2011-05 Sydney (1)

INDIAN LINK

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Pawan Luthra EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra

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Sheryl Dixit

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Gaurav Pandey, Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Priyanka Tater, Noel G deSouza, Roy Lange, Chitra Sudarshan, Pallavi Sinha, Shafeen Mustaq, Geeta Khurana, Thomas King, Sandip Hor, Rani Jhala, Nancy Sood, LP Ayer.

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Will India harden its stance on terrorism?

The killing of Osama in Laden is being described as a tectonic shift in the plates of the fight against terrorism. It took the United States 10 years and USD 1.3 trillion to avenge the attacks of September 11, 2001, but they were clear in their objective of bringing Osama to justice. He masterminded a series of coordinated attacks on the US, and boasted publicly of killing over 3,000 people, including bringing down the iconic Twin Towers in New York. Osama had to be punished, and there was a bounty on his head of $25 million to get him dead or alive. Ten years passed before their objective was met and the message to the rest of the world is clear. The United States does not forget its enemies.

The entire saga however, does raise a number of issues. The first was the obvious relentless pursuit of the United States of its own personal interests - and the rest of the world be damned! They wanted Osama and got him, irrespective of any political fallout from other superpowers of the world – Russia, China, and the country in which they had their boots on the ground, Pakistan. Obama built a strong case for the United States when he said, “….and yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

know the feeling of their child’s embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.” These words left no doubt that revenge would be sought.

President Obama has said that he is simply responding to the fact that the American people were victimised and “terrorism came to our shores and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens.” He could well have been referring to the Mumbai attacks of 26/11 when the city of Mumbai and the country of India were brought to a standstill through the acts of terrorism!

The difference is that India seems to be in no hurry to avenge the murders on their shores, as the apprehended terrorist and his minders in Pakistan are still mocking their victims. There has been no justice for the Indian lives lost. Is Indian blood so cheap? Shouldn’t a final sentence be passed on Afsal and Kasak, and can’t India do the same with Dawood Ibrahim? –These men have mocked India for years and have got away with extreme acts of terrorism against the Indian people. Are the Indian government and its leaders too impotent to protect all things Indian?

The other issue that is being examined very closely and giving rise to all manner of speculation, is the connection between the proximity of Osama’s hiding place and the capital of Pakistan. President Obama was clear in his announcement to the world that this was a United States operation with no input from Pakistan. The Pakistanis have since been keen to get the word “we” included in their comments, but the US in not having any of that. If, as many suspect, it becomes clear that the Pakistani security services have been complicit in providing Osama bin Laden with the cover and patronage during his years on the run, relations between the US and Pakistan will doubtlessly sour. A country with a puppet Prime Minister backed by a strident army will be hard pressed to avoid the label of state-abetted terrorism. If the nexus between US and Pakistan changes, one suspects that China would step in to pick up any slack. China has often been accused of helping Pakistan build its military might, and will be keen to use this country bereft of any interference from the United States, to keep the Indian tiger at bay. The United States will be more inclined to work closely with India in this changing scenario. One is very aware of which way will Australia jump.

There have been tectonic shifts, yes, but will this cause a tsunami in the world of politics which will ride India’s way?

What’s On

SPIRITUAL

Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Society activities

Sun 8 May 10.40am to 12noon -

Sankaracharya’s Birthday CelebrationCommences with Hari Om Ramakrishna Chant, Silent Meditation, Talks by Pravrajika Gayatriprana and Mrs.Betty Yeoh, followed by distribution of offered food.

Sun 15 May 9.30am to 4.00pm - 1 Day

Retreat on Bhagavad Gita Ch.12 Yoga of Devotion - Directed by Pravrajikas Ajayaprana & Gayatriprana. Programme includes: Study Class, Silent Meditation, Group Discussion, Q & A. Lunch, morning & afternoon tea included. $15.00 donation per person.

Sun 22 May 10.40am to 12noon

- Buddha’s Birthday CelebrationCommences with Hari Om Ramakrishna Chant, Silent Meditation, Talks by Pravrajika Gayatriprana and Mr.Stafford Watts, followed by distribution of offered food.

Venue for all activities Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon. Details 9745 4320 or email vedantasyd@idx.com.au

Gayatri Mahayagya

Sun 12 June 9.00am to 12.00 noon. Collective prayers for world peace and harmony.All World Gayatri Parivar Australia invites you for 9-Kundi Yagya on the auspicious occasion of Gayatri Jayanti. Also features book stall, exhibition presentations followed by Mahaprasad. Participation is free. Details

Neeraj Ram 0405 777 539

STAGE

Music concert

Sat 21 May Global Organisation for Divinity presents a unique musical concert by Sathur Krishnan Ramarathinam to celebrate the life of the Great Sage of Kanchi. Admission free. 5:30-8:30pm at North Ryde School of Arts Community Centre, 201 Cox’s Road, North Ryde. Details Dinesh

Ramanan 0425 224 392 Anitha Murali 0431 745 968

Tabla recital

Tabla maestro Aneesh Pradhan tours

Sydney performing in three concerts

Sun 8 May The Circle of Rhythm

Seymour Centre, Chippendale

Thu 12 May Tabla Solo Macquarie Uni

Drama Studio

Sun 15 May Hindustani music with Adrian McNeil on sarod Macquarie Uni

Drama Studio

Details Bobby Singh 0411 708 518

MISC

Rabindranath Tagore anniversary

Sat 7 and Sun 8 May The Bengali Association of NSW is celebrating Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary in association with the Faculty of Arts Macquarie University, Consulate General of India, Sydney, United Indian Association and other cultural organisations. A cultural program will showcase Tagore’s magical poetry, elegant prose and his unique genre of music. Venue Macquarie Theatre (Bldg. W5B) and Price Theatre (Bldg. W5A), Macquarie University, North Ryde. Times 7 May 4.00pm-10.00pm and 8 May (11.00am-7.00pm)

Details Bengali Association of NSW website www.bansw.org.au.

Yoga

Carewell announcesYoga classes for seniors and children at Pennant Hills. Nominal charges. Details Suresh 0412 202 182.

Macquarie University psychology researcher seeks subjects

Cultural Influence on Romantic Attachment

Are you:

* Indian (and spent the first 18 years of your life in India)?

* Fluent in English (Reading and Writing)?

* Aged between 18 and 35 years?

* Currently single, dating, or in a relationship?

We are looking for both men and women (regardless of sexual orientation) to participate in an ANONYMOUS research project. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact culture has on the development of romantic attachment styles. In particular, the study will examine FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, the influence of Indian culture compared to Australian culture on romantic adult attachment. Participants will go in a lucky draw to WIN a Westfield voucher ($50). The study is being conducted by Miss Sarah Miller to meet requirements for the degree of Honours in Psychology under the supervision of Dr. Nasreen Yasin (02 9850 8001), of the Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. The questionnaires will take approximately 15 to 30 minutes to complete. All information gathered in the course of the

Aussie women cricketers head to India

Seven members of Southern Stars squad will participate in a training camp in Pune

Seven Australian women cricketers, members of the Commonwealth Bank Southern Stars squad, will take part in a nine-day training camp at Global Cricket School in Pune, India from May 17 to 26.

The camp will provide the players with valuable experience in the sub-continental conditions ahead of three key series in the region over the next 18 months.

“I think it will be a good experience for the players. The wickets over there are slower and we’ll need to adapt our game to suit those wickets,” Rachael Haynes, one of the selected players, said.

Coach Richard McInnes and team Physiotherapist Claire Stokes will accompany the players. “The goals for this camp will be two-fold: batting against spin in spin friendly conditions and secondly, the ability to bowl on subcontinent wickets, for both our pace and spin bowlers,” Richard said. “This will be the first trip to India for

all of these players and is part of the reason they have been selected to attend.”

The tour underlines ongoing efforts on part of Cricket Australia and AIS to improve women’s cricket in the country. “We have a strong focus on becoming better at playing spin, as women’s cricket in all formats is heavily influenced by slow bowlers. There is no better place to learn how to play spin than in India” Richard said, adding “Ideally, we will look to conduct this trip annually to assist in our player development programs.”

Cricket Australia and the AIS jointly run the female cricket program in Australia which involves series of training camps at the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Brisbane, overseas trips and also state visits by national coaching staff and CoE specialist coaches to assist in developing players and coaches around the country.

“The AIS also recently hosted the National

Indian consulate for Perth

The Government of India has approved the opening of a Consulate General of India in Perth, WA.

The Consulate General will be headed by a Consul General, who will be of the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India and will cover Western Australia (WA) and Northern Territory (NT).

The need for a formal Indian diplomatic presence in Perth has been long felt, in view of the strategic importance of Western Australia from the political, economic and defence viewpoint and its important location with

respect to sea-lanes in the Indian Ocean.

The establishment of a Consulate General of India in Perth will also immensely benefit the growing Indian community in Western Australia. A large Indian community of approximately 40,000-45,000 resides in WA (about 10% of the Indian community in Australia), which is growing faster than in any other state in the country. There are also estimated to be about 8,000 Indian students in WA and NT. The demand for consular services from this area has thus increased significantly in recent years.

Under-18 Female Talent camp, designed to put our best young talent through their paces with a view to setting up development programs for these players for next pre-season and in-season,” Richard said.

Additionally, the AIS assists with the men’s scholarship program, run at the CoE during the Australian winter.

Acting AIS Director Phil Borgeaud, in a press release said that he was extremely proud of the AIS program’s role in the development of men and women’s cricket.

“Watching young cricketers develop and reach new heights is very exciting, and to know that the Australian Institute of Sport has played a major part in that development is a tremendous reflection of the program’s success.”

The players who have been chosen for the tour are: Rachael Haynes, Meg Lanning, Jess Cameron and Annie Maloney from Victoria; Sarah Coyte from New South Wales; Jessica Jonassen from Queensland, and Rene Farrell from Western Australia.

Gaurav Pandey

The Consulate General will also be responsible for issuing visas for India in respect of applications received from WA/NT.

An important aspect of the Consulate General’s work will relate to promotion of economic, trade and investment relations between India and WA and NT. WA accounted for 55.70% of Australia’s total exports to India in 2009-10; exports from WA in this period were A$ 8.6 billion out of total Australian exports to India of A$ 15.4 billion. Indian investment has also been growing significantly in WA in recent months.

The Perth Consulate is expected to become fully functional in the next few months.

study is completely confidential. Approval to conduct the study has been granted by the Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee. If you decide to participate, you are free to withdraw from further participation in the research at any time without having to give a reason and without consequences.

If you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact Dr Nasreen Yasin (02 9850 8001 or email nasreen.yasin@mq.edu.au) or Miss Sarah Miller (sarah.miller1@students.mq.edu.au). If you are interested to proceed, please go to the following URL link to participate: https://macquariehs.qualtrics.com/ SE/?SID=SV_0rHwmvLZRUHXEzy Your time and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Sakhi Sangam

24 July Sydney Sakhi Sangam will be held at the Croatian Club, 921 Punchbowl Rd (Cnr Canterbury Rd), Punchbowl.

Details Nandini Thadani 02 9181 2204, Sushma Ahluwalia 02 9894 0070.

FUNDRAISER

I-India Project Australia has on offer the new 2011 | 2012 Entertainment™ Books. Proceeds from the sale will go towards its charitable activities in Rajasthan, India. Entertainment™ Books are filled with 50% off, 25% off and 2-for-1 offers from the best restaurants, hotel accommodation, attractions, and leisure activities. Choose from fourteen editions around Australia. Details Renate Barnett 0402 958 582, mail@i-indiaproject.org

Attack on Auburn Temple alarming

It was really depressing to read that the Auburn Hindu temple was sprayed with bullets by goons who hid behind masks. It is true as Pawan Luthra quoted that different religions coexist peacefully in India. Growing up in Mumbai there was a Hindu temple behind our block of flats, on the right was a Catholic church, a little ahead was a Mosque and towards the left was an Agyari (Parsi temple). Never have I heard or seen anyone entering these premises to vandalise these places of worship. Let’s hope that the authorities catch the culprits. Children should be taught at a very young age to respect all religions regardless of what religion they belong to.

Premila Singh Strathfield NSW

ANZAC Sikhs march again

Sikh ex-Servicemen pay an ANZAC tribute to their forebears

BY RAJNI ANAND

The downpour may have been heavy, but it could not stop the ANZAC Sikhs again this year.

For the fifth consecutive year, the banner of Sikh Regiments was held aloft as the city paid homage to all its ANZAC heroes in its annual parade.

Leading the contingent this year was Fauji Kuldip Singh, Second Lt Indian Army and Sgt Major Australian Army.

The Sikh banner was carried by Capt Sarjinder Singh Sandhu and Ajmer Singh Gill.

Behind them were veterans Major G S Bajwa and Harbant Singh Bathal (HavildarSignals). They were joined by four serving members of the Australian Armed Forces, youngsters OFFCDT Amrinder Singh Ghuman of the Australian Army; OFFCDT Charanpreet Singh Anand of the Royal Australian Navy; OFFCDT Shubdeep Singh Bhangu of the Royal Australian Air Force, and Gurpreet Singh of the Australian Army Reserve.

Ajmer Singh Gill, Bawa Singh Jagdev, Vikramjit Singh Grewal, Jagjit Singh Toor, Mehar Singh, Prabhjeet Singh Anand, Sikander Singh, Surjit Singh and Jaideep Kaur made up the rest of the team.

Starting at Pitt St and winding its way through the CBD, the midday parade ended at Elizabeth Street. Besides the ANZAC day events, the Sikh Regiments also participated in the official wreath laying ceremony at the Cenotaph on April 24.

The Sikh presence at the parade has been possible due to the efforts of the Sikh Council of Australia (SCA), and in particular its officers Ajmer Singh Gill, Vickram Singh Grewal and Bawa Singh Jagdev. They have lobbied hard to have the contribution of the Sikhs in both World Wars officially recognised.

“It is a solemn ceremony of remembrance to show our gratitude for the bravery and heroism of our ancestors,” Bawa Jagdev says.

Preparation for the event starts nearly a year in advance.

“We register first,” Bawa Jagdev describes, “and then we start rallying our numbers, get the info about routes, times etc”.

An important part is also identifying those members of the contingent who are less

mobile, and organising transport for them.

“Many of our members are dissuaded from participating because they are less mobile,” Jagdev reveals, “but the facilities provided to us are so good there is no reason why they should opt out – any one who is eligible to march must come forward. It’s terrific opportunity, a great honour”.

The Sikhs are not the only ethnic

group that participate regularly – Gorkha regiments have been part of the march for many years as well.

In this regard Jagdev reveals a slight disappointment.

“There has been no help forthcoming from the Indian government,” he laments. “We have been seeking help from them for

band to participate with us. Nearly all contingents march with a band, but we have not been able to get one to lead us. On one occasion we got the Dashmesh Band to take us out – they are an independent bagpipes band from Malaysia, but it cost us a whopping $40,000 to get their 22 members out here. There’s no way we can afford to have them regularly”.

In 2008 the Dashmesh Band - known as the only fully Sikh bagpipes band in the world - had won the crowds over with their resplendent white costumes and aristocratic pagdis, not to mention their fantastic playing.

“It adds a festive touch to have a marching band as part of your presence in the parade,” Jagdev says wistfully. “I have been in contact with the military attaché in the Indian High Commission in Canberra, but sadly our discussions have not proven fruitful so far. Yes I am disappointed about this, because ultimately we are promoting India, and India’s efforts in the international arena, aren’t we?”

How can the community help, we ask.

“Come out and watch us march,” Jagdev says with a smile, and adds, “If there is someone out there who is eligible to march, encourage them to join us!”

LUTHRA

“It is a solemn ceremony of remembrance to show our gratitude for the bravery and heroism of our ancestors”.

Bawa Jagdev

Sydney Sais celebrate Baba

Devotees of Satya Sai Baba gather to pay homage to his contribution to humanity and recount experiences of his influence on their lives

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

On April 26, Sathya Sai Organisation Australia’s New South Wales wing celebrated the life and teachings of Sathya Sai Baba with a moving memorial service at the Hills Centre, Castle Hill. The charismatic octogenarian, who gave up his physical being at Prashanthi Nilayam recently, is noted the world over for his outstanding contribution to humanity through Bhakta yoga, Gnana yoga and Dharma yoga. And the memorial service reflected just that.

Senior office bearers and devotees in the East and West region of NSW congregated to remember their beloved guru by reaffirming his lifelong teachings of charity, humanity and selfless service. The thanksgiving ceremony was marked by bhajans, kirtans and chanting. Speeches by followers highlighted Baba’s illustrious life and times and the incredible network of faith he created. Devotees, young and old shared their very personal experience, of how Parthi Sai, who is recognised as an avatar of Shirdi Sai, not only touched their lives but also transformed them to a new consciousness.

Zone 3 of Sathya Sai Organisation, which includes Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea was represented at the obsequies by Chairperson, Pal Dhall.

“Baba is forever with us, and our hearts are filled with His love,” stated Dhall in a net message to the region.

“He has left His body but He will always be in our hearts, not just in this life but in all the lives we will have in the future into eternity. The best manner in which we can serve Him now is to continue with His Divine work,” he added.

“Sathya Sai Baba’s Mission has been and continues to endeavour to awaken us to our own reality as Divine sparks and to help us lead lives in this realisation. His wish and His mission is for us to live God centred lives. Let us rededicate ourselves to His Divine Mission of universal unconditional Love with renewed vigour and energy. Let us continue with the work for which He prepared us with so much love. And let us start this now by recalling Him in all His Divine glory as our Lord, the Poorna Avatar of Kaliyuga who spared nothing to bring us closer to our own Divine nature. We are privileged to be part of His organisation and to have been touched by Him,” he concluded.

In his address, Central Coordinator, Neville Fredericks reaffirmed this very message. “The passing of Baba is a momentous event for the tens of millions of his devotees around the world. Understandably we may experience a sense of loss at this time. His life has been one unprecedented stream of Divine Love and Service. His discourses will provide humanity with wisdom and

guidance of a quality and breadth not seen before in the history of the world. They will become the Holy Scriptures for millions, for centuries to come.

Our primary task is to keep our focus on the Sai who is in our hearts. The Sai who will always be there, prompting, warning, and inspiring us as we journey through life”.

“It is Baba’s simple everyday thinking that really struck me. He makes us all aware of the innate divinity in each one of us,” reminisced Krishnan Nair, Deputy Central Coordinator of the Australian chapter. Talking to Indian Link nostalgically about his induction into the Sai order, Nair went back three decades to when the seeds were first sown.

“Back in 1969 I attended a weekend retreat on the invitation of my colleague in Malaysia. Baba’s ideology and teachings stirred a chord in me and the bhajans were very elevating,” he revealed. “Later I happened to listen to the lectures of journalist and spiritual enquirer Howard Murphet, who has written several books on the Sai philosophy. Since then my pathway became clear and Murphet quite literally became my mentor, leading me onto Baba. I believe my duty is to continue his good work and reach out to as many as possible by creating a platform to realise the divinity in each other,” he elucidated.

Nair’s family is also deeply into Sai service having devoted themselves to lead fellow believers at Strathfield and Campbelltown centres.

So has Baba’s passing left a deep void?

“Of course, it is a loss to mankind at large,” Nair admitted. “But Baba has prepared all of us Sai bhaktas very well and taught us how to carry forward his noble traditions. Such is the influence of Sai leadership. What we need has already been given, and everyone will continue till the boost is needed. Baba has temporarily left the classroom. He will, however, be back in another incarnation,” he added.

In the meantime, devotees worldwide are already carrying forward the iconic legacy of Shirdi and Puttaparthi.

A village boy who became demi god

Sathya Sai Baba, who died at Puttaparthi in Andhra Pradesh on 24 April, was seen as a reincarnation of god by millions, having preached an eclectic blend of Hindu religion since the time he claimed to be an ‘avatar’ at a young age of 14.

The many attacks by rationalists on him and what he stood for did not derail the immense following he achieved as he grew from this once obscure hamlet to achieve demi god status in India and abroad.

Born Sathyanarayana Raju on Nov 23, 1926 in Puttaparthi, his devotees claimed he started singing Sanskrit verses, of which he had no knowledge, one day in March 1940 after being apparently stung by a scorpion.

Within two months, the teenager claimed to be a reincarnation of the more famous Shirdi Sai Baba, who had reportedly stated before his death in 1918 that he would reappear in the then Madras Presidency eight years later.

In no time, the boy gathered a following as he stepped into the world of spirituality. Word spread that Raju could make objects

such as food and sweets materialise out of thin air.

As time went by, and he came to be recognised for his mane and flowing orange robes, the boy transformed into Sathya Sai Baba, frequently producing with a flick of his hand vibhuti (sacred ash) and small objects such as shivlings, rings and necklaces.

Puttaparthi became his base, eventually transforming the once small village into a lively pilgrimage centre, with its own railway station and air strip.

The spiritual guru built a temple in 1944. Four years later he founded Prasanthi Nilayam (Abode of Supreme Peace) at Puttaparthi.

He also opened ashrams at Whitefield on Bangalore’s outskirts and at Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu. He made it a point to tell his followers not to give up their original religion.

He preached: “My objective is the establishment of sanatana dharma, which believes in one god as propitiated by the founders of all religions.”

Sathya Sai Baba, however, ran into critics who repeatedly challenged him to make the objects materialise in “controlled conditions” -- to prove that he was not indulging in trickery.

The godman brushed away the attacks, which abated over the years, even as his spiritual empire expanded. Today, his devotees are spread over some 130 countries and number in millions.

Simultaneously, Sai Baba plunged into charitable work.

His movement began providing free medical treatment, both in Puttaparthi and Bangalore, as well as free education for the poor.

Sathya Sai Baba was also credited with unveiling drinking water schemes in droughtprone Anantapur district, where Puttaparthi is located, and to the city of Chennai.

Food is sold at hugely subsidized rates at his ashram here - even to those who do not follow him.

In 2001, the digital radio network, Radio Sai Global Harmony, was launched to spread

Sai Baba’s message of harmony and peace. He acquired a huge following that included political leaders, film stars and industrialists -- and millions of ordinary folk.

