2011-02 Melbourne

FREE Vol. 11 No. 3 • February 2011 • melb@indianlink.com.au • www.indianlink.com.au

MELBOURNE

Australia Day honours

Perth’s Ramdas Sankaran OAM

Melbourne’s Dr. Mukesh Haikerwal AO

Adelaide’s Siva Selvakulalingam OAM

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EDITORIAL

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INDIAN LINK PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR Sheryl Dixit MELBOURNE Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Pinky Bhatia, Tim Blight, Madhuchanda Das, Sukrit Sabhlok, Jyoti Shankar, Roy Lange, Dilip Jadeja, LP Ayer, Tanveer Ahmed, Farzana Shakir, Shraddha Arjun, Gaurav Pandey, Nancy Sood, George Thakur, Mamata Salakapurapu ADVERTISING MANAGER Vivek Trivedi 02 9262 1766 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Drishya Sharma 02 9279 2004 GRAPHIC DESIGN AND LAYOUT Kaye Martin 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

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A new world order?

The world is at interesting cross roads. In early January, the masses in Tunisia forced their President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to flee the country to end his 23 years of rule. This was a wholly unprecedented happening in the Arabic world where dictators have forced their will on the people. This unrest seems to have spread across to other neighbouring countries most notably Egypt. At the time of going to press, the stalemate in Egypt was in the 11th day with little indication of progress from either side. While Egypt’s president of 33 years Hosni Mubarak has offered to resign in due course, the anti-government protestors want him to step down now. Fearing this malaise can spread further, even Jordan’s King Hussein has been urged by his supporters to fast track changes in his kingdom.

The fire is spreading and seems to have taken the observers such as the United States by surprise.

Some of the reasons behind the revolts in these countries are now becoming clear. Besides the urgent cry for democracy and the desire of the masses to express their views, there is also the fact that with an increasing younger population, there is rising

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

unemployment. While these countries have enjoyed economic growth earlier in the last decade, the meltdown due to the global financial crisis has found its way into the economies of these countries, whether through a sharp downturn in the economic growth, the introduction of governmentimposed austerity measures (though not mandated as in some European economies) or a lay-off in employment.

Globalisation, which benefited these countries in past decades, is now sucking the very oxygen which fuelled their prosperity. The spread of technology – internet and social media – is also educating and guiding the younger generations.

Higher food prices, better education, greater exposure to world trends and general overall knowledge, are creating a generation of frustrated and intelligent middle class. If these are the ingredients of a popular

uprising, communist countries such as China need to pay heed as to the voices of the public which at times can rise to a crescendo, calling for drastic changes. China does rule its citizens with an iron fist but then so did Mubarak. With Australia’s economy so intertwined with that of China, the issues in the Arabic world and the causes behind it need to be analysed and understood by the policy makers of this country. When people realise they are not getting the best deal and feel they have had enough, they then take to the streets, as evidenced in Egypt. The protestors here seem to be more the thinking middle class rather than extremists.

In Egypt, television pictures of burqa-clad women amongst the antiMubarak protestors, have shown the depth of the community participation in this rally. Directions in this revolt do not seem to be coming from the distant hills and hideouts in Afghanistan.

A new world order which seems not to be tainted by extremism, seems to be emerging. As to how long it perseveres, or whether it will be tainted with extremism, remains to be seen.

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SPECIALREPORT

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Mukesh Haikerwal, AO A well-deserved honour for a prominent member of the Indian community, a distinguished doctor and an exemplary person

BY PREETI JABBAL

On Australia Day 2011, Indian-born Dr. Mukesh Haikerwal was among those who were appointed as Officer of the Order of Australia, one of the country’s highest civilian awards. Dr Haikerwal is only the second Indian after Mr. Neville Roach to be felicitated with this highly prestigious award. He received the honour ‘for his distinguished service to medical administration, to the promotion of public health through leadership roles with professional organisations, particularly the Australian Medical Association, to the reform of the Australian health system through the optimisation of information technology, and as a general practitioner’. Former Australian Medical Association President and GP (Western suburbs), Dr Haikerwal has considerable influence in the field of Australian medicine.

When asked if he had any inkling that he was on the Australian Honours list this year Dr. Haikerwal revealed, “The letter notifying me of the Honour was sent in December and was a complete surprise to me. It had to be kept under wraps till the official announcement in January.

I was obviously pleased to receive such a major honour especially as someone new to the country; it shows that Australia lives up to its promise of being a ‘destination country’. It provides the opportunities to everyone to get ahead in their chosen field and gives everyone a fair go,” he said.

When asked who would feature in his vote of thanks he said, “I am thankful to my family, my colleagues and my patients who have all been very accommodating and allowed me to pursue my dreams, especially my wife who supported me through the years.” Dr. Mukesh Haikerwal is married to Dr. Karyn Alexander and together they have three sons - Ajay, Suresh and Jeevan.

Dr. Haikerwal once said in an interview that his sons were over watching him on TV and quite immune to his media profile. What did they think of this award? “My children think it is very ‘cool’ that I was honoured, but I don’t think it has made any great impact on them. These things are relished more in adult life and they are too young to grasp the importance of the recognition,” he added with a smile.

“There is a lot to do but Australia is a strong country and it is managing health in a struggling, but effective way”.

Dr. Mukesh Haikerwal was famously quoted as saying, ‘You can make improvement without a revolution’. I asked whether he still holds that opinion to which he replied, “Absolutely!

I still maintain that there is no need for a revolution or aggression especially in relation to health in Australia. There is a lot to do but Australia is a strong country and it is managing health in a struggling, but effective way. Having worked and studied in Leicester (UK) I can make comparisons and the Australian system is unlike the British or American. Contrary to what people think it is not ‘just like England with a sun’.

People in Australia want and receive care in a different way to that in England. We are working towards acquiring a good balance of public and private health in Australia.”

In September 2008, Dr. Haikerwal had a near fatal experience after being bashed and robbed near Dennis Reserve in Williamstown, Victoria. He sustained serious head injuries in the attack and was in a coma for 24 hours, remaining in hospital for two months. He underwent emergency brain surgery and has had to re-learn how to walk and talk. I asked him whether he sees life differently after that incident and has he felt the need to make any changes to his lifestyle, work or philosophy? “After a life threatening incident like the one I faced, you start taking stock of your life and your philosophy INDIAN LINK

changes,” he replied. “Things that would upset me earlier no longer affect me. I am consciously seeking and making efforts towards a more balanced life,” he added.

With relation to Indian community he said, “There are an increasing number of people of Indian origin in Australia. With someone from an Indian origin like me getting honoured, it reiterates to them that there is a chance of progressing in Australia as well. It is a country that gives everyone a fair go,” he stressed again.

Dr. Haikerwal, who as a victim of violence himself, has been very vocal in comments about safety and security in Australia. “The violence against Indians appears to have calmed down which is very good. In a sense the media scrutiny from last two years has brought many issues to the fore. This has been instrumental in cleaning up the Australian International education system of rogue operators and dodgy colleges. People overseas are now more aware of what they will gain by studying here and they are also aware of people and places that were not giving them the real deal and trust that they deserved,” he said in conclusion.

Dr Haikerwal has an impressive list of credentials to this name. In July 2010, Australia’s leading independent medical publication Australian Doctor named him as one of 50 Australians currently most influential in General Practice in Australia. He was commended for his

passion and belief of e-health and the impact it can have in enhancing the safety and quality of healthcare. Dr Haikerwal has been recognised for his work in various public roles, including that of commissioner on the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. Apart from practicing as a GP, he is currently Head of Clinical Leadership and Engagement, National Clinical Lead, National e-Health Transition Authority (NEHTA), and is playing a pivotal role in e-health reform in Australia.

Dr Haikerwal has enjoyed roles as Professor,

“I was obviously pleased to receive such a major honour especially as someone new to the country; it shows that Australia lives up to its promise of being a ‘destination country”.

School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Science, Flinders University, Adelaide; Chair Finance and Planning Committee World Medical Association; Member NH&MRC Health Care Committee; 19th President, Australian Medical Association and Former Commissioner, National Health & Hospitals Reform Commission.

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SPECIALREPORT

Keeper of the faith An award-winning entrepreneur, Siva Selvakulalingam OAM is now a devoted temple official

Selva at Adelaide’s Ganesa Temple

BY LP AYER

South Australia’s Hindu community received well-deserving recognition on Australia Day when its president, Siva Selvakulalingam, was named among the recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

Selva, as he is popularly known, was given this honour for his services to “the community through the Hindu Society of South Australia”.

A mechanical engineer by profession, Selva arrived in Australia in 1988 as a business migrant after working as Managing Director of a well-known British woodworking machinery firm in Malaysia. On arriving here he set up a timber importing business jointly with a partner, and later started his own enterprise making wine racks under the brand name Bordeaux, using off-cuts that would have normally ended up as firewood in Malaysia. His innovative technique and export success earned him State Government awards for small and medium industries on two occasions in 2002 and 2005. Since retiring four years ago at 68, he has been devoting all

his time to his favourite hobby of managing the local temple with which he was involved almost from the day he arrived in Adelaide.

What’s the big deal in running a temple, every capital city has one or more of them, one may ask. Unlike the eastern seaboard cities, Adelaide had, and still has, a much smaller community and it was a major achievement to establish a temple way back in 1986 only two years after the Hindu Society was formed, and one that was possibly only the second in the country after Helensburgh SVT. The ‘devoted dozen’ of the Society bought a disused church and after ceremoniously installing a Ganesha idol, converted it into a place of worship that also served for new arrivals as a place to meet and make friends, and help themselves in their struggle to settle down in a new country. The temple still serves in the role of a social and cultural hub to a much larger number of new immigrants as evidenced by the attendance on any given day Since early 1990s, several proposals were made for the temple that still wore the look of an old church, to have a makeover. In 1998, the Committee with the active backing of its president decided to re-build it in the style of a traditional Indian temple. After two years of work, the Adelaide skyline came

Wonderfully weird!

BY SHERYL DIXIT

Imagine using waste plastic to produce steel.

How weird…. and yet, how wonderful!

That’s Veena Sahajwalla for you, who discovered that waste plastic can be used as a source of carbon to partially replace coal in a particular process of steel-making (a find which won her the Australian Museum’s coveted Eureka Prize for Scientific Research in 2005).

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limelight as one of the recipients of this year’s Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, an award presented by the Government of India to honour eminent overseas Indians.

The award is one of pride not just for Prof. Veena, but also for the wider Indian community in Australia. She becomes only the second Australian to have received the award, following Neville Roach in 2008.

She is an academic, an engineer, an inventor, a wife, a mother…. and an awardwinner several times over. With all these avatars, Prof. Veena Sahajwalla is an unusual woman. “Weird!” is how she describes herself. For starters, as a young woman, she insisted on studying Metallurgical

to be dotted with a new spiritual edifice with a unique glass roof and a colourful ‘gopuram’ that attracts every passerby. The purchase of the old church and the new temple’s building work were all financed by donations from the local Hindu community without any loan or external financing. That is an achievement in itself.

In all this work Selva played a key role and, since becoming the Society’s President in 2001, he has been its guiding hand in more ways than one. One can spot him every Sunday at the temple, in his floppy hat, trimming hedges, pruning roses or sweeping the car park, while his wife Sivanes cleans the floors inside. At other times, wearing a snow-white dhoti and kurta, Selva is around to ensure that every ceremony is conducted according to established traditions. In many ways he resembles a conductor of an orchestra. In between, he thinks up ways of raising funds and keeping the books in a healthy state. Such is his devotion. His liaison with the State and local government circles has helped the Society to create a name for itself.

The temple is more than a place of worship; it serves as an educational centre holding Indian language classes, maintaining a well-stocked library, offering spiritual

discourses by visiting scholars, yoga and meditation courses and also providing its premises for family functions like weddings and anniversaries. The temple has evolved into a multi-purpose centre helping to enrich the lives of local Hindu community members.

The temple has evolved into a multi-purpose centre helping to enrich the lives of local community members.

Another unique feature is regular weekly visits by private and public school students who receive a briefing on the salient aspects of the deities there, thus helping other sections of society understand and appreciate our culture.

Continuing to play a key role in all these, Selva can be proud of the honour bestowed on him He was happy to admit that his wife “deserves to share his award” since she does as much as him.

Being very devout, Selva greets everyone with the words “Hari Om!” Now we can respond, “Hari OAM”!

Sydney’s Prof. Veena Sahajwalla is honoured with the Government of India’s Pravasi Bharatiya Award for 2011 Engineering instead of taking up a career in Medicine or the like. At the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, Veena was the only girl in a male dominated classroom. Of course, it didn’t bother her in the least.

“This was what I wanted to do and I simply got on with it,” she says. “I could have chosen Medicine or a related field that attracted a larger proportion of women at the time, but Engineering was my interest and my forte. My parents certainly thought it was a weird choice, but well, here we are!”

Prof. Veena is now Associate Dean (Strategic Industry Relations), Faculty of Science and Director, Centre of Sustainable Materials Research & Technology

(SMaRT@UNSW).

Australia has been a good place to be in, avers Prof. Veena. “I received a lot of support here as there is always interest in new concepts and ideas. I have found that I can express my ideas, no matter how weird, and they are treated with open-mindedness.

It’s a great atmosphere to work in and exercise your creativity,” she says, with obvious sincerity.

Prof. Veena has wide acclaim as a scientist, academic and engineer. Her desire to learn, to understand and discover led her to be a part of ABC’s highly popular TV show The New Inventors, as a judge on their panel.

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Mentor of multiculturalism Ramdas Sankaran OAM was a promoter of unity and equality long before he joined the Ethnic Communities Council of WA. BY SAI NARAYAN

Ramdas Sankaran received the prestigious Medal of the Order of Australia for services to multiculturalism and to the community of Western Australia, on Australia Day 2011. Besides this exemplary honour, he was presented the Western Australian Premier’s Multicultural Ambassadors Award in 2003, in recognition of his commitment to the realization of equality for all people and communities for over 25 years. The Federation of Ethnic Communities Council of Australia also awarded him a medallion in recognition of his contribution to multiculturalism.

I met Mr. Sankaran to talk to him about his work, and he came across as highly personable with a great sense of humour. Mr. Sankaran came to Australia in 1978 with qualifications in medical and psychiatric social work.

He encountered entrenched racism as Australia was just emerging from the shadows of the White Australia policy.

However, he took it in his stride and acknowledged the complexities of racism beyond the traditional whites versus the rest.

He went on to serve the community by organising and working toward a racism-free society, promoting human rights awareness, aboriginal reconciliation and developing services for ethnic minorities in the areas of aged care, mental health, disability etc. Mr. Sankaran has been the Executive Director of the Multicultural Services Centre of Western Australia (MSCWA) since 2002 and in his interesting career of 32 years, he has served as President and Executive Officer of the Ethnic Communities Council of WA, as well as Co-Founder and Administrator of Ethnic Disability Advocacy Centre, among others.

(Readers can access www.mscwa.com.au if they are keen to know more about the work of MSCWA).

Mr. Sankaran is passionate about his work against racial discrimination and making the community more aware of the phenomenon of racism. “I don’t know many people who can look in the mirror and say that they have not said, done or thought something other people would describe as racist,” he says. “I certainly cannot. It’s about getting people to look at racism in a more comprehensive

Dedicated to motivating talented students at the UNSW, she initiated the Category Industry Partnership Awards within the Faculty of Science. “I think it’s very important to engage with the industry and to work in close partnership with our collaborators. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship in which we all learn from each other. In fact we have a few surprises in the pipeline, but you’ll just have to wait and watch,” says Prof. Veena, tongue-in-cheek.

She has been able to secure six new industry-funded undergraduate scholarships from leading organisations.

Prof. Veena is also engaged in research collaboration with reputed overseas companies and institutions and is on the editorial boards of highly ranked international journals.

So how does Prof. Veena feel about her success, particularly after the felicitation INDIAN LINK

Ramdas Sankaran with his wife Bagia and sons Ashwin and Akash

way and getting government agencies and media itself to become more conscious of it. Only then will we treat each other equitably, fairly and in a more courteous way, and that would give me much pleasure”.

On a lighter note, Mr. Sankaran relates an incident where someone called his son Ashwin a “blackie” in school. His son shot back, “Thanks for the compliment!”

Mr. Sankaran calls this the ‘Ashwin Sankaran strategy’ to combat racism!

About his adopted country, he says, “We have an opportunity to make a great country greater or watch it slide down a slippery slope of social inequity and exclusion. I opted for the former.” Freedom of speech and the right to make one’s opinion heard are wonderful strengths of this country and as citizens he feels that we have a duty to make good use of it to enhance our democracy.

Behind every great man is a great woman. Mr. Sankaran acknowledges that without the support of his wife Bagia who works as a nurse and midwife and is highly regarded by her patients, it would have been very difficult to sustain

from the Government of India?

“It was a humbling experience,” she says unexpectedly. “Being in the company of so many deserving individuals who have made their mark in the field of arts, social services, even politics and from across the globe - I felt so honoured. It took a while to get out of the initial daze of surprise and well, shock, but through it all, I felt both proud and humble. For me, I was simply following my passion and doing my work, and to be acknowledged for that was a pleasure and an honour.”

More than just receiving the award, Prof. Veena feels that it will progress dialogue between India and Australia in the fields of Science and Engineering.

“Lots of people I met in India in January, showed interest in the scientific work done in Australia. It was a great opportunity to create collaborations, to discuss and

the level of commitment that his work demanded. There were many weekends when he literally lived out of his office. Their two sons are now in their twenties; Ashwin has an accounting practice and lectures part time, and Ahkash is studying computer engineering.

For Mr. Sankaran, more than any honour or award, the most satisfaction has come from seeing the work he conceived and launched for various dis-enfranchised sections of the community come to fruition. He also mentions the tireless work of countless volunteers, staff and board members in his organisation, who do not receive an award but without whom nothing could have been achieved.

In a message to the Australian Indian community, Mr. Sankaran states that he would like to see them more actively involved in asserting their rights when discriminated against by writing to relevant government agencies and politicians. He also wants to see greater involvement of Indians in politics at all levels of government.

exchange ideas and to add value,” she notes.

Prof. Veena admits that the support of her family helped tremendously, in giving her the liberty to follow her dreams.

“My husband has always encouraged me to pursue my goals, and my children, well, they now acknowledge that their weird mum isn’t quite so ‘weird’ anymore,” she laughs.

“I tell my students to follow their dreams. And I would say that to anyone pursuing a career in this field. If you have crazy ideas, ones that don’t fit into what is considered ‘normal’, be courageous and break out from the mould and do things differently. Follow your dreams, be passionate about your work, be creative.

It will be a challenge, but ultimately you will achieve your goals. It’s really okay to be weird!”

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COMMUNITYSCENE

Au revoir, Anita!

The Indian community extends heartfelt thanks to prolific outgoing Consul General Anita Nayar, saying not alvida, but phir milenge! the next Consul General of Victoria. Dr. Shubha Kanta Behera is likely to take over as the next consul soon.

Continuing the series of speeches, Mr. Ravi Bhatia CEO of Primus Telecom announced that a donation of $22,000 has been collected to assist in flood relief in Queensland. The donation was a result of the combined efforts of Indian organizations like FIAV, FIWAA and AISV. “Anita Nayar is the first formal diplomat from India in Australia. She has enhanced the

Photos: Guruswamy APG Foto

The common sentiment echoed in every speech was praise for Miss Nayar for handling what could be termed as a challenging diplomatic posting with aplomb

BY PREETI JABBAL

The Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FIAV), led by President Vasan Srinivasan, hosted a farewell dinner for outgoing Consul General for India in Melbourne Miss Anita Nayar recently. The event attracted an eclectic mix of community members, business owners, local politicians and representatives of various Indian organizations. Appointed by the Indian Government, Anita Nayar has been the Consul General of India in Melbourne since July 2007. During her tenure she has seen considerable turmoil within the community, especially with the issue of violence against Indian students and the subsequent media frenzy that reached its peak early last year.

Several speakers at the farewell briefly touched on their association with Anita Nayar and revealed various facets of her persona. The common sentiment echoed in every speech was praise for Anita Nayar for handling what could be termed as a challenging diplomatic posting with aplomb.

“The last three years have been ‘torrid’ due to the Indian student’s issues and you have led the community towards finding a solution and dealing with the concerns.

We will miss your wonderful personality,” said Dr Gurdip Aurora President of the

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Australia India Society of Victoria (AISV) Mrs. Madhu Dudeja, President of FIWAA commended Anita Nayar for her active involvement in the affairs of the Indian community. Citing examples of her warm hospitality Mrs. Dudeja said, “Underneath her high portfolio and despite the pressures of her role, Anita is a really good hostess, very approachable and a normal person like everyone else.” Mrs. Tara Rajkumar (OAM and Trustee FIMDV) agreed, “Anita’s presence has initiated the process of bringing the Indian community together. Her doors have always been open for the community.

She is a great supporter of arts, a good hostess and a cherished friend.”

Mr. Michael Gidley MP for Mount Waverley representing Victoria’s Coalition Government, and Premier Ted Baillieu recognized Anita Nayar’s efforts in helping the Government to overcome challenges faced in Australia in relation to the Indian community. “Moving things forward, we have a strong focus on community safety and security. We have enrolled 1700 more police officers to increase police presence in Victoria and have also increased focus on the delivery of education in Victoria.

We need to ensure that this sector grows by providing quality level of education and more opportunities for skilled migrants. This will help in growth and prosperity of Victorians,” said Mr. Baillieu.

Ms Marsha Thompson, MP Footscray also shared her stories of working with Anita

Nayar to help Indian students by visiting their homes and speaking to them about their plight. “Anita and the High Commissioner of India Sujatha Singh have taken their roles very seriously and done an excellent job,” she said.

“Previously the Indian community was not in a position to help due to lack of leadership, but with the help of this ‘unexpected diplomat’ I feel that the Indian community has now come together and are identifying themselves as Victorians and Australians.”

On a lighter note, Marsha declared her love for Bollywood movies and urged everyone, including Anita, to watch 3 Idiots. She also claimed to be the only person in the room who was draped into a saree by the highranked diplomat on the occasion of Diwali.

“Anita was the right diplomat at the wrong time in Australia,” claimed Inspector of Police, Ian Geddes. “She came to Australia when Indian students were being overrepresented as victims of crime in Melbourne.

Anita has worked hard to ensure the safety of Indian students. Anita was there to advice and guide us, and helped us sort many issues,” he added. Ms Colleen Hartland, MLC Western Metropolitan also commended Anita Nayar for coming to Australia at a difficult time and dealing with issues calmly and resolutely. The accolades continued with more speeches from Mr. Vernon Da Gama President of Australian Indian Innovations Inc (AIII) and Mrs. Hardip Madan chairperson of Sikh Welfare Council of Victoria (SWCA). They praised Anita Nayar for setting the bar very high for

image of India in the community. She has proved to be very engaging and approachable, and she deserves the gratitude of our community in the most sincere way,” he said.

Ms. Joyothi Das, dance director of Nupur Australia, as the MC for the evening ensured that things ran to plan. Some light entertainment was provided by talented singer Mr. Sriram Iyer, who sang nostalgic Hindi Film songs from yesteryears. Karan Gandhok of Tandoori Junction restaurant, Glen Waverley catered for the sumptuous dinner, while Mr. Madappa Palachanda from DEC Australia was instrumental in sponsoring the entire event. The praise and farewell notes continued well past dinner, with the community rallying together to wish Anita Nayar well for her future. She was also presented with a crystal mantelpiece and a garland was offered to her by senior leader Mrs. Krishna Arora, to commemorate her time in Victoria.

