Proud
are bought, personal training courses are signed up for, special diets are planned. Interestingly, come Easter time, exercise machines are flooding the market on e-bay.
focus on the more important rather than the mundane issues which can take up entire down-times.
It is that time of the year again when one takes stock of one’s achievements in the past twelve months and then looks at ways to move forward. Resolutions are a ritual left for yearend, when there is a bit more time on our hands, and knowing that it is a time for new beginnings, we can also set new goals and make fresh promises. To an extent, in our heart of hearts we know that these promises will probably not be fulfilled, yet we find it thrilling to make these commitments as a ritual. So, let us look at the promises which will be most popular this year.
1. Losing weight: This is top of the list for most people, irrespective of age, sex, colour or creed. The idea here is that the start of the New Year will be the energising factor to make a lifestyle change. Exercise machines
2. Spending less time on Facebook: While Mark Zuckerberg strives to find the best way to make money for shareholders, a large part of the world’s population has got themselves connected. Purporting to bring people closer, FB has created a strange world indeed where husband and wives prefer to wish each other on their birthdays publicly in cyberspace rather than to actually in person. Rather than an average of two hours a day on Facebook, a resolution of cutting this down to less than 60 minutes a day will be a good start.
3. Spend more time with family and friends: Yet another resolve, one would expect that in this world of technology this would be relatively easy. Yet rather than blocking that time to go to India or wherever the extended family live to catch up in person, much time is spent phoning, texting, emailing or snapchatting (the latest buzz). Perhaps the bigger challenge is to de-clutter our lives and
4. Learn something new: Another often-made promise is to expand one’s horizons: get fluent in another language, learn to play the guitar, join one of the many accomplished singers on stage in Sydney with your own version of Tuu hi re, learn remedial massage, try golf. There are so many options to expand one’s knowledge and make new friends.
Yet a 2007 British study by researcher Richard Wisemen showed that 88% of set New Year resolutions failed, despite the fact that 52% of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning. Not exactly promising.
Perhaps we could teach Richard a lesson and change the odds from a success of 12% to at least 50%. One would recommend however, to pick an easy option to aspire to.
Wishing all our readers and friends the very best for the festive season - and good health, happiness and success in the year ahead.
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.
Chinmaya Mission events
Tapovan Jayanthi and Geeta Jayanthi
Sunday 23 December 8.00am to 11.30am, Chinmaya Sannidhi
Ashram, 38 Carrington Road, Castle Hill Chinmaya Annual
Cricket Match
Sunday 30 December 8.00am – 12
noon, Charles MacLaughlin Reserve, Cnr Chapel Lane & Crestwood Drive, Baulkham Hills
‘Mahabharata Day’ Retreat
Monday 31 December 9.00am –
2.00pm Chinmaya Sannidhi Ashram, 38 Carrington Road, Castle Hill
New Year’s Eve Program
Monday 31 December Hanuman
Chalisa chanting, bhajans, arati.
11.30pm to midnight. Chinmaya
Sannidhi Ashram, 38 Carrington Road, Castle
New Year event
Tuesday 1 January Chanting of the Vishnu Sahasranama and Pooja
9.00am - 11.30am followed by lunch
prasad. Chinmaya Sannidhi Ashram, 38 Carrington Road, Castle Hill
Details 02 8850 7400 or 0416 482 149.
Sri Purandaradasa aradhane 2013
Sunday, February 10 from 9am to 2pm at Ermington Community Hall, 8 River Road Ermington.
Sri Purandaradasa aradhane will be conducted. For details contact Chandrika Subramanyam 02 86777178
Society of NSW
Christmas Eve celebrations
Monday, December 24 from 6:30 – 9pm, at Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon. Devotional songs, silent meditation, carols by candlelight, talks by Pravrajika Gayatriprana and Brett Mulholland. Concludes with distribution of offered food.
Public Celebration of Holy Mother’s Birthday
Sunday, January 6, 2013, from 10.30am at Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon, concluding with lunch. Silent meditation, vedic chanting, devotional songs, talks by Pravrajika Gayatriprana and Mrs Suchindra Selvarajan.
Public Celebration of Swami
Vivekananda’s Birthday
Sunday, February 10, 2013, from 10.30am at Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon, concluding with lunch. Silent meditation, vedic chanting, devotional songs, panel of speakers and talk by Pravrajika Gayatriprana. For more details, call 9745 4320 or email: admin.saradavedanta@ bigpond.com. Website: www. saradavedanta.org
Other activities at Vedanta Hall: Sunday: Talks and silent and guided
meditation from 10.40am to 12noon
Saturday: Yoga class from 3.30 to 4.30pm Fortnightly on Friday: Bhagavad Gita Class from 7.30 – 8.30pm
3rd Thursday of the month: Vivekananda Book Club from 2.30 to 3.30pm Also, young people’s meeting, special celebrations, retreats.
FUNDRAISER
Bollywood Zumba evening
Thursday, 20 December from 6:30pm at Lynwood Park Public School, 87 Turner St., Blacktown. Feel the bhangra beat with the Bollywood style pack. Fundraising event to support local resident and young student Manish Subedi in his fight against blood cancer. All funds raised will go towards his medical expenses. For more information and to donate, visit http://helpmanish.org/site/ For tickets to the fundraiser, contact Rajani on 0421479788, Anamika on 0433787764, Nithya on 0401149240 or Eisha on 0400227672.
MISC Republic Day/Australia Day
Saturday 19 January 2013
Federation of Australian Indian Associations (FAIA) invites all community members and their families to celebrate Indian Republic
Day at Bowman Hall, Campbell Street, Blacktown, 6.00 pm onwards. Admission is free. For sponsorship, souvenir advertisements and cultural participation contact: Neera Srivastava on 0415 807 520 or Uma Swamy on 0468 341 907.
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
shows Bollywood Star (SBS) and Dumb, Drunk and Racist (ABC).
BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRAThe Indian community is the fourth largest migrant group in Australia, Census data revealed this year, with Hinduism the largest growing religion. As our numbers increase, so does our clout on a variety of fronts – and not merely as a viable vote bank. It is hardly surprising then that it has been a busy year for the community, making strides in different endeavours. Here’s a look at the major trends within our community this past year.
At the highest levels, the main issue was related to the relationship between our country of origin and the one we now call home. Have the conflicts of the past few years irrevocably changed things for the worse, or is there opportunity to build bridges? The Australian government certainly seems to believe the latter is true, given the number of high-profile visits that have taken place to India. PM Julia Gillard’s own tour will probably be remembered by the wider community for that muchreplayed stumble on the lawns at Rajghat - and maybe for the somewhat controversial announcement of an Australian honour for Sachin Tendulkar - but many in the Indian community here who waited to see more on the uranium front were left disappointed. Not much progress has been made on the issue ever since that change of track announced last year. It would seem that from India’s perspective at least, this will continue to be the deciding factor in the normalisation of relations. The Australia India Institute’s “Taskforce Perceptions” report released this year, made some 30-odd recommendations for both nations towards the same end in a variety of other fields, and at best, make up a ‘softer’ strategy.
There were a fair few Indian links in the mainstream this year.
The cricket tour early on was eminently forgettable, marking the beginning of the slide for the Indian team towards the crisis it finds itself in today.
What was not so disappointing however, was the launch later in the year of the government’s Asian Century White Paper in which provisions were made for increased opportunity in our schools for the learning of Asian languages including Hindi.