But controversies always dogged Sai Baba. He was accused of sexual abuse. The BBC once produced a documentary that showed him in poor light.

Sai Baba remained single. Not much is known about his personal life.

The killing of four alleged intruders into Sai Baba’s bedroom by police in 1993 still remains a mystery.

From 2005, Sai Baba had been using a wheelchair and his failing health had forced him to make fewer public appearances.

Two of his elder sisters, an elder brother and a younger brother have died. Some of the children of his sisters and brothers are today active in the trusts formed by him.

Many believe he died a day after he was admitted to the hospital March 28 and that his relatives waited for an auspicious time to make the announcement.

“It is Baba’s simple everyday thinking that really struck me. He makes us all aware of the innate divinity in each one of us”.

Krishnan Nair

Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS

Adelaide hosts Sikh Games

Galli Patowala and Jaskarn Golia are keen kabaddi players. They have been competing in this traditional wrestling-like sport for many years now. Their team – Singh Sabha Sports Club, Melbourne.

At Easter this year, they led their team at a unique annual sports meet. All the other athletes at this meet were, like them, of Punjabi background.

And there were no less than 1100 of them.

They came not only from all over Australia, but also from Malaysia and New Zealand. Their families traveled with them, and made up an audience of over 6000.

The event – the 24th Annual Australian Sikh Games, held at Adelaide, SA.

While the rest of the community takes a hard-earned break at Easter every year, the Sikhs in Australia organise a national-level sports tournament.

History

It all began right here in Adelaide, in 1986, when a bunch of hockey-mad Sikhs decided to host a friendly tournament in the Easter holidays between the Adelaide Sikhs and the Port Augusta Hockey Club. The hockey was fantastic, and the bhangra and the partying afterwards so much fun, that they decided to make it an annual affair. Two years later in the Bicentenary Year, the decision was made to invite other hockey teams from interstate. A Melbourne hockey team won that year, and decided to host the event the following year.

An annual tradition had begun. Soon more events were added, and teams began to come from Malaysia, Singapore, NZ, Fiji, and occasionally even the UK and USA.

The 2011 Games

The 2011 Games were organised by the president of the Guru Nanak society of Australia Mr Mahanbir Singh Grewal. Mintu Brar (President, Punjabi Cultural Association South Australia) was in charge of operations.

“This year we had competition in the sports of cricket, hockey, soccer, kabaddi, tennis, netball, volleyball and athletics,” he told Indian Link. “Golf unfortunately had to be abandoned due to inclement weather half way through. A new event this year was soccer for the over-45 age group, which Brisbane won”.

The games were all played at the grounds of the Hockey Club of Adelaide and the Pulteney Grammar School at South Terrace.

An Adelaide boy through and through, Mintu revealed proudly that visitors proclaimed the venues the best ever in the Sikh Games. “They couldn’t believe that we have such lush green grounds in the heart of the city!”

Barar and his organising committee started the Games off in traditional Sikh style in which teams paid obeisance to the saffron-coloured flags of the Sikh tradition and marched under banners to the beat of the dhol. “At the same time Australia’s national anthem was sung as well, and then followed by the

Indian national anthem in the presence of SA Premier Mr. Mike Rann and his wife Mrs. Sasha Rann, and the multicultural minister Ms. Grace Protolesi”.

This year, the organizing committee have received valuable sponsorship from community members such as the Grewal Brothers of Mildura Victoria, well-known badam growers and producers of Golden Brand atta. (They won the crowds over with their generous presents of 5 kg almond packs to all winners and 2 kg packs for runners-up). As well, Mr Mike Rann announced a government contribution of $20,000 cash and the same amount in kind.

“Apart from all the action on the field, we also had cultural events,” Brar revealed. “We had a Sikh forum which discussed the Sikh religious issues. The Punjabi Cultural Association of South Australia discussed language issues, and organized a Punjabi art gallery. We also had cultural nights, a disco night for the kids, and the much-awaited dinner-dance event. This time round, we even had a book launch!”

An added attraction was the presence of film star Jimmy Shergill, who came to launch his new film Dharti

And how did the star kabbadi players Patowala and Golia finish up? They bagged the Best Raider and Best Stopper awards respectively. But it was NZ hockey player Amit Bhargava who took home the Player of the Tournament Award this year.

Rajni Anand Luthra

Results

Kabaddi

1st: Singh Sabha Sports Club, Melbourne

2nd: Punjabi Sports Club, Melbourne

Hockey

1st: SCSAS, Sydney

2nd: Kalgidhar Lions, New Zealand

Tennis

Singles:

Winner: Sukraj Singh (Shane) from Punjab Warriors Sports & Cultural Club, Melbourne

Runner Up: Prabjeet Singh from Punjab Warriors Sports & Cultural Club, Melbourne

Doubles:

Winner: Prabjeet Singh & Sukraj Singh from Punjab Warriors Sports & Cultural Club, Melbourne

Runner Up: Bray & Dilsher Singh from Penola

Netball

1st: Sydney Sikhs Netball Team, Sydney

2nd: Perth

Soccer (Seniors)

Division 1

1st: Khalsa Lions Club, Melbourne

2nd: Sikh Unite, Brisbane

Division 2

1st: Western Sydney

2nd: Punjab Lions, Adelaide

Soccer (Juniors)

1st: Melbourne Khalsa Club, Melbourne

2nd: Brisbane

Volleyball

1st: Sydney

2nd: Melbourne

Athletics

5-10 yrs Boys (50 metres)

1st: Romanpreet Singh

2nd: Dilraj Singh

3rd: Arman Singh & Davinder Singh

11-15 yrs Boys (100 metres)

1st: Arshdeep Singh

2nd: Jashanpreet Singh

3rd: Takhat Gill

Above 15 yrs Boys (100 metres)

1st: Harmanjot Singh

2nd: Gagandeep Singh

3rd: Bhupinder Singh

5-10 yrs Girls (50 metres)

1st: Navleen Kaur

2nd: Jasmine Kaur

3rd: Avneet Kaur

11-15 yrs Girls (100 metres)

1st: Simran Kaur

2nd: Amrita Singh

3rd: Jasmeet Kaur

Ramayana’s mystic lessons revealed

The Chinmaya Mission Australia in Sydney hosted Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda, Global Head of Chinmaya Mission, from April 17 to 25 through a 9-day yagna, which was a journey of japa, joy and jocularity.

Guruji captivated his audience with the harmonium and his gentle voice. He was brilliantly accompanied on the tabla by Maharshi Raval. The audience raised their voices in joy chanting the Lord’s name (‘Japa’). The sublime voice of Smt. Pushpa Jagadish enthralled too. Through each session, Guruji’s narrative was interspersed with lighthearted observations and straight-out jokes. The Chinmaya Yuva Kendra (CHYK) presented a full-costume short drama based on each night’s story. Each of the segments over the nine days covered the story of the Ramayana, with important lessons revealed within its texts, by Guruji.

On the first day, he explained why this epic poem was presented. It is simply because deep down everyone is seeking the same thing – peace, beauty and a calm life. Taking the word ‘ayanam’ separately, it can be taken in the context of ‘goal of life’. Ramayana can therefore be seen as a global positioning system for life. “Like GPS,” said Guruji using a pertinent modern analogy, “it doesn’t get angry when we take a wrong turn, but keeps coming up with alternate routes!” That way lies the happiness we so desire.

The episodes began with Rama’s birth and continued through his marriage to Sita, his exile, the kidnapping of Sita by the vicious Raavana, Hanuman seeking her and the final rescue of Sita by Rama. Through each episode, Guruji explained the various lessons taught by the holy epic, such as generosity, devotion, purity of thought, turning to God, the rule of dharma, losing our egocentric views, the danger of jumping to conclusions and self-realisation.

Guruji also drew parallels to different characters in the Ramayana, for example, Sita is the embodiment of devotion and ‘mother nature’ (Prakarti), to be worshipped and loved. Her marriage with Rama is one of knowledge and devotion (jnana and bhakti), and leads to breaking of bondage

Guruji stated that we are travelling not just to a forest, but to a place of spiritual sadhana, a place without battle.

The first and only true purpose to human life is God (self) realisation. The second is to live by the best ideals one can.

He succinctly described the five stages of shraddha (faith). First, one must have faith in the existence of Truth. Second, faith in the validity of the scriptures. Third, there must be faith in the Guru. Fourth, faith in oneself: “I can do this”. Fifth, there should be faith in the efficacy of sadhana. Rama’s incredible dedication to dharma was extolled, as Guruji related how Rama explained the 9 forms of devotion:

1. Love of satsang

2. Revelling in stories of Bhagawan

3. Service to Guru

4. Singing Lord’s glory

5. Japa

6. Development of Vairagya or dispassion

7. See God everywhere

8. Contentment and

9. Not to see other’s faults even in one’s dreams.

Guruji reminded us about God-focus, that God is the One! Whether as individuals or as a team, if Bhagawan is our motivation, think what can be achieved. He suggested that we become the instrument of God.

As Guruji concluded by recounting Rama’s final battle and triumph of good over evil, he invited all gathered to the festival. The CHYKs dramatists, paraded to triumphant music were welcomed by the sages. Next, our very own Radiant Master garlanded the Ram Parivar. Jai Jai Jai Sri Ram! There was confetti, joy and of course, hardly a dry eye. For a few lingering moments, the entire hall was the City of Light. Our dear Guru acknowledged devotees and quietly left, a shining example of the devotion and humility expounded throughout the yagna.

Thus ended the festival, but Guruji by his teaching, expects each and every one of us to keep Rama alive in our hearts. Hari Om!

Yamini MacLean

Marriages

William and Catherine’s wedding may have captivated the world, but their Indian counterparts have had lavishly elaborate, but media understated, nuptials

BY PRIYANKA TATER

22.8 million television viewers on US networks, 42.1 million Indians watching in their living rooms, half of New Zealand hooked on, 20 million watching in UK homes, almost a million spectators out on streets outside the venue where the action took place. I am not surprised when statistics say that more than a third of the world, at least 2 billion people, were witness to a new chapter of history: the Royal Wedding of Prince William with the commoner who won his heart, Catherine Middleton. I was one of those 2 billion viewers glued on to my TV to watch the fairytale wedding unfold… After all, most of us can’t resist the lure of a good wedding, and us Indians are certainly no strangers to blue blooded royalty. The only difference is that Indian royals are still not willing to infuse their veins with some red blood, and they still hesitate to accept the common man as part of their dynasty. While their international counterparts, be it Prince William, or Felipe (Crown Prince of Spain), or Frederik (Crown Prince of Denmark), have all opted for ordinary mortals as their life partners, India is

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore at their 1969 wedding

still stuck with tradition. Having said that, I can’t but not mention some of the magnificent royal weddings of India, that may not have had the luxury of media hype and hoopla attracting the attention of the world like the one we witnessed on April 29, but they certainly did not lack in pomp and pageantry.

The Sharmila-Pataudi wedding was followed by a series of receptions in three cities, the finale being a gala party at the Turf Club in Mumbai.

In India, the one comparable royal event was the wedding in 1940 of Maharani Gayatri Devi (daughter of Maharaja Jitendra Narayan and Maharani Indira Devi of the “Koch” dynasty of Cooch Behar) to Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur. At 12, Maharani Gayatri Devi had fallen in love with Sawai Man Singh, heir to the Jaipur throne. A stunning beauty at 19, she decided to marry His Highness, who was much older than her. Their wedding caused a bit of a sensation in India, and not only because she was to be the third wife of HH Man Singh: he already had two wives, the daughters of the Maharaja of Jodhpur.

A procession of 60 elephants was assembled for a march past on the auspicious day of the Indian royal wedding. It was one of the most elaborate, lavish and expensive weddings of that time. The Maharani’s wedding gifts included a Bentley from the Nawab of Bhopal and a house from her grandmother. While we are yet to know the honeymoon destination of the newlywed royal couple, our Indian royal couple chose Ooty for their romantic getaway.

However in recent times, it was the 2010 wedding of Shivraj Singh, son of the former Maharaja of Jodphur and Gayatri Kumari of Askot in Uttarakhand that was the talk of the royalists. Attended by more than 800 guests which included members from all of India’s former royal families and Indian and international celebrities, the wedding took place in the 19th century Rambagh Palace which is now a luxury hotel in Jaipur.

The groom is reported to have arrived in a vintage Rolls-Royce owned by his father, Gaj Singh, the former Maharaja of Jodhpur. Security was watertight and no, invitation cards were not enough, one needed a special entry pass to sail through the security. The baaratis arrived in Jaipur via a special chartered train from Jodhpur in a royal fashion reminiscent of his father Gaj Singh’s wedding four decades ago.

One of the most opulent Indian weddings which caught the attention of the international media was that of Chitrangada Scindia of Gwalior (daughter of the late Madhav Rao Scindia)

Indian links at William

Icing on the cake

As Prince William and his bride Kate Middleton cut the lavish, multi-tiered wedding cake, there were some that were celebrating the India connect. Indian origin Kishore Patel is the man behind the company that crafted the elaborate confection, which was the centrepiece at the reception in Buckingham Palace on April 29.

Fiona Cairns Ltd began on Fiona’s kitchen table 25 years ago, when Patel - Fiona’s husband and now managing director of the companysaw the potential of his wife’s beautifully crafted handmade cakes.

The company’s website said that Patel joined the company full time in 2001 and the business moved to a state-of-the art bakery in Leicestershire.

The company makes 27,000 fairy cakes a week.

“We are thrilled, privileged and proud to announce that we have been asked to make the wedding cake for HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton,” said an announcement on the firm’s website.

The Daily Telegraph had earlier reported that the cake will be decorated with Prince William and

Kate’s new cipher that was officially released on their wedding day.

The theme centered around the four flowers of the home nations - English rose, Scottish thistle, Welsh daffodil and Irish shamrock.

Prince William is also understood to have sought an alternative treat - a McVities chocolate biscuit cake, for which he has had a soft spot since childhood.

to Yuvraj Vikramaditya Singh of Kashmir (son of Dr Karan Singh of Jammu & Kashmir) in 1986.

Termed by New York Times as the ‘Wedding of the decade’, it was covered also by Washington Post and San Francisco Chronicle, amongst many others. The wedding venue was the Jai Vilas Palace in full décor. The platforms of Gwalior railway station were paved with gleaming marble to welcome the wedding guests. More than 40,000 guests, including villagers who arrived in bullock carts, filled the grounds of the Jai Vilas Palace. A special helipad was built for the convenience of various dignitaries which included the entire cabinet, as well as the Kings of Nepal and Bhutan. In the gold-plated banqueting hall, the famous Scindia silver train carried wine and port for guests. It was a wedding that is used as a benchmark by royals even almost two decades later! The bride’s brother Jyotiraditya Scindia, Maharaja of Gwalior married the doe-eyed Priyadarshini Raje of Baroda, again a royal, in a pompous ceremony in 1994.

In the gold-plated banqueting hall of the Scindia palace, at the wedding of Chitrangada, the famous Scindia silver train carried wine and port for the guests.

However, a royal wedding that caught the nation’s attention was that of the Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan, the then captain of the Indian cricket team with film actress Sharmila Tagore, also tagged as a sex symbol of her times. It took Tiger Pataudi four years of sending roses and proposing, to finally bowl over his lady love and the courtship culminated in marriage. But it wasn’t easy. A HinduMuslim union raised quite a few eyebrows and the two families gave their nod of approval after much resistance.

On December 27, 1969 the two celebrities tied the knot in a nikah ceremony. Sharmila Tagore converted to Islam and took on the name of Ayesha Sultana. The Bengal tigress became a Mughal begum, trading knotted blouses and tightly draped saris for a wedding sharara. The wedding was followed by a series of receptions in three cities, the finale being a gala party at the Turf Club in Mumbai. Guests from the world of films, sports and page 3 made their presence felt.

While most of us may have missed out on the wedding fanfare of 1969, it will be a bullfight for TRPs if and when chhote Nawab Saif Ali Khan decides to tie the knot with lady love Kareena Kapoor. No doubt, it would be one of the most watched events on Indian TV, if the media were given access to the ceremony.

While we are on the subject of royal weddings, it won’t be complete without mentioning the Gandhi scion, Rahul Gandhi, who is considered royalty in India, and why not? After all he belongs to a political clan that’s ruled India for decades and is still ruling!

of majesty and Kate’s wedding

If one were to draw a parallel with Prince William, Rahul Gandhi comes closest in terms of popularity back home, being the country’s most eligible bachelor. There’s no doubt that his choice of bride will evoke just as much debate as Prince William’s, with her pedigree subjected to just as much scrutiny.

“I couldn’t believe it, I’m very excited, very daunted and very privileged - a mixture of emotions,” Fiona was quoted as saying.

“The cake was multi-tiered - cream and white (icing) – it was a traditional cake but also quite delicate and modern, all the tiers having a different theme”.

The huge cake included a range of produce from dried fruits like raisins and sultanas to walnuts,

cherries, grated oranges and lemon, French brandy and free range eggs and flour.

Ludhiana to London:

India-made stoles for royal wedding

Nearly 4,000 soft wool stoles were shipped for the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton in London, courtesy a Ludhiana manufacturer. They were gifted to the guests invited for the wedding at London’s Westminster Abbey. And the royal couple it is believed, also took its pick. Ludhiana’s Centex Exports shipped the stoles to London-based popular online fashion business store Boden.

Each stole costs 45 pounds. Made of soft wool, the stoles are in red and blue, brown and scarlet and green and grey colour variants. The Union Jack is printed on both sides of the stoles.

Moreover, the wool has been knit to form an animal print pattern carrying a small patch with the words, ‘April 29th 2011; William and Kate; With love from Boden’.

“It’s a singular honour to be asked to create such an important keepsake for a wedding which will be historic. We have been chosen from across the world to manufacture the scarves.,” said a visibly excited Vineet Sood, the Centex Exports managing director. Centex was chosen after a market study by Boden.

“The company went across China and South Korea in search of a supplier as they were looking at very fine quality of wool. They looked at different brands but couldn’t get the desired result. And then since Centex are into manufacturing of scarves since 1969 and we happened to be working with top brands of the world like Burberry and Giorgio Armani, they asked us to create some samples and were impressed. The designs were given by them,” he added.

In addition to these stoles, the company has made another 2,600 stoles and scarves for Boden which will be sold online.

Last year, Centex collaborated with Hugo Boss (BLACK) to manufacture stoles for all the celebrities who attended the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival.

IANS

Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar with her husband Sawai Man Singh of Jaipur

Groom Shivraj Singh of Jodhpur arrives in style for his 2010 wedding

Sanjeev Sharma turns 50

Creativity and fun at GOD holiday camp

replicate a standard beat. Next, teams Mars, Earth and Jupiter had the task of building a strong bridge from paddle pop sticks and blu-tack, and the winner was Mars, the only team whose bridge didn’t collapse.

The smaller children in teams Mercury and Venus had to use their creative skills to dress up a member of their group in a given material, who would then strut down the catwalk in a fashion parade. The children cheered their teams, giving them a great boost of self-confidence.

Finally, it was time for the grand finale presentation, attended by their parents and Chief Guest Geoff Lee, the Liberal Party member for Parramatta. A floral arrangement of the nine squares of the Navagrahas adorned the floor. Nine children played the role of the nine grahas with specially designed and coloured vests and crowns, in the colour of each graha. Nine other children described each graha and its corresponding celestial body in the solar system, while others sang the Navagraha Stotram. Then, as a choir, all the children sang Navagrahas songs, followed by the tribal drumbeat and the Song on Values, accompanied by Ashwin Bhaskaran and Chiranth Wodeyar on guitar.

The Global Organisation for Divinity (GOD) organised an Autumn Holiday Camp for children at Parramatta Scout Hall on April 12 - 13. The aim of the camp was to offer the children a wide range of activities, encompassing culture, religion, science, sports, yoga, ecosystem, art and craft, music and creative learning, including team building activities in a safe and funfilled environment. Thirty children in the age group of 5-11 attended from many suburbs in Sydney, and were assisted by the youth group of GOD Australia, who played a significant role as leaders and role models that children could look up to. The attendees were divided into five groups with the names of five planets, with a youth group member as the leader.

On day one, the children learned several facts about our solar system and the corresponding celestial bodies, Navagrahas, as per the Indian scriptures through a visual presentation. It was a captivating session, and the children’s enthusiasm was evident in the number of questions they raised. They were also taught the Navagrahas Strotram and two simple songs on Navagrahas

This activity was followed by a yoga session with Asai Perumal of Divine Life Society Australia who taught the fundamentals of yoga and a few postures, including the Surya Namaskar – the sun salutation. They were also taught breathing

enjoyed.

The next activity was the ‘Eco Care –Plant a Plant’ module, in which Jeanne Baker’s book, Window on a Changing World, illustrating the changing Australian environment, was presented. In this interactive session children were asked to contemplate on the importance of trees to our environment and the effects of cutting them down. Each child was given a plant to plant in a pot which they later decorated with pebbles in the colours of the Navagrahas. This enjoyable activity saw them proud of their plants.

A brief session followed, on the universal values of brotherhood and world peace that GOD stands for. As a mark of their understanding and commitment, children signed a chart with their names and made a brotherhood collage.

Beema Yussouf conducted the ‘Art Attack’ module in which the children made chocolate bouquets with Easter eggs for their mothers, displaying their creative skills. The next session, the ‘AFL Clinic’, was run by Dhruv Kaushik, an outstanding NSW representative player and school captain of Girraween High School. It featured AFL drills and techniques uniquely modified for young children. They loved the outdoor component, participating in a very competitive final game in which the

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‘Rhythm’ was the next activity, conducted by Dinesh Ramanan and Chiranth Wodeyar. The children were taught a specially composed song to assist in understanding the importance of possessing the universal values of love, faith, integrity, courage, conviction, honesty etc. It was truly marvellous to watch this young choir of amazing, energetic little singers, and was a fitting end to an action-packed day of learning and amusement.

Day 2 kicked off with physical exercise activity in a park next door, in which the children were taught the importance of exercises for good health. Stretches and games to help improve co-ordination and stimulate social skills were taught during this module.

