2012-10 Sydney (2)

FREE Vol. 20 No. 1 (2) • OCTOBER (2) 2012 • www.indianlink.com.au FORTNIGHTLY

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Charm offensive Julia Gillard steps up efforts to recast ties Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 • GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001 • Ph: 18000 15 8 47 • email: info@indianlink.com.au

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EDITORIAL INDIAN LINK PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR Sheryl Dixit BY PAWAN LUTHRA

MELBOURNE Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Komal Utsav Jagad, Sydney Srinivas, Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Saloni Kober, Dinesh Ramanan, Malavika Santhebennur, Priya Chidambaranathan, Frankey Gerard Fernandes, Noel G deSouza, Amit Dutt, Sudha Natarajan, Sandip Hor, Minnal Khona, Saroja Srinivasan

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ppealing to the lowest common denominator, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard linked cricket to diplomacy as she announced the Order of Australia honour for Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar. Cheesy as this announcement was, it immediately attracted the attention of the Australian and Indian media. Tendulkar will be fourth non-Australian cricketer to receive the Order of Australia honour, and has done well to bring Australia and India closer together through the skills of his chosen profession. Yet to make the announcement at a state visit to India smells of blatant diplomatic opportunism.

Is this a way of buying favour and headlines in India?

Of greater interest to the Indian government has been the more proactive announcement in relation to uranium.

Gillard had announced that her government would support sale of the precious yellow cake at the Australian Labor Party national conference almost a year ago in Dec 2011. This move was unanimously acknowledged by Indian diplomats and the government as a great step forward in creating a better relationship between the two countries.

The announcement took a number of her

senior ministers by surprise, including the then Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd. From then till now, little progress was made on the issue, although now it seems there is promise for movement.

While there have been reports of the less than satisfactory safeguards for India’s nuclear facilities, ten years after its nuclear test at Pokharan, a civil nuclear agreement is in force between the United States and India, and the country has even been granted significant trading allowances by key international non-proliferation institutions. Rather than being a pariah, India is now a nuclear friend of key Western countries.

India’s frustration with Australia’s lack of trust in its nuclear program is well known. On April 19, India tested the Agni V missile with its capability of carrying a nuclear warhead for distances of up to 5000 kilometres, in easy reach of major Chinese cities. United States State Department spokesman Mark Toner, rather than criticizing or condemning the test said that India had been “very much engaged in the international community and non-proliferation issues”, had attended nuclear security summits, and could demonstrate a “solid nonproliferation record.” This contrasts with how Australia has treated India while exporting uranium to China, a country known for allowing nuclear proliferation to Pakistan and Korea.

Australia is now promising to make progress on this issue, and the delay had been a source of frustration for

those keen to get some traction on this transaction may be a thing of the past.

The Gillard government carried its own baggage to this relationship. The Labor Party’s biggest friend for India was Bob Hawke in the 1980s. Since then, successive prime ministers in Paul Keating and Kevin Rudd did not build any substantial relationships. Julia Gillard herself as education minister made drastic changes to the overseas education policy which affected thousands of Indian students and in turn, many small Indian businesses in Australia. As Prime Minister, her public statements during the pre-Commonwealth Games 2010 hysteria were ill-considered, and her government’s reforms to the Living Away From Home benefits (LAFHA) has impacted thousands of Indian workers in Australia and their employers.

Tendulkar’s honour will grab the headlines for a few hours, but a lot more work needs to be done to kickstart the relationship. Announcing the progress in uranium sales is a positive step, and the translation into action will be interesting to observe.

On another matter, NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell’s forthcoming visit to India could not have been planned at a worse time. Bang in the middle of Dussehra and Diwali, the Premier’s advisers on all things Indian seem to have forgotten that it is the biggest festive time in India and while formal functions will be attended and formalities undertaken, the focus is more on fun and family.

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What’s on SPIRITUAL Navratras 2012 20, 21, 22 Oct The Mukti Gupteshwar Mandir is organising a 3-day spiritual festival to perform Mahayagya of Navagraha yagya, Trisakti yagya and Mahamrityunjay yagya as well as rudrabhishek on jyotirlingam.

Plus, launch of the Holy Book: Shiv Dharm Maha Shastra. Details Rama on 0422 22 67 24.

Religious discourses by Sri Velukkudi Swami 7 – 11 Nov The Vedic Society of Victoria announces a series of lectures in English by the renowned Sri Velukkudi Krishnan Swami. Sri Velukkudi Swami comes from a long parampara (tradition) of religious scholars and is singularly equipped to give pravachans on all forms of Hindu scripture, due to his knowledge of various Hindu theological traditions. He has travelled widely, giving religious discourses and representing Hindu dharma in world forums and his lectures on the Bhagawad Gita are at once awe-inspiring and moving, lucid and erudite.

Details Ramesh Raghuraman 0406 133 233.

Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Society of NSW activities Thurs 15 Nov 2.30-3.30pm Vivekananda Book Club Meeting: Discussion Group exploring the book: Letters of Swami Vivekananda.

Sun 18 Nov 10.40am to 12noon Kali Puja. Celebration commences with Hari Om Ramakrishna Chant, Silent meditation, Talks by Pravrajika Gayatriprana and Mrs. Bala Lakshmanam, followed by a special candlelight ceremony/ offering and distribution of offered food.

Sun 18 Nov 3.00-6.00pm Young

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People’s Discussion Group for ages 17 and over. Theme: Emotional Intelligence.

Sun 15 Dec 5.30-7.30pm Avijit Sarkar & Friends. Free early evening concert of devotional songs. Complimentary tea/ coffee, sweets & savouries provided.

Venue: Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon.

Details 02 9745 4320 or email: admin.saradavedanta@ bigpond.com. Website: www.saradavedanta.org Sri Sudarshana Homam Sat 27 Oct JET Australia presents Sudarshana Homam at Dundas West Uniting Church Hall, 181 Park Road, Dundas. Details www. jetaustralia.org FESTIVAL Navratri Sat 20 Oct Navratri Cultural Group presents Raas Garba at Michael Wenden Aquatic Leisure Centre 62 Cabramatta Road, Miller (Near Liverpool) NSW 2168. 6.30pm – 11.00pm. Details Nimesh Shah 0437 980 296.

Deepavali Milan Sat 10 Nov Celebrate Diwali with friends on the North Shore: Laxmi Poojan, cultural program, lucky draw prizes, dinner. Town Hall, 1186 Pacific Highway, Pymble NSW, 6.00pm. Details Kamini Sahni 0401 059 923.

Vision 2020 Diwali Dinner Sat 10 Nov Vision 2020 celebrates Diwali with a 3-course dinner and variety entertainment at Asquith Community Centre, 10a Old Berowra Road, Hornsby. It is also organising the ordering of Diwali sweets and savouries from Grand Sweets Adayar Ananda Bhavan, Chennai. Details Vision 2020au@gmail.com

STAGE Classical music concert Sat 17 Nov Sarod player Steve Oda (a senior disciple of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan) and tabla player Ty Burhoe (senior disciple of Ustad Zakir Hussain) present a concert in classical north Indian tradition, at Manly Yoga, 27 Pittwater Rd, 7.30pm onwards. (Workshop on 18 Nov). Details www.TalaRecords. com

FUNDRAISER Opportunity International’s Food for Thought Food for Thought: “Eat. Drink. Be Generous” invites Australians to host a meal for friends and family in October to raise funds and awareness for impoverished communities in honour of International Day for Eradication of Poverty on Oct 17.

To register your event, please go to www.foodforthoughtevent.org.au I-India Project’s Diwali Night Sat 10 Nov I-India Project is organising a wonderful night of themed entertainment including Bollywood singing and dancing, magic and comedy. Grand Ballroom, Four Seasons Hotel, 199 George St, Sydney, 6.30pm. Details Renate Barnett 0402 958 582.

Cancer Council NSW’s Blacktown Relay For Life 27 - 28 Oct Relay For Life is an event for survivors of cancer, for their carers, for those of us who have lost a loved one to cancer, and for people who just want to make a difference. It is a special community event at Blacktown International Sports Park, Eastern Rd Rooty Hill, where people come together to fundraise and walk in hope that one day cancer will be defeated. Fun activities for kids, fundraising stalls, health stalls and jumping castles, live

entertainment featuring Celtic Highlanders and fireworks.

Details Nathan Dart 02 9354 2004 or email nathand@nswcc.org.au Blood Donation Camp Sat 20 Oct Australia Tamil Association conducts its 13th Blood Donation Camp between 11.15am to 11.30am at the Red Cross Blood Donor Centre in Rosehill. Details Prathap Ramachandran 0432 016 639.

MISC Going to the Mahakumbh next year?

Australian independent documentary film-maker Mark Gould is searching for Hindu Australians who intend to go to the upcoming Maha Kumbh Mela at Allahabad (Prayag) in Feb 2013.

ABC TV’s religious program Compass (6.30pm Sundays) is keen to tell the story of this sacred journey and what it means to the devotees.

The subjects of the film would need to be prepared to share their stories, their bhakti and relationship to their faith on camera in a documentary focussed on this special pilgrimage - why they are making it and what they hope to gain from this great event.

The ideal subjects would be devout Australian Hindus individuals or a family who are articulate about their faith and keen to reconnect with their Hindu traditions. Details Mark Gould 0419 635 614 or email mark@BondiRocksMedia.tv Being South Asian and GLBTIQ Sat 3 Nov Trikone Australia, a GLBTIQ (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Questioning) group comprising South Asian-Australians and

South Asians living in Australia, is organising an Open Forum with the aim of exploring avenues to survive, evolve and move forward while being both South Asian and GLBTIQ. It also hopes to bring untold stories to the surface as members negotiate the complex social dynamics of being South Asian as well as GLBTIQ. Venue ACON, 414 Elizabeth St, Sydney.

Details Kalani 0434 504 306 or email contact.trikone@gmail.com VHP Australia VHP Australia is seeking volunteer teachers to teach Hindu Dharma in Public Schools (approved by the Dept of Education). Training and materials will be provided. Details Akila Ramarathinam 02 8814 7016. * Sydney Veda Patasala is open for children and adults. It involves Vedic chanting and Sanskrit language. Classes are held at on Sundays Baulkham Hills, Carlingford, Moorebank and Westmead. Details Sri Subbuji 0425 284 501. * Bala Samskara Kendra (Sanskrit Language, Indian Culture and Heritage School for children) operates out of Toongabbie, Moorebank, Hornsby and Flemington.

Students learn Sanskrit language (writing, reading, speaking and reciting poems).

Details Rohini Srinivasan 02 9863 3067.

Rahul Dravid at St George cricket function Thurs 1 Nov Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid will be the guest speaker at the St George Grade Cricket Club’s Annual Dinner to be held at Club Central, Hurstville. He will be interviewed by renowned cricket journalist Mike Coward. Details St George Club CEO Jon Jobson 02 9580-0101.

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Falguni’s dandiya fiesta The Queen of Dandiya brings sanedo, traditional folk and Bollywood beats to Sydney’s Navratri celebrations

By KOMAL UTSAV JAGAD

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midst a profusion of our pious Indian festivals including the conclusion of Ganeshutsav and the ritual bidding goodbye to Lord Ganesha, a shift in mood is already in place. An abundant wave of fiesta was brought in by the Queen of Dandiya Falguni Pathak, as she helped Sydney’s Indian community welcome the Navratri season.

Traditionally celebrated as a nine-night affair (‘nav’ means nine and ‘ra’ means night in Sanskrit), Navratri celebrates three (tri) elements - power, wealth and knowledge in the form of Hindu goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Over 1800 people attended the Rosehill Racecourse event in late September to rejoice in their passion for Navratri with the one and only Falguni Pathak.

The event was a burst of colour, energy and delight all around, thanks to Dhawal Amin of Amin Events in association with Meit Shah and Neha Kolape of NM Events, all of whom were instrumental in bringing Falguni to Australia this year. Falguni’s fans could not wait to shake a leg as they walked into the venue dressed in conventional chaniya-cholis: for some, decorative metal ornaments including ethnic headgear and heavy necklaces enhanced both their attire and temperament. As evidenced by their festive style and dress, all the revellers knew exactly what was coming and were looking forward to it.

As soon as the garba beats began, small circles of dancers congregated, surrounded by non-dancers who tried figuring out how the dancers managed to clap, snap and hop gracefully at the same time. Their puzzled excitement intensified as they NATIONAL EDITION

saw different circles creating new patterns of dancing.

Despite all the action on the dance floor, a stir of hysteria greeted Falguni as she appeared on stage. Sticking to her trademark tomboyish fashion sense, Falguni was dressed in a smart off-white kurti complementing a glittery maroon coat with sequins and diamantes, teaming up with her band members who were dressed in shimmering blue and green shirts.

With a sweet voice and charismatic stage presence, she brought smiles effortlessly to everyone’s faces, while the audience showed their appreciation with heartfelt accolades like ‘Waah waah!’

(Bravo!). With co-singers Tushar, Sanjay and Hema, Falguni packaged a mixture of different hits including a pop track Pari hoon main; to old melodies like Mumbai se aaya mera dost; and the most recent hit Jaan lelo na jaan re from the film Bol Bachchan.

Not just Bollywood and pop, Falguni’s niche is, of course, traditional Gujarati folk music.

Evergreen numbers like Kesariyo rang and Bahuchar mana dera had the crowd singing along Kookde kook bole with her, and swaying in excitement and delight.

It did not just end at that! Snehdo, folk tunes derived from the word sneh meaning love or affection, are couplets of four lines with amusing ideas for purely fun.

Dancers squat down after a pause after every couplet is sung, and regain momentum by jumping back high up in the air to start dancing again once the new couplet begins. This is a very unique and interesting dance form and great entertainment indeed!

In spite of the busy schedule, Falguni spared a few minutes backstage to sing couplets from her very famous song Chudi jo khanki for the media. She said to Indian Link, “I loved performing here in Sydney again. It’s always nice coming down under. I will now be flying to Muscat to perform after this”. Falguni has been singing for

over 27 years now, and has been performed in Australia every year for the last four years.

The special performance on Rangeelo maro dholna by Farah, Pallavi, Pooja and Priyanka was another highlight as they danced gracefully with earthen pots.

Chandni Patel, Shalini Gajjar and Hardik Gajjar also performed at the occasion, flying down from

Melbourne especially for the show.

A short presentation and aarti (prayers) was followed by a dandiya round, finishing past midnight with an awards ceremony with the winners - Ekta Parikh (Best dancer Female), Ishan Vyas (Best dancer Male) and Shivangi Gajjar (Best dress).

For most of the attendees, Dandiya Bash 2012 with Falguni

Pathak was like making a trip back home, rejuvenating and refreshing, a reminder of their traditional Indian links. And what better way to do it than with Falguni who is simply fun, admirable, legendary, groovy, unusual, native and indefatigable!

Kudos to the Queen of Dandiya for making it a memorable night for everyone!

OCTOBER (2) 2012 9

COVERSTORY

No more stumbles?

PM Julia Gillard does her bit on the uranium issue - considered the biggest stumbling block in the smoothening of relations between India and Australia

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ustralian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s three day trip to India has been a lesson in diplomacy and tact, as is befitting a well-experienced politician.

It’s a far cry from the uncharacteristically aggressive stance she took recently in Parliament, berating Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and calling him a ‘misogynist’, for which she was surprised to find herself internationally lauded. But Ms Gillard has kept sanguine on her India trip, in what seems to be an endorsement of friendship and goodwill between the two countries. And despite her spectacular stumble thanks to a footwear malfunction, she is back on her feet offering goodwill and amity to the Indian subcontinent.

Julia Gillard’s visit to India from October 16-18 has been widely hailed as an acknowledgment of the country as a force to be reckoned with in the region, and a useful ally to have on Australia’s doorstep. In the first visit by an Australian Prime Minister in three years, Ms Gillard sought to create greater economic, political and strategic links with India, as well as highlighting the cultural and social links between the two countries.

It was a whirlwind visit, with meetings organised with high profile political figures, business leaders and eminent personalities, but one that has positive outcomes for trade and bilateral relations, which are worth almost $18 billion.

Naturally, the sale of uranium to India was high on the agenda of discussion, given that it has been considered the biggest stumbling block in the smoothening of relations, but it is also alleged that Gillard intends cultivating the relationship as a counterpoint to China.

But overall, it seems apparent that Ms Gillard’s trip was as much to strengthen diplomatic ties with India as to earn the goodwill of its people.

Here are the highlights of Julia Gillard’s visit to India.

the strategic canvas of their partnership by agreeing to work closely in creating an inclusive order in the Asia-Pacific region.

“We are also developing wideranging cooperation in defence and security issues, including the fight against terrorism, in all of which we regard Australia as an important partner,” Manmohan Singh said.

The two sides decided to step up negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that will help scale up bilateral trade and investment.

Bilateral trade in goods was estimated to be $17.4 billion in 2011-12, while India’s investments in Australia are around S$ 11 billion. Speaking to business leaders, Gillard said the two countries have set a goal of doubling bilateral trade to $40 billion by 2015.

Tendulkar honour

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar would be conferred with a membership of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the sport.

Gillard, who made the announcement during a visit to a cricket clinic in New Delhi organised by an NGO Magic Bus, said that the “special honour”, the AM, would be conferred by Australian Cabinet Minister Simon Crean when he visits India soon.

“This is a very special honour, very rarely awarded to someone who is not an Australian citizen or an Australian national,” Ms Gillard said. “He is away playing cricket - surprise, surprise - but the award will be conferred on him by Minister Crean when he visits India. It’s a very special recognition of such a great batsman.”

Trade and investment discussed at meeting with Indian President

Inaugurating OzFest at Purana Qila

India, Australia to start nuclear deal talks

Opening a new chapter in their bilateral ties, India and Australia decided to start negotiations for a civil nuclear deal that will enable the sale of uranium by Canberra to New Delhi.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with his Australian counterpart Julia Gillard on a wide cluster of issues that included civil nuclear cooperation, intensification of economic ties and enhanced counter-terror and security cooperation.

“We have agreed to begin negotiations for an agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation, which will precede actual cooperation,” Manmohan Singh said at a joint media statement with Gillard.

“As you are aware, under Prime Minister Gillard, the Australian

Labour Party has articulated a new policy on uranium sales to India. This is recognition of India’s energy needs as well as of our record and credentials and I have expressed to Prime Minister Gillard our India’s appreciation of this development,” he said.

The launch of nuclear negotiations marks a turning point in bilateral ties that were blossoming in virtually all areas, but were held back by Canberra’s reservations over selling uranium to a country which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Gillard, the prime mover behind the India-Australia nuclear rapprochement, however, has made it clear that the deal could take a year or two before uranium exports begin.

In December last year, the ruling Labour Party reversed an earlier policy of not selling uranium to

countries which have not signed the NPT. The decision has removed a “point of tension” in relations between the nations, she stressed.

“Australia has changed, in determining to export uranium to India. India is changing, through important economic reforms in areas like energy, aviation and retail,” she added.

The two sides also announced a slew of steps that will imbue their burgeoning ties with greater depth and diversity. The initiatives include annual meetings at the summit level, either bilaterally or during multilateral events, a ministerial-level dialogue on energy security and setting up of a water technology partnership. They also decided to start negotiations for an agreement on transfer of sentenced persons. The two countries also decided to expand

Prime Minister Julia Gillard met President Pranab Mukherjee and discussed trade and investment and energy issues between the two countries.

The two leaders held “wide ranging discussions on bilateral and multilateral issues”.

“The discussions covered issues relating to trade and investment, energy, supply of resources for India’s economic development, education, and people to people contacts,” a statement issued in New Delhi said.

The start of civil nuclear negotiations, though, according to Gillard, could take “one or two years”.

Gillard and Mukherjee also discussed cooperation in multilateral forums such as G-20 whose summit Australia will host in 2014.

Mukherjee congratulated Gillard for launching the Oz Fest

in India and described it as a good initiative.

“The president also expressed appreciation for Australia’s support for India’s candidature in an expanded United Nations Security Council and said the two countries should work together in reforming the international financial architecture and equipping institutions like the World Bank with the resources they need,” the statement said.

Gillard gifted two saplings of Wollemi Pine for the famed Mughal Gardens inside Rashtrapati Bhavan’s sprawling premises.