(Mala Mehta no doubt broke into an impromptu bhangra she is well-known in the community for her crusade for Hindi language learning in our schools).
There was also much discussion in the community about two mainstream TV
Wish the same could be said about this year’s Sydney Film Festival at which India was a special theme: there were simply not enough takers from the community, even though the line-up of films included some hot new offerings such as Gangs of Wasseypur. (The hoi polloi will not be stimulated unless there is a Bollywood star involved somewhere). The mainstream however, lapped it up - just like Parramasala later in the year. With Parramasala strangely, there was not much excitement within the community in the lead up to it, but once it was on, it turned out to be really quite enjoyable: something for the organisers to address perhaps.
Perhaps the year’s most significant trend for the community has been the flurry of India-related activities on our university campuses, welcome reports after the students’ crisis of a few years ago.
Worthy of special mention was the inaugural Australia India Literatures International Forum organised by the UWS’s Mridula Nath Chakraborty. We have had large scale events in film and cultural shows, even art exhibitions, but this first attempt at a writers’ fest, which attracted English as well as regional language writers from India, some of the best from Australia, and some of the brightest from the Indian-Australian community, deserves special kudos. It wins Indian Link’s Event of the Year Award!
Early in the year UNSW organised its inaugural Gandhi Oration. Aboriginal activist Patrick Dodson who attracted
What went wrong
An analysis of the Indian cricket tour of Australia
By RITAM MITRAAiming sky high Melbourne girl Komal Sangha soars to new heights in an exciting
By USHA RAMANUMJAM ARVIND
A 60-something heart patient treks the Annapurna Dhaulagiri
Excuse me, your border is perforated
The Australia India Literatures International Forum reviews the impact of local and vernacular literature
By ROANNA GONSALVESPaadayatra of piety
Devotees of various temples join together in a 75kms walk that tests their physical, mental and religious prowess
By USHA RAMANUJAM ARVINDWhere words fail, art speaks
The trauma experienced by asylum seekers in detention centres comes alive through
Standing tall: Capt. Sandeep Bhagat in Afghanistan
An enterprising doctor and inspirational individual carries forward the family legacy of bravery and honour
By PREETI JABBALAustralia’s Gandhi: Patrick
Renowned Aboriginal activist Prof Dodson delivers the inaugural Gandhi Oration at UNSW
By RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA
Top honours for Indian Link Indian Link wins three prestigious awards at the inaugural Multicultural Media awards, standing tall as an acknowledged herald of the subcontinent community
By USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND
RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA learns valuable lessons on happiness from the seniors in Funny things our mums say Things our dads do that
Did you hear about the discovers a surprising blend of opinions as he travels around the
Talented and trumphant
The Indian U-19 team returns home with the Cricket World Cup trophy to many, many accolades.. and one brickbat!
By RITAM MITRAA little bit Indian, a little bit Aussie
A view of the habits we have retained from our life in India and the new ones we have adopted after coming here
By SHERYL DIXIT and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRAThe Mela milieu
A new dimension was added to the mela milieu this year. The Hindu Council of Australia’s Deepavali Mela saw a smaller but very successful spin-off in the build up to its larger event, bringing the Festival of Lights to Martin Place in the CBD. Hope this becomes an annual affair.
UIA’s India-Australia Friendship Fair had some celebrity attendees in 2012, with PM Julia Gillard and Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott taking time off from the squabbling and the name-calling to share stage space in front of the Indian community.
Other than these two facets, the overall mela scene was pretty humdrum, with nothing new on offer either at the BVB Holi Mela or at the Vaisakhi and Janmashtami fairs. A new entrant on the scene has been the Tamilian Chittirai fest, bringing together Tamil-origin communities from across the globe on the one platform.
Arty farty
The theatre scene was rather quiet, with only Vishwaas Productions’ Bhaktha Meera worth a mention (although we hope Vishwaas picks a more contemporary subject next year!)
The classical scene flourished with the usual Purandarada and Thyagaraja tributes, arrangetrams galore and the high-profile Swaraalaya weekend of music, in the tradition of the annual festivals at Chennai India and Cleveland Ohio.
Local muso Saarangan Sriranganathan’s Tamil number in collaboration with the great Hariharan, She is a fragrant breeze became quite a hit.
The aging Hariprasad Chaurasia still managed to impress at Parramasala, but it was the younger and more contemporary artistes that touched a chord. The youthful and experimental musicians such as Susheela Raman, Circle of Sound, and even Sydney’s own L-Fresh The Lion, all brought the house down.
In dance, Hamsa Venkat’s Kavyam, a dance drama on poetry, was the standout event from among local artistes, while among the ‘imports’, Shobana’s Krishna was top-of-thepops.
The Indian Film Festival attracted its fair share of attention as well, thanks to the comely Malaika Arora Khan and the hugely talented film-maker Rituparno Ghosh.
Stars from India’s entertainment industry largely kept away from our shores this year: all we had surprisingly, were Bollywood singers KK and Sonu Nigam, rapper Hard Kaur, Sufi pop artist Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and dandiya queen Falguni.
Another observed trend has been the flourishing spiritual scene: a steep rise was observed not only in terms of the number of programs available but also in the number of people involved. The annual padayatra from Sydney to Wollongong, larger than ever before this time, looks set to become bigger in coming years. BAPS began the grand construction of their temple, and a Lord Ayyappa shrine was opened by the Malayali community. Hindu youth got better organised with their conferences, seminars and scripture classes, and informal lecture sessions took on greater popularity. The Catholic community felt very privileged to have the relic of Goa’s St Xavier visit in a special tour.
A number of our community members were listed again in the Australian government honours list in various fields including science and community work.
The octogenarian Minna Batra became the first Indian-origin woman to receive the prestigious AM honour.
Cricketer Gurinder Sandhu who played for Australia’s Under-19 squad and continued to make his mark in the Twenty20 scene, did the community proud. We look forward to seeing more of you in coming years, Gurinder.
The government’s announcement of travel concessions to international students; easier visa procedures for visiting parents; the growing interest in mainstream political participation such as with Local Councils; Cricket Australia’s Hall of Fame honour for Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid; Bank of Baroda’s entry into Australia; the South Asian gay community getting better and better organised; Indian artist Subodh Kerkar for his striking exhibit The Chilly at this year’s Sculpture by the Sea, and for the Indian Link media group which brought home three of the nine awards at the inaugural Multicultural Media Awards event, including Multicultural Journalist of the Year award for CEO Pawan Luthra.
The general apathy showed by large sections of our community towards cultural events in the mainstream; the continued splitting up of our organisations which gives the community a disunited look; small businesses operating under the guise of ‘community media’ banner.
w: australianvisaspecialist.com.au
Ti T le: Hormone and d ry e ye in Pos T m eno Pausal Women
Description of the study: The prevalence of dry eye symptoms increases with menopause, affecting crucial daily activities such as reading and driving. Symptoms may derive from the possible associations between dry eye and the reduction of sex hormones levels. This project investigates the effect of topical treatment of Testosterone and Oestrogen on symptoms and signs of dry eye in post menopausal women.
Inclusion criteria:
• Age 50 years and above
• Permanent menstrual cessation for at least 1 year (Natural and non-surgical eg. non-hysterectomy)
• Experience regular/constant dryness and irritation of the eye OR has been diagnosed with dry eye
• Has NOT been under hormone treatment for the past 12 months, NOT on anti-depressants, anti-histamine or high blood pressure medications.