‘Project Planet’, an art activity came next, helping the children to reflect on their learning about the Navagrahas from previous sessions. They made magnet cards by completing the ‘Navagrahas Square’, as well as elegant bookmarks and door hangers. This fun activity helped them socialise and form new friendships.

‘Creative Learning’ followed, led by Dinesh Ramanan and Chiranth Wodeyar in which the children learned about team building, collaborative thinking and forming new bonds. The first part was a brilliant tribal drumbeat using the hands and legs to

After the performance, Geoff Lee delivered a short speech congratulating the children on their efforts and the success of the camp. Volunteers were given certificates of appreciation, and the children received certificates of participation by Mr Lee. Next followed an exciting quiz between parents and children, which needless to say, the children won. This brought the camp to an official end after two exhilarating days of action.

This event was a fulfilling one for GOD Australia, for whom education and training is a major objective. The organisation values the importance of universal love and is keen to impart knowledge and training to people at every level, towards mutual obligations in the community and nurturing harmony in society. The parents of the children were overwhelming in their feedback, registering their interest for ongoing programs for their children and themselves. They saw value in children learning beyond their own little world, and felt that the big picture view will help them become responsible citizens. In particular, they appreciated the youth volunteers for being such tremendous role models.

Dinesh Ramanan

Bail Ajay out!

13 May, 5.45pm, Ajay Unni has volunteered to spend a night in the Yasmar Juvenile Detention Centre 185 Parramatta Road, Haberfield as a part of the Bail Out campaign organized by Whitelion. This is the NGO’s biggest fundraiser in support of disadvantaged young people. Ajay has to raise funds to bail himself out, with a minimum target of $1500.

Whitelion gives them the best chance to “break the cycle” through positive role modelling, mentoring and employment, and the opportunity to build positive lives for themselves. To learn more about Whitelion please visit their website at www. whitelion.org.au.

To sponsor Ajay, visit http://www.whitelionbailout.org.au and enter ‘Ajay Unni’ in the field you are posting bail for. You can also visit www.whitelion.org.au, and search for him as a registered inmate and clicking on ‘Bail me out’. Complete the donation form and pay via credit card, cheque or money order (donations of $2 or more are tax deductable). Let’s bail Ajay out for a good cause! Any questions? Call Ajay on 02 91464367.

Masterpiece on motherhood

US-based film maker presents a movie that explores the fragile distinction between the modern and the traditional, while building bridges in the present

by writing, directing, producing and acting in , her debut docu-feature film. I asked her which aspect appealed to her the most –pre-production, screen writing, editing or post production? “I enjoyed shooting the film most because it was a realization of my dreams,” she said. However Monalisa found the sound editing and dubbing to be the hardest part, especially for the outdoor shoots in India. “I landed there with all this equipment that was of no use as shooting outdoors in India is very challenging. I have now learnt from my experience and will ensure I have special dubbing arrangements for the outdoor shoots. I will also never act in my own movie again, as I am more interested in the technical side of film-making,” she

BY PREETI JABBAL

alleviate poverty and ignorance?

“As a moviemaker, my role is to address the issues. This is the first step in helping to solve them,” said Monalisa. “I think there are many ways in which one can give back to the community,” she added. Citing her own example, Monalisa spoke of her involvement with Ramakrishna Mission in helping them to make shelters for the calamity affected people of Sunderban in Bengal. In Los Angeles during Durga Pooja, Monalisa claims to have collected $5000 by just getting her friends to

Monalisa, like many other film-makers, has made a movie that inquires into the difficult balance between separation and integration that shapes the consciousness of firstgeneration émigrés and their children in different ways.

A nexus to life in America and nostalgic memories of life in Bengal, form the crux of Monalisa Dasgupta’s movie, Lost Mother. The BengaliAmerican movie was screened recently at the Ashburton Library Hall by the Music Lovers of Bengal in Melbourne. This movie will strike a chord with every migrant, especially mothers, who can be caught between their new culture which holds their aspirations, while working hard to incorporate their traditional culture and the values that have shaped who they are. Lost Mother is the articulation of one such woman’s questions and her troubled relations with her American born and bred son. While introducing the movie to her predominantly Bengali audience in Melbourne, Monalisa Dasgupta said she chose this particular genre of film-making because she wanted to show the brighter side of the kaleidoscope to the world that has hitherto mainly focused on the poverty and squalid side of India.

“My films will portray the strength of my country and culture. I consider it to be my responsibility to my audience to be honest in my depiction, but my work will always be painted with my love for India. I want to tell realistic stories of people from US and Bengal with involvement of actors from both countries,” she said.

Monalisa Dasgupta said she chose this particular genre of film-making because she wanted to show the brighter side of the kaleidoscope to the world that has hitherto mainly focused on the poverty and squalid side of India.

Doesn’t focusing mainly on the Bengali-American crossover restrict her audience to some extent? “Making a Bengali movie in Kolkata is very difficult and hugely competitive; similarly it is hard to make a movie in Hollywood so I decided to focus on this niche market instead, where I have less competition and there are millions of untold stories and a very interested audience,” she replied. Monalisa took multi-tasking to newer heights

California-based Monalisa holds a double degree in Economics and Operations Research from Penn State University in the US, and has worked as a senior market analyst for over 10 years. Growing up in Kolkata, Monalisa was always enamoured by films and was offered roles in Bengali films, but a conservative family was an impediment. She married and migrated to the US and once settled, she enrolled herself in a Film Making and Direction course from the New York Film Academy and Hollywood Film Institute. Soon Monalisa realized that this was her calling and left a highly paid corporate job for the unpredictable, yet exciting path of film-making.

A four-page project that Monalisa had to submit for her Film Course formed the beginning of this creation. Monalisa turned the four pages into a 120page movie script and armed with great enthusiasm, ideas and creativity landed in Ushagram, an NGO near Kolkata, to film her first feature. In her movie the protagonist is a documentary maker who is inspired by the life of young Papiya, a resident of that village. Papiya epitomizes the thousands of hapless girls in rural India who suffer due to poverty and lack of education. Despite her great potential, the talented Papaya is forced to marry at a very young age and is killed during childbirth. Spending time with Papiya makes the documentary maker realize how distanced she had become from her own son in the US and she returns to make amends.

In Lost Mother Monalisa observes that just offering financial help does not solve the many problems faced by people in rural India. In her movie, despite her protagonist’s offer to pay for educating Papiya and supporting the family, the girl’s parents still force her to marry young.

So what could well-intentioned people do to

Lost Mother was also screened last month at the Monash Asia Institute in Melbourne. Previously Monalisa’s film was selected and screened at the Kolkata Film Festival in November 2010. She will be taking the movie to the Probashi Film Festival in London around September, and the Habitat Film Festival in New Delhi later in May. Her movie is being distributed by Data Bazaar, a distributor of Bengali Films in the US who soon intend to put the movie in digital portals and on TV channels. Renowned Director Mira Nair once famously said, “If we don’t tell our stories no one else will”. Monalisa, like many other film-makers, has made a movie that inquires into the difficult balance between separation and integration that shapes the consciousness of first-generation émigrés and their children in different ways. If you attempt to enter the cavern of Monalisa’s protagonist’s mind, you are bound to find something that will resonate with you.

Monalisa Dasgupta

Speaking with members of the audience after the screening

Monalisa with Madhumita Bhattacharya of the Monash Asia Institute

“We

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Inflation forces India’s central bank to hike rates

Corporate and consumer loans could become dearer as India’s central bank recently hiked its short-term lending rate by 50 basis points, pegged the borrowing rate 100 basis points below it, and raised the interest rate on popular savings accounts.

Laying emphasis on curbing inflation over growth, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiked the repurchase rate to 7.25 percent from 6.75 percent earlier, by which the reverse-repo rate gets automatically revised to 6.25 percent from 5.75 percent.

This is the ninth time in 15 months that the policy rates stand hiked.

The structural change in the monetary policy was announced by RBI Governor D. Subbarao before the chief executives of commercial banks at the RBI headquarters at Mint Street in mid-town Mumbai. “These policy decisions take immediate effect,” the governor said.

Other policy rates such as the statutory liquidity ratio and the cash reserve ration -- the minimum quantum of money against deposits which the banks have to retain as cash or specified government securities -have been left untouched.

The bank rate also remains unchanged at 6 percent.

“The Reserve Bank’s baseline inflation projections are that inflation will remain elevated, close to the March 2011 level over the first half of 2011-12, before declining,” Subbarao said.

Over the long run, high inflation is inimical to sustained growth as it harms investment by creating uncertainty. Current elevated rates of inflation pose significant risks to future growth,” he said.

“Bringing them down, therefore, even at the cost of some growth in the short-run, should take precedence,” the governor added, spelling out what guided the monetary policy stance for the current fiscal.

“The hikes in policy rates were on expected lines. But the increase in savings interest rate was a surprise. It is expected to have a marginal impact on the interest margins of banks,” said Dipen Shah, senior vice president with Kotak Securities.

“The banks may pass it on to the consumers in due course of time,” Shah, who is with the private client group with the financial services firm, said, implying that interest rate on corporate, housing, consumer and automobile loans could go up.

Reacting to the monetary policy, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi that the rate hikes were in order since it was necessary to contain inflation that had started behaving “erratically” again after showing signs of easing.

Talking to reporters in a briefing at the RBI headquarters, chief executives of banks said loans would become costlier but the quantum of the increase in interest rates on loans would depend on individual banks.

“Interest rates on short-term deposits at banks may rise,” State Bank of India Chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said.

The chief executive of India’s largest private lender ICICI Bank Chanda Kochhar too said the increase in rates would be passed on to consumers.

But industry bodies strongly opposed the latest rate hike and said tackling inflation should be done by dealing with supply side issues and curbing government expenditure.

“This is certainly a very hawkish monetary stand, one which would make the investment environment even more difficult. We are afraid that with growth slowing, as now admitted by RBI, employment targets will not be achieved and this could generate greater social pressure,” Rajiv Kumar, director general, FICCI said in a statement.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) too was critical of the increase in interest rates.

“The continued monetary tightening without any movement on structural reforms to address supply side bottlenecks will have an added impact on capacity creation and expansion,” said Chandrajit Banerjee, director general, CII.

The repo rate, often referred to as the short term lending rate, is the interest charged by the central bank on borrowings by commercial banks.

The reverse repo rate, referred to as short term borrowing rate, is the rate at which the central bank borrows money from commercial banks.

The cash reserve ratio and statutory liquidity ratio determines the amounts banks have to retain in liquid assets, gold and government bonds against deposits, and together form a part of traditional instruments that help in checking liquidity in the system.

Once criticised, painter Tagore now aesthetic icon

He has inspired generations of painters, yet Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who began to paint at the late age of 67, was dismissed by peers and critics as a “bad and untrained” artist during his lifetime. “The first exhibition of Tagore’s paintings in May 1930 in Paris that received an overwhelming response was later exhibited in Kolkata (in 1931 and 1932). But the audience there was strangely silent and I remember reading articles criticising his style and technique,” said senior artist Niren Sengupta.

In 1931, Tagore displayed at the Kolkata Town Hall and in February 1932 at the Government School of Art with 265 art works.

“The critics did not like Tagore’s childlike adaptation of global artistic practices - especially those from the Far East and Europe - to create a unique Indian language,” said Sengupta.

“The fact that no artist could copy Tagore’s style and ideas fuelled the resentment further,” said the former Delhi College of Art principal.

Sengupta, who inaugurated an exhibition by 35 artists from West Bengal, “A Tribute to Tagore”, at the Epicentre in Gurgaon a week before his 150th birth anniversary on May 9, said, “Tagore’s critics have been proved wrong with time.”

“His works are now a national property and sought after,” Sengupta said. The senior artist is inspired by the versatility of Tagore in his own abstract canvas that portray the poet as a man with many colourful faces.

Tagore’s art is a complex combination of doodles, word art, quaint man-animal

creatures and gaunt-faced ovoid women painted in ink, water colour, oil and mixed media.

According to a biographical volume, “Something Old, Something New: Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th anniversary volume (edited by Pratapaditya Pal)”, he “always regretted that his countrymen did not appreciate his paintings”.

His peer’s uncertainty with his style stemmed from the fact that he had no formal training in art, says the biographical volume.

Artist Nandalal Bose, alarmed by the amateurishness of Tagore’s works, patiently compiled an album of reproductions of European masters for Tagore so that he could learn to draw properly. But Tagore returned the album saying, “it could help his students”.

On his 150th birth anniversary on May 9, the focus of the India and Bangladesh governments’ celebrations will be on the poet’s art and philosophy - the lesser known aspects of Tagore.

A special digital compilation of art, “Chitravali”, will be released to coincide with his birth anniversary and a mammoth exhibition interpreting Tagore works and his original art by Indian and Bangladeshi artists will be on display in Bangladesh and India.

At the exposition, “A Tribute To Tagore”, artists use his style, technique, ideology and motifs from his compositions to translate them into their creative idioms on the canvas.

A portrait of Tagore seated in meditative

repose by senior artist Sudip Roy using the wash painting method stands out from the rest for his mastery over the medium. A charcoal composition, “Essence of Kolkata”, by Subrata Das explores the rural soul of the metropolis with the hand-carted rickshaw as a metaphor.

“When I see rain in north Kolkata - around the Chitpore area, I think of Tagore. He is from north Kolkata. The city looks beautiful during the monsoon,” said artist Dilip Chowdhury.

Chowdhury, who creates rainwashed urban landscapes with acrylic on canvas using the technique of watercolour, “reacts to Tagore’s poems as an artist”.

Artists Anup Giri and Subroto Gangopadhayay prefer to interpret Tagore’s philosophy and artistic ideology on paper. They play with Tagore’s commitment to rural reconstruction and promotion of the ethnic arts of Bengal and India on their canvas of dancing tribal men and women.

According to curator Ameeshi Tapuriah, the owner of the Art Nouveau Gallery, who has spent her childhood in Kolkata, “Any artist who is connected to Bengal cannot stay away from Tagore - they are inspired by him in some way.”

Tagore continued to paint till his death in 1941, and his brush strokes have evidently outlived the harshest of critics.

Akbar was a colourful man: Belgian historian His harem boasted of 5,000 women, 300 of whom were his real companions. His secular outlook is a lesson for

Sat Sri Akal: South Australia’s Minister of Multicultural Affairs and Member of Parliament Grace Portolesi pays her respects at the Golden Temple Sikh shrine on April 27, 2011. Portolesi along with her daughter and Australian officials visited the city and met with Australian students living in India.

Photo:AP

contemporary times and he understood, much before any Muslim ruler of India, that the country could be strong only if its inhabitants were united. Mughal emperor Akbar was fundamentally “an eclectic, a rationalist as well as a mystic”, says Belgian historian and writer Dirk Collier.

“Akbar’s wives received an allowance of Rs.1,500 a month, which helped them fend for their families and children. They were financially well-off. Many of the women in his harems commissioned monumental buildings,” Collier revealed in an e-mail interview from Knokke, his hometown in Belgium.

“His Hindu queen, the princess of Amber (in Rajasthan), amassed a personal fortune more than many European traders of that era by freighting silk and spices on ships across the seas. Records cite that Akbar often chatted with her about her trade.”

Collier has brought Abu-l-Muzaffar Jalaluddin Muhammed Akbar, or Akbar the Great, alive from the tomes of history in a fact-laced-with-fiction novel, “The Emperor’s Writings”. The book, published by Amaryllis, an imprint of Manjul Publishing House, arrived in Indian bookstores last week.

The book unravels Akbar, who ruled from 1556 to his death in 1605, as a man with a colourful personal life, a man who was fond of female company but could not work up passion like his son Jahangir. His women remained mostly companions, Collier says.

For Collier, a senior board member of Johnson & Johnson (in Belgium) and a visiting professor at Antwerp University, the novel is his first journey into the heart of the Mughal empire and Indian historical writing.

Written in the form of an epistle - or a long letter - from Akbar to his son Jahangir, the volume chronicles the life of the Mughal emperor in a first person account and all that he wanted to tell his rebellious son about politics and warfare.

“Whatever it was that had estranged Jahangir from his father, it completely disappeared after Akbar’s death. It is a wellknown historical fact that Jahangir tried to emulate Akbar and held him in the highest reverence, in speech as well as in writing,”

Collier says.

The 54-year-old writer said “when in Agra, Jahangir would often visit his father’s tomb at Sikandra”.

“It is said he would always dismount, kneel down and rub his forehead on the doorstep of the mausoleum,” Collier said.

Collier said he was inspired to write the book by a “17th-century painting, commissioned by Jahangir, showing him holding his father’s portrait.”

“It is as if Akbar is gently talking to his son. Right from the start, that is exactly how I imagined my book - Akbar talking to his son, from beyond the grave,” Collier said.

“It took me seven years to write the book,” he added.

The writer came upon Akbar for the first time in 2002, while reading books on the history of Goa “with a vague intention of writing after retirement.” But as he immersed himself into the life of Akbar, Collier abandoned his earlier project and decided that his debut novel should be about Akbar.

“I have read not only most of the history books of our age but also translations and contemporary Mughal sources, including the highly critical Tarikh-i-Badauni and 5,000 pages of Abu’l Fazl’s monumental ‘Akbar Nama’ and ‘Ain-i-Akbari’,” Collier said.

Akbar’s wife Salima Sultana’s accounts were another source of information.

Analysing Akbar’s political foresight, the writer said the reason why Akbar could tether the disparate Indian flock together was because “he understood more than any Muslim ruler before him that Hindustan could be strong if inhabitants, diverse as they were, were united”.

“He attempted to rule in strict neutrality. His wives or courtiers or anyone else did not require to abandon their religion. He spent countless hours convincing himself and others that even rigorously orthodox Islam is perfectly compatible with universal tolerance and pluralism,” he said.

Collier quotes Akbar’s favourite historian and confidant Abu’l Fazl to explain why the ruler’s secular religion Din-e-Illahi failed.

“Abu’l Fazl is reported to have said - with his usual discernment and wit - that ‘The Emperor is Parsi in his rites, Hindu in his food, and Sufi in his heart’.

“Akbar fundamentally was an eclectic, a rationalist as well as a mystic, who came to regard all religions as merely human attempts to honour and serve an ineffable, unattainable reality,” Collier said.

The writer will soon begin his research on Ahmed Lahori, the chief architect of the Taj Mahal, for a new book on the mausoleum and its creator Shah Jahan.

World of Indian diaspora to come alive in docu series

The world of the Indian diaspora, their life in all its shades of colours, will soon come alive in a series of documentaries that well-known documentary filmmaker Siddharth Kak and his Surabhi Foundation are currently making.

The series of 10 documentaries will be shot partly on location in countries where large numbers of overseas Indians are settled.

The documentaries will show the vast world of the Indian diaspora, telling the stories of Indians settled in countries like Malaysia, Mauritius, the UAE, Oman, Britain, the US, Canada, South Africa, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Fiji, Singapore and Australia.

“The film team will travel to 14 countries and trail the stories of Indian emigrantstheir struggles, triumphs and assimilation into their adopted countries,” said Pooja Khemani of the Surabhi Foundation for Research and Cultural Exchange.

The film crew has already completed shooting in Singapore, Malaysia and Mauritius.

“In Mauritius we plan to tell the story of the Indian community’s arrival in the island country, their history and political struggles.

“We will film the rich cultural and ethnic diversity of Mauritius as well as the blending of cultures that has occurred over the generations,” explained Pooja, who is an assistant director of the project.

Each documentary will show the history of Indian migration to the country mainly through preserved documents, old records, photo albums, interviews and through the interesting stories of some of the families who were among the early Indian migrants.

The films will record the achievements of the Indian communities and successful

individuals in different spheres of activities.

The stories from Mauritius, Trinidad, Guyana and Fiji will have a lot of farm background as Indians landed there over a century ago to work on sugarcane plantations.

The pioneering labourers made great sacrifices and laid the foundations for future generations. Their descendants now occupy senior positions in all walks of life, ranging from business to politics and community organisations.

The diaspora in the US, Britain, Canada and Australia is of more recent origin and more closely connected with India, said the Surabhi official.

Though a few Indians had migrated to these countries as far back as the last decades of the 19th century, regular migration began around the 1970s when the governments in these countries relaxed their immigration regulations to allow entry for Asians.

The Indian communities there now form a sizeable minority.

The Gulf countries present an entirely different picture as far as the Indian diaspora is concerned.

With over four million Indians residing in the Middle East countries, the Indian expatriates have become major contributors to the massive economic development in the region.

While a majority of Indian expatriates are labourers in the Gulf countries, there are a number of businessmen, some of them highly successful, who arrived in the region several decades ago.

The remittances from Indians in the Gulf region make a substantial portion of the total remittances sent back home by Indians living abroad.

The tales from the desert countries will be an important part of the 10 documentaries Surabhi is currently filming.

Siddharth Kak, documentary filmmaker and television producer, has made more than 100 documentary films. Kak became a familiar figure for Doordarshan audiences for making and presenting the long running cultural magazine “Surabhi” for the national broadcaster.

Next stop Mumbai: British rower Roz Savage, 42, sets off from the Western Australian city of Fremantle on April 13, 2011, bound for Mumbai’s Gates of India monument, an epic 6,500 km journey that will take between five and six months. Savage has already crossed the Pacific and Atlantic oceans solo in her 23-foot rowboat, dodging fierce storms and near-drownings. The Indian Ocean voyage -- her longest single row to date -- will cap the “Big Three”. The keen environmental campaigner hopes to raise money and awareness about ocean pollution.

Photo:AP / HO / ROZSAVAGE.COM / BIRDSEYE VIEW PHOTOGRAPHY

Pammi Kebabs

I have always drawn comfort from two sources: mostly from my mom and in her absence, from food. I love both and the feeling has always been reciprocated. As a result I am quite a well-fed (pleasantly plump) and well-cared (thoroughly spoilt) child of this earth. The fact that mom was a brilliant cook added layers to my persona in more ways than one. She initiated my relationship with food from the first morsel lovingly put in my mouth, to the fun times cooking together in the kitchen to the constant adherence to ‘life revolves around food’ philosophy that dominated our typically Punjabi household. Today she is no longer with us, but her recipes constantly remind me of my warm and wonderful mother. This Mother’s Day I send a culinary salute to my darling mom by sharing this all-time favourite Shammi Kebab recipe, also renowned as ‘Pammy’s kebabs’ or for me simply as ‘mummy’s kebabs’.

