast, but on the very talent of the players themselves.

Just ten or fifteen years ago, the world was blessed with quality fast bowlers such as Walsh, Donald, McGrath, Pollock, Gillespie, Vaas, Gough and Srinath, among many others, playing at the same time. Test cricket was ridiculously lucky in this period, and we are only suffering from the loss of these bowlers because new ones just don’t seem to emerge as readily. Batting strength, on the other hand, is just as strong around the world today as it was back then.

Taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, cricket is evolving in big ways, and fast. Most of these changes are geared towards batsmen – there

already seems to be a mentality to “err on the side of the batsmen” with the pitches. On top of this, boundaries are being brought in, bats are being made thicker and bigger, and the benefit of the doubt is given to the batsmen, even with vastly improved technology. If Test cricket is truly seen by the administrators to be “dying”, there can be no excuse for pitches such as the SSC in Colombo being given international importance. Inflated batting averages are only a small example of the effects of these pitches. With all due respect, for example, Samaraweera’s test average belies his ability – with an average near 54, he sits above Lara, Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Gavaskar; put any four of these batsmen up against a genuinely fast bowler in a seaming, swinging

there would be little confusion over whom to leave out. Test pitches around the world have their own characteristics, which is ideal for creating a world game where each country can play to its strengths at home. However, there is a difference between created home advantage and batsman advantage. Test cricket hinges upon a contest between bat and ball, and with no contest there can be no match. Watching a great spell of fast bowling carries with it a very special kind of magic – it lingers much longer in one’s memory than the innumerable centuries scored by whoever shows up to bat. Dead pitches continue to spell the death of fast bowling, and at this rate in fifteen years’ time we will still be searching for the next McGrath…

On top of this, boundaries are being brought in, bats are being made thicker and bigger, and the benefit of the doubt is given to the batsmen, even with vastly improved technology

England bowler Graeme Swann celebrates the wicket of Simon Katich at The Oval, 21 August 2009

Australian captain Ricky Ponting is bowled by Ishant Sharma on day four of the Second Test match against India in Mohali, October 2008

The bond of protection

The rakhi that symbolizes the affection between a brother and sister takes on a more significant meaning for these siblings

BY RANI JHALA

As I left disappointed from my third shop, I told myself, I would be successful at the next store. After all, how hard could it be to find a simple rakhi? Every Indian grocery store was stocked with them and they were colourfully displayed at the front counter. Promising brothers that they were loved! Assuring sisters that they were protected!

Every year on the full moon in the month of Shravan, sisters tie this sacred thread around the right wrist of their brothers. On Rakhi Purnima, they pray for long life for their brother. In return, they seek their brother’s sheltering love. And every year, brothers reach out their hand to accept this symbol of mutual affection and expectation.

Did its sanctity arise after Draupadi tore off a strip of her sari to bind Lord Krishna’s wrist to stem the bleeding from his hand, thus binding him forever in a sibling’s bond?

I stopped my car in front of ‘SPICED INDIA – If it’s a rakhi you want, it’s a rakhi we have’. Optimistically I rushed in and then minutes later, slowly walked out. Amidst the dozens that were displayed, my special little rakhi was noticeably absent. I got back into my car. Next suburb, here I come!

Rakhi, that has its foundation in the Puranas where it was referred to as Rakshikabandhanas, has changed in character but has survived many invasions and many materialistic assaults to remain the supreme proof of love shared between a brother and sister. The rich buy fanciful ones, the poor - a single thread. The meaning remains the same, as does its essence.

Ah, I sighed, ‘INDIA GALORE – let us help you prepare for rakhi’. True to their word they did help me prepare for the festival. I got a silver tray which the man called a thali. On it sat a diya, roli, tika rice, haldi, kum kum, sandalwood, incense sticks and ‘moli’. The diya to be lit and the incense stand were fixed to the tray, but the little lota or water urn was loosely placed. There was space in the centre for flowers, sweets and of course, my rakhi. I had everything now, but my special rakhi And so I proceeded to the next retail outlet.

Raksha Bandhan, binding of protection, is a celebration invented by the Hindu, but crosses many faiths. It is said that Hindu queens sent rakhis to Mughal rulers to forge a bond. Thus the Muslim ruler Humayun became a brother to a Hindu sister, Queen Karnawati. Adopting a brother is still common, especially with single children. And the tie of affection still crosses many religions.

real India has’. Reading that, I walked in and began to browse.