• Willing to comply with treatment instructions (application of gel and cream onto skin) and 2 visits (eight weeks apart) schedule as directed by the investigator
Ethics Approval:
University of New South Wales Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) Approval Number: HC 12087
Reimbursement
$30/- worth of voucher for each visit
Geographical location of study:
School of Optometry and Vision Science
The University of New South Wales
Entry via Gate 14, Barker Street Rupert Myers Building (North Wing) KENSINGTON NSW 2033
Contact details: Phone: (02) 93857623 or Email: eyes@unsw.edu.au
The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) of Australia hosted a moving celebration to acknowledge International Day of People with Disability at the Pennant Hills Community Centre on December 15.
International Day of People with Disability is a UN-sanctioned date that recognizes the dignity, rights and well-being of those with a disability.
Open to all differently abled people and their dedicated carers, the VHP event showcased the remarkable achievements of Australian youth with special needs, and helped unite them with the wider community in an effort to promote a more positive image around disability.
Several memorable items such as inspiring speeches, cultural acts, a brilliant liveband, vivacious Bollywood dancing and fun games filled the day. Friendly volunteers from the Hindu Youth Society and Moorebank Bala Samsa Kendra helped too.
The programme kicked off with an opening address by Ms Padhmaja Satyamoorti, MC who welcomed Karthik Iyer and
Arun Kumar to the stage to showcase their Vedic chanting skills. Both did a wonderful job in demonstrating their ability to engage with their Hindu faith despite having a disability. Their proud parents and the audience encouragingly cheered them on.
Next was a series of guest speeches delivered by VHP Social Services Coordinator, Dr Shobha Kumar; Councillor of Hornsby Council, Mr. Gurdeep Singh; and Hills Community Care Senior-Coordinator, Mr Peter Coles. Each speaker expressed their support for the event and highlighted its relevance in the local community.
Young yoga enthusiast Prashanth conducted a mild yoga demonstration for the audience, explaining that while learning
to wind down is an important strategy for all, it is especially vital for those with a disability. Yoga is a helpful coping mechanism, claimed Prashanth as he executed a sequence of popular yoga positions and clearly explained their meanings. As members of the audience mirrored his actions and chanted ‘Om’ with him, the hall was filled with a calm and positive vibe.
The yoga demonstration was followed by an informative talk given by Rajeshwari Rao and Parul Shah of Samarpan, an inclusive society that aims to provide both moral and cultural support to South Asians with a disability and their families. It offers interaction opportunities for people with special needs and their parents. It also aims to establish
accommodation options for the children once their caregivers have reached astage where they are unable to continue providing quality support.
Next, Uma Menon shared her poignant experience as the mother of an autistic male child, talking about the joys and struggles of her journey, offering sound advice to parents in the audience.
Sivaram Pragash, a young TamilAustralian affected by blindness, told everyone his personal story and praised his mother for ardently supporting him. An enlightening speech and presentation by Mr Vincent Yu, CEO of ManyMindsLinkfollowed. MML is a program established to help ease young adults with a disability into the work force. Mr Yu said, “All parents desire to give their child a meaningful life. However, the word ‘meaningful’ can become tarnished when one has a child with a disability.”
The MML initiative helps to support disabled young adults and their families by encouraging independence and teaching participants to develop their living skills and pursue their hobbies. They have even created an iPhone app to help their clients strengthen
theircommunication skills. Next followed an awe-inspiring performance by the Chinese Parents Association Kidz Band, where talented Chinese youths with different abilities performed amazing renditions of popular and meaningful songs, including ‘We are the world’ and ‘I still call Australia home’. The two lead singers charmed the audience with their passionate voices and their infectious smiles. Music has a profoundlypositive effect on those with special needs. It was a pleasure to watch a couple of youth in the audience who simply couldn’t control their feet, get up and dance!
Young people from Moorebank Bala Samsar Kendra and Hindu Youth Australia performed a lively Bollywood dance. The audience was asked to stand as the volunteers moved all the chairs into a big circle for some interactive dancing and exciting games like pass-the-parcel. This helped attendees to mingle and get to know each another on a more personal level.
Special thanks must go to the National General Secretary, Akila Ramarathinam, for organizing the event. It was truly a success and was greatly enjoyed by all!
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4. Gift voucher is not redeemable for cash
5. To qualify for this offer, you must mention this advertisement before signing up.
6. Offer ends Jan 31, 2013 unless extended
7. Gift voucher is valid for 2 years from the date of issue.
Notes:
We carry a wide range of mobiles avaiulable on contract, prepaid and we also offer competitive pricing for outright purchase, for details, please visit our shop.
email: ram@ramworldtravel.com.au
www.ramworldtravel.com.au
We are experts on TAILOR MADE TOURS!
The Australian comedy film Save Your Legs made me experience the same sense of amusement that I feel in an Indian restaurant watching an Aussie patron struggle with fork and knife to put that dosa into the mouth. And I must unabashedly admit that I am guilty of finding a sense of wonder and joy in the process, because I get to see things from a westerner’s perspective.
Save Your Legs is a comedy shot in Melbourne, Kolkata, Varanasi and Mumbai threading together one common love between the two countries - cricket. It tells the story of Ted Brown (played by Stephen Curry), a man who’s crossed the 30-year mark, yet nurtures boyish fantasies of making it big in the cricketing arena… some day. His life revolves around his mates and the Abbotsford Anglers, a grade D Melbourne cricket club of which he is the proud president.
Damon Gameau plays Stav, the self-confessed wizard with the bat whose family and home seem to have replaced cricket in the priority list, according to Teddy. And then there is the maverick Rick, played by Brendan Cowell who is still trying to sink in the news of his girlfriend’s unexpected pregnancy. Posed by the threat of the cricket club falling apart, Ted is desperate to give it one final shot. He manages to convince a sponsor played by Indian actor Darshan Jariwala (of Gandhi My Father fame), for a 3-city cricket tour of India - described in the film as ‘cricket’s final frontier’.
Hence begins their journey of India kicking off in the city of joy, Kolkata.
Right from the welcome at the airport to the team’s road journey in the tin bus that is typical of the city, to the salons and the wig headed organizer to the goats grazing the very pitch the match is to be played on, every bit has been looked into in great detail by director Boyd Hicklin and his team and made to look as authentic as possible. As someone who has spent a significant part of her life in Kolkata, I could relate to every single nuance and felt the same sense of amusement that I mentioned a while back.
Even though the team’s India journey kick starts with a high note of excitement, India with all its strange little quirks and whims begins to take a toll on the boys. Ted faces the challenge of getting his distracted team mates to concentrate on the game of cricket. Their journeys to Varanasi (described as the place that offers an instant passport to heaven!) and to Mumbai, the city of glitz and glamour, are equally entertaining and tickle one’s funny bone every now and then. Amidst all the comic moments and stupidity, the film has its share of serious and emotional flashes, such as when
to pack his bags and go back with his unfulfilled dream of winning a cricket match on Indian soil. There are heartbreaks and friendships at risk.
Hicklin has done a commendable job of making an Aussie ‘masala’ film - with toned down spices, unlike a hardcore Bollywood potboiler. That’s what helps the film maintain a sense of balance without going overboard.
The choice of locations, Indian characters, Hindi songs in the backdrop and the westerner’s interpretation of India through their own lens is an interesting cinematic journey in itself.