This tree was discovered in

take off the sporting field into our everyday lives.”

Gillard was seen mingling with children from the NGO, who were playing a match among themselves. She refused to take up the bat or the ball, saying that she had political differences with John Howard but had learnt some things from watching him.

“I wasn’t tempted to showcase my skills. Number one, because I don’t really have cricketing skills.

So that would be a problem,” she said.

“Number two, whilst I didn’t agree with prime minister Howard’s policies in many

Club of India at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

The development squad comprises the brightest talent from the 2012 Imparja Cup, Cricket Australia’s national indigenous tournament.

Oz Fest opens with mega concert, endowment

The four-month Oz Fest, a showcase of Australian culture in India, kicked off with Prime Minister Julia Gillard announcing the Ravi Shankar World Music Scholarship, named after the Indian sitar maestro, at Victoria University. Announcing the

and a host of dignitaries from Australia and India.

Set against the backdrop of a small arched relic, the Sher Mandal Observatory, inside the Old Fort complex, the opening act left the audience gasping in delight. A spectacular light show highlighted the Islamic architecture and the intricate floral design - which was magnified on the red sandstone surface of the structure by a complex kaleidoscope of moving laser images and coloured 3D electronic lights.

The light show, produced by the creators of Sydney’s Vivid Light Festival known for its light displays at the Sydney Opera

AP Photos; MEA Photos

(Clockwise from left) With Sonia Gandhi; at an interactive session with youth; at Mahatma Gandhi’s memorial; at the India-Australia CEOs Forum; at the Asha Education project site.

Australia in 1994 and its origins date back to the time when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, the statement added.

Cricket cooperation for a good cause

The cricket clinic attended by Prime Minister Julia Gillard and the Indigenous Cricket Development Squad at her recent visit to India is run in New Delhi

by Cricket Australia (CA) and a local NGO. Gillard said, “Australia and India share a love of sport and cricket in particular and I am delighted to join you for a cricket clinic with NGO Magic Bus. Sport is an important foundation for life. It teaches us self confidence and self-esteem and promotes teamwork, cooperation and tolerance - values which we can

respects, I watched and learned from his prime ministership and a key lesson is never to pick up a bat in India in front of our friends from the media.”

The Australia’s Indigenous Development Squad is in the early stages of its 12-day tour of India.

Captain of the team, Josh Lalor, who presented Prime Minister Gillard with a shirt signed by members of the team, said: “The tour is a fantastic opportunity for members of the squad to come to a vastly different part of the world to develop our cricket and learn from exposure to new cultures.

The clinic is a unique experience for the team and one that I know we’ll remember clearly from our time in India.”

The visiting team lost its first match of the tour on the last ball of its match against the Cricket

endowment, Ms Gillard said the scholarship would allow musicians to study at the Victoria University from 2013.

“This scholarship represents everything that India and Australia share. Ravi Shankar took Indian culture to the world,” Gillard said at the opening of the Oz Fest, which will conclude on Feb 5.

The festival opened with a fusion concert of Australian aboriginal music and a sitar recital

by Anoushka Shankar, Ravi Shankar’s daughter, at the historic venue of the 16th century Purana Qila (Old Fort) in the heart of the national capital.

Besides the Australian prime minister, the opening concert was graced by Indian Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal, Australian envoy in India Peter Varghese

House, was accompanied by a solo didgeridoo concert by virtuoso Mark Atkins. The didgeridoo is an ancient indigenous Australian drone instrument resembling a long wooden horn that produces a deep primal sounds like that of the gongs.

It was followed by a solo concert of iconic Australian vocalist, Gurumul Yunupingu, a blind musician who sang about the ethnic myths, legends, spirits and crosscultural connections. In 2011, he was named the most important voice from Australia by Rolling Stones magazine. Gurumul’s plaintive voice spun a magical web on the sprawling heritage ambience.

Twice Grammy Awardnominated Anoushka Shankar played two cheerful and rhythmic evening compositions, raga Tilang and raga Vachaspati created by her

father Ravi Shankar, and a Carnatic raga Adi. Addressing the gathering, Sibal said the ties between India and Australia date back to 50 million years ago when the continental drift started to separate Asia from the Australian landmass.

“We share similar values and are striving for a more equitable world,” Sibal said.

The festival is spread in four venues - Pune, Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore - with a panorama of music, performances, indigenous cricket, movies and art.

Gillard announces grant for Delhi NGO

Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that Australia will offer scholarships worth $30,000 in an effort to help the students from a slum in New Delhi pursue higher education in India.

She made the announcement while launching an internship programme of a Delhi-based NGO, Asha.

Congratulating Asha’s initiative which works for rehabilitation of slum dwellers in various colonies of the national capital, Gillard announced a $30,000 contribution for Asha’s ‘higher education programme’ to provide scholarships for college and university students.

“In five short years, Asha has helped over 700 students into university. Australia’s support will ensure the number of slum children attending university and college continues to grow,” Kiran Martin, founder and director of Asha said.

According to the NGO, the internship programme adds an extra dimension to Asha’s pioneering ‘higher education programme’ which started as the first organised effort to enable slum children attend university.

“These bright students have overcome enormous challenges to make it to college. The Asha internship programme equips them with skills and confidence to take the next step into the competitive job market. Asha has been overwhelmed by the support for this innovative programme,” Martin said.

Divaker Thakur, a business student, who interned with the Macquarie Group and Rio Tinto and has since been employed as a marketing executive, said: “The internship has been a dream come true. I could never have imagined I would work in such high profile multinationals. I gained confidence and invaluable skills that helped me obtain a terrific job.”

Julia Gillard has a special relationship with Asha, which she visited as Education Minister.

She has hosted its founder Kiran Martin here in Australia too.

Sheryl Dixit with reports from IANS

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OCTOBER (2) 2012 13

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Statuesque Shiva,

playful Krishna

Priya Datt presents an impressive debut

P

riya Datt was only four when she saw her first full-fledged Bharatanatyam performance.

“It was simply amazing,” she recalls. “I was completely hooked”.

She had only just started lessons some six months before, but for the first time, became aware of the beauty of it all. Her devotion to the dance form became deeprooted, and she began to love the mythology behind it all.

“My mum is of Indonesian heritage, and she has always loved bharatanatyam too: she influenced me a lot”.

The 17-year-old Year 11 student presented her arrangetram (debut) performance earlier this month at the Sydney Bahai Centre.

She demonstrated more than satisfactorily that she has bloomed into a gifted dancer.

Priya is a disciple of Nikhila Kiran, of the Natyanivedan Dance School in Sydney. The school was established in 1998 and has trained more than fifty students to date.

It was a debut with enthusiasm

and joy on Priya’s part. A desire to perform and exhibit her talent was evident in all the items she presented. She did equally well in the abstract Nritta portions as in the concrete Abhinaya portions.

Pushpanajali stated off the evening where the item chosen was Mooshika Vahana in Kannada. For the Allaripu Priya performed an abstract number with an impressive flute backdrop by Vivek V Krishna.

Jathiswaram in pleasing ragas, Kalyani, Attana etc, presented a dream-like atmosphere.

How many shades of meaning can be given to the flow of swaras starting with Sa Ni Sa Da Sa Ni Da Pa Da Ni! Varnam, where the dancer is really put to test, came out beautifully. A composition of Tanjore Brothers’ Saroojakshi was presented in raga Yadhukulakamboji.

Karva Chauth is on 2nd Nov 2012 Like in previous years, SINGH FOODS AND SPICES will hold MEHENDI KI SHYAM on: 31st Oct: 1.00pm - 8.00 pm 1st Nov: 10.00am - late No bookings: First Come First Served basis

This was a dance where the Nayika expressed her intense love for Lord Shiva.

Priya exhibited the typical feelings of a lover very vividly – love, anguish, expectation, waiting and fear. The various picturesque poses of Shiva she presented, truly impressed.

Later Priya revealed the Varnam was the most difficult item in the entire repertoire. “It was a long number and there was a lot to remember,” she admitted. “Also I had to ensure the audience’s attention was maintained”.

It was the abhinaya in Theerada Vilaiyattu Pillai that Priya said she enjoyed the most. Krishna’s pranks with Radhika are the theme of this

item. A playful Krishna character was evident. Gajendra Moksha was enacted impressively in Hey Govinda, the Surdas bhajan.

The movements seemed free and were performed with ease. The program also included Thillana in Raga Pharas and Mangalam which portrayed Dashavatara.

A houseful audience thoroughly enjoyed the dance. The experience was heighted by the accompanists, all from Bangalore. Guru Nikhila’s guru Shamprakash performed on the essential Mridangam. Bharati Venugopal gave vocal support with her sweet voice. Vivek V Krishna accompanied on the flute. Guru Nikhila provided Nattuvanagam.

And what does the future hold for this skilful dancer?

“I’d love to tour other countries and present my art,” Priya was quick to respond.

“I’ve danced to non-Indian audiences before and I love it that I leave them spellbound!

Also, I would love to visit my guru’s school in India, Keshava Nritya Shala”.

Sydney Srinivas

Diwali is on 13 Nov 2012 Big savings on Diwali products Wide range of murthis and diyas Fresh sweets Variety of utensils Special deals available!

Navratri begins on 16 Oct 2012 All products available for Navratra and Karvachauth

14 OCTOBER (2) 2012

www.indianlink.com.au

stage

The history of India’s poetry, in dance The marriage of varying artforms is skilfully executed in a riveting Bharatnatyam ballet BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

E

NATIONAL EDITION

Intellectual, political, moral, emotional, social, religious and biographical expressions were the focal points of ballet.

Photos: Binu Photography

mbodying myriad spiritual and cultural traditions, poetic expression is fundamental to the Indian way of life. Often set to music, mainly transmitted orally and only much later written down, the sheer volume and diversity of work is mind-boggling and ranges from early Vedic era to contemporary times. Sadly, many of our poet seers lived in penury. Even to this day, their work however continues to inspire, enrich and illuminate our lives.

The students of Hamsa Venkat and her Samksriti School of Dance paid homage to this rich literary tradition through a Bharatanatyam ballet at UNSW Science Theatre last weekend.

The event was in aid of charity group AIM for SEVA that serves disadvantaged children in remote rural India by providing them with basic infrastructure and healthcare facilities but more importantly free education.

Aptly titled Kavyam: Poetry in Motion, the three-hour performance carefully selected and sensitively portrayed nuggets from various aspects of this noble genre. Intellectual, political, moral, emotional, social, religious and biographical expressions were the focal points of ballet.

A thought provoking multimedia presentation produced by lead dancer Govind Pillai and Adrian Van Raay introduced each segment, highlighting its nuances.

Main dancers Divya Sriram, Govind Pillai, Priyanka Rajan, Sneha Rao, Vishni Ravindran, Priya Murali and Champa Ravikumar all impressed like we have come to expect of them.

Celebrating the linguistic diversity of India, the unique ballet was set to music in various languages, including Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Bengali by Sydney’s own musical duo Sangeetha and Mohan Ayyar.

The musical score (which was locally produced and recorded) provided the perfect platform for the talented dancers to unleash their creative talent.

Lead singers Sangeetha Ayyar and Krishna Ramarathinam were ably supported by Mohan Ayyar on synthesiser and Kranti Kiran Mudigonda on violin, while Bala Shankar and Siva Sethupathi demonstrated their prowess yet again on the entire percussion ensemble. Sumi Krishnan and

Kishan Jeyendran provided musical support for the Tagore segment.

Using the fundamental principles of Natya Shastra and traditional framework of Bharatanatyam, the very capable Hamsa Venkat deftly introduced key elements of drama and music to narrate the history of poetry over the ages. Frame after frame flowed effectively as artists, musicians and back stage support worked in tandem for seamless transition. The lighting and the stage props were outstanding, adding depth and texture to the narrative. The outcome was a holistic experience enjoyed by audiences both young and old, amateur and connoisseur.

Set to varying speeds and levels of expertise, opening the production was the traditional jattiswaram as dancers young and experienced paid their obeisance not only to the poet seers but also to mother earth and Ganesha, the god of good beginnings.

This segment celebrated “the intellectual expression” in poetic genre through the works of renowned Kannada composer Purandara Daasa.

What followed was a scintillating lesson in patriotism, as Hamsa explored the works of visionary Tamil leader Subramanya Bharathi. In the early twentieth century, his idyllic dream of “Bhaaratha Samudhaayam” awakened the spirit of nationalism. His powerful poetry and political treatises truly integrated a nation. Though he did not live to enjoy the freedom, his poems envisioned the unity in all its diversity.

Not without reason was he called Mahaakavi.

Like Bharathiar, Nobel Laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore was a poet and visionary who fought hard for social change. A forward thinker, Tagore was pained by rotting core of social evils that plagued Hindu society. Through Chandaalika, Tagore’s dance drama Hamsa delved into the mind of a young untouchable girl who questioned social norms of the day, voicing the plight of the marginalised community.

Incorporating elements from Rabindra Nritya and folklore, the Tagore segment provided the group an opportunity to diverge from traditional Bharatanatyam framework and explore unconventional territory. Through the monk Ananda, Chandalika

finally finds meaning in life.

Hamsa chose to dedicate the centrepiece of the ballet, the Varnam, to the works of Vishnu Sharma, one of the most widely translated authors in the world.

His lessons on morality have been passed down many generations.

Two tales from his much-loved magnum opus Panchatantra celebrated the virtues of common

sense and worldly wisdom. What a joy it was to relive the tale of Subuddhi, whose wit and common sense prevailed over bookish knowledge. As well, the story of the clever crow, which outwitted the devious snake, provided ample room for the experienced dancers to showcase their superior skills.

Such meticulous execution no doubt stems from dedication and hours of practice.

With each production, Hamsa’s students seem to blossom.

Particularly powerful was the presence of the lone male dancer Govind Pillai. His skilful abhinaya and neat postures leave the audience waiting for more.

The tales of Krishna and his romantic exploits have time and time again served as a perfect canvas for the

capable Bharatanatyam dancer.

With its sheer range of emotions, the roller coaster Radha-Krishna relationship makes for perfect drama. Hamsa explored the poetic genius of Jaya Deva and his magnum opus Geeta Govinda in this segment.

Looking beyond the mundane, the bulk of Indian poetry of course is religious, celebrating the mystical element in life. In this segment, Kavyam focussed on two poet seers, Tulsidas and Adi Shankara as well as two central Hindu deities Raama (Sriramachandra kripalu) and Shakti (Ayigiri nandini). Both delineations were a feast to savour, with elaborate footwork, sculpturesque postures and sensitive emoting.

Concluding the ballet was a fitting tribute to the matriarch of modern Bharatanatyam movement in India and in fact a patron of all art forms, Rukmini Devi Arundale. The thillana or grand finale was dedicated to the biographical art form.

A poem in itself, Hamsa Venkat’s ballet Kavyam is a sensitive composition, celebrating all aspects of art, be it music, drama or literature.

ARTS

Transgressing boundaries with Performance Art Experience a transformation through a live visual art form with profound meaning

With Blackening IV: Bay 19, Chopra cooked a meal for 18 people for the first time during a performance.

BY SALONI KOBER

W

orld-renowned Indian artist Nikhil Chopra is a master of many art forms – painting, photography, theatre, sculpture and performance art. Born in Kolkata in 1974, this multi-faceted artist recently travelled to Sydney to display and create his latest Performance Art piece titled Blackening IV: Bay 19 at the Carriageworks public space in Redfern. During his three-day performance (September 28-30), Chopra adopted several different personae whilst creating an elaborate installation of large-scale drawings. These charcoal drawings were made directly onto 3-metre high, moveable walls. Chopra used these drawings to help create a site from which he could interact with the audience throughout the performance.

Blackening IV: Bay 19 is Chopra’s fourth installment in his series of ‘Blackening’ performances all over the world. The term ‘Blackening’ literally refers to the physical act of drawing with charcoal, while at the same time trying to raise the question about colour and ethnicity.

‘Bay 19’ refers to the physical space at Carriageworks, which used to be an old railway workshop from the 19th century and now produces and presents contemporary art by local and international artists.

Performance Art is a timebased action, carried out by an artist that has a beginning and an end. The documentation of the performance through photographs, or in Chopra’s case his drawings, may live on. But the performance itself is short-lived. The action is the art, not the output of the performance. The performer tries to create a lasting impression on the minds of his audience, while trying to get across his ideas and feelings. Chopra’s performance piece was stimulated by the history and architecture of both 16 OCTOBER (2) 2012

Carriageworks and Sydney. The use of charcoal as a tool and the aim to cover his space with black dust was performed with the intent of casting a light on the question of “Am I black?” and “Can one really be defined by a colour?”

With each piece, be it an indoor or an outdoor one, Chopra transforms the physical space with his performance and his drawings. There is a subsequent internal transformation that takes place in Chopra, a heightening of senses. Furthermore there is a transformation in the audience, who are watching and reacting to what they are seeing.

In his Sydney performance, Chopra addressed issues of identity and history, the role of autobiography and the process of transformation. Through Blackening IV: Bay 19, Chopra transformed the space at Carriageworks with bold and confident strokes in his charcoal drawings. This “blackening” eventually moved onto his own costume and body.

On the second and third day of his performance, Chopra shopped at the Eveleigh Markets for local produce. He used these fruits and vegetables along with some traditional Indian spices, to create an elaborate dinner for 18 people.

Nikhil Chopra’s works have been shown at major museums and art festivals all over the world, including the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; the Artsonje Centre, Seoul, and the 53rd Venice Biennale.

Chopra admits that Performance Art is something he stumbled on to.

What started as a Fine Arts Degree at Ohio State University in 2003, slowly developed into Performance Art due to Chopra’s love of both art and theatre.

“I performed my first Performance Art piece as my master’s thesis, which was met with much appreciation from colleagues and teachers,” he told Indian Link.

“From then on, each performance only created exhilaration and an urgency to perform again”.

“Each piece provides a chance to rectify the mistakes of my last performance, while at the same time offering freedom to experiment and make new mistakes,” he added, tongue in cheek.

Performance Art has many challenges. For one, each performance brings forth a confrontation with new space, new circumstances and a new audience.

For Chopra however, coming through the other side and finishing a performance, be it a 24-hour, 48hour or 99-hour performance, is the reward.

“Each performance puts forward a new kind of test,” Chopra revealed. With Blackening IV, he seemed to have enjoyed cooking for the onlookers.

“My performances are rarely scripted; instead I go into each performance with a map in my mind. The origin and the destination of my journey are fixed, yet the journey itself is improvised,” he explained.

In his 2003 performance Sir Raja II, Chopra chose India’s erstwhile ruling classes to focus on past and present issues of colonialism, exoticism and excess: he did this by transforming himself into a 19th century raja, and seating himself motionless at a table with a lavish spread of food and flowers, at the end of an extra-long red carpet.

‘Sir Raja’ has become one of Chopra’s statement alter-egos, just as Yog Raj Chitrakar, who apparently, is based on Nikhil’s own grandfather Yog Raj Chopra, a Kashmir-based painter of the 1950s and ‘60s.

Today, the Yog Raj Chitrakar: Memory Drawing series and the

Sir Raja series have travelled through Mumbai, Chicago, New York, Manchester, Brussels, Oslo, London, Tokyo, Venice, New Delhi, Srinagar and Ohio.

Performance Art first made its appearance in India in 1970 with artists such as Bhupen Khakhar, Vivan Sundaram and Nasreen Mohamedi. The art form in India has been unable to generate as much popularity as other art forms have. It has definitely created a lot of curiosity and enthusiasm; however, there seems to be an infinite lack of venues and institutional support for the exponents and exhibition of Performance Art. Khoj International Artists’ Association was launched in New Delhi in 1997 to combat this problem by promoting experimental art practices in India. As a pioneer of Performance Art in India, Khoj runs many Performance Arts programs by upcoming Indian and international artists. However even despite this, there are only a handful of artists who are seriously practicing Performance Art. The monumental exposure and appreciation of Indian contemporary artists like Nikhil Chopra outside of India has helped put the country in the spotlight.

“I believe that the long held image of a poor helpless khaki clad artist with a jhola and jodhpuris is changing,” Chopra stated. “The Indian artist of today feels empowered and wants to take risks. Performance Art is the next chapter in the book of contemporary Indian art”.