The shop was loaded with stock, but still did not have what I needed. Maybe the salesman was right when he remarked that even ‘real India’ wouldn’t have what I was looking for.

Rakhi, the origin is mysterious and shrouded in myth. Was Yama the first brother to receive a rakhi from sister Yamuna? Or was the celebration first called ‘Baleva’ after Goddess Lakshmi made King Bali her brother? Did its sanctity arise after Draupadi tore off a strip of her sari to bind Lord Krishna’s wrist to stem the bleeding from his hand, thus binding him forever in a sibling’s bond? In return, she received his promise and protection.

And was Rabindranath Tagore responsible for making it a secular festival when he asked Hindus and Muslims to celebrate this festival together? Or did children simple tie the thread on the one they wanted for a sibling?

came next. I added strands of cellophane that quaintly rustled and little bells that gently tinkled as it moved. And when they had all been glued into place, I attached the string made of five strands which stood for love, prayers, purity, eternity and finally, protection.

After that I tidied up the house and cooked dinner. It did not bother to me that the dishes did not look that great, I just wanted them to taste the best. Once that was done I arranged the thali with fragrant roses and aromatic sweets. After a shower, I cleared the shrine and set up a space when I would tie the thread. Then I wore my clanging bangles and jingling anklets. I looked in the mirror. I was ready and so was my thali. I lit the lamp and enclosed it in a glassed dome.

And when they had all been glued into place, I attached the string made of five strands which stood for love, prayers, purity, eternity and finally, protection

A dozen stops and a dozen disappointments later, I realized that if I wanted the perfect rakhi, I would have to make it myself. And so at the last stop, I got all that I needed for my perfect brother.

I rushed home and got out my craft bag. And then I began. Carefully I placed layer after layer, as I created my sacred tie. Velvet as soft as a rose’s petal became

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Just then the doorbell rang and I called out that I was coming. As I pulled open the door, there stood my little baby brother and behind him, my mum and dad.

As he stepped in, I moved a fallen petal out of his way and took hold of his outstretched hand. My rakhi would not ask for a brother’s protection; instead it would promise my little brother his sister’s unending care.

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BUZZThe

SRK unveiled in Times Square

Three years after he made his presence felt at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in London, the Baadshah of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan has joined the wax figures of the famed and famous at Madame Tussauds at Times Square New York. The 45-year-old star’s wax figure was recently unveiled amid a colourful performance by Bollywood Axion dance troupe that danced to the soundtrack from his latest film My Name Is Khan Dressed in a sleek black suit and white button-down shirt, Khan’s wax likeness is the

Katrina Kaif: Green wedding?

Her wedding dress is ready but the groom is not. Katrina Kaif has no plans to get married any time soon, but she has already decided the colour of her wedding outfit. The actress, who walked the ramp at the inaugural of the India International Jewelry Week (IIJW) to showcase the Nakshatra bridal collection in Mumbai, says will go green on her D-day. “At the moment I don’t know when I’ll marry. I had once said 2012, but for that too I have two years to go. Such things are not planned. You never know what’s in store for you, but whenever it happens, I would love to wear something green,” Katrina said.

“I don’t know why, but I have this thing in my mind,” added the 26-year-old, who is

second figure added to Madame Tussauds New York’s ‘Bollywood Zone.’ Created last May after numerous visitor requests, the ‘Bollywood Zone’ is also home to the wax figure of Indian film legend Amitabh Bachchan, which was introduced last year. The brightly-coloured, fully-interactive area includes a replica of the Taj Mahal, videos of authentic Indian dancers and a photo area where visitors can pose as Bollywood stars – all designed to re-create the experience of being on a Bollywood film set. In the room next to where

the Nakshatra brand ambassador. Wearing a peach ruffled lehenga with a jewel encrusted top by Neeta Lulla, the actress sported a chunky diamond set that was based on the traditional seven-stone floral cluster design of the brand.

For Katrina, jewellery given to her is very special. “My favourite piece of jewellery is a pendant that was gifted to me. It has a religious symbol on it, something from the Quran. That piece is very special to me.” So, you see, her wedding dress is ready, to an extent. All she needs is to hunt down her groom. Would it be a Salman, a Ranbir, or some perfect stranger? Any guesses?

Acting is cool, but hosting is so much fun: Mona

Singh

Remember Jassi in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin? Yes

Khan was unveiled, there is an exhibition of presidents of the United States and world leaders, which include Mahatma Gandhi, Fidel Castro, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Yasser Arafat and Napoleon.