Those who have seen India from close quarters and who understand the country and its
intricate layering, will certainly be at an advantage when watching Save Your Legs as they most certainly will be able to laugh at every joke, sing with every background score and feel every vibe and emotion.
Save Your Legs is based on the true life experience of director Boyd Hicklin and writer Brendan Cowell. Hicklin has also made a documentary about his own amateur cricket team from Melbourne that toured India in 2001. Some of the movie’s characters are based on real people from the original team –which probably explains the very authentic settings and feel of the film.
It may not be the best of cinematic works; however it is not a vain attempt by a first time feature filmmaker to capture the complexities of India. It was indeed refreshing to see an international film based in India devoid of a Dharavi, or of the
stereotypical beggars on traffic lights knocking on car windows, or of starved children with protruding bellies being the selling point... It felt good to see India not being judged by a foreign filmmaker.
Actors David Lyons, Brendan Cowell, Stephen Curry, Melbourne-based actor of Indian origin Pallavi Sharda and Bollywood veteran Darshan Jariwala all seem to have done their homework, fitting in well into the skin of their respective characters.
Save Your Legs was screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) earlier this year, and at the London Film Festival; it premiered at the Mumbai Film Festival.
The film releases on 24 January 2013, just in time for Australians to enjoy the long weekend over a pack of popcorn and a game of cricket!
‘Save your legs’ is a phrase used by Australian cricketers when a batsman hits a boundary – it is the cry heard from team mates as there is no need for the batsman to run.
Intelligent, confident and courteous were the three words that came to mind while chatting up young Aditya Pillai, one of the NSW state finalists for this year’s Multicultural Perspective Public Speaking Competition.
On November 21, the competition’s Years 5 and 6 final was held at the Eugene Goossens Hall in the ABC Centre at Ultimo, where Aditya represented Quakers Hill East Public School after successfully advancing through the school, interschool and the regional divisions. He received a coveted silver medal for his speech on ‘Multiculturalism on the internet’ and an impromptu speech on the ‘London Olympics’.
The Multicultural Public Speaking Competition is organised by the Arts Unit and the Multicultural Programs Unit every year, with one division each for Years 3 and 4 and Years 5 and 6. The contestants are required to deliver a prepared four-minute speech selected from a list of
topics provided. In addition, an impromptu speech must also be delivered on a topic provided by the adjudicators with a limited preparation time of five minutes. Both sections carry equal rating. A total of more than 2000 children entered this year’s competition with 81 local finals held in schools all over the state. Aditya was one of 12 articulate youngsters who proved their mettle to secure a place in the final.
Aditya is a veteran of the Multicultural Public Speaking Competition. His mum read about the contest in the school newsletter and encouraged him to participate when he was in Year 4. Since then he has been trying and improving every year. In Years 4 and 5 he reached the interschool level, and was amongst the highly commended.
Asked how he prepared for the topic for the final, Aditya said, “Mum and I wrote the speech on ‘Multiculturalism on the internet’. She used to be a TV journalist so while
I wrote a lot of it, she added and edited. I used all sorts of resources like the internet, the Sydney Morning Herald and media to research the subject.”
Some of the key points of the
speech included current affairs, how the internet influences us, the positive and negatives of using this medium and quotes from famous personalities like Kofi Annan and others.
12 year old Aditya generously shared some tips with Indian Link readers for delivering an effective
“It is most important to remain focussed on the audience’s reaction. Memorising the entire speech is also the key. You must keep calm because otherwise you will have too many thoughts and your mind will go blank. Always remember to project your voice so that even the people at the back can hear you clearly,” he stated.
Aditya routinely practises his speeches on his younger sister and close family and friends, and insists he gets great feedback about his performance from them. But this was the first time he made it into the state finals of the Multicultural Perspective Public Speaking Competition and the experience was enlightening. “It was a good
opportunity to see other people deliver their speeches and learn from them. I have taken a lot back from this experience and will use it to improve my techniques,” he said.
Aditya has been active through his primary school years, with being School Captain and bagging the Young Scientist of the Year award in 2009 as some of his achievements. He engages in learning to play Carnatic violin and karate after school. He loves reading and building things. His favourite subject is Maths and his ambition is to be an architect.
Aditya is excited about attending high school in 2013, which he hopes will open up a world of opportunities for him. He is already planning on entering other public speaking competitions like the Junior Legacy and the Sydney Morning Herald Plain English Speaking Award. In the meantime, proud mum Sheila has booked a trip to Malaysia as a present and in celebration of Aditya’s success.
Young Aditya brings home a well-deserved silver medal for his gift of public speaking, reports FARZANA SHAKIR
Goan Overseas Association (GOA) NSW celebrated the feast day of St Francis Xavier on December 9 at St. Getrude’s Parish in Smithfield. Although the actual feast day falls on December 3, for the convenience of devotees, it is always celebrated on the following Sunday to coincide with the weekend.
Since its inception 35 years ago, GOA NSW has always celebrated the feast day of St Francis Xavier, patron saint of Goans, and the bond is even stronger considering that the Saint’s embalmed body lies in veneration in the Basilica of Bom Jesu in Old Goa.
Around 200 members attended the Mass which was celebrated by the Most Reverend Bishop Peter Comensoli, Auxilliary Bishop of the Diocese of Sydney, and concelebrated by Rev Fr Biju. The GOA NSW Choir group including musicians and vocalists, was led by Rachael Menezes and comprised of Konkani hymns dedicated to St Francis Xavier.
The GOA NSW youth group actively participated in the Mass by engaging with the readings and prayers of the faithful.
At the end of the ceremony, President of GOA-NSW Tony
Colaco addressed the attendees and thanked Bishop Peter Comensoli for celebrating the Mass and supporting the initiatives of GOA-NSW during the Sydney tour of the relic of St Francis Xavier. Following the Mass, members posed for a group photograph and then assembled in the Parish Hall for the cultural event and lunch. The Drego Brothers, Wendell and Gordon Drego entertained the audience with live music, while Cheryl Fernandes compered the event. The GOA-NSW Music group headed by Rachael Menezes entertained the crowd with Goan mandos and masala songs. The cultural event was graced by the arrival of Santa Claus who
brought a cheer to all the children by distributing gifts and lollies. Traditional Goan Christmas sweets made by wives of the Executive Committee and various members were distributed to Goan pensioners who attended the event or lived in retirement homes. The event concluded with a round of Bingo and a final dance session to the music of the Drego Brothers. The celebration of St Francis Xavier’s feast day was particularly significant as it followed the conclusion of the Saint’s relic across Australia. The forearm of St. Francis Xavier, touted as ‘the most significant Jesuit relic to ever visit Australia’ arrived in Sydney on November 27 as part of a national tour. Safely secured in its
own custom-built glass case, the 506-year-old right forearm of St Francis Xavier was taken across various churches in the Diocese of Parramatta and Sydney over a span of seven days, till it left for the return journey back to Rome on December 4.
To celebrate this event, the Most Rev Bishop Anthony Fischer, Bishop of Parramatta organised a special Mass on November 29 at St Patrick’s Cathedral for the Goan and Catholic community of Sydney. The theme of the Mass was to recreate the spirit and atmosphere of celebration as it would have been back in Old Goa at the Basilica of Bom Jesu. The Mass was well attended by over 600, with Rev Fr Clifford
D’Souza from the Diocese of Parramatta and a distinguished son of Goa as the Main Celebrant, along with co-celebrants Rev Fr Brendan, Rev Fr Edward and Rev Fr PJ.