Chopra himself conducts workshops and courses for the artform.

“I firmly believe that as long as an artist can use his tools to create a heightened sense of selfawareness, it doesn’t matter what sort of art form it is,” Chopra said.

Chopra will continue his work in Australia with his performance at Asialink in Melbourne upto October 18 and at Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle from the October 18-31.

www.indianlink.com.au

Pride of place in the arts

OZASIAFestival

Indian artists showcase their considerable talent at Adelaide’s OzAsia Festival

T

BY FRANKEY GERARD FERNANDES

he roaring success of this year’s OzAsia Festival can, in no small part, be linked to its theme being India! It’s clear that the South Australian community leaped at every opportunity to celebrate the festival in Indian style. The cheers that spontaneously erupted from the 22,000 strong crowd at the concluding Moon Lantern Festival, when a troupe of turbaned Sikhs entered the parade carrying the City of Charles Sturt Lantern and then the Taxi Council of SA’s lantern, affirms this.

OzAsia is a unique in Australia, celebrating the deep connections with Asia in contemporary Australian culture. The festival brings the best of Asian performing, visual arts and ideas to Adelaide, and showcases these to an enraptured audience.

This year’s Indian theme brought many Indian participants who lent their talent and expertise to the festival.

Queen of Kathak

In the performing arts, Aditi Mangaldas held audiences spellbound with her skilled and committed troupe, performing a contemporary rendition of the classical Indian kathak dance.

The works were sensitive and intelligent, taking traditional Indian dance out of the folk museum and allowing the performance to speak poetically of time and change in Indian families. In simple silver pyjamas, male and female dancers and musicians worked in unison to create surprising patterns and rhythms. Sheer delight!

Kher power

Kailash Kher dominated the Festival Theatre and charmed audiences in Hinglish with stories of Adelaide and ‘Randal Mall’, as he joked. His voice was godlike, faultless and soaring. That such a mega-star came only to Adelaide to perform was a rare and wonderful treat for SA, and an immense coup for OzAsia.

The audience who were lucky enough to hear him would attest enthusiastically to this as aunties swooned and reminisced, young women kicked off their heels and danced on stage, and young men raised their arms in the aisles in ecstatic appreciation. This was India time! Kailash moved from NATIONAL EDITION

hit to hit chatting easily with the crowd, many of who were feeling free to chat right back. His enthusiastic wife and curly haired young boy were present also, which was a great tribute to their support for ‘Dad’. Chatting to him after the show, his small stature becomes apparent, but that such a voice and such confidence booms from him is a miracle. Kailash speaks with the humility of a true artist, engaging you directly and politely. As did his wonderful band – all music geniuses and enthusiastic party-goes. However, Kailash was not a party-goer himself and he departed the Festival Centre Bistro’s private reception soon after dinner.

Face Home: A charcoal drawing by Daniel Connell

Politics and Hoskote

In the visual arts, writer and social commentator Ranjit Hoskote came to Adelaide to inaugurate his exhibition for the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia.

With seven high profile Indian artists, the show The Needle on the Gauge explored through photography and moving images, issues of political inequality.

Hoskote showed that his position as an internationally respected curator is well deserved. He represents Indian issues with honesty, while his focus is global.

Adelaide was indeed fortunate to receive him and host this exhibition.

In the Samstag Gallery many Indian artists were represented in an exhibition from the National Portrait Gallery of Australia titled, Contemporary Self Portraiture of South Asia. This exhibition was strong, but dense and often impenetrable. Unlike Hoskote’s finely tuned and cohesive ideas this was an overview, but certainly well worth the visit.

Seniors reflect

The Ramta Drig Collective, a trio comprising of Daniel Connell (Adelaide), Himanshu Vyas (Jaipur) and Amit Kalla (Jaipur), created a three-part exhibition called REFLECT. Drawing on ideas of art as collaboration, the group involved senior members of the Indian community some months prior to the opening of the exhibition, through conducting interviews and drawing portraits.

The aim of this was to honour the parents of recent migrants many of whom now shuttle between India and Australia often confronting all the questions of separation, translocation, culture clash and language barriers while being limited to a home in an unfamiliar suburb.

“There are many parents here now,” said Connell. “I want to

Kailash Kher honour them and the gift they have given to Australia through their children. By honouring them we are also affirming the welcome for their next generation and the importance of family to Indian culture.”

The subtle and sensitive moving image portraits of these faces were projected to a height of 4 metres, and could be seen across the city through the gallery’s glass front every night until midnight. Add to this the paintings of Amit Kalla and the poetry and photography of Vyas, the exhibition was full and rich. It enticed many community members into the gallery space, many of who would not normally come there.

REFLECT’s opening night saw a 300-strong audience, with Prof Pal Ahluwalia speaking about ‘home in motion’. The Lieutenant Governor, Minister for the Arts and art’s elite mingled with artists and a hundred senior members of the Indian community. One guest was the mother of a young man now living in Adelaide who had, just a week ago, travelled from her tiny village in the Himalayas to visit him. She had never left her village before, never been on a train, and is now a celebrity in one of Adelaide’s finest venues. As it should be!

“When we were acknowledged from the stage at the opening night, that moment was unexplainable!” said Maninder Bir Singh, a representative of the Guru Nanak Society of South

Australia’s elder programme, who collaborated with Connell on the REFLECT project.

The second part of the exhibition was the 21mx4m outdoor wall mural made of reflective tape imported from India. Titled Turbans and Transport, it depicted 5 faces, portraits of young men working in the transport sector in Adelaide, and drew a link to them and the long history since Afghan cameleers of transport and turban clad gentlemen.

The third part was the photographic exhibition by internationally awarded photojournalist Himanshu Vyas, a columnist and photographer for the Hindustan Times. His works described the journey to Samsara and most beautifully encapsulated the subtle philosophy of Ramta Drig: player ..seer.. mover.. observer.

The trio continued to work in the gallery space over the period of the exhibition, and then travelled to Port Augusta, thanks to the University of South Australia Human Rights and Security Research and Innovation Cluster. They proceeded onto the Flinders Ranges where the Rajasthani pair performed puja outside an ancient Aboriginal cave painting site on a hill and lit incense in honour of our common ancestors overlooking the outback plains. Next, they journeyed to Whyalla with other international delegates including Indians, to attend the International Rural Networks Conference and meet indigenous artists.

The vibrant and positive Moon Lantern Festival captured the spirit of India again with bhangra.

Bollywood and kathak dancing featured consistently and the audience, loving the Indian energy, clearly took all Asia to its heart.

Next year, OzAsia will shine the spotlight on Malaysia and again serve up a treat for SA audiences. Adelaide can’t wait.

“I want to honour them (parents of Indian migrants) and the gift they have given to Australia through their children.

By honouring them we are also affirming the welcome for their next generation and the importance of family to Indian culture” Daniel Connell

Himanshu Vyas and Amit Kalla perform a puja outside the scared Aboriginal site at Flinders Ranges

At the Flinders Ranges the Rajasthani pair performed puja outside an ancient Aboriginal cave painting site on a hill and lit incense in honour of our common ancestors overlooking the outback plains.

OCTOBER (2) 2012 17

Paadayatra of piety

SpecialReport

Devotees of various temples join together in a 75km walk that tests their physical, mental and religious prowess

I

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

n the tradition of our ancient seers, a determined group of Sydney Hindus took part in and successfully completed a paadayatra (journey by foot) from Murugan Temple at Westmead to Sri Venkateshwara Temple (SVT) at Helensburgh, visiting BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Sri Mandir and Shirdi Sai Mandir along the way. Spanning two days over the October long weekend, the marathon walk of nearly 75kms was a real character building exercise for the participants, a test of their physical and mental endurance.

The novel initiative was spearheaded by the Hindu Council of Australia (HCA) in conjunction with Let’s Give Hope, a Sydney based youth group, to unify Hindu temples, missions and organisations in Sydney. While many individuals and groups have previously undertaken the strenuous paadayatra over the past two decades, this is the first time various bodies have come together, making it a successful community-building effort, while reinforcing age-old customs and practices. The milestone event is now set to become a regular fixture of the Sydney Hindu calendar.

Strengthening the mind and body, ‘paada yaatra’ or ‘journey on foot to sacred destinations’ is an integral part of the Hindu heritage. With minimal resources to support them, our rishis and munis have time and time again undertaken this spiritual odyssey in search of the Supreme Being, rediscovering their own identity in the process, and carrying the divine message to the common man. In the twentieth century, this noble tradition was revitalised

by Mahatma Gandhi with the historic Dandi March, rallying a nation which eventually led to the overthrow of British rule. Walking

18 OCTOBER (2) 2012

is a core aspect of the mainstream Australian lifestyle as well, be it a casual weekend routine or more rigorous fitness regimen. With dedicated coast-to-coast, bush and bay walk trails, it is a must do for many. The Indian community in Australia has warmed to the idea, actively taking part in more strenuous events as well.

Meticulously planned and executed by Sai Paravasthu of Let’s Give Hope and Murali Dharan of SVT, the inaugural 2012 paadayatra was supported by the Premier’s Office, Events NSW, RTA, police and ambulance services, as well as all the local councils along the walking trail.

A core group of 54 walkers, comprising of men, women and children in the age bracket of twelve to seventy, attempted the strenuous exercise with 43 achieving the target. Many eager devotees, including individuals and groups representing various temples involved, also joined the focus group along the way, offering colour and dimension to the unique event. Initially tailored for younger participants because of the risks involved, the paadayatra was opened up to experienced walkers and those young at heart, to cater to the demand.

Prior to the walk, an induction night was held for all participants at the Murugan Temple, briefing them extensively on the protocols.

Arrangements were also in place regarding health and safety issues.

All participants were previously screened and registered, and the event was insured by the HCA. “Two things prompted me to organise this event,” Paravasthu explained to Indian Link. “One is the Indian tradition of pilgrims walking on special occasions and festivals. As well in this great country, people do a lot of charitable runs and walks for various good reasons and to support the community. The SVT paadayatra is an amalgam these two diverse aspects. A purely notfor-profit devotional endeavour, our aim is to continue the culture and tradition of paada yatra, at the same time to make it safe and

secure for participants.” He added, “By assessing risks and putting in place a proper structure, format and safety measures, more and more people can participate in this unique tradition and keep this culture alive, to be passed on to our future generations here in Australia.”

“Earlier people walked to the temple at different times of the year and randomly, to fulfil the desire of being a traditional pilgrim. As one can assume, walking for such a long distance using some major roads has its own risk. With the formal event now in place which has all the approvals and support, and more importantly the company to do the walk, we have a community presence as well,” he stated.

“We purposely kept the event low key this year as we wanted to road test it, learn from our experience and build on it.

For future, my vision is more people from our community to be involved (not only Hindus.

We want to have people of all ages participating in the event and have more participation in walks between temples for people who cannot walk this double marathon.”

Inspired by friends who had been walking for decades, in October 2011, Paravasthu took part in the trek to SVT for the first time, joining veterans from Westmead to Helensburgh.

Staying with family friends overnight at Hurstville, it occurred to him to formalise the event.

“My friends were very supportive of the idea. The following day when we reached SVT, a committee member approached us with the same idea, offering help with all the arrangements,” he explained.

“With this level of encouragement and by the grace of the Almighty, I started making enquiries. Earlier this year, I spoke to various organisations on how such public events are run. After extensive research, I registered the event with NSW Premier’s department in May. We had to prepare a lot of paperwork and liaise with a lot of departments and get their

approvals,” he added. But it has certainly been worth the effort.

Coordinating the logistics was quite a challenge, admitted SVT’s Murali Dharan.

“Besides routes, timings and approvals, we also had to plan for fitness levels and skill sets of individual participants. It was a very diverse group and I am delighted that the event finished without any incidents. The participants themselves, volunteers, various committees and government bodies have been extremely helpful and I am truly humbled by all their support,” he added. “We have also had requests from other temples which were not on this route, including those at Minto and Regents Park. As well on the actual day, we unfortunately had to bypass Karpaga Vinayagar Temple as we were behind schedule.

Perhaps next year, we might undertake two different circuits as well as smaller suburban routes.

We want significant community involvement and to cater to a wider target group,” he stated.

“In taking part in the paadayatra, we are following the illustrious examples of Rama, Sita and Lakshmana as well as that of Adi Shankara,” he added.

The paadayatra began at 6.30 am at Westmead Murugan Temple with the walk team formally seeking the Lord’s blessings before undertaking this pilgrimage. Sporting special event T-shirts and reflective vests, they set off on the trek as a large group of devotees, volunteers and onlookers gathered outside to flag off this maiden venture.

The group was received at BAPS and Sri Mandir with customary honours before heading to Shirdi Sai Mandir

at South Strathfield for a tea break.

Speaking to Indian Link en route, Prashant, a young Telugu student stated that it was a real pleasure walking as a group. “It would have been extremely hard on my own. I know many people do it year after year. I am so glad to have company

Strengthening the mind and body, ‘paada yaatra’ or ‘journey on foot to sacred destinations’ is an integral part of the Hindu heritage

because when you chat along the way the burden is considerably reduced,” he said.

Even as the group walked along Hume Highway, Wentworthvillebased Murali sporting his customary thongs, a veteran on this circuit, kept coming back to motivate stragglers, ensuring that their spirits were kept up.

Incidentally this paadayatra was Murali’s twenty-fifth trek to SVT, having pioneered this movement.

Well nourished and rehydrated, the group were up for the

big spell, the six-hour stretch to Heathcote reaching the Sutherland Motel at dusk, where arrangements had been made for an overnight stay. All along the way volunteer groups organised simple but nutritious food and drinks.

At the crack of dawn the next morning, the walkers set off on the final leg from Heathcote to Helensburgh, a 20km concrete belt along the highway. Walking in single file, they were a visible group as motorists honked in support. The first of the walkers Anandarajah Karuppiah reached the temple at 10am, ahead of schedule. With blisters on their feet, sweat pouring down their

backs and memorable tales to tell, the rest trickled in slowly, with the tail end finally arriving at 2pm.

It was a journey that will not be easily forgotten – of friendships cemented, lessons learnt and experiences gained. The temple priests formally welcomed the pilgrims, offering thanksgiving for safe completion of the paadayatra.

Volunteers prepared a simple annadhaanam suited for the pilgrim’s overworked bodies.

It was time for smiles and tributes all round. A formal felicitation function has been planned for a later date to celebrate yet another iconic milestone to an already full calendar.

Arrangements were in place regarding health and safety issues.

All participants were previously screened and registered, and the event was insured by the HCA.

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OCTOBER (2) 2012 21

Back to nature communityscene

Aspects of the five elements were taught to children through interactive sessions, at a spring school holiday camp

By DINESH RAMANAN

S

pring is the season for nature’s manifestation to be seen at its best. To celebrate the season of spring, the Global Organisation for Divinity (GOD) organised a holiday camp with the central theme of ‘Five elements of nature’. Held on October 2-3 at the Crestwood community centre in Baulkham Hills, about 35 primary school children from in and around Sydney attended.

The aims of the camp were twofold: firstly to re-introduce nature to children and educate them at a broad level regarding the powers of the five elements and how they work in an integrated manner, and secondly, to bring home the responsibility on all of us as end-users of these elements, in maintaining natural balance and doing our part for the environment.

The bigger picture about nature and the five elements was presented to the children by a visual compilation of video clippings systematically unfolding of the qualities and greatness of each. Chiranth Wodeyar of Vishwas Productions created the presentation in an interactive manner, inviting enthusiastic participation, followed by a Q&A session.

Children were also taught that what is outside is inside us, and about the importance of being in touch with the divinity within each of us. A yoga session by Petra Maul and a simple meditation session were conducted to help the children see the body and mind connection. In the meditation session, children were taught the habit of praying for a short time daily by chanting the divine names of God. As repetitive exercises in a gym help keep our body fit, repeating the divine names of God is a good daily habit to keep our mind healthy and at peace. In today’s technology dominated world, we often tend to miss out on appreciating the simpler aspects of nature. The camp aimed at instilling curiosity and awareness of the physical and natural laws and order that are continuously operating.

Representatives from NSW 22 OCTOBER (2) 2012

Fire & Rescue and the Hills Shire Council presented special sessions on fire safety, wastage and recycling. The children were excited to see a fire engine arrive at the centre, and they were given a demonstration on fire safety, while being allowed to view the equipment. Their intriguing questions were patiently answered by the four crew manning the vehicle. They even tried out the hose used to contain fires.

Shaun Hunt, Resources Recovery Officer from the Hills Shire Council presented an informative session on wastage disposal and the concept of recycling. The children were amazed to learn that a white plastic bar was actually recycled coke bottles. Shaun explained how this bar is recycled into pellets and baby bottles, from which bottles of different sizes and shapes are made. The children participated in an activity called ‘Do the right bin’, in which they had to drop a waste item from a bag in the correct bin. This fun way helped them learn and understand the ways of disposing waste and how recycling helps the environment.

To consolidate their understanding, they were then asked to weave a ‘web of understanding’ by sharing what they had learned. The children also participated in ‘Lord Ganesha’ craftwork, and outdoor cricket and games. They were taught an English song on the five elements of nature which they absolutely loved.

As October 2 was the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, Chiranth showed children a presentation on his life. As usual, many youth

The camp aimed to bring home the responsibility on all of us as end-users of these elements, in maintaining natural balance and doing our part for the environment

from the GOD team assisted with various activities. Children were provided morning and afternoon tea and vegetarian lunch.

On the second day, a special presentation had been organised for parents with the children performing two skits. The first skit was the ‘Battle of the Forces’ in which each element claims itself to be the greatest and Time comes in and explains that their individual powers are unique and their combined power is what makes them great. In the second skit, “Save Mother

Earth”, kids showed how certain acts of humans are not only harmful to the environment but to themselves. Many children walked to stage at the end of the skit and expressed what they would do in future on their part to protect nature and save earth (e.g have shorter showers, use public transport, walk than drive where you can etc).

Together, they presented a song on the five elements, with Chiranth accompanying them on his guitar.

Many parents offered good

feedback on the structure of the camp and expressed their happiness at how GOD camps are run. One parent stated her satisfaction at how the camps integrate science and God, while presenting concepts in a simple manner to which children can understand and relate. Attendees to these camps have been steadily increasing, since GOD began conducting holiday camps biannually since 2010. When leaving, a few children told the organisers that they would meet again next year in the autumn holiday camp.

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communityscene

Australia’s first Hindu funeral hall in Melb

A

funeral is a ritual that not only confirms the reality and finality of death, but is also an affirmation of religious faith. In Australia, despite its mix of diverse cultures, Hindu funeral services have been mostly held in chapels. However, many funeral services and directors are sensitive to cultural and religious beliefs and are willing to give maximum assistance to grieving families. In response to the rapidly growing Hindu community in Australia, an information session was held recently to flag the opening of a Hindu Funeral Hall, the first of its kind in Australia, at Le Pines Funeral Services in Springvale Road, Glen Waverley. The project was initiated by Dr Jayant Bapat, an academic and Hindu priest who received the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the Hindu community of Australia and to education in 2011.

A funeral service is sacred to Hindus because it represents the completion of the final stage in one’s life. In Hinduism, death is viewed as a natural aspect of life, and there are numerous epic tales, scriptures and Vedic writings that

Rakesh Kawra, Indian Consul for Cultural and Community Relations, inaugurates Hindu services at Le Pines, Glen Waverley. describe the reason for death’s existence, the rituals that should be performed surrounding it, and the many possible destinations of the soul after departure from its earthly existence. According to Dr Bapat who has conducted numerous funeral services in Australia in the last 30 years, Hindus, especially from the older

generation, prefer to have their funerals in a Hindu ambience instead of a Christian chapel.

When Dr. Bapat saw the Asian (Buddhist) Funeral Hall at Le Pines, he approached the Le Pines management and suggested the idea of having a similar facility for Hindu funerals. They agreed, and offered him support in setting up

the hall for Hindu services.

Dr Bapat described the process of how the Hindu ambience was created. “Large picture frames of the shlokas from the second chapter of the Bhagvad Geeta, Krishna advising Arjuna on the battlefield etc. were made in Nagpur and flown to Melbourne,” he said. He praised Makarand Bhagwat, an IT

professional who also acts as a Hindu priest, and Abhijit Bhide, an engineer from the Marathi community for their efforts in volunteering and getting financial help from the Maharashtra Mandal and Vishva Hindu Parishad for this cause.