Anita Nayar concluded the event with an emotional speech. She agreed with the speakers that it was an unexpectedly challenging term for her. Adding to her myriad assignments was the task of setting up the new Indian consulate in Melbourne.

(In previous years Melbourne has had only honorary consuls followed by a brief stint

by Mr. Butshikan Singh). She confessed that it was not always easygoing for her, but she tried to fulfill her duties to the best of her abilities. Anita Nayar also expressed her fondness for Melbourne and the community, and said that she was sad to leave this

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Never a dull moment!

Anita Nayar talks to Preeti Jabbal on her tenure as Consul General of India in Melbourne

It is an onerous task looking after the interests of a community and who better to tell us about this than the outgoing Consul General of India in Melbourne, Miss Anita Nayar. There are three things that I have almost never seen this most well know Indian lady in Melbourne without - an elegant saree, a compulsive cigarette and a warm smile. As I sit across from her in her simply decorated lounge room in Toorak, it is probably the first time I see her in a relaxed kaftan, the cigarette and smile intact.

In August 2007 I was among the first few to interview the incoming Consul General of India, to get acquainted with the diplomat.

Much has occurred and changed within the community since then; however, what hasn’t changed is the warmth of her personality and her candour, peppered with dry humour. In interviews and functions Anita has asserted this wit to dazzling effects.

Born in Agra, Anita grew up mainly in Delhi. Her father was a civil servant in the Ministry of Finance and her mother a primary school teacher. Anita graduated in history from St Stephen’s College, Delhi and then chose to join the Indian Foreign Service in 1983. Since then she has handled several diplomatic assignments that took her to countries and places like Beijing, Tel Aviv (Israel), Budapest, Singapore and Mandalay (Burma), in that order. She was appointed as India’s Consul General in Melbourne in July 2007. Since then it has been ‘never a dull moment’ (by her own admission) between myriad assignments, meetings, events and shifting the Indian Consulate office premises. Not only was she expected to fulfill a demanding role, she had to prove her mettle in dealing with unexpected issues like the Indian student’s crisis. Normally unflappable by nature, was Anita shaken by these undesirable developments? How was it like to be in the hot seat at the peak of media deliberations about safety of Indians in Australia? What impressions of Melbourne would she take back with her?

I had many questions for Anita and here’s what she had to say.

It has been over three years for you in Melbourne, what do you think when you look back?

Things have been very hectic and quite unexpected for me in the last few years.

Melbourne was considered to be a relatively smooth posting as compared to war torn countries in the Middle East. The consular section that are posted there have years of experience in dealing with community problems like domestic violence, exploitation and security etc. They also have

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well established welfare funds to support their efforts. With Melbourne, we did not expect that many problems. We were not geared to handle the number of issues that surfaced in the last few years, nor did we have the financial resources to assist us. It took us a lot of time to get these things in place.

For us, the real challenge was to set up an official consulate with an effective system. People in the community did not understand the role of a consulate. It took us a while to communicate to everyone what could be expected from us. While we did not have a magic wand to remove problems, we were still willing and able to assist in many ways. The High Commissioner Ms. Sujatha Singh was also personally involved on many occasions. With her help we now have an Indian welfare fund that can assist with medical, funeral, travel expenses and short-term accommodation for Indians in need. In direct response to the concerns within the community, we have also appointed a dedicated Community Welfare Officer to deal specifically with their issues.

What would you consider as your main achievement during this time?

My main achievement would be to shift the Indian Consulate from Coburg to St. Kilda.

It took a lot of time, but we are happy to have managed to move the Consulate to a more central and accessible location. Ideally I would like the Consulate to also double up as a community hub, however there is a lot of work involved in doing that and unfortunately I won’t be here to complete it.

Which facet of your multifaceted role do you find most interesting?

I have never really given much thought to what I like best out of all my assignments probably because everything I do has helped to improve my knowledge about Australia.

The effectiveness of a role like mine depends on how much I can learn about this country and its people. I came here with so many stereotypes and generalizations that have changed in the last four years. Certain events that have occurred in the last two years have taught me about things that I did not expect to be involved with, like the Police and law and order. This process of learning has made this job very challenging, but also interesting for me.

Do you think that due to all the upheavals in the last couple of years, Australia is now considered as a ‘difficult posting’ for India?

The real ‘crisis’ phase is thankfully over now.

We are better positioned now than we were when we started. We now have a system in place to handle issues. We know a lot more about how to go about helping people. All this will come in use for my successor. So I don’t think it should be a difficult posting as such. I have found Melbourne to be a wonderful place and the community here is very active. I have definitely gained from my experience here.

What are the issues of concern that need immediate addressing by your successor in terms of Indians in Australia?

There are no specific issues at the moment,

only ongoing concerns. The community issues will continue to play a major role in this posting, however for now, things are well under control. For example in the past there have been some major splits within certain local Indian community organizations, they have now been sorted.

I see a shift within the community and there is a visible movement for community organizations to unite. The Indian community is also becoming bigger and getting more involved with the mainstream population, and are more conscious of their responsibility to their own people.

One of the things that we could do better as a consulate is to have a stronger database of people of Indian origin to communicate with. We need to consolidate our existing database from the registration facility on our website and add more names to our mailing list. As a result we will be in touch with many people and they can have more community involvement with the Consulate. There are so many talented, efficient, influential Indians in Australia, but we do not know all of them. There are so many who may be disadvantaged or in need of assistance but they don’t know that we can help them. There is a lot of work required to close that gap.

How can India and Australia exchange expertise and ideas to forge better alliances and share knowledge?

There are a lot of opportunities where India and Australia can form a natural alliance. We share history under the Commonwealth, we share the same language and democratic principles, similar values and a love for cricket. In that sense we are natural allies and can work together to influence opinions around the country.

There is no area in which we are in clear opposition with each other.

Even uranium?

Yes, even uranium. I don’t think we are in direct contradiction as much as in a status quo that could change with time. The previous Government agreed to give us uranium, while the current one opposed it.

The existing Government could change its mind at any time. We stand to gain so much with cooperation over maritime security, narcotics, human trafficking, climate change, trade etc. On the economic front, India is looking outwards to invest. During my tenure I have seen Indian investments in construction, automobiles, edible oils, IT etc in Australia. Indian companies are looking at expertise from Australia and utilizing that in India. There is so much that is being done already. I am almost sad to leave now just as the Government here has changed, as I would have liked to stay back and see how the new Government continues to engage and cooperate with India and Indians.

What is the awareness of India and Indians in Australia?

People here in Australia are now more aware of India and Indians. As a community, Indians are making more of an impact in the development of multicultural Australia. The first generation Indian migrants spent considerable time and energy in adjusting and making a

living in this country, but now the second generation Indians are generally more settled and as a result, more articulate and confident about their rights. With the influx of Indian people that came here in the last decade this was expected to happen as part of a natural cycle of migration to another country. I would like to see more second generation Indians to enter the economy and politics of this nation and see how they progress.

Please comment on unity within the Indian community The recent student crisis acted as a catalyst and forced the Indian community to think about how they need to be more united.

There is now increased awareness that the more divided we are, the less we can achieve as a community. Fortunately we are now moving in the right direction, and there is a conscious effort towards cohesiveness within the community. We now need more people from the Indian community to come forward and reach out to everyone, beyond their ethnic circle. We need people to represent and lead the community in every field, especially local politics. By entering politics they can represent the community and work with the Government for the good of all.

What are the things that you will miss when you leave?

I will definitely miss the people here. Over the last few years I have made some very good friends and I hope we will maintain contact with each other. Melbourne is a beautiful city, I love to see the Yarra River and the botanical gardens, the Melbourne CBD etc. I will also miss the outdoor cafes here as I love to sit and watch the world go by. There are a huge amount of artistic and cultural events in Melbourne and it used to be both my job and pleasure to attend or participate in the performances. With a ‘desk job’ that I might do in Delhi, there will be a very clear divide between personal or official, and I will miss all the wonderful opportunities to combine the two.

Any unfulfilled ambitions?

I wouldn’t call it completely unfulfilled ambition but I think I could always have done so much more like building more contacts within the community, projecting it wider, better and harder. There is always room for improvement and I sometimes wish I had time and resources to do a lot more.

How would you sum up your time in Melbourne as Consul General?

There was never a dull moment during my entire time here in Melbourne. There was not even a second where I could say I was bored. It has been a very useful experience for me. This will help me in future to handle so many issues with more confidence and knowledge. During my time here I have visited several other cities like Sydney and Adelaide, however I like Melbourne the most compared to any other place in Australia. We have a good team at the Indian Consulate here and they are getting adept at handling both the bouquets and the brickbats. It is my sincere hope that in future, the bouquets will always outweigh the brickbats.

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Sale of uranium issue still not resolved While Mr Krishna and Mr Rudd’s discussion on bilateral cooperation issues was varied and fruitful, a status quo still exists on the sale of uranium to India (Mr Krishna) requested consideration of students who had come to Australia under the old rules being placed in a special category that allowed them to fulfill the demand that existed in Australia for their skills.

BY PREETI JABBAL

Indian External Affairs Minister Mr SM Krishna met Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd in Melbourne recently and conducted the seventh round of the annual Foreign Ministers’ Framework Dialogue. The key focus of the meeting was to discuss issues that affect and engage bilateral cooperation between the two nations. Mr. Krishna was assisted by Indian High Commissioner Sujata Singh, Secretary (East) Vijay Latha Reddy, and Adviser Raghavendra Shastry.

During his three-day official visit, Mr. Krishna met Mr. Kevin Rudd, several senior officials and leaders of the country including new Victorian premier Mr. Ted Baillieu and Energy and Resources Minister Mr. Martin Ferguson.

The ministers discussed many regional and international issues, including climate change, terrorism, the East Asia Summit, the G20 process, reform of the UN and international financial institutions, maritime security and people smuggling in the Indian Ocean.

During his meetings with Mr. Rudd and Mr. Ferguson the External Affairs Minister raised the issue of India’s standing request to Australia to sell uranium to it to generate clean energy. “If you have to have clean energy, then according to India the only option is to have

nuclear energy, and if you have to have nuclear energy, then you certainly need uranium,” Mr. Krishna said at a joint press conference with Mr. Rudd. However, while Mr. Rudd acknowledged India’s clean record on nuclear proliferation, he stuck to Australia’s stated position of not selling uranium to non- Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatories. Mr. Rudd stressed that the disagreement over the uranium issue should not affect the solid progress being made in the Indian Australian relationship.

During his visit Mr. Krishna also met a large number of members of the Indian diaspora in Melbourne. A community reception was held in the Langham Hotel followed by a brief media interaction session where the minister answered questions raised by local media.

In his address to the community Mr. Krishna assured those present that the security and safety of Indians in Australia continues to be of prime importance to both nations. He expressed his satisfaction over the efforts taken by the Australian Government in that respect.

Speaking on the Australian Government’s stand not to sell uranium to India till it signed the NPT, Mr. Krishna said that he hopes Australia will revisit its stance. “India is hoping to reach a double digit in GDP growth soon and this will result in increased demand for nuclear energy”, he said. “Our negotiations with Australia have been with the backdrop of climate change. Climate change demands we aim at clean energy. It has been accepted by experts that nuclear power is the cleanest power, and India is committed to pursue its nuclear

power expansion,” he said. “Australia has to understand that India is a responsible nuclear power and revisit its decision not to sell us uranium,” he added.

In his joint statement with Mr. Rudd, the Minister noted that changes in the skilled migration program had significantly impacted on Indian students already studying in Australia, many of whom had taken heavy loans to pursue their studies. He requested consideration of students who had come to Australia under the old rules being placed in a special category that allowed them to fulfill the demand that existed in Australia for their skills.

Mr. Rudd, on the other hand, highlighted the generous transition arrangements for most international student’s visa holders at the time of the changes in February 2010.

He also noted Australia’s review of its students Visa program announced in mid-December, and expected to be completed in mid 2011.

Mr. Krishna also announced that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would visit Perth in Australia to attend the next Commonwealth Heads of Governments Meeting in October this year and hold a bilateral summit. “If this visit takes place, it would be a very important visit - the first prime ministerial visit to Australia in 25 years,” he said, adding the trip “would provide a significant opportunity to take our bilateral relations to a significant level”.

While addressing the local media at Langham Hotel Mr. Krishna said “India attaches great importance to Australia. Australia is India’s sixth largest trading partner, and India is now Australia’s third largest overall export market and fifth largest trade partner. Trade and investment between the two countries will continue to increase,” he said.

The year 2012 has been designated as the Year of Australia in India. On a lighter note Mr. Krishna, who is a tennis buff, regretted his inability to watch any live Tennis during the Australian Open due to his hectic schedule.

Earlier that evening in his informal speech to the Indian community, Mr. Krishna reiterated his satisfaction at the interaction with Mr. Rudd on a host of bilateral issues. “I believe this has been a constructive and fruitful engagement” he said. He also informed the community that Mr. Rudd had accepted his invitation to visit India later this year to continue the dialogue. Mr. Krishna’s visit is said to mark the concerted efforts that the two sides are making at the government-to-government level to take bilateral relationship to the next level by encouraging high-level dialogue and engagement.

India’s Foreign Minister SM Krishna with (from left) the Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd, members of the Indian community, and High Commissioner Sujatha Singh and Secy (East) Latha Reddy Photos: Guruswamy

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WORK

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through sheer grit and hard work. At work, he drove alongside Raj, a staff member, doing deliveries. At the end of the episode, there were shocks and surprises galore when the staff learnt that their new co-worker was in fact their CEO. Meij was particularly impressed with the humility and dedication shown by Raj, as well as his devotion to his family. As a teary Raj accepted his surprise gift at the end, there must have been many eyes across Australia that must have welled up as well.

Raj leads an extremely busy life and when called for this interview, said he was only available between 9 and 9:40am. Raj wasn’t being difficult; it is just that he juggles two jobs and nearly 90 hours of work between them.

As someone once said, some people dream of success.... others wake up and work hard at it. Raj works all seven days putting in 15 to 20 hours at the Fyshwick Coles Express petrol station and 50 to 70 hours at Domino’s, Belconnen. Putting it rather mildly, he says, “It is a very busy and hard life in Australia”.

He moved to Canberra in early 2009 with his family, on the wishes of his sons who wanted to do further studies in Australia.

Hailing from Birak in the Jullundhar district of Punjab, he started as a fitter at the Rail Coach Factory in Kapurthlala. He completed his Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and was promoted as a Junior Mechanical Engineer. He served the Railways for over 22 years until he retired to move to Australia. Finding it hard to get job as a mechanical engineer, he did not shy away from cleaning and mowing jobs before he got the Domino’s job.

“But one day I hope to get a job as an engineer or may be save enough to start my own pizza store”.

Belconnen happens to be the busiest Domino’s outlet, not just in Australia but the world over. Raj himself delivers 100 to 150 pizzas weekly.

With the $13 per hour he currently and the high rents at Canberra, Rajinder Gautam’s dedication to his earns he is forced to work long hours to work and his family - and a simple make ends meet. His wife supports meal he cooked for himself - put him by working in casual child care jobs while his sons, aged 21 and 16, him on the road to glory are still studying.

The rewards of featuring on Undercover Boss may not have been substantial of the hugely popular American TV series monetarily, but have been high on recognition.

Undercover Boss. In this ‘reality’ show, high-flying He is stopped at shopping malls or when on executives leave the comfort of their office deliveries (even at Centrelink!) to have his to take up a low job at the coal face of the picture taken. company’s operation. They “relinquish control, “I took a delivery of 20 pizzas into an office buckle down to follow orders, and prepare one Friday and they wouldn’t let me go until to hear some home truths.” They get to see they had photos taken with me,” Raj laughs. “I first-hand the effects their decisions have on had to pull myself away from the place before others, and where the problems lie within my other pizza deliveries went cold!” their organisation. As well, they get to meet Even Don Meij sent Raj a personal new outstanding employees who ultimately make year’s card from Paris. their company a success.

The pizza he invented, the ‘Rajetarian’, has For those who did not watch the series, the sun-dried tomato, onion, capsicum, fetta cheese, first episode featured Don Meij, the CEO of pesto, sweet chilli sauce and garlic oil, but he Domino’s Pizza. Meij visited the Domino’s rues that not all shops make it like he does. At outlet at Belconnen disguised as Peter James, Melbourne he was surprised to find tomato in sporting glasses, beard and cap, seeking work. the Rajetarian. As he puts it, when he makes the Don had himself started 23 years ago as Rajetarian, “Log unguli chaat-te reh jaate a delivery boy and has risen to the top job

, a z z i p n a i r a t e j a R ? e n o y n a BY JYOTI SHANKAR

Thomas Jefferson once said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it”.

For one Canberra man, these words could not be truer.

A delivery man at Domino’s Pizza at Belconnen, Rajinder Gautam’s hard-working nature has brought him not only a huge dose of good luck, but also the proverbial fifteen minutes of fame - and a pizza named after him by a leading pizza chain!

In October last year, Channel Ten aired the first episode of the Australian version

hain!” (People lick their fingers after eating my pizza). Well, the recipe did take three months to perfect!

Sharing an inside story that did not make it to the episode aired on TV, Raj says he did not know what the shoot was about.

“All I knew was that some media people were coming to film and they were making a documentary on food business. This person calling himself Peter James said he wanted to do some deliveries with me. He said that he had owned a car business and it had flopped.

So he was now looking to jump into the food business”.

When he asked Raj for some tips, he got the reply any CEO would love to hear. “Why don’t you take up a franchise of Domino’s?”

Don asked whether it would be worth it.

“Will it be ok? How can you be sure?”

Raj replied in all earnest, “It will be fine, Sir. I have been working here for a few months and I know the input and output very well, and how much we profit”.

When Don laughed aloud, Raj did not understand why. They continued with the deliveries, chatting along the way about his children and why he came to be in Canberra doing pizza deliveries.

Later that night, around 1:30am, when Raj was very hungry, he proceeded to make a pizza for himself. Don, who was helping with washing the dishes, asked him if it was something special and if he could try a slice. Raj replied, “It is a special pizza, not a Domino’s recipe”. Don was surprised at how tasty the pizza was and asked what it was called, to which Raj replied humbly, “It is just my dinner!”

Don then promptly named it ‘Rajetarian’ since it was made by Raj and it was vegetarian.

When he suggested that he should submit the recipe to the powers-that-be for consideration, Raj laughed it off.

“No one will consider my simple pizza… in any case, there will be many layers of hierarchy to go through”. Little did he know that he was talking to the big boss himself.

The next day, much to his surprise, an enormous, 2-feet diameter Rajetarian pizza was drawn from the oven. Then followed the denouement and the pizza was distributed among the staff and customers. Raj couldn’t believe it and as the rewards were announced and words of appreciation flowed, so did the tears.

Don said on the show, “What touched me most about Raj was the sacrifices he was making for his family”.

Raj received $1500 for developing his pizza, as well as tickets to the Boxing Day cricket match at the MCG for himself and his sons.

A limited edition of the Rajetarian pizza was launched for two weeks at all Domino’s stores.

They sold in hundreds and it was decided to extend the availability of this special pizza for another four weeks. The demand did not relent and soon Raj was informed that his pizza would feature on the main menu of Domino’s. He was given another $1500.

Sadly Raj does not get any royalties on his invention or he would have been a rich man.

A simple hard-working man, a true ‘Aussie battler’, had won with his dedication and devotion.

Rajinder Gautam with (from left) wife Rajni, sons Tarun and Samir, and with Domino’s CEO Don Meij

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Community cricket brings talent to the fore The Western Warriors claimed victory at the first ever Infinity T20 Cricket Tournament in Melbourne on January 26. Captained by Adnan Khawaja, the Warriors defeated the Lumogisers by a stunning 152 runs in the Australia Day finale. Lumogiser Troy Gread couldn’t keep up, with his top score of 38 while Warrior Navdeep Singh scored his fourth century of the tournament, taking his team to a thrashing total of 4/420.

Despite muggy weather, family and friends turned out to watch their teams play at the Monash University’s Clayton campus. The multicultural event concluded after twenty days of intense competition, as fifteen teams battled it out to win the trophy. The teams consisted of players with various cultural backgrounds, including Anglo-Australian, Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, Nepalese, Bangladeshi, Botswanaian, Italian, German, English, Kenyan and New Zealanders. The Western Warriors, a team of cricketers from Melbourne’s western suburbs, comprise several South Asian Australians playing alongside Anglo-Australians. Their opponents, the Lumogisers, were a corporate team from Lumo Energy.

Other mixed teams included the Engin-nerds, Gunners, The Boys and The Infinity XI. Infinity T20 Cricket was founded last year by Navneet Ganesh and Matthew Lukies, with the notion that sport can promote cultural understanding and social awareness.

Both aged 21, the organizers believe cricket, with its appeal across several countries, provides the opportunity to break down cultural barriers. Additionally, budding, competitive or ‘lapsed’ cricketers across Victoria are provided a chance to showcase their talents to the community. Supported by the City of Melbourne Council, Cricket Victoria and Headspace, the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, the tournament’s finale was also attended by the CEO of iPrimus Ravi Bhatia. The Chief Guest was Commissioner of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, Hon. Madhu Bhatia who was invited to do the coin toss. Former India Under 19s player Satish Balakrishnan spoke very highly of the event saying, “I have played in many T20 competitions

The Hindi Niketan in Melbourne celebrated India’s Republic Day and Australia Day with style recently, despite the scorching heat at Jells Park South.

Credit goes to Dr. Naunihal Singh and Mr. Vijay Ramachandran who occupied a shed at 5.45am, so the participants could enjoy some shade. People gathered with great enthusiasm, ignoring the weather and showed keen interest in participating in the events organised by Hindi Niketan.

To begin with, a two minute silence was observed to pay respect to the Father INDIAN LINK

Winners Western Warriors, with organisers Matthew Lukies and Navneet Ganesh

and Infinity is definitely the best – it makes you want to get out there and play!”

A true family event, food, drink, music, prizes, awards and giveaways featured at many of the matches, all of which were held at work-friendly times after 5pm, or on weekends.

Conveniently, many matches throughout the tournament were held at Fawkner Park in South Yarra, just south of the CBD. All are welcome to submit a team, with Raman Vaid, captain of runners-up the Lumogisers, pointing out the corporate, as well as health benefits. “(It is) promoting a culture of health, fitness and fun in our organization – it

of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi on his “Punya Thithi” (death anniversary). The event then kicked off with musical chairs, followed by a race for all age groups.

The flags (Indian and Australian) were hoisted by Mr. Rakesh Kawra, Vice-Consul (Indian Consulate, Melbourne) followed by national anthems of both countries.

Mr. Kawra spared his valuable time and exhibited his respect and regard for the community by attending the event despite an injured knee. He even went on to finish second in the Men’s race.

Photo: Mr Guruswamy

definitely brought together our staff… to work as a team,” he enthused.

With promises of another competition next year, teams are already making comeback plans. “We’ll definitely be back,” said Cam Davidson who captained the Baggy Blues team.