Diwali parties were always hosted at our home, and as I grew older I realized that it was because of mom’s endless supply of kebabs. The card session would continue night-long, along with the consumption of innumerable kebabs. Mom never tired of shallow frying fresh lots of kebabs every

Ma ke haath se!

hour till early next morning when the last of our guests would leave, reluctantly, to go home. “Bhabhiji! Aapke haath ke kebab khaane ke liye to hum baazi haar ke bhi khush hain” my dad’s friends would say after losing mostly to dad, who was an expert at the game, and mom would beam with pleasure. On this night no one fussed about our bedtime and we stayed up late, tucking into mom’s yummy kebabs. It was a winner of a night for all.

Mom never took short cuts when preparing anything, especially these kebabs. According to her they will only ‘melt in your mouth’ if the ingredients are ground lovingly to perfection. The traditional pestle and mortar was used to grind the lentils and meat together; however I have now replaced this method with a quick whirl in the grinder for the sake of convenience. Over the years I have added my own twist to this recipe keeping in mind ingredients that are easily available and less time consuming (sorry, mom). Either way this one is sure to tantalize the taste buds.

Shammi Kebabs

• ½ cup split yellow/Bengal gram (chana dal) lentils

• ½ kg minced lamb/goat meat (try fresh mince from a butcher or deli for best results)

• 1 medium onion chopped

• 1 inch ginger chopped fine

• 1 tsp garlic paste, or 4-6 cloves of garlic

Winning over hearts

For someone used to sitting at the dining table, waiting for mum to serve some of the best lip-smacking, mouthwatering dishes, stepping into the kitchen wearing the chef’s hat could take a toll, at least it did for me!

When it was time for me to tie the knot a year ago, my mum’s advice was the remixed version of the saying, “The way to your man and in-laws’ hearts is through the stomach”. Well, my man I knew, could digest a halfcooked meal served by me, but I had no intention of making my in-laws suffer. So I got set my first cooking class from the world’s best chef, my mom and this is what we made. You can’t go wrong with palak chaat, which is a welcome change to the aloo and papri chaats. Thanks Mom, for adding the right ingredients in my life and making me the person I am!

Palak Chaat

• 12 leaves palak (spinach)

• 200gm yoghurt

• Tamarind chutney

• 4 medium sized boiled potatoes, mashed roughly

• 3 medium sized onions, chopped

• 1 cup gram flour (besan)

• Chat masala

• Chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

• ½ pomegranate for garnishing

• ½ cup sev

• Black Indian salt

• Salt

• Red chilli powder

• Oil for frying

Add ½ cup water to 1 cup gram flour to make a batter. (Make sure the besan batter is not too thin). Dip the cleaned spinach leaves in the batter so that the mix completely coats the leaves. Keep aside. Heat oil in a pan and

• ¼ bunch fresh coriander leaves chopped fine

• 4-6 mint leaves chopped fine

• 1 egg whipped with salt and red chilli powder to taste

• ¼ cup bread crumbs (optional) if you like them crisp

• Salt to taste

• Oil to shallow fry

Wash and soak lentils in 1 cup of water for an hour, drain and keep aside. In a pressure cooker put washed mince, soaked lentils, pinch of turmeric, garam masala, onions,

for pressure to subside, open the cooker and cook on high heat till mixture is dry. Remove from heat. Wait for mixture to cool and then grind it in a food processor. Add coriander, mint, egg and green chili to the mix after removing it from the processor. Mix well and make roundels by flattening balls of mixture into shape. Use breadcrumbs if the mixture is too fine and crumbly, or if you like the kebabs crisp. Shallow fry the kebabs in a pan till they are golden brown. Drain onto an absorbent paper and serve hot with onion rings and mint chutney.

deep fry the leaves till crispy. Remove and place in a serving plate

Make a thick paste of the curd. Pour this over the fried spinach leaves. Add mashed potatoes, chopped onions, chaat masala, red chilli powder, black salt and salt, as per taste.

and serve.

Most mums have a special recipe, something that is a trademark of their talent. This Mother’s Day we share the secrets and stories behind some of these masterpieces.

Preeti Jabbal

Pour the tamarind chutney over, garnish with coriander, sev and pomegranate,

Priyanka Tater

Mum’s little helper

My mom Sheila was a great cook and would pour so much love into her cooking that our kitchen was always open 24/7, and our house always seemed full with the dining table constantly occupied by different faces. My earliest memory of really cooking with my mother takes me back to 1978, when we first moved to Mumbai. Mom used to attend baking classes at the YMCA in Colaba, and who was the happiest person to go along? Me!

I would sit patiently, listening to the instructions carefully, watching the method and longing to taste the goodies even before they came out of the oven. Mom and I would return home and bake each recipe once again. Whether Indian or international cuisine, Mom would try out new recipes regularly. I was only too eager to fill her recipe books and in the process I learned too. Her pizzas and cakes were legendary, and she had the best aide helping her out…that’s me! I remember Mom trying out Cocoa Cake after we went to a friend’s birthday party and sampled one which was yum! So we had to come back home and make it with our own

changes, of course! How can you use vinegar in cake? But we tried it out and it was over before you could ask, “Want some more?”

Over the years I really enjoyed helping Mom in the kitchen and developed the skills I needed to venture out on my own. Today I love doing what my Mom did - making and serving something new. Thanks Mom, for what I am today. This Mother’s Day I want to tell you that I love you and am thankful for all that you have done for me. Even though you smile at me from the heavens above, I know my time spent with you always inspired me to make mouth-watering delights for my family and friends. Cocoa Cake is a special recipe from my mother’s kitchen. Enjoy!

Cocoa Cake

• 1¾ cups flour

• ¾ cup cocoa (use ½ cup if it is very strong)

• 1 level teaspoon of soda (not baking powder)

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ cup butter

• 2 eggs

• 1 cup milk

• 1/3 cup vinegar

• 1 capful vanilla essence

•

Monsoon munchies

I must admit upfront that when mom was cooking, I would not help out with all the tedious stuff. But once that was over and the presentation had to be done, I was right there wanting to be the centre of attraction and be seen as the creator of this wonderful dish! My mum would never mind, happy to forego all the appreciation and credit for her dishes, to me. This recipe was our special snack on wet monsoon evenings in Mumbai.

The magic of monsoons have always been special for every Bombayite/Mumbaikar, when the city looks its best. The skyline changes hue from crimson to blue to grey.

And the season would not be special without the fun of eating roadside food during the rains! Popping spicy pani puris, wada pavs, chana chor garam, bhutta and even the vegetable grilled sandwiches with extra cheese… all are hard to resist.

When it turned dark and grey outside, it’s ironic how everyone in unison felt like having some adrak chai along with kanda bhajia or hot wada pavs. Mum would generously offer to make us these to avoid us having food from the roadside and the added bonus of papad rolls were exactly that. And being Sindhi, we would never run out of papad, even if we ran out of besan!

My favourite part was eating these before others could dig in.

Mum’s ‘shahi’ surprise

We all have numerous memories of the basic yet vital things taught by our mothers, and one of those is cooking. My mother worked full-time and did not make regular meals at home; however when she did cook, we thoroughly enjoyed her offerings.

Now with cooking, I had this thing about doing things quickly in a fast-forward manner as we all do. On the eve of my birthday many years ago, I wanted to prepare a dessert for my friends and family visiting us that night. Not having much time on my hands I went up mum and asked, “Mum, you know how we have fast food, is there anything called fast dessert?” Mum smiled and as we walked into the kitchen, she asked me if we had enough bread, desi ghee and dry fruit for 5 people. She explained to me the two parts of a recipe called Shahi Toast – frying and garnishing. She said, “If everything is ready right in front of you, you can prepare

this dish in less than 20 minutes!” I was excited at the thought of preparing shahi toast for everyone in 20 minutes.

As per mum’s precision timing, we managed to prepare the dish in slightly less than 30 minutes, and were all set for my birthday dinner. At its conclusion, our dessert was cold and ready to be served from the refrigerator. When it arrived on the table, I was about to announce how mum taught me to prepare it but she had got in before me. She had already let everyone know that “the birthday girl has made it herself!” I looked at her and smiled, thinking, “Thanks, mum, that was a perfect birthday lesson!” And of course, it was exactly what my sweet tooth needed.

Shahi Toast

• 6 white bread slices

• 1 cup raw sugar

• 1 tbsp cardamom powder

• ½ tbsp saffron, dissolved in 20 mls

lukewarm water

• Desi ghee for deep frying

• For the chocolate icing:

• 1¼ cup icing sugar

• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

• 1tbsp butter at room temperature

• 1 tbsp boiling water

In a bowl, sieve together flour, cocoa and soda about 3 or 4 times. and keep aside. In a smaller bowl, mix 1 cup milk with 1/3 cup vinegar - stir it around until the mix curdles. Beat the eggs along with the vanilla essence in a separate bowl and set aside.

Now take a large mixing bowl and cream together butter and sugar with a spatula, stirring constantly until the mix becomes creamy in texture. Add in the beaten eggs gradually, stirring till well mixed. Add the flour slowly, continue stirring. Next, add the curdled milk, and gently fold into the mix. Take care not to overbeat the mix. Bake at 180 degrees for 40 minutes or till the cake is done. Poke a knife or skewer into the cake to check if it is fully baked; if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Serve with your favourite ice cream or chocolate

Papad Rolls

• 8 papads

• 200 gms paneer

• 1 tsp red chilli powder

• 1 tsp cumin powder

• ½ tsp turmeric powder

• ½ tsp chaat masala

• Few springs fresh coriander leaves

• ½ tsp ginger

• Salt to taste

• Oil for deep frying

Mash paneer with a fork and add red chilli powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, chaat masala, chopped coriander leaves, chopped ginger and salt. Mix well. Divide it into eight equal portions. Wet the papad with a few drops of cold water and place one portion of paneer in the centre. Roll the papad and fold the edges inwards. Seal them

sauce, or ice with chocolate icing when completely cool.

To make the chocolate icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa powder together in a bowl. Add in butter and boiling water, and stir till smooth and creamy. Spread evenly over the top of the cake and serve.

Neelam Vasudevan

with water so that the paneer mixture remains intact within. Pierce the roll with a toothpick. Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the papad rolls on moderate heat for about a minute. Drain onto an absorbent paper and serve hot. Paneer can be substituted with boiled potatoes.

• 2 tbsp sliced/chopped almond and pistachio nuts

• Half cup condensed milk

Dissolve the sugar in 2 cups of water and boil until a syrup is formed. Add saffron and cardamom powder to the mix. Cut the bread slices into triangles and deep fry in pre-heated ghee until golden brown. Dip the fried slices in warm sugar syrup and place in a plate immediately or they might become soggy. Add condensed milk on each slice, garnish with almond and pistachios and serve as is, or store in the fridge and serve as a chilled dessert.

Astha Singh

Pinky Bhatia

Simplifying the

My mom had her hands full while we were growing up; with six kids, a full time career and everything that comes with a seriously extended and sociable family back home. She has never liked spending much time in the kitchen and so she is always looking for ways to simplify recipes, find short cuts and reduce cooking times. I in turn, have inherited her aversion to unnecessary toil in the kitchen. I like to blame my creative work for often making me lose track of time, and coupling this with one pre-teen and three teen kids, you might understand my necessity of scrounging for delicious, easy recipes which don’t take up the whole day. Mom’s seekh kebab recipe is one that we simplified together to make it an almost fast-food

Quick fix mix

After marriage when I realised that I needed to learn a few recipes urgently, I turned to mum Maya for easy ones that would be quick, needing very little preparation time and which could be made quickly after returning from work or could be kept overnight. Mum’s aloo dhania was an ideal one because even the potatoes could be substituted with meat for non-vegetarians. It is always on my menu when we invite friends over for the first time for it never fails and gives the illusion that I am a great cook.

category item which the kids and husband love. It can be whipped up in minutes and stores well in the freezer for ages. Very handy when those unexpected guests drop in! Thanks Mom, for all you’ve done, borne and forgiven. I’m eternally indebted. Have a happy Mother’s Day.

Seekh Kebab

• 500 gms mince meat

• 2 onions

• 2 slices of white bread

• 1 small bunch of coriander

• 3-4 green chillies

• 1 tsp garam masala powder

• 2 tbsp oil

• Juice of half a lemon

• Salt to taste.

Put the bread slices, onions, coriander and green chillies in a food processor and chop.

Add the mince meat, garam masala, salt and chop till everything is well combined. Add lemon juice and oil, and mix well. Divide the mixture into balls of about 2 inches in diameter and then elongate to form kebabs. Cook in a frying pan with a little oil on medium to low heat, till nicely browned and cooked through. Serve with rice, raita and a green salad or use in wraps with mayo, lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion and your favourite sauce.

Farzana Shakir

Aloo Dhania

• Chat potatoes

• 1 carton sour cream

• 1-2 bunches fresh coriander

• 10 pods garlic

• 1” fresh ginger

• 1½ tsp turmeric powder

• 3 fresh chillies (or to taste)

• 6 tsp cumin powder

• 16 tsp yogurt

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tbsp oil

Peel the potatoes and prick a couple of times with a fork. Keep aside. Next, puree all the ingredients in a blender. Put the oil

Anytime Majjige Hulli

in a large pan and pour in the pureed mixture. Add potatoes and place on heat. Let them cook on medium heat with the lid on the vessel. When the oil separates and the potatoes are soft, add salt. Garnish with a few leaves of fresh coriander Serve hot. If left overnight the paste thickens, and can be used as a sandwich spread.

Rani Jhala

To me, this dish is one of the tastes of home. When working in London I would have sudden cravings for it, and despite Mum teaching me how to make it several times in the past, I would invariably forget the recipe. My desperate urge to eat Majjige Hulli would override any sensible awareness of geography and time differences, and I would immediately call Sydney to ask Mum how to make it. And she would patiently explain, regardless of whether it was 2am or in the middle of a busy working day. We would then chat about anything and everything else afterwards. Perhaps it was not just comfort food I missed, but also a comforting voice!

Majjige Hulli (Yoghurt-based Sambar)

• ½ kg vegetables, chopped into 2-3 cm pieces- these can be white pumpkin, chokos, fresh spinach, cucumber or green capsicum.

• 3 cups thick or set yoghurt, slightly sour is preferable

• 2/3 cup grated fresh (or frozen) coconut

• 1 tsp chana dal soaked in water for 3-4 hours and drained

• 2 tsp jeera (whole cumin)

• 5-6 dried red chillies

• ½ tsp turmeric powder

• ¼ tsp asafoetida powder

• 5-6 curry leaves

• Salt to taste

• 1 tbsp chopped coriander

For the tempering

• 1 tsp jeera

• ¼ tsp asafetida

• 2 dried red chillies

• 5-6 curry leaves.

In a food processer, grind the coconut, jeera, drained chana dal, chillies, turmeric and asafoetida into a rough paste, adding a little water if too dry. You can do this with a mortar and pestle if you have the time and patience!

Boil or microwave the vegetables until just tender. Leave the vegetables in the pot with just enough water to cover them, and add the coconut paste. Add salt to taste. Stir continuously on medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, for a further 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat and add yoghurt, stir on low heat for 2-3 mins. Take care not to overheat as this will cause the yoghurt to separate.

For the tempering: In a separate small pan, heat 1 tsp oil. Add jeera, chillies, asafetida and curry leaves. Control the heat to prevent the jeera from burning and stand back from the sizzling mixture! Add this tempering to the Majjige Hulli and stir through.

Garnish with the coriander and serve with rice.

Deepa Gopinath

I have always been amazed at how much my mum can tirelessly cook, and how quickly she can prepare numerous dishes. This dates back to my first birthday when there were no

Indian caterers and she cooked a feast for a party of about 70 people at our family home. There are countless times when my mum has packed delicious food for me when I have been away. I admire all mothers who cook for their children while balancing many roles, taking on the role of Supermum. I guess one of their main sources of energy is love and dedication in keeping their children well fed and nourished.

Baingan bharta is one of my favourite dishes cooked by my mum.

Baingan Bharta

• 1 medium baingan (eggplant )

• 1 medium onion chopped fine

• 2 medium red tomatoes

• 1 clove garlic cut into 4 pieces

• 1 small piece fresh ginger, grated

• 1 tablespoon plain yoghurt

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

Supermum’s eggplant on my tongue

Memories that linger

On summer evenings, my mother used to make kozhikattas. This sweet dumpling is a cousin of the modak. Its name translates to “egg” because of its syrupy golden centre and soft white casing.

I’d scramble up the kitchen benchtop to watch as she dipped her strong fingers in creamy coconut milk and pressed and folded, slapped and pounded the rice flour into a pliant lump. It would lie at the bottom of the gleaming stainless steel bowl begging to be played with.

She would then grate coconut into a plateful of snow and scatter dry ginger powder and crushed cardamom over it. As the jaggery bubbled lazily in a heavy black pot, she’d prod it with a wooden spoon and when it began to yield, she would quickly pour it in a thick rope of gold into the grated coconut and stir it into submission.

Then creaming her hands with coconut milk she would roll the soft rice dough into small balls and flatten them against her palms. Placing some of the golden coconut mixture in the middle, she would bury it into the dough with two fingers, then seal it into a ball, rolling it gently, till it was smooth and round as an egg. She would glaze it with coconut milk, smoothing it over, like one would oil over a baby’s skin. The perfect kozhikattas were then placed in the steamer and the lid lowered.

Twenty minutes later, she’d crack open the lid of the steamer. And behind a curtain of steam would lie neat row after row of soft white mounds, their skins translucent and glistening, as if emerging from a sauna; some puffed up just right, some, their sides cracked, oozing the golden syrup.

My happiest memories of those summers with my mother linger on my tongue like the slick of the jaggery syrup with its secret

Chicken curry con

identify most vegetables in their original persona, the mystery of viands remained a mystery to me.

• 1/4 tsp mustard seeds

• 1 tsp coriander powder

• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder (paprika)

• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder

• Pinch of asafoetida

• 1/4 tsp garam masala

• 3 tbsp oil

• 1 red hot chilli (to taste)

• Green coriander

• Salt to taste

Wash whole baingan, dry and cut slits in it on four sides. Pierce each side with a garlic piece each and microwave for approximately 8 minutes. The cut slits ensure that the baingan doesn’t explode and the garlic adds flavour. You can roast the baingan too, giving it a smoked flavour. Remove and cool, then cut the stem and peel the skin off slowly. Next, chop the baingan into very small pieces. Keep aside. Puree tomatoes with yoghurt in the blender. In a non-stick pan, fry chopped

twist of cardamom and dry ginger; the moist coconut that tumbled into my mouth; the steamy first bite into the pearly softness of the rice casing; the golden syrup that welled up from each bite, then dripped over lips and fingers and slid down my chin.

Kozhikattas

For the dough

• 1 cup slightly roasted rice flour

• 2 cups boiling water

• A pinch of salt

For the filling

• 1 cup grated coconut

• 100 gms melted / grated jaggery

• ½ tsp powdered cumin seeds

• ½ tsp powdered dry ginger

• ¼ tsp powdered cardamom seeds

• ½ cup coconut milk

Make a soft dough with the rice flour, salt and hot water. Mix the jaggery, spices and grated coconut. Take a small portion of the dough and roll into a medium-sized ball. Using thumbs, press it into a hollow cup, and fill with 1-2 teaspoons of the coconut mixture. Seal

pieces of onion in oil until golden brown. Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, grated ginger and asafetida, and let them roast. Add the pureed tomatoes and yoghurt mixture. Let it cook for a while before adding the rest of the spices - red chilli powder (paprika for colour), turmeric powder, coriander powder and pieces of green coriander for flavour. Keep frying the spice mix until the oil separates. Then add the cooked chopped baingan and mix well, stirring and mashing until done. Serve hot, garnished with chopped coriander leaves and thinly cut fresh red chilli pieces.

In my late teens, my mother decided that it was high time I learned at least the rudiments of cooking. Having grown up in a family that employed a cook, my forays into the kitchen were confined to occasionally fetching myself a glass of water, as I was terribly spoiled!

My mother was of that sadly diminishing school of thought which firmly associated culinary ability as one of the essential qualities of a good wife. These days you only have to be adept at choosing the right cook. She despaired of my complete lack of interest in learning the art and while I could

But my mother, not one to give up, began her campaign of getting me into the kitchen to cook on weekends, “at least one dish, once a month”. Finally, after putting off the inevitable over several weekends, I agreed to cook a chicken curry for Sunday’s lunch. The cook hurriedly cut up the chicken and disappeared, and I was confronted with onions to cut, coriander to grind, garlic to peel and the hunt for condiments, which were mysteriously stored in the deepest corner of the spice shelf. My mother magnanimously offered to help, which I as magnanimously spurned, because I could do it all…aaah, the self-confidence one has at 18!

A couple of hours later, after dousing a small fire having missed pouring the oil into the vessel and onto the stovetop instead, I surveyed my handiwork, but was too chicken to actually try it. It had an odd smell and was a strange greenish-brown which was surprising, because I hadn’t used any ‘brown’ ingredients. Well, it’s their funeral, I thought,

they were the ones who wanted me to cook! I knew my mother would be valiantly supportive, but the rest of the family have no subtlety. They would be brutally frank, and would recount the experience for the rest of my life. But soon the cook returned, took one look inside the vessel and got to work.

What was presented at dinner that evening was a treat for the tastebuds. My mother knew, of course; I know that now as I am a mum, but at that time I smugly allowed myself to think that I’d gotten away with it. But I took no chances, announcing that this was my culinary swansong. My mother didn’t insist any more, and I now suspect that it’s because she was probably brave enough to taste my original offering. The cook fortunately kept mum until several years later. I have now improved my repertoire and think I am quite a good cook, but my mother isn’t quite convinced yet!

