2011-03 Sydney (2)

Munni takes Melb to Guinness Book

INDIAN LINK

PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR

Sheryl Dixit

MELBOURNE

Preeti Jabbal

CONTRIBUTORS

Time for a new beginning

Sandip

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

By all accounts and pre polls, by March 27, NSW will have a new Premier and a new party in control at Macquarie Street. Barry O’Farrell and his Coalition team will very likely be setting up shop, and NSW would have punished Labor for its mismanagement and excesses over the past few years. That things got from bad to worse in the last two years was clear to everyone, and the Labor brand has been damaged with controversy and corruption allegations. It is time for change, and change is what NSW will see.

At time of writing this editorial, the election is still a few days away and if predictions come true, the Coalition of Liberals and Nationals will win the Lower House by a landslide. This will allow them to come out swinging against what they perceive are the excesses in the system. Expect to see some drastic changes to certain sectors in the local economy. In relation to us AustralianIndians, one suspects that institutions such as the Community Relations Commission will be put under the spotlight and perhaps realigned with the Liberal’s multicultural strategy. However, what may be an advantage is that the local Indian community has, for the first time, been an active participant in the local political process. In retrospect, it is

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

likely that we will look to being rewarded by successful candidates who owe a significant modicum of their win to the community.

Any attention that the local Indian community can draw to its challenges in NSW will only help. More provision for the elderly through ethnically aware nursing care benefits, assistance in facilitating greater understanding between the Indian and Australian community in NSW, pressure to introduce and accept Hindi as a language in the local school curriculum, are some priorities. These and other suggestions made by Indian community representatives to the newly formed government can go a long way towards becoming a reality.

Giving credit where credit is due is only fair. The Labor government in NSW has been good to the Indian community. Starting with ex-NSW Premier Nathan Rees, the Indian community has been feted by the Labor party. The Sydney Festival’s sponsorship of AR Rahman,

the Parramasala initiative and other benefits implemented by Premier Kristina Kennelly instilled a sense of pride. And because this happened when the community was still reeling from the attacks on Indian students and its aftermath, and the negative publicity associated with the Commonwealth Games, Labor’s support was a boost to our self-esteem. Labor has been a good friend of the Indian community in NSW. For the Liberals and the new NSW government, it will be important to continue this relationship. The Indian community is growing increasingly articulate and more involved in the local process. It understands the value of a democratic process and can be vocal in its demands. It is a friend the Liberals have cultivated prior to the elections, and this friendship needs to flourish for the future for both parties. Barry O’Farrell has committed to furthering the relationship between NSW and India, and he needs to use the depth of his talent in associating with the local Indian Australian community.

If past records are any indication and with a landslide victory expected on March 26, the Coalition will be in power for at least 6 years, if not longer. Expect to see a different NSW in 2017.

Hor, Priyanka Tater, Anusha Menon, Deepa Gopinath, Sydney Srinivas, Anup Kumar, Ritam Mitra, Noel G deSouza, Dilip Jadeja, Malli Iyer, Sudha Natarajan, Saroja Srinivasan, Rani Jhala, Shraddha Arjun.

What’s On

SPIRITUAL

Manav Dharam Society of Australia

Fri 25 Mar Pravachan on Atmagyan by Mahatma Suvidhya Baiji at Sri Mandir, 286 Cumberland Rd, Auburn. 7.308.30 pm.

9 – 12 April Ram Naumi Mahotsav at 29 Randwick Close, Casula. 7.009.00pm.

Details Mahatma Suvidhya Baiji on 0422 059 772 or Sanjeet on 0432 682 275.

Chetichand

Sun 3 April Sydney Sindhi

Association invites all to join in the annual Chetichand celebrations to be held at Sri Mandir Auburn between 11am and 3pm. For more information please visit www. sydneysindhiassociation.org

FUNDRAISERS

Holi Hullad

Fri 25 March Rekha Rajvanshi presents Holi Hullad, a fundraiser for the Queensland flood affected. Enjoy the spirit of Holi with Bollywood songs, dances, humorous poetry, tambola and Bollywood trivia and traditional Holi dinner. 7.30pm-11.00pm at Parravilla Function Centre, 42 Campbell St Parramatta. Details Rekha Rajvanshi 0403 116 301.

SOCIAL

OneWorld Multicultural Festival in Hornsby

Sun 20 Mar Harmony Day and cultural diversity in Hornsby Shire will be celebrated at Hornsby Park with music, dance, food and fireworks from noon to 8pm. See traditional performances by Aboriginal, Indian, Korean, Chinese and many more multicultural groups. Sample traditional cuisine from around the globe or pick up a bargain at the festival markets. Watch thrilling fireworks display at 8pm. Details visit www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/whatson or call 9847 6739

South Africans of Indian origin

unite

Sat 16 April South African Indians commemorate the 150 th anniversary of the 1860 Legacy, the coming of their fore-fathers from India to South Africa, through a special dinner dance event at the Bowman Hall in Blacktown. The event will commence at 6.30pm. Details Kogilan & Leelum (4627 6034 H 0402 316 806 M); Poobal & Selvie (4625 4996 H 0415 132 928 M).

SENIORS WEEK 2011

RAIN event

Thur 24 Mar

Resourceful Australian

Indian Network (RAIN) announces a ‘Herbal Green Bolly-Food Festival at Senior Citizens’ Centre, 91 Queens Road, Hurstville, 12.30pm to 3.00pm. Program includes henna celebration, cooking with herbs competition, herbal delicacies book launch, talk on herbal remedies, Bollywood entertainment and lunch for seniors. Details Sudha 9585 9158.

Sri Om Care events

Fri 25 Mar Riverstone

Neighbhorhood Centre, Park Street, Riverstone from 10.00am to 1.00 pm.

Sat 26 Mar Liverpool Library Hall, Liverpool from 11.00am to 3.00pm

Sun 27 Mar Picnic at Auburn Park Macquarie Road, Auburn

Details Jay Raman 0410 759 906.

MISC

CAWS

CAWS is a not for profit organisation whose mission is to introduce people with intellectual disability to unpaid community members. Individuals are sought to take an ongoing personal interest in a person with intellectual disability (residing in Parramatta, Blacktown & Baulkham Hills council areas). Training and ongoing support are provided by experienced professional staff. For further information contact

Kaye 9893 8210 or email: office@caws.com.au

Nutrition researcher seeks subjects

Are you an Indian origin mum with children 1 year to 5 years of age?

Rati Jani, a child nutrition researcher from Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, would like some information from you. You must be older than 18 years of age, residing in Australia for more than 1 year and less than 8 years. If you’d like to share your experience and help Rati in her research, please complete a questionnaire survey about your feeding practices. The questionnaire is in English and will take about 20 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is online at: http://survey.qut.edu.au/ survey/171152/1429/ If you wish to fill in a hardcopy please contact Rati on (07) 3138 6223 or email rati.jani@ student.qut.edu.au. (This project has been approved by the QUT ethics committee, approval number 1000000943).

Students seek help

Do you have a spare or second hand fridge, washing machine or wardrobe? New students need some help from the community. Details Chidanand 0402 644 761.

Engaging with India

Sydney University steps up on ongoing initiatives to develop a long and sustainable relationship with elite Indian institutions

BY SANDIP HOR

One of Australia’s leading educational institutions, Sydney University is keen to build on its existing links with the Indian Institutes of Technology and other leading universities, covering growth areas such as medicine and health, agriculture and food security, engineering, economics and business. Their strategy is to move forward by creating deep and lasting links with appropriate Indian agencies and institutions, and by establishing research partnerships that are sustainable and mutually beneficial, so as to demonstrate to their Indian partners, including the government, that there exist long-term Indian interests.

To pursue this, a high profile 17-member delegation of academic leaders and researchers from the University visited India recently. This was the University’s third official trip to the sub continent in recent years.

The successful outcomes from the week-long visit were presented and discussed at a reception hosted by Amit Dasgupta, the Consul General of India in Sydney, in honour of the delegation.

The objective of the delegation, led by Prof. John Hearn, Deputy Vice Chancellor (International) was to double the university’s engagement with India in the next five years, with an emphasis on key areas of research and academic mobility.

The intent, to show total commitment to an equal relationship and present India as a knowledge leader both regionally and globally, seemed fulfilled.

According to Prof. Hearn, who was born in India, it was an important stepping stone towards building a stronger relationship between the countries, particularly at a time when safety of Indian students in Australia is still being questioned. This was reinstated by the Consul General, whose wise guidance and advice on India was highly acknowledged by the delegation.

The tour began with two general and two faculty level events in New Delhi, followed by over forty meetings and workshops in seven other Metropolitan cities, which resulted in several agreements in the pipeline with leading Indian institutions – Jawaharlal Nehru University New Delhi, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, National Law School Hyderabad, Christian Medical College Vellore to name a few. During the meetings experts from both sides shared knowledge on many contemporary subjects, important to both countries, ranging from tissue engineering,

telemedicine to food security. A highlight of the visit was the symposium in New Delhi on academic partnership, which included very engaging sessions on Innovation, Health and Frontiers of Science and Technology.

Sydney University has identified India as one of its top three regions for future engagement. Prior to this delegation’s visit, 14 participants in Sydney University’s new Global Executive MBA spent two weeks in Bangalore in October, led by Dr Richard Seymour and Prof. Richard Dunford from the Faculty of Economics and Business, focusing on early stage business opportunities in developing and rapidly growing economies such as India. The program, called ‘Creating and Developing New Opportunities’, was one of three units offered as part of the Global Executive MBA focusing on different stages of the business

opportunity lifecycle. Participants were introduced first-hand to the challenges and issues facing entrepreneurs or managers who have created new ventures and are seeking to enter the Indian market. Dr Seymour says the opportunity was a oncein-a-lifetime educational experience for the participants.

Also to be noted is pioneering work by Dr Michael Dibley from the University’s International Public Health Department on an important project called ‘Infant Feeding in India and South Asia’, which aims to improve complementary feeding and reduce child malnutrition’.

To discuss further activities with India, Sydney University is hosting an “India Forum” on 13 April 2011, where guest speakers will be Amit Dasgupta, Neville Roach, David Stuart from DFAT and Chandan Mitra, Member of Parliament India and Editor of Pioneer newspaper.

It was also announced that on 20 May 2011, Sydney University will be conferring a honorary Doctor of Engineering degree to distinguished engineer, technologist and former President of India Dr A.P.J Abdul Kalam, in recognition of his outstanding contribution beyond the expectations of the person’s particular field of endeavour, which has influenced the thinking or general well-being of the wider global community.

During his visit, Dr. Kalam will deliver on 19 May the Sydney University Dean’s International/Sydney Ideas Lecture on the topic, ‘Sustainable Infrastructure Development for the 21st Century’ at the Seymour Centre. There are also plans for him to interact with an invited group from the Indian community and meet some high achieving and economically disadvantaged high school students.

(Top) Sydney University delegation at an Indian hospital

(Bottom from left) Dr Richard Seymour at an orphanage Dr Michael Dibley working on infant feeding Former President of India Dr Abdul Kalam will receive a Sydney Uni honour later this year

Dream run at Film Festival

The second annual Indian Film Fest Bollywood and Beyond brought the best of India’s film industry to Australia

BY PREETI JABBAL

In a nation of billion fantasies there is a star born every minute. In the month of March some of these stars descended among the locals here in Australia and sent a thousand dreams into orbit. The result - a Guinness World Record for the biggest Bollywood dance class ever, a fresh crop of aspiring film makers, and some extremely delighted fans.

The credit for this Bollywood-inspired coup goes to many; however, it was mainly due to the collective efforts of the resourceful team from Mind Blowing Films that Munni rocked Melbourne, Vidya charmed her already smitten fans

and Juhi dazzled with her million wattage smile and talent.

The Indian Film Festival 2011 that was held recently in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Auckland gave the local viewers here a sizeable chunk of the vibrant Indian film industry and was aptly titled ‘Bollywood and Beyond’. People got a taste of sugar, spice and all things nice with the presence of best actress Vidya Balan, super sizzler Malaika Arora Khan and the chirpy Juhi Chawla. Adding flavour to the tangy tinselville mix were the other festival guests: actor producer Arbaaz Khan of Dabangg fame, prince of pop Ali Zafar from Pakistan, director Raj Kumar Gupta who made No One killed Jessica , Kabir Khan maker of Kabul Express and director Onirban Dhar originally from Bangladesh. Leslee Udwin director of West is West (sequel to East is East ) from

UK provided the international input. Other films screened included the best from recent times, Tere Bin Laden, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Aisha, I Hate Luv Storyes, Tees Maar Khan, Mee Sindhutai Sapkal and the intriguing new film I Am Festival highlights included the opening night Question and Answers session with the stars, a short film competition, a Bollywood dance competition and gala awards night for the short film winners. The most remarkable feat this year was the successful entry into the Guinness Book of World Records co-presented with the Moomba Festival. The instructors of Shiamak Indo Jazz Dance Movement along with Malaika Arora Khan of ‘Munni’ fame danced their way into the records with a following of 1235 dancers. They beat a similar attempt that was made in Singapore earlier where 1008 people

danced publicly to a song. The Melbourne attempt was made on the super hit song Munni Badnaam Hui . And a quote from Arbaaz Khan summed it all up nicely “Only Munni is badnam (infamous) but all of you got a lot of naam (fame),” he said when the adjudicator from the Guinness Book of Records announced the success of the attempt. (More on pages 14-15).

An emotional festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange cried tears of joy as she thanked all the participants profusely.

Just as the Sydney and Melbourne segments of the festival concluded, Mitu told Indian Link , “At the half-way point of the entire festival, I’m already feeling like this has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. The Munni record particularly, will remain close to my heart for a very long time. It was an indescribable feeling – to see the

Malaika Arora Khan, seen here with Festival Director Mitu Bhowmick-Lange, with the Guinness world record established in Melbourne as part of the Indian Film Festival

Malaika, Onir, Juhi and Vidya introduce their films

Photos: Ravinder Singh Jabbal; Mind Blowing Films

hundreds of people from all walks of life, dancing as one. No achievement can top that feeling!”

This is the second Film Festival that is being held with Mitu at the helm and despite her self-confessed sleep deprivation and exhausting schedule she came up trumps again with another successful event. At the gala Awards Night held later that evening in Federation Square, all the speakers and sponsors remarked on Mitu’s tireless efforts and initiative during the festival. The event was supported by Western Union, Lebara Mobile, Singapore Airlines, Latrobe University, Blue Sydney, City of

Melbourne, SBS and Indian Link

With over 30 films that included 15 Australian premieres, the festival incorporated a broad range of films from Bollywood and other regions. In all the razzmatazz of mainstream Indian cinema some art house and regional cinemas were also presented.

The Western Union Short Film competition attracted hundreds of entries from across the globe. The theme of dreams was explored and portrayed beautifully by the winners. They endorsed the view that our dreams reflect our heart’s innermost desires. Whether they are our conscious ambitions or the raw

aspirations of our subconscious, they are what drive, motivate and push us to strive for the extraordinary. And extraordinary it was, judging from the winning entries that were screened at the gala awards night.

Mumbaikar Ganesh by Indian director Collin D’Cunha, Khaatbah by international category winner Ridwan Hassim and Blank Spaces from New Zaland’s Rajneel Singh were equally delightful to watch. Melbournian Varun Sharma’s Adjust , which tells the story of an Indian student realizing his Australian dream, received an Honorary Mention.

As the festival ended, we got back to real life after all that exposure to reel life.

In today’s age of anytime entertainment, the defining lines between what is real and reel are sometimes blurred. Reality TV, 24/7 news, endless promos, music videos every one of them fuel aspirations, create avenues for dreams but nothing beats the magic of India’s tinsel-town. Nothing comes close to the adulation that meets Indian movie super stars, and those critics who wrote off the influence of our homily laden, often melodramatic, glittery Indian cinema are now forced to rethink their statements. Thanks to festivals like this, Bollywood is here to stay today and forever beyond.