“It’s a great opportunity to enjoy a competitive game of cricket with some great friends,” he added. “It should be bigger next year!” claimed Javed Bolim of the Western Warriors. Prospective teams interested in next summer’s tournament should contact organizers on 0434 482 159 or email contact@infinityt20cricket.com.

The quiz programme organised focused on India and its rich heritage. Children keenly participated in the event and won several prizes. Other outdoor activities included dodge ball, rumal pakar and everyone’s favourite - cricket. A sumptuous free lunch was provided to all by HN. Ch. Samsher Singh, and was well-appreciated.

To add to the festivities was the presence of author Prof. Manav, who has worked for over 30 years in different capacities in India and has written 15 books. The Professor recited excellent poems in Hindi,

Tim Blight

much to the delight of those present.

Ch. Samsher Singh distributed the prizes to winners of various events. First prize winners were Ravi Pathya, Manjeet Thethi, Shashwat, Shikhar Gupta, Megha Thakur, Rakesh Thakur, Meenakshi Bhargav and Juhi.

Hindi Niketan’s family picnic has become an annual and much anticipated event in the community calendar. This year they lived up to expectations once again by providing opportunities for plenty of wholesome entertainment and fun.

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Chardi Kala Jatha to tour Australia

Instructing children in Hindu dharma Gokulam is the place where Lord Krishna’s magical days of childhood were spent.

It was here that his divine powers came to be recognized.

Balagokulam is an international forum for children to discover and manifest that spark of divinity which exists within them.

Run nationally in each country, Balagokulam is where Hindu children in Australia learn Hindu values in an enjoyable manner and in the process, learn to appreciate their cultural roots. An all-round personality development is achieved in practice, with added advantage for the children who make new friends, participate in extra curricular activities, like skits, songs, etc. and learn a sense of responsibility needed to grow up to be an ideal citizen.

Balagokulam in Melbourne is fairly new and they are very passionate about their goals which are to facilitate children to appreciate, learn and practice Hindu way of life, instill pride and confidence about their identity in them, raise Hindu awareness in society around and develop social awareness and leadership skills among children. Evidently, it is a very noble, but challenging objective!

I had the pleasure of attending one of the Balagokulam sessions and what was evident is that they truly contribute to what is termed as “Vyakti Vikas” (all-round integrated personality development). At Balagokulam, a 360° personality development is achieved based on Hindu dharma: Physical, in the form of exercise and games; spiritual, in the form of

study of scriptures; mental, in the form of yoga and other techniques; and intellectual, in the form of stories, debates, quiz and projects.

The curriculum is also based on the concept of “Creating Pride” as they believe that a proud Hindu understands Hindu philosophy, is convinced of its importance for a peaceful world, practices Hindu values, helps fellow Hindus and identifies himself as a Hindu.

The thing that jumped out at me was that if I leave aside the “Hinduism” bit, Balagokulam achieves two major objectives – firstly, group dynamics teaches children a bit about themselves and assists in building their confidence, and secondly and most importantly, it helps children in better dealing with the challenges that they face by being a part of two cultures. I highly recommend taking your children to be a part of this experience. It will not only help them learn Hindu values in a fun environment, but will also get them new friends.

What’s more, don’t just take your kids, get involved in anyway you can and assist this cause for the children of our community. Balagokulam is held on the as Sunday of every month with a defined programme, at Mt Waverley North Primary School Hall, Mt Waverley, 3149. Melway ref: 61H11.

For more information, please contact Abhijit Bhide on 0402081193 or email: balagokulam.melbourne@hotmail.com Pinky Bhatia

What’s On Shiamak Indo Jazz Dance Movement classes 7 February, at Clayton, Lower Templestowe, Dandenong, East Richmond, Hoppers Crossing, Glen Huntly, Glen Waverley, Preston. SIJDM’s 8 week workshop of 15 classes.

For regular enrollments, register over phone.

Call 98027272 / 0403137963 – Mon to Fri, 10am to 5pm.

Bhagwad Gita lectures 10/11 February, 7.45pm – 9pm; 12 February, 11am – 12noon and 10/11 March, 7.45pm – 9pm at Monash University Clayton campus (Melway map ref. 70 F11) LAW, Building 12, Lecture Theatre L1, Wellington Road, Clayton, Victoria 3800. Free lectures on Ch 9 Raja Vidya Raja Ghuya yoga Free lectures on the Bhagawad Gita by Sw. Sridharanandaji, President, Vedanta Centre of Sydney.

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Asha Bhosle Concert 6 March, 7pm (doors open 6pm) at Melbourne Convention Centre, 1 Convention Centre Place, South Wharf, Vic. Asha Bhosleji with Amit Kumar and others in concert. Booking via Ticketek 132 849, www.ticketek. com.au; tickets: Special VVIP - $250, VVIP - $165, VIP $135, Platinum $110, Diamond $85. For premium seats and discounts contact Anita 03 9846 2595. www.ashabhosle.com.au / www.sharda.org/Events.html

The Chardi Kala Jatha (American Sikh Jatha) will tour Melbourne and Sydney in April 2011 to perform Kirtan, Katha and workshops for the Sangat and youth community. Chardi Kala Jatha, Shanti Kaur Khalsa, and Dr Harijot Kaur Khalsa will be facilitating enriching workshops on empowerment, spirituality and living as ideal Sikh men and women.

The camp has been designed for participants aged 16+ and the curriculum has been carefully crafted to give an illuminating experience of mind, body and spirit. The Chardi Kala Jatha will be offering kirtan programme at Melbourne’s gurudwaras between 8-11 April and Sydney Gurudwaras between 13-14 April.

The Miri Piri camp, that will be held in Sydney between 15-18 April, will include daily recitation of bani, kirtan, yoga, physical training, workshops and lessons on Sikh history among other things. The venue will be Wombaroo Adventure Centre, Black Spring Road, High Range, (near Mittagong/Bowral.

Chardi Kala Jatha is a group of renowned American Sikhs who include Jugat Guru Singh Khalsa (Principal Miri Piri Academy), Sada Sat Simran Singh Khalsa, and Hari Mander Jot Singh Khalsa who sing Gurbani Kirtan in classical raag.

To register and for more details, visit http://events.constantcontact. com/register/event or email: miripiricamp.australia@gmail.com

31st Spirit of India 2011 Concert 22 March, 7.30pm onwards at Melbourne Recital Centre, 31 Stuart Street, Southbank, VIC 3006. Organised by Nataraj Cultural Centre, flute and shehnai virtuoso Rajendra Prasanna will perform, supported by Rishab Prasanna on the flute, Vikas Babu on the shehnai, and Shubh Maharaj on the tabla. Tickets: $50;$40 concession. Fees may apply. For booking call 9699 3333; melbournerecital.com.au

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They now call Aus Melbourne’s Australia Day parade is a huge success, reflecting the multicultural and harmonious pulse of this nation

BY TIM BLIGHT

Indians in Australia, of course, have two reasons to celebrate on January 26, as the day marks both Australia Day and India’s Republic Day. The centre of Melbourne came to a standstill with sections of Swanston Street and St Kilda Road closed for a parade of cultures. The day began with a military parade and presentation at the Melbourne Town Hall, before the procession turned and headed towards the Kings Domain Gardens on the CBD’s southern fringe. The military parade was followed by an extensive and colourful ‘parade of nations’, with up to fifty different nations, religious groups and support networks taking part.

The Indian contingent of the parade was represented by FIAV (Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria). This umbrella organisation coordinated the combined effort which featured FIWAA (Federation of Indian Women’s Associations of Australia), VIBC (Victoria Indian Business Council), AIBCV (Australia India Business Council Victoria) and FIMDV (Federation of Indian Music & Dance Victoria). Dressed in vibrant saris and kurtas, the large Indian group marched about midway through the parade proudly carrying both Australian ensign and the tiranga. Those marching came from a wide variety of backgrounds; north, south, east, west, Hindu, 18 <> FEBRUARY 2011

Muslim, Christian, Parsi and Buddhist. The fact that so many cultures could be represented as just a sample of the Indian community, is testament to the rich cultural heritage of India which was equally celebrated as part of Australia Day. Following closely behind the ‘Victorian Indian Community’ was a separate entry from the Sikh Council of Victoria. In true north Indian style, the largely Punjabi crowd danced along the street in a mélange of vivid turbans, and churidar kurtas beating tablas and dhols. Other South Asian cultures were present, such as West Bengal and Bangladesh who were represented by the Western Region Bengali School, and the Hare Krishna Movement, with several western followers. The Sinhala Cultural and Community Services Foundation marched just before the Indian section, holding the Sri Lankan flag aloft with wide smiles. A large group from Pakistan marched together as the Australian Federation of Pakistan Organisations and the Shamama Association of Australia represented Afghanistan.

The fact that so many cultures could be represented as just a sample of the Indian community, is testament to the rich cultural heritage of India which was equally celebrated as part of Australia Day. Hardip Madan, chairperson of the Sikh Welfare Council of Victoria, spoke of the importance of raising children with multicultural awareness. Her organization teaches the Punjabi

language to students, along with traditional dance and sport.

Jasreen Banwait teaches some of the students, and proudly announced that only four weeks preparation had gone in to the Sikh Council’s exciting Australia Day display. Costumes had been generously organized by Ms Ajay Pal, while the dhol players were all volunteers, coordinated by Ms Madan’s son Richi who operates his own events company, Rhythm and Spice.

Further afield, the all-singing, all-dancing Filipino community was first to march, followed by kilted Scottish marchers and then the striking costumes of Australia’s neighbours, the Solomon Islands. Picture perfect Thai ladies came next with their male counterparts, some of whom wore seriously scary traditional Thai masks. Melbourne’s Turkish community waltzed along to music replete in red robes, although they couldn’t compete with the riot of colour represented by the Chinese community. Giant dragons, flags, hats and traditional costumes all contributed to make the Chinese entry one of the most memorable. Following them, the Falun Gong movement of China submitted a large gold float draped in spectacular bold ribbons and a complete marching band. More somber colours marked out the Lebanese entry, while the irrepressible Korean dancers and drummers kept the show going.

On a lighter note, Viking horns were worn by the group named “Danish (not pastry) people”, and “Slovaks in Australia”, the Sicilian and Macedonian communities continued the European theme. Buddhists and Muslims were represented by a group for their supra-national religions, while the Kurdish INDIAN LINK

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tralia home community represented a culture without a nation. Smiling and waving, Iranians, Burmese, Tibetans and Vietnamese marchers thanked Australia for their new home. Sponsored by RACV, vintage cars also featured in the parade, along with an over-thetop limousine which attracted hoards of youngsters, craning their neck to take a look. Noticeably absent was the Australian Aboriginal community, many of whom consider January 26 to be a day of mourning, not celebration.

Once the parade reached the Kings Domain Gardens, a carnival atmosphere ensued with lunch served, amusements for families and several of the cultural groups settling in for a picnic. Most visible were the Indians, particularly the Sikh community, who broke out into dance with members of other groups joining in. In a heartwarming display of humanity, Indians of all backgrounds danced to the beat of the dhol, along with Sri Lankans, Bengalis, Pakistanis and members of the Slovak, Scottish, Anglo-Australian and Danish communities.

Meanwhile, nearby, the Hare Krishna movement spread the love with their irreverent dance and costume, inviting all who dared to join in. Those who were invited broke away to join a lunch at the Indian Consul General’s office.

Wandering around the gardens after the parade offered many an opportunity to reflect on their place in Australia. Kirandeep Kaur attended with her child, Sahed, and spoke of the positive style of government in Australia that has resulted in today’s modern nation. “It’s a harmonious society,” said Ms Kaur, who came to Australia from Delhi one and a half years ago.

Asked whether she planned to stay in Australia, she smiled and INDIAN LINK

said, “I’m not sure!” adding that she still called India home.

Marie Singh, an Anglo-Australian whose husband Kanwarjit is originally from India, could not heap enough praise on India and the Indian people. “It is a lovely country, and lovely people.” While they reside in Australia, they were celebrating both Australia and Republic Days. Marie, who requires the use of a wheelchair following an accident, looked at an emotional Kanwarjit and announced that she was determined to walk again.

In a heartwarming display of humanity, Indians of all backgrounds danced to the beat of the dhol, along with Sri Lankans, Bengalis, Pakistanis and members of the Slovak, Scottish, Anglo-Australian and Danish communities.

Neeraj and Aditi Kumar from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, said that after two years in Australia they still didn’t feel completely at home, but they were certainly comfortable here. When asked what they liked most about life in Australia, the couple commented that it had provided them with opportunities that they would not have had back home. “The infrastructure and order allows more opportunities,” said Neeraj. Meanwhile Ramesh Kathirvelu of Chennai has been in Australia for three and a half years, and said that he feels at home. Also citing the

5 1. Falun Dafa 2. Iranian Community 3. Turkish Community 4. Sicilian Community 5. Indonesian Community 6. Slovak Community 7. Korean Community 8. Danish Community 9. Filipino Community

opportunities which life in Australia had presented him, he said that the most outstanding aspect of life in the country is the kindness of the people; “I’m really happy living here” he enthused. When asked about what Australia could improve, he claimed that the tax system is not necessarily fair, especially in relation to migrants.

Salima Abdul, of Dhaka, Bangladesh, said that she established herself in Australia quickly by meeting lots of people at her university. After eleven years here she now feels at home, and said that the South Asian community in Australia was important in making the transition. Raj Suresh who moved from Chennai to Australia nineteen years ago, said that he had seen major changes in the Australian Indian community in the time he had been here. “Absolutely, the population has increased, and awareness has increased in the wider community,” he said. When asked why he moved to Australia, the father of two echoed sentiments similar to others, citing “better opportunities”. “India and Australia are actually similar in some ways – so I felt at home very quickly,” he related.

Celebrations were capped off with a fireworks display at Federation Square in the evening. In defining Australia Day, Indian Australian Raj Suresh makes an important point on unity. Perhaps the bigger picture of unity is defined by the smaller examples of it; while Australia Day and Republic Day being held on the same day is somewhat symbolic, it is even more symbolic that while both Australia and India are heterogeneous societies, both are examples of harmony in diversity.

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 19

SPECIALREPORT

Loss & gain As the Queensland floods unleashed their fury on an unsuspecting state, images of the catastrophe unfolded before our eyes. It was a story of irredeemable loss as we saw vast expanses of water broken only by rooftops of submerged houses. We saw cars, vans and buses swept away by the unrelenting waters that showed no signs of abating. We heard stories of shock and anxiety, of death and destruction.

But to counter these feelings of negativity, we also heard incredible stories of courage and solidarity. We learned about the fight for survival, to restore not just families and homes, but the feeling of safety and security as stories of unscrupulous looting began to emerge. We learned of how people united to help each other and restore some

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

We lost everything “Hamara sub kuch chala gaya (We’ve lost everything),” Jaimin Patel said

in desperation. “Raste pe aa gaye hain (We’re out on the street)”.

He has only been in the country for a year and eight months, but the Brisbane student is completely at a loss as to what to do. The house he shared with his wife Avanika, cousin and cousin’s wife in the suburb of Rocklea

semblance of order as the murky waters finally began to recede. We learned of people risking their lives to help others, of the hundreds of volunteers who came forward to help the victims, of the emergency support services who carried out their tasks with humanity and efficiency, of the donations that are still pouring in to help the victims. We gained in the knowledge that help is at hand, and that we are one with the victims, we share their sorrow and loss, and that our support is with them at all times.

Members of the Indian community in Queensland who were a part of this misadventure through Nature share their stories with us.

To volunteer or donate, please visit www.qld.gov.au/floods

was completely gutted in the recent floods – they barely managed to escape themselves.

“The water came down with such force and such speed that when we walked out, we were waist deep in water,” he recounted, visibly moved by the horror of the event.

They had twenty minutes to evacuate, following the authorities’ instructions, in which time they could just pack a few clothes for themselves, including their passports and important documents.

The cousin’s wife is pregnant, the other three made every effort to ensure that she was okay.

Natasha Narain of Auchenflower took this photo: She had driven through this street with her son Jason only three hours before this photo was taken

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Jaimin and Avanika worked at Ecofarm, packing vegetables. (Rocklea is famous for its produce markets). The factory was close to home, and it suited them well. Now though, they have lost their jobs, as the entire factory has been gutted.

“We moved from Rocklea to our friend Raju’s house, as he also worked at Ecofarm with his wife Pinal. They live in Greenslopes which is further away and on much higher ground,” said Jaimin. “After two days we went back to Rocklea with some council workers to see our home. There was water everywhere and everything was ruined. The water was actually muddy and slushy, and everything was brown – even the bath…”

Their horror was recorded by cameras of the US TV network NBC, and shown as part of their news program that night. The clip showed the young Indian men walking up to their top floor house, climbing the stairs waist-deep in water which had completely submerged the ground floor. As they opened the door, the cameras captured a good look inside – there was nothing that could be salvaged.

While the Patels are grateful for the help they have received from their friends, they are also concerned because Raju and Pinal have also lost their Ecofarm jobs. They are in the same boat too, but at least their home is safe. “Hamare paas to pani peene ka glass bhi nahin hai!”

The pregnant cousin, meanwhile, is to fly out to India shortly so she can be with her family.

Both Raju and Jaimin have been trying to find other jobs, but have been unsuccessful for the past fifteen days.

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No one is hiring at present.

Centrelink has told them they are not eligible for any financial assistance.

“Flood thodi pooch ke aaya tha… (the flood did not discriminate)”, lamented Jaimin.

No Indian association or consular service assistance has reached these victims.

Jaimin allowed himself a rare catch in his throat as he said, “India mein hotey to family support to hota, poori family hoti. Yahan par to yeh dost log hee hain (If we’d been in India, we’d have had the entire family by our side; here, it’s just us and these friends)”.

A helping hand Palanithevar of the Tamil Brisbane Organisation and vice president of the Tamil Association has been busy since the Brisbane River broke its banks on January 11.

Luckily for him, his own home in the suburb of Inala - and his family members - have been safe, but he has spared no effort in lending a helping hand.

“Many homes on the riverside have been lost,” he told Indian Link. “I have helped people move to their friends’ homes. One group of Sri Lankan Tamils were particularly affected – they were rebuilding their lives here after moving from very troubled lives back home, and now again I saw their homes reduced to skeletons… they were in a state of shock.”

“Many businesses have been affected too,” he added. “The Swamy Indian store is quite badly off; the Raja Indian Restaurant and the Ashoka Restaurant in Jindalee, and even JK Indian shop in Rocklea suffered damage.”

Palani’s help has also been noticed

through his regular email blasts to members of the Tamil Association as well as others, with information regarding affected people and calls for help.

“Everybody has been helping friends, community, neighbours, work colleagues, government officials,” he said. “At a time like this, it is nice to see the community spirit come to the fore.”

“People are still cleaning up. But the loss is huge. In many places, I have experienced a funeral kind of feeling…”.

Supporting the students Muthukumar Raju, President of the Tamil Association has been particularly concerned about the St. Lucia area.

“Many students live there because it is close to the university, and from what I know, somewhere between 100200 Indian origin students have been affected,” he told Indian Link.

Raju himself was in India at the time the floods began, but since returning, he has been doing what he can to help.

In fact, some students have been living at his house.

“I own a rental property in the area, and my tenants, again of Indian background, are also currently at my house,” he revealed.

It has been a shock for the students in particular. “Many of these are young, newly arrived people who didn’t know what to expect and did not secure their homes,” said Muthukumar. “Some of the others did not have any content insurance, and have lost all their furniture and white goods.”

The floods hit on January 11 and Muthukumar arrived back from India on Friday, January 13. “Since arriving

“As I started to drive, I realised my road out was flooding, so I had to turn back and take another route.

The alternate route I considered was exactly the same when we reached it – it was water-logged. The danger was very real that we would be carried away with the force of the water.

Ultimately, the third street I took somehow allowed me to make it through the water” Natasha Narain and over the next two days, I went out and about in St. Lucia, helping to clean up some of the worst hit streets and homes. After the power was restored, the work began all over again, now taking people back to their homes,” he recounted.

Muthukumar has started the task of seeing through requests for assistance.

An IT professional, Muthukumar came to Australia in 2003 and has been involved in social work ever since.

Consolation in cooperation When the power went off in his own home, Rajnikanth moved his wife and 9-month-old son to a friend’s house.

Having deposited them there safely, he went back to ensure that his own house Continued on page 18

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SPECIALREPORT

Jaimin Patel takes the help of friends and volunteers to salvage what he can of his Rocklea home

Continued from page 17

was safe. It was, luckily, but homes only 50 metres down the street were waterlogged. The young engineer went on to St. Lucia, where he had heard that the flood had hit particularly badly.

He began helping a family home of complete strangers. “The house was an absolute mess, completely gutted. We waded through the waters and began getting the debris out – basically, we threw everything that that family owned, outside.”

“I felt terrible!” said Rajnikanth. “The family was constantly crying, feeling hopeless about it all. I felt depressed and sad at the end of that day, but I consoled myself by thinking I had helped someone at their time of need.”

Of course he was back again the next day, helping another family sort

“This is the third flood in which I’ve helped out. The first was in Queensland again only a few years ago, then in Thailand, and now this one. But this is the worst flood I’ve ever seen”.

Rajnikanth 22 <> JANUARY FEBRUARY(2)2011 2011

through their rubbish, sweep out slush, carry out another piece of ruined furniture.

“This is the third flood in which I’ve helped out,” Rajnikanth told Indian Link. “The first was in Queensland again only a few years ago, then in Thailand, and now this one.”

But the ex-army man revealed, “This is the worst flood I’ve ever seen”.

Still reeling from the effects of it all, he said it’s still not all back to normal.

“At my work place in the CBD, the lifts are still not working, but at least the power is back on”.

Going into damage control Natasha Narain lives in the small leafy suburb of Auchenflower, about 3 km west of the Brisbane CBD. “It is a hilly area and I always considered it a nuisance, having to carry all the shopping up,” she told Indian Link. “But I’m so fortunate now that I chose to live here!” The damage was not extensive, thankfully, even though there were some pretty tense moments.

Before the river broke its banks, Natasha set about making preparations like everyone else on the street. “Being on a slope, there was the danger of land-slides… the neighbours helped me sand-bag. We were extremely worried.

But when it came, the water came from below. The street was flooded, being so close to areas such as Rocklea and Milton that were badly affected. The police came knocking, and we were given twenty minutes to evacuate,” she recounted.

Natasha already had her suitcase packed, and got into the car with her tenyear-old son Jason. Then she felt terror.

“As I started to drive, I realised my road out was flooding, so I had to turn back and take another route. The alternate route I considered was exactly the same when we reached it – it was water-logged. The danger was very real that we would be carried away with the force of the water. Ultimately, the third street I took somehow allowed me to make it through the water,” she described.

Jason and Natasha made it safely to a friend’s place. She was to learn later that her get-away was well-timed as her car was one of the last cars that drove away from the area. After she left, it was only boats and kayaks that came out.

“We stayed away for two and a half days and it was surreal, watching it all on TV and wondering if my house was ok. When we came back, the power was still not back on, and other people on my street were still not back either!”

And what was the damage to her property? “Fortunately for me, the

water did not get into the house, only my garage… but it did all the damage there. Everything in it was ruined!” she revealed.

Natasha is an artist, and the garage is her workshop: she lost all her works, art materials, custom-built storage cupboards, and everything in them.

“At the moment, my street looks like it is hard rubbish collection week!” she quipped.

How did her ten-year-old take it all?