Here’s a dish my mother cooked to perfection in her rare forays into the kitchen, but which admittedly, I will not be able to replicate in this lifetime.

Aparna Jacob

‘Typical’ Goan fish curry

• 500gms kingfish or any other fillet fish cut into small pieces

• 1 onion, finely chopped lengthwise

• 1 large dried red chilli

• 2 green chillies, slit lengthwise

• 1 cup fresh grated coconut

• 1 tsp turmeric powder

• 1 tsp ginger/garlic paste

• 2 tbsp tamarind juice (not concentrate)

• 2 cups water

• 2 tbsp oil

• Salt to taste

Grind together the coconut, ginger/garlic paste, tamarind juice into a fine paste. Heat oil in a pan, add the paste and fry for a couple of minutes. Add water and let the mix simmer. In a bowl, break the dry red chilli into smaller pieces and mix in the onion. Mash together using your fingers to release the flavour. Add this to the curry and bring to a boil. Gently add the pieces of fish and let them cook in the simmering curry until done. Serve with hot rice and pickle.

Pallavi Sinha

Sheryl Dixit

Getting a grip on gambling

Measures are being put in place to protect problem gamblers from incurring heavy losses to this weakness

BY NOEL G DE SOUZA

Australia is a country much given to a variety of gambling possibilities. A BBC article titled Australia in thrall of gambling mania (2007) revealed that 80% of its adult population legally gambles in some form, and that the average weekly expenditure on gambling is estimated to be $A17.52. Australians gamble in Lotto, lotteries, horse and other racing, TAB, poker machines and casinos.

In contrast, gambling is illegal in most of India though illegal forms are rampant in all states.

Cricket gambling is the new craze. The Cricket World Cup and the Indian Premier League are reported to have become the foci of a variety of gambling activities.

All state governments in Australia raise substantial revenue from gambling. State governments have promoted Lotto, lotteries and “scratchies”. It can be argued that many of these are small versions of gambling compared to poker machines which draw problem gamblers with the promise of easy rich pickings. To add to these, there is now the menace of uncontrolled internet gambling.

One can possibly consider futures trading, trading in various derivatives and short selling in the stock exchanges as gambling, though it can be argued that information and knowledge have a role to play in such cases. These may be more benignly considered as “speculation”.

There is currently a battle looming in Australia between those who want heavy legal restrictions on how much a person can gamble and those who believe that selfregulation is sufficient. The fight for heavy restrictions is led by Andrew Wilkie, an Independent Member of Parliament from Tasmania. His vote is crucial for the Gillard Labor government to survive in office. He is supported by Getup, the anti-gambling group that claims to have 440,000 members.

The opposition to such restrictions is led by Peter Newell, who is the chairperson of Clubs Australia. This is an association of a variety of clubs but which have one thing in common: they invariably house poker machines and depend substantially for their earnings from gambling. It is said by anti-gambling groups that such clubs make the bulk of their profits from problem gamblers. Australia has some 5700 clubs which include RSL, bowling, golf, football and Catholic clubs. Clubs Australia has launched a television campaign worth $20 million dollars to attack the restriction

proposal.

The Wilkie proposal is to set predetermined limits for each gambler on poker machines. Newell counteracts by saying that, “Problem gamblers are unlikely to set affordable limits and are likely to set high limits or none at all.” Also that problem gamblers “are likely to take part in other forms of gambling that don’t have pre-commitment limits such as the TAB or online.”

Newell says that the Wilkie proposal impinges upon the “legal right to play a poker machine” by bringing in “a licence to gamble.” He also points out that these measures do not apply to casinos. The ‘legal right’ argument has also been used in the defence of smoking in trains, drinking of alcohol and even by proponents of marijuana smoking. Neither those in favour of free gambling nor those against gambling deny that problem gamblers exist in Australia. There are over 100,000 estimated problem gamblers in the country who lose 2.6 billion dollars a year.

Andrew Wilkie negotiated a precommitment system with Julia Gillard, which is set to commence by 2014; it seeks to limit how much a poker machine player can play. Wilkie has marshalled certain troubling statistics like an individual can lose $1,200 in just one hour in a poker machine. The amount lost in Tasmania in 2009-2010 according to Wilkie was $215.5 million, and the social cost of problem gambling in Australia is $4.7 billion.

Obsessive gambling should be regarded as a mental health problem. It is as if an “internal demon” drives the victim. That was so well described in the classic Mahabharata story of Nala and Damayanti where a demon edged Nala to keep gambling until he lost everything, including his kingdom.

The two small states of Goa and Sikkim are the only states in India where gambling is legal. Ironically, the Goa Public Gambling Act was enacted in 1976 to restrict gambling, but over time several amendments passed have actually legalised gambling. Besides having five-star hotels with gambling machines, there is the lure of gambling cruise vessels on Goa’s rivers.

One important avenue for teaching young people about the evil of gambling is the family home and school education where measures for combating the “disease” can be addressed. For this, every ethnic community in Australia should organise meetings and seminars where the problem is freely discussed.

Information about available psychological help for problem gamblers should also be disseminated. No ethnic community is immune to the lure of gambling.

There are over 100,000 estimated problem gamblers in the country who lose 2.6 billion dollars a year.

One important avenue for teaching young people about the evil of gambling is the family home and school education where measures for combating the “disease” can be addressed.

Gandhiism Greed

versus

BY ROY LANGE

India’s split psyche is witnessing a mighty clash between her personalities. These are two colossal Maharastrian bhoomi putras; Hazare the son of the soil, and Pawar who seems to own each and every last crumb of it. A man defined by austerity, on a fast unto the death, against a blimp, defined by unbridled greed.

This historical smack down began with the Government watering down the Lokpal Bill (Citizen Ombudsman Bill) draft to an unrecognizable concoction of itself. This molestation of the spirit of the Bill has been in progress for the 42 years that the Bill has been pending. The original draft was designed to bring the corrupt to an expedited justice on a complaint of the common man.

That character has been formed by a hard life. Hazare hails from Ralegon Siddhi, in Maharastra. The village was parched half dead by drought, alcoholism being the only thirst satiated with copious amounts of local grog. Her inhabitants were in a life-sucking feudal quicksand.

Returning to Ralegon Siddhi and fired by the teachings of the Mahatma which he read quietly in his spare time whilst an Indian Army driver, he first tackled the alcoholism that crippled the villagers.

He then implemented a water collection and conservation system that made, for the first time, irrigation possible. A resurrecting baptism of hope.

I can imagine Hazare laughing heartedly at this comical absurdity, then experiencing an intense contempt for another obscene molestation by Pawar on his country.

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This is in the spirit of the Right To Information Act that Hazare was so terribly instrumental in supporting - an act that empowers any lunatic who can bang up a letter to allow unprecedented access to Government files, which leads to exposure of bureaucratic misdeeds. Previously this was the privilege of nephews of forgettable MLAs and life members of the Gymkhana Club.

A memorable reported case was of a dishevelled gentlemen dressed in a lungi and bathroom slippers given VIP treatment by his local ration shop administrators. Previously they had refused to supply him a ration card with a large dose of contempt. The chap had availed the RTI Act and these bullies, who had been pulled up by their superiors, supplied the card and asked for forgiveness.

The promise of this poetic justice cannot be compromised. But a cancerously corrupt Congress Government has not only redrafted the proposed bill to only allow the Speaker of the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha Chairman to refer cases of alleged graft, but they also formed a Group Of Ministers to draft the bill led by none other than the perfect embodiment of corruption, Sharad Pawar. The equivalent of installing Tiger Woods as the Principal of Lady Shri Ram College!

I can imagine Hazare laughing heartedly at this comical absurdity, then experiencing an intense contempt for another obscene molestation by Pawar on his country. Hazare has risen to lead this national movement out of sheer bloodymindedness - with a God-like strength of character that feeds the energy needed to treat a cancer that most of us see as inoperable.

Then with community labour he built a school for the newly inspired village youth.

These were constructive victories that made Ralegan Siddhi a pilot village for Indian rural development. They were a guiding light that saw untold thousands achieve a self reliance, allowing them to enjoy an undreamt of human dignity.

Pawar shares these developmental instincts. However, it is no secret that his ‘village’ population consists entirely of his close relatives. Who have enjoyed a long golden age of prosperity.

His criminal intelligence is colossal. If it had been applied to the betterment of India, there is no telling where she would stand! There is no doubt his legacy would have shone a great shine. But now in the increasingly dim twilight of his life he is perceived as a pathologically greedy old man who has the gall to declare he is worth Rs. 3.6 crore to the Election Commission.

Pawar’s mantra of ‘greed is good’ is as fashionable as Hazare’s Gandhian beliefs are unfashionable. Hazare’s gospel of an India of self-reliant villages has long been pigeon-holed in the looney file. But he has made a spiritual connection with a young middle class that aspires to internationalism and whose closest experience to rural India is Hauz Khaas village. Young adults who use mobile phones, the 21st century’s Kalashnikov, indiscriminately.

But (Hazare) has made a spiritual connection with a young middle class that aspires to internationalism and whose closest experience to rural India is Hauz Khaas village.

Blissfully, with this genteel uprising, Pawar has already resigned from the drafting of the bill. Can the movement keep up this momentum? Can India find a peace between the two warring impulses instilled in her DNA: the sulking tactics of utopian non-violence, and shamelessly exploitative feudal politics? The rustic pureness of khadi, pressed against a comfortable Raymond suit?

I pray the final equilibrium finds an India that is not a fiefdom of fractured personalities. It needs to be home to the Lokpal Bill and sizeable prisons, well stocked with Pawar’s extended family.

The ramparts of corruption are being shaken by India’s elitist and enlightened youth, who are lending their voice and support to an honest cause

Indo-Pak ties may not be affected, but psychological impact on militant sympathisers expected: Experts

States and Pakistan will now evolve.

“Pakistanis obviously have a lot of explaining to do,” said Behera. It also remained to be seen what will be the domestic fallout, in terms of retaliatory attacks inside Pakistan. “We also do not know now how the internal dynamics will change within the government.. there are too many unknowns now,” said Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Savita Pande.

Further, she said that the Pakistani establishment was in a fix right now over acknowledging any role in the raid. Except for a statement from the foreign office stating that the raid was an US operation, there has been virtual silence from the Pakistani government.

“If they say that they took part in the raids, then they will face the wrath of the extremists. If they claim ignorance, then it will look ridiculous. Either way, the legitimacy of the government is precarious,” Pande maintained.

But, any fallout on relations with India, vis-a-vis Osama’s death, is too premature, said experts. “I was anyway one of the sceptics of the talks, which may not amount to much. The main impact from today will be on their relationship with US,” she added.

A similar sentiment was expressed by P.R. Chari, research professor at Delhibased think tank Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. “The killing should not have any implication for India-Pakistan relations as it was an independent American operation and no new revelations have been made,” he said.

“There are some outfits in India who admire Laden, if not under direct Al Qaeda command,” Rammohan said.

According to Sahni, the activities of the whatever “jihadi terrorist organisations in India, like the Laskar-e-Taiba, will continue as they are all state-sponsored outfits by Pakistan.”

He said the psychological impact of Osama’s Indian supporters could be either way. “If Al Qaeda is able to stage some major strikes to revenge their leader’s killing, there may be a new tide of support for his organisation”, he added.

“Osama had been saying for years that he may be killed anytime and that he will die as a martyr. So yesterday’s killing will not unnerve his supporters much.”

Sahni said it was known “all over the world that Pakistani Army and establishment have been sheltering and shielding Laden.”

“They have been helping him to shift from one place to another. Since 2004, they had kept him away from limelight. But now the game is up,” Sahni said.

Marwah said there is less chance of revenge strikes in India as the Al Qaeda’s main enemies are “the United States and the Western countries”. India has never been on the main agenda of the terrorist outfit, he pointed out.

He said organisationally, the Al Qaeda will not be affected. “Because for a few years, the operations had been directed by the Al Qaeda Shoora (advisory council) not by Laden himself. They have already a second line of leaders.

After the killing of Osama bin Laden, the evolving internal dynamics and stability of Pakistan will determine the fallout, if any, of this momentous event on its fractious relationship with India, experts said recently in New Delhi.

“It will affect us to the extent how the situation, fallout develops inside Pakistan,” said Jamia Milia Islami’s Pakistan studies

programme associate professor Ajay Darshan Behera.

India has restarted a sustained dialogue process with Pakistan last month, which was stalled for nearly two years after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

The world’s most wanted terrorist was shot dead in Pakistan, ending a 10year manhunt that intensified with the traumatic Sep 11, 2001 terror attack on the World Trade Centre in New York and the Pentagon.

“Justice has been done,” declared US President Barack Obama from the East Room of the White House describing how American military and CIA operatives finally cornered the Al Qaeda leader in Abbottabad, just 50 km northeast of Pakistan’s capital Islamabad.

India had been putting pressure on Pakistan to turn the screws on the masterminds of the Mumbai attack, especially Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafez Sayeed, but there has been not much progress, with Pakistan citing the legal hurdles.

Indian Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that bin Laden’s killing “deep inside Pakistan” gave legitimacy to concerns that Pakistan was still harbouring terror organisations.

Behera said that it remains to be seen how the relationship between the United

He said that it was an absurdity to simply assume that bin Laden was in the Abottabad compound without Pakistani knowledge. “It was very unusual that Osama be hiding so close to a military academy, its like living near the National Defence Academy (in Khadakwasla),” said Chari.

Indian security experts also feel that bin Laden’s demise will not have any direct impact on India, but the “psychological impact on militancy sympathisers” will have to be watched.

Ajai Sahni, executive director of New Delhi-based Institute of Conflict Management who also runs the South Asian Terrorism Portal, said, “There will be none whatsoever impact of Laden’s killing on the security situation here. But the impact on the morale of his sympathisers will depend on any major revenge strike by the Al Qaeda “.

Ved Marwah, former governor and security expert, felt that there will be a “psychological impact of disappointment and reality call” on the sympathisers in India. “They will realise the long arm of governments will catch them wherever they hide,” Marwah said.

But E.N. Rammohan, former chief of the Border Security Force (BSF), warned that they there may be few incidents of reprisals by extremist organisations like the Kerala-based Popular Front.”

“Laden was an icon of jihadi militants. His killing will take away the aura of the leader from his sympathisers here in India. There will be a realisation that terrorism, militancy and killing civilians will not achieve anything. And at last, the gunman, however protected, will go down by another mighty gun.”

“Politically and ideologically, Osama died a few months ago, when pro-democracy movement swept Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and other Arab countries. Instead for jihad, the ordinary Arabs came on the streets raising their issues of ‘roti, kapada and makaan’ and more importantly freedom,” Marwah recalled.

The slogans of the jasmine revolution had already confused the pro-jihadis in India, Marwah said: “And the Laden’s killing will add to their distancing from the path of gun and terror”.

However, Rammahon said there may be some revenge strikes in India too.

“The Al Qaeda network will let off some suicide bombers to prove the terror organisation is still intact.”

“Though Al Qaeda does not operate in its name in India, some outfits like the Popular Front are ideologically and operationally linked to Laden’s outfit,” Rammohan said.

Pressures of population

The 2011 Census of India has interesting findings on population growth, literacy and technological advancement

According to United Nations projections, by 2016, the population of India will be larger than the population of all the more developed countries combined (that is, all the countries of Europe including Russia, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada and the United States). It has also projected that India will have a larger population than China by the year 2045. What do results of the 2011 Census of India indicate?

Census data

The Census of India is conducted once a decade. The data is collected by visiting every household and canvassing the same questionnaire all over the country. In 2011, it was carried out over a period of 3 weeks, and the results were recorded at midnight on March 1, 2011. This was the first time biometric data on every person was collected. This data is to be used in a new National Population Register (NPR), which will fingerprint and photograph every person aged over 15 and will be used in a huge project to give each citizen a unique identity number, similar to a US Social Security number.

According to the provisional reports of the Census of India which were released on

Though India comprises 2.4% of world surface area, it supports and sustains 17.5% of the world’s population in contrast to the USA which accounts for 7.2% of the world’s surface area, but with only 4.5% of the world’s population.

31 March 2011:

In relation to population:

• The Indian population increased to 1.21 billion with a decadal growth of 17.64%.

• India is officially the second largest

country in the world in terms of population (second only to China at 1.34 billion).

• Uttar Pradesh was the most populous state with almost 200 million people.

• The population density has gone up to 382 persons per square kilometre (it was 325 persons/sq.km in 2001).

• Though India comprises 2.4% of world surface area, it supports and sustains 17.5% of the world’s population in contrast to the USA which accounts for 7.2% of the world’s surface area, but with only 4.5% of the world’s population.

A gender breakdown of the population figures is as follows:

• The Indian population consists of about 623 million males and about 586 million females. This means that there are about 37 m more males than females in India, which is quite a significant number.

• There has been a marginal improvement in the gender breakdown as there are 940 females per 1000 males (which is higher than the figure in 2001, which was 933 females per 1000 males).

• Of the number of children being born in the age group 0-6, the ratio of females per 1000 males fell to 914 (it was 927 in 2001).

Controlling the growth

These population figures are highly significant. The state of Uttar Pradesh alone has almost ten times more people than the entire country of Australia. For India to sustain such a high population, there will be a huge demand on its natural resources. Whenever I have travelled to India, I have always been amazed at how many people there are in its cities. It seems to be a very challenging task to manage a nation with so many people. There are studies that indicate links between overpopulation and the level of poverty, standard of living and communal tension in a country. Policies on population control in India in the past, such as the introduction of forced sterilization in 1976 by Sanjay Gandhi, have been resented and created a huge backlash. This is in contrast to China which has a family planning policy that officially restricts the number of children married urban couples can have to one (although there are

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BY PALLAVI SINHA

There were some changes made to questions asked in the 2011 Census which reflected a recognition of technological advancements and alternative social categories.

The present Government seems to be taking a softer approach by using methods such as advertisements on television and signs in the Delhi metro and DTC buses which claim that “a small family is a happy family”. The growing population figures highlight the importance and need for the Government to implement stronger population control policies, though not as harsh as the failed forced sterilization policy in the past. Such policies should be tailored to the needs and wants of the Indian population so they can be implemented effectively. For example, offering incentives to families with one child, which could be in the form of substantial monetary/taxation benefits and/or food and/ or housing benefits.

The provisional reports of the 2011 Census of India also provide some interesting statistics on literacy:

• A statistic that was very positive for India was that the adult literacy rate increased to 74.04%, with a decadal growth of 9.21%.

• The literacy rate for males was 82.14%, and for females it was 65.46%. This was an extremely positive development as the gap between male and female literacy rates fell to 16.68% (the gap was 21.57% in 2001).

• The state of Kerala had the highest literacy rate (93.91%).

There were some changes made to questions asked in the 2011 Census which reflected a recognition of technological advancements and alternative social categories. For example, the questionnaire for the Census contained a new question on whether anyone in the household owns a laptop and has internet. The scope of the question on whether a person/household had a telephone was expanded to separately ask about whether the person/household had a mobile phone. A significant and radical change was that in relation to the question of “sex”, there was provision for recording a gender “other” than male or female.

Where is the love?

I opened up the SMH website one morning and was immediately faced with several articles that made me wonder at the deplorable state of our social and familial values in this day and age. I do not recall, as recently as five years ago, opening up the paper and reading headlines like: Dumped baby found in bushland; Grandmother bashed; Sydney teen pulls gun on father….

What’s going on? What are we doing wrong as a society that our moral fabric is disintegrating and family values are just hollow words? Why is it that the more technologically savvy, knowledgeable and empowered we become, the less humane we seem to be?

We have behind us centuries of humanity that has set a precedent for our lives, and many of us live in encouraging and loving families who provide us with incredible support. It is disheartening that despite this, there is an increase in violence in families. I have read countless articles on murder, violence, harassment and abuse taking place within the family sphere at an alarmingly increasing rate. Fathers abusing daughters, mothers abandoning their child, children lashing out at their parents in the most horrific of ways. How could we have got to this stage? Even the Neanderthals we parody with a superior air in television shows would hang their heads in shame at the willful arrogant and uncaring attitude families have towards each other.

I know the Black Eyed Peas have deteriorated into a gyrating techno-babble mess lately, but the lyrics of the song Where is the love really resonates with me.

Selfishness got us following the wrong direction

Wrong information always shown by the media

Negative images is the main criteria

Infecting their young minds faster than bacteria

Kids wanna act like what the see in the cinema

Whatever happened to the values of humanity

Whatever happened to the fairness and equality

Instead of spreading love, we’re spreading animosity

The state of the world we live in today is the sum effect of individual families losing their cohesiveness. And the question on everyone’s lips should be – where is the love? Why are mothers dumping their babies when throughout history we have heard stories and testimonials of a mother’s love for a child being the greatest love humanely possible?

Why are fathers, who are supposed to be the caregivers and protectors, instigating violence and

While there are rising numbers of these negative incidents, there are also opportunities to help people with problems and the need now, is to make it possible for troubled families and individuals to have access to help.

inflicting abuse on their loved ones? Is this the reason why children have lost respect for their parents? Is this the reason why children rebel and maim their parents with physical aggression?

Nuclear families are called nuclear for a reason. There should be cohesion, love, trust and mutual respect. Whatever happened to humanity and equality? Why are we spreading animosity and deceit? Why are parents ingraining these negative values into their children in their family environment, so that these same children go out and disseminate it into the world?

So many questions… but what is the answer? What is the solution to the depravity of the human condition? Love. Trust and mutual respect. It doesn’t matter how technologically savvy and equipped you are, it doesn’t matter how many iphones, ipads and similar paraphernalia make you feel like you have a wholesome and successful life.

If you cannot come home to a family that loves and respects you, where there is mutual trust and understanding, where children obey their parents and parents in turn, love and guide their children, this is the microcosm of society they will breed. And that is a heartless society indeed.

But we are not a heartless society and not every family is falling apart. While there are rising numbers of these negative incidents, there are also

Why are parents ingraining these negative values into their children in their family environment, so that these same children go out and disseminate it into the world?