When the stars had stars in their eyes

By all accounts, the stars had as good a time as their fans. At a welcome drink organsied for the visiting stars by Robert Doyle, Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Vidya took a fancy to his mayoral robes and decorations. When the suggestion came along that she could try them on, she gamely agreed, the gold matching her black outfit beautifully and bringing an added glint to her eye.

(Yet strangely, other than this meeting, no other representative of the Victoria government made any appearances at the many Festival events in Melbourne).

And which Indian doesn’t love the Melbourne Cricket Ground? Visiting the MCG or the SCG is like a pilgrimage to a temple, most Indian tourists will tell you - even if they are adored stars themselves!

Tourism Victoria organsied such a ‘pilgrimage’ for the Bollywood gang, and the cameras went wild as the two beauties Vidya and Malaika posed serenely on the green and in the stalls.

And which Aussie celebrities did they ask to meet while in Oz? Matt Preston, no less. Yes, the cravat-wearing foodie, who is riding the waves of popularity in India these days. His Masterchef Australia is the most watched English show on Indian TV, and both Vidya and Rajkumar Gupta are fans. At a private dinner, Vidya (an avid foodie herself) and Raj talked at length with Preston about cooking techniques and food styles… and hopefully for us, possible collaborations!

A private tour of the MCG for Malaika, Vidya and director Rajkumar Gupta

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle hosts the visiting stars

Vidya meets her favourite TV star

ingle and ready to mingle!

Versatile actress Vidya Balan, in Sydney for the annual Indian Film Festival, talks about her life, career and future plans

The last time I interviewed her in Mumbai was in 2010, just before the release of Ishqiya. The memory is still fresh – Vidya Balan draped in a simple printed yellow saree in ‘ co-star Arshad Warsi. The two looked the part even in the studio. And with no starry airs and no diva tantrums, Vidya Balan certainly came as a welcome relief from the oh-so-pretentious nature of stardom. But as they say, some things are too good to be true, and I was still sceptical if the person I interacted with was the character Krishna of Vidya Balan the star or Vidya the person.

Cut to 2011, and I am waiting along with a host of other media to meet the star once again. We wait in a hotel lobby in Woolloomooloo, a posh suburb in Sydney where one could expect to bump into the likes of Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman and Steve Waugh…

But today the spotlight was on - Vidya Balan!

Though she’s had her fair share of Sydney’s sun while shooting for , this time it’s the Indian Film Festival, that brings the actress back to Australia. With a retrospective dedicated to Vidya Balan, her fans are up for a treat ranging from . Vidya was here to introduce the opening film of the festival, Draped in a Sabyasachi sari, Vidya sets the shutterbugs flashing. I am familiar with the smile, the polite demeanor and the warmth. To our mutual surprise, she greets me familiarly from the swarm of media, and after some girly talk we settle down for the job at hand –

Ms. Balan isn’t speaking to just anyone on the day. a couple of selected mainstream media are the only ones with access to a short chat with her, so I make the most of my time with Vidya, asking her a few pertinent questions about her life, career and future

Priyanka Tater: Let’s begin from where we left off in 2010. The Filmfare Critics award for best performance in year before that, the Filmfare award for best actress for (God willing), it feels great when one’s work is appreciated. I am thankful to those who’ve offered me such varied roles and given me the opportunity to work in their films. All I

PT: So you’re certainly having the last laugh, after a career that began with music videos, TV commercials and Radhika Mathur

It has been an extremely fulfilling journey and a happy one. I have grown through my work. I was a baby when I did Hum Paanch, but I’ve learnt on the job. God has been very kind. I didn’t have any backing or a ‘filmy’ background. It’s the belief in oneself that is derived from my faith in the Almighty and the unconditional support from my family, which is the reason I’m sitting here and being interviewed by you. A lot of people are talented, but I have been very, very fortunate and blessed.

PT: A sign of a mature actor is playing different roles, like young Parineeta and mother to the Big B in Paa; or Krishna Ishqiya and Sabrina Lall No One Killed Jessica. Do you now feel that you’re being typecast into more mature roles, and would prefer to play younger characters?

Thank you for calling me a ‘mature’ actor. I am happy with my mature performances in certain roles, they bring out the best in me. With Parineeta, I came into

VB: Luckily for me, I did not impersonate the real life Sabrina. The Sabrina in No One Killed Jessica is the one from eleven years ago when the incident happened. One really does not have access to her except one’s imagination. The director Rajkumar and I based our interpretation and characterization on the fact that she was just like any of us who was suddenly faced with this tragedy and how she fell back on her inner strength, keeping up the fight for 11 long years and truly emerging as a real life hero. We are happy that Sabrina Lall endorsed our movie.

PT: So what’s next, Hollywood?

VB: I am looking at good cinema, wherever that takes me. Iranian, Israeli, Hollywood, Australian… I am open to good roles and good films.

PT: And what about your personal plans? I heard that you would prefer to marry a Bengali?

VB (laughing): Vidya Balan does not want to marry for a long time! (pausing) but we shall see. Bengali, non-Bengali, Indian, Australian (with a giggle); I am single and ready to mingle!

It was hard to ignore the honesty and passion with which Vidya conducted herself during the interview. There’s no doubt that the star’s got her head firmly on her shoulders. And I have to admit that my initial scepticism disappeared as I finally met the real Vidya Balan - the endearing person with charm and charisma who remains as genuine and warm in Sydney, as she was in Mumbai a year ago.

PRIYANKA TATER

I am now playing extremely varied characters and if that means I can’t play teenage characters or younger roles, I am okay with that, because I didn’t come into the industry as a teenager

Photos: Drishya Sharma

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Preparation is the best weapon

By AMP Financial Planner Nalini Sankar*

“You have cancer” are words that you never want to hear but when you do, you can be faced with questions like: Why me? What will happen to my family? How do I fight this? How much will it cost?

How will my family cope financially if I can’t work or, worse yet, if I don’t survive?

According to the Cancer Council of Australia, cancer is the second leading cause of death with approximately 43,000 people estimated to have died from the disease in Australia in 2010 and about 114,000 new cases diagnosed during the year.

Being told that you have cancer is a big enough blow to your mind, body, emotions and overall spirit without having to worry about your finances. As a person living with cancer, your first priority is to get well again and spend as much time with your loved ones as possible. However, it can be hard to concentrate on these priorities when you have bills to pay, a family to feed and mounting medical costs. Many people believe that taking out life insurance is for the aged, those who are ill, have children or are thinking about retiring. This is a myth. An illness like cancer can strike when you least expect it and one of the most responsible actions you can take is to be financially prepared. Similar to private health insurance, taking out life insurance when you are young and healthy ensures lower premiums for the lifetime of your policy.

So what life insurance policies should you be considering?

• Trauma Cover

Trauma Cover provides a lump sum payment if you’re diagnosed with a specified trauma condition. Trauma Cover is designed to help pay for your medical costs and living expenses, providing you with some financial security during the important recovery process.

The types of conditions that Trauma Cover may cover you for include: heart attack, multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, major organ transplant, severe burns, cancers, dementia and stroke or paralysis.

• Income Protection

Income Protection, also known as salary continuance, usually pays a monthly benefit of up to 75 per cent of your regular income if you’re too sick or injured to work. This type of insurance is designed to help you continue to pay the mortgage, children’s school fees, utility bills and buy food, clothes and other day-to-day expenses.

• Total and Permanent Disablement (TPD)

TPD cover provides a lump sum payment if you’re totally and permanently disabled. This cover will usually help you pay for medical expenses, repay major debts and ensure that you are looked after in the future.

• Death Cover

Death cover works by making a lump sum payment to your family if you were to die, or, under some policies, are diagnosed with a terminal illness. It offers you the security that if the unexpected were to happen, your family would have financial protection.

For anyone who has large debts such as a mortgage, it is important to take out death cover, irrespective of your age.

Making sure you have the right cover will help give you peace of mind now and financial support in the unfortunate incident that you experience disability, illness or death.

If you would like professional advice about which life insurance option is most suitable for you and your family, you could consider consulting with an accredited financial planner. Your financial planner will investigate how much cover you currently have and how much you should have by taking into consideration your personal circumstances and needs.

To get in touch with a professional AMP Financial Planner, go to www.amp.com.au

Munni rocks Melbourne!

Indian Film Festival guest and Bollywood dance specialist Malaika Arora Khan leads 1235 Melbournians into the Guinness Book of World Records

BY PREETI JABBAL

Munni’s notoriety has led to more fame and name. The super-hit song Munni Badnaam Hui this month entered the Guinness Book of World Records for being part of the World’s Largest Bollywood Dance Class.

The glamorous ‘Munni’ Malaika Arora Khan led 1235 Melbourne dancers to record breaking fame with this chart buster song from her home production Dabangg. Her son Arhaan and husband Arbaaz Khan also joined the crowd of hundreds that sang, swayed and danced in Melbourne Park on the banks of the Yarra River. The event was organised by Indian Film Festival 2011- Bollywood and Beyond, supported by Moomba and Shiamak Davar International.

It was an afternoon bathed in glorious sunshine over a long weekend and Melbournians were in the right mood to

had probably never heard Munni before but no one could go past its infectious beats or not be tempted with the free Bollywood lesson. The Bollywood dance competition that was held prior to this event had already generated enormous interest amongst participants of Moomba festival. They were game to be included in the headcount and dance for 3 continuous minutes to the peppy Bollywood number.

Malaika looked seductive in an ivory dress and her killer heels did not deter her from performing to the racy number that revived her ‘item girl’ career again. Many fans in the crowd would have followed Malaika to the moon and back if required, so their enthusiastic participation was expected. But even more remarkable was the participation of the local visitors to Melbourne Park who hitherto had no exposure to Bollywood. They were people from all walks of life, of all ages and vocations. Their common goal was to be part of record making history.

Prior to the formal attempt the Shiamak Indo Jazz Dance Movement (SIJDM) instructors sorted the crowd into smaller

of the song. While some struggled with the unfamiliar moves, others took to it like duck to water. A few practice sessions later the crowd was ready. The adjudicators from the Guinness Book of World Records were also present. The goal was to beat a similar attempt made in Singapore which had 1080 participants. SIJDM instructors then took to the stage and were joined by Malaika and son Arhaan while Arbaaz chose to dance with the crowd instead.

The excitement was palpable as the Munni song boomed over the audience and everyone attempted to imitate the instructors on stage. It was heartening to see the rows and rows of people joining in to get Australia into the record books. Three minutes of non-stop dancing was a mandatory requirement to be counted and people did not disappoint. The sizzle quotient rose as Munni Malaika Arora fell in step with the instructors. Cheery was an understatement as the crowd positively reveled in the rock concert like atmosphere. As the official from Guinness Book of world records declared later to

records being broken in the last few years but this is the most sensational record I’ve ever seen”.

Festival director Mitu Bhowmick Lange wept with joy and emotion as she thanked the film stars, public, volunteers and festival staff. The celebration continued till later that evening when the film stars attended a gala awards night at BMW Edge in Federation Square. It was an invitation only event where the Shiamak dance group performed again, this time to fully choreographed segments. Dressed in a dazzling cream designer outfit Malaika briefly joined them recreating some of the magic of the afternoon.

Addressing the audience that evening Malaika shared how this whole thing came about. According to her Mitu and she have been friends for many years and when Mitu invited her to Melbourne for the festival together they decided that Munni should Rock Melbourne. And true to her words the combination of Mitu, Munni, Mind- Blowing films, Moomba and Moves from SIJDM, not only created a new record, they generated a whole new crop

Photos: Ravinder Singh Jabbal; Mind Blowing Films

A credible platform

Indian-origin candidate Mark Sharma is making the fight for Strathfield a lot harder for mainstream candidates

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

Less than a week away from the elections, it is clear that the Strathfield seat will probably see the closest race in the entire state, with the odds nearly 50-50 for ALP’s Virginia Judge and the Liberal Party’s Charles Casuscelli. Given this scenario, it is no wonder that the other candidates in the fray are being called “kingmakers or queenmakers”.

These include Dale Lance of the Greens and Independent candidate Mark Sharma.

The 26-year-old Delhi-born Mark Sharma has managed to position himself strongly in the fight for Strathfield.

“It is our votes that will decide this election,” he says, adding, it is high time the two big parties realised that migrants can make a change.

‘Change’, Mark says, is a word that best describes the mood of the electorate at the moment. “Strathfield has been a safe Labor seat for long - in fact so have our neighbouring seats like Drummoyne - but not now”.

And the kind of change Mark likes is the move away from the established parties to a fresh look.

Mark has gone to the electorate with a ‘credible’ plan (based on ideas to tackle Corruption, Roads, Electricity, Democracy, Independents, Better management of traffic, Lower taxes and Environment).

voters. They come and ask me, what do you stand for? And after I talk to them they realise I’m a conservative just like them. This demographic makes its opinion based on radio and newspaper advertising – two forms that are way too expensive for me to have used, but luckily the exposure in the local media seems to have helped”.

And as for the Indian-origin voter, Mark is well-known in the area, having lived there for long.

“I’ve cold-called about 700 Indian-origin voters, and many have said, yes I saw you at the station, or read about you in the papers”.

Yet Mark knows his target well enough to realise that there are pockets not interested in change: “The Sri Lankan Tamil community for instance, will stay with Labor or go with the Greens…”

Mark has particular passions with regards to roads (he set up the website www.fixroads. com to advocate for ‘better roads for NSW’), opposing the carbon tax, stopping the privatisation of electricity, more police stations, and increased train services.

A keen socio-political blogger and netizen, Mark believes his major strengths in campaigning have been on the Internet.

“There are many immigrants in the constituency, and they’re saying, we’re tired of Labor and Liberal, let’s try something new”.

A Marketing executive, he says his platform was built after talking to consumers in the supermarket: “Their direct feedback has been that they are doing it quite hard and want to see a change in the system. I’ve also been talking to people at our train stations regularly. You’ve probably seen me if you use any one of our three major stations Burwood, Strathfield and Ashfield. I have personally been to some 5000 homes by now, door-knocking and dropping off flyers. I have ads online. The local press (Strathfield Scene, Inner West Courier and Burwood Scene) have featured me prominently in the last four months. And I’ve been at the polling booths regularly ever since prepolling began”.

And how have people responded to him?

“Very positively. There are many immigrants in the constituency, and they’re saying, we’re tired of Labor and Liberal, let’s try something new. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Asianorigin voters who listen to me and then say ‘Good on you, Mark, we’re proud of you for taking this on’. But what I did not expect was the response from the mainstream elderly

“I have the largest online presence among all the candidates. The Liberal candidate Charles Casuscelli just got onto the scene recently (in December, in fact); Labor’s Virginia Judge launched her own website only weeks ago; and the Christian Democratic Party’s Bill Shailer told me he doesn’t even use the Internet”. (The Greens have had to change their candidates after their original candidate withdrew).

Though Mark has a background in Marketing with a degree in Accounting, he has been passionate about politics from a young age. Mark has always been motivated to be proactive about fixing a system that doesn’t work rather than merely complain about it. Arriving in Australia in 2003 as a student, he joined the Liberal Party but was soon disillusioned with it. He contested the 2010 Federal Elections in the Watson electorate as an Independent, and polled 2.8% of the vote. This time round, it is clear to see his passion is way stronger.

“Winning is hard, but anything can happen,” he says with confidence

And how many babies has he kissed this campaign?

He replies without batting an eyelid, “Haven’t kissed any babies, sorry, but have waved to many young kids in recent days – the prepolling booth I have been visiting this week is in a primary school”.