Fr Clifford presented his homily in both English and Konkani, the native language of Goans, as he shared the life and works of St Francis Xavier to a profoundly touched congregation. The 20 strong GOA NSW Choir group sang Konkani hymns, while holy pictures were blessed by Fr Clifford and distributed during the Mass. The proceeds of the Mass collection of $3000 was donated to Sisters of the Cross Chavanod in Pune, India, to be used towards the construction of a Cancer Hospice in Sawantwadi, India. Following the mass, members of the Goan Community met in the adjoining Social Hall where Tony Colaco, President of GOA NSW proposed a vote of thanks to the Diocese of Parramatta, Rev Fr Clifford and the concelebrating priests, the Choir Group, Executive Committee, the Goan community and all those who worked behind the scenes to make this event a huge success.
Alwyn Henriques
Despite infectious diseases claiming over 20 million lives a year, India has just a handful of specialists in the field for its 1.2 billion population, says an Indian American expert pushing for the country to set up a specialist training programme to tackle this grave issue.
The US has 6,500 specialists in infectious diseases (ID) for its over 300 million population, says Navin Shah, specialist in urology and a diplomat of the American Board of Urology.
“India needs 15,000 ID specialists for its 1.2 billion people,” said Shah, who was the co-founder and past president of the American Association Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI).
India has 50 million ID patients and 40 percent of them die due to the affliction, he said.
Infectious diseases are not just colds and coughs, Shah explained. Septicemia, or infection of the blood, and infections that chemotherapy and organ transplant patients catch are also clubbed under ID as well as tuberculosis (TB), he said.
“In India, 100 tuberculosis patients die every day. The right way is to first take a sputum test and then give the right drugs as per each patient,” Shah said in an interview in New Delhi.
Shah, who had met Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad earlier this week to discuss the training programme, said the Indian government is keen to start it.
“ID has become an emergency. I told the health minister and health secretary to make it compulsory for five government colleges to start the training programme,” he said.
He suggested this could start in three premier medical colleges - JIPMER (Jawahrlal Institute of Post-Gradutae Medical Education and Research) in Puducherry, AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in New Delhi, and PGIMER (Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research) in Chandigarh - and be taken up later in another five.
Another project that Shah is pushing is to connect Indian specialists with their counterparts among the 62,000 Indian American doctors.
He has launched a websitewww.apxamembers.com - to facilitate the interaction.
This would help Indian doctors visit the US to get acquainted with the newest technology and research there. Board, lodging and professional interaction for the Indian doctors would be free, said Shah.
In return, the Indian American specialists would visit their alumni in India at their own cost and work there.
According to Shah, even if one percent of the 62,000 Indian American doctors participate in the interaction, it would work out to 6,000.
“The goal is that 6,000 doctors from both sides should have reciprocal visits,” said Shah.
The US India Business Council has shown interest in hosting the website, he added.
Another venture that the noted specialist has been pushing is to establish emergency and trauma medical services in Maharashtra.
“In Mumbai, 12 people die every day either due to railway accidents or on the streets. In India, around 350,000 people die in accidents annually,” Shah said.
The emergency service, based on the US model, will see 24 major hospitals in Mumbai form a network of emergency and trauma care.
“Hospitals with neurology, cardiology, and surgery services round the clock will comprise Level 1 hospitals.
“The Level 2 hospitals will not have neurology, but cardiology and surgery services, while Level 3 hospitals will be where one can avail oneself of the services of a surgeon in half an hour. Level 4 hospitals will have only resuscitation services,” Shah said.
“Their ambulances will have on board paramedics to administer IV fluids and meet the requirements of patients en route to hospital,” Shah said, adding that the service will cover the entire city.
After the patient has been treated at the emergency services hospitals, he or she will then be transferred to a government hospital for follow-up treatment, he added.
Shah said he wants to work with Mumbai as a model for all other cities to replicate.
“After the emergency service kicks off, one Indian doctor will be taken from Mumbai for training to the US. The fully paid scholarship is by the American College of Surgeons,” he added.
“Eight Indian American trauma surgeons are willing to visit Mumbai at their own cost, over the period of one year, to work in Indian hospitals,” Shah said.
New visa norms make travel easier between India, Pakistan India and Pakistan recently operationalised the new visa norms, paving the way for easier travel for the people between the two countries.
The agreement to liberalise travel between the two countries was signed in September when
the then external affairs minister S.M.Krishna paid official visit to Islamabad and signed the accord with Pakiastani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
Under the new visa norms, the number of touristic destinations have been increased from three to five.
The provision has been made for the issuance of visas for two years in case the applicant is 65 years old or more and where both husband and wife are from India or Pakistan. Children below 12 years of age can accompany their parents where the national of one country has married the national of the other country.
The liberaliased travel norms for Indian and Pakistani nationals include visa on arrival at Atari and Wagah border check-posts for people who are 65 years of age or more. This visa on arrival would be for 45 days with a single entry clause. This provision would get operationalised from Jan 15, 2013.
Businessmen visiting India and Pakistan have been exempted from reporting to local police. This is with a rider that such businessmen should have an annual income of Pakistani Rs.5 million or its equivalent in Indian currency or an annual turnover of Pakistani Rs.30 million or its equivalent in Indian currency.
The group tourist visa for travel will be issued for 30 days. However, the group should not be less than 10 and not more than 50 people. Such group visas would be issued only if the visit is organised by an authorised tour operator or travel agent. This provision would get operationalised from March 15, 2013.
The visa regime provides that the entry and exit from different designated immigration checkposts can be allowed from the point mentioned in the visa application.
The exit from Atari and Wagah on foot can’t be accepted unless the visitor entered either country on foot.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has already issued circulars to Indian missions abroad, state governments, union territories and other authorities.
How to encourage civic engagement between India and the US and other issues affecting Indian-Americans were highlighted at a recent briefing on the state of US-India relations for senior Congressional staff on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Arun Singh, India’s Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington and Rich Verma, former Assistant Secretary of State for
Legislative Affairs at the US Department of State, led the discussion. The briefing was organised by the office of Joe Crowley, Democratic member of the House of Representatives from New York and co-Chair of the House Congressional Caucus on India and Indian-Americans.
Other topics covered included furthering economic growth, improving international security, and the importance of protecting the civil rights of the IndianAmerican community, Crowley’s office said.
Meanwhile, Indian ambassador Nirupama Rao met the Minority Leader and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi recently, to discuss the present state of India-US relations and the global strategic partnership between the two countries.
Rao informed Pelosi about recent developments in the relationship and India’s perspective on regional and global issues of common interest, the Indian embassy said in a media release.
Speaking of the shared values and complementarities between India and the US and the broad spectrum of opportunities for the two countries to collaborate, Pelosi warmly recalled her visit to India in 2008 as speaker. Discussing the regional situation in South Asia, Pelosi welcomed India’s positive contribution to Afghanistan’s reconstruction and viewed the US-India partnership as having an important role to play in ensuring Afghanistan’s peace and prosperity.
Rao and Pelosi expressed admiration for the contributions made by a growing and dynamic Indian American community to the development of India-US relations and were agreed that the community is a crucial and important bridge between the two countries, the embassy said.
Trinidad to have allfaith celebration of Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary People of Indian origin in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago will join the rest of the world in paying homage to Swami Vivekananda on his 150th birth anniversary in January with a series of cultural and educational programmes involving people of all faiths.