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opportunities to help people with problems and the need now, is to make it possible for troubled families and individuals to have access to help. Love, trust, mutual respect - they all exist, we experience them in our lives and we should work together to ensure those who are experiencing difficulty in their family life have access to professional help, which could prevent them from otherwise inflicting harm on themselves and others.

While it may be true that incidents such as these existed in the past as they do now and they only come to the foreground due to media sensationalism – the fact is that they exist. And they shouldn’t. There is a lot of good in this world and a lot of scope for help and assistance to those that need it. There have been many articles that lament, “What the world is coming to?” and rehash morbid events without focusing on the positive that exists around us. Let’s walk away from reading this with the belief that there is good in this world, despite what the media hypes up.

We should all actively try to contribute to and participate in, activities that close the gap between professional help and those that need it. There is love, trust and mutual respect in society and it forms the basis of our relationships with one another. There are many organisations and professionals within our communities that provide discreet and professional counselling, while others lobby for children’s rights, and charities that raise awareness and funds for families in need. So go out there – participate and do your bit to keep the love alive!

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With the alarmingly high incidence of family related problems these days, it is important to refocus on the values that make the family unit whole and complete, writes SHAFEEN MUSTAQ

great foods for lactating mums

Some

foods have been

known to increase the production of breast milk in lactating mothers

A very important part of motherhood is the emotional bonding between mother and child, which becomes stronger during periods of breastfeeding. Some mothers are lucky to have an abundance of milk, whereas others struggle with their output. Throughout history, mothers have known and acknowledged foods which increase breast milk. These foods have been valued in earlier cultures and even highlighted in mythology. Mother goddesses have also been associated with plants and foods historically used to increase the production of milk.

Eating a balanced diet and getting an abundant supply of nutrients is very important for the mother, as well as the baby. Though the supply of milk mostly depends on the demands of the baby, adding some ‘galactagogues’ to your diet can help in increasing milk production. Any herb, food, or medication that increases milk production is called a galactagogue. This word originates from the Greek language where ‘galacta’ means ‘milk’ and ‘gogos’ means “leading”. ‘Galactagogues’ therefore means “leading milk from the breast”. But traditionally Indians use the word “lactogenic” to describe herbs and foods that enhance breast milk production.

as a herb that increases milk production. Boil fennel seeds in water and drink it for the first few days post-delivery. Fennel seeds can also be eaten raw or cooked, for instance, steamed, or sautéed in butter or

Sesame seeds are considered to be the most lactogenic seeds. They are rich in calcium and are crushed, boiled, or roasted in most traditional preparations to increase the availability of

Grains and legumes

A combination of grains and legumes provides good protein for vegetarians. The most common lactogenic legume is oats. Most women experience a modest increase in milk production after having a bowl of oats for breakfast each morning. You can also have an oatmeal bar or munch on some oatmeal cookies. Other grains and legumes include barley, chickpeas, lentils, and amaranth.

Grains and legumes are rich in phyto-

that helps stimulate the milk ejection reflex. It can be had as a vegetable, or fenugreek seeds can be added to curries and chutneys.

Garlic

Garlic is well-known for its medicinal properties and lactogenic effect. Start with having one or two cloves per day. These can be swallowed whole or can be added to vegetables and curries.

Nuts

Nuts are considered to be lactogenic due to their high content of minerals and the amino acid tryptophan, the precursor of serotonin, a pro-lactation neurotransmitter. Snacking on almonds and adding these to the panjiri traditionally consumed in the post-natal period, is said to make the milk thicker, sweeter and creamier.

Barley Water

BY GEETA KHURANA

Most women experience a modest increase in milk production after having a bowl of oats for breakfast each morning. It wouldn’t harm to try them as all of these foods are considered healthy and would contribute to a wellbalanced diet.

amino acids. Alfalfa leaves and flowers can be steeped and drunk as a tea. Alternatively, alfalfa seeds can be sprouted and the sprouts can be consumed in salads, stir-fry dishes,

Using spices like sea salt, dill, cumin seeds, aniseed, caraway, basil and gomasio helps increase milk supply, as these are known galactagogues. Caraway is a tangy carminative spice - it soothes the intestine, is anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory, reducing cramps, relieving flatulence and improving digestion. Use caraway when cooking vegetables that are difficult to digest, such as cabbage or cauliflower, or if your baby has colic or is fussy. Most of these foods do not have much scientific backing behind their efficiency, however many women claim they work. It wouldn’t harm to try them as all of these foods are considered healthy and would contribute to a well-balanced diet. But if you do not have a low milk supply and you take an abundance of herbs and foods to increase your supply, you may create unnecessary difficulties for yourself such as over-supply, engorgement, plugged ducts, or mastitis. Your baby may develop colic because of too much foremilk, or sucking difficulties due to an overly strong letdown reflex, both of which are common with over-supply. Use these foods and herbs wisely, and reduce or stop their use if you notice such problems developing.

Of Thugs and Dalits

Two excellent reads from Indian authors that make one rethink stereotypical myths about the country and its less-fortunate inhabitants

BY CHITRA SUDARSHAN

Five books were shortlisted for the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize, of which two were by Indian authors: Serious Men by Manu Joseph, and Tabish Khair’s The Thing About Thugs. Chinese author Bi Feiyu’s Three Sisters won the prize (announced on March 18), which the judges said was a “moving exploration of Chinese family and village life during the Cultural Revolution that moves seamlessly between the epic and the intimate, the heroic and the petty, illuminating not only individual lives but an entire society, within a gripping tale of familial conflict and love.” The three distinguished judges for this year’s Prize were Monica Ali, Homi K Bhabha and Hsu-Ming Teo. It must be pointed out here that whereas the two Indian writers’ novels were in English, Bi Feiyu’s was in Chinese which has been translated.

Meadows Taylor’s 1839 book Confessions of a Thug. Khair brings Bihar to Britain’s capital; his central character, the reformed thug Amir Ali, is brought to London by an officer of the East India Company, also called Captain Meadows. Unlike the original thug, Khair’s has the opportunity to speak directly to his readers and tell a story completely different from the one the Sahibs would have - through the device of a series of Farsi love letters. To frame his story, Khair creates the figure of a modern day author who discovers these letters. The author then tells the story, each chapter concentrating on a different character in the plot.

By deliberately setting the novel in early Victorian London, a city cloaked in tragedy and poverty as well as in humour and hope, Khair demonstrates how the West had consistently simplified narratives about non-Western cultures. He deconstructs the ‘popular’ image of the Kali-worshipping, murderous bandits of ancient India and stands it on its head. He even manages to insert connections from the 19th and 21st centuries between England and India, by drawing parallels between the Victorian past and the current ‘War on Terror’.

“I used Thuggee as a ‘stock’ narrative, which I take apart as the novel moves from crime to crime, and in the process reveals a much more complex, layered, and exciting reality,” said Tabish Khair in an interview. Like other Indian academics and intellectuals who have succeeded in writing novels (Amitav Ghosh, Mukul Kesavan, Shashi Tharoor are some names that spring to one’s mind), Khair raises some important questions and forces the reader to re-examine hackneyed views of the ‘other’. He also subverts current academic and analytical frameworks - such as the diasporic, subalternist or post-colonial templates about interpreting the world.

The 44-year-old author was born in Ranchi, spent his early years in Gaya, a historical town in Bihar, and worked as a journalist in New Delhi; he currently teaches English at Aarhus University in Denmark. He has authored several academic books and novels; his next novel will be based in his hometown, Gaya. He is also finishing a book on literary criticism with French writer and critic Sebastian Doubinsky.

By deliberately setting the novel in early Victorian London, a city cloaked in tragedy and poverty as well as in humour and hope, Khair demonstrates how the West had consistently simplified narratives about non-Western cultures.

Tabish Khair’s novel The Thing About Thugs is probably his fifth, and a very cerebral one in some ways: ostensibly, it is about a thug Amir Ali, who leaves his village in Bihar to travel to London with an English captain, William Meadows, to whom he narrates the story of his life. In the process of doing this, Khair thumbs his nose at the assumptions underlying colonial literature, turning on its head Capt.

This is a book that deserves to be read by anyone interested in understanding India – and the various pitfalls in the representation of ‘India’ in fiction and non-fiction.

Manu Joseph is the editor of the Open Magazine, an offbeat Indian newsweekly. Serious Men, his first novel, won The Hindu Best Fiction Award (Rs 5 lakh) and is one of Huffington Post’s 10 Best Books of 2010, besides being shortlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize

In Serious Men, (Harper Collins) Ayyan Mani, the protagonist, works in the Institute of Theory and Research as a lowly personal assistant to a brilliant, insufferable astronomer, Arvind Acharya. Mani is one of the thousands of men stranded in the slums of Mumbai, but the opportunistic Mani is also an astute observer and sly eavesdropper. Joseph’s Mani in some ways harks back to Balram Halwai in Arvind Adiga’s The White Tiger (the poor

There is sly humour and a lightness of touch that is fresh and different, yet, at the same time the novel shines a light at the deepest crevices of Indian society.

Mumbai heroes in Vikas Swarup’s Q and A, Rohinton Mistry’s A Fine Balance, or Manil Suri’s Death of Vishnu were less malevolent), although caste is more central to this novel than others. Joseph feels that Indian writers in English usually take a very sympathetic and compassionate view of the poor, which he finds fake and condescending. In Serious Men, Mani is a middle-age Dalit and is furious at his humble situation in life. Partly to entertain himself, partly to cheer up his once-animated but now work-worn wife, partly to bolster his ten-year-old son’s confidence, Mani weaves an outrageous fiction around the boy — a fiction that captures the interest of his superiors and threatens to set into motion an unstoppable and disastrous chain of events. It is a lie which becomes increasingly elaborate and out of control. The teachers in the school are fooled - including the bigoted Christian headmistress, Sister Chastity - and then the deception begins to get out of hand. Added to all this is the arrival of the beautiful Dr. Oparna Ghoshmulik— the first woman ever to work at the Institute — and the ongoing “war of the Brahmins.”

One of the prize judges, the novelist Shashi Deshpande said that Joseph had “crossed a certain barrier...He has spoken about caste...he has straightforwardly plunged into the mind of a Dalit man and has done it with style and panache. To have a Dalit man speak in English and make it authentic is very difficult - but Manu Joseph has done it very easily, without making it grotesque.”

This is a remarkable first novel, and one of the best to come out of India in recent years. There is sly humour and a lightness of touch that is fresh and different, yet, at the same time the novel shines a light at the deepest crevices of Indian society. Joseph effortlessly describes the titanic social collisions in India, deftly portraying the frustrations of the powerless with the unforgiving realities of power and wealth.

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In 1698, a small settlement consisting of little more than a handful of houses built on wooden stilts over canals that crisscrossed wild mangrove swamps, was named Saigon. Because of its geographic location, topography and climate the rural community grew and by 1772, the canals had been filled in to become streets.

The French occupied Saigon in early 1859 and feverishly began transforming it into the capital of their colony of Cochinchina. Completed in 1862, Saigon Port was soon abuzz with foreign traders who, in large part, were responsible for heralding the fledgling city as the “Pearl of the Far East”. Not only was the waterfront animated, but architects worked overtime to blueprint crucial infrastructure including a modern transport and communications network and cutting edge – for the time – civic facilities. Many of Saigon’s broad boulevards and impressive colonial buildings were built in the second half of the 19th century.

Looking like it was transplanted intact from Paris, the circa 1880 red brick and white stone Notre Dame Cathedral is perhaps the grandest example of French colonial architecture in this sprawling city. Its twin 40 metre high neoRomanesque towers which soar into Saigon’s humid sky at the north end of Dong Khoi Street, are iconic backdrops for happy couples posing for wedding photos in their finest western-style wedding clothes.

Vietnam is a Buddhist country with just 7 percent of the population following Catholicism. Hinduism and Islam on the other hand have relatively small followings. However, there are sufficient concentrations of adherents in Saigon to have warranted the construction of temples and mosques by immigrant traders who arrived in the area during the time of the French.

Virtually next to the stately stone cathedral is another venerable reminder of yesteryear, the General Post Office. Though public

French

Salute to

BY THOMAS E KING

buildings are often characterised by boring lookalike architecture this is not the case with Saigon’s opulent GPO, a stand-alone landmark reminiscent of a canopied railway station from the Victorian era. A huge portrait of the ubiquitous Ho Chi Minh hanging at the end of the cavernous glass and a wrought iron hall is a wakeup call that this is emphatically a Vietnamese building, however. Ho Chi Minh was the revolutionary leader, guerrilla fighter and patriot who led the resistance movement against the French in the 1940s and 1950s.

Visitors, it often seems, outnumber local people as they gaze in wonderment at this time capsule. Don’t spend all your time in the GPO’s main hall admiring its intricate bas-relief charms. If you immediately turn left once you’re inside the grand building, you’ll find a secluded but well-stocked shop which offers a good selection of books on history and travel, and an assortment of local handicrafts at fixed prices.

Because of its thick walls and high ceiling, the post office is a cool, serene sanctuary. It’s a different story just a few footsteps outside its wide doorway, however. A gaggle of vendors huddle around the building throughout the hot and humid day trying their best to sell colourful postcards and stamps to tourists.

A red star emblazoned Vietnamese national flag silently flaps above the vaulted roof of the GPO, while a torrent of two-wheel traffic passes before this relic from another era.

Saigon is a city of 8 million people (9 million unofficially!) and 4 million motorcycles. I reckoned that latter figure was probably a little low as continuous waves of noisy ‘putts putts’ passed after I left the square ringed by the cathedral, post office and a modern bank building, and started walking down Dong Khoi

Street. Gazing to my right I occasionally saw beautiful young girls dressed in flowing pastille coloured ao dais – the national costume of elegant white trousers and long tunics – and smartly attired business executives riding in the sea of cycles.

Just over 20 years ago the sound would have been bicycle bells ringing in unrelenting unison. The year 1990 marked the start of a revolution in transport in Vietnam with a change from bicycles to motorised two wheelers, I learned. The reason for the shift was simple: the socialist country began opening its doors to doi moi or economic liberalisation.

This was the first time that motorcycles could be imported from Thailand, Malaysia or Indonesia. The only hitch was the price, which ranged from US$1000 to $7000. It was a stiff

sum for most Vietnamese even those living in the more affluent Saigon. Sensing an emerging market worth tapping, Chinese entrepreneurs copied the style – but not the substance – of German motorcycle technology, branded their copies with trendy names that seemed somewhat familiar and plastered the assembled machines with affordable US$250 price tags. I wondered why Indian manufacturers hadn’t recognised such an outstanding opportunity

This modern city with a strong

architectural influence, original handicrafts an abundance of two-wheelers makes it a treat for tourists

A huge portrait of the ubiquitous Ho Chi Minh hanging at the end of the cavernous glass and a wrought iron hall is a wakeup call that this is emphatically a Vietnamese building, however.

to Saigon

as I watched herds of “Honzdas” shake, rattle and roll down Dong Khoi, Saigon’s version of Orchard Road.

Though it stretches a mere kilometre from the cathedral and post office south to the Saigon River, this leafy thoroughfare is tourist central. Set on both sides of the ever-busy street are sky-piercing futuristic chain hotels and squat French-era buildings with faced facades. Dining outlets proliferate along Dong Khoi. Don’t pass up the chance to savour local specialities like pho (rice-noodle soup), cha gio (deep fried spring rolls), banh xeo (savoury pancakes) and bun rieu (crabmeat and vermicelli), or enjoy Indian favourites dished up at several easy-on-the-pocket establishments.

Shopping opportunities also abound with distinctive handicrafts remaining top takeaways. I stopped at one gallery to admire a delicate golden statue of a lovely Vietnamese woman in traditional costume, and again at a

tigers and elephants, of course. The mood intensifies even more on weekends, holidays and at night when the fashionable come to see and be seen. Stay and enjoy the tide of humanity or venture off, as I did, to an even more lively part of the city where Vietnamese is not the only language spoken.

The Chinese community is the largest ethnic minority in the country. In Saigon, the Chinese are so significant – the figure is around 700,000 Vietnamese Chinesethat virtually an entire district is known as Chinatown. Cholon, as it’s locally called, dates to 1788 when the Chinese escaped Ming Dynasty overlords on the mainland and sailed south to Vietnam where they settled in a region west of the current central business district. As numbers increased, savvy traders established a market.

Expanded and renovated over the years, the Binh Tay wholesale market today is not only the architecturally striking focal point of Cholon, it’s a citadel of regional trade. Inside this immense bazaar every cubicle is occupied with merchants hawking a warehouse of goods from tobacco leaves and blocks of sugar, to bags of embroidered purses and boxes of toys. Women in conical hats keep vigil over mountains of vegetables while muscular men navigate narrow corridors with heavy loads on their backs.

Some shopkeepers will sell one-offs here, but most don’t bother as it’s far more profitable to do business with local and country retailers who buy in bulk. Consequently, fewer tourists are found here than at the better-known Ben Thanh Market in central Saigon.

hole-in-the-wall bookshop where a seasoned vendor was selling photocopied guides and novels. Of course, there is a also a huge selection of T-shirts, fashion ware, watches that may or not still work by the time you get back to the hotel, and racks of knockoff

With transiting traffic and pedestrian throngs Dong Khoi could easily be compared to a three-ringed circus ... without the lions,

Travel notebook Saigon

FLIGHTS

Beginning in mid-June, Vietnam Airlines will operate a daily Airbus A330 flight from Sydney and a daily Airbus A330 service from Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City’s modern international airport. All 24 business class seats in the new aircraft will have flat beds, while all 259 economy class seats will feature individual entertainment screens. Saigon can be a destination in itself or a stopover en route to Europe. For details of flights and fares contact your local travel agent or see www.vietnamairlines.com

ACCOMMODATION

Accommodation: Built in 1930, the Grand Hotel is a favourite with Australians because of its location on tree shaded Dong Khoi, stylish décor, outstanding breakfast buffet, proximity to excellent shopping facilities and historic charm. An expansion programme completed by the end of this year will add substantial meeting facilities and another 126 rooms to the current total of 107 rooms. Tel (84 8) 3823 0163. See www.grandhotelsaigon.vn

INFORMATION

Information: Vietnam does not have a tourist office in Australia and only limited tourist information is available from the consular office in Sydney or the Embassy in Canberra, where your needed visa is issued. Lonely Planet’s Vietnam has a lengthy chapter on the atmospheric city and its surrounds. See www.vietnamtourism.com and http://www. vietnamonline.com/destination/ho-chi-minh-city

1. Saigon has many chic malls and quaint markets where Vietnam’s unique handicrafts can be purchased.

2. Fully restored to its original glory, the striking Opera House on Dong Khoi Street is the city’s cultural focal point.

Binh Tay is an unforgettable place where all senses get a hefty workout. Heady scents from black pepper and cinnamon excite the nose, while blended spices in local dishes invigorate taste buds. Cries from hawkers echo through the ears, as fingertips caress soft fabrics and textured fruits. Perhaps it’s the strong visual elements of pagoda-roofed Binh Tay that are most enticing, with a kaleidoscope of colours and shapes awaiting discovery in this energycharged corner of old Saigon.

3. Talented artisans in national dress perform traditional songs on floating restaurants that ply the Saigon River.

4. Deep in the heart of Saigon’s Chinatown, the restored Binh Tay Market was built with Chinese touches.

5. Soaring 262 metres, the futuristic Bitexco Financial Tower contrasts with the veteran Grand Hotel.

I wondered why Indian manufacturers hadn’t recognised such an outstanding opportunity as I watched herds of “Honzdas” shake, rattle and roll down Dong Khoi, Saigon’s version of Orchard Road.

Photos: Thomas E KIng

Adobe of peace

As India celebrates Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary on May 7, we take a glimpse at Santiniketan, the university town the Nobel Laureate founded just outside Kolkata

The headline of London’s Daily Chronicle on November 14, 1913 screamed out: Nobel Prize for Bengali Prophet.

When that news streamed through India, the entire nation was engulfed with pride. The province of Bengal burst into jubilation and the city of Calcutta was ecstatic. One of its most illustrious sons, Rabindranath Tagore had been awarded the world’s most coveted prize for his classic collection of poems Gitanjali, described as “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse”.

The particular newspaper cutting is still on display at Rabindra Bhavan Museum in Santiniketan, a small town located 170 kilometres from Kolkata. Here, Tagore dedicated forty years of his life to initiate and fully develop an international university that is recognised worldwide today as the venue for the best communion of East and West.

The influence of Santiniketan

A genius by birth, Rabindranath was born at the family’s ancestral mansion in Jorasanko, Kolkata, on the 25th day of the Bengali month of Baishakh, 150 years ago. This distinguished personage still survives in the heart of millions in modern India and abroad, and his home is still considered as an epicentre of art and literature.

His father Debendranath was then a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a new religious sect in nineteenth-century Bengal that attempted a revival of the ultimate monistic basis of Hinduism. In search of a peaceful area for eternal prayers, in 1862, Debendranath discovered Santiniketan, meaning ‘abode of peace’ in Bengali. The story says that on a summer afternoon when passing that locale in a palanquin, he stopped under the cool shade of two large Chatim (Alstonia scholaris) trees. While resting, he was deeply impressed

with the tranquil surround and thought it to be ideal for meditation and self-realisation. He opened an ashram there in 1863 for his followers.

Rabindranath, who from his early childhood was greatly influenced by thoughts of the Vedas and Upanishads which form the basis of Hindu philosophy, used to visit Santiniketan with his father as a child and was equally impressed with the serenity of the region surfaced with palm, mohua and saal trees set on the land of red soil. A non-believer in traditional education, he wanted to establish a unique way of erudition where the value of learning is limitless and serves soulful enrichment more than anything else. Considering Santiniketan as the right venue, in 1901 Rabindranath started a school in the model of Tapovana (hermitage) of ancient India with five students, which over the years, has bloomed into today’s Visva Bharati, a worldfamous university, and perhaps the only one in the world that is set in a rural milieu.