Raag Beethoven

East and West try hard to come together in this concert

BY SYDNEY SRINIVAS

The name drew me instantly. “Raag Beethoven” was billed as a “truly unique and meaningful recital, exploring the DNA of classical Indian and Western music forms”. Featuring Pandit Vishwa Mohan Bhatt on mohan-veena (Indian slide guitar) and Himanshu Mahant on tabla, with classical pianist Ambre Hammond, it was to be a confluence of the two streams of music.

However in this Asheesh Kalmath production at the Sydney Opera House, for most of the time, East remained east and the West remained west, the pair coming together only for two of the seven items presented.

The intimate baithak -style recital started with Ambre presenting three Chopin pieces, Nocturne in C sharp minor, Op.posth (Reminiscence), Etude in A flat major and Grand Valse Brilliante in A flat major, Op 34 No 1. She built a sombre atmosphere and truly excelled in the third item. Then it was the turn of Vishwa Mohan Bhatt who elaborated raag Yaman. It was a masterly performance: within a span of fifteen minutes he had captivated the audience. Listening to Vilambit and Drith

presented in a sublime manner, it was as if the very divinity had descended upon us. The various shades and colours of the raga were brought out with an equally masterly tabla accompaniment from Himanshu Mahant.

Post intermission, everyone waited eagerly for Raag Beethoven . This actually turned out to be a theme based on Beethoven’s Piano Sonnata No. 14 in C minor also known as Moonlight Sonata . The veena and the piano joined hands to present this. To me it appeared as if Ambre just followed the maestro without any embellishment of her own. That dialogue between the two streams - that practice of one throwing a challenge to the other, the sense of competition - was sadly lacking. This happened again in the final item Raag Tilang when the two presented a composition of Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin. Of course, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt performed admirably, but Ambre seemed to be content in adhering to the notes. The experience that comes when each type of music is taken to its great heights was just not there.

The maestro also presented a part of his Grammy award winning number A Meeting by the River Tabla solo by Himanshu Mahant was a treat.

(Top) Pt. Vishwa

Mohan Bhatt and Himanshu Mahant

(Left) Ambre Hammond

A contemporary classical performance

Actor? Dancer? Storyteller? Shobana showed that all three characters can appear on stage together, in her Sydney performance at the Parramatta Riverside Theatre recently. The multi-talented artist has had a successful career as an actor in Malyalam, Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada films, and her popularity in this field seems to complement her career as a bharathanatyam artist. As a dancer, she has been the recipient of the Padma Shri and Natya Acharya awards and has performed to audiences worldwide.

Certainly no stranger to Sydney audiences, the artist delivered her repertoire to a somewhat divided audience in the concert organised by Soorya. Those who came to see Shobana the actor were enraptured with her particular style of bharathanatyam, with a generous pinch of showbiz. Others, perhaps the more purist classical dance lovers, found the twist less appealing, as was evident from the intermission chatter in the foyer. The music that the dancer used for the centerpiece of the recital, the Varnam, was one of the elements that triggered discussion. A beautifully unique piece on Goddess Kali, its music was interspersed with sound effects such as the eerie laugh of Kali, a variation that evoked mixed audience responses. The Varnam itself was thoughtprovoking, portraying little-known stories on the Goddess Kali’s life, a refreshing and

innovative main feature of the repertoire. It was evident from this elaborate piece that Shobana’s strength is abhinaya, or the expressive component of the complex and demanding art form that is bharathanatyam.

with them. The first of these was an emotive piece in ragam Anandabhairavi, in which we saw the dancer as a pining lover who beseeches her friend to take a message to her lover, while at the same time warning her not to flirt with him in the process.

The second purely expressive piece was in Tamil, Vishamakara Kannan. The cheeky Lord Krishna was characterised with finesse

and Shobana’s portrayal of his antics even received a few giggles from the enthralled audience. Shobana’s creative take on Dhashavataram in the next item may well have been one of the highlights of the evening. The piece was set to instrumental music of nineteen beats, and this combined with Shobana’s unique ability to take on each character, took the well-loved story to a new Shobana’s performance was followed by a short performance by another dancer, Savita Shastry. There was some muttering among the audience as this second performance was not previously announced, however Savita’s elegant presentation soon dispelled any discontentment. This (pure dance), clean aramandi was a breath of fresh air for the evening, and truly inspirational for students of dance. As for Shobana, her brand of bharathanatyam may not be for everyone but judging by the packed theatre, perhaps ‘filmy’ classical dance is the new way of bringing this art form to 21st century masses?

Deepa Gopinath

Photos:

A childhood dream comes true

project was that we had related so well to each other”.

BY ANUP KUMAR

Sitting under the jamun tree at Bhawani Dayal High School in Fiji, a young Param Sivan told his friends of a long-cherished dream.

“I want to make films,” the Bollywood-crazy lad declared. “With my own songs in them”. They had just been watching the school’s annual 7-a-side soccer tournament, and he had hummed a song that had had them all stumped.

“Which new song is this?” they asked. “Who is the singer?”

“It’s my own song,” he told them shyly. He pulled out a cassette, and played it on the single 10-watt, static-filled speaker on his mate’s Datsun 140J.

His friends listened to it with awe, and much back–patting followed when it ended. The moment marked the first review of an artist whose potential was yet to be seen.

Today, some 15 years on, he can tell those very same friends, that he has realised his dream. But they probably already know.

Param Sivan’s debut film as writer-producerdirector will hit cinema screens shortly. Made in Mumbai, it is a love story titled Tum Jo Mile

It is a remarkable version of a true Indian plot, with heart-sinking drama and triumph. Yes it’s your typical rich-girl-meets-poor-boy tale, but in this love story, there is no family objection. Instead, there’s something else that keeps the young lovers apart…..

Param went to Mumbai in 2010 armed only with his script - which he wrote five years ago after attending a script-writing course at Sydney Uni - and some pretty big dreams.

Well, Mumbai is known to be the city that makes your dreams come true!

“My first stroke of luck came when I was told Mithun Chakraborty’s nephew Daebu Banerji is looking for a film to star in,” Param revealed on Indian Link Radio. “And I thought yeah, right, like he would want to act in my film! But we met - and clicked. I told him the plot. He made contact again shortly, asking if he could read the script…”

Param revealed that he enjoyed working with his ‘star’ who bears an uncanny resemblance to his illustrious uncle. “His is a wonderful performance – he’s one to watch out for in coming years, I can tell you! He has no airs, I was surprised to find. He revealed to me much later that one of the reasons he took on my

But finding his leading lady was not so easy.

“We auditioned many actresses for the role of Kajol – yes that’s our heroine’s name! – but none seemed to fit the bill. I was beginning to get somewhat dejected, when I set eyes upon Nivedita Tiwari. She was exactly what I had in

Param’s commitment to fulfill his vision with limited resources through creating a movie that stands on par with any gigantic Bollywood production is a success story rewritten.

mind when I wrote her role. Who’s this girl, I asked my production team. They replied she was there auditioning for some other role. But by then I had made up my mind. I found out only later that she is already an established TV star (from ZEE’s Bhagowali)”.

But the greatest asset the film has over any other movie credited to a Fijian, are in the songs of the movie. Param is a superb writer when it comes to lyrics and he even wrote two songs for the movie, which are hip and well balanced to keep the momentum uncluttered and smooth.

Before this of course, much attention had already gone into the music. A die-hard Bollywood fan, Param knows well that the music can play a major role in the success of a film. So he included the full range – there’s a prayer song, dance song, a ‘judai’ type of song, even the quintessential Punjabi number. (An item number, a la Malaika Arora Khan? We’ll just have to wait and see!) The title tracks Tum Jo Mile (sung by Javed Ali), Mila de Rubba (Roop Kumar Rathod) are truly hummable. Param has been involved with lyrics as well as music, having come a long way since that hot summer afternoon on the sidelines of the soccer field. (Incidentally that particular number itself had made history: his classmates convinced Param that it was worthy of airplay on Fiji’s Navtarang radio. They took it in and convinced celebrity RJ Anirudh Divakar to have a listen. They had barely hit the road when the song was played, and the eruption that followed was like winning a Grammy Award. The tiny Clarion speakers playing the song on maximum volume were drowned in the cheers from classmates, all crammed into a derelict vehicle carrying a future producer, director and writer).

in Bollywood one may ask why Tum Jo Mile considered unique. Simply because Param has tried his had at movie-making as a hobby only. He is a technologist by profession in Australia, and the movie was made primarily through his savings and loans. Param’s commitment to fulfill his vision with limited resources through creating a movie that stands on par with any Bollywood production, is a success story in itself.

Yet, the multi-talented lad from Makoi, Nasinu, Fiji will not sit back. His next project will be a shift to a grassroots Fijian comedy on the frequently heard phase, Chatayee Kahan Bichaoo (Where to lay the mat). And he is also working on a script for Siria Jahaj - entailing the story of the Girmit era. Param is planning to open doors for local talent in his future projects.

He is also keen to assist in any way to promote talent and share knowledge, so that more interest is generated towards film and music composing by people of his ilk. (He has retained a touch of Fijian flare in the movie, with inclusion of names like CWM and Dudley College).

Tum Jo Mile screens at Event Cinemas, WestPoint Liverpool on March 26 at 6:30pm; and Hoyts Cinemas, WestPoint Blacktown on April 2, at 6:30pm. For further details, contact Infoline on 0406 955 069

It’s not often that we have the courage to realize our dreams, but this is exactly what a young film-maker decided to do

Writer-director-producer Param Sivan’s first film will hit the screens shortly

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United colours of Holi splash

India

Green, magenta, red, yellow, purple - clouds of coloured gulal, smiling faces smeared with them, joyful dancing and sweetmeats - that is how India immersed itself in Holi, one of the Hindu festivals celebrated most widely by all - be they young or old, rich or poor, and irrespective of religion.

Heralding the coming of spring and marking the legend of triumph of good over evil, Holi saw people spill out onto the streets hurling coloured powder and coloured water - and even mud - at each other.

The neighbourhoods of Delhi erupted in celebrations in the morning. Elders hugged, smeared gulal on each other’s faces and exchanged sweets, especially the traditional gujiya, and drank thandai -- a cooling drink made with dried fruits and milk.

Shouting the Holi catchphrase Holi hai, children, armed with water guns or pitchkaris, did what they do best -- played pranks by spraying coloured water and hurling water-filled balloons on passers by from the safety of rooftops and balconies of their houses.

Families played Holi in their front lawns or gardens, splashing buckets of water on each other to whoops of joy, and screams from the unsuspecting victims as the cold water caught them unawares.

“I joined the celebrations in my colony. It was fun, we smeared gulal on each other,” said Akshay, a 14-year-old in a south Delhi colony.

The festivities began on the night before Holi. Bonfires were lit as ‘Holika Dahan’ or ‘Chhoti Holi’ (little Holi) is marked a day before the festival. It invokes the legend of Prahlad, whose devotion to Lord Vishnu angered his father the demon king Hiranyakashipu. In the end, Prahlad survives while the king perishes.

Holi also showcases Indian traditions of communal harmony as Muslims, Christians and Sikhs play it in large numbers with their Hindu brethren.

In Lucknow, hundreds of Hindus and Muslims celebrated together by taking out the decades-old procession Holi Baraat -- to send out a message of peace and brotherhood. Accompanied by decorated horse chariots, the revellers danced to the beats of drums amidst ecstatic shouts of ‘Holi Hai!’

“Holi Baraat is one of the oldest processions in the city. It’s just not a procession but a festive mix of communities to spread the message of brotherhood,” Lucknow Mayor Dinesh Sharma said.

Vivek Tangri, a Lucknow resident said: “For 42 years we have celebrated Holi in this manner. You can say it has become a tradition. Muslims shower petals on us. In

response, we garland them.”

In Mumbai, it was a colourful but subdued Holi due to ongoing school and college exams.

The exams dampened the Holi plans of many youngsters. To avoid disturbing the students, many housing complexes and societies refrained from playing loud music.

Film stars, celebrities, business personalities, politicians and others enjoyed the festival with gatherings at their homes in and around Mumbai.

However on the political front, the fanfare was missing in Delhi. Politicians from Bihar like Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar also did not celebrate.

Authorities in the capital said no untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the capital as police had urged people to celebrate the festival with “sensitivity towards others”.

“Nothing happened so far. It is absolutely peaceful,” a Delhi Police spokesperson said, adding that barricades had been set up at many places to check trouble.

Traffic policemen were deployed in large numbers on Delhi’s roads to keep an eye on drunken driving.

Australian collaboration for Santiniketan Museum

The Visva-Bharati University set up by Rabindranath Tagore at Santiniketan in West Bengal has received 19 tentative blueprints from architects for a new state-of-the-art Tagore museum to coincide with the poet’s 150th birth anniversary this year.

“We have received 19 entries from aspiring architects under a national level architectural competition announced in the media in November 2010,” Nilanjan Banerjee, the Visva- Bharati-based curator and text-planner of the proposed museum, said in a phone interview.

Visva-Bharati will build the museum with the help of AusHeritage, the Australian international network for promotion and conservation of cultural heritage.

The proposed museum, a spacious stateof-the-art archive, will be located on an empty plot of land behind Rabindra Bhavan or Bichitra, the existing national archivecum-resource centre established by the Nobel laureate’s son in 1942.

Visva-Bharati finalised a functional brief for the museum in a two-day meeting recently with a AusHeritage delegation led by chairman Vinod Daniel, an India-born conservationist, Banerjee said.

“We will circulate the briefs to the architects so they can put finishing touches to their designs. The entries will be opened May 7 to coincide with the Nobel laureate’s 150th birthday and will be judged. The best entry (and the firm) will be assigned the job

to build the museum,” he said.

The idea was “to democratise the exhibits. They are not anyone’s personal collection”, the Tagore scholar said.

The museum will be “world class and include collections from Rabindra Bhavan and Kala Bhavan - two major repositories of Tagore’s works in Shantiniketan”, said AusHeritage chairman Daniel.

“We want to design a space that captures Tagore’s vision. It has also been identified that there should be a world class storage facility for the poet’s mammoth body of work and an education centre,” Daniel said.

He said “the main aspect would be to capture the connections between Tagore and the people of India as well as an international standard facility that will preserve his collections for future generations”.

“We want a contemporary approach to the museum so that even children can relate to it. The museum will be equipped with climate control and humidity control facilities for better preservation of art and manuscripts.

“Tagore was respected in his country and AusHeritage was keen to contribute to perpetuate his legacy. The Indian Consul General in Sydney, Amit Dasgupta, helped in setting up a Tagore Chair at Macquarie University in Sydney,” Daniel said.

According to Banerjee, Visva-Bharati has over 4,000 manuscripts, art and memorabilia related to Tagore. The collection includes 1,600 art works.

“But, at the moment, we can display barely 100 objects in a small museum on the university premises. Several objects are in dire need of protection,” Banerjee said.

The old building housing the museum “is not modern, lacking in requisite preservation facilities”.

“It was built on an old curatorial perspective and starves for display space. We want the new museum to be modern, beautiful and scientifically designed to control climate. Most of Tagore’s art are light sensitive and react to moisture and Santiniketan is a humid town. Several manuscripts are rotting because of that. The new museum should have a handsome storage area, wide galleries and a study centre,” Banerjee said.

Security would top the agenda as 50 objects from the old museum, including the poet’s Nobel Prize, was stolen in 2004, Banerjee said.

“Currently, we have CCTV cameras, a biometric access control system and a fire extinguishing mechanism to protect the exhibits at Rabindra Bhavan, Kala Bhavan, the old museum and other repositories on the campus,” he said.

Unveiling his curatorial vision, Banerjee said “most museums in our country are

very academic despite the fact that they are meant to communicate”.

“They should be designed keeping the visitors’ profile in mind, and should not be too intellectual in text. I want to look at Tagore from a holistic and simplistic point of the common man: Tagore as a child, young adult, novelist, poet, short-story writer, patriot, painter and as an institution builder,” he said.