Indian High Commissioner Malay Mishra said the anniversary celebrations will be held Jan 1015 at several locations in Trinidad and Tobago. Representatives from Hinduism, Christianity and Islam, including Swami Ishtananda from Florida, will deliver speeches on Vivekananda. A health camp will also be
organised at Lambeau, Tobago.
Vivekananda was born Jan 12, 1863, in an affluent family in Kolkata. His father was Vishwanath Datta, a successful attorney, and his mother was Bhuvaneshwari Devi.
Born Narendra Nath Datta, Vivekananda excelled in music, gymnastics and studies. By the time he graduated from Calcutta University, he had acquired a vast knowledge of Western philosophy and history. Born with a yogic temperament, he used to practise meditation from his boyhood.
In May 1893, Vivekananda left for the US to attend the Parliament of Religions in Chicago, and although he was not a delegate, he forced his way and obtained permission. Rising above cramping creeds and dwarfing dogmas, Vivekananda spoke of harmony and universalism and his message came like a breath of fresh air to suffocated people and made him an instant celebrity.
Speaking in Port of Spain, Indian High Commissioner Mishra said: “The event will be inaugurated with the opening of an exhibition of books, photographs and posters of Swamiji at the National Council of Indian Culture (NCIC) auditorium in collaboration with the Vedanta Society.”
A film on Vivekananda will be screened at the City Hall, San Fernando, and will continue to be shown throughout the year, based on requests from various socio-cultural organisations, Mishra said.
Around 44 percent of the 1.3 million population of Trinidad and Tobago originally came from India’s Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states between 1845 and 1917. Around 148,000 Indians came to work on the sugar and cocoa plantations in the Caribbean at the time.
American President Barack Obama won the support of an estimated 2.3 million of Asian American voters to Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s estimated 900,000 votes, or 71 percent to 28 percent, according to a new poll.
However, the country’s fastest growing ethnic group is not wedded to either party, according to the survey released recently by the Asian American Justice Centre, Asian & Pacific Islander American Vote and the National Asian American Survey. Obama’s biggest break came among voters whose top issues were immigration, the environment and civil rights, but the most important issue to all voters surveyed was “economy and jobs”.
According to the post-election survey, 46 percent of registered voters polled and 43 percent of those who voted in the 2012 election said they do not identify with either major party.
“Still, one of the persistent dynamics of the Asian American electorate is its continued potential for persuasion by candidates of either party,” the poll said.
In a raft of current and projected swing states - including North Carolina, Virginia and Florida - the Asian American population’s explosion in the last decade has outpaced the national average.
The poll notes: “In 2008, about 600,000 new Asian Americans entered the electorate, and we anticipate a similar increase in 2012, approaching 3 percent of all votes cast.”
The projected share of the Asian American vote in 2016 will continue to increase, the poll found. Asian American voters increased from 1.6 percent of the total vote in 1996 to 2.5 percent in 2008.
The poll was based on 2,785 phone interviews from Nov 7-25 with adults who identified themselves as Asian American, and the margin of error is plus/ minus 2 percent.
Rita Singh, an Indian American businesswoman from Bihar with close connections to Bollywood, has been elected the first woman president of Chicago-based Federation of Indian Associations (FIA).
A native of Saharsa district of Bihar and a graduate from Jamshedpur Women’s College, Tata Nagar (Jharkhand), Rita Singh was elected with other office bearers for 2013 by FIA member organizations at India House Banquet in Schaumburg in Chicago recently.
Other elected office bearers were: Monty Saiyed, executive vice president; J. V. Singha, Bharti Desai, Dhitendra Bhagwakar, Rita Shah and Syed Eraj Ahmed, vice presidents; Shanu Sinha, treasurer; Shahid Razvi, general secretary; Benazir Abidi, joint secretary and Mohd Fareeduddin Sabiri, joint treasurer.
Thanking all members of FIA and representatives of FIA member organizations, Rita Singh vowed to take the organisation to new heights during her tenure in 2013.
The Indian economy suffered a staggering $1.6 billion in illicit financial outflows in
2010, capping-off a decade in which it experienced black money losses of $123 billion, said a report from Washington. An official said: “It has very real consequences for Indian citizens.”
India is ranked as the decade’s 8th largest victim of illicit capital flight behind China, Mexico, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, the Philippines and Nigeria in the report by Global Financial Integrity, a Washingtonbased research and advocacy organization.
Titled “Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries: 2001-2010”, the report found that all developing and emerging economies suffered $858.8 billion in illicit outflows in 2010, just below the all-time high of $871.3 billion set in 2008 -- the year preceding the global financial crisis.
“While progress has been made in recent years, India continues to lose a large amount of wealth in illicit financial outflows,” said GFI Director Raymond Baker.
“Much focus has been paid in the media on recovering the Indian black money that has already been lost,” he said, suggesting policymakers should instead make curtailing the ongoing outflow of money priority number one.
“For the Indian economy, $123 billion is a massive amount of money to lose,” said Dev Kar, GFI lead economist and coauthor of the report with GFI economist Sarah Freitas.
“It has very real consequences for Indian citizens. This is more than $100 billion dollars which could have been used to invest in education, healthcare, and upgrade the nation’s infrastructure,” he said.
A November 2010 GFI report, “The Drivers and Dynamics of Illicit Financial Flows from India: 1948-2008”, found that the Indian economy lost $462 billion to illicit financial outflows from 1948 through 2008.
Authored by Kar, the report measured India’s underground economy as 50 percent of GDP, with cumulative illicit outflows accounting for an increasing share of the total underground economy.
The new GFI study also estimates the developing world lost a total of $5.86 trillion to illicit outflows over the decade spanning 2001 through 2010.
The $858.8 billion of illicit outflows lost to all developing countries in 2010 is a significant uptick from 2009, which saw developing nations lose $776.0 billion.
GFI advocated that world leaders increase the transparency in the international financial
system as a means to curtail the illicit flow of money highlighted by Kar and Freitas’ research.
If a slumdog can be a millionaire why can’t he be a star footballer?
Yes, a Nagpur-based NGO has successfully tried to wean the slumdwellers from the evils they are easily attracted to by keeping them on a football field so that can get out of the clutches of slumlords who only initiate them to crime, bloodshed and drugs. In a novel enterprise, Slum Soccer-Krida Vikas Sansthan from Nagpur is making the youths learn skills of the game and to be meaningfully competitive.
These youngsters may not have heard of Nani, who like them was raised as underprivileged child in Portugal and is today a winger of repute playing for English Premier League giants Manchester United, or of Carlos Tevez who has had a much worse childhood before becoming a star striker of United’s city rivals Manchester City.
But like these two, they too must dream big and there is not a better place for that than a sports field. The concept of slum soccer is catching on and the Nagpur initiative is giving the underprivileged youngsters a chance to stand toe-to-toe with the rest of the community and dream of becoming a star footballer one day.
The tournament is held only for the underprivileged youths in the country with the best eight players in the tournament selected to represent India in the Homeless World Cup, where 63 nations participate every year.
For the wide-eyed wonderstruck kids football has become a way of life, a vehicle to break the social prejudices and forget life’s hardships. Their immediate goal is the 2013 Homeless World Cup to be played in Poland.
Take the case of Shurojit Bhattacharya, it symbolises the hard work ethic the 100-odd players playing in this edition being played at the Ambedkar Stadium in the New Delhi.