“Coming from India I’m quite used to the load-shedding, no water, storing water and all that kind of thing, but for Jason it was something he had never experienced before; he was terrified.

When he saw me fill the bathtub (with water in case the supply was cut off) and pack the suitcase, he asked questions like: why do we have to leave the house, will our things be ok, will my toys be ok? When we got back, he was much relieved. But I have to say, those twenty minutes were spiritual….” claimed Natasha.

There was a lot that needed doing the week they got back, of course. For one thing, Natasha had done some major grocery shopping and there was an entire mountain of food that had to be discarded. “As well, there was some pretty serious culling to be done of the stuff in that garage – with no time to be sentimental about it,” she said.

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“But we’re ok, the worst has happened. The other ramifications will have to be faced now, such as the emotional aspects. When it happened, we went into instant damage control with no time to think. But now thinking about it, it can be quite overwhelming.

Having to abandon your home can be quite disorienting, you know, I felt like a refugee…”.

Saw it all happen Rahul Chhibber works in Brisbane, going back home to Melbourne on the weekends. Home for him is in a highrise apartment block in the heart of the Brisbane CBD, right on the Brisbane River.

He saw it all happen from his fifth floor apartment.

“The river was swollen, and it was fast and furious,” Rahul told Indian Link.

“It was carrying everything down with it, battered and broken.”

It must have been an alarming sight, but became even more so in a couple of days.

“The river’s level began to rise rapidly, and it looked like thick brown sludge instead of water. There was no doubt it was going to enter our building because we are right on the banks of the river.

Sure enough, the car park in the basement was inundated,” he said.

Of course there had been prior warning, and residents were asked to

take their cars out.

“Park them somewhere on higher ground, they said, like in the Sofitel Hotel close by. But parking there costs $40 a day… ultimately everyone just took the risk and parked off street”.

Meanwhile the anxiety was that water would enter the lobby of the building.

By now, the lifts were not working, and residents were told to expect power to be cut off in case the water got to the level of the transformers. Expect water and gas supply to go off as well, they were warned.

“The water level continued to rise.

There is a boardwalk between our building and the river, where I walk frequently. We could not see the boardwalk anymore; in fact, we could not even see the railing which is a few metres high! And we were constantly being warned, the water is going to rise even higher….” revealed Rahul.

Luckily, the river did not peak at the expected levels, but the damage was done. Fortunately the gas and water supply did not have to be turned off.

“The situation was just as grave as it looked on TV,” claimed Rahul. “My family in Melbourne was obviously concerned – they rang constantly to ask if I had food and water… and the family from India began to ring as well!”

And there was panic as the lines grew longer and longer at the supermarkets and the shelves grew emptier. “I’ve

never seen anything like it before; people just grabbed whatever they could at the shops,” he said.

When Rahul took his customary walk on the boardwalk a day before speaking with Indian Link nearly two weeks after the incident, there was still nothing left of the beautiful area that he has grown to love.

“The CBD is not fully back to normal.

The luxury hotel Stamford Plaza is closed, with water in its basement; it is not expected to open until end February. The posh Southbank area is still cordoned off – dirt and muck are still being cleaned out,” he described.

But Rahul is quick to point out that the local government did its best in the days of the crisis. “They’ve done a good job in cleaning up and in helping transport get back up. The roads were damaged and cars were banned, but public transport was functioning, and it was free for a full week”.

Separation scare Nikhil Rughani moved to Brisbane just five months ago with his wife and young baby, now eighteen months old. His suburb of Coorparoo, some 4 kms south of the CBD, also received evacuation warnings.

“We knew the city was going to be hit,” Nikhil told Indian Link. “So we began to prepare by moving things in the house to higher ground. But when

There is a boardwalk between our building and the river, where I walk frequently.

We could not see the boardwalk anymore; in fact, we could not even see the railing which is a few metres high! And we were constantly being warned, the water is going to rise even higher….”

Rahul Chhibber the electricity went off we began to get anxious. How badly would we be affected, we wondered.”

Luckily for the Rughanis, they are on a raised property, so the waters didn’t enter the house.

“Our belongings were not affected, fortunately, but there was water all around us and we had no option but to stay indoors because the house had become like an island,” he revealed.

Fortunately, they were also well stocked up for supplies, having just shopped the weekend before.

Did he ever feel scared? “Scared for the family, yes!” says Nikhil. “I didn’t want us to be separated…”

(From left) Flood damage at the University oval at St. Lucia; a boat appears out of nowhere, in the middle of the university’s football field, and someone secures it to a pole; the still-muddy Brisbane River flows past what was once a popular children’s park at West End

Photos Nikhil Rughani

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Indian workers check a cricket World Cup balloon at a workshop in Hyderabad. The 14-nation tournament, which is also co-hosted by Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, starts at Dhaka on Feb. 19.

Photo: AP

Indian Army has two new mountain divisions in northeast With an eye on China’s growing military strength in Tibet, India has “fully raised” two new mountain divisions with 30,000 troops in the northeast as a countermeasure and to shore up its mountain warfare capabilities.

“We have now fully raised the two new mountain divisions in the northeast.

They are fully functional. Only some support elements may join them soon,” a senior officer at the Army Headquarters revealed.

The two new mountain divisions, raised at a cost of Rs 700 crore/ Rs 7 billion each, will be under the command of the Rangapahar-based 3 Corps in Nagaland and the Tezpur-based 4 Corps in Assam of the army’s Kolkata-based Eastern Command.

The two divisions with 15,000 personnel each will further enhance the tactical strength of the Indian Army in the strategically important areas along the borders facing its traditional rival China, which claims the whole of Arunachal Pradesh as its territory.

The new mountain divisions have come up at a time when India’s security top brass is warily watching the massive upgrade of Chinese military infrastructure along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC) - the ceasefire line as there is no demaracated border - in all the three sectors - western (Ladakh), middle (Uttarakhand, Himachal) and eastern (Sikkim, Arunachal).

The other China-specific plans include the raising of the ‘Arunachal Scouts’ and ‘Sikkim Scouts’ that was given the nod last year.

India has also deployed a Sukhoi SU30 air superiority fighter jet squadron in Tezpur as one of the aerial offensive measures apart from upgrading airfields and helipads in the northeast.The Cabinet Committee on Security had approved the raising of the two new divisions in early 24 <> FEBRUARY 2011

2008 and preparations for raising the offensive infantry formations began the same year.

The army, out of its 35 divisions, already has 10 divisions dedicated to mountain warfare and another infantry division earmarked for high altitude operations.

Though the plan for raising the two new formations was to be in two phases over five years, the army has compressed timelines to have them in place within three years, primarily in view of the defence ministry’s focus on building military strength in the northeast, the officer, who did not wish to be named, said.

Under the first phase, the two new divisions’ headquarters, along with a brigade each, have come up, including the headquarters’ support elements such as signals, provost, and intelligence units.

Implementation of the second phase will be completed in the first half of this year to make them operationally ready.

The divisions have been armed with state-of-the-art technology such as heavylift helicopters capable of carrying 50 troops each; ultralight howitzers that can be slung under the helicopters for transportation; missile and cannon-armed helicopter gunships; utility helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

India is already in the process of purchasing 140 M777 ultralight howitzers worth $647 million through the foreign military sales route from the US under its Rs 12,000-crore ($2.7-billion) artillery modernisation plan.

The air assets, such as the helicopter gunships and attack helicopters, will provide the two divisions capabilities to carry out manoeuvres for countering the terrain impediments.

“The gunships and attack choppers will be necessary for providing the two formations firepower in a mountain terrain, as the army will not be in a position to deploy tanks and armoured vehicles,” the officer pointed out.

The firepower in the third dimension (air) was required due to difficulties the army would face in using artillery guns in an operation over a mountainous terrain.

2G scam: Telecom company official’s plea disallowed The Delhi High Court for disallowed a plea for speedy disposal of a petition filed by an official of a telecom company, facing probe in the 2G spectrum scam.

India Director of Etisalat DB Telecom Shahid Usman Balwa moved the court for directions to restrain the central government from making any allegation linking him with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

Balwa said that due to the allegations he has been facing “huge embarrassment in social and business circles”.

Justice S. Muralidhar rejected Balwa’s application requesting the court to take up his case as early as possible. The case is fixed for March 7.

The UAE-based Etisalat DB Telecom company, earlier known as Swan Telecom, is facing Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate probes in the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Balwa claimed that the anti-terror squad of Mumbai Police and the Intelligence Bureau have found nothing against him even after an investigation. The central government has failed to file any affidavit so far, he said.

“In view of the newspapers reporting false and incorrect allegations made against me, I am facing embarrassment in social and business circle... As a result of wrongful and defamatory allegations, grave prejudice and loss is being caused to me,” Balwa said in the application.

He said due to the allegations some banks cancelled loans sanctioned to his company and withdrew the credit facility sanctioned to companies promoted by him.

It has been alleged that after getting telecom licence and spectrum at Rs.1,530

crore, Swan Telecom sold its 45 percent stake in Etisalat at a whopping Rs.4,500 crore.

The Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) rejected the proposal of Etisalat for further investment of Rs.380 crore in India following objections by the home ministry.

The ministry informed the FIPB that Etisalat DB could not be granted security clearance on four grounds, including its presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Following this, Balwa moved the court which has sought a response from the ministry.

Be aggressive as captain, ruthless as batsman, Kapil Dev tells Dhoni India’s only World Cup winning captain Kapil Dev has some advice for Mahendra Singh Dhoni: Be aggressive as a captain and get back that ruthless batting of your early days as an international cricketer.

Kapil’s team, which won the 1983 World Cup to bring about a sea change in Indian cricket, wants Dhoni to be a more aggressive batsman. Kapil has paid a handsome compliment to Dhoni’s side, saying they are far more talented than his Devils. He has a rider, though: They will have to work very hard to win the Cup in the tournament beginning on the sub-continent Feb 19.

“I think the current team has more capable players than we had. Even if they fall short on the bowling and fielding fronts, the batting is strong enough to make up for the relatively weaker aspects. After all, one-day cricket is a batsman’s game,” Kapil said in an interview.

“My heart says they should win, but my mind says that it is not going to be easy and they will have to work very hard to succeed.

They have everything going for them and they are in an excellent position to win it at home.

They should go all out for it.”

Kapil strongly feels that Dhoni should go back to his power hitting that destroyed many an attack when he first came into the Indian side.

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Indian sand artist Sudarshan Pattnaik gives finishing touches to a sand sculpture, created on the theme of ‘Stop Violence in Egypt’ at Puri sea beach, about 65 km from Bhubaneswar city, 05 February 2011.

Photo: AP

“I am a tad disappointed with Dhoni’s approach to batting. When he came into international cricket, his batting was all power hitting, there was unbridled ruthlessness about the way he went after the bowling. That is missing and today he nudges and pushes the ball more. I understand with time you change your style, but the tempo should be maintained. I want to see a more aggressive Dhoni in the World Cup. “As for his captaincy, Dhoni has all the traits of a good leader. He is bold and is not afraid of handling tricky situations. All in all, he has a lot of plus points.”

Kapil, however, is uncomfortable with the “Mr Cool” tag on Dhoni and insists that a captain should not only be aggressive, but should also be seen to be aggressive.

“I don’t like this ‘Mr. Cool’ tag. A captain should be hard and strong-willed as a lot of youngsters in the team look up to him. He should be cool when handling the pressure and interacting with the media. But in the dressing room and on the field, a captain has to be aggressive,” he said.

Coming to the team, Kapil is clear that there should have been an extra wicketkeeper as a cover for Dhoni.

“We do not have any back-up wicketkeeper for Dhoni. Looking at the squad I get worried, what if he gets injured? In 1983 we had Yashpal Sharma and in recent years Rahul Dravid, both efficient behind the stumps.”

Kapil is pretty happy with the batting lineup and feels with six big hitters they should be dominating the opposition.

“Batting is our strength - Yusuf Pathan, Dhoni, Virender Sehwag are all big game changers. Not very far behind are youngsters Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina. Then there is Sachin as the backbone and he knows how to pace a 50-overs game. Come to think of it, we have six big hitters who can ruthlessly go after any attack in all forms of the game,” he said.

“The biggest advantage is playing at home, not in South Africa or Australia. They have pitches and conditions to suit their game. If even three out of our six batsmen perform, we can rustle up a score of 300 plus, which is good to defend on the sub-continental pitches.

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“In bowling, I agree we do not have a Brett Lee or a Dale Steyn, but we have a decent attack. We have two batsmen-spinners and most of the seniors have the experience of playing in the World Cup. Asked about the one thing that worked for India in 1983, Kapil said: “It was the fun and enjoyment we had on the ground and off it. We were passionate about the game and everybody made a great contribution. Since there were no expectations, our enjoyment reflected in our performance.”

“The present side, too, should have the passion and pride to play for the country. The win will change their lives and the lives of billion others. I know ours changed when we won the Cup.” Kapil feels the pressure of playing at home should not be an issue. “The important thing is that India should enjoy playing. The home pressure should not be an issue. The players are professionals and they should know how to handle pressure. The team which can play well under pressure will only win,” he said.

Punjab’s passport office to keep check on ‘holiday marriages’ Thousands of women in Punjab have fallen prey to “holiday marriages”, duped into marriage by non-resident Indians visiting India and then dumped. The passport office in Jalandhar has formed a women’s grievance cell to deal with such complaints and take action against the accused husbands.

“Around 15,000 girls from Punjab’s Doaba region, consisting of Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala districts, were duped by their NRI husbands during the last few years.

Jalandhar has maximum number of such cases,” said Parneet Singh, passport officer of the Regional Passport Office (RPO).

“Therefore, to provide support and justice to these destitute women, we have constituted a ‘women’s grievance cell’. This cell would cater to the complaints from women and depending on the merits of the case, take action under various sections of the Passport Act, 1967,” Singh said.

According to RPO officials, Section 10 (3) of the Passport Act states that the passport

issuing authority can impound the passport of such offenders in public interest after issuing them a show-cause notice.

The complainant woman has to produce the marriage certificate, copy of the Fist Information Report (FIR) and documents detailing the husband’s name, date of birth and address.

“We would first issue a show-cause notice to the guilty and then his passport would be confiscated to stop him from going abroad.

Then, he cannot leave the country until the matter is resolved, either legally or through mutual consent. However, if he manages to flee, then we would inform the Indian embassy abroad and he would be immediately deported to India,” Singh said.

“We have also asked district marriage officers to furnish us the details of NRI grooms so that we can tell them to add the names of their wives on the passports. It would take only 24 hours time from our side,” he added.

Singh said they will also discuss the matter with the Punjab government.

“This is a very serious matter. We have decided to take up the matter with the Punjab government. We will give them some suggestions that can be followed while registering marriages to avoid such incidents,” he said.

The Jalandhar RPO caters to four districts of Punjab - Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahar and Kapurthala.

Local NGOs fighting against ‘holiday marriages’ and working for the rights of women have welcomed the initiative.

“There are countless cases where NRI grooms have deserted their Punjabi wives after taking huge cash and dowry from them.

In most of these cases, police are helpless as these errant husbands easily manage to leave the country,” said Avtar Singh Mullanpuri, senior vice-president of Lok Bhalai Party, which is working for the rights of such women for the last many years.

“Now, we are hopeful that this initiative of RPO would act as a deterrent and keep a check on these incidents. We are ready to impart all help to the RPO and give them all

details and proof on hundreds of such cases,” said Mullanpuri.

Tiger rescued from well, to be let off in the wild A tiger, which had fallen into a dry well near the Chameli forest area in Nagpur, was finally extricated after a three-hour rescue operation, a wildlife official said.

The incident took place in an area about 40 km from the forest area.

The tiger, a full grown adult around four years old, fell into the 40-feet-deep dry well, which was not protected by a wall, said Nitin Desai, Central India director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.

“From preliminary information available, it was probably chasing some prey like deer or a wild boar and must have accidentally fallen into the well around dawn today. It spent around ten hours in the well without food or water,” Desai said.

The animal’s plight was detected almost five hours later when some tribals and forest officials heard its roar and alerted police and wildlife officials, who then mounted a rescue operation.

Animal experts and a veterinary doctor reached the place around noon with a cage and the rescue operation was taken up. It took over three and a half hours to take out the big cat from the well.

When it was brought up, the tribals and officials erupted into a roar of applause and cheers for the dazed animal which appeared weak and shaken.

An examination revealed that the creature had not sustained any fractures or injuries despite falling from such a height.

Forest officials planned to release it back into the wild later, Desai added.

He said it was surprising that a tiger had strayed into this area which has never reported a sighting in the past many years since it is not a thick forest region.

Though it would take time to confirm, Desai guessed that the tiger may have strayed from either the Bor Wildlife Reserve in Wardha or Pench Wildlife Reserve near Nagpur.

IANS

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Atif Aslam rocks Australia BY TIM BLIGHT

Pakistani artist Atif Aslam rocked Melbourne on January 29 with a near sell-out show in the Victorian capital. It was the first visit to Australia for the star performer whose hits have featured in various Indian movies including Kalyug and Zeher. Taking to the stage at two hours after doors opened at 8pm, the adoring crowd screamed as Atif belted out an upbeat version of his hit Bheegi Yaadein (also known as Woh Lamhe, Woh Baatein).

The outstanding performance was held at Neverland, a major venue in South Melbourne with standing room, bars and a dance floor. The night wrapped up a whirlwind regional tour that began in Auckland, New Zealand on January 21 January, and also visited Sydney and Perth. The evening began with support act Sameer&zAk, an Australia-based band who sing in Urdu. The male half of the crowd went wild when, inexplicably, a belly-dancer graced the stage for ten wobbling minutes. Then, with anticipation at fever pitch, Atif arrived fashionably late. Dressed in casual style with a red bowler hat, checked shirt and easy trackpants, the singer turned the spacious venue into an intimate arena with his smooth serenades.

All of Atif ’s biggest hits featured; second up was the uplifting track Doorie, the lead single from his second album of the same name, to which the enthusiastic audience sang along.

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Reacting to this, Atif held up the microphone for the crowd to shout into. The evening was warm, and more than a couple of the women in the audience squealed as the star stripped off his checked shirt to reveal a black t-shirt underneath. A surprising acoustic performance of Race hit Pehli Nazar Mein was followed up by a rendition of Jal’s Sajni. Other movie hits featured; the melancholy Tere Bin, featured in 2006 film Bas Ek Pal, had everyone in the house swaying, bathed in blue lights.

The romantic Tu Jaane Na sat alongside hits Hum Kis Gali, Jal Pari and Mahiya ve Soniya.

Atif also performed Saeein, a song originally released by fellow Pakistani Punjabis Junoon.

However by far the biggest cheer was saved for the finale; the mega hit Aadat. The venue came alive with fans screaming the impassioned lyrics to the highly emotive tune.

Aadat was also released in 2004 by band Jal, of which Atif used to be a member, however it is arguably Atif ’s version which has gained popularity through widespread airplay.

Atif is originally from Gujranwala, a satellite city of Lahore, Pakistan, but has attracted a wide following for his pure, capable voice and his poprock and sufi-rock tunes. He is among a select group of South Asians who have performed at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Atif ’s forthcoming album Shabnam has been put on hold while his home country deals with the aftermath of last year’s flood crisis. Meanwhile, Aslam is working on a collaborative project with Californian rockers Guns and Roses.

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Aboriginal PART Kashmiri PART

Aboriginal art takes on new forms with some Kashmiri influence

An Aboriginal pattern in vibrant colours beckons to me from a loaded table. A long-time lover of the simple but deeply alluring Aboriginal designs, I am instantly drawn into the swanky gift shop.

It turns out to be a cushion cover with an embroidered Aboriginal design, something I’ve never seen before. There are also pillow covers, throw rugs and carry bags, in the most captivating desert patterns which I’ve seen before only on large wall paintings, usually with extravagant prices. But these are simply stunning.

The embroidery on them is distinctly Indian, I tell myself. I look closely, and sure enough, it’s Kashmiri chain stitch, hand embroidered.

On the next table I see more Kashmiri-ware – papier mache jewellery boxes. But the painting on them is not Kashmiri – it is Aboriginal!

Is this Kashmiri stuff on sale, or is it usable Aboriginal art?

Suddenly I realize why I am transfixed: this is a wonderful fusion of Kashmiri crafts and Aboriginal folk art.

And the result is breath-taking.

The cross-cultural collaboration The undulating patterns of the desert art of the first Australians, lend themselves beautifully to the elegant Kashmiri chain stitch.

Just as the Aboriginal art must cover the entire canvas, the Kashmiri chain stitch technique is traditionally worked across the entire canvas, so that the base fabric is not visible at all.

It made perfect sense to South Australian artist Carolyn Wilson when she first encountered Kashmir’s beautiful stitch craft heritage, and she was quick to identify the potential for combining the two art forms.

While both forms are so distinctly different, they are also similar in many ways, not least that they have survived centuries, handed down to artists and artisans from generation to generation. The techniques used are unique to both their regions, and both are

BY MAMATA SALAKAPURAPU

legacies of their culture.

It is this commonality that Wilson seeks out in her work with the arts and when she interacts with people from different cultures - believing passionately that the arts can be used to create a better world. In fact, she even calls her organisation Better World Arts (BWA).

And thus at BWA, a collaboration was born using the cultural craft heritage of the Kashmir region, and the traditional art of the Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) Lands of Central Australia.

“In effect, it is Australian Aboriginal art expressed via Indian Kashmiri handicraft,” says Carolyn, who first came up with the idea in 1996.

The Anangu art forms are sent to India, where they take shape into handmade rugs and cushions.

“Much of the work over the past 15 years has been carried out

by Sidiq & Sons, who inherited the family business from their grandfather, a Kashmiri woodcrafter of high renown in his times,” Carolyn reveals. “I send them meticulous information through images, about size, finishing, colour-dye accuracy, wool… but Better World Arts would not have come so far if not for the skilled and dedicated craftsmen on the other side. The finesse and subtlety of every stitch that goes into the rugs and cushions, amply reflects their fine skills. The fact that they have lived on the Silk Route for centuries is so very evident from their work!”

And Carolyn’s own fondness for everything Kashmiri is just as evident from her descriptions of the “serene and beautiful” landscapes and people she has met there.

The work is produced in limited editions and every product comes with a certificate of authenticity, which ensures that consumers draw pride in the uniqueness of the artwork and enjoy their possession.

The products are then sold wholesale to celebrated Australian art galleries, and profits are shared between Better World Arts, the Australian art centres and the Indian artisan groups.

Royon sheen cushion cover designed by Mulykuya

Rama Sampson and colleagues at work at Adelaide

Handmade cushion cover designed by Karen Kulyu

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Handmade Kashmiri stitch pillow cover designed b

Abdul Guli and colleagues at work at Srinagar

Empowering communities

a Ken

Better World Arts is not just about arts: it’s also about creating a better world for disadvantaged communities, and as such, it has evolved into a social enterprise over the years.

For the Anangu people, BWA provides an opportunity to move away from predictable commercialised Aboriginal images with these new products. Equally, for the Kashmiri artisans, BWA has opened up an entirely new market.

“Australian Aboriginals do not have a manufacturing culture; and intellectual property is not a known concept in Indian handicrafts,” explains Carolyn.

The motive is to provide culturally appropriate and sustainable employment for everyone involved in the projects, while still ensuring that culture and skills are retained from where they originated.