Banerjee said the new museum will have a “special corner on Tagore and Bangladesh under the category ‘Rabindranath Tagore and Dhaka’. It has never been done before”. A separate enclosure will “document how the theft of the Nobel Prize and 49 other objects occurred in 2004. People are still very curious about the theft,” Banerjee said.

Aussie actor Bob Christo played the quintessential Bollywood baddy

You “hated” him but couldn’t ignore him. Henchman, goon, fighter, gambler, bandit, hitman, gangster: Australian-born Bob Christo, who died on March 20 played all this and more with elan in over 200 Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films.

Christo, who died of a heart attack, was admitted to Bangalore’s Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research where he breathed his last. He was 72.

A qualified civil engineer, Christo had come to India to meet actress Parveen Babi and ended up getting a break in Bollywood with actor-filmmaker Sanjay Khan’s film Abdullah in 1980.

After that there was no looking back for the actor, who spoke broken Hindi. He also travelled across various countries on modelling assignments.

Some of his popular Hindi films included Qurbani (1980), Kaalia (1981), Nastik (1983), Mard (1985), Mr India (1987), Agneepath (1990) Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993) and Gumraah (1993). He even played a British officer in some period films. He carved a place for himself not only among older viewers but also among younsters. One of the scenes from Mr India, where he gets beaten up by a Hanuman statue is even

popular with today’s generation.

Christo bid adieu to films in 2000 and later on moved to Bangalore and started working in Sanjay Khan’s Golden Palms Spa as a yoga instructor. He worked there for three years but left them six years back, after which nothing much was known about him.

Actor Abhishek Bachchan remembered the time he spent with Christo as a child when he used to visit the sets of his father Amitabh Bachchan’s films and called him a gentleman.

“Just heard some really sad news that Bob Christo passed away. Shocked! He was a very sweet and gentle man,” he wrote on microblogging site Twitter.

“Remember spending a lot of time with him as a child on my fathers sets. Great memories of him. R.I.P,” he posted.

Christo had acted with Amitabh in films like Jaadugar (1980), Kaalia (1981), Namak Halal (1982), Mard (1985) and Agneepath (1990).

The actor, who is survived by his wife Nargis and two sons, was planning to make a comeback in Bollywood with an Akshay Kumar film. He was also roped in for some South Indian films, including one with Malayalam superstar Mohanlal.

India’s media, entertainment sector now a $14.5 bn industry

The Indian media and entertainment industry logged an 11-percent growth in 2010 to touch $14.5 billion (Rs.652 billion) and is projected to expand at a higher rate of 13 percent this year, says a report released by a leading industry lobby recently.

“While television and print media continued to dominate India’s media and entertainment industry, sectors such as gaming, digital advertising and animation grew at a faster rate and show tremendous potential,” said the report prepared by consultancy KPMG.

“Overall, the industry is expected to register a compounded annual growth of 14 percent to touch Rs.1,275 billion ($28.3 billion) by 2015,” said the report, commissioned by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

The full report is scheduled to be released during the FICCI-Frames annual conclave on media and entertainment scheduled in Mumbai, with Canada as the partner country.

Key speakers include News Corp’s James Murdoch, film makers Yash Chopra, Ramesh Sippi, Vikram Bhatt and Karan Johar, directors Shyam Benegal, Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra, actor Kamal Hasan, Hollywood director Michael Fink, and a host of Indian media personalities.

Interestingly, the report said, unlike other markets in the world that continued to witness an erosion of the print industry, India saw this sector witness a 10 percent growth and would continue to log a similar expansion over the next five years.

“The key industry highlights are growing potential of the regional markets, increasing media penetration and per capita consumption and increasing importance of new media driven by changing consumption patterns,” said FICCI secretary general Amit Mitra.

“Going forward, it will become imperative for media companies to reset their business models and build greater focus on profitability and changing consumer preferences,” added Rajesh Jain, head of media and entertainment with KPMG.

The report also highlighted a strong recovery in advertising spend as a key driver for growth. The advertising spend grew 17 percent to $5.9 billion and

accounted for 41 per cent of overall industry size, it said.

Looking ahead, the report said mature players will increasingly look at build scales across the media value chain and explore cross-media synergies.

“In addition, existing foreign players are looking to expand their Indian portfolio and several other are expected to make and entry into India. Inorganic growth is likely to be a preferred route for many of these players,” it said.

“With increased digitization and accountability, Indian media companies are also expected to generate greater interest from private equity players.”

Anant ‘Uncle’ Pai popularised Indian culture through comics

of India group as an executive in its publications division where he handled the Indrajal Comics with several popular titles like Phantom and Mandrake The Magician.

It was in early 1967 that Pai was shocked when in a Doordarshan quiz show, the participants could not reply to a question, “Who was Ram’s mother in Ramayana?”

This inspired him to chuck his job and start a publication in comics format dedicated to Indian mythology, ancient culture, folk tales and contemporary history.

After several rejections to his proposal, he finally partnered with India Book House’s G.L. Mirchandani to launch the Amar Chitra Katha (translated as Immortal Pictorial Tales) in 1967.

Around that time, Prabhu said that he experimented as a writer and published a Hindi novel Beech Ki Kadi as he was proficient in over a dozen languages,

For Amar Chitra Katha, Anant Pai donned several hats as the editor, graphics master, writer, publisher, educator, historian and presented the first original Indian brand of comics featuring all that was native to the sub-continent’s culture and

It proved to be an instant hit among the masses and soon went into translations in over 20 languages, with millions of Indians growing up and devouring his words of

Till date, it has published around 440 titles and sold nearly 100 million copies, including Krishna, its top-selling title which went into several re-prints and independently sold several million copies. Its current annual sales are in the range of around three million copies.

India’s future lies in its naval power: Geostrategist

With the scene of global strategic rivalry slowly shifting to the Indian Ocean, India’s geopolitical future lies in its naval power, contrary to the country’s traditional emphasis on its army, says Parag Khanna, leading American geo-strategist, author and founding director of the Global Governance Initiative at the New America Foundation think tank.

“In terms of geopolitics, India’s influence is still very limited... what underpins that is the reality that India is not going to be what initially was thought and hoped it would be - a land-based continental rival to balance China.

“Now, India is seen as much more of a naval power -- overseeing and having a strategic role with respect to the Indian Ocean and the trade routes there. That actually is the geopolitical future of India; it’s a very strong future,” Khanna, who was a senior geopolitical advisor to the US Special Operations Command said in an exclusive interview.

This is reflected in India’s own defence priorities. According to the Institute of Defence Studies And Analyses, while the country’s union budget for 2011-12 saw a 12 percent rise in defence allocation to Rs.164,415.49 crore ($36 billion), the Indian Navy received only 15 percent of the total allocation -- Rs.25,247 crore. The army got the lion’s share at 51 percent -Rs.83,415 crore. However, the shares of the navy and air force have consistently risen over the past two decades while that of the army has declined.

Anant V. Pai, a chemical engineer who taught Indian culture, tradition and ethos through Amar Chitra Katha comics to millions of his countrymen, passed away in Mumbai on February 24. Popularly known as ‘Uncle Pai’, he is survived by his wife Lalitha and elder sister Sumati Prabhu. A younger sister, Savita Prabhu died a few years ago, Pai’s nephew Suhas Prabhu said.

Born Sep 17, 1929 in a modest family of Venkataraya Pai and Susheela in Karkala, Dakshin Kanara district of Karnataka, the young Anant completed his primary education in the only school in the village.

Orphaned at the age of two and looked after by other senior family members, Anant shifted to Mumbai when he was 12 for pursuing his secondary school and higher education.

A bright student, he went on to become a chemical engineer from the prestigious University Institute of Chemical Technology, formerly UDCT, University of Mumbai.

Prabhu said that from his early school days, Pai was deeply interested in the Vedas, Puranas and other ancient Indian literature, besides religious, cultural studies and languages.

At a relatively young age, Pai mastered Sanskrit and the ancient Indian languages of Pali and Ardhimagadhi, which are no longer spoken commonly and have been virtually relegated to the ancient language departments of a few universities in the country.

“He had a great flair for telling stories, especially to children. I remember, as a child, how he would mesmerise me with great stories of our ancient heroes, gods and goddesses and others, bringing them alive before me,” a tearful Prabhu recalled.

With his deep knowledge of the ancient Indian scriptures, Pai had shlokas and verses ready at any time and would recite an appropriate one for any occasion.

In the 1950s, he joined The Times

Two years after creating publishing history with Amar Chitra Katha, Pai launched the Rang Rekha Features, the country’s first comics and cartoons syndicate and followed it up with Tinkle children’s magazine in 1980.

His interactive style through Tinkle and the legendary status he had achieved through Amar Chitra Katha earned him the title of ‘Uncle Pai’ by which he remained famous.

As reading habits started dwindling, he readily accepted modern forms of media and scripted and produced two video movies Ekam Sat and The Secret of Success in Hindi and English

He also brought out an audio series on Amar Chitra Katha comics entitled Storytime With Uncle Pai, besides several general interest and self-help books.

Keeping a strict 3 a.m.-9 p.m. regimen, Pai was an avid reader, a teetotaller and strict disciplinarian who relaxed by listening to Rabindra sangeet.

Around five years ago, he commented on his youthful agility and zest for life with a smile saying, “I am still a child, hungry for knowledge of my country’s ancient culture. Only my body grows old, but my mind is forever young, just like my immortal stories.”

Some years ago when the BBC made a documentary on Pai, he was asked who comprised his first audience in story-telling -- he pointed at (Suhas) Prabhu.

“I was the first person to whom he told all his stories before telling them to the whole world... I feel honoured and humbled by this,” Prabhu said.

Widely travelled around the world and in the remotest corners of India, Pai was bestowed honours and awards everywhere.

Five years ago, Pai handed over the work of Amar Chitra Katha to a professional team of ACK Media, but continued to serve there as a consultant, working on his stories, drawings and paintings of his comics till the very end, Prabhu said.

“I see a geopolitical pattern that’s emerging, whereby the Indian navy and the government take a more assertive role with respect to energy, oil and trade routes, counter-piracy issues and so forth in the Indian Ocean straits.

“I don’t think, however, that any one power will ever be a dominant force. It’s going to be a mix of players following the United States and the European navies. China will inevitably - no matter how powerful India is - seek to exert its navy there (Indian Ocean). And it’s going to be a multitude of maritime powers there active.”

Referring to the various economic models available for the underdeveloped world to follow, Khanna reasserted an argument made in his second and latest book, How To run The World, that India, with its organic growth and development, is a much better example than “authoritarian capitalism”.

“There has been genuine growth in India. And it has been public and private in nature and has involved a collection of actors and cooperative coalitions. There have been roles for civil society, the private sector, diasporas, wealthy industrialists, government, business community and so forth. That’s neat because it is an organic form and not in an authoritarian capitalist model.”

Considered one of the world’s most influential people, Khanna claims his geopolitical awakening happened when his father took him to the Berlin Wall immediately after it collapsed in the aftermath of the collapse of the communist world in the early 1990s.

From witnessing such an epoch-marking event first hand, Khanna today has reached a stage where his word on global dynamics is taken seriously by none else than US President Barack Obama, who made Khanna his foreign policy advisor during the presidential campaign.

From the sidelines

A quick off-the-field look at players and fans, performances and fads at the ongoing Cricket World Cup

BY RITAM MITRA

Finally, the group matches are over, and although there were many admirable performances from the ODI minnows and associates, it is with huge expectation that we now enter the knockout phases of this Cricket World Cup 2011. The cricket has at times been scintillating (thanks mainly to England) and at times tiresome, but there’s been a lot going on around the World Cup that isn’t part of the televised package that we are resigned to Down Under. Here are just a handful of things that have been taking place off the

South Africa’s “healthy” diet

South Africa are one of the best fielding sides in the competition and with incredible athletes in their wings such as Dale Steyn and AB De Villiers, it would be reasonable to assume that they are very careful and healthy with their eating

habits, especially in subcontinental conditions unfamiliar to them. Tell this to Morne Morkel, JP Duminy and fitness coach Rob Walter – the team’s social committee – who surprised the boys with a dinner ordered from none other than Nando’s, a fast food chicken chain which is a particular favourite in South Africa. Anyone homesick?

Tying the knot

India is, at the quietest of times, a cricket-crazy nation. But during the World Cup, this fever has reached new heights. In the city of Udaipur, all of forty-five couples chose to take part in a World Cup themed wedding, whose slogan was “Let India win the World Cup!” Grooms traditionally arrive to the ceremonies carrying swords on horses; instead, the 45 grooms at this party carried cricket bats. The venue itself had posters all across the walls decorating the room, featuring Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. Instead of walking around the fire holding each other’s hands or attached by the symbolic knot, the couples chose to carry cricket bats and balls. In fact, even when the ceremony was over, cricket continued to be at the forefront: each bride bowled a ball to her

groom. Here’s wishing them all a happy cricketing life!

The quiet romantic

The Taj Mahal is one of the greatest monuments to love ever created – the story of how Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj (or rather, had thousands of men build it for him) is as famous as the structure itself. A couple of South African cricketers chose to visit it on one of their days off and Wayne Parnell, usually a fiery competitor on the field, was one of those players. Many of the players chose to stay home, but Parnell chose to go because of “the story behind it”.

“It’s amazing that someone could love his wife so much that he built that, and even if it meant that I had to wake up at 4am to go and see it, I would have done it,” he said.

Parnell and Hashim Amla, the other player who joined management for the trip to the fabled structure, had to leave at 7 in the morning, which was, along with the long bus ride, one of the factors that deterred the rest of the group. But Parnell seems to be, as many of us have been, mesmerised by the Emperor’s love.

It’s just that most of us haven’t opened the bowling for the best and fiercest fast bowling attack in cricket today.

Koffee with Brett

Although in Bangalore the Australian team played two matches in four days, Brett Lee found time to have an hourlong chat with young Dev Alimchandani about all things cricket. Lee is an immensely popular figure in India, and his marketable personality is backed up by his passion on the cricket field. Dev is taking part in the first level of the Cricket Education Program (CEP), an initiative of Cricket Australia, through which a schools-based cricket coaching course guides children up to the age of 14 through 6 levels of cricket skills. Lee is an ambassador for the program, and thinks it’s about more than just cricket.

“With the CEP, to me it’s all about giving kids an opportunity,” Lee says.

“You see the way these young kids can actually benefit from the program, but it’s not just about cricket, it’s about education as well, and about life skills. It’s about helping the young guys come through. I’ve got a young boy (four-yearold son Preston) at home. Whether he chooses one day to play cricket or go into

something else, it doesn’t really matter. Just as long as they’re being active.” Dev was flown in from Mumbai, being the lucky student who impressed at the Cricket India Academy which runs the event. Fast bowlers really can be nice guys!

Aath Khoon Maaf!

Munaf Patel, the Indian fast bowler, visited the movies with his wife during one of India’s week-long breaks between matches in the early stages of the tournament, to watch the Bollywood film Saat Khoon Maaf (literally, “Seven Murders Forgiven”). However, as the film progressed and Priyanka Chopra set about murdering seven husbands, Munaf Patel was called about another murder taking place – that of the England cricket team, at the hands of Irish giant Kevin O’ Brien. He left the movies early, and came back to the hotel room to watch the slaughter live. He went on to remark: “I saw only two murders in the theatre, but ended up watching many more during the Ireland-England game”. We wonder which murders his wife would have rather seen, considering that the IPL begins within a week of the World Cup ending…

Free checkup… at the cricket

Kolkata was bitterly disappointed at having lost the marquee India-England World Cup clash, after the stadium officials at Eden Gardens failed to meet deadlines. They would have been even more disappointed after seeing how closely matched the two teams were, with the match resulting in an epic tie. You could be forgiven for thinking that the masses would not bother showing up for any of the remaining matches scheduled at Eden Gardens, featuring South Africa along with Ireland, Netherlands, Kenya and Zimbabwe. However, in India you can always find a way to draw crowds to the cricket. For the cost of just one ticket (Rs. 750-1000), spectators were able to visit any of the three matches between the aforementioned sides, as well as a free blood pressure check, echocardiogram and a consultation with doctors. It may well be expected that the Kolkata crowds will have high blood pressure after being denied the chance to see their heroes in the undeniable Colosseum of international cricket.