An epicentre of learning

The key attraction of visiting Santiniketan, other than plunging into nature’s opulent empire that surrounds it, is to explore the university campus that is framed with age-stained yellow buildings amid an abundance of gregarious trees, while following the footsteps of its creator.

The university offers a diverse range of courses, but Visva Bharati is renowned for fine arts, music, dance, drama and humanities.

“Kala Bhavan is considered as the best art college in the world,” says Kim, an overseas student from Korea. Samples of art sprinkled throughout the domain substantiate her claim and threaten to give one an ‘art attack’. She then adds, “The good thing about studying here is that the curriculum, while not neglecting India’s

BY SANDIP HOR

cultural, analytical and scientific heritage, is deeply engaged with the rest of the world.”

Nature nurtured learning

Tagore’s vision of learning nestled on an alliance with Nature. He made that a reality in Visva Bharati where weather permitting, all classes, lectures and social functions including the convocation, are still held outdoors. Experiencing that intimacy of learning with Nature is a major draw for visitors to Santiniketan.

As the bell rings, the campus comes alive with school children sprayed in crimson rays of the early morning sun, reciting poems in tune with the chirping of the birds, or music students rehearsing alongside the murmur of dried leaves. Turning a corner you may hear quotes from

A non-believer in traditional education, (Tagore) wanted to establish a unique way of erudition where the value of learning is limitless and serves soulful enrichment more than anything else

Photo: Bikash Ghosh

Shakespeare’s Othello from the undergraduate class on literature that is in progress, or may note a sizzling debate on Bertrand Russell’s theory of logic from a group studying philosophy.

The charm of Santiniketan lives on its highly cultured but simple way of life built around the concept of community living. The friendly locals always invite visitors to get a taste of their entrancing lifestyle. You trundle with them along “Shal Bithi” the famous red soil treelined boulevard and learn about Tagore, and then sit under a banyan tree and clap along to a song written and composed by the poet himself. Or for a change, you can engage in fiery conversation with students and teachers on sports or politics at one of the canteens. Perhaps even join elders at the legendary Kalo’s Tea Shop, to hear stories about wellknown alumni which include former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Oscar award winning film director Satyajit Ray and another Nobel Laureate, Amartya Sen.

Taking the Tagore tour

a replica of the original, kindly provided by the Nobel Committee, rests in a glass case unfortunately decreeing more of national shame, than pride.

You trundle along “Shal Bithi”, the famous red soil tree-lined boulevard and learn about Tagore, and then sit under a banyan tree and clap along to a song written and composed by the poet himself.

Obviously the tourist trail centres on Tagore’s mementos and generally begins at the Rabindra Bhavan museum. There is a good collection of newspaper cuttings, photographs, manuscripts and personal memorabilia to tell you more about this man of many talents. You will appreciate the extent of his relationship with many from the world’s Hall of Fame at that time, including Einstein, Freud, Yeats and Gandhi, to name a few.

Other notable sights are the prayer hall made from coloured glass through which sunlight disperses and creates a divine atmosphere within. The five houses – Udayan, Konark, Shymali, Punashcha and Udichi where Tagore and his family lived from time to time display his simple style of living and his taste for art. However, remember to leave your shoes outside. Tagore was well-travelled and the designs of these houses reflect some architectural influences of countries that he visited. His car, a black Humber with rego number WBA 8689, stands silently behind a glass walled garage, its fate sealed by the fact that it was used by him. Despite a lack of modern urban facilities, the high number of international students from Korea, Japan, China, France and Canada, will surprise you. They speak Bengali, sing Bengali songs, are attired in local costume and comfortably eat simple meals comprising mainly of bhat (rice), daal (lentils) and tarkari (vegetable curry).

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information, but makes our life in harmony with all existence,” Tagore once said famously, and you will realise the essence of that saying when visiting Santiniketan.

Travel notebook

MANILA Santiniketan

GETTING THERE

Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) has regular flights from Australia to Kolkata from where Santiniketan is only 3 hours by road or rail.

ACCOMMODATION

Visva Bharati guest houses or Chhuti Holiday Resort (www.chhutiresort.com)

BEST TIME TO VISIT

November to March when the weather is cool.

UNIVERSITY CAMPUS OPENING TIMES

Closed for half day on Tuesdays and full day on Wednesdays.

MORE INFO

www.visva-bharati.ac.in

1. Tagore’s Prayer Hall

2. An outdoor presentation

3. Gandhi with Tagore at Santiniketan

4. Frenchman Jeearie: “Tagore is my life”

5. Campus building

6. Visitng Korean students

7. Morning class in progress

Qui doluptibus sit ipsamene evendantis aboris atem expligeniam, omnisquat acculla que nonserio. Sed quis se quo dollectati beatiis

Photos: Sandip Hor

The shattered swastika

A symbol of peace defiled by association now connotes fear and evil, wiping out its original sanctity

good. Its sanctity will not be affected by what one person or what one group does.”

BY RANI JHALA

Just last week it was Ram Navami, the festival on which Hindus celebrate the birth of Lord Rama, starting the day with prayers and fasting and ending it with celebrations and feasting. Rama’s birthday falls on the ninth day after the new moon in Sukul Paksh. This year it fell on April 12.

Like every year, I followed the same ritual. After dropping my daughters off at school I returned to prepare for the night’s festivities. My last task before leaving to pick up my girls was to decorate the outside porch with ‘rangoli’, designs made with watered rice paste.

Proud of my handiwork I left home minutes before the school bell rang and was at the gate just as it did.

On the way back, I prepared my girls for the night’s festivities and eagerly looked forward to their reaction on seeing my handiwork.

As we reached our porch, the girls ran excitedly to the artwork, peering to see if they could recognise my sketches. Waiting for their praise, I was stunned when suddenly, both began to trample on part of my artwork, rubbing it out with their feet.

Angered by this rude behaviour I raised my voice demanding that they stop only to be told, “Are you mad, Mummy, to draw the evil swastika? All the kids will hate us if they see it. Don’t you know it is an evil sign that the Nazis used in Germany?”

“Evil sign? No, my kids, this is one of the holiest symbols of our religion,” I countered.

“How can it be holy, Mum, when it stands for tyranny and murder? Our history teacher showed us a DVD on Hitler and what he did. It was his sign!” replied my older child.

“Honey, the swastika holds a great religious significance for us. It is a pictorial design in the shape of a plus sign with branches that are bent at right angles and faced in a clockwise direction. It is a must for all religious celebrations and symbolises Brahma, for it points in all directions, thus representing the omnipresence of God and of His power to control the four parts of the Universe. In motion, it symbolises the wheel of time. Stationary it denotes all ‘without merging within the centre within’. The word swastika is derived from the Sanskrit words su meaning good, asti meaning to be and ka is used as a suffix. Together they mean ‘May Good Prevail’,” I explained.

“The swastika is used by the Jains and the Buddhists too. It was even used by the Celts and the Greeks. It has been found in the archaeological digs at Lothal and Harappa in the Indus Valley, and in Africa, Japan and China,” I added vehemently. “How can something that has been used for so long and that represents ‘good’, be bad?”

“But if that is true, Mummy, how did Hitler use it?” asked my younger girl.

“Hitler was obsessed by the idea of an Aryan race. And was drawn to the mystical swastika,” I replied.

“So he took a good symbol and made it bad, Mummy?” my younger insisted.

“No, my little one, he did not make it bad. The swastika remains

“But why did the Indians let him take and use it? If it was a holy and good sign, why did they let him attach evil to it?” questioned my older daughter.

And it was this question that made me ask myself the next one.

Was not the duty of each faith to protect their holy insignias and emblems from misuse and misrepresentation? Was it not the right of the spiritual aspirant to have the freedom to respect their holy symbols? Why should a Hindu not revere the swastika, just because the Nazi defiled its meaning?

Not wanting to discuss such a sensitive issue on the porch I

Just as the cross is sacred to the Christians and the ‘Star of David’ to the Jewish race, so too, Hinduism has two symbols that stand in the forefrontthe swastika and the om

to ban the misuse of religious symbols it could work and if that is not possible, then maybe India can, as you say, ‘patent’ the swastika and the om,” I replied.

“And maybe, Mum, people can be stopped from putting the faces of Gods on shoes and toilet seats,” my little one said.

“One thing at a time, my baby” I laughed and then added, “Let us work on the symbols first, shall we. It is time the swastika is once again renowned for its goodness.”

As the kids sat and had their milk and cookies, I went out and redid the rangoli, but instead of the swastika, I added another om. The swastika’s true meaning must be spread and the symbol globally reclaimed for its sanctity. Only then, instead of fearing repercussion, my kids and I will be able to display it with reverence and pride.

If all the countries around the world agree to ban the misuse of religious symbols it could work and if that is not possible, then maybe India can, as you say, ‘patent’ the swastika and the om

Matrimonials

SEEKING BRIDES

Decent Indian Hindu gentlemen. Aquarius. Invites matrimonial alliance from a pretty, affectionate lady for a successful relationship, aged 24 to 48 yrs. Caste /nationality open. Please respond by phone (02) 9676 2512. Mobile 0458 153 193

Iyer Vadama, Moudhgalyam Visakam, fair, handsome Mar 78/170 BE PMP, resident of Melbourne working as a Sr. Project Manager with Infosys Australia, seeks fair good looking Iyer graduate girl from reputed family. Early marriage. Profile in TM1462233. Kindly contact krishnakv@gmail.com.

Parents of Australian-born Sikh boy 31, 5’8”, living in Adelaide, qualified engineer, seeking suitable Sikh girl. Australian citizen age 24-31. Contact with photo raone@live.com.au

Fiji Indian, 24-year-old male, seeking female partner who has a permanent residency or Australian citizenship, with a view to marriage. Looking for a genuine partner who is loyal, well respected. Genuine replies only please call on phone number 0406 017 240.

Sydney Uni, Project Manager in leading MNC and getting $130K per annum. Non manglik, professionally qualified, beautiful and tall girl from educated family is required. Caste no bar. Please respond with girls particulars and photo.

Email: eskay82@gmail.com

SEEKING GROOMS

Punjabi Arora parents seeking well-settled / professional match for beautiful slim unmarried daughter, 37 / 165, IT professional with strong family values. Brought up in India, settled in Sydney. Australian citizen. Status family. Caste no bar. Early marriage. Email with photo: ausgirl101@gmail.com

Punjabi Hindu Khatri girl, good looking, smart homely, never married, 33 / 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

METROMONIAL

Seeking match for 39/165 unmarried fair slim beautiful Indian Punjabi girl, family oriented and responsible, traditional values, IT professional, brought up in India. Australian citizen. Early marriage. Can relocate. Serious enquiries only. Caste no bar. Email with photo: sydgirl09@gmail.com

Professional, Australian citizen, fair, good looking, well settled, 42 years, divorced (no issues), Gujarati man, seeks alliance from single or divorcee (no issues), good charactered Indian or Nepali lady for marriage. Please forward details with photograph to inblisstogether@ gmail.com

Match required for an Australian citizen Sydney resident north Indian 26 years old, 5’7”, slim, handsome and very fair engineer boy from Kayastha family. Looking for a suitable well educated Indian girl with family values. Caste no bar. Please send details to akhilsns@gmail.com or contact 0412 487 801.

Sydney-based Hindu Punjabi parents invite suitable match for their son, 29 (April 82), 6’ 2”, Masters in Computer Science from

Match required for an Australian citizen, Hindu br, 29-year-old girl, 5’8”, smart, well-cultured, working in Sydney. Looking for an educated, honest and well-settled boy in Sydney/Melbourne. Caste no bar. Contact with photo and details on madhumarch@hotmail. com or tel. +673 7157739

Seeking clean-shaven match for Punjabi Prajapati girl, beautiful, slim, (born July 1981), 5’5”, graduate (PU), diploma in fashion designing. Family in Chandigarh. Brother in Sydney, running own business. Girl is in Australia for 2 months. Caste no bar. Australian/New Zealand PR/TR preffered. Email: rk_sangar@yahoo.co.in or +91 9417072965 (India), 0422 669 082 (Sydney)

Ankit Sharma has the previllage record of solving marital disputes to 100% level. Disputes just vanishes and harmony prevails

Go for gold

As we live in uncertain times, why not invest in an asset that is unlikely to lose its value, even in the face of changing economic conditions

With gold comfortably trading above US$1400 per ounce, we thought it might be a good time to look at this precious metal.

Although gold is best known for its use in jewellery, it also has increasing applications in the manufacturing of electronic circuits, as it is an excellent conductor of electricity.

The primary use of gold however, is as a value store.

There was a time when the more gold a government or central bank owned, the wealthier it was. Gold has been the benchmark of a country’s currency, for example, the British pound was once tied to the value of one pound of silver, and this was then changed to gold in 1816.

Other countries also adopted this system and this allowed for the relatively easy interchange of currencies between nations. Due to the limitations of this system however, it was abandoned around the World War II. Gold in the cold

Most governments still hold large amounts of gold, however, as do many private investment houses. Why?

Gold is viewed as a “safe” investment,

and in times of uncertainty such as recession, war, and market crashes, gold is a low-risk investment.

The metal has an intrinsic value that is not affected by government policy or inflation.

Is the dollar to blame?

Most often, there is a strong correlation between the US currency and gold. The US Dollar and gold are inversely related, so, in general terms, when one is up the other is down.

The gold price will continue to fluctuate in accordance with the market’s view on the health and strength on the US dollar in the short to medium-term. Of course, the price of gold is quoted in US dollars, so there will always be a relationship between the two.

With the US trade deficit blowing out to over $500 billion a year, the greenback has become weaker and therefore less attractive.

Added to this are increasing geopolitical tensions such as the unrest in Libya.

Inflation? Geopolitical tension?

Some of the factors influencing gold prices are movements in the US dollar (when it’s up, gold is down), production levels, which have been declining in recent years, and demand for the everyday applications we

discussed above.

A lot of these factors are a little superficial at the moment. The current main driver of the gold price is speculation on its value due to a combination of all of the factors we have discussed, with the inflation fears and geopolitical tensions the key price drivers at the moment.

How to gain exposure

Investors have often had trouble gaining exposure to gold.

Previously, there were two options. Investors had to either buy physical gold and then hide and protect their holdings, or investors bought shares in gold miners. Both options are problematic for a number of

reasons.

With ForexCT, you can gain exposure to gold with a click of a button.

Additionally, with the power of leverage, investors are able to take large positions in the gold market with relatively little money upfront.

To find out more about the exciting world of gold, oil and currency trading, why not register for a free workshop with ForexCT? To find out more information please contact Sam Tahir, Senior Account Manager on 0411 884 754.

An insight into the new Insight

If you are looking for a fuel efficient but roomy hatch back, the Honda Insight is the perfect vehicle now at Honda dealers in Australia.

It’s designed to be as affordable as possible to purchase and maintain and compete against cars like the Volkswagen Golf 77TDI and Toyota Prius.

Unlike the other small fuel efficient cars, the Insight is larger with more userfriendly storage and ease of access in and out of the car.

Toyota Prius is designed to do as many kms as possible on one tank of petrol, at a cost, while Honda has designed the Hybrid system in the Insight to be simpler and more focused on value and affordability.

So how does it look?

Very stylish, especially looking at the car from directly in front and front threequarter view. It has a Honda family look, not too dissimilar to the Honda Odyssey in its front end treatment. The side view compliments the styling with a futuristic swooping coupe like treatment that looks sporty and modern. Its rear end is very much Honda and functional at the same time revealing a hatch that has a very accessible boot. Of all the colours available the best has to be the Cerulean Blue (pictured). It adds to the sporty flavour the Insight has especially considering that it is a Hybrid vehicle.

The interior design is simple yet modern

and functional in nature. The dash layout is very much a driver-focused design enabling a feeling of being in control with all the buttons being within easy access.

There is a digital speed readout mounted high on the dash giving the driver a good view of their speed at a glance. One of the very satisfying features of the Insight is as you drive along the dash changes from blue to green as the car runs more efficiently. If economy driving is maintained, the Insight gives you rewards in the form of leaves in the digital display. This is a very nice feature!

It has wide opening doors, enabling easy access without having to squeeze in as you would in the usual small efficient car. Head, leg and shoulder room for the front seat occupants is very generous. The rear seats are comfortable with plenty of shoulder room.

The hatch is unique in shape, giving the Insight an advantage with loads of height compared to conventional hatchbacks. 60/40 split fold seats allow for that large load when required.

Honda has shown in the past that it has very clever interiors, such as the Honda Jazz , making it all the more appealing. If you are in the market for a mid-sized hatch fuel efficient hatch, the Honda Insight is worth a test drive.

The gold price will continue to fluctuate in accordance with the market’s view on the health and strength on the US dollar in the short to medium-term

ARIES March 21 - April 19

The cards suggest that you will have burdens and responsibilities this month. For those working, this is a challenging time. Things will ease with the appearance of the sun card, as you will be rewarded for your hard work. There is a possibility that you may decide to get married, as romantically you want some kind of security right now. Take a long hard look at things and do not rush into anything as your emotions are high.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

The cards indicate a promotion or increase in money around you this month, with the Ace of Pentacles. There is harmony with family members and a friendship that may have been on the rocks will be sorted out this month. Financially, you will feel much more secure and happier. Take care of your health, as you have not been as regular with your exercise routines as you would have liked to be.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

The cards indicate, with the presence of the Hermit, that you are not too happy with your career progress. You may be worried about the health of a family member. Take care of losing your temper, as you have been very supportive of someone and you will find it hard to keep your cool. Take a look at your diet this month, as there is an indication that you may have to give up dairy food due to intolerances.

CANCER June 21 - July 22

This month, with the presence of the Four of Pentacles, you will try to save money. Balance is on your mind these days, and you are trying to bring about changes in lifestyle and family. Your mind will be very occupied with plans to invest and acquire status and property. The cards also show that you need to take care of your mother figure, as she may be complaining about fatigue and headaches.

LEO July 23 - August 22

There are some plans to look at a new business with the Ace of Wands, or if you have a business, there will be changes made to it. I can also see here that you have many new ideas and a strong desire to branch out and explore. Financially, make secure investments and take things easy as you are putting a lot of pressure on yourself. Take your car for a service, do not neglect the brakes and oil checks.

VIRGO August 23 - September 22

The cards indicate choices around you this month, with the 7 of Cups. You are not sure which direction to take with life. You seem to be feeling a little under the weather lately, and need to look at things with an objective mind as there are some excellent opportunities coming your way. Lack of sleep is indicated, as you are worrying about a relationship. Take a mental break from it and things will come back to the way you want them!

LIBRA September 23 - October 22

The cards indicate here that you are trying to be strong at the moment, with the presence of the Queen of Swords. You seem to be regretting a decision or choice you have made recently. This month is going to be about making plans for the future, and also making changes around your environment. There is a journey coming up that will prove to be very beneficial. You will be walking away from something that has been disturbing or annoying you for some time!

SCORPIO October 23 - November 21

The cards suggest a change of residence and you will also be feeling very intuitive lately. There is a lot of urgency around matters this month, and you will want things to be done immediately. You are at the stage where you do not want to wait for things to happen, but make them happen. You may consider further study if not now, then in the future. Work relationships and money are your priority this month.

SAGITTARIUS November 22 - December 21

This month is all about making the right choices. You seem to be bored in a relationship, with The Lovers and 3 of Swords in your spread. You are also looking at travelling and generally looking at the future in your life. Take it easy, as your mind will be racing with many ideas and feelings. Things are going to work out in your favour, as luck is on your side. Look after your knees this month.

CAPRICORN December 22 - January 19

The cards indicate that you will be looking at your work, as you are feeling disappointed and frustrated, with the presence of the 2 of Swords. You are looking forward to a trip which could be of a spiritual nature. You will be working on ways to change your appearance, as you have not been as active as you would like to be lately. There is an indication of an engagement ring around you if you are single!

AQUARIUS January 20 - February 18

This month is all about making things work for you. The cards indicate here that you are trying to change your work or gain a promotion. You are feeling a bit upset because your work is not being recognized. If in your own business, you will be making major changes. You may decide to buy yourself a companion, a dog maybe… as your love of animals is now surfacing strongly. Make sure you have time for your new pet!

PISCES February 19 - March 20

This month you will want to free yourself from a relationship that has been upsetting you. The cards are indicating here that you have not been happy for some time. If you decide to walk away, take courage that you will be fine. If not, there will have to be some major compromises made. The 7 of Swords indicates a time of change and improvement around you. Take time to meditate and relax as you have stress around you.

BUZZThe

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

Single life for Singularity girl

After her break-up with long-time beau John Abraham, Bipasha Basu is now being linked to her Singularity co-star Josh Hartnett. But the dusky beauty is unperturbed and believes link-up rumours are a part of her profession. “The rumours don’t bother me any more. The world speculates, and let them do that,” Bipasha says.

“It’s a part of the business we’re in, and both Josh and I understand that. What is important is that the two people who are being spoken about should know what the truth is and what is not,” added the actress who was recently seen in Dum Maaro Dum

The 32-year-old recently ended her

equal, if not superior roles!

relationship with actor John Abraham, with whom she worked in Jism, Madhoshi and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. Her growing friendship with Josh was talked about as a potential romance, but the actress maintains she only shares a working relationship with the American actor. Singularity, a period film, is being helmed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Roland Joffe. The film, which kicked off production in Queensland, later moved to India and was shot at places like Gwalior and Orchha in Madhya Pradesh.

Prestigious award for K Balachander

brought to it the same perfection and intensity that he exhibited on the big screen.

the storyline in movies. She feels they get little chance to take on the burden of a film, and end up playing the wife, girlfriend or love interest. That’s why, explains the feisty actress, her production company is called Bhigi Basanti, a tongue-in-cheek take on how they are viewed in Bollywood.

“Basanti obviously came from Sholay and it’s also a typical Hindi film heroine name. I think Bhigi Basanti is a very quintessential, typical image of a Hindi film heroine that has been in cinema across time. For me, it was a little bit of a tongue-in-cheek take also on how heroines are viewed in the Hindi film

GUESS WHO

Lara is (obviously) the female lead, while Vinay Pathak is the male protagonist.