Many people including dignitaries attended the information session that was held recently at Le Pines Funeral Services, Glen Waverley. Mr Rakesh Kawra, Indian Consul for Cultural and Community Relations opened the information session by cutting the ribbon and lighting a candle in front of the statues of Sri Krishna and Sri Rama. Mr Kawra then spoke about the provisions made by the Government of India for overseas Indians who are in need of financial and other help in the event of a death in their family.

Dr Jayant Bapat spoke about the Hindu belief in death as the final samskara. According to him, death being the last of the 16th samskaras, was the most important one.

Fund-raising for rural Punjab I

t was a night of dancing, singing, great entertainment and dinner on the night of October 12, and it was all for a good cause. Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) Sydney North West (SNW) was back on the cultural scene with their third annual ‘Caring & Sharing’ dinner and dance programme. Held at the Sapphire (previously known as The Main Event) Function Centre in Blacktown, the organisation truly impressed the audience with artists performing dances and crooning tunes, all accompanied by a banquet.

After a fashionably late start, Masters of Ceremonies Neeru Singh and Indira Dhamoon began the night by highlighting GOPIOSNW’s charitable achievements.

The organisation started in 2008, and it raises funds to help underprivileged schools in India by providing them with warm clothing, uniforms and other basic amenities. Mr Harmohan Singh Walia, Chairperson of GOPIOSNW, travelled to India in February 2012 to provide such facilities for a school in the Ganja District of Gurdaspur. They provided similar facilities in Zira, Ferozepur.

Mr Walia said he and his organisation were motivated

24 OCTOBER (2) 2012

to start this annual charity event after seeing the plight of underprivileged children in schools in Punjab.

“We come from Punjab. We know that there are underprivileged schools in the state. We also know that during winter, they actually shiver in the cold. They don’t even have shoes and socks. And some students can’t actually go to schools because of the cold.

So we persuaded and motivated parents to send the children to school while we provide the warm clothing,” he stated.

“GOPIO-SNW provides underprivileged children with whatever they need after talking to them and assessing the situation.

Shoes, socks, uniforms and warm clothing are a must, but we also provide fans, furniture and the like as needed,” added Mr Walia.

The evening began aptly with the invoking of Lord Ganesh by Lakshmi from Isha Foundation, with Vakratunda Mahakaya and Agajaananam. The dhamaka started with Jagpreet Grover taking centrestage. Jagpreet, winner of the Indian Australian Idol 2011 contest, won the audience over with his rocking rendition of Tere mast mast do nain and Jee karda. His versatility, ease at reaching the high notes and his dynamic stage

Harmohan Singh Walia (third from right) with guests at GOPIO-SNW annual charity dinner presence made sure the entertainer in him was on full display.

The Kathak-loving sisters Michelle and Cheryl Khurana kept up the youthful energy on stage. Young artist Michelle awed everyone with her maturity and polished dancing style. In her Kajra re and Main vari vari combo, Michelle was graceful in her dance movements and exquisite in her facial expressions. Her elder sister, Cheryl, teased the audience with her Dil cheez kya hai from Umrao Jaan and certainly lived up to its standards!

But that was not all. The audience was in for a treat when Jagpreet and Cheryl’s song-anddance jugalbandhi of sorts, to various Bollywood numbers, including the extremely classical and challenging Mere dholna from Bhool Bhulaiyya. The duo was a lethal combination and a delight to watch.

The vibe continued with Bollywood dancing from university students, a quiz show and a comedy show. International singer Navjeet Kahlon added further colour to the night by rendering a

Punjabi song, which the audience immediately recognised and appreciated.

After watching all the performances, it was the audience’s turn to shake a leg on the dance floor and how!

They rocked and rolled, dancing to all of their favourite Punjabi songs. The event was a great way to unwind on a Friday night and was well patronised by the Punjab community.

The jam-packedhall was testimony to this.

Malavika Santhebennur

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ARTS

Love and longing in a foreign land First ever Tamil movie filmed in Australia finds an appreciative and receptive audience

The message of the movie is that mingling with other cultures does not mean we have to give up our own, he adds

BY PRIYADARSHINI CHIDAMBARANATHAN

E

elan Elanko has waited a long time for this moment, four long years spent wondering if his baby would ever see the light of day. The wait was finally over when his film, Iniyavale Kaathirupen (Sweetheart, I will wait for you), the first Tamil film to be made in Australia, premiered at Reading Cinemas, Auburn on October 6.

The Sydney-based film-maker is a man of many avatars, as far as his film is concerned. He has written the screenplay, handled direction and camera, as well as editing and other technical aspects. He has also played an important character in the film, although he says he is happier behind the camera.

The story revolves around the cultural challenges faced by two Australian Tamil families after migrating to a new country. What seems at first like a simple love story between Thana (played by Dinesh Sivarajah) and Pavi (played

by Niloja Loganathan), acquires a twist as the movie progresses and viewers realize that both characters have had a stormy past.

Talking about the film, Elanko says, “It is not a one hundred percent love story; it is a story of two separated families. This is something that is actually happening in Australia, there are many similar stories among people here. I don’t want to reveal too much of the story, you should watch the film.” The message of the movie is that mingling with other cultures does not mean we have to give up our own, he adds.

The film has been shot mostly around Sydney and features many Australian Tamil actors. Except for the re-recording which was done in Chennai, the rest of the film has 26 OCTOBER (2) 2012

been completed in Australia.

There are two songs, sung by famous Indian singers Sujatha and Unni Krishnan. The music is

by Kavi Periyathambi, a Chennai based music director.

One of Elanko’s biggest challenges was the dearth of actors for his movie. “Finding artists had been a challenge for us as our community probably doesn’t look at the film industry from an artistic point of view,” he admits. Not many people readily came forward to act in the movie, but he finally managed to find his artists in the media industry.

Inspired by A Raghunathan who made the first cinemascope Tamil movie in Sri Lanka, Elanko started making the film in 2009.

Raghunathan plays a prominent role in the movie and travelled all the way from France for the shooting. Finally after many hurdles, shooting commenced, but after 3 months all work on the film was stalled when the war in Sri Lanka commenced.

Elanko was only able to resume shooting in 2011 and faced difficulties in rescheduling his actors, who were busy with their own lives. However, he managed to complete filming and editing and is now waiting for the audience’s reaction to the movie, a culmination of many years of effort.

The entire movie has been made on a budget of $100,000 and is produced by Amma Creations, Elanko’s own production company.

He waited for a long time to find a producer, but finally decided to produce the film himself. “We are not going to blame anyone for not coming forward to produce as we didn’t have any samples of our creativity,” he says graciously.

Elanko is enthusiastic about the generous community support he has received for his film. With a very low budget for publicity, most of it has been through word-

Eelan Elanko (far left) and scenes from his film Iniyavale Kaathirupen

Elanko was only able to resume shooting in 2011 and faced difficulties in rescheduling his actors, who were busy with their own lives.

of mouth. All the Tamil radio channels in Sydney have come forward to interview him and the Tamil magazines have handsomely brought Iniyavale Kaathirupen to the attention of the public. As well, GTV, a local Tamil channel has been running the trailer for a while, and has interviewed Elanko.

Social networking site Facebook has been a big help too, and Elanko says, “Almost all Tamilians in Australia know about this movie by now.”

This certainly seems to be true, as one of the premiering four shows was fully booked. The movie will screen in Melbourne too.

Born in Sri Lanka, Elanko spent 15 years in India before moving

to New Zealand to complete a Degree in Multimedia. He moved with his family to Australia in 2004, and currently resides in Sydney. The father of two also owns another company that makes videos and TV commercials.

“It has been a lot of hard work: it was almost like having another baby, only this one took four years instead of nine months,” says his wife Subashini, who is also his marketing manager.

She is very appreciative of their children saying, “They do understand that we are doing something important and may not be able to spend time with them like other parents. They have been very cooperative and I am very thankful for that.” Elanko’s son

Sathyan also plays a small role in the film.

Elanko does not want to stop here; he already has plans for two movies in the pipeline. One will be a short film about the war in Sri Lanka and the other will be a film in English. He hopes more young people come forward and contact him for his next project.

“Many of us feel that making a film is something we can only imagine. But if you have the right skills and ability, you should not keep waiting for funds. There are so many different ways we can get funding, especially in Australia,” he says enthusiastically.

Good luck to Elanko and his new film: let’s hope it finds an appreciative audience in Australia

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INDIAN NEWS going to a place and offering prayer.

The Shillong Muslim Union was formed in 1905 in erstwhile East Bengal, which stretched from Siliguri to Cox’s Bazar and Chittagong to Dibrugarh. After India’s partition in 1947, SMU narrowed down its activities to Assam. Since Meghalaya’s formation in 1972, its activities have been limited to the state.

India has about 165 million Muslims, the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan.

IAF to bolster electronic warfare capacity

An Indian Hindu devotee has a slogan painted on his forehead with the words “nine and ratri” after taking a holy dip in the River Ganges in Allahabad on October 16, as on the first day of the Navratri Festival. Navratri - the festival of nine nights - is marked by feasting and fasting which takes over normal life for millions of Hindus.

India-Pakistan border trade may see a boom

The Attari-Wagah international land border between India and Pakistan in Punjab has been witness to two wars and has troopers guarding it round the clock, but things could change for the better in 2013 as trade through the crossing is set to expand exponentially.

Pakistan has agreed to allow trading of up to 6,000 items from the current 137 via the land border route. This means that trade between both countries could go up by at least five times in the next three years.

“Export from the Attari-Wagah border currently stands at Rs.2 billion ($44.5 million).

It will rise to Rs.10 billion ($222 million) in three years and Punjab has to be prepared to reap the benefits to the fullest,” Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said in Amritsar recently.

The modernised integrated check post (ICP) at Attari, on the Indian side, which has the feel of an international airport, is ready to tackle the higher volume of traffic as more items are traded through the land route. The state-of-the-art ICP, spread over nearly 120 acres and built at a cost of Rs.1.5 billion ($33 million), has dedicated terminals for cargo and passengers. It was inaugurated in April.

Modalities for allowing trade of more items will be worked out during Badal’s proposed trip to Pakistan in November with a delegation of industry captains.

Badal said Punjab Chief Secretary Rakesh Singh had recently visited Islamabad and “the Pakistan government had agreed to allow export of 6,000 items through the land border route”.

He said Pakistan had decided to also allow export of equivalent items through the Karachi port.

The check post is around 30 km from Amritsar in India and 20 km from Lahore in Pakistan. Both cities are major trading centres.

With enhanced trade, the cost of the items the neighbours import from each other is likely to fall considerably.

30 OCTOBER (2) 2012

Most of the trade between India and Pakistan is currently done through the Mumbai and Karachi ports - pushing up costs and eating up time due to shipping.

“Till now, only 137 items are allowed for trade through the land border. Costs will go down and goods will be traded faster if more items are allowed,” said Gunbir Singh of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

In July, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma had said that trade through the land border would soon be allowed through containers instead of sacks and gunny bags.

Both the countries had allowed restricted entry of trucks to carry goods in October 2007.

Pakistan also took out a number of items from the negative list in March and assured India of granting most favoured nation (MFN) status by the year-end.

India currently exports vegetables, fruit and livestock to Pakistan and imports cement, gypsum, dry fruits and other items from the neighbour.

The ICP is located about 300 metres from the zero line. Trucks from both sides do the loading and unloading there.

Officials of the Department of Border Management said the check post had a dedicated cargo area of 4,700 square metres.

It also has an area of 55,000 square metres for the parking of trucks.

India’s first glass mosque - in Shillong

India now has its first glass mosque - in the country’s northeast.

Madina Masjid, an imposing and resplendent structure of glass dome and glass minarets, formally opened doors to devotees recently in Meghalaya’s capital.

“It is an architectural marvel,” Congress legislator Sayeedullah Nongrum, who helped in the mosque’s construction, said.

“It took us one and a half years to complete the only glass mosque in India and the largest one in the northeastern region,” said Nongrum, who is also general secretary of the Shillong Muslim Union (SMU).

The four-storey building - 120 feet high and 61 feet wide -- stands inside an Idgah Complex in the city’s Lahan area and is close to the garrison grounds along the Umshyrpi river. At night, the mosque’s glasswork glows and glitters.

The mosque houses a new orphanage named Meherba, a library and a ‘markaz’-- an Islamic theological institute.

Nongrum said the new theological institute would impart Islamic teachings and the library there would have books on comparative religious studies.

Madina Masjid has a capacity of around 2,000 people and has separate space for women to offer prayers.

“This place will be open for everyone, but one should maintain the mosque’s sanctity,” Nongrum said, adding that the mosque was set to become a tourist attraction.

Around Rs.2 crore was spent on the building, with funding from SMU and wellwishers, he said.

Nongrum said most of the people who built the mosque were Hindus.

The mosque was completed in July and SMU will maintain it.

Nongrum said 51 boys and girls are already in an orphanage in the complex and go to a primary school in the Idgah complex established in 1942. The complex also has a minority co-educational institution, Umshyrpi College, set up in 1994.

In 2008, the Idgah was the first in the region to open doors to women devotees.

“I have seen Muslim women offering prayers with great difficulty in the absence of space and privacy, especially while at work or out of home.

“When our women go to market, which is considered to be the worst place for a Muslim women under Sharia, we men do not object. So, why can’t women go to a ‘masjid’ and offer prayers? Why fanatics object to it?” he said.

“I don’t believe in the interpretation of fanatics. ‘Purdah’ means inner shyness of women. If the shyness is retained, she can go anywhere. There’s nothing forbidden in

With cyber security emerging as a top national security challenge, the Indian Air Force recently began a three-day air commanders’ meet to focus on bolstering the country’s electronic warfare capabilities.

The commanders of the operational, training and maintenance commands of the IAF gathered in New Delhi at the Vayu Bhawan Air Headquarters to participate in the three-day bi-annual conference focussing on electronic warfare and support systems.

Inaugurating the conference, the IAF chief, Air Chief Marshal N.A.K. Browne, said the IAF was passing through “challenging” times and stressed that it will enhance its operational capabilities and security.

“The IAF is going through a very busy and a challenging period and our focus now, at all times must be on three priority areas - operational capability, infrastructure and security, especially in view of new inductions in the force’s inventory,” he said.

The meeting will conduct “a thorough review of the external and internal security situation, as also the ramifications in the next two years,” the defence ministry said.

India is looking at bolstering its cyber security capabilities in a major way with a new initiative being planned to train around 500,000 cyber warriors in the next five years.

During the conference the commanders discussed key issues relating to operations, maintenance, infrastructure development, cyber Security and most importantly, human resource development issues relating to the training of air warriors.

The worsening security situation in India’s neighbourhood has triggered anxieties in the country’s defence establishment.

“The present times are both interesting and challenging. The deteriorating security situation in the neighbourhood and its frequent violent manifestations are a matter of serious concern to us,” Browne had said in his Air Force Day speech Oct 8.

It’s Hindi abroad, EnglishVinglish at home

Foreigners are queuing up to learn Hindi and there was a global conference too, to celebrate the language. Nonetheless, as English spreads inexorably through what is still called the Hindi heartland, even its votaries are writing the epitaph for a language spoken by nearly 200 million people in the world.

In the English vs Hindi debate, the latter may be in the process of slowly being squeezed out - even in the swathe of north and central India known as the Hindi heartland. Thousands are queuing up to get their children admitted to English medium schools and English teaching shops are mushrooming across the country.

Even as Hindi - which is officially India’s national language - is promoted and

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INDIAN NEWS conferences are held in various parts of the world, the ranks of those seeking to master English in India’s cities are swelling.

Agra, the city of the Taj is no exception.

As schools begin the admission process, anxious parents are making a beeline for English medium schools, seeking admission for their children in nursery.

“The elaborate admission process, beginning with the distribution of forms, started last week,” said Anjali, mother of three-year-old Bunty.

Firm in their belief that English is the best ticket to the India of today - and tomorrow - a large number of parents this year have joined grooming classes to brush up on their ‘English-Vinglish’ in a bid to bolster the chances of their children being admitted to English schools.

Referring to the recent Bollywood film of an Indian homemaker, Sridevi, struggling to master the language, senior school teacher Seema Gupta of the prestigious 167-year-old St Peter’s College said “English-Vinglish” was an eloquent expression of the deep frustration born of inferiority caused by a poor knowledge of English among “aspiring middle classes”.

Tragically, in this rush for English, there are no takers for Hindi medium schools, added school teacher Hari Dutt Sharma.

“The only schools that attract a large number of applications in Agra and its neighbourhood are those imparting education in English... There are hardly any private schools offering Hindi-medium education and government schools and those run by local bodies attract no applicants at all. Children only go to the government schools for the sake of the midday meal,” said Sharma.

The World Hindi Conference held at Johannesburg in September this year was a triumph and Hindi was celebrated as a tongue spoken by nearly 200 million people in the world. The enthusiastic response to that event buoyed the spirits of those seeking to promote the language.

“English in India, Hindi abroad” seems to be the motto of Indians on foreign soil, said Chandra Kant Tripathi, registrar of the Agraheadquartered Central Hindi Institute, which was set up in 1960 and aims to teaching nonHindi speaking people the language.

“The World Hindi Conference in Johannesburg attracted literary luminaries from all parts of the world and proved a huge success,” Tripathi said. Among those seeking to promote Hindi were MNCs seeking to expand their markets.

“This year, we have more than 90 students, including 15 from China and one from Switzerland. There are also students from Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, South Korea, Japan, and several other countries,” he said.

Paras Nath Choudhary, who has earlier been associated with the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University, stated: “Brand India is in demand all over the world... India offers solid cultural products to sell and this has indirectly helped the promotion of Hindi. In Delhi alone, more than 40,000 foreigners have shown interest in learning Hindi.”

Back home, however, the future is bleak.

“While there is this huge celebration of Hindi abroad, in the place of its birth, Hindi has been compromised,” said Mahesh Dhakar, who writes on culture.

“Students can hardly write correct Hindi, and their vocabulary is invaded by all kinds of foreign words and internet-supported NATIONAL EDITION

Leander Paes, of India, left, and Radek Stepanek, of the Czech Republic, 2nd left, hold the champion trophies as India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna hold their the runner-up trophies during the award ceremony of the men’s doubles final at the Shanghai Masters tennis tournament at Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center in Shanghai, China on Oct. 14, 2012. Paes and Stepanek pair won 6-7(7), 6-3, 10-5. short forms. Chaste Hindi or Urdu has disappeared,” Dhakar said.

Meanwhile, English teaching shops are mushrooming. While there are scores of English-teaching centres in Agra, Mathura has at least a dozen. Firozabad too has a similar number of such centres. Tundla has a convent school with an enrolment of more than a thousand. In smaller towns like Fatehabad, Khairagarh or Jalesar, teachers offering private tuitions in English, mint money.

As insurance agent Sudheir Gupta said, “English is not just another subject. It adds to your overall personality.”

Hindi in its various dialects is spoken in large parts of north and central India, including in its sweep Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

India pledges $50 million for biodiversity conservation

India recently pledged a sum of $50 million for strengthening institutional mechanisms on biodiversity conservation in the country during the next two years.

“I am pleased to launch the Hyderabad Pledge and announce that our government has decided to earmark a sum of $50 million during India’s presidency of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to strengthen the institutional mechanism for biodiversity conservation in India,” said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Speaking at the inauguration of the high level segment of the Eleventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, he said: “We will use these funds to enhance the technical and human capabilities of our national and state-level mechanisms to attain the Convention on Biological Diversity objectives.

“We have also earmarked funds to promote similar capacity building in developing countries.”

On the ongoing debate on environment versus development, the prime minister said: “In recent years, it has become increasingly more difficult to find common ground on environmental issues. This is, indeed, unfortunate given that there is today a much higher global awareness of environmental risks and concerns.”

“It is this consciousness that should provoke us to greater action even as we cope with the pressures of the current global economic downturn,” he said.