A highly celebrated Bollywood actor, producer and television host, Khan has starred in more than 50 films throughout his career. He was also named one of Newsweek’s ‘50 Most Powerful People in the World’ in 2008 and has a fan following numbering in the billions.

we are talking about actress Mona Singh, who hit it big with her TV character in 2003 and played a cameo role in the Aamir Khan blockbuster 3 Idiots. The actress says she likes to act in films but enjoys hosting

shows on TV.

“I definitely want to act, but hosting is something that I am really enjoying. The first show I ever hosted was Jhalak Dikhla Ja. I was super nervous then, but now I am

GUESS WHO

He’s got great pedigree, but his recent debut vehicle bombed without a trace… (hint: he has a rather unfortunate name!)

?

(Find the answer under Caption Contest)

ABHILASHA SENGUPTA

very comfortable,” Mona says.

Mona, who played Kareena Kapoor’s sister in 3 Idiots, will be seen next on the small screen hosting Sony’s Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega with actor Vishal Malhotra.

“I personally feel that there can’t be anything bigger than Jassi... for me on TV, which is why I am not concentrating much on television. TV is something that I started with so I don’t want to say bye to that,” says Mona.

Mona has two films releasing this year, comedy Laxman Rekha by debutant Virag Mishra and thriller-comedy Utt Patang by Abhinav - both are with actor Vinay Pathak.

Bips’ ‘aunty’ surprise!

Actress Bipasha Basu was in for a shock after a woman tried to smooch her at Bangalore airport. The actress wrote on microblogging site Twitter: “Funniest thing happened at BLR airport entrance! One aunty pulled me dwn (down) almost pinned me to smooch me! Somehow I was saved! Near escape!”

And this is not the first time that Bipasha went through this kind of weird experience. “In Sri Lanka for IIFA (International Indian Film Academy awards) I was saying hello to people outside the hotel, one girl pulled my hand and bit my finger hard! But today’s aunty shocked me more!”

My morning drive is great independence for me: Big B

Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan muses that his morning drive to the gym gives him a “moment of great independence and free spirit”. And he rues the “arrogant indiscipline” of traffic rule breakers.

I look forward to the drive because I drive myself, he posted on his blog recently. “The morning hours are less crowded and sparse...Traffic lights bring in the only colours - red, orange, green, of the early start,” he posted.

Amitabh also takes a dig at traffic rule breakers. “For most of the drivers in this area, red is the signal to drive past the signal! I look odd being obedient and true to law, as all the others paying scant respect to the traffic lights, spin past the crossings in arrogant indiscipline”.

You’ll have to do the same, Amitji, now that you’re going to be followed mercilessly by “fans” to whom you’ve revealed your morning routine….

Robot comparable to Sholay: Rajnikant

Southern superstar Rajnikant, who leaves audiences in awe with his implausible stunts and unique styles, says his forthcoming sci-fi movie Robot is the first Indian film of its type and that every aspect of it is comparable to cult Hindi movie Sholay.

“Around Rs.160 crore has been invested to make the film. It’s fantastic, and filled with technical excellence,” Rajnikanth said at the music launch of the film recently.

Director Shankar has made the movie bilingual as Robot in Hindi and Endhiran in Tamil.

Aishwarya Rai plays the female

by Rani, Kajol

Deepika Padukone plays a blind girl in Lafangey Parindey. It instantly reminds one of Rani Mukherji in Black (2005) and Kajol in Fanaa (2006), but don’t even think of bringing this up in front of the fiery actress.

“I don’t want to be influenced by anyone else’s performance,” she shot back at

someone who suggested it to her recently. “I wanted my own take on what suits my character”.

“I have spent a lot of time with blind people and that helped me a lot,” she revealed. Well, we can’t wait to see if it did, Deeps.

Rahman to tweak CWG theme song

Oscar winner A.R. Rahman is ready with the Commonwealth Games theme song but the Group of Ministers (GoM) on the Games has asked the composer to tweak it before the opening ceremony. “I presented the theme song before the GoM and it was approved.

I have been asked to tweak it and it will be released within next 10 days,” Rahman said. “I think it won’t be good to release the theme song without making the necessary changes,” he said when asked about the song.

Beginning with the words “Oh yaaro, India bula liya” (Friends, we have called you to India), the song is composed mostly in Hindi with a sprinkle of English.