1. Indian supporters on the streets of Siliguri

2. Pakistan fans at the New Zealand vs Pakistan game

3. Crowds show full involvement

4. Prayers for Team India

5. Sri Lanka fans at the Sri Lanka vs Australia match

Why not wine?

India should encourage the option of trying healthier, less dangerous alcoholic drinks instead of hard spirits

BY NOEL G DE SOUZA

“Indians love hard liquor, shun wine” roars the headline in a recent edition of The Times of India, India’s leading English daily. It would have been appropriate if the report had been titled, Indians who drink love liquor, but shun wine, given that only a small percentage of Indians are drinkers.

The story was based on the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s 2011 report on alcohol consumption.

A similar story in the Sydney Morning Herald gives the erroneous impression that Indians are hard alcohol drinkers.

WHO estimates that 90.1% (80% males and 97% females) of Indians generally abstain from alcohol, with Indians who have abstained from alcohol all their lives making up 79.2% (76.2% males and 92% females) of these. Even though only 10% of Indians drink alcoholic beverages, they represent over a 100 million people, thus constituting a substantial market which dwarfs the entire Australian population.

A large number of young Indians will be entering the drinking age in the next 3 to 4 years (Wine India estimates these to be 100 million), thus creating an even bigger market. The question that Indians need to ask is whether wine should be promoted as a healthier alternative to hard alcohol. Russia has had the unfortunate experience of social disarray (almost a national calamity) caused by addiction to vodka.

India toasts foreign dignitaries with fruit juice rather than the western custom of wine. Subhash Arora, President of the Indian Wine Academy, has written to the Indian President that Indian wines should be served instead. India imports wines from Europe and Australia. Western Australia held a ten-day wine and food show in Bangalore to showcase its products as recently as December last year.

The police have intervened in the NSW elections by demanding that drinking venues should close early, as violent incidents near such venues are typically alcohol-related. Drink driving laws in Australia are severe as is the ban on underage drinking. Many of the incidents against Indian students in the recent past took place in pubs at night. Were those students unadvisedly attempting to integrate into Australian society by joining drinking parties?

Alcoholic content in beer ranges from medium to low, and even zero. So-called light beers have become popular in Australia ever since strict drink-driving rules came into effect. The alcoholic content in wine used to be generally low, but in recent years it has risen to around 10%. Both alcohol-free beer and wines are available in supermarkets. The consumption of wine has been increasing vis-à-vis other drinks in Australia, particularly with southern Europeans coming to the country.

India does not have a culture of drinking alcoholic beverages with minor exceptions such as in Goa. Goa produces its own range of alcoholic drinks like the strong liquor feni, made from caju fruit. Feni recently obtained exclusive international naming rights just like for champagne. Wine became an important part of Goan culture during Portuguese times, and the state remains a high consumer of wine.

Even though only 10% of Indians drink alcoholic beverages, they represent over a 100 million people, thus constituting a substantial market which dwarfs the entire Australian population.

Alcoholic consumption provides a marked cultural contrast between India and Australia. Only 15.9% of Australians abstain from alcohol and of these, 8.6% are lifetime abstainers. Drinking alcoholic beverages is part of the Australian culture, in harmony with European habits. The pattern of drinking is complex: only 22% drink spirits or hard alcoholic beverages, whilst the majority go for milder drinks. Beer is the favourite drink for 46% of drinkers, with wines being consumed by 32%.

Spirits, beer and wines differ in their alcoholic content and cultural backgrounds. Spirits are strong alcoholic drinks and their consumption even in moderate amounts can lead to drunkenness. When habitually drunk, spirits can damage health. Such drinks are dangerous to mix with certain medications.

Alcoholics

Anonymous estimates that 45% of Goa’s population consumes alcohol which dwarfs the estimated 25% in other Indian states. The number of alcoholics in Goa is estimated to be one lakh. In such cases a large part of the family income gets wasted on alcoholic addiction. Medical reports say that many diseases in Goa are alcohol-related. When this writer grew up in Goa during Portuguese times, alcoholic consumption was a virtual curse on society, though it was strangely condoned.

Wine is produced in small quantities in Goa. Portugal, an important wine-producer which is famous for its Porto made from dried grapes, has recently offered to help wine production in India by sharing its technology.

Every Indian state has its own rules with regard to alcoholic beverages. Maharashtra, Karnataka and Himachal are actively encouraging their wine industries by liberalizing their excise regimes. 80% of wine consumption in India is confined to major cities such as Mumbai (39%), Delhi (23%), Bangalore (9%) and Goa (9%). Gujarat’s policy of alcoholic prohibition has encouraged the former Portuguese enclaves of Daman and Diu to become tourist watering holes.

Encouraging the emerging generation in India to consume lower alcoholic beverages rather than hard drinks, could ultimately result in a healthier outcome.

A lesson learnt

The

BY DILIP JADEJA

So Australia doesn’t want to sell uranium to India? Well, India may just not need it from Australia anymore. Mr Rudd and Ms Gillard are about to miss the boat but the price for this will be paid by the uranium industry. China of course, will need uranium but they have decided a price limit for it, and experts predict that the country will not buy it above US$70 per pound. China may refuse to accept the lesson from

nuclear designs can be and how quickly nuclear dangers can manifest themselves. A WikiLeaks disclosed stated that the Japanese government ignored a Japanese court, which said that residents might be exposed to radiation in a given eventuality

withstand only a 6.5 magnitude earthquake. It is true that everyone is wiser in the hindsight, but in this case both the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Japanese court were correct, as later events proved.

Then again, at some point one did not have

to be a genius to know this could happen. I concluded at least three days before the fuel rods melting that the disaster was irreversible. Why? It was pretty simple. If you read the information, it said three things. Firstly, the rods were overheating due to a lack of water to cool them. Secondly, sea water was being used to cool the rods. Finally, pumping in the sea water was also difficult because the pressure from rising vapours near the rods meant that even more pressure was needed to pump the sea water to where the rods were.

Clearly, if the sea water had cooled the rods, we would not be hearing of all these problems, and if the rods were still heating as was the case, the pressure would only go up and the problem of pumping sea water near the rods would exponentially rise. From this one concluded that this was an irreversible trend in the making, and from then it was my extrapolation that what happened to one reactor would happen to most of them - say 3 out of 4, given the same design, same problem, same situation.

The worst thing in all these was that if I could conclude that this was most likely to happen, anyone could, and the best thing was to get people a long way out of there. The local Government should have thought the same thing, but they did not! One could not believe they were issuing only a 20 km

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nuclear power

exclusion zone notice, knowing fully well that the surrounding areas were nearly deserted and most people were ready to move out without carrying much. The major logistical nightmare in such cases is how to move people. In this case, the tsunami had already destroyed much of the area, making it easier to get people to move out. To top it all, these are some of the most disciplined of peoples – the cool, gentle Japanese with a smile on their faces and not much by way of complaint!

It was heart-wrenching to think all these people had to risk being exposed to the radiation because the government would not do what it should have done early on – both before and after the first set of problems appeared – to have issued clearer warnings.

As any engineer would tell you, there are two facts of life in the real world. The first is that the worst case scenarios do often come to a pass, so a designer must assume that all things do fail at some point in time. Secondly, the worst failures are systemic (which means they are failures of more than one thingusually two or three things failing in a row). So a good designer must assume that not just one but two or three things can fail simultaneously at some point.

The problem is that protecting against such systemic failures adds to the design cost of a power plant. That should however be fine

because over its long life, the additional cost would become a negligible sum. Further, given that this extra cost can save lives, it is well justified. Maybe, new nuclear design approaches are now needed that assume failures can happen in a systemic way and then build that into the very design of all things nuclear.

Apart from everything else, these events proved that if WikiLeaks had been allowed to leak the information about ill-equipped Japanese plants early on, certainly some lives would have been saved. And this is the counter-argument of what the US government reasons – that somehow, WikiLeaks costs lives. In fact, this event shows that WikiLeaks could actually have saved many lives.

Finally, this makes it very clear that large populations and nuclear power plants should not be allowed to co-exist geographically and that until more research is done on how to create electricity from nuclear energy without such undue risks to lives, the nuclear energy option should be sent back to the design board. The Japanese government stuffed up royally, but the lives of Japanese people laid down in these disasters have taught the world an allimportant lesson or two. The only solace to these sufferers would be that the world has learnt something worthwhile from their sacrifice.

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Double standards

BY MALLI IYER

Shonky sports

“Gamble responsibly” is the footnote on TV advertisements for “Betfair”, a British import in sports betting from the UK, based in Tasmania as a legal entity. Betfair is now sponsor for a number of cricket competitions at the national level and is also involved in horse and greyhound racing, alongside football and all codes of rugby. Obviously, their TV ads are not directed at the betting sharks and bookies running illegal betting syndicates, who have lured young and ambitious sports performers into match-fixing, spot-fixing and other methods of “getting rich quick”, much to the chagrin of the International Cricket Council (ICC) and other national sports authorities.

How does one justify recent developments in sportscasting where TV sports presenters and commentators announce the betting odds of competing teams before the start of the game and during intervals – not as a commercial, but as part of their regular sports coverage. Sports betting is thus encouraged through approved channels, but is discouraged and participants are penalized if bookmaking is done by unauthorised agencies.

This is an example of double standards by the cricketing authorities, regardless of whether it is the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), Cricket Australia or the ICC, since they legitimise sports betting simply because they receive a cut from the betting proceeds.

Tobacco tales

Most of us will recall our favourite movie actors of yore stylishly puffing away or displaying a pipe or a particularly popular brand of cigarette – a free advertisement for tobacco use in the old days.

As far back as 1965, the Surgeon General of USA announced the dangers of tobacco use publicly, but it has taken almost half a century and millions of fatalities linked to tobacco around the globe for the antitobacco lobby to gather momentum. Even so, the tobacco industry continues to thrive and is allowed to export freely to Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Far East simply because of tobacco revenues that accrue to the governments, not to mention political donations by tobacco companies.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 10 million people will die each year by 2020 due to tobacco related illnesses, of which 7 million will be from developing countries. Whilst smoking has declined by 45% in USA, Europe continues to see a rise of 5.6 % and 8% in Asia Pacific, in smoking. The people are entitled to hold their Governments accountable for slow moving legislation against the tobacco industry despite overwhelming evidence against the

use of tobacco. Stalling tactics in courts by the tobacco lobby against ‘class action’ is in the form of innovations like filtered cigarettes, mentholated, mild and low tar brands all of which contain nicotine and are equally addictive.

Drinking dupes

Global underage drinking is worth $23 billion inspite of the conflict of interest

the branded alcohol industry globally is in excess of $160 billion, and this constitutes only 38% of all alcohol consumption. There are no reliable figures available for the nonregulated segment which is as much of a threat to public health, if not greater. One shudders to think if the Government and Road Safety authorities really mean business when they have billboards screaming “don’t drink and drive” all across the world.

repression or external aggression by these countries. In several cases, the arms trade carries on relentlessly despite malnutrition and starvation in those countries. It can be safely concluded that the global trade in arms and ammunitions has caused untold misery to the masses in the poorer nations. It defies belief that war-mongering through the use of chemical weapons, nerve gas, land mines, cluster bombs and agent orange are part of this industry that has wrought death and destruction in several parts of the world since World War II. Is it any wonder that the United Nations and other international agencies are only paying lip service to peace?

Car con

cases there is a loss of partial consciousness, which is why there are severe restrictions to drink driving. Regardless, the alcohol industry prospers with the connivance of Governments at all levels who stand to gain substantial revenues. Governments frequently do not offset the costs against the revenues due to lost productivity, increased health care costs, property damage due to accidents and the enormous level of social damage. The alcohol industry has resorted to blending their products with beverages which helps them beat the drink-driving laws. The collateral damage caused by overuse of alcohol blended beverages has seen a significant increase in underage drinking. The revenue turnover of

in the world. The top five nations control 84 % of the global trade in arms – USA with $15.8 billion, UK with $4.3 billion, France with $3.2 billion, Russia with $ 2.62 billion and Germany with $1.8 billion. These nations have a rapidly expanding export of arms to countries like Israel, Pakistan, Burma, Sudan and Colombia, who are all known for their human rights violations. China, likewise is supplying arms to Burma, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and several other dictatorial regimes in Africa. Their export trade in arms should come close to the top five, although accurate figures are not available. It is well known that as there is no International Treaty on arms, the weapons supplied are used mainly for internal

Most people will be unaware that the first electric powered vehicle was operated about 100 years ago, and the world is still grappling with refinements to the internal combustion engine, now the proven villain in global warming and production of phenomenal amounts of carbon dioxide caused by our heavy dependence on the automobile industry. Why did the whole world increase its reliance on fossil fuels and not develop the electric powered vehicle despite its energy efficiency, low maintenance and non-polluting features? The answer lies with the USA which, in the early 20th century, placed its trust in the internal combustion engine. The world at large followed this pioneer of the automobile industry and the rest is history. It is worth pointing out that an electric powered car converts 75 % of its chemical energy to power the wheels, whilst the internal combustion engine converts only 20% of the energy stored in the gasoline. Governments are now forced to conclude that a colossal error of judgment was in their inability to correctly assess the long-term ill effects of using fossil fuels. Whilst it may have suited the long term needs of USA to develop its automobile industry, it was not the best option for everyone – in short what is good for the goose is not necessarily good for the gander! Until the crunch came, US citizens enjoyed low cost fuel whilst the rest of the world paid heavily for reliance on the internal combustion engine. A global double standard that the world did nothing about!

The regulatory powers of Governments could have prevented ongoing damage in each case, but didn’t. They were blinded by the lure of tax revenue coming into the Treasury coffers and the power of lobbying by the industry and its leaders.

Intelligentsia and distinguished citizens throughout the world have always disagreed with senior bureaucrats and politicians, but have done precious little about the prevalence of double standards in tobacco, alcohol, the arms and ammunitions trade, automobile industry and betting/gambling in horse racing, lotteries etc. Time has proven that the voice of reason is a feeble one compared with the loudness of commercial screams, and the greed and selfgratification of political leaders.

Society’s conscience keepers are the ones who betray their countries and the world, with practices that are exactly opposite to what they preach

The people are entitled to hold their Governments accountable for slow moving legislation against the tobacco industry despite overwhelming evidence against the use of tobacco.

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Caring& cultivating

BY SUDHA NATARAJAN

Ask any long time carer of children, adults, husbands, wives or their doctors… While they do it with love and caring compassion, they will tell you that being a carer is not an easy thing to handle. Physically, psychologically and emotionally, their job is a challenge as much as the disability is a challenge for the one being cared for. While caring for an elder person who has a long time ailment, one has to be sharp in his or her assessment and sometimes make quick judgements in dealing with a situation that is unavoidable.

But there are carers who respect their commitments, balance their responsibilities, judge without emotion, handle their priorities and manage their caring effectively, and with total dedication.

I have the privilege of coming across such a carer. Shanti Prasad with her husband Mata Prasad, are carers of her mother, Sheokumari Singh. Shanti has taught me a lot, because while she goes about her role as a carer with affection, care and concern, she is also constantly looking for resources that would make her role effective and bring more ease and comfort to the person to her mum.

Sheokumari was fearful of strangers and did not want to be left alone. Shanti had to be with her (at RAIN sessions), comforting and reassuring her, introducing her to people who spoke their language and making sure she was not upset.