Asking countries to ratify the Nagoya Protocol, the prime minister said: “India has recently ratified the Nagoya Protocol and formalised our commitment to it. I would urge all the Parties to do likewise. I am, however, glad that negotiations regarding biodiversity have achieved remarkable success.”

The Nagoya Protocol is an international legally binding treaty that works towards conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

“Despite global efforts, the 2010 biodiversity target that we had set for ourselves under the Convention on Biological Diversity was not fully met. This situation needs to change. The critical issue really is how to mobilise the necessary financial, technical and human resources, particularly the incubation, sharing and transfer of technology,” he said.

Manmohan Singh said biodiversity-based livelihood options form the basis of rural survival in many parts of the world.

“Living at the periphery of subsistence, the poor are the most at risk from biodiversity loss. They should not also be the ones to bear the cost of biodiversity conservation while the benefits are enjoyed by society at large.

“India’s initiatives acknowledge this correlation between biodiversity

conservation and poverty eradication,” he said.

About 15,000 delegates from over 185 countries are attending the 11th meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) COP11, which began in Hyderabad on Oct 8 and concluded Oct 19.

Manmohan Singh also unveiled a pylon and laid the foundation stone for a biodiversity park and museum here to mark the ongoing global biodiversity meet.

Minister for Environment and Forests Jayanthi Natarajan urged the parties to agree to at least some measures for resource mobilization to achieve biodiversity targets by 2020.

Reminding the delegates that the resources mobilisation was unfinished agenda of COP10 at Nagoya, she said if there was no agreement reached again, four years of the 2010-2020 strategic plan would be gone, making it difficult to achieve biodiversity targets, popularly known as Aichi targets.

“It will be a collective failure, which we should avoid at all cost. We once failed to achieve 2010 targets and future generations will not forgive us if we fail again in 2012,” she said.

Hailing the Indian prime minister’s announcement, Braulio Dias, executive secretary, CBD, appealed to all parties and partners to the CBD to become regional or global champions for biodiversity and the achievement of one or more of the Aichi targets.

He asked the nations not to see biodiversity as costs but as investments that will pay back with significant environmental, social and economic benefits for all societies.

UNEP executive director Achim Steiner, Japan’s Minister for Environment Hiroyuki Nagahama and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy also spoke on the occasion.

IANS OCTOBER (2) 2012 31

red hot chilli pepperS ARTS

FRANKEY GERARD FERNANDES and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA on Subodh Kerkar’s exhibit at this year’s Sculpture by the Sea

T

he use of spices may be the most distinguishing feature of Indian cuisine, but did you know, the spiciest of the spices, chilli, is not native to India.

“It was the Portuguese who brought the chilli to India to trade it with other spices,” Indian artist Subodh Kerkar says. “Not many people even in India know that chillies are not indigenous to our cuisine”.

Chillies came to India from South America via the Portuguese somewhere in the beginning of 16th century. Today India is the largest producer of chillies in the world.

Subodh’s sculpture The Chilly, 32 OCTOBER (2) 2012

in this year’s Sculpture by the Sea (SbyS) exhibition, is a silent reminder of this history. It is part of his new series of works which celebrates the role of the ocean as a vehicle of cultural diffusion.

Sydney’s iconic outdoor sculpture exhibition has attracted many Indian artists over the years. Last year’s Indian Coco-Cola

by Rajesh Sharma, depicting tender coconuts for sale on a battered bicycle, created much interest among both Indian and mainstream visitors.

This year the magnificent red hot chilli, measuring 220 cm X 40 cm X 40 cm, is sure to stand out along the famed coastal walk this year. It was selected from among 500 submissions from 24

countries, included in the final list of just over a hundred sculptures.

“The work is not just about the commodity,” reveals Subodh. “It connects at various subliminal levels of history”.

Interesting to note is the texture of the installation: a layered outer structure has been created with tyre skin, on a fibre glass inner structure.

“When you use recycled material for work, you are reviving its history,” describes Subodh.

“The material’s earlier life as a truck tyre, having travelled miles across the country, complements the story of the chilli having travelled across continents”.

The 53-year-old Goa-based Subodh Kerkar centres so much

of his work around the ocean that it is surprising he has not exhibited at SbyS before, at which water-based themes are common.

Born and brought up in a seaside town, he spent much time observing not only the mannerisms of the water, but also of humans and animals around it. Even his very words are tinged with nautical implications. He wrote once, for example, “My artistic journey is full of many voyages I have ventured on, discovering new islands. Like Columbus, I perhaps discovered islands I did not intend to discover. Sometimes I thought I had discovered an island which later I realized was not an island at all! Nevertheless the voyages are

fascinating and full of adventure and bliss”.

His earliest installation The Tenth Planet was a serendipitous project that brought Kerkar to this artform from painting (yes, he started off painting ‘sea’ scenes). In The Tenth Planet he dug large pits on a Goa beach, placed copper bowls in the centre with electric bulbs underneath, and illuminated them at dusk. The effect was stupendous - and a landscape artist was born. Subodh gave up a career as a medical practitioner to delve full-time into art, landscape sculpture in particular.

Following the success of The Tenth Planet, Kerkar worked similarly on beach installations of

www.indianlink.com.au

Subodh Kerkar with his Unfolding of a Dream at Goa’s Vagator beach, March 2011

cones of sand lit with concealed bulbs, giant bamboo lamps, palm leaves, old boats and coir ropes, even hundreds of mussel shells.

In Unfolding of a Dream, he famously used Tibetan flags.

Nearly 600 flags, lungtas as they are called, were installed on the cliffs as though they were walking down, and then congregating on the beach sands. It was Kerkar’s way of offering support to the Tibetan struggle, “the ocean praying for the freedom of the snow”. The red, yellow and orange flags were not only a stunning sight to behold, they also touched a chord in the Tibetan community: two hundred monks staged a torch march among the flags.

“The ocean is my master and my muse,” Kerkar says of his works.

As one critic notes, in Kerkar’s art, “the sea is both outside and inside, form and material, subject as well as object.”

Even the restaurant he runs in Goa is called, what else, Waves.

The tyre material used to create The Chilly has been a recent passion. He discovered it at a trinket shop in Jaipur selling artworks made from it, and its richness appealed to him. In his first work with it, he created a camel’s foot, to draw parallels with the traditional Rajasthani mode of transport and its more modern counterpart. Again, in Turtle, he created a slow-moving animal with fast-moving tyres.

Kerkar is known equally for his social and political activism as he is for his environmentalism.

The social relevance of his art comes out loud and clear as he uses newsprint to cover trees (to draw attention to the issue of deforestation), lines the sides of streets with saris to make a comment on the plight of traditional artisans, creates an “anti-corruption table” (with nails underneath!), and plants Goan rice saplings in Lisbon Portugal, in a NATIONAL EDITION

pattern depicting Vasco da Gama’s sea route to India, to “sprout ancient memories”. A work in progress, unique in its political message, will be located partly in India and partly in Pakistan.

Comment on his prolific creativity, and he will respond, in his trademark ‘ocean’ terms: “If you watch the sea waves, you will realise that most of them wet the already wet sand. Yet every once in a while comes a wave that wets new, dry sand. My father always said to me be like that wave”.

Sculpture by the Sea is on along the Bondi to Tamarama cliff walk, 18 Oct – 4 Nov 2012.

FEBRUARY (1) 2012 33

34 OCTOBER (2) 2012

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NATIONAL EDITION

OCTOBER (2) 2012 35

opinion

Australia spreads its wings Is the country’s policy of sitting on the fence and maintaining good relations with all, the best global strategy?

BY

noel g de sOUZA

A

ustralia’s Foreign Minister Bob Carr has pointed out, in the context of bidding for a seat at the UN Security Council, that Australia does not belong to any bloc and that this makes it difficult for the country to bid for the seat.

That Australia wants to be friendly with all countries was elaborated by Prime Minister Julia Gillard when she spoke to the UN General Assembly, casting a wide net, whilst seeking support.

Speaking in general terms on the need to promote tolerance, she made the point that this “must never extend to tolerating religious hatred and incitement to violence …the perpetrators of all such violence must be brought to justice …”.

When the Prime Minister spoke strongly about the Syrian issue she was unreservedly promoting the European Union viewpoint.

She sought to placate Middle-Eastern sentiment by strongly promoting a two-state solution of Israel and Palestine. However, she once again supported the Western view by condemning Iran for its nuclear pursuits.

There are four important world regions which involve Australian foreign policy: the United States, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Even though there have been major steps, cultural and economic, taken by Australia with regard to creating links with Asia, the foremost relationship lies with the United States.

But Australia’s focus has to be on Asia, which has never been easy. Asian countries, which are diverse in culture and in interests, are beset with numerous problems amongst themselves. China is a great power in all respects but it has problems with all its neighbours, both along its land and its maritime borders. A peaceful Asia simplifies matters and allows Australia to pursue its goals without complications, but events are moving rapidly which could end in an escalation of conflicts.

There is growing disquiet, for example, as tension between China and Japan mounts over the disputed Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture; this issue is escalating out of hand. There have been demonstrations in several Chinese cities against the Japanese, and a boycott of Japanese goods. To add to this provocation, the Chinese have sent patrol ships into the disputed waters.

US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta made an urgent dash to Japan and China, to try to douse the flames of the conflict.

Saying that this had the potential to lead to war with the insane result that it could then spread, he called upon both parties for restraint.

36 OCTOBER (2) 2012

This issue, coupled with the dispute over the Spratly Islands which involves several Southeast Asian countries (Vietnam, Philippines, China, Taiwan and Brunei), makes for explosive foci which those countries, like the United States, Australia and India, would try their best to prevent.

In contrast to Asia, Australia finds itself comfortable in its dealings with faraway Europe, particularly with Britain.

Immigration for many decades, was predominantly with Europe. The official policy favoured Britain and Ireland and by choice, the Baltic States. This policy created permanent cultural ties with Europe.

However, although Australia has strong linguistic ties with continental Europe, this applies mainly to aged migrants but is not the case when it comes to the young. For example, very few people speak Irish or Scottish Gallic in Australia, even though a good percentage of the population is of Irish and Scottish descent. There exists a similar situation with young Italians and Greeks.

Until about 1966 there were strong impediments in place which prevented Asian migration. The new policies that Australia is pursuing with regard to Asia include encouragement towards increased Asian immigration. There are educational programmes that promote learning about Asia and Asian languages. Increased investment from diverse Asian countries are being encouraged, particularly in the mining industries, though restrictions have been placed on China with regard to uranium mining.

Australia is seeking an even-handed relationship with Europe and with Asia, which is not unlike the quest of the United States. Australia’s closet ties are with the United States, having stood alongside the US even when some of America’s European allies have deserted it by withdrawing their troops. important area When Australia became a federation of states, it drew inspiration from the American constitution and chose a senate for its upper house, rather than a non-elected ‘House of Lords’ type of body. It thus opted for American-style egalitarianism.

Julia Gillard in her UN speech, pointed to Australia’s long humanitarian record.

Australia has given large amounts of money and other aid when natural disasters have struck, no matter in which region.

Australian non-government bodies like World Vision have acted during times like famines. Australian individuals like Fred Hollows have helped in restoring sight in disadvantaged countries.

India will finish its term as a Security Council member next year. If Australia gets elected, hopefully India will have a friend in the Security Council.

www.indianlink.com.au

opinion

Dancing to its own tune Despite producing well-crafted and intelligent cinema, Bollywood is still not taken seriously by big brother Hollywood to a different world population.

We don’t have to be apologetic for who we are, what entertainment we appreciate and for our choices of BY supermen and divas. Films made in AMIT DUTT countries like Iran, France and Spain have often made a mark for themselves without getting into any rat-race. They few days ago I saw the latest may be different from the other source Bollywood blockbuster Burfi, a of entertainment (Hollywood) but they well-made and well-crafted silent are well-crafted and bring out the best of love story, impressive and brought alive human emotions and relationships without with a dazzling display of Darjeeling the support of graphics or hi-tech gadgetry. images and some brilliant music.

Every one of us has watched a below Watching the movie started a thought average Hollywood production, while at the process. Is a well-made Bollywood same time cherished some of the foreign blockbuster comparable to a Hollywood language films on SBS. one? We often make the mistake of Leaving revenues and comparing a poorlycommercials made, rough-on-theaside, there may be an equal edges Govinda -starrer number of poorly-made to a Stephen Spielberg and classic films on both classic. But when we Films like sides. Again, a Godfather compare apples to apples, is as different to Do Bigha do Bollywood apples 3 Idiots or Zameen, as a Titanic is to 3 look lifeless compared Lagaan Idiots, all classics in their to the ripe and seasoned may even own right. Similarly Francis Hollywood ones? And even not fit the Coppola, a legend in his if they do, is Hollywood the mould set by own right, can only be benchmark to judge artistic Hollywood, compared to a Guru Dutt expressions for cinema? Can but they or Satyajit Ray, like Stanley any kind of cinema, even if don’t have to Kubrick may be compared not at par with Hollywood’s to Bimal Roy. level of technology and Even in the 21st century commercials, just be itself with the rise and rise of and different, standing in its everything Indian, many own right? acclaimed publications still Indian cinema typified as refuse to preview Indian ‘Bollywood’, has an equal films (The New York Times never fully number of admirers as detractors, unlike reviewed 3 Idiots.) Films like 3 Idiots or the followers of Hollywood. The name Lagaan may even not fit the mould set by Bollywood itself smells of being a poor Hollywood, but they don’t have to. They cousin of Hollywood: it originated in the have a clientele big enough to fill their ‘70s when Bombay overtook Hollywood coffers, both artistic as the largest film industry and commercial. They have in the world. Still though, established a trend that the it is a poor cousin, less leading creative force for loved and always trying many people in the world to compete with the rich may not originate from big brother, a countryWe should be Los Angeles, but from bumpkin never taken able to cultivate Mumbai. seriously enough to make our own We have come a long any impact on the world benchmarks way, as far as film making stage, but a good source of and style of goes. We have 100 years entertainment for the third storytelling, of development and world, nevertheless. provided they enrichment of a modern While the production are constantly art form and a massive levels and quality of films refining fan following for that may have changed over form of art. We should the years, the comparison be able to cultivate our with Hollywood remains a own benchmarks and style constant benchmark. The of storytelling, provided question is, why do we have they are constantly refining. The creative to compete with Hollywood, and are there energies need to compete, if not compare, no average films ever made in Hollywood? with the best in the world.

Some of the well-made Bollywood Only then will we set benchmarks by blockbusters may not be as technically which others will measure their creative advanced or hi-tech as their Hollywood genius too. cousins, yet they are different, catering

A

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38 OCTOBER (2) 2012

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BOOKS

Kalki returns as a modern avenging angel A racy new thriller travels back and forth in time from Krishna’s Vrindavan to modern-day Delhi

W

riter Ashwin Sanghi, winner of the 2010 Vodafone-Crossword Popular Choice Award, has moved to the Krishna terrain of Dwarka and Somnath in his new book The Krishna Key, away from the Biblical turf of The Rozbal Line in Kashmir and the modern-day Mauryan intrigue in Chanakya’s Chant set in the national capital.

Sanghi explores the myth of Kalki - the final avatar of Krishna (also known as Vishnu in Indian mythology) - through a tale of murder and an ensuing chase that travels back and forth in time from Vrindavan and Mathura to a classroom in St. Stephen’s College in Delhi, across lifetimes.

Forty-five-year old professor Ravi Mohan Saini, who teaches the history of mythology at St. Stephen’s College, is the unlikely sleuth who scouts on the trail of a “poor” little rich boy Taraak who believes he is Kalki. In Sanghi’s gripping tale, Kalki is a serial killer who embarks on his bloody journey with the murder of Anil Varshney, a young symbolist in Rajasthan. Varshney is Saini’s oldest friend. And his murder at the beginning of the narrative - a la The Da Vinci Code - becomes the spur in Saini’s life, turning him into a sort of Robert Langdon, the star of Dan Brown’s cult classic - looking for clues to the gruesome death.

“I was influenced by the ‘Holy Blood, Holy Grail’. Dan Brown came as an afterthought. But had I not read Dan Brown , I would not have written The Rozbal Line and delved into the sacred feminine...It is like two sandwiches on a platter with different ‘chutneys’,” Sanghi told IANS. Sanghi breaks his saga with interludes from the life of Krishna. The writer speaks of

Ashwin Sanghi

“I like to look at mythology as the hidden truth.

Get rid of the layers of colours and frills and what we will be left with is a single sliver of truth”. Ashwin Sanghi the deity in first person at the beginning of every chapter recounting from the birth of the deity to his journey to Dwarka.

And the subsequent destruction of the kingdom.

The writer chose the Mahabharata as his reference point. “This (life of Krishna) is the stuff we have heard

of - I have used it not from a mythological perspective but from a historical perspective. I like to look at mythology as the hidden truth. Get rid of the layers of colours and frills and what we will be left with is a single sliver of truth,” Sanghi said.

The Krishna Key, however, moves closer to history - one that is

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Vishnu,” Sanghi said.

The writer started out with C. Rajagopalachari’s translation of the Mahabharata in English.

“I wanted to have a historical perspective of Krishna, how his life is spoken about in the sacred texts. The Mahabharata has an appendix to it - the Harivamsh that talks of Krishna’s life from the time he is born to the time Dwarka goes down in a deluge,” Sanghi said.

The book serves a more basic purpose. It draws the thriller addicts and Gen Y to the rich archive of Indian history and myths that have sprung around events before our time.

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recorded in the Puranas about the last avatar of Vishnu - than his two previous novels. In The Rozbal Line, Sanghi spun a fictional tale of murder and redemption around the Christian myth of Jesus Christ fleeing to Kashmir soon after crucifixion to live a long and fulfilling life. In Chanakya’s Chant, he plays on the myth of Chanakya to spin a modern-day political thriller.

“The Kalki Purana and the Bible have substantial crosspollination. For me, Kalki is nothing else in the book but the backbone for the thriller construct. The Kalki Purana had many references to Vishnu and I wanted to understand more about

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TRAVEL

BY SANDIP HOR

I

t’s true our nation is now going through a period of financial crisis, but if history and heritage can be valued by any bank, it will surely emerge as one of the richest in the world,” says my omniscient guide Ariti while showing me around the ancient-period sites of Athens, the capital city of modern Greece.

It makes me wonder if I will feel like he does, but as samples of architectural splendour from antiquity unfold before me, I begin concurring with Ariti’s statement.

Deriving its name from the goddess Athena, this 2500 year old city, reached its golden age during the 5th century BC when her intellectual thoughts, scientific ideas and artistic creations gained universal recognition.

Intellectualism flourished among people, giving birth to words and ideas like ‘democracy’, ‘harmony’ and many more. A great leader and statesman by the name of Pericles emerged on the scene and bestowed the territory with architectural marvels. Future occupiers of the land – the mighty Macedonian, Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman conquerors, from Alexander the Great of Macedon to Roman Emperor Hadrian, added more to it, leaving behind a historical tapestry decorated with numerous specimens created from stone.

Despite millenniums of heat, dust, wind and rain, the relics of soaring temples, exhilarating theatres, colonnaded streets, public squares and archways still remain to draw a picture of past richness and glory. The most significant testimony of this is the Athenian Acropolis, the crown jewel of Greece, if not all of Europe.

This location was a fortified citadel, spreading over an area of 3 hectares on a flat-topped rock, 150m high

and populated with gateways, theatres, palaces and marble temples, the archaeological ruins of which still mesmerise onlookers.

We entered the area, going past the mosaic-tiled Theatre of Dionysus where classical-age Greek poets Aeschylus, Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophocles witnessed the première of their plays; climbed up to the Propylaea, a rectangular building once admired throughout the ancient world as the grand entrance to the world of Acropolis; and stumbled upon the Parthenon Temple, the preserved ruins of which still hold enough ‘oomph’ to hypnotise visitors for a while.

The image is familiar as seen on the cover page of almost every touristy brochure on Greece – an imposing marble edifice flanked with huge columns on all sides. It was built to house a mammoth gold and ivory statue of Athena. While taking pictures from different angles, I note the building design to be ideally proportioned. Ariti confirmed this, saying architects designed every piece of this structure on a precise ratio of 9:4 to make the temple perfectly symmetrical.