While Rahman will be the lead singer of the theme song, there will be other songs as well for the Commonwealth Games, including one dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi and another to the “key of knowledge”.

“The song is about India, about energy, winning and not giving up. We want the crowd to sing along with us at the opening ceremony. It is simple but not simplistic,” he said.

Asked how different it was from Shakira’s popular football World Cup anthem Waka Waka, Rahman said: “It is not Waka Waka We wanted to go beyond it. It is complex, difficult to explain but I am sure you will like it when you hear it.”

Rahman said he was initially apprehensive about whether the GoM would like the song.

Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi and filmmaker Shyam Benegal, who is a member of the core committee of the Commonwealth Games, were present on the occasion.

The GoM chaired by Urban Development Minister S.Jaipal Reddy met for the first time after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh intervened to take stock of the much-criticised preparations for the Oct 3-14 Games.

The three-hour long GoM meeting also discussed other details related to the opening ceremony besides giving approval to the theme song composed

Kamal Haasan to relaunch daughter Shruti

First it was mom Sarika whose good friends were used to launch daughter Shruti Haasan’s career. Now, apparently dad Kamal has taken over the responsibility to put her back on track.

Shruti’s first attempt at stardom in Luck was rather unlucky. So now Ghajini director A.R. Murugadoss has been asked to create an impressive re-launch film for the pretty actress.

Murugadoss admits that his multilingual film Ezham Arivu (The Seventh Sense) is planned as a re-launch for Shruti in Bollywood.

“It is a medical thriller with some of the most costly special effects ever done in southern cinema. We want to take the sci-fi to a new level in the South. Shruti has a very powerful role and yes, we’re hoping it would launch her career in Hindi cinema,” said Murugadoss.

CAPTION CONTEST

win a surprise prize

Last issue Caption Contest winning entry

What’s Salman saying to his wax statue at Madama Tussaud’s?

You’re so good looking… I’m going to move you next to Aishwarya’s statue.

Ranjana Padmanabhan Noosa Heads QLD

Ranjana wins a DVD of the new Hindi film Aisha

Some other good ones

Yaar, iss statue ka bhi demaag khalli hoga, meri tarah. Soochnewali baat hai!

Deepti Marathe

At least you don’t have to worry about your thinning hair line…

Jaya Didugu

Looks like my bribe didn’t work: Madame Tussaud’s made my statue as short as the real me.

Aakriti Gupta

AMITABH BACHCHAN

BIPASHA BASU

RAJNIKANT

KATRINA KAIF

Cine Talk

Comedy with a conscience

Even as you laugh at Natha’s naïveté and the series of events that his halfhearted proclamation unfolds, there is a churning of unease in your stomach. You know things are all very wrong, and you should not be laughing at all. This is what Aamir Khan’s latest production, Peepli Live achieves: long after the screen has gone dark, your conscience is stirring.

Debutante director Anusha Rizvi begins her tale on an all-too-familiar premise - two brothers in the village of Peepli are about to lose their ancestral land to the bank for unpaid loans. Natha and older brother Budhia go to the local politician-cum-money lender to seek help, but all they get is a scornful jest: he laughingly suggests that one of the brothers commit suicide to get the one-lakh rupee payment from the government for surviving family members.

Natha is manipulated into agreeing to sacrifice his life by his brother, and before he knows it, his proclamation has been published by a local paper. Soon enough the story of a ‘live suicide’ is picked up dozens of TV channels. The circus of media frenzy, bureaucratic blame games and political appeasement begin to unfold in the small village of Peepli. TV crew and caravans camp outside their home ready to do anything for a byte. Rizvi, herself formerly a journalist, has captured the clamour for higher TRPs in the media (from glamorous urban English channels, to

An elitist celebration of matchmaking

Film: Aisha

Starring: Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Amrita Puri, Ira Dubey, Cyrus Shahukar, Arunoday Singh

Directed by: Rajshree Ojha

The thing about shallow people from the beau monde is that they shouldn’t be played shallowly when brought to the screen.

Sonam Kapoor in a ‘tailor’-made role (where more moolah seems to have been spent on tailoring her chic outfits than on exploring the locations, sound sights scents and, yes, sense of this embarrassing world of excessive self-preening) gets the Jane Austen

Natha a TV and even a Lal Bahadur - a government program which gives farmers a free hand pump, but no money to install it. Rizvi goes on to tear apart a range of the government’s schemes for farmers, all shrouded in impenetrable bureaucracy, not least of which is the scheme to compensate families of farmers committing suicide. Amidst all this mayhem, is another farmer who has lost his land and toils

character right. Quite a leap for the actress.