Shanti and Mata have been caring for Sheokumari who was diagnosed with bowel cancer, which came as a shock to the family. Having migrated to Australia from Fiji where she had spent most of her young life in a village, Sheokumari (81) does not speak or understand English. She could not communicate with the neighbours and a lack of language skills prevented her from making friends. In addition, the trauma of the illness, battling with the resultant pain and discomfort and continued blood transfusions sent her into total depression and withdrawal. Shanti worked full time at that stage. The family had to come to terms with the situation. Shanti gave up her job and became a full-time carer for her mother. She sought advice from her mother’s doctor, the specialists and tried to find a group that would provide her mother the company and support she urgently needed. After having tried for almost two years, she was told of RAIN (Resourceful Australian-Indian

Network), which had just started the regular Thursday meetings at the Hurstville Senior’s Centre in 2007.

Shanti brought her mother to the group. As a young grandmother she also took care of her two grandchildren and brought them along too. Sheokumari was fearful of strangers and did not want to be left alone.

Shanti had to be with her, comforting and reassuring her, introducing her to people who spoke their language and making sure she was not upset. It took more than a year

for Sheokumari to get accustomed to the group and longer than that for her lovely face to brighten with a smile when recognising a friendly face. Shanti was there to support her all the time. Slowly Mata, Shanti’s husband, took turns at being with Sheokumari. Now Sheokumari accompanies the group on their day outings and satsang (prayer) sessions even without Shanti. It has taken a lot of patience and determination to bring about this change and not only has Shanti succeeded in getting Sheokumari the social

inclusion she very much needed, but she has introduced the whole family to a rewarding hobby that has had a most therapeutic effect on her mother.

As they proudly point to the variety of beans grown in their garden in the front and back, Shanti and Mata say that they hardly buy any vegetables from the shops. The prolific growth of their vegetable patches and the lovely green vines that shade the veranda with little beans sprouting out at touchable distance, all tell a story. Shanti says that when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, the whole family had to be reorganised to accept the trauma of the situation and they had to come up with resources that would make life a little pleasant.

Shanti gave up her job and was restricted to the house, caring for an ailing mother and growing grandchildren. The rest of the family had to work hard to bring in finances, and someone had to take care of the home front. Soon Mata retired and assisted her with house duties. This is when both felt the boredom of being restricted to the house. They could sympathize with Sheokumari who had the added issue of the language barrier. Mata and Shanti decided to concentrate on their garden, and Sheokumari was happy to participate whenever she could. Shanti explains that this proved a most wonderful

Shanti says that when her mother was diagnosed with cancer, the whole family had to be reorganised to accept the trauma of the situation and they had to come up with resources that would make life a little pleasant.

hobby as it provided a diversion and a therapeutic occupation for the whole family. They had a lovely flower garden in front of the house, but soon the need to plant more vegetables resulted in the whole little cottage being surrounded by beans, okra, eggplant and herbs. Shanti and Mata go about planting in the correct season, remove the weeds, collect the vegetables, cut and store them in the freezer for prolonged use, and Sheokumari and the children participate in the whole process with equal enthusiasm.

Obviously the extended family are impressed with the efforts of Shanti and Mata, and the whole family gets together for dinner on Saturdays to enjoy the fresh vegetables produced in their garden. Other family members have also taken to gardening in their own homes and a produce exchange ensues, providing variety. Talk about resourcefulness and you have it spelt as ‘Shanti and Mata Prasad’.

Caring has its own challenges, but one loving couple have shown how it can be done to the betterment of the whole family

Sheokumari Singh at home with Shanti and Mata Prasad

Learning to un-worry

BY SAROJA SRINIVASAN

Who is a ‘worrier?’

Defining worry is easy – the Oxford Dictionary defines it as a ‘state of mental uneasiness’. Therefore it is very much a mental activity that goes on within the person, but it also has outward manifestations. For instance, even though it happens within the confines of the mind, worriers will often express their concerns in words to others. In the first instance most ‘worriers’ have reverberating thoughts often about a particular topic. Some worriers may even have a list of topics they worry about. Sometimes the topics are so many and so interwoven that it appears meaningless to those who hear them, to the extent that many worriers are told, ‘You are worrying about nothing!’ This, of course, leads to further anguish and distress for the worrier.

Sometimes the mind can be so consumed with worry that it loses its capacity to voluntarily change to anything else. The repetition often leads to even friends choosing to avoid the company of the worrier! Everything comes to a standstill and it seems as if the mind cannot even think anymore - it becomes a total blank. There seems to be total loss of constructive solutions.

In such cases of chronic worry, both the mind and intellect seem unavailable to the person. Since constructive activity requires mastery over one’s intellect, in the absence of control over the intellect, all deliberate constructive activity stops. People start living in absentia! The worrier loses track of time and stops living in the present. Two Sanskrit words that are very similar illustrate the destructive nature of worry - ‘chitha’ and ‘chintha’. The former translated means ‘funeral pyre’ and the latter translated means nonconstructive ruminations – or simply ‘worry’. One burns the physical body, while the other burns the living mind. Chronic worriers are experts on what the problem is, but rarely spend time on what to do about it.

How to ‘un-worry’

To overcome any difficult situation requires a certain fundamental mind-set. To un-worry requires a desire to change, a willingness to persevere and a determination to succeed.

The first step in attempting to overcome the habit of worrying, which is exactly what it is, is to take a step towards not allowing the topic of worry easy access to the mind. We have to accept that we do have control over the mind, however feeble it may seem at times. What we may not have control over is the situation that causes the worry.

The worrier has to make a strong determined effort to distract the mind from the topic of worry and if it intrudes by entering the mind surreptitiously, become aware of it immediately and attempt to banish it. Decide to postpone the topic and to return to it at a certain predetermined time for a predetermined duration later in the day, for example, half an hour at 8pm. This technique is known as ‘worry time’ among psychologists in the west. This of course, is not as easy to actually accomplish as it sounds. It requires repeated practice and a concerted effort. It may also require the assistance

It is possible to ‘un-worry’

In brief, it is possible to un-worry. Making sure that one doesn’t become stagnant again by dwelling on alternative solutions and once again sinking into the mire of unproductive thinking is a possible trap. Maintaining the focus on solutions is vital.

of concerned others to be enlisted. For example, if the worrier begins to talk about their worry at other times, someone can remind them.

The next step is to bring the vast amounts of topics of worry to a manageable amount. Just as we reduce data to quantifiable units, so too we have to cut this huge monster pile of worries to smaller units so that an attempt can be made to resolve it.

When the intellect has to be in charge, it means moving away the distractions of emotions to be able to find solutions. The time available for this process is brief. Hence if the worries are now crystallized into a limited number of clusters with common themes, there is more chance of finding solutions to them.

Having brought the number of topics of worry to a manageable amount and obtained a semblance of control over the runaway mind, the next step requires a focus on possible solutions. This is not easy and it requires a total commitment to solution-based thinking alone. Writing down various solutions that may be feasible may be the first step. Solutions vary depending on whether they are short term or long term. Staying determinedly with solutionoriented thinking can produce some very real relief from the sense of dejection brought about by constant worrying so far.

This is when the worrier begins to take tentative steps necessary to face the problem, rather than worry about it. The decision needed is to act, rather than react to situations that are causing the worry. Once on this path wherein some movement has begun to occur, there is a good possibility that it will begin to gain momentum and lead the person away from the destructive path of worrying, and on to the constructive path of dealing with the issues and getting closer to a life without worry.

Steps to ‘un-worry’

1. Feel a genuine desire to change, to stop worrying and be more carefree

2. Don’t allow worrying topics easy access to your thoughts

3. Realise that you don’t always have control over situations

4. Allow – and establish – a certain ‘worry time’, only talking and thinking about ‘worry topics’ during that time

5. Reduce ‘worry topics’ to a manageable load

6. Focus on possible solutions rather than dwelling on the problem

Worry is natural, but sometimes we could make it our life’s goal, to our personal detriment

Worriers are experts on what the problem is, but rarely spend time on what to do about it.

Mother city of many names

Cape Town’s eclectic mix of historical wealth, natural panorama and modern amenities is a tourist’s delight

APARTHEID

BY SANDIP HOR

India’s leading hotelier, the Taj, has the reputation of dotting their properties outside India in global destinations that are exotic and vibrant, such as London, New York and Sydney. Last year, they opened a five-star luxury hotel in the heart of Cape Town in South Africa, a city which most travel guidebooks mark as one the most beautiful in the world. Your judgement, like mine, will perhaps be no different, when gazing at its picturesque landscape dominated on one side by glorious purpleheaded mountains and pounded on the other by two thundering oceans, carpeted in between by stunningly coloured vegetation.

During my recent visit, I rummaged around the city’s various sights to depict a picture of its past, present and gracious physical environment.

HISTORY AND COLONISATION

Lying halfway between the east and west on a small peninsula at the southern tip of Africa, Cape Town, the earliest urban settlement in that part of the world, was born as a metropolis on the day Dutch commander Jan Van laid claim to the land in 1652 for the Dutch East India Company which was engaged in trade between the Netherlands and East Indies. When the company went bankrupt in 1790, the British took over the Cape which in 1910, after the Union of South Africa was established, became the legislative capital of the nation and remains so till today.

Standing as a silent witness of many episodes from the colonial period is the 1679-built Castle of Good Hope, the oldest building in South Africa and the 1885-built Victorian neoclassical-styled Parliament House, edging the Company Gardens, once the raison d’être of the Dutch settlement. Both attract hordes of daily visitors, to reminiscence its past regal grandeur.

The entrance tower of the pentagonal shaped castle still displays the Dutch coat of arms and has the original bell casted in Amsterdam in 1697 hanging from the original wooden beams of the tower. There is a lack-lustre key ceremony at 10 am, which may faintly remind you of some of the royal etiquettes in Europe.

SLAVERY

The Dutch imported people from West Africa and the East Indies to run their plantations, and soon slavery became the economic backbone of the colony until abolished by the British in 1838. Today, a large number of the city’s non-white inhabitants are descendants of slaves who went through a very painful and torturous regime. To know more about slavery, a visit to the Slave Lodge is recommended. Built by the Dutch in the 17th century to house human chattels, the structure now houses a museum exhibiting an eclectic collection evolved around slavery, which painfully portrays the legacies of the trade.

The city displays many memoirs to remind the world of the brutal period of apartheid that was legislated at the Parliament House during the postWorld War II period. The first that poignantly draws visitors like in a pilgrimage, is the infamous Robben Island prison where leaders such as Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu and others fighting against the apartheid laws that imposed restriction on almost every movement of non-white citizens, were imprisoned for decades. The other, historically very significant is the St Georges Cathedral. Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu used to keep hammering its doors, demanding that he should be made the country’s first black archbishop. Finally comes the iconic City Hall from the balcony of which Nelson Mandela spoke to the world immediately after his release from prison in February 1990. The classic Bathstone-made Edwardian building stands flanking the Grand Parade, a large courtyard, which was packed with thousands on that day to hear their leader say “Forgive, but not forget”.

MODERN CAPE TOWN

After the dark period of apartheid, Cape Town began booming as a sought-after travel destination in the region, not just because of its natural grandeurs, but equally for showcasing the contributions from its early settlers - the Dutch, British, Indonesians and Indians, immediately apparent in its diverse architecture, culture and religions.

Its modern-day menu card includes plush accommodation, an eclectic variety of cuisine, endless shopping opportunities and hordes of things to do and see that richly reward even a conservative visitor. With enough adrenal-rushing activities, from abseiling to paragliding, as well as more relaxed outings to expansive beaches, nearby vineyards and many city museums, quaint markets and trendy shops, the city easily fills an extended visit. The Victoria & Albert Waterfront, is a popular hotspot for visitors with high-class shopping, eating and drinking in a highly picturesque setting among piers and quays of a working harbor. It’s also the embarkation point for the journey to the notorious Robben Island. The City’s two main historic thoroughfares, Adderley Street lined with handsome buildings from several centuries and Long Street, where graceful coexistence of old and new is the dominant feature, flank the Taj hotel on both sides, and surely deserve a leisurely stroll along their pathways to pick up some of the Captonians trendy lifestyles from past and present.

NATURAL SPLENDOUR

Besides the city’s stunning architectural display and plush ambiance, the other image that engrosses every visitor is savouring the Table Mountains - a landmark synonymous with the city as the Eiffel Tower is to Paris, or Big Ben to London.

For the city’s indigenous population it is known as the “Mountain of the Sea” and for Nelson Mandela, it was a shining beacon of freedom and hope. For millions of visitors, which includes a long list of celebrities such as King George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, the mountain’s 1085m summit offers an amazing natural backdrop for the city below.

Today over 3 million Africans, Asians and Europeans have made Cape Town their home, giving its rich urban texture a strong cosmopolitan character, perhaps more European than typical African.

It is truly a hikers paradise, though the flattopped mass today can easily be reached by cable cars which feature revolving floors to allow a 360-degree grand view. When at the top, be prepared to be surrounded by patches of fluffy balls of clouds, which according to a popular legend are the result of a smoking contest between a Dutch pirate and the devil, both of whom have been smoking ever since.

MULTICULTURALISM

After being elected as the nation’s first black President in 1994, Nelson Mandela said, “For it was here at this Cape, over three centuries ago, that there began the fateful convergence of the peoples of Africa, Europe and Asia on these shores.”

Today over 3 million Africans, Asians and Europeans have made Cape Town their home, giving its rich urban texture a strong cosmopolitan character, perhaps more European than typical African. Among the quirky mix of historical and modern buildings, you will spot Cape Dutch houses, Moravian churches, Georgian mosques, Victorian terrace houses and Islamic minarets crowding the townscape.

In the adjacent Bo-Kaap quarter, you see brightly coloured Dutch and Georgian terraces concealing a labyrinth of alleyways which are arteries of the Muslim community who are descendants from dissidents and slaves brought by the Dutch, from Indonesia and India in the 16th and 17th centuries. There are ten mosques scattered in the small district, the 1795-built Auwal Mosque being the most significant one

INDIAN LINKS

The city has a long time empathy with India. In the 18th century, Indians were shipped here to work in sugar fields; they never went back and their descendants call Cape Town home. During apartheid, Indians were treated no differently from other non-white Africans. Today they have become Capetonians, but haven’t washed off their cultural roots, heritage and traditions which still thrives in temples, mosques and numerous eateries serving rotis with spicy curries. Mahatma Gandhi, who spent 21 years of his life in South Africa, stamped his footprints here as well; in 1914, he left permanently for India from this city.

CITY OF MANY NAMES

Cape Town is often referred by other names such as “Tavern of the Seas” or “Cape Grab”, but the most commonly used one is Mother City and the locals jokingly say this name derives from an old notion that it takes almost nine months for something to happen in the city.

It’s not true as within days you, like me, will fall in love with the charms of the city.

Travel notebook

GETTING THERE

South African Airways (www.flysaa.com) have flights from Sydney (code-shared with Qantas) and Perth to Cape Town via Johannesburg. There are flights from Johannesburg to Mumbai, so a feasible option to tour South Africa can be en-route to India as well.

ACCOMMODATION

Staying at the Taj Hotel (www.tajhotels.com) means you are in the centre of all the iconic sites that comprise Cape Town’s blend of fascinating history, exotic culture, soulful art, lively entertainment, delectable cuisine and buzzing street life. Do not miss dining at their Bombay Brassiere Restaurant after a rejuvenating experience at the Jiva Spa, that offer a spectrum of authentic, traditional Indian wellness treatments

TOUR OPERATOR

Contact Wildlife Safari Consultants (Ph:0418443494) for all your travel arrangements in South Africa

MORE INFORMATION

Check Cape Town Tourism (www.capetown.travel)

1. City Hall

2. Picture perfect Cape Town

3. Vibrant Long Street

4. Parliament House

5. Castle of Good Hope

6. Majestic Table Mountain backdropping Mother City

7. Colourful Bo-Kaap

Eat more f r u i t

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

It’s time to make the most of the fruit that continues to appear on the supermarket shelves, before winter sets in. Here are some delicious fruit recipes with simple ingredients that come together to make something special. Lightly marinated or grilled fruit, served with yoghurt or a good quality vanilla ice cream, can make a great dessert after an Indian meal.