“ Chalo Dilli was a very special film that came to us. It’s not a femaleoriented film. It’s a story where both the leads have equal footing, so it feels nice to make a film which is not arty or alternate cinema. It’s a commercial film with the simple story of a journey,” said Lara.

Lara is confident of her role in being paired across actor Vinay, but she says that his role is an essential part of the story. “It’s not necessary that you do all films with a superstar. The story demanded someone like Vinay. He was very, very suited for the film. In fact, Shashant had written the script keeping Vinay in mind for the male character,” explained the actress.

Now the wife of tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi, Lara longed to exhibit her acting potential as a solo lead, after working in multi-starrers like Housefull, No Entry and Partner Challo Dilli gave her that chance, and put the onus of responsibility on her, as she had to juggle two roles as producer and actor, and proved a challenge. However, the added pressure didn’t distract her from acting at any point. “I think the level of professionals we are, once we are in front of the camera, nothing else matters,” she said. Let’s hope Lara’s forthcoming ventures see women in

Veteran Tamil filmmaker K. Balachander, the director of hits like Ek Duuje Ke Liye and Sindhu Bhairavi , who has also won numerous national and Filmfare awards, has been conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke Award 2010 for his outstanding contribution to the growth and development of Indian cinema.

The award, given on the recommendations of a committee of eminent persons, consists of a Swarn Kamal, a cash prize of Rs.10 lakhs and a shawl.

Multifaceted Balachander has been a director, screenplay/writer and producer and has written, directed and produced more than 100 films in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada in his 45-year-long career.

The 81-year-old is renowned for his distinct filmmaking style, focusing on unusual or complicated inter-personal relationships and social themes.

He has been responsible for kickstarting the careers of actors like Rajnikanth, Kamal Haasan, Prakashraaj and Vivek, among others.

Balachander came into prominence as a playwright with his dynamic plays, many of which received critical acclaim. He entered the film industry in 1965 and since, six of them have won many National Awards. For the last few years, Balachander has also turned his attention to the small screen and has

Balachander was conferred the Padma Shri in 1987, and was honoured with the title ‘Kalaimamani’ by the Tamil Nadu Government in 1973. He has also won the Golden Nandi award and Silver Nandi awards from the Andhra Pradesh government and has also won numerous Filmfare Best Director awards. The Padma Shri will be presented to him at the National Film Awards later this year.

Naseer’s hard to please!

It isn’t surprising that actor-musician Imaad Shah is a tad nervous about his latest movie release, as he’s the son of veteran actor Naseeruddin Shah. Well, before you think it’s another star-son jumping on the Bollywood bandwagon, Imaad’s situation is a bit different. He shares a friendly relationship with his father, but as a professional, Imaad admits that it’s an uphill task to please Naseer as he is the most critical person he has ever come across.

“He (Naseeruddin) is quite a harsh critic with everybody and applies the same with me too. He will be the last person to praise anyone wholeheartedly. He is the most critical person. I always feel I have to meet the standards that he has set,” said Imaad recently.

Interestingly, Imaad made his big screen debut in 2006 with his dad’s directorial debut Yun Hota To Kya Hota and featured in Dil Dosti Etc , the following year.

The daku queen tries

BIPASHA BASU

But after an unfortunate accident, he took a break from Bollywood, only coming back to the screen in 2009 with Sooni Taraporevala’s award-winning Little Zizou (2009).

Imaad will now be seen in Prawaal Raman’s 404 , a psychological thriller, which, to his pleasant surprise, even passed muster from his ever-critical father. “He really liked this film. I was expecting him to be very critical about it, but surprisingly he had a lot of good things to say about the director and all the performances. So, hopefully, the standard is met,” he said.

The film, in which Imaad plays an eccentrically genius college senior, also stars directors Nishikant Kamat and Satish Kaushik in pivotal roles.

Imaad admits that he does consult his father, but Naseer doesn’t have a huge influence over his professional decisions?

“My dad sees me as individual, and vice versa. We are good friends and we talk a lot about the positive and negative parts of the industry. We are very honest with each other but we are definitely two individuals in our own rights and we respect that,” said Imaad.

Naseer does want Imaad to open up a bit, to enhance his performance, reveals the upcoming, but talented actor. “He feels I’m too introverted and I’m not very free with my words. He feels I don’t share what I’m thinking, which has an effect on my performances,” said Imaad.

The actor’s own band called The Pulp Society, composed for 404 in which the sound and music are mostly punk and disco. “Thematically we had to stick to the theme of the film, hostel, college, ragging and other dark themes. So I have kept both - the film’s theme and what I wanted to add,” he said.

Well, if Imaad’s even a bit of a chip off the ol’ block and Naseer’s impressed too, a watch!

Intimate Freida

The first look of Frieda Pinto’s 3D film Immortals

Rourke was recently released and the scene being viewed has certainly taken some effort. Freida was required to shoot a sex scene, which director Tarsem Singh says was a challenge for her. “Poor girl! It’s the first time we see Freida Pinto and guess what - it’s a sex scene. It’s a delicate situation. We’re trying to get all of the lights out so we can create an intimate situation. Only 80 people watching you and 20 of them with video cameras!” thesun. co.uk quoted Singh as saying. Freida plays priestess Phaedra in the ancient Greek epic, while Rourke is cast as evil King Hyperion and Henry Cavill who plays Theseus. I’ll bet Freida’s fans can’t wait to see if the movie makes her truly immortal!

Shaitan’s

the

The risque and violent promo of Anurag Kashyap’s next production venture is out, and has raised quite a few eyebrows. With novel shooting angles, this first-of-its-kind film deals with teenage angst and the rebellious attitudes of youth in metropolises. “Today’s youth is aggressive, sexual, violent, edgier and aware of everything happening around. They like to explore the darker side and push the envelope till they can be brought in check by authorities. The film is basically about how well you deal with the shaitaan (demon) within you,” said Nambiar recently. The movie stars Rajeev Khandelwal, Kalki Koechlin, Neil Bhoopalam, Shiv Pandit, Kirti Kulhari and Gulshan Devaiah. Sounds like the devil of a movie!

Minissha joins the Cannes bandwagon

Guess who’s thrilled to be one of the glamourous Indian actresses who will grace the red carpet at the forthcoming 64th Cannes International Film Festival? Yes, none other than apni Minissha, who will be in Cannes to attend the premiere of Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris on the opening night and the all-important after-party. The actress will also stay back and attend other events at the fest, perhaps even look out for a plum role… This year Cannes is going to shine with Aishwarya Rai, Freida Pinto and Sonam Kapoor also showing up. Looks like the girls from India are set to sizzle the festival!

Sonakshi on hot seat, thanks to dad!

After the Big B, it seems that the Double S is ready to hit the TV-time bandwagon. Shatrughan Sinha is set to host the Bhojpuri edition of the popular quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) , and daughter Sonakshi Sinha will be one of those on the hot seat. Naturally, old pal Amitabh Bachchan will also be invited to the combination should be worth watching, and Sonakshi had better brush up on her GK. Strangely, Sonakshi doesn’t actually speak Bhojpuri but she understands it and feels it would be fun to be quizzed by her dad! Shatrughan too, doesn’t have a perfect command of the language, but he’s brushing up. The things one does

What’s the chitchat between Akshay Kumar and Anushka Sharma?

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

Last issue Caption Contest winning entry

What’s the chitchat between Sonakshi and co-star Vindu Dara Singh?

Sonakshi: It’s hard work teaching this pehlwaan his ABCs…

Vindu: Hey, I wouldn’t have dropped out of primary school if the teachers looked like her!

Priya Jagdeep St.Marys NSW

Priya wins an audio CD of new release Dum Maro Dum

SHATRUGHAN SINHA

MINISSHA

NASEERUDDIN SHAH WITH SON IMAAD

Cine Talk

An edgy

Film: Dum Maaro Dum

Cast: IAbhishek Bachchan, Pratik Babbar, Anaitha Nair, Bipasha Basu, Rana Daggubati, Govind Namdeo

Writer-Director: Rohan Sippy

By the end of it all, only one love story comes to a happy ending in Dum Maro Dum Love is not a popular emotion in the world that Rohan Sippy’s edgy thriller encompasses. If one loves in this hell-hole of pleasure then there’s only a dead end to look forward to.

This film is certainly not a ride for the squeamish. Violence dominates the proceedings.

Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to the Other Goa. The one that we don’t see in Hindi cinema. Unless we look really hard and come up with Pankaj Parasher’s Jalwa 24 years ago. There too Goa became the scene of a watchable drug-busting drama.

In DMD the characters in Goa are constantly up to something self-destructive. You really can’t afford to take your eyes off the screen as the lives of three unlikely ‘heroes’ -- one a redemptive cop, the other a student who sells his soul for a scholarship and the third a musician trapped in discordant notes -- converge in most unexpected ways. But then the ‘unexpected’ is only expected in a film that addresses the uneasy nexus between crime and conscience in hedonistic Goa, without taking sides.

DMD avoids getting judgemental. The writing, by Sridhar Raghavan, doesn’t assume a position of moral superiority over Goa’s inglorious crime syndicate. Probing into the anatomy of the global drug racket in Goa, the film sweeps us with a violent jolt into a world of doom and damnation where the innocent must perish and the incorrupt must suffer.

Abhishek Bachchan’s cop’s role as ACP Kamath acquires an interesting moral ambivalence. Yup, the celluloid cop has evolved from the seething simmering Bachchan persona in Zanjeer to the laconic almost-cynical and acutely suffering law

enforcer in DMD who must make hard decisions not in the last reel but Reel Now.

The vehement violence and illicit wealth of the crime syndicate and the immediacy of its annihilation are brought into one jagged but unified line of vision. Often Rohan Sippy’s direction seems to favour the craggy uneven route. But hey, that could just be Amit Roy’s moody cinematography capturing the crowd sweat and greed of the Goan drug cartel.

Sippy displays a tremendous partiality for restless visuals. The characters are always on the move though their destination is a mystery even to themselves. Maybe their aspirations are over-run by their greed. The narrative never stops long enough to let us come near to the characters to feel the heat of their hurt. A breathy wheezing anarchy rules over the universe that Rohan Sippy’s arching cinema embraces.

Some of the characters sneak in a warm regard for their individual space in unguarded moments of vulnerability. Abhishek Bachchan’s mourning for his lost family runs through the film like an aching limb that cannot be amputated from the proceedings no matter how hard it tries. To the cop Kamath’s role Abhishek infuses a kind of supple laconism that makes this suffering cop remarkably free of self-guilt, not to mention the khaki uniform.

How one wishes Kamath’s relationship with the troubled world around him was allowed to grow. The only time we see him in an interactive mood is with his subordinate Mercy who true to stereotype, gets bumped off.

Has the film been edited (by Aarif Shaikh) too tightly, sacrificing the need to let the characters space for emotional growth for the sake of getting on with the process of cracking the case?

Very often we want to enter the painlashed soul of the characters, the underage boy played by Pratik Babbar (vulnerable, again!) who gets caught in the airport while trying to smuggle out drugs. The musician Raba Daggubati (striking debut, this) who loses love to crime. The crime-lord’s mistress,

On some deeply ironic level celebrates that loss of innocence which haunts the beaches of many touristic paradise. And yet we see glimmers of stark humanity in Rohan Sippy’s characters. It’s not in the way the actors play these people. It’s in the way

replicated splendour, reminding us of the poor quality of the rest of the music.

Outstanding ode to city of dreams

giant monster that consumes everything that moves. The characters are all casualties of that traffic-jam freedom that comes to a commuter stranded in the middle of a highway in a car with nowhere to go and nothing to do, with time than to spend it in idle retrospection (with or without music playing in the background).

The mood of this tense, clenched and thoroughly gripping humane thriller is so spiritedly Mumbai-centric you applaud the director’s vision after the last shot of the work swishes by. The rapid movements of images of extreme emotional crises and the ensuing violence, are so skillfully put forward you don’t feel you are being manipulated into staying riveted to the screen. You flow with the frenzied pace of a people whose lives are out of control.

The interaction between the NRI and the goons is chilling to the core. Abhay’s lapse into a life that he had probably left behind, is charted in a zigzag of humour and irony.

The pace is so relentless, we don’t even get a chance to applaud the even narration that defines these jagged lives as they hurl towards a karma that we are not allowed to guess.

escapades.

Nikhil Diwedi and newcomer Pitobash as Tusshar’s accomplices are entirely in tune with their characters blending so well with the milieu you are sure no one gave any of these actors a second glance on the streets of Mumbai where the script often ventures out.

I’ve seen the future of Hindi cinema. And it’s got a name: Shor In The City. They say Mumbai never goes to sleep. Catching the restless on-the-edge mood of a city and its people who refuse to fall off that edge of the hurtling local train that takes thousands of destinies every day to their work and then back home, Shor... throws forward the kind of seductive cinema that makes you think about the quality of life we all lead, irrespective of the city that we occupy, or rather, the city that occupies us.

Mumbai, in co-directors Raj Nidimoru and Krishna DK’s scheme of things, is that

Shor In The City pins you down to its brilliant screenplay from the first frame when we see the three waylaid youngsters Tusshar, Nikhil Diwedi and Pitobash negotiate the crowded streets of Mumbai in search of prey. The characters work both as predators and as victims. They feel the gun gives them the right of way when, in fact, the traffic snarl of life has got them by their balls.

There are three protagonists with their ‘Mumbai’ stories to tell. Sawan (Sundeep Kishan) wants to play national-level cricket.

Tilak (Tusshar) wants to give up a life of crime to focus on reading and housekeeping (in that order). But the most interesting strand in the lucid lineup of conflicted characters is the NRI Abhay (Sendhil Ramamurthy), whose dreams of setting up his own business in the city are turned into a nightmare by goons who muscle into his work-place and life with menacing insidiousness.

The co-directors succeed in remaining many steps ahead of the audience. The masterly editing (Ashmith Kunder) and the moody earthy cinematography (Tushar Kanti Ray) aids the director in building a conflagration of compelling montages that add up to a climax that doesn’t quite add-up…and rightly so. There are no neat conclusions to these lives that are stuck in their desperate bid to escape their karma.

Karma, the theme song tells you, is a bitch. Watching the people who move through their designated anguish with such furious fluency, you have to agree with the opinion that destiny deals a bitchy blow to most working-class people in the cities.

Shor In The City is a work suffused in an inspiring glory. The characterization is so precise and the dialogues so perfectly attuned to the minds and hearts of the characters you wonder which came first. The people in the film, or the film itself.

I have not seen a film so filled with credible performances in a while. Even the smallest cameo is done by the perfect face and personality. Whom do we single out without doing injustice to the rest? But yes, Tusshar as the bad-boy finding salvation in books and wife gives an interesting spin to his character. This is a far cry from his over-the-top Golmaal

Sundeep Kishan as the boy who wants to play cricket and get married brings a certain simplicity to the tangled goings-on. You could say he’s the voice of innocence in the cacophony of self-serving diabolism. Among the female characters Radhika Apte as Tusshar’s simple but strong wife reminded me of Tabu in Viraasat.

There are stand-out cameos by Amit Mistry (as a street goonda who specializes in organising dharnas), Zakir Hussain (as an extortionist) and several other actors who bleed a brilliance into the plot for just fleeting moments before vanishing into the crowds of Mumbai.

Yes, the city has been savage and inviting before in the cinema of Raj Kumar Santoshi and Ram Gopal Varma. But never so funny. There’s a moment when a little boy whose foot Tusshar thinks has been blown away by a mistimed bomb, stands and dances in the Ganpati visarjan.

That moment defines the cutting edge of the humour in Shor In The City. If Mumbai is troubled by violence and greed it survives so splendidly because it never takes its problems to heart.

Don’t miss this outstanding ode to the city of dreams, goons, guns and glory.

Subhash K. Jha

Taking the ‘FROM’ out of travel prices What you see is what you get … at Value World Travel’s website!

The innovative team at Value World Travel have done it again!

In what appears to be a world first for travel agency websites, the prices on the Value World Travel home page are the fares you actually pay when you go to the online booking screen!

When the Value World Travel team listened to feedback from their customers, they realised that many customers were frustrated by travel industry advertising that displayed prices that no one was ever able to get.

Most customers were becoming very sceptical about prices advertised for online bookings, especially when they saw the word ‘from’ in front of the price. Customers were saying

that whenever they tried to book online, they could hardly ever get their ticket at the prices advertised.

So the Value World Travel team got to thinking, “How can we give the customers what they want?”

After some very technical research and development, they have come up with a web page that displays current prices. If you have a look, you will notice that the word ‘from’ is not visible next to the advertised prices. That’s because the price displayed is the price that you will be able to book the ticket for when you get through to the online booking screen.

When they looked at other websites around the world, the Value World Travel team could

not find any other travel agency website that offers prices on a ‘what you see is what you get’ basis.

Neni Tiwary, Value World Travel’s Managing Director, said, “We wanted to do something to bring more credibility and trust from customers towards the travel industry. Despite the technical hurdles, we felt that it was really important to give customers some certainty when they look at a web page displaying travel prices.”

“We were a bit surprised when we could not find anyone else doing this. Given the resources of some of the more established travel groups, we thought that someone else would have done this before us”, said Mr

Tiwary.

This latest innovation adds to the list of other ‘firsts’ that the Value World Travel team have brought to the Indian Sub-continent travel market. These include being first to offer no credit card and bookings fees, first to offer a cheapest price guarantee and first to offer cash back rebates for online bookings. These innovations underline Value World Travel’s latest slogan: “Fly away – no more to Pay!”

“Keep watching this space,” said Mr Tiwary. “We will keep bringing innovations to the travel industry so that customers can have an even better travel experience.”

Restaurant for Sale

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Film: ShorInTheCity Starring: Tusshar Kapoor, Sendhil Ramamurthy, Sundeep Kishan, Pitobash Tripathy, Preeti Desai, Radhika Apte

Directed by: Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K.

Matrimonial mayhem

The hype around the royal wedding may have just ended, but is this just the beginning?

into the always expensive, but not necessarily elegant gown. With over a billion viewers expected to watch her walk down the aisle, dropping a few kilos was even more important than a princely “I do” declaration.

In stark contrast to all this fuss over a commoner bride, was the casual treatment of the groom, a real prince. A week prior to his wedding the bloke from Bucks Palace was entertained to barbeque of bangers and beer at a buck’s party by best man brother Harry. Best man, eh? Harrible!

Now if you’re wondering how much this royal show would have cost, not a penny I assure you! In fact it is a royal treasure trove with trinkets of all sorts on sale – stamps, scarves, mugs and much more. You will be a mug not to buy one of them hoping it will be a collector’s item one day, as I did in the ‘80s; in fact, I am still safe-keeping a Charles-Diana stamp - the only place in which they still seem to be together.

And finally, the day arrived. April 29. The post-it disappeared from the TV, and from 4pm onwards, the land line and my wife’s mobile phone went on silent mode. (I was given the choice - either quietly watch the wedding or go to our son’s home to see his favourite Carlton do battle with Sydney). Not having enough courage to battle with my better half, I chose the latter and returned home as the newly weds were smooching on the balcony for the benefit of the baying Britons.

BY LP AYER

calendar was a ‘token of appreciation’ from a Chennai jeweller for buying a ring worth Rs 4000 last December. April 29 is not my birthday. (She never remembers it). Nor is it our wedding anniversary, which I always forget. Racking my brain I opened the newspaper - and bingo - the mystery was solved in seconds through the centrespread article: the Will and Kate show. I suppose it deserves a bit more of a respectful mention; I mean, the wedding day of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Honestly, I wish I could have been spared feedback on the royal romp in all its minute details in every kind of paper or magazine. Since the tragic death of Diana years ago, there has been a dearth of royal stuff and, as if the Gods have answered the prayers of women’s magazine editors, there was a glut of gossip since the couple’s engagement in November. Every act, move, speech and slip-up of this former party goodies peddler

Business for Sale

Catherine’s clan is and how middle class the Middletons are. With hopes of crowning glory gone, some mothers mum was in placing her in the same college as William, simply to catch his eye.

With the wedding date announced, the focus was on what the bride would wear, who would design her dress, etc. Much media space was devoted to uncovering (oops) the gown’s closely guarded designer’s details. “Will the future queen wear the McQueen label?” asked a curious journo. Next, will the train be as long as Diana’s? Her long crumpled cream train would have covered the entire English cricket team. And finally, the see-through dress Kate wore at a university catwalk revealing her black lingerie that was rumoured to have lured the young prince, was snapped up at a recent charity auction for $125k. Some cynics may say the young prince failed to see through her game plan, but the dictum is ‘who dares (bares?) wins’.

As weighty as the dress debate, was the subject of weight loss before the wedding, so that Kate would fit

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Strewn over the dining table were the remnants of a large and sumptuous tea party. Cucumber sandwiches and dainty fairy cakes jostled with some strangesmelling cheeses. A bunch of women, with hats ranging from a flurry of feathers and yards of lace walked unsteadily past me towards the front door, polished pumps and handbags wobbling. A plump lady dressed in a magenta pink dress with hat and gloves to match snored on our lounge. Sitting in the middle of the debris on the dining table sat a bunch of champagne glasses and, I almost reeled, two of my treasured bottles of Moet Chandon. My wife and her friends had certainly celebrated the wedding in royal style!

Every act, move, speech and slip-up of this former party goodies peddler on e-Bay was now subjected to micro and macro analysis by the media mob.

I had a good time too, seeing my son jump with joy at Carlton’s win!

My attention was drawn to the TV, which was almost obscured with post-it notes. The first read, “April 29, 2012, 1st Wedding Anniversary”. Next to it sat “July 2012, Birth of first child”; “September 2012, Christening party”, “October 2012, Harry’s wedding”. Well, I thought, seems like I’ll be watching Carlton play a lot more.....

EVENT CANCELLED

Cancelled: Swamiji Dayananda Talk/Workshop on 14/15th May at Ryde Civic Centre. Due to unexpected health reasons, Swamiji is not able to undertake this journey to Sydney. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Still ON: Kshetram, the Bharatanatyam Dance Ballet at PLC, Pymble on Sat 14th May, 6pm For info, call Murali 0414 892361