When she had played the confused lovergirl in Saawariya, Sonam had imposed her own natural-born confusions on the characterrendering it shaky and disembodied.

In Aisha, Sonam is far more in control of her character’s misguided emotional compulsions. The fact that the young actress knows this label-centric designer world of chic shenanigans so well, helps Sonam master and contour her character’s art of selfdeception in a way the original author of the character would have approved.

Sonam’s world harks back to Jane Austen’s giddy-headed British gentry class where match-making was not an idle chatter. It was religion. When placed in the neo-rich spicedup politically-charged atmosphere of Delhi, Jane Austen’s characters seem to come alive in unexpected spurts of sassy splendour and unbridled joie de vivre. You can’t help laugh at these young, often-aimless, people’s self-importance.

Aisha is a two-hour celebration of pre-nuptial rituals. Though no one says it, every girl in the film wants only one thing. And it isn’t necessarily love, but

heart-breaking conscience of the film. Omkar Das Manikpuri as the bumbling, gullible Natha is profound in his expression of confusion, fear and misery without much dialogue. Raghubir Yadav is perfectly cast as the conniving but ultimately hapless older brother Budhia. The womenShalini Vatsa as Natha’s embittered wife; Farrukh Jaffer as the bickering, cursing mother, and Malaika Shenoy

somewhere close. The bristle and bustle of Delhi comes alive through the slender intellectual faculties of the protagonists.

Let’s not forget that Jane Austen had applied great intellectual strength to her frail and shallow people. Aisha converts Austen’s world into a frail feisty frolicsome fashion fiesta shot with an empowering affection for the natural light that bathes these somewhat affected people. The cinematography by Diego Rodriguez and especially the songs and background music by Amit Trivedi create a multi-hued skyline in this saga of sophomore socialites, their loves, lovers and love tattle.

Debutante director Rajshree Ojha gets into this world of titillating trivia and designer dreams with a wink and smile that goes a

The music by Indian Ocean is revealing as usual and the song lyrics often caustic and timely, by Swanand Kirkire. In fact one of the song lyrics made it into an Indian Parliament discussion—and here is why: Sakhi saiyan to khube kamat hai mehngai dayan khaye jaat hai 2 har mahina uchhle petrol deisal ka uchhla hai role Shivangi Ambani Gandhi

long way in building a showcase around these metropolitan mannequins on a single-minded match-making prowl. The casting is as deadon as it can get. While the guys Abhay Deol, Cyrus Sahukar and Arunoday Singh play the Brain, Nerd and Hunk with absolute relish, it’s the girls who keep you chuckling and tchtch-ing.

Neha Dubey and debutante Amrita Puri put in pitch-perfect performances as sahelis bullied into alliances that seem manipulated on earth rather than arranged in heaven. They have a bright future ahead, single or not.

But the film belongs to Sonam Kapoor, make no mistake of that. She makes the best of a rather rare opportunity for an Indian leading lady to be part of a Bollywood film that salutes Victorian mores and Delhi’s elitist affectations in one clean cool sweep.

Engaging and endearing - Aisha makes you wonder if there’s anything more important in the world than finding the right match.

Maybe finding the right movie about finding the right match?

Subhash K. Jha

Love makes the world go round

Dear Auntyji

I am 16 years old and I have a romantic problem. My best friend Tanya is in love with Divij, but he is in love with Sunaina, but she loves his brother Rocky. Rocky thinks he is in love with Anita, but he is always talking to her best friend Akansha. I am in love with Divij, but he does not know I even exist. Can you help me with this situation, please, because I can’t stop thinking of Divij.

Auntyji says

Reading about your problem reminds me of the time my best friend Ashley was in love with Victor, but he was in love with Nicky, who was married to Jack but who was seeing Phyliss on the side, and meanwhile, Christine was in love with Paul, but he was married to Hope, who was in love with Beau. Wait a minute, Beau and Hope were always in love and Paul was never married to Hope. Oh, how many wonderful afternoons I spent

with The Young and the Restless during the days of my life. Back to your rather dull problem. Accept the fact that Divij is in love with Sunaina. Wait for him to come to his senses. Then pounce on him like a piranha on a human leg foolishly walking barefoot in the Amazon.