Perhaps such unique engineering feats make creations like the Parthenon qualify as wonders of the world. “Many come to Athens just to see this human endeavour of extraordinary scale,” say Ariti, and I can understand why they do so. Witnessing through one’s own eyes such an epic landscape filled with grand composition of perfectly balanced structures on an expansive natural site, is a lifetime experience worthy of the hours of travelling around the world to view it. Though much smaller in size, two other temples in the Acropolis demand admiration as well. One is the Temple of Nike, built to commemorate the Athenians victory over Persian invaders at the Battle of Marathon. It is said

that the ‘Nike’ brand name is derived from here. The other is the impressive Temple of Erechtheion, the signature feature of which is statues of six maidens or Caryatids supporting the roof of the balcony. Only one of them is the original; the other five are housed in Acropolis Museum which we visited earlier to gaze at them, along with several other archaeological finds from the Acropolis that includes figurines, frescos and ornamented pediments of the temples.

The view of Athens from up here is breathtaking. In the distance we spot a series of columns and a monumental arch.

Ariti identifies them as ruins of the famous Temple of Zeus, the largest temple ever built in Greece, and Hadrian’s Arch. However, a well-presevered ancient building dotted just at the foothill of the Acropolis catches my eye. It is the Temple of Hephaestus inside the Agora, the city’s ancient marketplace which, for over a millennium, was a vivid scene for politics, commerce, philosophy, arts and athletics. We head there next, and thrillingly walk along the ruined Panathenaic way where once Socrates addressed his followers, and St Paul preached religion. A beheaded statue of Roman Emperor Hadrian rests alongside, a silent witness of the city’s momentous history.

Artefacts at the Stoa of Attalos, a museum which was earlier a shopping complex, gives us an idea of the history of that time.

Though Athens is lavishly spread with highlights from the Classical, Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine times, it hosts concurrently a 21st century modern sprawl that offers luxury hotels, enchanting restaurants, vibrant cafes and taverns, great shopping at avant garde malls and at bustling markets, and an efficient network of public transportation for modern day visitors to enjoy their time in the city.

Two Athenian quarters, Monastiraki and Plaka, featuring labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture, electrify visitors as impressive platforms between the past and present.

At Monastiraki,

Perhaps the richest city in the world, if antiquity can be priced

Histor

oricAthens

which derives its name from a little forgotten monastery, an Ottoman mosque shares space with the remains of a Roman library and a Hellenistic water clock, but what draws visitors today is its bustling bazaars and colourful markets stalls that sell everything from junk and jewellery, bargaining being a fun part of the game there. Nearby Plaka, the oldest settlement of Athens, claims to be the city’s gastronomic centre as every inch of the cobblestoned locale is filled with cafes and taverns serving mostly traditional Greek cuisine which includes the mouthwatering souvlaki and moussaka.

Friendly Athenians will be disappointed if you leave without sampling them.

Both the ‘must-visit’ neighbourhoods are walking distance from Syntagma Square which is the nucleus of Athens today, as Agora was yesterday.

Dominating the square is the Greek Parliament House, seen quite often on television during the nation’s economic doldrums.

Visitors are drawn to this neoclassical building by its grandness and by the pomp of the changing of guards ceremony that takes place every hour in front of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier, an evocative relief depicting a dying soldier sculpted on the front wall. Guards dressed in their famous uniform of kilt and pom-pom clogs are present day and night, guarding the memorial.

Deriving its name from the goddess Athena, this 2500 yearold city, reached its golden age during the 5th century BC when her intellectual thoughts, scientific ideas and artistic creations gained universal recognition.

Main pic, Top: Jewel of Greece Parthenon Main pic, Below: Classical age artifacts inside Acropolis Museum Clockwise: Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier Evening time at Plaka The majestic Greek Parliament Building Athenian statue Temple of Hephaistos Acropolis Vibrant Monastiraki

Travel notebook athens GETTING there

Fly Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com) to Istanbul from where Athens is a short flight away with Turkish Airlines (www.turkishairlines.com) or Olympic Air (www.olympicair.com).

accomodation

The Metropolitan Hotel (www.chandris.gr) with a view of the Saronic Gulf, combines traditional Greek hospitality and luxury. There is shuttle service every hour to Syntagma Square 10 minutes away.

eating

For traditional Greek cuisine try Maiandros Restaurant (www.maiandros.com.gr) and for a curry change, Indian Kitchen (www.indiankitchenathens.gr) at Syntagma Square.

currency

Greece is part of Euro zone.

More information

Check www.visitgreece.gr

OCTOBER (2) 2012 41

42 OCTOBER (2) 2012

Hallam

09 8774 6160

Wantirna

03 9800 3988

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OCTOBER (2) 2012 43

44 OCTOBER (2) 2012

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Brow talk BEAUTY

Whether you have large almond shaped eyes or not, the shape of your brows can enhance your peepers. Here is a guide on how to make sure your eyebrows frame your eyes perfectly.

BY MINNAL KHONA

J

ust like a haircut where you choose a cut that suits your face, it is important to keep in mind the shape of your face and features before tweezing or threading your eyebrows into a certain shape. Some folks are lucky - they have perfectly shaped eyes and brows. But for those who don’t, it is possible to make the most of what they have. Here is a guide on do’s and don’ts to make sure your eyebrows frame your eyes perfectly.

1

If you have thick eyebrows, it is better to keep them that way and not shape them to become pencil thin. Really thin eyebrows make a person look older. You should consider thinner eyebrows (and even that should be in moderation) only if you have a narrow forehead and very thick brows.

2

The ideal shape for eyebrows should be thick at the start, thinning out in the middle in proportion and gradually tapering out towards the corner of the eye. Whatever the thickness of your brows, try and retain this shape. Also, avoid angular shape

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in brows. The natural shape is a gentle curve, and if there is a peak in the middle or towards the latter half, it can make you look harsh and stern.

3

If your eyebrows meet in the centre above your nose (essentially the spot where you place a bindi), you have to ensure that there is a gap between your brows. The ideal gap should be a little more than the width of your index finger. Clearing up this space can open up the area and make your face brighter.

4

If you decide to have highlights in your hair, make sure you lighten your eyebrows too. I don’t mean go blonde on your face, but you can opt for a dark shade of brown to lighten your brows.

5

If you have naturally scanty eyebrows or hair that doesn’t grow close together, fill in the gaps with an eyebrow pencil.

Most women gravitate towards black eye pencils but ideally a dark brown works better. Use it to fill in colour where the hair is sparse - usually at the end or the start of the eyebrows. You can also consider using waterproof pencils if it’s a hot day.

6

A lot of women have naturally long eyebrows. If their peepers below are large and thickly lashed, they look wonderful – case in point, Deepika Padukone. But if you have really thick and long brows, but a small face and small deep set eyes, it is better to thin them out a bit. You can take one line of hair off, but from the top of the eyebrow, not below.

7

Make-up artists recommend plucking eyebrows with a tweezer over threading or waxing them into shape.

A tweezer helps you decide the shape better and you can isolate the hair you want to remove. Also, if you have a do to attend in the middle of the week, you can pluck out the extra hair and maintain a well-groomed appearance.

8

Along with your eyes, it is important to have well-shaped eyebrows.

Keep a good tweezer handy and if you have a spacious bathroom where you can keep a magnifying mirror like they have in hotel rooms, you can keep your brows in good shape at all times.

The ideal shape for eyebrows should be thick at the start, thinning out in the middle in proportion and gradually tapering out towards the corner of the eye

The ideal gap (between the brows) should be a little more than the width of your index finger.

OCTOBER (2) 2012 45

m at R i m o n i a l s Seeking BRIDES Seeking Grooms Seeking suitable match from Australia, never married, for Hindu girl 34 years, Chartered Accountant (non-veg), living in Australia for over 25 years, with eastern and western family values. Please email with all details on ganesh2011v@gmail.com Punjabi groom sought for beautiful Hindu Punjabi girl, 40 years, 5’4” height, Australian citizen, divorced (no kids) and holding teaching qualifications (taught in Australian and UK schools). Interest invited from qualified boys settled in Australia. Please contact girl’s brother on 0406 948 892.

Match required for my sister, 5’2”, 34 years, never married, beautiful, slim, fair complexion, double degree holder, and Aust citizen, working in family business. We are a Punjabi Khatri family, settled in Melb. Caste no bar. Please send bio data and photo to matri@hotmail.co.uk Parents seeking match for Australian-born (1975) good looking Punjabi girl, medical professional working in SA. Prefer Australian citizen or long-settled residents with good profession. Serious proposal only contact mandy_sing@hotmail.com Well educated Punjabi family seeks professionally qualified well settled match for their Australian citizen daughter, 27 years, 5’ 4”, fair, slim, traditional Indian/ Western values, highly educated, Master of Teaching and MBA from Australian universities. Working as project officer in well reputed company.

Please email particulars with recent picture to schanderchopra@hotmail. com or call 02 9760 1832 / 0431 289 442.

46 OCTOBER (2) 2012

Seeking match from Australia/overseas, for tall, handsome guy 41, graduate, employed, good family values, non-smoker, nondrinker. Interested ladies with good family values may please email particulars with recent photo to: smartguy213023@yahoo.com Well settled family in Australia invites alliance for 29-year-old, 5”11, Sood Punjabi boy (Aust citizen), working as a Senior IT consultant for the Australian govt on high income. Seeking Indian girl, caste no bar.

Please send bio data/particulars of girl to aumohindra@gmail.com Seeking tertiary qualified Hindu girl, below 25 years, for boy with BA Acc.Hon degree, non smoker, non drinker, stable job with strong values and well settled family in Australia. Preferred height 5’4” and above, with strong values. Please send full details to newrishta@y7mail.com Compatible match for 1975, handsome, clean-shaven Sikh Khatri boy, 5’9”, two post grad degrees from India and recently finished Masters in IT from Australia. Applied for temporary resident visa (currently with full work rights) and working as Vehicle Service Agent for Hertz multinational car rental company, earning $4000 per month.

Girl should be tall, well-educated with pleasing personality, and must be from Sikh background. Early marriage; serious proposals only please.

Phone 0422 102 242 or email jas_ghai01@gmail.com

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PSYCHE

The value of silence Self-retrospection and self-revival can be achieved by giving yourself some quiet time each day

By SAROJA SRINIVASAN

S

ilence is the language of space. When we break the silence when we don’t have to, we destroy space. The popular song, ‘The answer is blowing in the wind’ clearly illustrates that the answer to our perennial questions is all around us, in the silence, when we give ourselves time to reflect.

Spending an allotted regular time in silence is a common edict in many spiritual practices. In the hustle and bustle of modern living, one rarely experiences total silence. Yet this is the very reason we need to learn to experience the sheer joy of silence when no words are uttered. The mind is full of chatter within, and in silence the heightened awareness of this ‘noise within’ suddenly brings to the fore our turbulent mind that needs to be calmed.

Traditional spiritual practices encourage spending time in silence whether it is during spiritual retreats or on a daily basis as in the Hindu tradition of daily ‘mauna vrath’, taking a vow to practice a pre-determined time of being silent every day, be it an hour or 20 minutes. The monks of the Benedictine order live in complete silence in their monastery, while the Buddhist tradition calls for periodic retreats in total silence.

The Sanskrit word maunam is derived from the word muni, the ascetic wise man. In chapter 12 of the Bhagavad-Gita, a sage or wise person is defined as a ‘mauni’.

‘Muneha bhaavaha maunam’ (the bhaava of munis is maunam), means that the intrinsic quality of a learned person is silence. Perhaps the best examples from Hindu tradition are Shri Dakshinamurthy and Ramana Maharishi in the 20th century, who taught their disciples through silence.

What silence does for you

Silence helps in our spiritual growth. In everyday interactions, silence also helps in responding with maturity. While the faculty of speech is needed for communication, the faculty of silence is needed for inner growth.

It helps to perceive the world in an unbiased way, so one’s response may be appropriate.

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Swami Paramarthananda in a talk in Chennai, aptly said that many of us are ‘addicted’ to talking. We seem unable to tolerate silence and feel something is wrong if there is no noise all the time. To be silent does not require one to retreat to a forest, just a quiet place where there is no need to talk like a quiet space in one’s home, temple, church or library.

When we are constantly engaged in talking and interacting, our body and mind become instruments; but when we are silent, they become objects of our observation. Our sense of self-awareness increases.

In silence we confront our own body and mind. The capacity to confront ourselves is paramount not only for spiritual growth, but also to fend off loneliness.

Learning to enjoy silence gives us the ability to enjoy solitude. The best way to enjoy graceful ageing and to fight loneliness is to learn to become skilful in enjoying silence and solitude.

When we practice silence effectively, we benefit by listening more easily to others without interrupting. Listening without interrupting is a vocal discipline.

It is the best exercise in selfrestraint. Interrupting with parallel experiences from one’s own life, giving a counter-point, giving negative comments stops one from listening effectively. Listening is not giving advice or offering solutions.

An important rule to follow is – never give advice or solutions without being asked.

In the Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna had the solution for Arjuna’s despondency, but he listened to him patiently –the first 47 verses and only in the second chapter when Arjuna says, ‘I am a student please teach me’ does Lord Krishna begin to speak.

If others are sharing happy experiences, their joy is doubled by sharing; and when they share their sorrow, it helps to heal their wound. Most of the time people want you to listen, not just hear.

If you begin to talk, your mind cannot listen to what is being said while you speak at the same time. By being with the person in silence we show our empathy by effective listening.

Not surprisingly, we can learn a lot about life from remaining silent and listening.

The best example is Adi Sankara.

He has written wonderful treatises on the life of ‘grihastas’ (householders), yet he was a celibate or brahmachari! His ability to listen and observe gave him

the opportunity to learn and gain profound insights into the human condition. By listening, the maturity of the sanyasi increases and his insight is of a very high calibre.

is emotional as in when one is angry, annoyed and/or frustrated.

At such times, no useful or constructive communication occurs and in fact often it destroys the goodwill that may be present.

Traps to avoid breaking a vow of silence

Benefits gained from being silent

Swami Paramarthananda illustrated the traps we fall into, in his talk. The first of them he called the monologue trap – when one gets so absorbed in what one is saying, that it ends as a monologue with no opportunity for others to say anything. When we do this we break two cardinal rules – the ‘ahimsa’ rule, as we literally inflict pain on those who are listening; and the ‘astheyam’ rule, when we rob the other of their precious time!

The second trap is the gossip trap – gossip or talking negatively about others when they are not present, destroys inner growth.

It is very important to avoid this trap and the best way is to not contribute by even listening to it.

The third trap is the argument trap. Many conversations, even between well-meaning friends, turn in to arguments. These really become non-arguments for no one is actively listening, but are keen to get their own views across. As the saying goes, ‘It takes two hands to clap’, and it is best to remain silent when such nonarguments persist.

The fourth trap is the emotional speech trap – talking when one

Being silent is not just the absence of sound and words. Observing silence in many contexts as discussed earlier, leads to a profound state of self-awareness that is vital for self-improvement.

Many people are terrified of silence and this self-confrontation.

The voluntary practice of developing the habit of being silent is necessary throughout our life. Even children need to be encouraged to have quiet time amidst their hectic physical activity.

Being silent is not depriving oneself of something. One has to value silence and solitude and learn to be by oneself and comfortable with oneself.

Silence offers the best learning experience to learn the art of non- attachment. We don’t have to actively detach our self from participating, but we need to acquire the ability to not become bound by our likes and dislikes.

Non-attachment is the capacity to enjoy the moment’s experience but not crave for it, and silence helps to develop this ability.

My favourite quote is from Fr. Benoit, a Benedictine monk who said, “In the silence of your mind, may you find the space to fill your emptiness”.

i love silence

While the faculty of speech is needed for communication, the faculty of silence is needed for inner growth

Non-attachment is the capacity to enjoy the moment’s experience but not crave for it, and silence helps to develop this ability.

OCTOBER (2) 2012 47

48 OCTOBER (2) 2012

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stage

A journey to unseen horizons The motivation to achieve has been a hallmark of Liladar Pala’s life

By SUDHA NATARAJAN

Liladar diversified the family business, purchasing three theatres.

They imported Hollywood films as well as films in several Indian languages, and their association with the film industry brought them other cultural opportunities

C

ommunity participation and generosity of heart are traits of very special people, like Mr Liladar Pala.

He has played an active role in promoting and supporting community development in Fiji and Australia, besides donating generously to various needy organisations in India.

Liladar is a life member of several religious missions in Fiji, and a Chartered Member of the Lions and Rotary Clubs in Fiji.

He was President of Girnara Soni Seva Samaj in Fiji from 1960 to 1966, and Trustee of Divine Life Society also in Fiji from 1957 to 1967, to name just a few of his prestigious commitments. Along with several school boards, Liladar was also a part of the Cinema Censor Board of the Government of Fiji, and on the Advisory Board of Shree Shankarji Foundation for the Blind of India.

Appreciating his services to the community, the Fiji Government honoured Liladar by awarding him with the medal instituted by the Queen in commemoration of Fiji Independence in 1970.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution and services, the 25th Council of International Congress of NRIs invited him to New Delhi and presented him with the Government of India Award on the eve of Republic Day in 2006.

In Australia, Liladar continues his support of the community as a life member of RAIN (Resourceful Australian Indian Network) and the Sri Mandir Society, Auburn. He is also a member of the Senior Citizens Gujarati Group and Hindu Society, Parmarth Educational Centre Incorporated, and Hindu Heritage Research Foundation Limited. He also represented the Gujarati Samaj of NSW Inc. in the World Gujarati Conference in New Jersey, USA in 2006.

Early life

Liladar Pala was born in a small village named Barvala near Hariyaali Naagher, a beautiful green and hilly province in Gujarat, situated around the picturesque mountain range of Mount Girnar. The region is popular for its ancient Jain temples with their famously NATIONAL EDITION

Ramabehn Pala, 80 beautiful marble carvings, and it is also a corridor into the lion sanctuary.

Liladar’s grandfather Kanji Jinah Pala was a jeweller, and had a large family with five sons and a daughter. They lived in a joint family and Bhanji Kanji Pala, Liladar’s father, had to look for opportunities to unknown horizons to improve their lot.

Liladar’s father found such an opportunity when he sailed to Fiji in 1914, a tough and hazardous 30-day journey from Calcutta to Suva, the capital of Fiji on a ship with 300 people crammed on an open deck, experiencing severe weather conditions. But it was their determination to achieve something for themselves that inspired them. Sacrifice was the price they had to pay for leaving their families and venturing into unknown lands.

Liladar’s father established himself in Fiji, continuing in the jewellery business, and was joined by his brothers to broaden their business horizons. The Pala family soon had a shop of general business in Lambasa, Vanualevu and Suva. Liladar’s father returned to India in 1923.

Liladar was born in 1924, the second child of five siblings.

In that era, education was not easily accessible due to transport difficulties and Liladar had to walk 3kms to school in another village.

Marriage makes the man

Liladar migrated to Fiji in 1936, and began his studies immediately, joining the family business in 1942. In 1947, Liladar went to India to find his life partner, and as was the custom, his parents had selected a few eligible girls to be his prospective bride. Liladar selected the beautiful Ramaben

Liladar Pala, 88 and married her with the blessings of his father and other elders.

Ramaben loved him dearly, and cared, supported, encouraged and inspired him from the day they married till now, 65 years later. Liladar then returned to Fiji, Ramaben joined him soon after and in time, they were blessed with two sons and a daughter.

Diversifying business

Marriage motivated Liladar further, and the family worked hard to build the business into an empire. In 1954 they diversified, purchasing three theatres and expanding the business with other partners. They imported Hollywood films as well as films in several Indian languages, and their association with the film industry brought them other cultural opportunities. Hindi films were very popular in Fiji and many broke box office records bringing Indian movie moguls and famous artists such as Mohammad Rafi, Mukesh, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Parekh, Hema Malini and many others to Fiji. Liladar and his family hosted these celebrities on their trips to the island state.

In 1962, Air India inaugurated their flight to Fiji on a Boeing

aircraft, and Liladar was felicitated along with other dignitaries, with a week-long holiday. This was in acknowledgement of Liladar’s service to the country and his company’s contribution to the economic development in Fiji.