“I played in Bangalore in the last tournament. I saw Italy lifting the World Cup in 2006 beating France. From then on football has taken over my mind. My aim now is to play for India’s national team and I hope that dream comes true one day,” said the 17-year-old.
Shurojit’s mother works as a sex worker in Sonagachi, one of Asia’s largest red-light districts, while his father works in a furniture shop.
“Through football I have become popular in my hostel and I have also made a lot of friends.
I have become more disciplined and my life is more streamlined.”
“Earlier people used to avoid me and call me names, now they use the names of legendary footballers to address me. I am happy with the transformation.”
“Last year I went to see an I-League match between East Bengal and Churchill Brothers at Salt Lake Stadium and never have I had so much fun.”
Captain of the Karnataka team, Revanna, said that his aim was to give back to the society whatever he has got from it.
The 21-year-old, who took part in the Mumbai half-marathon in January, is not just a football enthusiast, but a sports fanatic with rugby and running being his favourite pastimes.
Revanna, a graduate from Vivekananda College, Bangalore, hasn’t had it easy in life. He lost his parents at a young age and with no immediate family, the
Bangalorean has had to fend for himself.
But against all odds and a little help from NGOs, he has overcome adversity and now is a sports facilitator in the same NGO that gave him the chance to come up in life.
“I want to give back to the community. I have been given a lot of opportunities to perk up my life and I want other underprivileged children to get the same opportunity,” Revanna said.
“Sport has made me a better person and because of it I am standing here and talking.”
Most players here participating in the tournament have come from a similar background -slum dwellers, rehabilitated drug addicts, children of commercial sex workers.
In all 10 teams participated in the tournament.
IANSGoogle India recently unveiled a special project intended to make Chandni Chowk, the iconic market of old Delhi, easily accessible to users worldwide.
The project is part of Google’s unique initiative to offer free websites and domains to small and medium businesses in India through the ‘India Get Your Business Online’ campaign launched a year ago.
As part of this special project, Google India and HostGator went to each shop in Chandni Chowk and built over 2,500 free websites for businesses operating from the market.
In addition to creating these websites for businesses, Google India also launched a common website ‘www. chandnichowknowonline.in’, which provides an easy to navigate directory of all businesses from Chandni Chowk that now have a website.
“The Internet is becoming an engine of economic growth and is expected to contribute over US $ 100 billion (Rs.5 lakh crore) by 2015 to India’s GDP. Due to initiatives such as these, small and medium businesses are embracing the Internet to increase their competitiveness in the global economy,” said Union Minister of Communications and IT and Chandni Chowk MP, Kapil Sibal in New Delhi, while launching the initiative.
said Karim, adding that his country was making refrigerators and bicycles and other commodities which it wanted to export.
He stressed that bilateral trade routes should not be restricted to either one or two ports or border entry points.
Increasing connectivity, encouraging trade, removing trade barriers and increasing Border Haats, he said, would help unlock the potential.
He also stressed on the need for a relook at the ‘Gujaral doctrine’ and for concrete measures that would strengthen relations and expand trade.
Mentioning the EU, he said when the bloc was coming up, the “biggest steps came from the biggest powers and they stepped back and gave support... After 40 years, EU has won the Nobel as an entity”. He recommended that the testing of goods at the borders should be random and quick, the number of Border Haats should be increased, port restrictions should be reduced, and ease of visas should be there to facilitate cross-border travel.
Indian army personnel show their skills in the art of Malkhamb, a traditional Indian sport during an Army fair at Khasa Military Station, on the outskirts of Amritsar, India. According to a press release, some 15,000 veterans and students from across the Punjab state attended the fair.
The Indian government recently lowered the economy’s growth forecast for the current financial year to 5.7 percent, down sharply from an earlier projection of 7.6 percent announced in March, owing to unfavourable global and domestic conditions.
In the mid-year economic analysis tabled in Parliament in New Delhi, the finance ministry, however, said it was on track to meet the fiscal deficit target of 5.3 percent.
Growth has slumped in recent quarters due to the lingering uncertainties in the global economy and domestic policy inaction. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) has expanded by just 5.4 percent in the first half of 2012-13.
The finance ministry said in the report that growth was likely to improve in the second half the current financial year and it would remain between 5.7 and 5.9 percent.
“It should be possible for the economy to improve the overall growth rate of GDP to around 5.7 percent to 5.9 percent for the year 2012-13,” the report said.
Addressing a press conference, Chief Economic Advisor Raghuram Rajan said the Indian economy had bottomed out and the growth was likely to improve in the second half of 2012-13.
He said a series of reform measures taken by the government would help propel economic growth above 6 percent in the
second half of the current financial year. The economy grew by 5.5 percent in the first quarter and 5.3 percent in the second quarter of 2012-13.
“This is not the growth rate that we feel comfortable with,” Rajan said.
In the report, the finance ministry said the slowdown were due to a combination of domestic and global economic conditions.
“The slowdown in growth in advanced economies and near recessionary conditions prevailing in Europe resulted not only in lower growth of international trade but also lower capital flows,” it said.
Turning to domestic factors, rainfall in the monsoon season of 2012-13 has been below normal, particularly in the key months of June and July. This affected sowing and resulted in a lower growth rate of agriculture and allied sectors, the report said.
High cost of borrowings due to the tight monetary policy of the Reserve Bank of India has also negatively affected the economic growth.
“The cost of borrowing remains at elevated levels and this has had an impact on investment and growth in the economy, particularly that of the industry sector,” it said.
“Bottlenecks in project implementation have made financing more difficult and investors more cautious,” the ministry added.
“This initiative from Google has provided all Chandni Chowk businesses with a professional website, which will now make it easier for customers to find us online and help us to grow our businesses,” said Pradeep Jain, spokesperson of the Kinari Bazaar Gota Zari Association of Chandni Chowk.
“With over 137 million Internet users in the country, the Internet is taking off in India and more and more users are looking for local information online, and efforts like these will go a long way in helping small and medium businesses get started on the Internet and gain from the Internet economy in the next few years,” said Rajan Anandan, Vice President and Managing Director, Sales & Operations, Google India.
India and Bangladesh have made remarkable strides in their bilateral relations, which are now near to 1971 levels, but there is much that the two countries can do to unlock the full potential of their trade relations, said the country’s envoy in New Delhi recently.
“We have made remarkable strides in our bilateral relations... It has never been as good... and is almost at the level of 1971 stage,” said Tariq Ahmad Karim, the Bangladesh envoy addressing the CII session in New Delhi on ‘Strengthening Bangladesh-India Trade’.
He said it was essential to unlock the potential of the South Asian region “to create an interlocking grid of symbiotic dependencies”.
Karim said India’s landlocked NorthEast region can hold the key not only to India’s accelerated growth but also of that of the entire North-East region, including Bangladesh.
Bangladesh has much more to offer the world than Jamdani saris and hilsa fish,
Pankaj Tandon, vice presidentTransmission SAARC & Myanmar, KEC International Ltd, spoke of the need to strengthen economic ties. He said: “We need to look at issues such as repatriation of profits, long-term multiple business visas among others. He stressed there was tremendous potential in sectors such as textiles, garments and that CII’s various Centres of Excellence could provide training and skill development to Bangladesh.”