He’s bored

Dear Auntyji

I have been married for a year - it was an arranged marriage back in India. My husband is very nice and very intelligent, and I love him very much, and he grew up here so is more westernised than me. He has a good friend who he grew up with. Recently I came upon an email from my husband to this friend and he was talking

Matrimonials

SEEKING BRIDES

Alliance invited for a 39-year-old Gujarati boy, Australian citizen, well-settled IT professional, innocent and issueless divorcee. Looking for a well educated girl with good family values. Please email biodata and recent photograph to rashp9@hotmail.com

Well-settled Indian-Aussie parents of 25 year old son (vegetarian, non alcohol, non smoker) are looking for Kannada Brahmin bride, brought up in Australia, good looking, good family back ground and like habits. Please apply with horoscope and photo to aussieindiangroom@gmail.com.

Seeking alliance for a 29-year-old, 5’11”, Gujarati boy. Working as a database analyst in Melbourne. Looking for a welleducated, preferably Gujarati girl with family values. Please email at modi.nayan@ gmail.com or ring 0403 652 602. Bharat Matrimony: G549338

Seeking a suitable match for Ramgharia Sikh boy, my brother, handsome, 6’ tall, 26 years old, clean-shaven, working in family construction business in UK, with degree in building surveying. I’m settled in Sydney. Please email biodata with recent photo to jsmotay@hotmail.co.uk tel: 98372998.

Seeking a slim, fair and homely girl with good family values, for my brother, very handsome, 29 years, clean-shaven Sikh boy, marketing manager in Dubai. I’m well settled in Sydney for the past 8.5 years. Please email a.kaur@optusnet.com.au

Australian citizen, 36 years old, hospitality professional working in Sydney. Seeking girl between 27-36 old, caste no bar. Please contact 0416 398 869 or for other details and photo mail to: satishsingh_2009@yahoo.com.au

Seeking alliance for 40 yo handsome guy, RC, N/S, N/D, DTE, 5’10”, divorced, marriage annulled, no kids. Girl should be family-oriented, good looking, with good family values. Caste no bar. Kindly email with photo to: cheerfulguy14@yahoo.com.au

Gursikh male of Khatri background, 25 years, physiotherapist, Australian citizen, Sydney resident, 6 feet, slim, healthy, open-minded, happy lifestyle, seeks match 20-24 years, good natured, healthy, honest. Truthful replies only to greenkochia@gmail. com

SEEKING GROOMS

about me. He said that I am nice, but I am a bit boring. I am very hurt by this and I wish I knew what to do. I did not tell him I saw the email, but for the last 3 weeks, I have been sad and unhappy. Mein kya karoon Auntyji, kuch salaah dijiye na?

Auntyji says

Arre, my little gulab jamun, my fat little anarkali, don’t you worry one bit, I have a very good solution for you. The best thing about all this is that you actually know how your husband feels, so you can now come up with an action plan. You probably are a boring person if you sit at home all weekend and have no other interests that add any depth to your personality or character. Now, don’t you think that hubby dearest will find you quite interesting, if, for example, you could speak another language and you could dazzle him with this the next time you went to a restaurant and ordered in that language, or if you had an interesting hobby like fencing or horse riding or scuba diving. And how interesting do you think he would find you, if you could tell him why you think Nietzsche’s points about self denial were

totally unjustified? Of course, Nietzsche made no such claim and his philosophies were not about self denial, but just for a moment, weren’t you impressed how casually I dropped that old philosopher into the conversation as though I had done a thesis in philosophy? Didn’t you think I was so interesting? Weren’t you filled with admiration and awe of my intellect? (Or did you have to google Nietzsche?) In any case, if you want your highly intelligent husband to find you interesting, you need to make yourself interesting. Read more widely, and no, Harlequin romances don’t count unless you intend to amuse your patidev by deconstructing the text from a militant feministic perspective… so go get some hobbies. And no, knitting-witting and cooking-shooking aren’t hobbies. They are for people whose husbands aren’t bored with them one year into the marriage. Oh, and go get some sexy lingerie. When all else fails, French lingerie works wonders. And a woman inFrench lingerie who can analyse the sub text of the spitoon in Midnight’s Children can win her way to any thinking man’s heart. Now go wow your husband, you saucy minx, you.

tax consultant at a high profile firm in Sydney. The preference is for a suitably employed, well settled boy (age: 25-27), brought up in Australia, USA or England. Please send biodata and a recent photograph to OZ7654@gmail.com.