Liladar and Ramaben migrated to Australia in 1988 to be with their two sons and daughter who have been here since 1983. They were lucky to have wonderful friends in Shree Sharad and Rita Devmurari, and also Shree Shivprasadji (Kantibhai) and Savitaben Bhatt. With the help of their friends they are now well settled here and are actively involved in the community.

Liladar Pala on life’s many adventures…

“It is very pleasing to sit back and reflect on the past 65 odd years and think about the challenges, hard work, rewards, disappointments and successes experienced. I find it very encouraging and pleasing that I could serve my elders such as my grandfather, father and many great saints including Mother Teresa.

We also personally met and served great personalities like Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and others,

Ramaben loved him dearly, and cared, supported, encouraged and inspired him from the day they married till now, 65 years later

including many holy persons.

We were very fortunate to have visited and taken extensive pilgrimages to all the famous holy places, including the 12 Jyotirlings.

We also travelled overseas, and we believe that all this was possible only by the grace of God, blessings from our elders and the result of good deeds done. Our efforts, intelligence and toil had helped to a certain extent only.

Now we live with our elder son Girish, his lovely wife Preeti and our two grandchildren. The love, care and support we enjoy from our family is beyond anyone’s expectation. All our needs are taken care of and our feelings are respected to the minutest detail.

What else can parents ask for?”

OCTOBER (2) 2012 49

FOOD

Packing a punch There’s a perfect summer cooler for everyone, with or without the alcohol

T

BY SHERYL DIXIT

he weather’s getting warmer, the festive season’s getting closer and you’re already planning those party menus in your head. There’s an abundance of fruit in the market and it’s lovely to see watermelon and rockmelon at affordable prices. Stone fruit are making an appearance, and the aroma of mangoes is heady and exciting.

With all that fruit around, a platter at a party will be the expected and done thing, but you can add to the festivities with a refreshing fruit punch. Here are a few easy to prepare recipes that will appeal to all, depending on tastes and preferences.

Coolers for kids

These easy, chilled punches are great for kids of all ages because they’re healthy and delicious. Your children can help you make them as well, as long as you don’t mind a couple of hours of cleaning up afterwards!

1 litre fresh orange juice 1 Granny Smith (green) apple 1 large navel orange 6-8 strawberries 250 ml sparkling water (optional) 15-20 ice cubes

into the mix. As the iceblocks melt, the juice’s flavour will be enhanced.

Instead of making iceblocks, pour the juice into an ice cube tray and freeze to get smaller juice cubes.

kirsch and ice cubes and stir until well mixed.

Use soda if you prefer not-toosweet sangria. Brandy can also be used instead of schnapps or kirsch.

Mum’s magic

Hangover headbanger

750 ml orange juice, chilled 500 ml pineapple juice, chilled 250 ml passionfruit juice, chilled 50 ml fresh lemon juice 1 large red apple, finely sliced 1 large green apple, finely sliced 1 cup pineapple, cubed 1 cup watermelon, cubed 1 cup cherries 1 cup strawberries, halved 1 cup grapes, seedless ½ cup kiwi fruit, cubed 200 ml sparkling water (optional) 30-40 ice cubes 10-15 mint leaves Place all the fruit in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Take a large punch bowl, pour in all the fruit juice and mix gently with a large ladle. Just before serving, add the chilled fruit, ice cubes and mint. Add sparkling water if you like a bit of fizz.

Dad’s magic

50 ml white wine or vodka or gin or Schnapps (or a combination of all, if you’re brave) Same as Mum’s magic, see above

Sunshine Sangria

500 ml apple juice, chilled 200 ml blackcurrant juice 200 ml grape juice 10-12 cherries 1-2 plums, deseeded and cubed 1 cup cubed watermelon

Aaah, Sangria! This popular wine punch from Spain and Portugal traditionally contains wine, chopped fruit, honey or sugar and a bit of brandy. Naturally, many variations now exist from the Scottish (mostly alcohol) to the Indian (adding a bit of beer). But here is a personal favourite.

1 large navel orange, thinly sliced 1 large red apple, thinly sliced 1 cup strawberries, halved 1 cup green grapes, seedless 1 lemon, finely sliced 750 ml dry red wine, chilled 250 ml orange juice, chilled 250 ml peach schnapps or 100 ml kirsch 250 ml soda or lime soft drink, chilled 30-40 ice cubes

Pour blackcurrant juice into a plastic cup or container and place in the freezer until it solidifies into ice. Do the same for the grape juice. Pour the chilled apple juice into a large jug, add the cherries, plum and watermelon cubes.

Taking care to avoid spilling or splashing, gently add the solidified blackcurrant and grape iceblocks

Place all the cut fruit into a large bowl, pour 150 ml of the peach schnapps or 50 ml of kirsch over the fruit, mix gently, cover with clingwrap and place in the fridge overnight. Pour the chilled red wine, orange juice and soda or soft drink into a large jug. Add fruit mix and stir gently. Add remaining peach schnapps or

Deseed the fruit and cut it into small cubes. Place the fruit in a bowl, cover with cling-film and place in the fridge for about an hour. Next, empty the orange juice into a large jug, add the sparking water if your kids like a bit of fizz.

Add the cold fruit and ice cubes to the mix and stir. Serve chilled.

Instead of orange juice, you could use apple or cranberry juice.

Cube creation

50 OCTOBER (2) 2012

This clear punch is for people who’re definitely not driving home after the party. And who preferably don’t have kids who’ll wake them up before noon the next day. It’s a highly alcoholic punch, the preamble to having a great, and often embarrassingly good time. But be warned to expect a pretty massive post-party headache!

750 ml white wine, chilled 250 ml white rum, chilled 250 ml vodka, chilled 750 ml-1litre lemonade soft drink, chilled 1 large orange, thinly sliced 1 medium lemon, thinly sliced 1 cup green grapes, seedless ½ cup pomegranate seeds Lots of ice Place all the fruit in a bowl, cover with clingwrap and chill for at least 2 hours. In a large jug, mix together the wine, rum and vodka.

Add the chilled fruit and stir.

Next, add lemonade soft drink until the taste of the alcohol has mellowed to your satisfaction. Use soda instead of lemonade if you prefer a tangier taste. Serve chilled and enjoy.

Granny’s grog

This is a great morning-after remedy, to help recover from the headbanger headache punch. And your grandma need never know!

50 ml pineapple juice 50 ml coconut water 50 ml carrot juice 50 ml celery juice 25 ml fresh lemon juice 10 mint leaves, roughly crushed Mix together all the ingredients and place in the fridge before leaving for the party. On

returning, carefully remove from fridge, stir, drink and go to bed.

Extreme berry

This is for lovers of berries, no matter which kind. Apart from one ingredient, this punch is healthy and fortifying, so leave out the vodka for a cool, refreshing, invigorating, non-alcoholic version.

1 litre cranberry juice, chilled 100 ml vodka 1 cup blueberries 1 cup cranberries 1 cup strawberries, sliced 1 cup rasberries 100 ml fresh lemon juice Ice cubes Place the fruit in a bowl.

Pour half of the vodka over the fruit and place in the fridge for about two hours. In a large jug, pour the cranberry and lemon juice, and add the vodka.

Stir thoroughly. Next, add the vodka-soaked fruit and ice cubes.

Stir and serve.

For a non-alcoholic and slightly sweeter taste, substitute vodka with honey.

CHATSWOOD SHOP A chance in Chatswood, established 10 years, convenience store with full licence Lotteries.

Very good position, in heart of the busiest part of CHATSWOOD CBD. Turnover above $20k per week, good profit.

Serious offers call

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Visit friends and relatives and also explore other places of interest in India.

Witness the Purna Kumbh Mela at Allahabad from 27 Jan to 28 Feb 2013.

Experience the Royal Luxury train tour in India On return spread a good word around among your Aussie friends.

email: ram@ramworldtravel.com.au

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OCTOBER (2) 2012 51

entertainment

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

25 years gone, but Kishore Kumar lives on

Big B turns 70

I

t was a night to end all nights, and a party to end all parties as the cream of the Hindi and South Indian film industry turned up to wish megastar Amitabh Bachchan on his 70th birthday on October 11. The party held on October 10 was organised by Jaya Bachchan, and was held at the Reliance Mediaworks in Film City in Goregaon. Over 800 guests, dressed in their best, graced the occasion from ageing stars to the young crop to politicians and producers.

Amitabh himself looked dashing in a knee-length black velvet kurta, looking content at being the centre of attention from his immediate family including wife Jaya, son Abhishek, daughter-in-law Aishwarya, daughter Shweta Nanda and her husband and children. A special moment for him was being wished by his grand-daughter Aaradhya, who also made a brief appearance when the cake was being cut.

The Big B was his charming self, unfazed by the media frenzy and posing for shutterbugs while he thanked everyone for their wishes.

From veteran actor Dilip Kumar and wife Saira Bano, to legendary villain Pran and Shashi Kapoor who both turned up in wheelchairs, and the indomitable Rajnikanth, the venue buzzed with the best in the industry.

Celebrities like Karan Johar, Anil Ambani, Aditya Godrej, Kumaramangalam Birla, Mulayam Singh Yadav with son Akhilesh, Chaggan Bhujbal, Uddhav Thackeray with wife and son also attended, rubbing shoulders with Vinod Khanna, Hema Malini, Jeetendra, Waheeda Rehman, Prem Chopra, Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor with wife Neetu, Moushmi Chatterjee, Aruna Irani, Yash Chopra with wife Pamela, Sridevi with husband Boney Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Jeetendra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Priety Zinta, Vidya Balan, Bipasha Bau, Sanjay Dutt, Madhuri Dixit with husband, Ajay Devgn, Kajol, Juhi Chawla, Anil Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Govinda.

The entrance of the megastar’s home, his bungalow called Jalsa, was adorned with garlands and hundreds of people from different walks of life, gathered outside his house to catch a glimpse of the iconic actor and wish him a long life.

But the highlight of the Big B’s birthday was the launch of a book of artwork inspired by the superstar in Mumbai. Aptly titled B Seventy, the book is a tribute to Big B by 70 leading artists of the country.

“A part from the sale of these artworks will be donated for quality education of the girl child,” Jaya Bachchan, who released the book, said. She had, in fact, conceptualised the idea along with adman Piyush Pandey, a fitting tribute for a great actor and the face of the Indian film industry.

With a birthday so memorable a milestone, all we can do is wish Amitabh Bachchan a happy and contented life. Good luck always!

52 OCTOBER (2) 2012

Chalte chalte mere ye geet yaad rakhna, kabhi alvida na kehna. True to the spirit of the song, fans of Kishore Kumar still remember the inimitable singer who lives on in their hearts even 25 years after his death. The legend died Oct 13, 1987.

One can understand the frenzy about Kishore Kumar by the fact that he is the most sought after singer on radio channels in India, with his songs getting millions of hits on YouTube and music lovers downloading his most popular numbers from the internet.

And it’s not just golden oldies who enjoy Kishorda’s music, even the younger generation are into the legend’s music.

Popular RJ Sayema, who hosts Purani Jeans on Radio Mirchi, says that the most requests that the radio station receives are for Kishore Kumar songs, which are very popular among the age group of 12-19-year-olds.

“There is no dearth of Kishore Kumar fans. Most of the requests are for Kishore Kumar songs - be it on mails, Facebook or Twitter or on the telephone. They come each single day without a miss,” she said.

Kishore Kumar, fondly known as Kishoreda, gave the Indian film industry hit songs like O Hansini, Aa chal ke tujhe, Pyar manga tumhi se, Pal pal dil ke paas, Hawa ke saath saath, Chukar mere mann ka and Jahaan teri ye nazar hai.

Kishoreda’s songs have a timeless charm, with melodies and lyrics which make them hard to forget, especially his evergreen romantic songs.

The singer, who won many Filmfare awards for songs like Roop tera mastana, Pag ghoongru bandh and Hume aur jeene ki, is very much with us through his talent and art, says Pakistani singer Adnan Sami.

GUESS WHO ?

Constantly overshadowed by moretalented older sister and better-known best friend (Find the answer under Caption Contest)

“(Kishoreda) has sung so many songs he is alive through his work. We have all the reasons to celebrate his existence in our lives,” he said.

And of course, thanks to the internet, young people too can easily access Kishore’s songs, and popular numbers like Zindagi ek safar, Gaadi bula rahi and O majhi re have crossed over a billion hits on YouTube.

However, fans between the age group of 30-50 years still buy CDs and DVDs of his old melodies.

Quirky and eccentric as he may have been, Kishore Kumar’s talent as a singer and actor remains unchanged through the years. A true legend indeed!

Reddy proud to be dusky

Sameera Reddy has the most beautiful skin, a lovely dusky shade and adding this to her stunning good looks and voluptuous figure, she’s a pretty hot package. The actress has recently performed a racy item number in Chakravyuh, and she’s happy with the way her career has shaped up.

“I am so proud of my dusky look. I am so proud to have black eyes, black hair and a dusky skin. I am a tall voluptuous girl and I can never be thin,” said Sameera confidently in an interview.

The actress, who has appeared in Hindi films like Race, No Entry and De Dana Dan apart from a host of southern films, admits her dusky look helped her bag the song in Prakash Jha’s Chakravyuh.

“When Prakash Jha called, he said he wanted me to do an item song and he couldn’t think of anyone else for it. He basically wanted a very earthy and rustic look for his song. It’s a very realistic film and this song was needed in the second half of the film,” revealed Sameera.

“He liked the fact that I am fit. He wanted someone with a dusky skin,” she added.

The 29-year-old is also happy that she has managed to carve a niche for herself in showbiz without a godfather.

“I always say that without any filmy background, I have done whatever I wanted to do in life. I am happy the way my career has shaped up and there are no regrets. I am glad to be a part of southern films as well which are being remade in Hindi. My latest (Tamil) film Vettai is being remade in Hindi,” she said.

Soon to be released Chakravyuh has an eclectic cast featuring Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol, Esha Gupta, Manoj Bajpayee, Kabir Bedi and Anjali Patil. So don’t miss out on Sameera strutting her stuff!

Sensational sweet success

After wowing Indian audiences with its unusual storyline and superb acting, Barfi! is now making roadways into the international film circuit. The movie

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toh abhi kunwaari hoon (I am still unmarried),” she added, effectively quashing the hopes of a fresh scandal for mediawallas. But it’s early days yet, let’s wait and see if the Rani-Aditya jodi becomes a permanent one, with the blessings of upar waala!

Political films make a point

Ashotosh Gowa

Kishor

riker

e Kuma

r

A secret Rani won’t reveal

Bollywood actress Rani Mukerji may be friendly, outgoing and charismatic, but she sure knows when to zip it when it comes to the media asking awkward questions. One of these was a query to confirm rumours that she is married to filmmaker Aditya Chopra, who, the buzz says, she has been seeing for a while now.

“My name has been linked with several people, but upar waala (God) will decide who will become my life partner,” said Rani on a TV show recently.

Rani, whose latest film Aiyyaa released recently, reacted strongly to media reports about her secret marriage to Aditya, elder son of acclaimed filmmaker Yash Chopra.

“The media can’t even decide which year the wedding took place. Was it 2007, or 2009, or 2012? Let them (media) make up their mind first.

I am fortunate that the people of this country consider me as their daughter and they are worried about my marriage. But birth, death and marriage are in the hands of upar waala and what is ordained, shall happen,” said the actress a touch philosophically, who sported a rudraksha string on her left wrist.

“As far as my marriage with Aditya is concerned, I can only say, Main NATIONAL EDITION

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Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker, best known for films like Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar, says that he supports movies based on political issues as he believes they can have a profound influence on the people.

“As far as political movies are concerned, they have a strong impact because politics is a very important force in our lives. If we want any change, then we should elect only those people who can bring that change in the country,” said the 48-year-old at the screening of In The Name Of Tai. The newly-released movie is the story of a village woman who suffers in the process of protecting the lands of the farmers from the clutches of powerful builders, and politicians.

“I think a film on politics tends to make you think, can show you a new direction and can create an environment where you can take decisions, as to whom to vote and which political party to be brought in power,” he added.

Gowariker’s last release was the 2010 film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey, based on the Chittagong uprising of 1930.

Perhaps his next script will be on the mire surrounding corrupt politicians in the country. We’ll just have to wait and see…

What’s the chitchat between Jaya and Aish here?

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

Last issue Caption Contest winning entry

No more Dhoom for Sanjay

Rani Mu

Samee

y ra Redd

kherjee

Director Sanjay Gadhvi is feeling the pangs of separation, although moving away from the third instalment of the popular Dhoom franchise was a conscious decision for him. The talented director admits he will definitely miss being a part of Dhoom 3, a Yash Raj Films project that is being shot in Chicago with Aamir Khan in the lead. The film is being directed by Vijay Krishna Acharya, while Gadhvi is busy promoting his new film Ajab Gazabb Love.

“I will definitely miss being a part of Dhoom 3 as it is very close to my heart.

It was a conscious decision to not direct the film, as I didn’t want to get stuck in making the same kind of cinema. I didn’t want to go on doing the same thing again and again,” he said.

The previous two films of Dhoom franchise turned out to be blockbusters with Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra reprising their roles as ACP Jai Dixit and Ali, respectively. Gadhvi generously hopes the third instalment becomes a bigger hit.

The director’s latest film is romantic comedy Ajab Gazabb Love, which features Jackky Bhagnani and southern actress Neha Subbaiah. Well, all we can wish for is that Gadhvi’s latest venture is as sensational as Dhoom!

IANS

Karan: Maybe if I stand real close to you they’ll stop calling me names…

Vidya: You are what you are, Babes, nothing will change that.

Sukumar Iyer Glenorchy, Tasmania Sukumar wins a music CD of new Hindi film Aiyyaa

Answer to GUESS WHO? Amrita Arora

will be India’s official entry for the foreign film entry at the Oscars, but it also recently won hearts at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, evoking a standing ovation from an audience of 4,000 people. Needless to say, but we will – the lead actors Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor are thrilled.

Ranbir, who played a deaf and mute man named Murphy in the movie, says the team is “thrilled by the amazing reception”.

“We received a standing ovation at the end of the screening which was both exhilarating and humbling for us. Barfi! is a very special film for all of us involved,” he said in a statement.

Priyanka, who essayed an autistic girl named Jhilmil, echoed his views, saying “I am thrilled with the response received for the film and also for my performance.

This was the first film festival to showcase Barfi! and I’m looking forward to many more.”

The movie won hearts with its moving narrative about love between the two key characters, and has managed to cross the Rs.6 million mark from the overseas market.

It seems that a worldwide audience is now set to give Indian cinema a chance to prove the worth of some of its movies.

Moving away from the stereotypical commercial baloney dished out by Bollywood, it’s a refreshing run for the talented team. Now it’s fingers crossed for sweet success at the Oscars!

Good luck!

OCTOBER (2) 2012 53

54 OCTOBER (2) 2012

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NATIONAL EDITION

OCTOBER (2) 2012 55

entertainment

Cine Talk Rani’s weird yet watchable

S

omewhere towards the ‘grind’ finale, when you are grinding your teeth in exasperation at the banality of the burlesque, a hideous character named Gagabai is seen slithering, dancing and cavorting all over a set that looks like a psychedelic nightmare-scape from Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D. As this Lady Gaga sings Do do do me to a leery lad who has seen better ‘daze’, the director seems to have completely lost the plot.

Aiyyaa is a film that thrives on the mood of unmitigated zaniness. For those who like their comedy with a heavy layering of wistful fantasy it’s quite an experience. Wacky and funny on the top, the world of the protagonist Meenaxi (Rani Mukerji) is dark and sombre beneath. It’s a tough mood creation marred by the director’s stubborn refusal to let the narrative make up its mind whether it wants to do a homage or a spoof to the fantasy-cinema of the 1980s.

So here’s the thing. Director

Kundalkar, who seems to think wackiness is a tremendous cinematic virtue, begins by showing Meenaxi as a middle class Maharastrian girl constantly fantasising about being in Madhuri Dixit’s and Sridevi’s song sequences from Tezaab and Mr India.

But as the narrative groans ahead it is defeated by its own eccentricity. Homage or highdefinition item songs, Rani, by jove, has a ball dancing to the spoofy and the sensuous beats of Amit Trivedi’s mood-perfect tunes. She embraces her character, making Meenaxi’s contradictions and whims her own to the point that we are almost willing to excuse the film’s innate discrepancies and annoying goofiness.