Some 50 Aboriginal artists are part of the enterprise, and more than 60 Kashmiri artisans involved in producing the rugs and 25 working with the papier mache. Thanks to BWA, they are involved in sustainable, culturally enhancing work, and helping preserve centuries’ old tradition.

The Anangu artists are given royalties from the products. And the role of BWA does not end by simply sharing out the monies.

The challenging task is to engage artists within the modern community and ensure that their social needs are met. A share of the profits is put towards community projects as well.

For people who come from Central Australian lands where there is no specific word for art apart from ‘walka’, which loosely translates as “meaningful marks”, the rest of the country often emerges as foreign territory. They need help in every aspect of life like housekeeping, formal education, banking, health, communication etc., and access to these basic services often needs a translator. Though the government provides a lot of support to Aboriginals, many need assistance in effectively utilizing services

from indigenous community centres. This is where BWA steps in and fills the gaps. The staff of BWA go beyond the call of duty to assist the artists in every way to the best of their ability.

Ngura Wiru Winkiku Indigenous Corporation that translates approximately as ‘Better World’ (literally ‘lovely country altogether’) is the result of persistent work by BWA in setting up a location in Adelaide to serve as an exclusive space for Anangu and other aboriginal artists. It is financed from the combined profits of BWA and the Australian artist communities without any aid from the government. Located in the same premises as the retail outlet of BWA on the Commercial Road, Port Adelaide, this is one place Anangu can call and identify as their own.

Recognition BWA has crafted many product lines from abstract art, and its art pieces are showcased across the country. The business has expanded to retails outlets in Adelaide, Alice Springs, Canberra, Darwin, Fremantle, Hobart, Perth and Sydney. In 2008 BWA was a finalist at the Telstra Business Awards in the Social Responsibility Category. Vogue Living magazine did a major feature recently, and only last Christmas, BWA found its products listed in many “desirable gifts” lists.

The cross-cultural collaboration model has now been extended to Nepal, Tibet and Peru, and the products have diversified into lacquerware boxes, jewellery and handbags.

And how do the Aboriginal artists think of their collaboration with Kashmiri artisans, Carolyn?

“They reciprocate with song and dance when they see their abstract art take shape as tangible products! To them, song, dance and art are all integrated in a oneness, reflecting an aspect of their life that cannot be separated. So there’s a story associated with each and every product.”

uru

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by Mulykuya Ken

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 29 Carolyn Wilson with Kashmiri artisans

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ARTS

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Ami Tomaay Bhalobashi A special tribute to Suchitra Mitra, a unique singer who dedicated her life to promoting Tagorean music BY MADHUCHANDA DAS

Uncannily true rings the adage that you can never take Rabindranath Tagore out of a Bengali’s heart! Hence, although growing up far away from the land of rossogolla, adda and Tagore, my typical simple living-high thinking Bengali parents felt doubly responsible in bringing us up as quintessentially Bengali offspring. As a result, Rabindra Sangeet (Tagorean music) and Bengali films tiptoed surreptitiously into an unobtrusive corner of my soul. As part of the inimitable babumoshai spirit, I often sought refuge in the rhythm and histrionics of the legendary Suchitra duo – the shining stars of the Bengali cultural scene, Suchitra Mitra and Suchitra Sen. January 3, 2011 saw the passing away of one of them the legendary Rabindra Sangeet singer, Suchitra Mitra. Thankfully, it was my Ma (who had instilled the love of Rabindra Sangeet in me) and not the Facebook status of a friend, that broke the news to me. Ma, who’s always had her way with words and is an amazing singer herself, asked me if I remembered Suchitra-di’s spirited rendition of Krishnokoli’s Aami Taarei Boli (I call her Krishnokoli). This was the first song that I had ever heard from the artiste, and in no time at all I could picture myself at eight, being enthralled by an uninhibited voice

as Bangla lyrics didn’t make much sense then.

Even in my constricted, concrete city room, I could fathom the ethereal charm of the solitary, dusky village girl in a pristine Bengal paddy field. Thereafter, this voice never failed to electrify my soul with its Aamar Shonar Bangla Ami Tomai Bhalobashi (I love you, my Bengal, the place made of solid gold). It became an inextricable ingredient of my cultural psyche and I was hooked for life.

When Ma finally broke the tragic news of Suchitra-di’s demise, I consoled my shattered eight-year-old heart that Suchitra-di’s physical form had moved on but the fragrance of her melodies would continue to rejuvenate my life, re-ignite my passions and reinstate my oftenwavering faith. Yes, they would continue to resonate in my Bengali being.

This multi-faceted doyen of melody had come to personify the essence of Rabindra Sangeet to me.

I have absolutely no qualms in stating that till date I remain much unlettered about the profundity of Tagore’s musical realm. To this ignorant admirer of Suchitra-di, her music symbolized a sudden burst of much needed showers, soaking long parched lands. Her voice reiterated that no one else could do justice to Tagore’s prose like her… as if she held the sole patent for those melodies, or as if they were created only for her to interpret.

Her inimitable gayaki conveyed the mirth, the melancholy and the melodrama of Tagore’s songs like none other. In fact, her music sketched the song’s story for the listener. She

fired one’s imagination and inundated the soul with life’s myriad colours. Like her bold rendition of Oyi bujhi kalboishakhi (So that’s the Nor’wester) which succinctly captured the might of the approaching storms.

Her energetic execution of Tagore’s swadeshi (patriotic) songs such as Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite Ekla chalo re (Walk Alone) often overwhelmed her audience and moved them to tears. The poignancy of Hridayer Ekul Okul Dukul Bheshey Jaay, O Sajani (Both resorts of my heart are getting flooded out, Oh my loved one) remains timeless in appeal.

Suchitra-di resisted temptations to deviate from Tagore’s original notations and she insisted on preserving the essence of the bard’s lyrics. Her passionate interpretations were further bolstered by her elegant personality and smart persona. My memory is flooded with black and white TV grabs of the lady with the stylishly cut short hair, swaying to the beats of the rhythm with closed eyes… as if in a trance. Her singing and her personality magnificently manifested the seamless unison of the traditional and the modern in Tagore’s compositions.

She was the lady on the move, both literally and figuratively. Born on a moving train in Gujhandi, Bihar, Suchitra-di’s life was marked by relentless creative enterprise as she globetrotted to share Tagore’s treasures. She also was an active member of Indian People’s Theatre Association (IPTA), the Sheriff of Kolkata,

Get set to see stars

and even dabbled with acting in the Rituporno Ghosh directed acclaimed Bengali film Dahan (Combustion). Her music school Rabitirtha is a leading centre of Tagorean culture, having produced numerous promising stars of Rabindra Sangeet. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that making dolls was a hobby that she fervently pursued till her last days. She indeed lived a complete life in every sense, except for an enduring regret of having joined Visva-Bharati only a few days after Rabindranath Tagore passed away in 1941.

Yes, I’m aware that the show must go on as Rabindra Sangeet itself assumes newer dimensions that signify both uncertainty and hope. But undeniably, Suchitra-di has taken along with her a precious chunk of my childhood. Yet, I’m not complaining as I hum Tobu Mone Rekho, Jodi Doorey Jai Choley, Tobu Mone Rekho (Remember me, if you can. In case I go far away from you, still do remember me).

enon with Manisha Chaubal-M Menon sh ka Pra nd sba her hu

Melbourne is waiting for this song and dance extravaganza which will chronicle the history of India’s best-known industry - Bollywood

If you think Nach Baliye rocks and Zhalak Dikhla Ja gets your undivided attention, don’t waste a minute after reading this but head straight for Ticketmaster to get your hands on the hottest ticket in town for The Stars of Bollywood show. This dance extravaganza kicks off its Australian tour in Melbourne on March 26 at the Melbourne Convention Centre’s Plenary Theatre. As the name suggests, this show will offer a magical, historical and captivating glimpse of India through its most popular export - Bollywood.

Did you know that each year Bollywood sells a million or more tickets worldwide than Hollywood? Despite its reputation for high drama and endless song and dance around trees, Bollywood is the one industry that has captivated the world with its colours, costumes and dollops of masala. For an ardent Bollywood fan, an invigorating cinematic experience is never complete unless it has some Bollywood ishtyle latka zhatkas. This enormously popular art form is steadily making inroads into the global dance vocabulary.

Stars Of Bollywoood incorporates the journey of Indian cinema through dance, taking the audience through past decades that yielded talents in specific fields like the amazing playbacks of the 40s, the brilliant filmmakers of the 50s, the greatest actors of the 60s and so on, till today’s trendy box-office blitzing stars. You can expect a foot tapping fusion of a diverse range of genres including cabaret, Rock n Roll, classical Indian dancing, disco and INDIAN LINK

jazz. You can also bank on experiencing all the elements that make Bollywood so immensely watchable - romance, action, energy and colour.

The vibrant, high energy show will be performed by the Melbourne-based Shiamak Indo Jazz Dance Movement (SIJDM). The SIJDM team of nearly 50 dancers comprises of instructors, special potential batch students and show kids. Each of them has been selected by the legendary Indian choreographer Shiamak Davar. Shaimak is best known in Australia for his large-scale choreography of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Closing Ceremony. “My dance company and I have performed all over the world including India, China, UK and USA; they are an incredible group of performers and I can’t wait for Australia to experience their energy,” said Shiamak.

Manisha Chaubal, CEO of Hoopla Entertainment, the organizer of the event, remarked, “Shiamak is like a god of dance in Bollywood, the Fred Astaire of India, one of the best in the business. His dance classes in Melbourne are always packed to capacity. SIJDM came onto my radar when my sons joined their classes, initially only for fun. I followed suit and soon they became an integral part of our lives. I have great faith in the instructors and SIJDM team. I have seen them perform on several occasions and they have the caliber to impress any discerning audience. With Stars of Bollywood, we hope to take the magic of Shiamak and Bollywood to

mainstream Australians as well.”

Hoopla Entertainment is a newly formed company with Manisha Chaubal and Ashutosh Kapse at the helm. Manisha is from a hospitality background and Ashutosh works in IT. “Stars of Bollywood is our first major venture and it has been a huge learning experience,” claimed Manisha. “There is no formal course that explains the nitty gritty involved in becoming promoters of a show. We have pretty much jumped in at the deep end and are learning to swim,” she added with a smile. “The entertainment market is saturated with event organizers who bring stars and singers from India and overseas to perform in Australia.

Our USP will be to bring talent that may not necessarily be as famous, but will be equally, if not more, remarkable. We will certainly not be bringing major celebrities, but we are looking at promoting unique talent from all parts of the world, mainly India,” she added.

Ashutosh endorsed her views. “Stars Of Bollywood is like our litmus test,” he admitted.

“In future we intend to bring many other shows and artists to Australia. Our motivation is that we want Indian art to get exposure amongst the mainstream, on a larger more

visible platform. We intend to take this show to New Zealand, Fiji, Sydney and other parts of Australia, even regional Victoria if possible.

The prospect is both challenging and exciting.

I am confident Stars of Bollywood will set a great precedent for other major and successful shows,” he said.

If you drive to work with your stereo blaring with Hindi songs, if you cannot stand still for a second if there’s Bollywood music playing, if the favorite part of your Zumba session is the ‘bulb-changing’, ‘hip hopping’ steps from Hindi movie hits, just drop everything! Log onto your computer that probably sports a hunky John Abraham or sizzling Priyanka Chopra as its screen saver and check out www. starsofbollywood.com.au.

Don’t forget to watch out for the funky desi beats, heaps of tempo and fancy footwork!

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 31

OPINION

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The sleazy side Critical

of surrogacy conundrum Will new legislation curb this booming business in India, thriving through exploitation, yet enjoyed by international patrons with money and means?

If the Australian Parliament had the ability to wield its power of judgement sensibly in regards to crucial national issues, the government would be forced to comply

They dropped the child like a hot potato.

After a protracted legal battle, the child BY was adopted by the Japanese man’s ROY LANGE 74-year-old grandmother.

India has decriminalized homosexual behavior but confusingly, it is still not legal. Press pundits in India have The surrogacy debate has been recently reignited with a Melbourne court granting speculated that this may disallow gay couples entering a surrogacy contract. full parental rights to a gay couple with a These are relatively inconsequential. child born to a surrogate mother in India.

The industry practices demonic behavior.

Medical tourism has not been all bad.

The Indian mother is locked up for Uninsurable Americans have been getting nine months to ‘ensure’ a healthy child. bypasses in Delhi’s Apollo Hospital This is just wholly bloody unacceptable. rather than perishing on a long waiting Try locking up a Californian surrogate list in New York. A triumph of Indian mum for nine months in a contractual expertise. And enormous revenue for the arrangement and you would have even country.

Sarah Palin reduced to Does surrogacy tears. deserve to be classed in India is looking to A surrogate mother this revolution? Should has often borne many legislate an industry surrogacy be even legal?

Years ago while I that by some accounts children. Her health may suffer a heavy toll was studying in Delhi has 3000 clinics and from this. Allowing a University, my Indian annually earns the system that irreversibly guardian Dr. Nina punishes her body for country half a billion Dey told me with monetary gain is wrong. furious indignation US dollars.

Allowing a system that a story from when punishes her body out she was conducting of her sheer desperation is criminal. research in Bangladesh. An American What happens if a child is born company invited her on a jet boat ride physically or mentally challenged or just to an almost inaccessible island in the not attractive? You can’t tell me this hasn’t marshes of the delta - unaware that she spoke Bengali. The company claimed they happened in the thousands of surrogate births a year. Do the foreigners reject the were conducting charitable works but it child with a satanic quality control? was discovered the islanders were, under What eventuates, if the Indian mother questioning from Dr. Dey, in fact guinea gives birth to more than one child or pigs in fertility drug trials. Many of them more than what is in the shopping cart? were very seriously ill.

Is that child a surplus to requirements?

This left an impression on me and I am Is the child killed at birth? Tragically, this happy to let it prejudice my views on the could have eventuated in a stone cold surrogacy debate. business.

Indian wombs are not for sale. India is If the challenged or ‘surplus’ child is not a gynecological two-dollar shop. not killed at birth who is to look after I feel for infertile couples. Being an the poor soul? The surrogate mother? unhinged lefty I feel even more sorry for The clinic that runs the business? These gay couples. But they will have to max hard questions raise the possibility of out the credit cards, fly to Kentucky and widespread infanticide. pay a Hillbilly.

The surrogate India is looking to mothers are legislate an industry Try locking up a almost exclusively that by some accounts Californian surrogate impoverished rural has 3000 clinics mum for nine months poor who are often and annually earns illiterate, whose scope in a contractual the country half a of choice is minuscule billion US dollars. arrangement and you compared to the This has stemmed would have even Sarah relatively rich couples from innumerable Palin reduced to tears. that pay for their child. complications.

This hasn’t stopped a Starting with the wonderfully courageous woman who has technical. A German couple contracted petitioned the Delhi High Court to keep a clinic for a child. The German her child that she refuses to surrender.

Government refused citizenship nor How seriously will she be taken? Up residency for the child because that against what would have to be a superiorly country does not allow paid surrogacy. funded legal team and a judiciary that The Indian Government simply does favours English medium types. not recognize children born to foreign Masters to this repugnant slavery have parents who have donated eggs in the IVF process. Children are caught in this limbo. to stopped. They are the children shoppers and the shopkeepers of these clinics who A Japanese couple divorced during the pay these women as little as USD 500. gestation period of the Indian mother.

overseas? How would things be different?

One difference would be that a secretive BY group of ministers – the Cabinet – could not SUKRIT SABHLOK decide upon questions shielded from public scrutiny. With Iraq for example, the Howard Government would have had to justify the case for war to Parliament’s satisfaction. As Australian forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001, and entered Iraq in 2003. Although the it so happens, the Senate voted against going into Iraq. Had the Greens been successful Rudd Government has withdrawn troops in passing their proposed legislation, from Iraq, our involvement in Afghanistan Australians would have been spared the (allegedly to fight terrorism) is continuing terrible costs of that conflict. without end. It has become a perpetual war.

Several objections have been raised by The mainstream media gives the ongoing opponents of reform. Some suggest that financial and human costs far less coverage the Greens’ bill doesn’t define terms with than it deserves. But there are good reasons sufficient precision. Yet this objection is why we shouldn’t forget the conflict. hardly insurmountable, and can be resolved Consider this: Australia’s military through consultation involvement in World with stakeholders. If a War I lasted four years I would rather have compromise is struck and World War II was between defence chiefs, my tax money spent over and done within government departments seven years. The danger helping re-build and other interested posed by terrorism is Queensland after the parties, it is possible to miniscule compared to recent flood damage, devise a workable piece the threat from a Hitler than bombing villages of legislation. or Mussolini, so why has It’s said that the the war in Afghanistan in Afghanistan. bill ignores problems lasted for a longer period associated with releasing of time? classified information. This is a furphy.

It is time to re-think our involvement.

Most advocates of reform have never called Firstly, the war is very expensive. Taxpayers for the release of classified information. have been put on the hook for billions of The judgement about whether to wage dollars. Imagine if that money had been war against a particular country does not spent at home instead. I would rather require detailed operational information. It have my tax money spent helping re-build is fundamentally a strategic choice made at Queensland after the recent flood damage, a high and abstract level of policy. In the than bombing villages in Afghanistan. case of Iraq, the Australian Government Secondly, whatever the initial rationale for informed the public that Saddam Hussein invading, the Afghan war can no longer was a threat to national security at a be justified. Australia followed the US into theoretical level, and the public was asked Afghanistan to overthrow the Taliban and to place trust in intelligence reports the hunt down Osama bin Laden, the man we accuracy of which they had no way of are told is behind the attacks on September 11. But the best intelligence no longer places verifying. The Greens are not proposing to do away with secrecy. bin Laden in Afghanistan, and many believe It’s also argued that war power reforms he is harbouring in Pakistan. could hamper the military’s ability to quickly Here’s what should happen the next time deploy combat personnel. But why is speed there’s talk of a major war: it should be a considered to be an unambiguously good legal requirement for the Prime Minister thing? Parliament’s slow to seek approval from deliberation can be Parliament before Transferring power viewed not a liability, but - or very soon after as a strength because it to make war from deploying troops abroad. leads to more considered There needs to be a the Executive to the decision-making. formal binding process, Parliament would Democracy is far from with failure to comply not be a cure-all, perfect. Even wars that declared unlawful by have been approved by but it would at least the courts upon review.

Parliament may end up That’s the only way reduce the ability of being unjust and evil. we’re going to see some a secretive group to Transferring power semblance of democratic thrust Australia into its to make war from accountability in foreign the Executive to the affairs. most vital moment.

Parliament would not be The Greens have a cure-all, but it would introduced proposed at least reduce the ability of a secretive legislation aiming to do precisely this. group to thrust Australia into its most vital Unfortunately, the major parties have moment. Parliament should declare war, quashed their attempts at reform. the Executive government should fight and What if we lived in a world where win it, and the nation should then exit the Parliament, and not the government of the conflict as soon as possible. day, possessed the power to commit troops

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OPINION

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Stemming the

flood

Large land masses of Australia and India will be regularly under flood waters with rising sea levels, claims a report BY DILIP JADEJA

On December 16, 2010, the Australian Financial Review published an article that indicated how Brisbane Airport would be regularly under water by the year 2100. By then, floods in Brisbane (and for that matter in many coastal cities and towns) would impact huge areas on an annual basis. As the article stated, the Australian government has published data of how rising sea levels may impact Australia, but local councils keep ignoring the facts and allow buildings to come up at the risk of flooding.

Councils need to wake up to the legal opinion that residents can commence class actions against councils for damages, if they knowingly ignored these information maps released by Greg Combet, the Commonwealth Climate Change Minister. On the other hand, the tenacious builder lobby wants to build, notwithstanding rising sea levels and flood risks. So buyers, beware!

The article led me to make some interesting investigations on how rising sea levels could impact India. Before that, let me make it clear - I accept that the globe is warming and sea levels are rising (facts). However, I do not believe humans are greatly responsible for this (so far it is largely a hypothesis lacking evidence vis a vis the scale of sunspot cycles and other warming impacts and the cyclical nature of global warming with a 40,000+ years cycle). Sure, it is in our interest to reduce global warming but I do not believe that carbon tax, fossil fuel usage reduction or any cost/tax-based approach will actually succeed. What can succeed is in growing more trees. That is best done by offering jobs to the poor and by welcoming them to live in cities, rather than having them in African, Asian or Latin American forests, felling trees for farmland!

Cost and tax are never good motivations; but jobs, infrastructure building, an open mind, a welcoming heart and good living habits certainly are! So don’t

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dwell too much on global warming; rather focus on ways to grow new forests!

In the mean time, the sea level is on the rise.

Some estimates indicate that sea levels will rise this century between 0.8 and 2 metres. The worst-case scenario is for a rise of 8.8m, with a mid point rise of 4.8m. I checked out another source (http://flood. firetree.net/), which uses data provided by NASA and shows how different rates of sea level rise would impact various regions of the world. A minimum resolution of a 1m rise on this website is unhelpful, but it does give a clear idea of the flooding problem that can only get worse, unless the worst happens – a perennial drought.

Kerala’s backwaters will grow in size, and new backwaters will be created in Tuticorin and between Mahabalipuram to Chennai. Pattukkottai to Nagapattinam will lose vast areas to marsh lands.

Floods are not caused by rising sea levels but are made worse by the rising sea. They are caused by excessive rain dumping large amounts of water on an area in a short time. Some floods are made worse by man-made techniques to prevent them, for example, when dams overflow or levies burst. Normally levies protect cities from a body of water like the sea, a river or a creek. Dams store flood water for irrigation. But dams and levies have a limit. Usually set at the last worst flood level mark, this limit needs to allow for the rising sea level impact, civil engineers please note!

Dams overflow because authorities initially discard the idea that a dam may eventually overflow; early warnings are easily ignored, mainly because heavy rains often follow heavy drought, and at first one is tempted to fill up the dams to the brink in the fear that the rain will vanish and the drought will return.

Any statistical correlation, if it exists, between how long dams remain empty and how quickly they fill up and how such weather patterns lead to flood, is either not well researched or not widely publicized.

In some cases, storm-water drains open into creeks or rivers. During floods, as the river overflows, the drains work in reverse to bring river water back into low lying areas. If the sea is close by and the land area is low lying, tides throwing massive amounts of water back into rivers cause too much water to come back into storm drains.

Therefore, in any coastal flooding, the relative height, with respect to the sea levels, of the flooded land is of great significance because once the water on the land is at the same or higher level than the sea water, no water is flowing away and flash flooding occurs with just a little excess rainfall.

Similarly when dams break or levies give up, water rushes back to large land masses in the vicinity and flash floods build up.

A quick check shows that a mere 1m sea level rise will cause regular monsoon flooding in many coastal cities and towns of India. Virar to Bhayandar, Thane and Dombivli, many areas will be under water in Mumbai. Kerala’s backwaters will grow in size, and new backwaters will be created in Tuticorin and between Mahabalipuram to Chennai.

Pattukkottai to Nagapattinam will lose vast areas to marsh lands. Pulicat Lake will grow a lot bigger.

Chilka Lake will become a bay area. Bitarkanika National Park will become a ‘Sunderbans’. Marsh lands will claim huge land mass from Dum Dum in Kolkata through to Khulna and Mongta.

Sunderbans will grow by 1.5 to 1.8 times its present size. Large areas of all coastal states of India will lose land mass, a large number of coastal townships of Gujarat and massive areas in Kutch will be under water.