Match for Gujarati girl, age 39, 5’2”, currently working as a beautician, residing in Melbourne. Never married. Seeking a caring suitable Gujarati boy – with good family values. Aged between 38-43. Email: p.b56@hotmail.com.au Mob: 0447

673 998

minded, non-smoker with strong family values. Please email profile and photo to sydney_girl2010@hotmail.com

Punjabi Arora parents invite never married well-settled/professional match for fair, slim, attractive, 37/165, IT professional with strong family values. Never married. Settled in Sydney. Australian citizen. Status family. Caste no bar. Early marriage. Email with photo: ausgirl101@gmail.com

Gujarati

Lohana girl, ‘74 born, Aus PR, currently settled in USA, well educated, govt job, looking for a boy willing to settle in USA, well educated and upper caste. Girl visiting Australia Nov - Dec 2010.Please contact 0403 279 177 or email drbharti_g@ yahoo.com

Wanted well-qualified, handsome, fair Punjabi Hindu boy, well-settled in Sydney, PR holder/Australian citizen for a Punjabi Hindu girl, extremely beautiful, slim, very fair, 32 years, 5-3”, MBA (Australia), Australian citizen and a professional belonging to a high status, very well qualified business class family. The girl is an innocent divorcee following a brief marriage. She is very loving, homely, caring, intelligent and bubbly with a perfect blend of traditional and modern values. She is born and brought up in India. We are God fearing, very well respected, down to earth and sober family with a positive outlook towards life. Similar profiles preferred. Please send full profile with latest photos to email id: to.sweet@ hotmail.com or contact on 0451 589 389

Family seeking suitable match for an attractive, 23 year old, 5’ 2’’ tall, slim built, North Indian girl with strong values. She is highly intelligent and is a

Well-settled and professional alliance invited for fair, beautiful Sikh girl, 35/5’3”. Profession doctor, working in Canadian based company in India as Senior Health manager. Well mannered with modern outlook and traditional values. Brother well settled in Australia. Please respond with photo, education and professional details to email: singhsarav@ hotmail.com Mobile: 0402 954 955

Seeking a suitable match for goldsmith girl, 32, (applied regional residency), 5’2”,working full time in community welfare. Seeking match with broadminded personality, preferably in Australia. Caste no bar. Contact kaur_m13@yahoo.com 0011-91-99887-49191, 0011-91-85250-1746

Seeking professionally qualified/wellsettled match for 39/165, never married, fair, slim, beautiful Punjabi girl, family oriented and responsible. Engineer working in Sydney, Australian citizen. Early marriage. Can relocate. Parents well-settled in India. Caste no bar. Email with photo: sydgirl09@ gmail.com

Seeking match for 28/158cm, fair, beautiful, intelligent, Australian citizen girl, from a respectable Hindu family with good professional job. Boy must be 29-32, professionally qualified, well settled, open-

Match for Punjabi Saraswat Brahmin Vishisht Gotra, Manglik girl, MA B.Ed, DOB 29-3-1977, 5-20 pm, Deolali (Maharashatra). Applied residency in Australia, 5’-2”, prefer Australian boy. Call +91 9888 970 986 or email nsharma0786@ yahoo.com.

Family seeks suitable professional match for a very attractive and intelligent South Indian girl with modern and family values. She is 29, 5’5”, fair and medium built, working for a large accounting firm in Sydney. Please contact with biodata and recent photo to aus.mum1980@gmail.com Only if the boy is a citizen, tall, handsome, aged between 30-34 years and earns more than $100,000

Suitable professional Sikh match for Jat Sikh girl. She is 32 years, 5’3”, slim, fair, beautiful. Masters in professional accounting. Well settled in Australia. Currently working as financial officer. Father retired gazetted officer. Email with snap to: pannumate@hotmail.com

Parents of Sikh Khatri girl invite alliance for their beautiful, slim daughter, 30 /5’-1”, Australian citizen, never married. Currently working in Sydney as Analyst with one of the large banks. Family settled in Sydney. Seeking professional, well-educated match with good family background. Caste no bar. Contact: 02 8807 4258 or email: schadha06@yahoo.com

A Celebration of Love

by

Sydney’s Award-winning Marriage Celebrant

Behroze Bilimoria

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My family & I arrived Sydney from India 39 years ago.

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Call me to discuss your requirements and let me help you take the stress out of the legalities.

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