Marinated Nectarines

6 large nectarines

1 punnet blueberries

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

¼ cup brown sugar

Juice of 1 lime

2 cups plain yoghurt

2 tbsp good honey

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

Stone the nectarines and cut into eighths. Toss gently with blueberries, ginger, sugar and lime juice. Cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Combine yoghurt, honey and vanilla extract. Serve with chilled marinated fruit.

Warm Peaches

4 ripe peaches

4 tbsp light brown sugar

Cut peaches in half and remove stone. Place them, cut side up, on a tray and sprinkle sugar over. Grill under a hot grill for about ten minutes or until sugar begins to darken. Serve warm with chilled yoghurt (plain or flavoured) or Fruche, and some almond biscotti.

Vodka-Marinated Plums

2 plums, sliced

¼ cup chilled vodka

2 tbsp caster sugar

½ tsp lemon zest

Combine plums, vodka, sugar and lemon zest in bowl. Stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate for half an hour. Serve chilled with plain or flavoured yoghurt or Fruche.

Orange Delight

3 large sweet oranges

6 large cardamom pods

¼ cup cointreau

Toasted flaked almonds

Yoghurt

Peel and segment oranges, remove white pith and seeds, and chop up flesh. Add cointreau. Peel cardamom and gently bruise the seeds in a mortar and pestle. Mix in with the oranges, cover and refrigerate. To serve, spoon oranges into small glass, top with yoghurt and sprinkle with almonds.

Grilled Plums 1

6 medium plums

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp brown sugar (more or less depending on how sweet the fruit is)

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Halve the plums and remove stones. Melt butter and whisk with brown sugar and cinnamon. Brush mixture all over cut side of fruit. Place the plums cut side

Drunken Grapes

500 gms green seedless grapes

3 tbsp brown sugar

4 tbsp vodka

2 tubs Fruche (with vanilla bean)

½ cup slivered almonds

Slice grapes and put them into a glass bowl. Add sugar, vodka, Fruche and almonds and mix well. Cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour. Serve chilled.

up on a lightly greased oven tray and grill until soft, about five minutes. Cool. Serve chilled with plain or flavoured yoghurt, Fruche or vanilla ice cream.

Grilled Plums 2

6 medium plums

1tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp Galliano liqueur

Halve the plums and remove stones. Place the plums cut side up, on a lightly greased oven tray. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and drizzle with the liqueur. Grill until soft, about five minutes. Cool. Serve chilled with plain or flavoured yoghurt, Fruche or vanilla ice cream.

Red Wine Marinated Peaches

6 medium peaches

1 ½ cups fruity red wine

¾ cup light brown sugar

½ tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

Peel, stone and slice peaches. Prepare marinade by combining the wine, sugar, cinnamon and cloves in a medium saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the peaches, toss gently to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. To serve, spoon the peaches and marinade into dessert glasses, top with

yoghurt or vanilla ice cream.

Substitute pears for peaches for another version.

Balsamic Vinegar Roasted Plums

6 medium plums

½ cup good quality balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Halve the plums and remove stone. Put in a baking dish and add balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper, and cook in a 180 degree oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until fruit is soft. To serve, spoon into dessert bowls, drizzle with any remaining liquid from the baking dish and top with ice cream (a good quality vanilla or French vanilla).

Substitute plums with peaches or nectarines, or try a combination of all three.

Grapes with Macaroons

2 cups seedless red grapes, halved

4 coconut macaroon biscuits, lightly crushed

1 tub Fruche

Gently fold grapes and macaroon biscuits through Fruche, cover and refrigerate.

To serve, spoon into serving glasses and top with more fresh grapes

Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla ice cream in layers.

What do ghosts like as dessert topping? Whipped scream

PEARL OF WISDOM: I will not scream for

Meltdown!!

ICE CREAM

ISDOM: Ice cream is happiness condensed

Bizzarre!!

Ice cream flavours

My favourite ice-cream flavour is cookies and cream. But there are others I would like to try, like chocolate chip cookie dough, rocky road and strawberry cheesecake. Some are weird, like rice krispies and coca cola flavour, but might be worth a try, even grape flavour, or tomato, or kiwi fruit. I might even have a lick of peanut butter flavour, or black licorice, or green tea, or ginger ice cream. But please don’t give me vegetable flavours like sweet potato, pumpkin, corn, avocado, eggplant, spinach, potato, mushroom, carrot (or yuck!) garlic or wasabi ice cream, or other bizarre ones like oatmeal and tulip. I won’t even LOOK at sweet red bean ice cream, or chilli flavour, or bacon, or red wine ice cream. And beware, I will DEFINITELY throw up at fish, octopus, squid, crab and eel-flavoured ice creams!!

All flavours mentioned here are real, many of them coming from Korea, Japan and Taiwan

Jessi Lane Adams

Matrimonials

SEEKING BRIDES

Match 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 Australia-settled family. Call 0430 472 878, or email bali_heer@yahoo.co.in

Seeking 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.

Fiji 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

Match 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.

30-year-old Punjabi Brahmin male, 6 feet, fair, handsome, double degree

holder, Reigistered Nurse, Australian 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.

Seeking 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.

age 30-42. Child accepted. Email bio-data with recent photo to sagg812@gmail.com Serious enquiries.

Seeking for a boy for a very good looking Christian girl, 25, with good family values. Working in Melbourne. Australian citizen. Contact Mobile 0433 242 486 or email shaunoronha_13@hotmail.com

Gupta (elder daughter’s father-in-law) mpgupta@hotmail.com, Mob: 0419 749 448 or, Mrs Anita Gupta (mother) Anita_uae@hotmail.com. Mob +971 (50) 877 0460 or Mr Kanhiya Lal Gupta (father) Kanhiyag@yahoo.com, Mob: +971 (50) 462 1450

3

1-year-old male, Fijian-Indian background, 5’8”, fair, handsome, Australian citizen vegetarian and nonsmoker, living in Sydney, seeks suitable match of honest girl with good family values, age 25-30. Caste and education no bar. Please reply with photo and details HI.WATSUP@hotmail.com or call 0449 109 620

SEEKING GROOMS

Alliance invited for a good looking UP Hindu Jat girl, 29 years, 5’3”, engineer, working for a MNC in Melbourne. Seeks Hindu professional of good family background. Caste no bar. Family members are Australian citizens. Contact 0435 162 864 or email nidhisingh1781@gmail.com

Indian Hindu Khatri divorcee girl 34 years, 5’5”, slim built, attractive, M.A. B.Ed., studying Diploma of Accounting in Sydney, seeks groom, P/R or Australian citizen, family oriented, upper caste no bar,

Seeking a suitable match for Punjabi girl, 31, divorced, 5’3”, slim and good looking. BEng qualified, an IT professional in Sydney, and holds Permanent Residency. Please send details with name, date, time and place of birth at matrimony.groom11@gmail.com. Caste no bar.

Punjabi Hindu Khatri, good looking, smart, homely girl, never married, 34 5‘11”, looks very young, seeking tall Indian boy settled in Australia. Two brothers well settled in Sydney. Caste no bar. Contact with photo and details on 0425 910 007 or ricky.bhalla@gmail.com

Seeking suitable boy (pref. Agarwal) for good looking, slim, vegetarian, 23 years (5 May 1987: Sonepat), 155cm, about to complete MSc Finance from Heriot Watt University U.K. (Dubai Campus). Holds BSc (Hons) Banking & Finance from London School of Economics (Dubai Campus) followed by 2 years employment in HSBC Bank (Treasury Operations). Father runs business in Dubai and Africa. Elder sister married and settled in Canberra; younger brother studying engineering in Melbourne. Please contact Dr MP

Looking for an intelligent, handsome, Sikh boy for my younger daughter 24 years old, 5’6”, slim, fair, beautiful, working in Insurance industry with Finance background, on high income. We have been settled in Sydney for past 35 years. My elder daughter is happily married here in Sydney. Please respond back with your details and photo to 24advertiser@gmail.com

Seeking a suitable match for Hindu lady, 53, 5’2, young looking, very fair, living in Australia for 25 years, works in govt dept. Groom must be between 47-55, well qualified, non-smoker, occasional drinker and vegetarian. Contact sydaus@hotmail.com.au

Dr. G. L Gupta settled in Australia since 1970, seeks match for granddaughter. Meenakshi Gupta DOB 7th Nov 1986, ht. 5’ 4” fair, with sharp features, from Hyderabad, India. Graduate in Commerce, PG Diploma in Banking and Finance from IFBI and worked in ICICI Bank. Coming to Sydney. Seeking Hindu (preferably Agarwa)l professional match. Contact 0401 448 186 / 0404 833 750. E mail giri32@yahoo.com.au

Short Term Contract – Administrator

Working in an established company, you will be responsible for day to day administration duties of a small office. This is a full time position on a contract basis for 1 month. Hindi speaking is a definite advantage for the right candidate. Salary dependant on experience.

COMPANY

We are a young, dynamic and innovative company. We are looking to expand our team within a busy small office environment.

OPPORTUNITY

We require a customer focused, self motivated and proactive individual to join our team as an administrator. Experience is vital, with local Australian administration experience a definite advantage.

To be successful in this role you will be a great team player with a strong work ethic and willing to take on additional tasks – you will have attention to detail and be able to multitask.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• In and out going phone calls

• Confirming contracts with customers

• Accounts – receivables & payables

• Data entry

• Making and checking spreadsheets using Excel

EXPERIENCE

• Previous history in an administrative role and office environment is essential

• Proficient in Microsoft Office including Word, Excel and Email programs

• Knowledge in MYOB (ideal but not necessary)

Please email a cover letter telling us more about yourself along with your CV to cvsydney1@gmail.com.

Only successful candidates will be contacted.

BUZZThe

Holi tomatoes!

The stars of Zoya Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milege Dobara celebrated Holi in a more than unique fashion this year. They enjoyed a stint at the famous Tomatina festival in Spain by throwing ripened tomatoes at each other. Just as Holi is celebrated in India by splashing colours, the Spanish celebrate Tomatina annually.

The film has an elaborate scene, with Bollywood stars Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Farhan Akhtar and Abhay Deol taking part in the fun festival.

The Tomatina festival was re-created for the shoot of the film and shot in Bunyol, Valencia, Spain.

Producer Ritesh Sidhwani said, “To make it look authentic, we had about 16 tonnes of tomatoes from Portugal as the tomatoes in Spain were not ripe.”

For the scene, 24 tonnes of tomato puree was used.

“Tomatina in Spain is a festival closest to our Holi; they play with tomatoes and the world turns red for the day. The energy is infectious and the scene is a visual treat,” Zoya Akhtar, the film’s director, said in a statement.

“We had a blast shooting this sequence but it was not all rosy,” she revealed. “It was a logistical nightmare for the producer... We shot in the same location where the festival actually takes place and we had to shut the town down”.

“The residents of Bunyol were extremely sweet and in turn they celebrated Tomatina twice last year, once for Spain and once for India,” she added.

The cost – a mere one crore rupees. Well, at least the stars didn’t miss out on the festival of colours, but wasn’t it an expensive one!

Beauty with brains works for Bips

We know her as the sexy siren stereotype, but when Bipasha Basu recently broke from this image, it did not go down well with the fans.

Seeing her in the role of a small town, grief-stricken wife in her last film Aakrosh, the fans were not happy. And so now the star is glamming up again in her next film Dum Maaro Dum.

Here Bipasha is cast as Zoey, a hip, strong-minded young woman, aspiring to be an airhostess. “Sometimes it’s very important for an actor to know whether you fit the bill or not,” said sultry Bipasha in an interview. “Also, we have very limited kind of offers in the Hindi film industry. So you have to try and do things that your gut tells you to do. In Aakrosh I felt I was very convincing as a small town, weak girl in the film, but the strong fan following who love the work I do are absolutely not ready to see me doing weak roles. They don’t mind me playing a small town girl as long as it is

a strong woman’s character - that’s the kind of feedback I got after the movie,” revealed Bips.

“Zoey’s character in Dum Maaro Dum has that strength”.

Set in Goa, Dum Maaro Dum is directed by Rohan Sippy who highlights drug mafias through six characters.

The film also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Rana Daggubati and Prateik Babbar among others, and Bipasha said she has no problems working with an ensemble cast.

“I am always for multi-starrers because I feel you enjoy watching performances even more when there are more faces to watch,” said Bipasha.

“The film’s a stylish thriller set within the drug underbelly. We are not trying to say that it is Goa where all this happens. It’s a fictional story and can be placed anywhere. But it’s just that the feel of Goa goes well with the characters and the characterisations of each of us, so that is why we chose Goa”.

Welcome back to what you’re best at, Bips – looking sexy, svelte and sultry. Bet your

fans around the globe are heaving a sigh of relief!

Veteran actor Navin

Nischol is no more

Veteran actor Navin Nischol, best remembered as Balraj of popular TV series Dekh Bhai Dekh, died following a heart attack in Mumbai on March 19. He was 65. The actor was very well respected in the industry, with a career that spanned over 30 years in a varied and colourful series of roles.

Nischol made a successful debut with Sawan Bhadon in 1970 and went on to feature in several films like Victoria No.203, Dhund, Chhalia, Parwana, Buddha Mil Gaya, and later as character actor in Major Saab and The Burning Train, among others.

The actor was very well respected in the industry and colleagues added their comments about his demise on Twitter.

“Navin Nischol was a good man. Aloof, but helpful. We shared some nice moments during Khosla ka Ghosla. Sad he is no more. RIP,” veteran star Anupam Kher posted.

GUESS WHO

(Find the answer under Caption Contest)

A Bollywood muso who has achieved remarkable success (think Chalte Chalte, Baghban)

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

Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif in Farhan Akhtar’s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

“Very sad to hear of the passing of Mr. Navin Nischol. May his soul rest in peace. He will be missed (sic),” posted Abhishek Bachchan.

RIP, Navin Nischol.

Ranbir’s into Cobain

These days, if you spot Ranbir, it’s likely that you’ll see him (of all things) with a book! The handsome actor is busy reading rockstar Kurt Cobain’s biography so that he can connect well with his character in Imtiaz Ali’s Rockstar

“I’d rather read about a person who has done something exceptional than a work of fiction, because I am part of an imaginary world anyway. Scripts are fiction, so this is my connect with reality,” said Ranbir recently.

The 28-year-old has had already had successes like Raajneeti, Bachna Aae Haseeno and Wake Up! Sid to his credit.

So will Ranbir rock? Let’s wait and see.

Raja ya rank?

He might be called the Badshah of Bollywood, but superstar Shah Rukh Khan considers himself labour class.

“I consider myself labour class as I like to maintain an active lifestyle” said Shah Rukh recently. “I like to work all day round and when it is taken away, it affects me mentally. And that percolates down to my family... as a result, everyone in my house also becomes sad”.

The actor has been dealing with a problematic back for a long time which has slowed him down.

Shah Rukh says he enjoys sharing his life with his fans as he has worked hard to achieve where he stands today.

“All my life I have worked so that I can be recognised. I want thousands of people to scream my name out. I want girls and youngsters to tear my clothes. I have worked very hard to achieve this, then I find it very stupid when I see stars hiding their faces,” revealed the surprising actor.

“I want to be disturbed and troubled by people for as many years possible. I want to be remembered as ‘he tried and he tried very hard’,” he added.

Well, I don’t think the King will have a problem, as his subjects are already wild with adulation.