When floods damage an area, before rebuilding, people ought to consider the impact of sea level rise and the next flood. Resilience is great; ignorance of, and disregard for, stark facts are altogether another thing, and neither is a virtue nor reason for national pride!

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FEATURE

A tale of two cities Two capital cities in two continents share uncanny similarities in the history of their creation and development

BY LP AYER

January 26 is a unique day for Australia and India. Besides sharing this day of national significance, these countries have in common a few other things of historic importance. Of course, cricket will readily click in the mind of every reader, particularly at this time. Also, being former colonies of the British Empire, now federal democracies and membership of the Commonwealth of Nations are the other political features they share. But it may interest and even surprise many of you that the capital cities of the two nations had their beginnings almost at the same time, a hundred years ago, in 1911.

The later part of 2011 will see New Delhi celebrating its centenary as the national capital. It was on December 12, 1911 that King George V, the then Emperor of India, along with Queen Mary, announced at a specially convened Delhi ‘durbar’ that the nation’s capital would be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi, and four days later laid the foundation at that site in Kingsway camp. Of course, it did not start functioning as the capital right away as the planning and building work took several years.

Enjoying capital status is not new to Delhi. The 5000-year-old city has been the seat of power for many a kingdom, from the Mahabharata, known then as Indraprastha,

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through the Mauryas and Guptas down to the last Mughal Emperor in the 19th century. As a capital it has had the most chequered history as any: sacked and rebuilt at least five times during various invasions, and changing hands through seven different empires with a certain powerful ruler from each dynasty building a city. These were Lal Kot in 736 AD by Thomar whose last famous Hindu king was Prithivi Raj Chauhan; Siri (by Ala ud din Khilji in 1303); Jahanpanah (1327 by Ghiyas ud din Tughluq); Firozabad (1354 by Firoz), Purana Quila (1540 by Sher Shah Suri), and Shahjahanabad in 1649 by Shah Jahan, the builder of the famous Taj Mahal. Delhi lost and regained its capital status when Md. Tugluq moved his government 700 miles south to Daulatabad (Devagiri in Deccan) and back; Akbar ruled from Agra, and it was for Shah Jahan to move back to Delhi. It remained as the capital of the declining Mughal empire until 1857 when the British annexed it after the First War of Independence, but they continued to rule the Raj from Calcutta until the announcement in 1911. Their new design was to include all of the seven old sites within the capital.

Unlike Delhi that had seen several battles, Canberra witnessed one long battle; but of a different kind before its selection to become the capital of the new nation. While the idea of uniting the six Australian colonies (now States) into a federation was mooted as early as 1851, it was only in 1891 when the total population of all these colonies reached

3.5 million, that their premiers decided to form a “full union under one legislative and executive government” and prepared the country’s first draft constitution. It took another ten years of discussion before the Commonwealth of Australia as a federal government was born on January 1, 1901.

During the decade of debates while issues like tariffs, customs, defence etc. were settled, the choice of a city to house the nation’s capital could not be decided upon. New South Wales, being the ‘mother’ colony (until 1836, NSW was the only colony covering more than half of the land mass) insisted on Sydney being given the honour, but met with severe opposition from Melbourne, its traditional rival, and from other states. The Sydney and Melbourne press played a big part in rubbishing each other’s claims while raving about their own. At last a compromise was reached among the premiers in 1891 that (a) the oldest colony would contain the capital; (b) it would be well clear of Sydney by at least 100 miles; and (c) Melbourne would be the temporary home of the federal parliament until the new capital was ready. It was also agreed that NSW would hand over at least 100 square miles of its land to become a federal territory to house the capital.

The compromise set off a new ‘battle of sites’ among the various potential cities within NSW, with each one forming a pressure group called Federal Capital League. At one stage there were sixty such groups. Claimants to the coveted

prize included Bathhurst, Bombala, Dalgety, Orange, Tumut, Yass, Wagga Wagga and a score more.

Sydney interest groups wanted the new capital much closer to them and as far away from Melbourne as possible (talk about mateship!). It was just like the Melbourne Cup not only in numbers, but also in the progress of the race with the lead changing a few times. The Seat of Government Bill of 1904 nearly gave the gong to Dalgety but the battle continued for six more years. After visits to various sites by groups of MPs, endless debates in Parliament, replacement of the 1904 Act by another in 1908 and finally a visit by NSW Surveyor Charles Scrivener to three preferred sites, the Canberra valley - meeting most of the selection criteria of ample virgin land, affable climate and abundant water supply - got the nod. Scrivener also satisfied his instructions to “find a site for a beautiful city, occupying a commanding position with extensive views and embracing distinctive features which will lend themselves to the evolution of a design worthy of the object, not only for the present but for all time”.

It was on New Year’s Day in 1911 that the territory was officially handed over by NSW to the Commonwealth, and towards the end of the same year, Delhi was named the new capital of the Raj. Similarities continued. In 1912 Chicago architect Walter Burley Griffin was commissioned to build the “bush capital” here, the same year the British architect Edwin

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Australian War Memorial

Humayun’s tomb

Luteyns arrived in Delhi to start design work. On February 20, 1913 the first surveyor peg was driven to commence construction (Canberra will celebrate this event in 2013).

New capital cities were emerging in both Commonwealth countries around the same time. Work was delayed in both locations during World War I, but picked up after that.

Architects on either side of the Indian Ocean had the same vision: to build their city with wide avenues and marvellous buildings.

Griffin had the luxury of a greenfield site of gigantic proportions to intersect the city with a massive lake and introduce more modern INDIAN LINK

building designs, whereas Luteyns spirit! In 1999, a pub named King had to synthesise O’Malley opened in Architects on either his buildings Canberra. Now how’s side of the Indian with established that for the Aussie Greco-Mogul sense of humour?

Ocean had the same styles of New Delhi had vision: to build their city previous empires its beginning on with wide avenues and in a city that February 13, 1931 marvellous buildings. had been lived inaugurated at in for centuries. the hands of the Both succeeded in translating their then Viceroy Lord Irwin. It was dreams into visible monuments. rededicated as the capital on 15 After 16 years and 12 million August, 1947 and was bestowed pounds, Canberra was inaugurated Union Territory status in 1956, and on May 9, 1927. The first Act of the statehood in 1993. new Parliament here was to scrap Canberra (ACT) gained its selfprohibition introduced by Home governing status in 1988.

Affairs Minister King O’Malley The connection between in 1911, enforcing the true Aussie Canberra and India has a few

more links. Canberra’s designer Griffin went to Lucknow in 1936 on gaining a commission to build its university library, and in a short time got work for 40 other projects.

He passed away in 1937, and his body is buried at the Christian cemetery there.

Since 1931, the newly-built city of Delhi witnessed waves of invasions of a peaceful kind.

People from all over India came to work, settle down and form successful communities making it a melting pot and a microcosm of India. Canberra too has a changing human face with people from different countries now calling it home.

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 35

FOOD

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Tandoori Chicken with Naan What to cook when your mum takes a well-earned break BY SHAFEEN MUSTAQ

We have a portable Tandoor oven. It’s blerdy awsum and Ammu makes the maddest naan in it. But Ammu’s in Bangladesh and Abbu and I really wanted some naan… so did we go out and buy some?

Nope! I googled a naan recipe (don’t you just love google?) and

WHOLE TANDOORI CHICKEN 1 whole chicken with skin (I used a size 10) 1/2 cup yoghurt 3 tbsp Shaan Chicken Tikka Masala 1 tsp ginger paste 1 tsp garlic paste 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar (You’re supposed to use lemon juice but I was too lazy to squeeze a lemon).

Mix all the marinade ingredients together (make sure you don’t overdo it and make it too runny). Poke some holes in the chicken with a fork and then coat the whole thing with the marinade, make sure to get some inside as well. Cover and leave for at least 4 hours (I left mine overnight). Now if

decided to wing it with some tandoori chicken (with the help of Shaan Masala of course!). A simple side dish of veggies finished the meal, and for dessert, I brought out some brownies. Ammu would have been so proud….

you have a Tandoor oven you put it on a seekh and bung it in there for 30 min but if you don’t – preheat your oven to 180C. Line a tray with alfoil and place your chicken on top. Cover it up and cook for 1 hour and 30 min, uncovering and turning and basting with the liquid in the tray every 30 min or so.

NAAN 2 cups plain flour 3/4 cup water (make sure it’s warm!!!)

2 tbsp oil 2 1/2 tbsp yoghurt 1 tsp yeast 1 tsp sugar Pinch baking powder.

ALOO GOBI MATAR I really like how Ammu makes this dish and I was craving it so I googled Aloo Gobi thinking ‘How hard can it be to cook some veggies?’ According to the long winded recipes I found, very.

And so again I found a recipe and a video and followed neither and both in my own way. The result? Redder and tangier than Ammu’s but oh so good!

1 medium sized cauliflower cut into florets 3 potatoes peeled and diced 100g baby peas 3 tbsp Shan Vegetable curry powder (yes I cheated) 1 medium onion 1 tsp ginger paste 1 tsp garlic paste 1/2 cup tomato paste

GUILT FREE FUDGE BROWNIES I know what you’re thinking – there is no such thing… But there is. It doesn’t taste as good as melted gooey fudge brownie in your mouth but then what does besides the real stuff? As I was browsing recipes online I came across a divine recipe for brownies. Now I’ve just lost about 250 grams after MUCH struggle with my self control so I decided to a. reward myself and b. not make something so rich that would return 250 grams to my waistline and much more. So I modified it with less chocolate, less sugar, less butter, but just enough to make you go mmm!

100g cooking chocolate (milk or dark) 100g butter 2 eggs 1/2 cup caster sugar 1/2 tsp vanilla essence 36 <> FEBRUARY 2011

Mix yeast with water and set aside. Sift flour, sugar and baking powder together. Add yoghurt and mix. Add the yeast and water mix and mix. At this stage its a gluggy mess, just keep kneading. Whatever you do, DON’T add more water or flour.

Place in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and/or a cloth and put it in a warm place for 4 hours (I left mine overnight). Take the cling film off, punch the dough and watch it fall, take the dough out and break into 6 even portions. Sprinkle with flour and knead each one individually. Now if you have a tandoor, you need to make the outside floury while the inside remains soft. So roll it with a rolling pin only a little and cover with flour, put it on the ‘pillow’, sprinkle with a bit of water and bung it in the tandoor for 2-3 min (Makes 6).

Chopped coriander Salt to taste.

Blanch the florets and diced potatoes for 2-3 min in boiling water. Heat the oil in a medium frypan over medium heat. Stir in the onion, garlic and ginger. Cook for about 1 minute until onions are lightly browned. Add the Shan Masala and tomato paste and cook well till the raw spice smell is gone. Add the potatoes and cauliflower and salt and cover and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the coriander and baby peas, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking for 10 minutes or until potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

Note: 1/2 cup of tomato paste will give a red tinge to the curry so lessen this quantity and add some turmeric if you want it yellow. Also, the Shan Vegetable curry spice has a generous dose of amchur powder making it tangy, to even this out I put in a tablespoon of sugar.

(Just under) 1 cup plain flour 3 tbsp cocoa.

Melt butter and chocolate together and set aside (work quickly or else this will set). Combine eggs, sugar and vanilla essence and mix. Add chocolate mixture. Sift flour and cocoa and add to the mixture. The original recipe says to add loads of choc bits. I added about 50 grams. Mix well and pour into a baking try lined with baking paper. Bake for 20 minutes at 180C My extra additions: When this was done and cooled I tasted it.

It was great for diabetics and people like my uncle who don’t like overly sweet stuff – but for me it was still a bit bland. So I let it cool, whipped together some sifted icing sugar (3 tbsp) and cocoa (1 tsp) with 1 tbsp of milk and poured it on top.

When that set I dusted it with some more sifted icing sugar and chocolate curls. My cousins finished half of it in 15 minutes!

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LIFESTYLE

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What’s in a Rose?

Most people look to celebrate Valentine’s Day through the traditional offering of flowers – and roses are the obvious favourite. FARZANA SHAKIR on the message behind the flower

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching I bet everyone is feeling the excitement of love in the air.

Flowers, gifts, cards with secret messages, chocolates and loads of mystery are all part of the Valentine’s Day tradition. Now the rose is considered to be one of the greatest symbols of love and appreciation, so naturally this evocative and redolent flower is the number one choice for Valentine’s Day. Indeed, like they

ROMANTIC RED Nothing says ‘I love you’ quite like a bouquet of red roses. It is considered to be the traditional symbol of love and romance. The colour red in a rose signifies romantic love, beauty, longing and desire. It can also be used to convey feelings of respect, devotion and admiration. But if you receive a bouquet of red roses from your boss, it can easily mean ‘Congratulations on a job well done!’ There’s a lot in the numbers where red roses are concerned, for example, the ever-popular bunch of a dozen means ‘I love you’ and ‘Be mine’.

ORANGE ARDOUR With their fiery blazing hue, orange roses signify passion and energy.

They convey the message of intense desire and fascination by the sender for the receiver. If you receive orange roses this Valentine’s Day you’d be safe to assume the sender desires you or desires to get to know you better. Second only to red roses as a harbinger of love, the orange rose represents excitement, energy, pride, fervour and romance.

VALIANT BLUE A perfect blue rose is hard to find. It is elusive as it does not occur naturally and is very hard to reproduce, so the interpretation of a blue rose is that of the unattainable or the mysterious. They represent a desire to attain the inaccessible.

So if an admirer sends you blue roses, he is admitting and lamenting that he can’t stop thinking about you even though he knows he can’t have you, that you are the object of his desire but something that’s unattainable and impossible. If your partner bestows blue roses on you, he is basking in his good fortune at having bagged someone like you who he considers a rare find.

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say, ‘the rose has been a favourite flower of poets since poetry began. Maybe it’s because like a poem, a rose can say so much without saying much at all.’

But with so many different colours of roses to chose from, I’ve often wondered about the unique meaning behind each rose tint. So, this V-Day, to help make the interpretation of true feelings behind every bud or a bouquet given or received more significant, here’s a guide to the particular significance of different colours.

PLEASANTLY PINK Generally pink roses are used to convey gentle emotions like innocence, appreciation, joy and admiration. Different shades of pink can connote different emotions from the sender. For example, deep pink roses are sent as a thank you gesture, conveying gratitude and appreciation. Regular pink roses represent happiness. Hence if you’re blissfully happy in your relationship, pink’s the way to go in roses for your partner on Valentine’s Day. Light pink on the other hand can mean ‘sympathy.’ So if a friend or loved one is mourning a loss, light pink roses can be used to express condolence.

LOVELY LAVENDER You have reasons to feel over the moon if you receive lavender roses, because they symbolize falling in love. If someone sends you lavender roses they carry the simple and subtle message that you are the object of their love and they are enchanted by you.

Traditionally this coloured rose is used to express feelings of love at first sight. Lavender is the colour of enchantment and that is what it symbolizes in a rose: fascination, adoration, splendour and also a degree of royalty.

BLACK FINALE Black roses like the blue ones are not easy to find, and many believe they don’t actually exist. One theory is that black roses are in fact really dark red roses that give an illusion of being black. Black is the colour of mourning and death and they signify the death of a feeling or an idea. If someone sends you black roses it indicates the end of a relationship or a farewell of some kind.

HAPPY YELLOW Yellow roses symbolize friendship, joy and care. Being the colour of the sun it subconsciously evokes warm, happy feelings often shared by friends. If you wish to send flowers to a friend to say that you care for them, yellow roses can be a perfect choice. Similarly, if you receive yellow roses from someone don’t jump to the conclusion that they have a romantic interest at heart; it simply means that the sender is happy and grateful for your friendship which he prefers to keep platonic.

WONDERFUL WHITE What colour comes to mind when you think of innocence, purity and chastity?

Of course, the colour white. And so is the significance of white roses that symbolize all of these characteristics and more. White roses are associated with new beginnings and hence their popularity as bridal bouquets. They are also used to communicate feelings of sympathy and spirituality. When combined with red roses in an arrangement, the two rose shades signify unity. Secrecy, humility, youthfulness and silence are also some traits associated with white roses.

A MIXED BUNCH And then there are bunches of mixed roses. As is obvious by the arrangement, the sender is not quite sure how he feels about you but likes you enough to send you roses.

His emotions and feelings are jumbled at present, but given time they could evolve into something meaningful.

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FEBRUARY 2011 <> 39

SPORT

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An almost perfect reunion The dynamic Indian duo seem to be making their way back into tennis circles with the same style, vigour and verve of their heyday

Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes in action during the doubles finals of the Australian Open tennis tournament at Melbourne Park.

Photo: AP

BY GAURAV PANDEY

Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Peas came together after nine years to deliver a memorable performance at the recently concluded Australian Open, the only Grand Slam missing in their impressive bag of doubles titles. They ended up second best but to many a fan, the journey to that result was as exciting as any of their previous achievements.

From an Indian perspective, it was the highlight of the tournament after Sania Mirza flattered to deceive yet again in her first round match to hand an injury-hit Justine HeninHardenne one of the last wins of her career.

Henin-Hardenne eventually succumbed to her elbow injury and retired from the sport for the second time - most likely the last - after losing in the third round. Wildcard Somdev Devvarman’s straight set loss to former world number five Tommy Roberdo was no less heartbreaking.

Notwithstanding such setbacks, the Indian interest in the tournament was kept alive by the exploits of the ‘Indian Express.’ Seeing them together in a Grand Slam after so many years was a trip down memory lane and a peek into the future at the same time. Intact were the camaraderie and the cunning of old. The intensity, though, had given way to subtler emotions: gone were the original chest bumps and animated discussions, perhaps victims of the unease of coming together after so long, and perhaps, just age.

Interestingly, success at Melbourne Park has eluded both players despite their remarkable careers. Paes and Bhupathi have won 92 doubles titles between them, including 12 and 11 Grand Slam titles respectively. This was their second final at the Open and they failed to better their record here, losing out to the ‘Bryan Brothers,’ who secured their 10th Grand Slam doubles title. The Americans are now just one Grand Slam doubles title short of the record of the legendary ‘Woodies’ of Australia.

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One wonders how the Indian pair would have measured against these greats had they not split at their peak. Sport takes its own course and is as subject to fickleness of temperament as any other vocation.

Unpredictability is the reality of sport, and hindsight its delusion. That at this age the duo had the faith in their ability to gel as a team speaks volumes of the kind of cohesion the ‘Indian Express’ enjoys and, no less, of the dexterity required to put on a show that almost got them their career doubles Grand Slam. They may not have played together as much as they should have, but they displayed as exciting and aggressive a style of doubles tennis as perhaps any other pair in the history of the sport.

This year, the Indian pair came into the tournament in good form after winning the Chennai Open title. During the two weeks at the Open, they showed all of the old class in the lead up to the final and no one who saw them slice up their opponents in previous rounds would grudge them their dawdling performance in the final. It took, as Bhupathi conceded after the match, “the best team on the planet” to stop the ‘Indian Express.’

The duo, in the course of the tournament, didn’t shy away from exchanging verbal volleys either – another trait that, for better or for worse, has survived in them. One such incident happened during their second round match against Argentine Juan Monaco and Spaniard Feliciano Lopez where on-court banter quickly turned into a serious altercation.

Lopez who refused to shake hands with Paes after the match later accused him of being provocative. The argument, as an unperturbed Bhupathi later said, was over the use of word ‘vamos’ - a commonly used expression among Spanish players which means ‘let’s go’. While it may not have amused his opponents, Peas seemed to be at ease in the press conference later in the day. “It’s just one of the words I like to use,” he quipped and added, “Nobody has a patent on it.” Surely, cheekiness is not a quality affected by age.

However, at 37 and 36 respectively, Paes and Bhupathi are not going to be around on the circuit for a long time. While it is great to see them back together, it’s hardly going to

be entirely smooth sailing. “Right now we’re looking at one tournament at a time, one week at a time. It will be awesome if you tell us we’re going to get a shot in the finals next year as a team. We’d love to be back,” Paes said after the final at Melbourne Park.

A year is a long time in professional sport,

especially when the players in question have conquered almost every challenge their sport offers, but one still hopes the ‘Indian Express’ finds enough motivation and strength to come back next January and have another crack at history.

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PEOPLE

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Divine Danseuse Monica Singh strives to bring out the best of Odissi in its traditional and modern forms

BY PREETI JABBAL

She is an athlete of her art. After undergoing years of training in pursuit of excellence, Monica Singh is now all set to share her dancing expertise with Melbournians, having recently migrated to Australia under the distinguished talent visa category. Monica is an exponent of Odissi, the classical Indian dance form. A Visharad in Odissi from Gandharva Mahavidyalya, Monica is a disciple of the renowned Sonal Mansingh and Madhavi Mudgal. With a devoutness that transcends national, religious and ethnic boundaries, Monica has garnered awards and acclaims for sustaining Odissi’s authenticity and pushing it beyond the constraints of tradition.

“I am not conservative or orthodox,” claims Monica in answer to my question about her calling, traditional or experimental.

“I have deep respect for what is given to me.

I do not want to tamper with the format of traditional Odissi, but I am teaching it with a more modern approach, laying good emphasis on technique music and taal. I follow the syllabus structure of Gandharva Mahavidyalaya. My USP is that I am in a great hurry to impart my knowledge. I want to teach my students quickly the things that have taken me over 20 years to learn. I do not believe in holding back when sharing my art,” she responds, when asked about her teaching style and unique selling proposition.

It is an exhilarating experience to watch Monica perform on stage. With amazing grace and energy she tells stories, conveys ideas and creates a dramatic and moving experience. “I have performed in all parts of the world and I feel that instead of performing to thousands of people in a packed auditorium, I prefer an intimate audience. They are more appreciative 42 <> FEBRUARY 2011

of the whole experience,” explains Monica very similar to the gurukul parampara in India” when asked if she had a favourite location she says. “I have also started the Sohamasmi where she liked to perform. “It’s not about the Centre for Performing Arts (SCPA). It is a location, it is about the experience. Odissi is a newly formed non-profit organization where devotional dance form. My performances are a group of artists, dancers, painters, sculptors, mainly bhakti based. During the show if my singers, musicians, producers, farmers, audience transcends to a level of spirituality or students and other professionals have come bhakti then my purpose is served,” she adds. together to bring about a real interaction Why Australia? I ask the loquacious dancer. between artists in Australia, India and the Originally from India, Monica’s origins on South East subcontinent. The members of the maternal side are Turkmen, and she Sohamasmi are people who believe that art has travelled and performed extensively in has to be affordable. We want people to come Turkmenistan. She has also performed as and enjoy art in an aesthetic surrounding part of a troupe and as a solo performer in without paying a bomb for it,” says France, Sweden, United Kingdom, Belgium, Monica. “The idea is to create a multiracial, Germany, Switzerland, multicultural place of art Vietnam, Laos, Nepal, interaction in the midst With a devoutness that of this ancient aboriginal Bangladesh, Russia, among other countries. land,” she adds. transcends national, “In 2006 I had a Referring back to religious and ethnic performance in Australia Odissi I ask Monica boundaries, Monica and I landed in Brisbane,” to comment on the has garnered awards replies Monica. “When I move to make Odissi left the airport I thought dance music a separate and acclaims for to myself that Australia classical system, rather sustaining Odissi’s looks like a place in which than just another flavor authenticity and I could live. Since then, of Hindustani sangeet. pushing it beyond the “Historically, the music my spiritual guru Yogi Prakash Shankar Vyasji constraints of tradition. accompanying Odissi from Benaras moved dancers was a separate to Australia under the classical system; however distinguished talent category. I also decided the state of Orissa was constantly besieged to apply and my application was accepted. by natural disasters and a lot of tracks and Australia has now become my karma bhoomi. written music were destroyed over the years.