Rani’s played the downmarket dreamer before, in Bunty Aur Babli.

Here, she lets the working class wannabe’s imagination take wings to soar eagle-like in the sky that, alas, gets progressively clouded and murky.

Very often, Meenaxi’s home and life would remind you of Ram Gopal Varma’s Rangeela while her rapport with her trying-hard-tobe-understanding fiance (Subodh Bhave, excellent) harks back to Jaya Bhaduri’s Bole re papihara in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Guddi.

Subodh Bhave’s description of his love for the cinema of Farooq Shaikh and Deepti Naval with Jagjit Singh’s Tumko dekha to yeh khayaal aaya from the film Saath Saath thrown in for good measure, and with Rani’s character trying hard to follow her fiance’s love for nostalgia, are brilliantly tongue-incheek.

Alas, the film loses any claim to a coherent voice. Meenaxi’s friend Gagabai’s overpowering trashiness and the wheelchaired grandmother’s excessive exuberance set your teeth on edge. Did they really think these

over-the-top (and how!) characters would actually appear funny on screen?

What works, and works beautifully, is the central RaniPrithviraj romance. Aiyyaa is all about a girl who longs to escape her garbage dump existence, falls in love with a man who smells good and stalks the scented silent sinister stranger to a finale that is tragically far from ambrosial or enigmatic.

No Hindi film has explored the sensuous aspect of smells so effectively. Every time the South Indian brooder (Prithviraj, effectively in-mood) passes by Rani inhales as though she had just felt eternity in her nostrils.

Also brilliant is Rani’s brief attempts to touch her fantasyman’s Tamilian background by taking a crash course in Chennai etiquette from a cocky Dravidian chaiwalla boy (Pakadi Pandi, superb) and also by gate-crashing into his home to befriend his South Indian mother.

The director messes up a chance

Balancing drama and authenticity deftly in deshbhakti

R

ight away, Chittagong, taking its title from that scenic lush-green spot now in Bangladesh, where a band of brave boys took on the British Raj and gave it a run for its money, must be praised for taking a slice of relativelyunknown history (not counting Ashutosh Gowariker’s poorlyreceived film on the same story) and turning it into an engaging authentic cinema that dares to venture into a genre, which died a rather quick death after Gowariker’s pseudo-historical Lagaan.

Chittagong is the real thing.

Bravely bonafide and not afraid to show a humane side to the British without taking away from the heroism of the freedom fighters, the film packs in a great

56 OCTOBER (2) 2012

deal of cinematic moments in less than two hours of playing time.

Its beauty is more by decree than design, less self-conscious than generally seen in films that project periodicity.

We see the verdant hamlet in Bangladesh, beautifully captured by cinematographer Eric Zimmerman, as a mysterious sinister area of insurgent activity.

Debutant director Bedabrata Pain lets the weight of his rigorous research sit comfortably on the narrative.

The patriotic fervour is never allowed to weigh down the characters. Every member of Masterda’s (Manoj Bajpayee) rebellious gang comes across as a sharply etched character whose patriotic pride couldn’t hide the all-too-human side.

There is a tender romance tucked away in the narrative between Nirmal Sen (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and the comely plucky girl who eggs him on from the sidelines. Their courtship doesn’t come to a

happy ending. But at least they tried.

The film is done with a smiling nod to the spirit of romance during times of ferocious deshbhakti. It’s almost like a tribute to the war-andlove themes of Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Sadly Chittagong never allows itself to get passionate about patriotism or love. For better or worse, Pain keeps the emotions firmly reined-in. Except for some portions of manipulative background music, the narrative eschews over-statement, and opts for a gently persuasive approach that serves the film’s valorous theme in good stead.

Shankar Mahadevan’s expressive voice sings out Prasoon Joshi’s sturdy poetry with robust impact.

There is a poetic element running through the film, as though the world that Pain creates so diligently would topple over if the freedom fighters didn’t seek another kind of freedom before duty beckons.

The entire uprising in 1930 is seen through the eyes of a boy-soldier Jumku, played with wonderful understanding, innocence and wisdom by Delzad Hilwale. The boy is a valuable discovery, on par with the best juvenile performers we’ve seen recently. Manoj in the central role of Masterda is surprisingly restrained. There are many episodes where the actor would have fornicated with flag-waving flamboyance.

In keeping with the film’s mellow mood, Manoj chooses understatement.

Nawazuddin and Raj Kumar Yadav are as usual so in-character that one has to remind oneself that these are the same actors who not so long ago played antisocial elements in Gangs Of Wasseypur.

Long live the upsurge of acting talent that has taken over Bollywood. Now if only the Rs.100-crore club could accommodate talent alongside star power.

The relationship that develops between Jumku and the British officer (Barry John,

to let Rani’s inherent exuberance sing and dance across the length and breadth of the film’s canvas.

He keeps placing the spontaneous actress into ridiculously compromised situations. It is to Rani’s credit that she survives all the bumps and belly aches that this weird yet watchable film serves up.

Yes, Rani gets a firm grip on the intriguing flavour of this out-of-thebox comedy. To a large extent she redeems this fatally flawed farce.

But honestly you need nerves of steel to withstand those chilling close-ups of Gagabai.

Don’t hold your breath. That sweet smell in Rani’s nostrils is not fated to be ours, not in this film.

Subhash K. Jha

Film: Aiyyaa Starring: Rani Mukerji, Prithviraj Director: Sachin Kundalkar

perfectly pitched to portray the dilemma of a Britisher caught between duty and emotion) reminded me of Paan Singh Tomar and his senior officer in the army. Sometimes two unlikely souls divided in their loyalties cross the border to mingle with the adversary.

Chittangong doesn’t portray the Britishe as only ogres and sadists. Thank goodness for some restraint in the conflict.

For cinema to accommodate history, there must be a sense of balance between drama and authenticity. Chittagong manages that balance quite well.

One misses the sharp high points of drama that constitute the historical epics in Holywood by, say, David Lean. Bedabrata Pain, I suspect, doesn’t strive to create history, he recreates it.

Subhash K. Jha

Film: Chittagong CAST: Manoj Bajpayee, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Rajumar Yadav, Jaideep Ahlawat and Delzad Hiwale Director: Bedabrata Pain

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Go forth and seek your own happiness

T

here are no villains in English Vinglish. Only imperfect human beings like you and I, who make that common error of taking loved ones for granted.

Admit it. At some point in our lives we have all felt that if we don’t speak good English, we are not destined to be successful human beings. Imagine a housewife - beautiful, efficient, charming, supportive - and imagine if she looks like, well, Sridevi and still feels she is being taken for granted just because she can’t speak fluent Angrezi.

Shashi’s children find her embarrassing at times. Her husband openly cracks jokes about her accent. Shashi’s husband thinks he’s just being urbane and witty. But it hurts. We see that hurt in Sridevi’s eyes each time she is slighted and snubbed by those who she loves the most.

We know this world. We know this woman too. Director Gauri Shinde brings to the comfort of the familiar a feeling and flavour of wonderment, discovery and beauty.

English Vinglish is a fabulous fable of a woman’s selfactualization. Shabana Azmi did such films in the 1970s. The issues in those films about unfulfilled wives were largely sociallydefined - infidelity, adultery and betrayal. The betrayal of the unforgettable woman in English Vinglish is far less dramatic and therefore much more profoundly deep-rooted.

Shashi breaks up a little every time the three most important people in her life - her husband, daughter and son - crack up at her vernacular accent.

Then comes the chance for

redemption. A five-week vacation in the US, a clandestine crash course in English and best of all, a chance to feel wanted and special when a fellow-classmate, a quietly striking French chef, gives Shashi the attention she doesn’t get from her husband.

This is the complete middleclass woman’s fantasy. Go out on your own and find happiness.

Shinde wins over the audience at the story level itself. And then as a bonus, she proves herself a master storyteller.

Sure, Shinde gets a tremendous boost from cinematographer Laxman Utekar who captures New York in its quiet mellow state of bustling grace; composer Amit Trivedi’s music simply and fluently melts into the theme and storytelling; and editor Hemanti Sarkar cuts the footage the way Shashi would cut her vegetables, precisely, lovingly and without anxiety.

Finally it’s really the director’s call.

In what I rank as the best debut by a female director since Aparna Sen’s 36 Chowringee Lane, Shinde imbues a majestic mellowness and an unostentatious glow to the story of Shashi’s coming-ofage saga. Shashi’s ennui is not the in-your-face tragic pathos of Madhabi Mukherjee in Satyajit Ray’s Charulata or Shabana in Ek Pal. No case-history of domestic torture is built for our heroine. And no, the husband, played by Adil Hussain, brilliant in a thankless role, is not a cad sneaking into another woman’s bed.

The narration doesn’t try to pin its resplendent protagonist’s life down to bookmarked vignettes suggesting a violent need to be

liberated from her domestic life.

It’s all very routine, recognisable and familiar.

The miracle of watching English Vinglish confer such a supple and contoured shape to Shashi’s life is attributable to the director’s highconcept theme and treatment.

Shinde abhors overstatement.

You hardly ever see Shashi break down. And so when the awards fall into Sridevi’s lap at the yearend, the nomination clip won’t be the woman who suffers wracking trauma stereotype.

Nope. This woman is far more special than the bored housewives who look for an alibi to burst into their own version of Kaaton se kheench key yeh aanchal to justify their succulent bites into the forbidden fruit. Sridevi simply sinks into the Big Apple, biting off juicy mouthfuls of New York’s sobering cultural grace, absorbing the cultural shock with a dignity that films about journeys tend to undervalue. Not this one.

English Vinglish is a delectable geographical and emotional journey undertaken with a refreshing absence of bravura and self-congratulation.

Much of Shashi’s inner power comes from Sridevi owning the role. This actress simply vanishes into her character living every breath of Shashi’s voyage from laddoo-making to self-actualisation. The journey is so exciting for us the audience because we feel a new world of experiences unravel for Shashi even as she savours the newness of it all.

Sridevi is the film’s backbone.

To her good fortune, and ours, the film is supported by a uniformly impeccable cast. Hardly

ever in recent times have I seen so many wonderful performers in one film who don’t seem to ‘perform’ at all. Whether it’s Shashi’s immediate family, or her sister’s family in the US, and her classmates at the coaching institute - every character stays with us. Every person populating the plot is vividly sketched.

Finally, of course, this is Sridevi’s film. In the past she has given outstanding performances in awful films like Nagina and Judaai. Here her inviolable virtuosity and exceptional grace get brilliant support from every department of the film.

Specially memorable are her scenes with her French costar Mehdi Nebbou who is so splendidly supportive, we forget what a major star he is in France.

Each time the two get passionate and emotional about one another, they speak in their native tongues, certain that their words would not impede the meaning of their thought expression.

Words, this beautiful work of unassuming art tells us, are redundant: more so when Sridevi uses silent eloquence to express her inner thoughts. She never allows her character to look like a victim. That is the real triumph of English Vinglish.

Sublime, subtle, seductive and

thoroughly engaging English Vinglish is in some ways a lifechanging experience. It turns around the male gaze, making patriarchal tyranny seem like an acceptable tradition that we never thought we needed to break. With oodles of persuasive charm, the director breaks down the bastion of male pride with a film that generations will look back on with affection. As for the incandescent Sridevi, was she really away for 16 years?

She makes the contemporary actresses, even the coolest ones, look like jokes with her flawless interpretation of a woman who seeks only respect because love, she already has.

Flaws? Yes, one. Amitabh Bachchan’s cameo, interesting as it is, overstays its welcome.

Actually Shinde plays the Big B the best possible compliment in the opening credits: “100 Years Of Indian cinema 70 Years Of Amitabh Bachchan.”

To that we can add, a good 40 years of Sridevi.

Subhash K Jha

Film: English Vinglish CAST: Sridevi, Adil Hussain, Mehdi Nebbou, and Sujata Kumar DirectoR: Gauri Shinde

A revenge story with a buzz T his is a love triangle with a twist. It’s a story of a man, woman and... a fly! By now we’ve all heard of Rajamouli’s Eega cracking box office records in Tamil. The Hindi version comes to us with tremendous prerelease expectations. Shall we just say we were ‘eega’ to see this film?

Makkhi doesn’t disappoint.

Not by a long shot. It’s a fiercely original and engaging piece of cinema replete with special effects that endow human qualities on a fly, making it a cool tool of vendetta.

Yup, the fly creates quite a buzz! Specially around the film’s antagonist Sudeep’s ears, as it tortures the hell out of the villain who had bumped off the leading lady’s angelic suitor, little realizing that he, the suitor, would be reborn as a fly.

On paper, Makkhi must have

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sounded like a corny adventure saga about a fly’s vendetta spree against a man who would go to any lengths to win over a girl who rebuffs his every gesture.

Sudeep’s effectual destruction by the fly has to be seen to be believed. To bring variations into the fly’s various means of torturing his adversary to death requires Herculean plotting and planning. Director Rajmouli excels in giving a human life to the fly.

In spite of the inherent repetitiveness of the concept (in how many ways can a fly ..er, fly?), the narrative’s pace never slackens. The special effects are incredibly adept. Full marks to Kannada actor Sudeep for creating exacerbated tension in a fight that is unequal from Round 1. Interestingly as the fly-hero’s vendetta intensifies, Sudeep’s character begins to appear

comically vulnerable. By the time he gets unequivocally murderous we share Sudeep’s sentiments completely.

Aur nahin buzz aur nahin!

In theory, it’s a very shaky plot on which to build a whole film but Rajamouli’s sure-handed direction puts zing into the buzz.

There is no dearth of innovative moments in the script. The sharp clenched narrative doesn’t let go of a single occasion to allow the fight to finish between the fly and his killer.

Honestly, who would expect a film entitled Makkhi to fly like a bird? Rajamouli’s ingenious idea and skilful storytelling take us completely by surprise.

Gutsy, sly and original, this is the entertainer of the season. Not only is Sudeep in top form, even Samantha Ruth as his object of adoration is sweetly effective.

Another unmistakable plus

is M.M. Kreem’s music.

The songs come on at opportune spaces in the storytelling. The background music nails the funny-sad-daring plot. A word about the Hindi dubbing. It’s so wellsynchronized with the original Tamil dubbing that nothing is lost in translation.

Besides, a fly really doesn’t speak. And it is the hero of this cocky clever and compelling film.

This may not be the classic waiting to be re-discovered. But Makkhi holds our attention right to the end. It is a conventional love story turned into a ferociously innovative saga by one masterstoke.

By the end of it we no longer wonder, why a fly?

We’re too busy cheering the fly which knows its mind better

than Peter Proud ever did.

Long live reincarnation.

Subhash K. Jha

Film: Makkhi CAST: Sudeep, Samanth Ruth Prabhu, Nani DirectOR: S.S. Rajamouli

OCTOBER (2) 2012 57

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BACKCHAT

Ask Auntyji Dear Auntyji

I am a bit confused about my partner Sunny. I love him dearly, and thought he was the one until an incident from a few weeks ago. My adored 3-yearold nephew, who is my chand ka tukda, my jaan and praan and everything in between, adores me too. I am his beloved maasi. Four weeks ago, we visited little Izu, and after 30 minutes of drawing and colouring, he brought out his treasure chest to show me. In it was a collection of coins from different parts of the world and he held one aloft and told me that it was his ‘bestest piece’. This was a coin from Korea, I think, with a hole in the middle. He said he liked it because it was funny. And then, Izu showed me his ‘second bestest coin’, which was from Tibet, and then gave it to me as a gift. I nearly cried, because his gesture was so sincere and heartfelt. I noticed Sunny looking at Izu’s Korean coin with interest, and when I asked him why, he said it would be a good ball marker for golf. Anyway, we got home and a week later, when I was speaking to Izu, he tearfully told me that his special coin was lost. Poor bachcha. I was so sad I almost cried. I can’t stand my nephew being unhappy. Anyway, a few days after that, I saw the same coin in Sunny’s wallet, and when I questioned him, he admitted to taking Izu’s coin! I was so surprised that I dropped the jar of imli chutney on my foot. We had a heated argument, at the end of which Sunny said he could not understand the big deal about the coin. In fact, as late as last week, Sunny kept on insisting that he had done nothing wrong and that Izu would get over it. Aunty, ye kis kism ki insaan se main mohabbat karti hoon? Every night, my nephew’s tear stained face appears before me, and my heart breaks over and over. At night, I feel like crying and I can’t understand why. Meanwhile, Sunny knows I am upset about this and has volunteered to sneak the coin back into Izu’s treasure chest, but only because he thinks this might make me happy. He cannot understand why I think what he did was wrong in the first place.

Can you please tell me whether my thinking is impaired because of my love for Izu? Please help me Auntyji, I am quite distraught.

To ss o f a co i n

Auntyji says

Arre, ye kaise shaitaan se aap apna dil laga rahi hain? I am most concerned that this man, who you say you love so much, has no sense of right and wrong and has stolen something, yes, stolen something from a nadaan. Ye bahut hi zaleel harkat thi and my dear, you need to take a good, long look and a deep think about spending your life with someone who steals from children. Honestly, I cannot imagine why he would do something like this, and then not to see the problem with his actions. Today, he steals from your beloved nephew, who knows what this man will do tomorrow. So, I think your values are mismatched - and if this badmaash cannot see the khudgarzi of his actions, then you need to reconsider whether this man is for you. Think about it like this. Someone did something wrong by your chand ka tukda. If you don’t stand up for your nephew’s right, then who will? Dekho, mistakes sub se ho jaata hai. Hum khuda ya farishtay to naheen hai, lekhin jab ek mistake is pointed out, and we refuse to see our unconscionable conduct, then our values and morals are lacking. And unfortunately, my little chamieli, aapka Sunny apna gira hua nature abhi se dikha raha hai aap ko. Today, it was a coin. Tomorrow, who knows. So, really, do you want to spend your life with someone like this? If all your family members knew what Sunny did, would they be proud of him and pleased with you that you have such a caring man as your saathi? I think not. Time to act, my dear gulabo. There are better aadmi than this out there.

Dear Auntyji

To F B o r n ot to F B

In the last issue, I did not like what you said about people who post pictures of their babies on Facebook. You said that people put pictures of their ugly babies and other people lie and make nice comments. It’s not good that you say people have ugly babies. And it’s even worse that you think everyone makes polite but insincere comments on FB. How do you know this? And why do you say people’s babies are ugly?

Auntyji says

What the hell? You’re upset with me for telling you the truth? Let’s just analyse this. So you go and post a picture of your baby on FB. Has anyone ever said your baby is ugly? Definitely not. And why not? Well, let’s analyse this - statistically. Have you seen how many ugly people there are in the world? And what makes you think that their babies would be beautiful? Not all babies are attractive, but more importantly, to their parents, their own babies are precious little beings - and they are biologically programmed not to see the flaws - such as Ganesh ears or mooli jaisa rang ya beetroot jaisa chehera. So, to ugly parents are ugly babies born. But the parents can’t see these deficiencies. Others can, but won’t express this because it’s impolite to do so. So when you post a picture of your chanda, your little shonu monu, your little pari on FB, people are compelled to post nice comments, because not to do so is impolite. And most people would rather be insincere, than impolite.

This is how human nature works. Now, if all babies were attractive, the world would be full of beautiful peoples. All women would be Ash Bachhan and all men would be John Abraham. Ok, maybe not John Abraham, but definitely Prateik Babbar.

But how many Prateiks do you see when you walk around in Parramatta? None.

Why? Because attractive people are rare. And you certainly won’t see them walking around in Parramatta buying haldi from the Indian grocery stores. Are you getting my point? So, you will find my voice of reason, especially about FB, a rare insight. It’s people like you who propagate the idea that FB is a worthy exercise. Ask yourself why all these people post comments about each other. Why are people validating their existence or their love for each other or the mindless minutiae of their lives on this forum, on FB? Because they are dull and they have no sense of self. So, I hereby declare again. People put up pictures of their babies on FB, and everyone says how cute, regardless of whether the baby is cute or not. How can it be that all babies are cute? They are not, but who will tell the parents. Maybe I will. Time for me to get an FB account. Tell me your details, nah, so I can be your FB friend.

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