Ash to honour Hugh Jackman

We all know that Aishwarya RaiBachchan is enjoying leading the high life, and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood’s elite. And now the actress has been given another exciting role. She will present a memento to Hollywood star Hugh Jackman at the FICCI-FRAMES 2011 annual convention on the business aspects of the entertainment and media industry soon.

The 37-year-old star will honour Jackman on the final day of the three-day event, and we are quite sure Hugh, like the rest of the industry, will be smitten by the gorgeous actress. Who knows, there might be an Indo-Aussie something in the making at the meet…..

Surprising Salman

Salman Khan is known to ask people close to him to do the oddest of things at the oddest hours. So it wasn’t all that surprising for Mahesh Manjrekar when the actor recently called with an offer that the director-actor couldn’t refuse.

“You’re in Bodyguard Manjrekar, who had been chasing Salman for over a year to look at a script in which the star could be the lead.

But now Manjrekar will join the Bodyguard team instead.

The funniest part of Salman’s film offer is that Manjrekar is clueless about what he’s supposed to play. “He hasn’t told me what I play in Bodyguard ,” said Manjrekar who directed films like Vaastav and Astitva. “I don’t mind, though. I never asked him about my role because I know he’s got a good role for me in mind. I think Salman prefers me to be an actor. He keeps offering me roles in his films. I don’t get a chance to direct him at all”.

Manjrekar seems to be Salman’s good luck mascot, since the actordirector appeared as the main villain in Wanted. Even in Dabangg, he was cast as Sonakshi Sinha’s father. Perhaps the chance of working together will help Manjrekar rope Sallu into acting in one of his films!

Om’s untouchable

He is one of India’s most respected actors, having done an enviable range of roles spanning not just the worlds of art house cinema and mainstream Bollywood, but also the west. Om Puri, however, is still deeply dissatisfied and says he’s an “untouchable” for commercial cinema.

“I don’t get any meaty roles because there are hardly any meaty parts for character actors in our films,” said the 60-year-old actor, who is looking at directing a film in the future.

It’s impossible to forget his comic timing in Chachi 420 and in that ultimate satire Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, or his nuanced portrayals of grey characters in Yuva and Maqbool. But the actor knows that he has a lot more to

“I’ve not been fully utilised in commercial cinema,” he lamented.

“I mean, the big banners have not touched me. I don’t know why I am an untouchable for them. Barring Karan Johar, with whom and now in , other big banners usually don’t come to me”.

“Maybe in another five years, if I’m still around, I will take up

In his over 35-year acting journey, Om has given prolific performances in critically acclaimed non-commercial ventures, beginning and moving on to Mirch Masala, Aakrosh He also acted in East is East and

As far as commercial movies are concerned, after the success of Hera , the Padma Shri awardee has been mostly cast in comic roles in and Malamaal

His next is also a laugh riot called A Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra production helmed by debutant director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba, it is the story of three brothers who dislike one another, but who are ultimately united by fate. Slated to hit the marquee April 15, the cast also includes Deepak Dobriyal, Shreyas Talpade and Ragini

The actor will be also seen shortly in films like Life Goes On, Don 2

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BY SHRADDHA ARJUN

7 Khoon Maaf, No One Killed Jessica, Mirch, Turning Thirty …In Bollywood, 2011 has been all about women-centric films. And they are not your usual clichés of the heroine playing a damsel in distress, waiting for her knight in shining armor to rescue her. Now suddenly, stories about illustrious and strong women that have been translated into scripts for powerful and commercially successful films. This trend is all set to continue with the upcoming Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starrer Heroine and the much-awaited Dirty Pictures with Vidya Balan. Here’s a list of Bollywood’s top ten women-centric films that have been impactful and impressive.

4 8

Bhoomika (1977) Arth (1982)

This film is considered not only Shyam Benegal’s best, but also that of Smita Patil. Films were written specifically for her and she managed to slip into the skin of characters she played on screen. A popular feminist critic Susie Tharu while writing about the film remarked, “. . . it is clear that to search (for) herself is, for a woman, a tragic enterprise. An enterprise in which she is doomed to fail, but can fail bravely and heroically”. The film explores the life of an actress, who starts off as a child artiste, and then becomes a successful actress in her prime. She gives it all up and becomes a recluse. It was perhaps the first Hindi film that belonged to the New Indian Cinema movement that managed to reach large audiences, and was able to receive a significant release. A masterpiece, this is one of the finest examples of womencentric films of all times.

When the darlings of parallel cinema got together for this Mahesh Bhatt flick, they were all set to completely engage, involve and mesmerize the audience. Shabana Azmi plays the role of a loving housewife who’s betrayed by her husband for an actress played by Smita Patil. This film is all about her struggle to get back on track and fight against all odds to lead an independent and successful life. It also touches upon the issues of domestic violence faced by the lower strata of the Indian society. The housemaid’s role is played by Rohini Hattangadi, who kills her husband to free herself from his incessant beatings. Shabana’s character in the film takes on the responsibility of raising the housemaid’s child. While it seems natural for her to fall in love with her only friend during the trying times of her life, she decides to break free from the norms of society, divorce her husband and reject the offer to remarry. This film also has several melodious tracks including two very famous ghazals, Jhuki jhuki si nazar and Tum itna jo muskura rahe ho that make this film truly memorable.

Phir Milenge (2004) > 9

In a patriarchal society like India, discrimination and oppression faced by women is not unusual. If the woman happens to be affected by AIDS, then things are only bound to get worse. This is a very sensitive subject tactfully handled by Revathi in her second film as a director. It also managed to show us a different side of Salman and Shilpa, who were considered the most saleable actors at the box-office doing only run-of-themill kind of roles. What is wonderful about the film is that it treats the subject with respect, and does not get melodramatic. The new age woman who is a smart, savvy and independent ad-maker is portrayed by Shilpa’s character (Tamanna). She loses her job when her boss finds out that she is HIV positive and her battle to get back her job and dignity, forms the storyline. Arguably, it’s also one of the few films in which Abhishek shines as an actor. The film does remind one of Tom Hanks’ Philadelphia; however it delves into other causes and issues faced by women in this modern day and age in an urban set up, which differentiates it from the Hollywood version.

Roja (1992)

At a time when AR Rehman was unknown to the world and Mani Ratnam was just grappling with his success as a filmmaker, this commercially successful film about Kashmir hit the screens. Mani Ratnam is known to blend in art-house themes into commercially successful films with ease. His films speak for themselves and have always been a class apart (save the recent debacle, Raavan). Roja is about a girl who hails from a village in South India who accompanies her husband to Kashmir on his job assignment. Terrorists unexpectedly kidnap him and she’s left helpless on her own to rescue him. The character of Roja played by Madhoo is an interesting one. Roja is not a very well-educated woman; she does not understand politics or even the gravity of the issue in its entirety. All she wants is her husband back, free from the clutches of the terrorists. She goes to great extents, even finding the courage to scream at a terrorist held captive at a prison on one instance, running up to the president of the nation asking for his help in another. The film might have been about terrorists and Kashmir, but to me it’s the story of the courage and determination of a woman who is not ready to give up in the most trying of situations.

Some of Bollywood’s best films have dealt with the subject of women and the issues that affect them

Loosely based on the lives of the first female Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi and Bihar politician Tarkeshwari Sinha, this is an all-time classic. Suchitra Sen’s portrayal of a politician stands unbeaten so far. It’s interesting to see how her personality changes with circumstances in the film. The film was banned by the ruling government at the time, but later premiered on television. Yet it enjoyed immense popularity and is considered one of the best films Bollywood has ever made about a woman’s choices. The film also has many beautiful songs, with lyrics penned by Gulzar and music composed by RD Burman making it pure gold!

> Fashion (2008) >

Packed with A-listers, this film seemed like a formula-driven commercial film. But it shook audiences with some superb performances. Sensitive issues such as sexual assault, domestic violence and oppression were brought to the surface, with plenty of scope for powerful performances for all of its actors. Meenakshi Sheshadri finally got her due as an actress for her portrayal of a simple housewife entangled in an extraordinary circumstance, wherein she is forced to go against her husband and family to fight for a cause. Sunny Deol, seen in a completely different avatar, won several accolades. There were a few hummable tracks, but it was the power packed dialogues and screenplay that took the cake.

>

Sangharsh (1999)

The elusive world of designers, models and photographers was unfurled for perhaps the very first time on the silver screen by Madhur Bhandarkar. This film was pivotal to the success of Priyanka Chopra as an actress, playing the role of an aspiring supermodel -

This film was perhaps not the most predictable choice for an upcoming actress, however Preity Zinta pulled it off with panache. Inspired by the Hollywood thriller Silence of the Lambs, this film manages to send chills up one’s spine with every viewing. Women in films are not usually seen handling these circumstances on their own. Preity Zinta plays a cop overcoming her insecurities and vulnerabilities to capture a psychopathic serial killer (Ashutosh Rana). Rana unfortunately was typecast into playing such roles in other films like Dushman, but it had the reverse effect for Preity. She was offered a variety of roles that were not considered her forte, and it also inspired other actresses to follow suit. Films like Samay with Sushmita Sen and Dushman with Kajol in the lead, where the actress played the hero who saved the day, were immensely successful as well.

Mirch Masala (1987)

Once in a while there comes along a film that completely stumps you. This film is an epic in its own right! It’s all about women power and the mental fortitude and courage of a woman to stand up against all odds. This film by Ketan Mehta has power-packed performances by the elite set of actors such as Om Puri, Naseeruddin Shah, Smita Patil, Deepti Naval and Suresh Oberoi. However, it is Smita Patil’s character (Sonbai) that stays on your mind days after watching the film. The famous climax scene is unforgettable, in which the women in the spice mill throw fists full of spice on the Subedar (Naseerudin Shah) as an act of defiance. There are many memorable scenes and dialogues of the film that set it apart from others in the same genre.

Chak de! India (2007)

This movie is all about Girl Power! It also pays tribute to the lesser-known sportswomen of India who are largely neglected by the nation. They are not given an ounce of the adulation their male counterparts get, as society expects them to follow the set norm of running a home and raising children. This film wouldn’t have had such appeal if it weren’t for the charming team of women who portrayed the hockey players. There are several memorable scenes in the film, such as when the team stands up against eve-teasing and together beat up a group of roadside thugs. The highlight of the film is, of course, the climax featuring the final match between India and Australia. The girls’ hockey team which won at the Commonwealth Games in the same year inspired this film. It not only struck the right chord with the audience, but also managed to get India to take notice of the extraordinary sportswomen in the field of hockey. Shahrukh Khan managed to do a film not as the main lead as “Raj” or “Rahul”, but as coach to the all-women team. The audiences laughed and cried with the girls in the film.

the industry finally took notice of her. The film in itself is about the not-so-pretty face of the fashion industry - its ruthlessness and how it completely transforms a small town girl. Memorable hits like Mar Jawan and Kuch Khas Hai topped the countdown lists for long.

Yes there have been other films like Lajja, Mother India, Bandit Queen, Rudaali, Pinjar and others that are also exceptional films. When one makes a film about a woman it usually carries a great amount of depth, and is often as layered and interesting as women themselves. Women manage to wear different hats and play different roles in society and at home. There is more than one reason why a woman’s success story is inspiring, heartwarming and gripping at the same time. In a film industry dominated by men who are mostly Khans and Kapoors, women-centric films are definitely a welcome change.

Ask Auntyji

A friend in need...

Dear Auntyji

We have a group of seven friends - all of whom have known each other since we were 5 years old. We have maintained our bonds of friendship ever since kindergarten. Now, each of us have moved homes, and each time, all of us get together and pitch in to help. With the exception of Vicky. Vicky makes promises, but on the day, he just does not turn up and then avoids us for the next 3-4 weeks until we forget about the issue.

He has done this to us at least 15 times, because we have moved a number of times as we have grown older. Now, Vicky is a wonderful guy and gets us free tickets to events because he works in advertising, plus he is a lovely friend and an excellent dinner companion. Plus when we go on holidays, he is very generous with time and money. But Auntyji, this moving-shoving nonsense is grating on us - and would you believe it, at age 29, Vicky is finally moving out of his parents’ home and has shamelessly asked us to help him move. All of us were too speechless to say anything but we mutely agreed. We have all decided that on that day, we just won’t turn up - just to teach Vicky a lesson. But deep inside me, I feel a little guilty about this behavior. What should we do?

Auntyji says

Arre, you shameless, kambakht log, have you no good sense to see right from wrong? You are all stooping to shallow, inconsiderate behaviour - and you don’t even know it. Now, has the group ever brought up Vicky’s counterproductive behaviour? Have any of you ever expressed to him how his behavior affects the friendship? If you have not, then you have no right to act in such an underhanded manner. So Vicky’s value to the friendship circle is his companionship and the free tickets and his generosity with the paisa. This is his contribution. Now, unless each of you brings similar value to the table, I would not rush to judge Vicky. Accept that he gets you tickets and gives his time, but he is not A Man and A Truck. Once you lot accept this, you will realise that it’s ok for Vicky not to help with the move - so you will stop asking him. Meanwhile, go and help Vicky with his move: you made a commitment, now go and keep it. Friendship is about give and take, and about accepting your friends’ flaws.

May we c ur CV?

Dear Auntyji

I am an IT project manager and I have worked on many projects and I am good at what I do. But when I send my CV out to companies, I don’t even get a response. What do you think I am doing wrong? Do you think Australians are racist and I should change my name in order to get interviews?

Auntyji says

Oh you shaitaan ! Must you taint all bad experiences with the racism card? Here is where I think you may be going wrong. While you have good work experience and are good at what you do, your CV does not reflect this. Go and get this professionally written. And you may have to spend $500 to do so, but this will be a fantastic investmenttrust me. Once this is done, then send your CV and a professionally written cover letter to appropriate jobs - don’t just apply for any role. Do you know that the IT industry has taken off again and companies are finding it very challenging to find good PMs?

... is a friend indeed

Dear Auntyji

I do photography as a hobby, and apparently, I am good at it as some companies have used my services and paid for it. Now, my problem is that my friends assume that I will be their chief photographer at all their family eventsfrom weddings to christenings to the odd bar mitzvah. I have issues with this because I would like to be a guest at these events and celebrate the special moments of my friends’ lives without working through it all. But each time I am asked to be the photographer at another family event, and even though I express my unhappiness, my friends still insist on using my services, without payment, of course. I am getting quite tired of my friends being this way, but what should I do, Auntyji?

And here you are, sitting there on the sidelines whinging about changing your naam Band karo ye rohna dhona , and get on with it. I don’t know how long you have been in this country - but all organisations now know that names don’t matter, it’s the experience that counts. You may also want to speak to a couple of select recruitment agencies and see what they suggest. You may need to brush up on your interviewing skills. But if you have a good CV, are polished, and can walk the talk, you should be able to get multiple job offers in your industry. In fact, Pushpa bahen’s ugly but smart daughter Sneha, who is also an IT PM got three job offers last week, from three ASX100 Australian organisations. And she did this by having a killer CV, a smart appearance despite her baingan ka bootha face and her ability to articulate clearly what value she would bring to an organisation. Good luck and keep me updated. And when you get a job, don’t forget to give me 5% of your first bonus.

Auntyji says

Oh, I am so grateful that I hardly have any friends - this way, no one imposes anything on me that I am not happy with. It’s quite simple really, you have cheapskate friends who are not really your friends and who are happy to use you for their own needs - without thinking of your needs. Your friends are selfish people, and why you choose to associate yourself with such people is beyond me. But, you need a solution and here it is. Next time a friend asks you to cover their event, simply tell them your charges and ask for 50% upfront. If they express displeasure, simply say that you can either come to their event as a photographer, in which case you will have to charge for your service, or as a friend. Then you must not deviate from this mindset. Your friends will get the message very quickly. As long as you stick to your guns, and get the 50% deposit upfront, you should be fine. But don’t back down - otherwise you will completely lose my respect and you will deserve such kamina friends.