This is where I can further my art. While the Unfortunately due to these circumstances, upper layer of Odissi culture is known to there was no deep guidance to a legal people here, there is a need to understand fortified system. Currently a lot of research the art form at a deeper level. This is where I is being conducted to recover some of the come into the picture - to work with people archives. Personally, I think this search will at a more serious level.” be of benefit to us. I don’t think it was a Monica now rents a cottage on a 200-acre tragedy at all,” she says. According to Monica, farm that operates as a natural therapy centre “finding and losing things is good, not sad. in Gisborne. “Bundaleer offers the perfect Art evolves in the process”. environment to learn and live this dance style.

Monica has recently collaborated with artist Accommodation is also available to those Arjun Raina in a production called The Magic who wish to stay here while taking lessons, Hour that combines Kathakali, Odissi and

Shakespeare. It is a fusion of the Mahabharata, Othello and A Midsummer’s Night Dream. On the future, she comments, “In the coming years I wish to change the politics around my dance form a little bit. I feel that currently there is an unequal balance in most Odissi recitals where the dancer takes up all the space. The trend is to place the dancer on a higher visual pedestal. I feel the musicians and accompanists are equally important, and should also be placed in a prime position on stage. With my performances I ensure that the musicians have more visibility, I have sometimes even placed them in the middle of the stage and danced around them,” she says.

Throughout our conversation I could not help but be drawn to the warmth of Monica’s personality. She laughs easily, chats nonstop and indulges in self-deprecating humour. She is confident that her teenage son will settle well in their life in Australia, and she shares her vision and dreams of an artistically interactive stage where art could thrive amidst aesthetic surroundings. She is enthusiastic about exploring the classical dance scene in Melbourne and on requesting some photographs, she promptly sent me some ‘without the war paint’, in her own words. Flicking through the photographs one can see the evident joy that Monica gains from life in general and Odissi in particular.

“My audience is varied in nature and very important to me. My motivation is to spread my art amongst mainstream Australians as well,” says Monica in conclusion. “I have only one request from the Junta Jagannath - enjoy the movement and open your eyes to the wonders of the art form.”

(Monica will perform at the Dancehouse in North Carlton on February 12, 2011. Her dance performance will be followed by a play

by Arjun Raina in his theatrical production A Terrible beauty is born, based on international call centers in India. For information visit www. monicasingh.com and www.arjunraina.com INDIAN LINK

HUMOUR

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Renewing romance that stink,” he’ll say romantically. “Turn off those candles, you’ll burn the house down. And the music too, I want to watch Californication. Where’s my beer?

Why are the kids in bed so early?” And of course, the final nail, “What are you wearing? It’s too short, it’s too skimpy…have you put on weight?”

With that kind of response I don’t think I could explain that it’s Valentine’s Day and that we need to show at least a modicum of romantic affection in deference for the day. “Why?” he would ask, and I would, I admit, have no answer.

After knowing him for all these years, romance is taken for granted, if it’s taken at all. Gone are the days when he came over on the first V-day that we spent together, having surreptitiously plucked a wilting bunch of nondescript flowers from the neighbour’s garden downstairs to justify his lack of romantic gyan about the significance of the day.

He smiled valiantly on seeing the bright orange oversized shirt from JC Penney that was his gift, and must have worn it, under emotional duress, about twice since.

“What’s that stink,” he’ll say romantically. “Turn off those candles, you’ll burn the house down. And the music too, I want to watch Californication. Where’s my beer? Why are the kids in bed so early?” And of course, the final nail, “What are you wearing? It’s too short, it’s too skimpy…have you put on weight?”

There must be innovative ways to rekindle feelings of affection between much-married couples, but sometimes a substitute emotion will do BY SHERYL DIXIT

A friend asked me, “How do you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year?”

I stared at her as if she’d said something quite demented.

“What do you mean?” I finally managed to stutter, sounding like my voice had decided to take a trip down my throat to say hello to my intestines.

“Well, you know, will you get flowers or chocolates? Will you’ll do something romantic together? Will you get him a gift, like a watch or new silk boxers with hearts or something?”

“I don’t think so,” I said, and felt compelled to explain as she cocked her head to one side, gazing at me with a trustingly enquiring look.

“I’ve been married ten years and have two kids,” I blurted out lamely.

“All the more reason to celebrate!” she said complacently.

I said goodbye quickly, resisting the urge to INDIAN LINK

throttle her with the cord of one of those huge, red, heart-shaped balloons that are currently infesting shopping malls, reminding us that February 14 isn’t far away.

Now I don’t blame her, she’s in her mid-20s, has had a ‘steady’ boyfriend for about six months and they’re just about starting to talk about moving in together. I applaud their intention of going to an expensive resort to celebrate the day, indulging in their common love of red wine and seafood, while gazing into each other’s eyes and gifting themselves iPhones and Louis Vuitton handbags.

But after thirteen years of being with the same man, and spending ten of those occasionally in a state of dubious marital bliss, I feel inclined to give this concocted festival of looooove a miss.

I do have valid reasons, like it falls on a Monday this year. Mondays are not good days to think about love, simply because one hardly has the time between packing lunchboxes, doing the week’s shopping and racing to complete editing deadlines which I have slacked over all weekend.

Also, my husband would be completely bemused if the house was filled with candles, incense and soft music when he returned home from work. “What’s

Now we stare into each other’s eyes when arguing, simply because to look away would be a sign of acquiescence, and hey, I’m not going to be the one to back down, specially when it’s your fault!

We do hold hands, when humouring our younger son when he insists on playing ‘Ring-around-theroses’. We do give each other gifts, or rather a budget to spend on something of our choice, after the month’s expenses have been sorted out. So what if its only $5.30, something’s better than nothing! Now romantic purists may argue that there’s no personal touch in such an arrangement, that your partner needs to be surprised, but I assure you, it will be a surprise, albeit an unpleasant one, if you actually decide on buying him something with that amount.

I feel like such a cynic. Seems like my romantic streak has lost itself in the layers of cellulite I’ve been trying to lose for years.

Perhaps I should make an attempt at finding romance this V-Day, although the thought of our postie’s beer-suffused face and belly isn’t particularly appealing.

So perhaps I should try and bring romance into the home. Like attempt to make bisibelebath like his mom does. Hey, it won’t work, but maybe he’ll notice that I tried. Although it’s more likely that he’ll surreptitiously tip it in the bin and eat two bananas for dinner instead. And down them with a couple of extra beers.

Maybe I should get him a card, one of those mushy ones with lots of verse that he’s unlikely to read, which will be good as it wouldn’t make much sense to either of us anyway…too many words of four syllables. And enclose a large heart-shaped chocolate that he won’t eat. At least I’ll have a V-Day treat.

Or perhaps I should take my young friend’s advice and opt for the silk boxers with hearts on them. He itches in silk at the best of times, and that unique replacement in lieu of his conservative cotton shorts should be a sight worth seeing. Certainly, it’s unlikely that romance will be rekindled, but what the hell, we’ll die laughing instead.

So is humour a good substitute for romance this V-Day? You can bet your $5.30 it is!

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 43

ENTERTAINMENT

Do Dooni Char (2010)

Roti Kapda aur Makaan Some Bollywood movies deal with a variety of social themes, but a few gems actually tackle this sensitive concept with humour and laughter BY SHRADDHA ARJUN

Lately, it’s been one scandal after another on the Indian landscape. First was the CWG circus, then the 2G Spectrum scam, followed by the Adarsh Society scandal

Peepli Live (2010)

An old British club

and now, the rising price of food and basic necessities. The common man in India seems to be bearing the brunt of it all.

There have been many films made on a very serious note reflecting these realities of society, but only a few films talk about these issues in a lighter vein. Here’s a countdown of films that take a comic look at the problems faced by the common man.

This film has been a wonderful example of how a commercially successful film can also gain critical acclaim. The grim topic of farmers’ suicides is presented with a whacky sense of humour, but the message gets home loud and clear. The film also lampoons news organisations for their sensationalism and tendency to blow issues out of proportion. Issues facing rural India are brought fair and square to the forefront, hopefully to the powers-that-be. With Satyajit Ray-like courage, first-time film-maker Anusha Rizvi chose to cast unknown or lesser known actors, and to keep the dialogues raw and unpolished to add to the humour. The film is definitely worthy of the appreciation it has received on the international film festival circuit.

Khatta Meetha (1978) This film belongs to an era when films were made with small budgets and had simple and interesting storylines, and beautiful hummable songs. The movie has the veteran Ashok Kumar in the lead with Pearl Padamsee, Rakesh Roshan and Bindu. The story of two middle class families which unite as a result of remarriage of the parents, there are plenty of laughs as chaos rules in this strange blended household. Yet the issues of unemployment, rising prices and dreams of aspiring to higher levels in society, all crop up, and at one stage, homelessness looms large as well. But the family stick it out through thick and thin, managing to maintain dignity in a manner that is truly heartening. This film is undoubtedly one of the finest films made by Basu Chatterjee.

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This film by Habib Faisal starring yesteryear’s sweethearts Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, is a family entertainer that is genuinely heartwarming.

Middle class family man Rishi Kapoor does an honest day’s work as a teacher and a private tutor after hours. His dream is to buy his family their first piece of luxury – a car. While touching upon many pressing issues such as match-fixing, corrupt policemen, unaffordable prices of commodities, this simple film does not point fingers at anyone. It also addresses several other issues such as outsourcing (call centres), consumerism and the deteriorating value system that exist in Indian society today. The film is well written and even the grimmest situations are presented with a sense of humour. The best part is the happy ending, where the family is seen cruising the streets in their brand new car.

Munnabhai MBBS (2003) and Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006) Raj Kumar Hirani is often called the Hrishikesh Mukherjee of the 2k-generation of films. Who else would have had the courage to cast Sanjay Dutt with his bad boy image - as Munnabhai? Both films are about a menacing thug and his transformation into a humane and generous individual. This image makeover did wonders to Sanjay Dutt’s career. The character of Munnabhai is definitely “filmy” so to speak, however the film deals with issues of the man on the street. In the first film we catch a glimpse of the appalling situation of the healthcare system and the tyranny of moneymaking private hospitals and medical institutions. The second film takes a step forward and delves into other issues faced in society such as inequality, corruption and unethical practices. It manages to remind us of

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Khosla ka Ghonsla (2006)

Golmaal (1979) This is one of those timeless Hrishikesh Mukherjee classics which can be watched often and yet have the same effect at every viewing. (Ask me – I’ve seen it so many times that I can now roll off mouth the dialogues by heart!) It stars Amol Palekar, Hindi cinema’s quintessential ‘common man’, and touches on many issues such as unemployment, generation gap, undue influence of western values, and the disparity between rich and poor. The story as we know it is about an accountant who is willing to do anything to keep his job – to be able to provide for his sister and her wedding.

What he does in the process, and the consequences he faces as a result of his actions, are what makes the film funny. There is no dull moment in the film. The comic timing of the characters, especially that of thespian Utpal Dutt and Amol Palekar is impeccable.

Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron (1983)

Building a house of one’s own is a dream for many. This film directed by Dibakar Banerjee is a humorous take on the difficulties that the common man in India faces in the process. Issues such as corruption and bribery, a failing legal system, the deterioration of ethics, brain drain and that alluring “American Dream”, make up the backbone of the film.

Hilarious from start to end, even the direst situations like death, imprisonment and injustice are portrayed in a lighter vein. Veteran actor Anupam Kher is at his comic best; and Boman Irani is equally convincing as the bad guy, and both are immensely entertaining.

The manner in which the family makes use of loopholes in the system to turn the situation around in their favour, will have you in splits.

Pushpak (1987) One man who has the audacity to break clichés and stereotypes in cinema, and goes to great lengths to experiment, is Kamal Hassan - an excellent example of an actor who is capable not only of charming the masses, but also stimulating their minds. Having grown up on a staple diet of Kamal Hassan’s films, I’ve seen him try to outdo himself each time.

Here he teams with director Sangeetham Srinivas (with whom he’s always created magic) and music director Illayraja. The film is special not only because it has many well-known faces and names, but also because it is a silent film of the genre of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy (albeit minus the texts). The film deals with the common man’s aspirations as opposed to the issues he faces.

Kamal’s character, an educated unemployed youth, is in dire straits but gets the opportunity by chance to live the life of a rich man.

However when he experiences this lifestyle, he turns skeptical, and gives it all up! The bit in the film about a beggar on the street showing off his wealth accumulated by begging to an educated unemployed young man, is a slap on the cheek to the government. Apart from being a comedy, this film also has a romantic track running parallel to the rest of the plot, which is equally interesting. A must watch indeed!

This laugh-riot is a satire about the “system” which is crumbling. The lead characters Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani are honest and simple photographers seeking work, who get entangled in a sting operation that backfires. There are impediments to the system galore, such as manipulative politicians, lobbyists and dishonest builders and industrialists who cause damage to the nation and its people. When the media, the fourth pillar of society is misused as well, it makes things worse for the people as they have no other means of gauging the truth. The film captures the sentiments of underpaid and unemployed youth and the helplessness of the man on the street. So how does one make such a dismal subject so engaging and most importantly funny? In my opinion it’s the combination of the right people at the right time, with the likes of Pankaj Kapoor, Nina Gupta, Om Puri and Satish Shah adding to the cast. An absolute delight.

0

Well Done Abba (2010)

Shyam Benegal is known for excellence in cinema and is well respected as a filmmaker. He has been quite successful at telling stories to audiences of all ages. Though this film was not commercially successful, it brought out many sensitive issues, again presented in a lighter vein. A director of his calibre is more than capable of making such a simple and effective work of art. Boman Irani’s

the Gandhian philosophies and principles that are lacking in today’s modern India.

Benevolence, compassion and honesty are values propagated by the protagonist throughout the film. The humour is situational, but sometimes philosophical.

With the childlike charms of Circuit played

by Arshad Warsi, this is one film that’s worthy of yet another sequel.

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talent and potential is fully exploited in his role of a driver who hails from a small town in Andhra Pradesh. The film is about a government scheme that provides for digging wells for the residents of the impoverished village. Corruption and bribery at every stage of the process seems to squeeze out the best in him and his daughter (Minisha Lamba) with no outcome at all. So they decide to go on a hunger strike until they are given what they are rightfully entitled to. A positive and engaging film.

City of Clubs

When English dwellers in Kolkata increased, it was inevitable that they would try and find a place of their own to play sport and socialise in the same way they would have done at home. That gave rise to the idea of clubs and the first to be established, not just within the city but in the entire subcontinent, was the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club, built in 1792. Next followed the Calcutta Racquet Club in 1793, the oldest squash club in the world that still exists at the same location where it opened its doors two centuries ago. The Bengal Club, which is compared to the esteemed Oriental Club in London, was the first social one to emerge on the scene in 1827. Many Allfollowed these films have and more – clubs for hardship golf, tennis, swimming, rowing but message andproblems, the list went onthe withunderlying several local additions coming is Thus that there is alsodubbed hope! These films later. was Kolkata the “City of Clubs”. Today bring that across these clubs aremessage the playground forand the tell elite, and their ustradition not to take life’s obstacles style, and etiquette may nottoo be found anywhere that we should not dwell elseseriously, in the world.

upon them but take them with a pinch of salt and face life with a smile!

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 45

STARSFORETELL

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Tarot Tarot ‘n’ You Tarot predictions for February 2011 Tarot predictions for February 2010

By

NANCY SOOD www.nancysood.com

ARIES March 21 - April 19

LIBRA September 23 - October 22

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

SCORPIO October 23 - November 21

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

SAGITTARIUS November 22 - December 21

CANCER June 21 - July 22

CAPRICORN December 22 - January 19

LEO July 23 - August 22

AQUARIUS January 20 - February 18

You are on a roller coaster ride of positive self-expression, with an abundance of thoughts and plans. You seem to be charging ahead as usual with many different ideas and energy. In a relationship reading, it seems there is a possibility of a moment of truth and also the chance of a crisis. There is nothing to worry about as you will bounce back as always, as you really need to clear the air this time.

You have so much energy at the moment. To add to it, you are thinking positively too, so make the most of it all. There are many inchoate dreams and visions; the full moon will bring in many distractions and your innermost desires and feelings will come out in the open. You have some difficulties at work with a colleague, but your cool, calm behaviour will get you through. You are quite a favourite with your superiors at the moment.

You are all wired up in networking at the moment: it will surely bring in many new opportunities. There are many changes around you, as you will do a lot of self evaluation and self analysis. The cards indicate that you are also making decisions about your future course of action and a certain relationship. The month end brings in vibrancy and closer associations with friends and family, whom you may have been neglecting of late.

You are being sensitive and loving lately and can see the results as things are going your way, especially at work. If looking for work, there are opportunities coming. You will be out and about this month, but will also miss being at home. There may be some issues in the family with the health of an older member being a worry. Towards the end of the full moon, you will find courage to do what you want to do.

There seems to be a lot of ideas of travel and a change of scenery.

There seems to be a feeling of wanting to break from the norm and do things differently. You feel quite stuck at the moment and the cards show that you need to give yourself a chance to decide what you want to do.

Things are a little hectic around the full moon; be careful not to lose your temper when driving.

VIRGO August 23 - September 22

The mood this month is set to be harmonious, even romantic.

Communication will be your strongpoint, so make the most of it, especially towards the end of the month as the full moon approaches. Your partner/ colleague may be stressed out, but you will be supportive and calm. The cards also show that you will pamper yourself with some new purchases this month, so splurging is in order: that is the effect of the full moon.

You are filled with romantic thoughts and feelings this month. That’s good, because things have been a little up and down lately. You will find yourself in a deeper connection (with yourself/someone else) which will give you a lot of peace and harmony. Financially there is some good news, as you will find new contracts and contacts coming your way, so make hay while the sun shines. Health-wise, stick to good eating habits this month, avoid greasy food.

You seem to be very busy this month as there is high activity in your partnership house; you may experience some highs and lows. You are very caring and sharing at the moment but the cards show that you will be tempted to go into retreat mode this month, as you may be a little low on energy because of rushing around so much. There could be a purchase of a new car (Tarot shows the colour red).

You are currently going through a creative phase and your artistic streaks (or inventive ways) are truly amazing. Towards the end of the month, enthusiasm and excitement will reach fever pitch and you will find yourself speaking to many friends and colleagues about matters you have never discussed before. Harness this creative force to your benefit. Try not to be too harsh on someone you do not like at the office, you may regret your words.

You will feel home-oriented, with your family being a source of both mental and aesthetic delight. You are struggling to ground your creative vision, thus making it a practical reality. Your energy levels will increase and you will feel something deep inside you changing - your attitude, way of life and mode of survival. Things have been very difficult of late, but hone in on all you have achieved, embrace all that is coming your way. Try some meditation.

You’ve had a busy time lately – a lot to think about, perhaps. Your need for security is becoming stronger. The full moon brings issues of communication to the forefront. The cards show that you could also have a health issue – back pain, perhaps: take care when bending or lifting. There is going to be a holiday planned, as you have been working all hours and need to have a rest. You could take some time off to refresh yourself.

PISCES February 19 - March 20

You are on a communication rollercoaster this month, and your popularity and expansion are both growing. There will be some intimate sharing with loved ones towards the end of the month, and you will pour your heart out, which you have needed to do. You seem to be on a spiritual journey of late and also need to look at what you really want to do in life. Some of you Pisceans are a bit bored… aren’t you?!

KNOW THYSELF AS SOUL Sant Mat is a practical spiritual path based on meditation, ethical living, service to others & love for all creation. Its goal is to enable the soul to return & merge into its source; the purpose of human life described by mystics of all traditions. Discipline & dedication are essential, as is the help of a competent living master. Entry is via a preparation program.

There is no charge at any stage.

For more information...

Contact Vikas

0430 918 646 www.santmat.net.au

Know Thyself As Soul Foundation is a not for proft association incorporated in NSW

46 <> FEBRUARY 2011

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FICTION

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Beyond the horizon True love will not just stand the test of time, but also overcome the frailty of the human body and temperament BY GEORGE THAKUR

Shainal lived in his parent’s modest home in an outer Melbourne suburb. Academically brilliant, Shainal was characteristically humble and applied extra efforts at the medical school, always being conscious that his parents had sacrificed their limited resources for the future of their only son.

Down the road lived Supriya, a single child.

Equally brilliant, Supriya was also aware that medical school was a burden on her parents’ limited resources. Together, Shainal and Supriya would take the bus, train and tram each day to and from school. Studying together, they enjoyed the advantages of exploring complexities better. Ten hours a day spent together and surely the closest of friends, they never felt inclined to let their togetherness cross academic thresholds. Education, for the next five years, was a priority, as important as topping the school.

The families, sharing the same faith and language, hoped that after their children had established themselves in life, they would solidify their mutual friendship into a relationship. Sentiments, if obvious, are but seldom worded.

Around that time, a classmate commented, “You two are always together, you must love each other.” Supriya and Shainal laughed off

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the superfluous, but when returning home, Supriya asked, “Shainal, can you imagine us married once we begin to practice?” She had certainly viewed a promise of the future in Shainal’s eyes.

“Yes, Supriya,” Shainal replied honestly.

“Once I finish my education, journeying through life with you would be the only significant engagement of my existence.”

As luck would have it, at the beginning of the final year a new student named Naveen joined the class. While most students travelled to and from school using public transport, the handsome, well-dressed and evidently rich Naveen would commute from his high-rise apartment in the city in his sports car, although it was no great distance.

At the valedictory luncheon at the end of their studies, a beauty parlour dolled up Supriya with rouge and lipstick, adorned her hair, applied mascara to her eyes, discarded her spectacles and standard jeans and instead, decked her up in a silk sari with high heels.

This seemingly subdued girl’s natural beauty shone, astounding students and teachers alike.

Naveen, who had never bestowed even a look at Supriya, was instantly smitten. He came over, introduced himself, took Supriya’s elbow and ushered her to his table. Overtwhelmed by this gesture of alien familiarity, Supriya went along without as much as a whisper in protest. “Some people need to meet you,” Naveen decided, and drove Supriya to his parent’s mansion in the prestigious Toorak Village.

For the first time in five years Shainal

returned home alone, a half-struck arrow bleeding his chaste heart. *** Naveen married Supriya and they visited choice destinations for their honeymoon. A happy Supriya gave birth to a baby girl. But medical complications were noticed and after detailed tests were conducted, Supriya was diagnosed as suffering from multiple sclerosis; a degenerative central nervous system disease.

Soon, MS infected her brain, spinal chord and nerves, and she was bedridden. Naveen spent heavily on her treatment, had the best of overseas specialists examine her, but to no avail. Despite her condition, once again Supriya gave birth, and this time it was a boy. Supriya developed heart disease, but her condition would not allow her to be operated upon.

Returning home after visiting Supriya at the hospital one day, Shainal spotted Naveen in an amorous embrace with a beautiful girl inside his car. Supriya was a weight around his neck, and the still young and rich Naveen divorced her. From Naveen’s palatial residence, Supriya and her children ended up back at her parent’s modest cottage. Although devastated, Supriya did not blame Naveen.

Clinging to a faint hope, Shainal studied medical journals, consulted colleagues\ and visited Supriya every day, for she was as much the love of life as today as when she was healthy. Finally, the doctor called and informed Shainal that Supriya had just a month to live.

Immediately Shainal cut short work, and rushed to her side, taking along a priest with whom he

had shared the story of his love for Supriya.

The presence of a priest made Supriya realise that her end was nigh, but instead, the priest suggested that she marry Shainal. A cripple marrying a good man seemed infinitely unfair to Shainal, but Supriya accepted and made Shainal the happiest man in the world. Supriya moved to her new home and had her children adopt Shainal’s family name.

Ten hours a day spent together and surely the closest of friends, they never felt inclined to let their togetherness cross academic thresholds Willingly Shainal wheel-chaired Supriya on a multi-faith pilgrimage the world over. He took her to fun movies, went at lengths to ease her pain by making her smile, coaxed her to taste vegetarian food from France, Brazil, South Africa, even England. His need for physical intimacy with his wife, though natureimplanted, never was a necessity to him. He sincerely doted on his children just as he doted on his wife and went out of his way to make them happy. The families forgot that Supriya lived on borrowed time.

Supriya enjoyed three fulfilling years with Shainal and died peacefully in her sleep. Shainal lived to the age of eighty-two, and never knew another woman.

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 47

BUZZ

ENTERTAINMENT

The

Caterina’s cabaret Bhindi Bazaar Inc. has been making webwaves with its impressive preview on various internet sites. The movie, by London based producer Karan Arora of Highground Enterprises is on the ascend where momentum is concerned.

And one of the reasons for its hype seems to be thanks to Caterina Lopez, sexy-hot cousin of equally sexy-hot Jennifer Lopez, who has done a sultry item number for the movie.

The beautiful and exotic Caterina Lopez has performed a sizzling number as a bar dancer, at a crucial time in the movie. The song marks a turning point in the script, revealing a suspense that shockingly takes the plot to another level. The lyrics of the song, Taan ke seena... ho ja kameena are reminiscent of the cabarets performed in the sixties. Caterina seems thrilled with her work on the item number. “I jumped at it, as this gave me the perfect chance to work in Mumbai and get familiar with Bollywood. The way Jennifer has made her own mark in Hollywood .... I would love to leave my footprints in Bollywood. I am sure this number is going to be 2011’s no 1 item song!” she enthused. Caterina is excited

for all the right reasons - she loves being in Mumbai, is a Shah Rukh Khan fan, wants to learn Hindi, is not averse to making India her second home, and finally, to making a career in Bollywood.

The Latin beauty feels that the song was a good opportunity for her to try her luck in Bollywood. “I did have a good idea about the industry here. I thought this song would be a great platform for my Bollywood introduction. I also quite liked the song, and really connected with it,” Caterina said.

Of course, she did have her share of difficulties while shooting the song in Hindi, an alien language for her.

“It was not easy learning the whole Bollywood style of dancing because it’s very different. Learning the song was also very tough but once I got the hang of it, it became better. Honestly, I think I did a good job,” she said.

Bhindi Bazaar Inc. also stars critically acclaimed actors Deepti Naval, Kaykay Menon and Pawan Malhotra among others.

Well, if she’s anything like her glam Hollywood cousin, we can be sure that Caterina’s cabaret will be a hit, regardless of bhindis or bazaars…

CATERINA LOPEZ

GUESS WHO

His success on the ramp did not translate to the silver screen (Find the answer under Caption Contest)

48 <> FEBRUARY 2011

Glitz, glamour galore at Imran-Avantika wedding reception

Be it out of love for the newly-married couple or the sheer goodwill their superstar uncle Aamir Khan enjoys, people from every generation in Bollywood, along with bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and players graced actor Imran Khan and Avantika’s wedding reception.

The party began late in the evening on February 5 at the Taj Lands End hotel, and continued into the morning of February 6, but everyone had a good time. Shah Rukh Khan was the last to arrive late in the morning but he was at his jovial best. Aamir received him at the gate with a warm hug.

Shah Rukh and his wife Gauri are seen as the ideal couple in Bollywood, but the superstar didn’t give any golden tips on matrimony to the couple. “I charge for my advice. I don’t give free advice to anyone,” he joked again.

Asked what he gifted to the couple, he said, “I hugged them tightly with love. I don’t think any gift can be bigger than my heartfelt love.”

Imran married his long-time girlfriend Avantika in early January, and the reception

was held after the couple returned from their honeymoon in Thailand.

Among the first ones to arrive at the gala reception was master blaster Sachin Tendulkar with wife Anjali. Yuvraj Singh and boxer Vijendra followed them. They stayed for few minutes and left after wishing the couple.

From the film fraternity, the whole Kapoor family - Shammi Kapoor and his nephews Rishi Rapoor and Randhir Kapoor arrived together to bless the newly-weds. Kareena Kapoor and Ranbir Kapoor too joined them.

Dev Anand and very surprisingly, Dilip Kumar with wife Saira Banu, too graced the occasion.

Salman Khan, R. Madhavan with wife Sarita, Akshay Kumar with wife Twinkle Khanna, Hrithik Roshan with wife Susanne Khan, Suniel Shettty, Govinda, Jackie Shroff, Bobby Deol, Anupam Kher, Irrfan Khan, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna, Tusshar Kapoor and his father Jeetendra, Zayed Khan and Sanjay Khan were among the celebrities who attended the bash.

Bollywood beauties Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif, Preity Zinta, Anushka Sharma,

Rani Mukherji and Vidya Balan too made an appearance. Deepika Padukone arrived with her friend Siddharth Mallya.

Juhi recalled, “I’ve known Imran since he was a kid. He played the role of young Aamir in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. I wish them all the very best and a very happy married life.”

Among Bollwood producers and directors, Ashutosh Gowarikar with wife Sunita, Milan Luthria with wife Liane, Sudhir Mishra, Raju Hirani, Imtiyaz Ali, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Yash Chopra with wife Pamela, Mukesh Bhatt and Farah Khan, all came to wish the couple.

DEEPIKA PA

DUKONE

INDIAN LINK

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decided to get married. That won’t change,” said Celina, 30.

Celina is the country’s tourism ambassador in India.

She intends to visit Egypt as soon as the present unrest subsides, possibly to begin plans for what seems to be an extravagant ceremony.

“The recent events in Egypt have left us all completely and totally astounded. Whatever happens next will impact Egypt and its people in a big way. My prayers are that whatever the outcome, it should be of a positive nature,” said the actress who last visited the country in December 2010.

“I spent an entire month there until midDecember on a shoot. I attended the Cairo film festival as a member of the jury, and even shot for an ad campaign all over Cairo without a clue about any (such) incident taking (place in) Egypt.”

Celina has initiated a campaign for peace in Egypt on her official website. “It’s called Pray For Egypt. Twitter followers are invited to offer their prayers for peace in the region,” said the actress who has worked in films like No Entry and Golmaal Returns.

So will the Egyptians sort out their internal problems by September to accommodate Ms. Jaitley’s matrimonial plans? I wonder….

Hot ‘n’ cold for Hum Dono

AVANTIKA AND IMRAN

Singer Bappi Lahiri, Rupkumar Rathore, Alka Yagnik lyricists Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi were seen at the do.

Even warring cousins Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena and Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena came under one roof to bless the couple.

Megastar Amitabh Bachhan and his family however, could not attend.

“We are very happy that all our friends, colleagues and seniors are attending the reception to offer their best wishes to Imran and Avantika. I spoke to Amitji but he is not in town, so he was unable to attend the party,” revealed Aamir.

And as with the rest, we all wish the happy couple a blissful wedded life.

Dhoondo, Deepika, dhoondo!

She is still looking for the right man, says Deepika Padukone who is often spotted with industrialist Vijay Mallya’s son Siddharth, after breaking up with Ranbir Kapoor.

“I haven’t thought of marriage. I still have to find the right man to even consider marriage,” Deepika said recently at Imran Khan and Avantika’s wedding reception, where she arrived accompanied by the faithful Siddharth.

When asked about their relationship, Siddharth passed the buck back to Deepika

saying, “I have planned nothing as yet. You should ask her.”

Commenting upon the rumour about his relationship with the sexy star, he said, “I was out of the country when I heard of it, it made me laugh.”

Deepika, who featured with Imran in Break Ke Baad made it a point to attend her co-star’s wedding reception, arriving straight from the airport after a shoot in Bhopal to be there.

Let’s hope Imran makes the same effort whenever Deepika makes up her mind or finds her man – whichever comes first!

Marriage venue mayhem for Celina

Celina Jaitly has finally fixed the happy day to tie the knot with Dubai-based Austrian businessman Peter Haag, and the event will be on September 23, 2011. However, her choice of venue for holding the wedding is a bit confusing, as Celina’s decided to marry in Egypt, which is currently going through political turmoil, with a series of protests and demonstrations leaving the country in turmoil.

However, Celina remains optimistic that things will settle down by September. “By September I’m sure everything will be back to normal in Egypt. It has to be. A strife of this sort cannot last for more than some days. Peter and I will take our marriage vows in Egypt and nowhere else. We decided that when we

The coloured version of Dev Anand’s 1961 classic Hum Dono has got a mixed response from cinegoers. Middle-aged viewers, curious to see it in its new form, are enjoying it, while youngsters don’t find it too interesting.

“The response has been terrific. It is something unheard that even after 60 years of Dev Anand being in the industry, the film is still running. It is a wonderful and a memorable movie. Our first show ran houseful. I am confident that the film will do well,” said Piyush Raizada, director, Delight Cinema in an interview.

The 1961 black and white classic has been colourised in the US and is in CinemaScope with Dolby Digital Ex surround sound. It was released in 250 screens all over India recently - of them, 101 theatres in Mumbai and 45 movie halls in Delhi viewed the movie.

Directed by Amarjeet and produced by the legend himself, Hum Dono was the last black and white film from Dev Anand’s banner Navketan and he played a double role for the first time.

But the film has failed to attract youngsters.

“People in their forties who must have watched the film in their younger years, are more curious to see the film. Youngsters don’t seem much interested,” admits Amit Awasthi, senior manager (Programming and Operations) Spice Cinemas.

Yogesh Raizada, corporate head (Cinemas) of Wave Cinemas, echoed similar views. “The response has been lukewarm. I believe it’s the generation gap that is keeping youngsters way.

I don’t think it would run for long,” he said.

CAPTION CONTEST

What’s the chitchat between Priyanka and Shahid?

Send in your responses to info@indianlink.com.au and win a surprise prize

Last issue Caption Contest winning entry

What are Suneil Shetty and Anil Kapoor saying to each other here?

Kya kool hain hum, even after all these years….

Priya Verma Armidale NSW Priya wins a free ticket to new release Saat Khoon Maaf Some other good ones With a bit of plastic surgery and hair dye, we can still give the young actors a run for their money.

Raj Saneja Sunil to Anil: How could the 24 producers not notice me?

Maninder Sandhu GUESS WHO ANSWER: Milind Soman

INDIAN LINK DEV ANAND

CELINA JAIT

FEBRUARY 2011 <> 49

LEY

ENTERTAINMENT

Cine Talk Funny and moving Film: Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji Cast: Ajay Devgn,Emran Hashmi,Omi Vaidya,Tisca Chopra,Shazahn Padamsee, Shruti Haasan, Shraddha Das Director: Madhur Bhandarkar

Ummm….Picture to achcha hai jee! Disregarding the rather strenuously upbeat ending Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji (DTBHJ) turns out to be quite a charming and clever concoction. Though this time Madhur Bhandarkar, one of the strongest celluloid creators of contemporary times, veers into virgin territory, the trademark Bhandarkar touches, like the almost-incestuous use of sex as a bartering point between the sexes, are evident everywhere in this multi-plot story of

love, sex and betrayal during times of laughter music and backchat in Mumbai.

The writing (by Bhandarkar, Anil Pandey and Neeraj Udwani) weaves skillfully through the hearts and conscience of our three main characters who are designed to be a study in contrasts and yet so believable, you can touch their lives by just watching them stumble, fall and redeem themselves in tentative, sometimes funny, sometimes moving ways.

This, then, is the story of three housemates wading through the concrete jungle of Mumbai in search of love, sex and, yes, a sense of belonging. Their homes, hearts and environment look believable.

Though projected outwardly as a comedy, DTBHJ has deeper, darker resonances that we cannot miss even if we are too busy laughing at the protagonists’ clumsy attempts to get lucky in love.

Bhandarkar’s narration communicates that sense of empty enjoyment that you can feel under all the glitz and noise of Mumbai’s racing pulse. Omi Vaidya, who plays the most idealistic love-seeker of the triumvirate, says to the go-getting struggler from Mumbai (Shraddha Das) at a pub, “How can people talk in here?” She of course doesn’t hear him.

She’s lost in the pursuit of her wanna-shine dreams that take her further and further out of reach of true love.

Vaidya is in splendid form here, far more in control of his character’s destiny than in 3 Idiots. In the way he hybridizes his yankee accent with Marathi and a sense of earnestness with a subtle tone of mischief, Vaidya is absolutely endearing. So is Emran Hashmi.

Playing the character with the steepest graph, Hashmi goes from Tisca Arora’s toyboy to the new-age Devdas rejected in love by the savvy NRI chick who has social conscience and a practical attitude to men.

When Shruti Haasan (looking so lovely you know she’s found her metier in Hindi films) turns around and tells the philanderer, “Yeah, so we slept together. So what? It wasn’t your first time nor mine,” you know that Bhandarkar has not abandoned his scathing and savage exploration of urban values which made his heroine-centric dramas from Chandni Bar to Fashion so unforgettable. He’s only added laughter to his cinema.

In DTBHJ, Bhandarkar walks a tightrope.

He has to balance the laughter with the dark underbelly of Mumbai’s beautiful, but alas, desolate people. Besides the powerful writing (Sanjay Chel’s dialogues are tongue-in-cheek and sometimes killing in their effectual demolition of the sacred cows of urban conduct) and razor-sharp characterization (barring the caricatured

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people in Devgn’s office), the film gets high marks for dead-on casting.

Every actor breathes life into the constantly mutating comedy. If we care for all the three love stories that run in criss cross but never crass fashion, it is because the actors go beyond their own personalities in search of the people they play. While Omi Vaidya and Emran Hashmi make a great impact, it is Ajay Devgn, echoing Amol Palekar’s Common Man from the 1970s, who must be congratulated in the loudest voice for abandoning his 6-pack mean-mirth-machine image to play a mousy middle-aged divorcee with the hots for his comely secretary.

Among the female cast, Shazahn Padamsee is extremely easy on the eyes and fits her bubbly ingenue’s part like a chic glove. Tisca Arora as the bored socialite who strays into a lust liaison with an ever-ready glorified gigolo, lends a certain weight to the proceedings with her fiery eyes.

DTBHJ is a true-blue sex comedy that doesn’t lapse into unnecessary passages of vulgarity and innuendos. Though Bhandarkar has sought inspiration from the romantic comedies by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Basu Chatterjee, the style of storytelling and the tantalizing merger of libido and urban morality would have flummoxed those celebrated comedy makers.

Times have changed. So have the films.

Thankfully we still have filmmakers who believe the story is the hero. This is the world of Bhandarkar’s Page 3 coming together with the laughter of Blake Edwards’ rom-coms.

A must-see film with enough meat in the plot to keep us engaged till the end. And three actors who never take off their shirts even when they are sweating in nervous anxiety.

Subhash K. Jha

Music still sweeps you away in this old classic Film: Hum Dono (coloured version) Cast: Dev Anand, Sadhana, Nanda Director: Amarjeet Abhi na jao chhod kar ke dil abhi bhara nahin…

The anthemic love ballad in Hum Dono, regarded as one of the finest love songs ever composed for Hindi cinema, rings through your heart after the lengthy film is done - and let’s face it, nearly three hours of playing-time for a longforgotten war saga can get tedious when you have the next chapter in the Egyptian civil-war waiting at home.

Yes, Hum Dono is back. The 1961 film about two lookalike soldiers who become friends at war, is as far-fetched in plot as…say, today’s Dabangg or James Cameron’s Avatar.

Indeed, the film’s old-world values of valour, integrity, loyalty, fidelity and trustworthiness seem to belong to another era, if not a completely different planet. They are rescued from fading by computer-coloured velocity.

Admittedly even today Hum Dono makes a fairly engaging triangular love story with war at its backdrop.

The coloured version that has come to us now leaves us with mixed feelings. Though at first one enjoys the splash of colour that is added to V. Ratra’s outstanding blackand-white cinematography, a lot of the film’s original visual intensity is lost in the new translation.

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We are left wondering who decided what colour Dev Anand’s shirt or Sadhana’s sari was meant to be! Did the colour-generating department check with the film’s core team to decide the colour schemes? If not, is it ethical or even legally permissible to tamper with the film’s creators’ original vision?

The Dolby-enhanced sound leaves no room for quibble.

Jaidev’s music score, considered by many aficionados to be one the 10 finest Hindi motion-picture soundtracks of all times, heals all the wounds of excessive coloured flamboyance.

Whether it is Mohammad Rafi and Asha Bhosle’s duet Abhi na jao or Lata Mangeshkar’s immortal bhajan Allah tero naam, or those two imperishable Rafi ghazals Kabhi khud pe kabhi halaat pe rona aaya and Main zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya… you just can’t help being swept into the sheer melody of the moment.

The casually stylish way the songs are shot, the sharp close-ups being intercut with lyrical poetic long-shots, incidental but intense interludes of passion played out in the visual detailing, all carry the distinctive stamp of Vijay Anand

who wrote Hum Dono.

The film’s direction is credited to Amarjeet, who later directed Dev Anand in a film called Gambler.

Ah, Dev Anand…a star beyond any definition of stardom!

He shines with meteoric melancholy in the double role of men at war with themselves, much more than for their country. The way this debonair actor enacts the solo numbers by Rafi makes you wonder whether the song came first, or was it inspired by the face that conveys the numbers on screen?

Sadhana (impish, coquettish) and Nanda (tremulously poignant) are lovely supplements to the Dev Anand mystique. What was he thinking when he romanced these beautiful ladies? Surely more than what Sahir Ludhianvi’s love-lorn lyrics describe!

They don’t make stars like Dev Anand any more. They never will. Or for that matter a film so suffused in the splendour of its own cultivated grace - impossibly to come by in today’s era of pelvic passion.

Indeed, abhi na jaao chhod kar…

Subhash K. Jha INDIAN LINK

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FEBRUARY 2011 <> 51

Matrimonials SEEKING BRIDES

M

atch required for India-born Jat Sikh boy, temporary residence going to apply for permanent residence, 25 year old, 5’10”, fair complexion, BSc (medical), diploma in horticulture, father Govt employee, brother in Italy. Looking for a girl from an Australiasettled family. Call 0430 472 878, or email bali_heer@yahoo.co.in

S

eeking well-educated Hindu girl in Australia for 31-year-old, well settled Hindu Punjabi boy in Sydney. The boy has finished Masters in IT from Deakin University Melbourne. For further enquiries contact Nitin Gera (brother) 0401 279 200 or nitingera.work@gmail.com

S

eeking a Gujarati girl with good family values, for my son, 35, divorced since 3 years, no children, tax consultant, fair, 5’8”, non-smoker, light drinks, eggetarian, living in Sydney since 18 years. Contact 0402 416 353 or hp11869@hotmail.com.

F

iji Hindu, 52, dual Australian / New Zealand citizenship, living in Liverpool, Sydney, seeks Hindu wife from India or Fiji, age 30-45. Please email details / pics to ron_87singh@hotmail.com

M

atch for Sydney-resident never married, 28 year old, slim, handsome, fair complexioned, Sood Punjabi boy, IT professional, 5’9”. Seeking Indian girl. Caste no bar, girl’s merit main consideration. Please call 0416 407 496.

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0-year-old Punjabi Brahmin male, 6 feet, fair, handsome, double degree holder, Reigistered Nurse, Australian

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citizen living in Sydney, seeks suitable match of honest girl with good family values. Caste no bar. Please reply with photo and details amit4012@hotmail.com or call 0431647402.

S

eeking an alliance for Valmiki boy, 36, 5’8”, very well educated, LLB, MIB (AUS) government employee, Australian citizen. Parents are seeking a well educated, homely girl with traditional values. Caste no bar. Respond with photo and complete bio at valmikiboy@hotmail.com or call 0431 159 221.

SEEKING GROOMS

P

atel family invites correspondence from upper caste Gujarat family for 1979 born, good-looking girl, 5’4’’.

M.Com, government job in India, visiting Australia in March. Brother settled in Australia. Email biodata with photo, dips1988@gmail.com

A

lliance invited for a good looking Malaysian Hindu Tamil girl, 30 years, 5’ 4” IT degree working for a bank in Sydney. Seeks Hindu Tamil professional or degree holder of good family background.

Family members are Australian PR holders.

Contact details 04 7802 4860 or email mahaworlwide@yahoo.com

S

eeking a 27-31-year-old male of FijiIndian background with strong social, cultural and religious values, preferably a non-drinker, residing in Australia or New Zealand, must be a University graduate, vegetarian and a non-smoker.

F

or an Australian born, well educated and established 27-year-old female with similar values. Please forward a photo and full details to amdm01@hotmail.com

photograph at 0423 749 793 or email sujayinmel@gmail.com, sanchi26@gmail.com, or rjp5306@gmail.com

D

S

r. G. L Gupta settled in Australia since 1970 seeks match for Hyderabadbased grand daughter, DOB 7 Nov 1986, 5’ 4” fair with sharp features. Graduate in Commerce, PG Diploma in Banking and Finance from IFBI and working in ICICI Bank. Coming to Sydney. Seeking Hindu preferably Agarwal professional match.

Contact 0401 448 186 / 0404 833 750. E mail giri32@yahoo.com.au

3

3-year-old Fijian Indian female seeks Hindu male 33-35, never married, Australian citizen, graduate, vegetarian and tall. She is tall, slim, vegetarian, never married, and has an Australian degree.

Please send full profile with a recent photo to email arnj01@hotmail.com

W

ell established Indian Hindu family from Fiji living permanently in Melbourne seek a professionally qualified boy with good career background for their daughter, 28+. Five feet tall, medium complexion, slim, attractive, Australian born, University graduate. Please send in absolute confidence your biodata, telephone number, recent photograph and email address to The Advertiser, PO Box 339, Naree Warren South, 3805.

C

orrespondence invited from a wellto-do established young man aged between 31 to 36, for a charming, pretty Hindu girl of 32, working in India in an MNC as HR Manager, Bangalore India.

Please contact with profile and recent

eeking match for 39/165, unmarried, fair, slim, beautiful, Indian Punjabi girl, family oriented and responsible, traditional values, IT professional, brought up in India.

Australian citizen. Early marriage. Can relocate. Serious enquiries only. Caste no bar.

Email with photo: sydgirl09@gmail.com

W

anted 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 with a brief marriage. She is a 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 to.sweet@hotmail.com

P

unjabi Arora parents seeking wellsettled/professional match for beautiful, slim, unmarried, 37/ 165 IT professional with strong family values.

Brought up in India, settled in Sydney.

Australian citizen. Status family. Caste no bar. Early marriage. Email with photo: ausgirl101@gmail.com

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