Sanjay Kathuria, lead Economist, Regional Integration, World Bank, spoke of the potential that could be unlocked and shared findings of the study titled ‘Unlocking Bangladesh-India TradeEmerging Potential and the Way Forward’ which explored the benefits that would accrue from enhanced market access for Bangladesh in India, and improved physical connectivity between the two countries. The study was released at the event.
Ranjan Mathai
India stands steadfast for integration among the SAARC countries, but is clear that “non-economic considerations” should not be allowed to affect the functioning of commercial entities in each other’s countries, said Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai recently in New Delhi.
In an apparent reference to the Maldives, which has scrapped its airport deal with Indian infrastructure major GMR, Mathai said: “We are clear that policies are made in each country, based on that countries’ law.
“But once such policies are in place, in line with international practices, we should not allow non-economic considerations to affect functioning of commercial entities in each other countries,” he said in his inaugural address at the ‘Driving South Asia Economic Integration’ conference, organized by CII.
He said India stands “steadfast in its support to SAARC and all its related processes” and will “continue to take the lead in pushing for greater integration of our economies”.
He stressed on closer regional integration, with a focus on connectivity, among the South Asian countries as a must to tap the full economic potential of the region.
He said SAARC has “emerged as premier vehicle to carry forward regional economic
plans… It has sought to build on what is feasible”.
He said efforts are on to boost connectivity, including extending railway and ferry services through sub regional networks among SAARC countries and also in air connectivity and telecom.
“We need to recognize each other’s requirements and utilizing capacities within the region,” Mathai said.
He said over the years, the regional integration among the South Asian countries has “gained in importance... to fulfil dreams and aspirations”.
He mentioned the SAARC preferential trading agreement, in which he was involved during its formulation.
He said intra-SAARC trade has crossed $2 billion, but it is less than 10 percent of the total trade. “It is well below potential as compared to intra-Asean and EU trade.”
Mathai stressed that achieving full economic potential would require attention to the trade imbalances.
He also said India has offered its market to lesser economically developed countries of the region by reducing tariff lines.
“We are ready to provide anchorage… the prime minister has said that our prosperity is linked to that neighbours,” Mathai said.
Mentioning the SAARC Development Fund, he said it has a corpus of $243 million, in which India has provided $90 million. Now in addition, India has made a voluntary contribution of $100 million for projects under social window for projects outside India.
He also said that India is spearheading efforts to finalise an agreement for SAARC central banks, for “establishing a currency swap arrangement as a baseline measure to provide funds when faced by exigencies”.
He mentioned the SAARC trade fairs and cultural events as other factors in integration, as well as a food bank. The SAARC food bank is to provide food security during emergencies and by solving regional food shortages.
Over 2,000 students from various schools in Mumbai participated in a runathon aimed to spread awareness about energy conservation, a statement said recently. Over 300 students were dressed like trees for the event and thus entered the Guinness World Records.
Organised by Reliance Infrastructure Limited, the children, popularly known as RInfra’s Young Energy Savers (YES), came together to support the cause.
Of these, 308 students were dressed like trees, thereby creating a Guinness World Record. The event was flagged off by actress Karisma Kapoor.
The event titled “Run-to-Save” was a 4.5 km runathon. It was followed by the felicitation of the YES champions and schools for their energy conservation initiatives.
“RInfra’s YES initiative has created a history by setting up a new Guinness World Record. It has created unparalleled momentum and excitement around the noble cause of environment-energy conservation,” said an RInfra spokesperson.
YES is among RInfra’s many energy conservation initiatives that drives the important message among children and entrusts them with the responsibility of carrying forward the mission into their family and friends.
With reinforcement of the initiative, this year the company has achieved its targeted goal of reaching out to almost 125,000 students through 170 schools in four years to spread awareness regarding energy conservation.
Twenty-year-old Saddam Hussain became a drug addict at the tender age of seven.
Disowned by his family, Hussain took to crime in order to earn a quick buck to satisfy his craving. At 15 years, he was sent to a juvenile home for theft and had lost all hope until an NGO came to his rescue, and gave him a new lease of life.
“My life was ruined because of drugs. I started off with smoking ganja and later consumed tablets and injections. My craving for a stronger drug grew with my age,” Hussain said.
Hussain and many other like him were part of a seminar held in New Delhi recently to bring together street children as well the NGOs working for them to spread awareness on the various issues challenging the lives of street children, to share experiences and above all to motivate them.
“They (NGO) provided me with counselling, legal support and even got me a job,” added Hussain who is a staff member at the NGO - Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses - the NGO that helped him get back on his feet.
The seminar was held in collaboration with NGOs and organisations like Save the Children Fund, WHO, Prayas, Salaam Baalak Trust and many others.
According to P.N. Mishra, executive council member of Salaam Baalak Trust, there are over 50,000 street children in Delhi who live alone and around four lakh who live on the roads with their families.
“The government (Delhi) just wants to send these kids back home to their respective states not bothered about the fact that some of them have alcoholic, abusive parents while others are extremely poor. They will return again,” he said.
As per Mishra, their teams are stationed
at the various railway stations and everyday “droves” of kids land in Delhi. Some are trafficked here while others come on their own after running away from home.
However, Nasruddin Saifi, research assistant at ministry of women and child development said that the government was taking “enough steps to take care of street children” and that “no one is forcefully sent back home”.
User-friendly software to access census data launched CensusInfo India, a new user-friendly database software to help people access, use and understand the statistical data of India’s latest population and housing census, was launched in New Delhi recently.
“The CensusInfo India software is an innovative and flexible database technology. It helps the public to easily access, use and understand the statistics provided in the population and housing census, 2011, and reduces the burden of statistical drudgery,” Register General and India’s Census Commissioner C. Chandramouli said.
He added that data from other censuses would also be incorporated in the CensusInfo India module.
The software was developed by United Nations’ statistics division in partnership with United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA).
“The software helps to disseminate their census results at any relevant geographical level like state and district level.
“The user is able to extract information quite easily with the help of descriptive charts and maps depicting the data. They can also compare the census 2001 statistics. Searching for census statistics is not monotonous anymore, but a enjoyable experience,” an official said.
CensusInfo India provides access to consolidated data on indicators like total number of houses, household amenities and assets at state as well as district level.
“The house listing and housing census has immense utility as it provides comprehensive data on the conditions of human
settlements and housing deficit. So the easily available data can be used by departments of the central and state governments as well as NGOs,” Chandramouli said.
Amid calls for his retirement, out-of-form Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar recently got support from five-time world champion chess Grand Master Viswanathan Anand, who felt the cricketing icon should continue playing as long as he wished.
Speaking at an event organised by computer education company NIIT in Kolkata, Anand said notwithstanding criticism, it would be “crazy” to stop if a player enjoyed his game.
The chess great said while sports generally favoured young people, “I really want to play chess still. I am lucky to have the chance to play and I intend to use it. I imagine the same for him (Tendulkar)”.
To 43-year-old Anand, 40 was just a number. But he conceded that it always leads to some public discussions about when a sportsperson was going to hang his boots.
“The first question people ask is when are you going to retire? It’s a little bit funny. In my case, I don’t think there is any fundamental change from Dec 10, 2009 to Dec 11, 2010. But it seems to affect the way people see you,” said Anand. He turned 40 Dec 11, 2009.
He said that chess players got more time than those in other sports.
“There is a certain wear and tear in those sports which are physical in nature like football and tennis, where people would be amazed if you continue beyond 32-33. But I don’t think being 40 years in age has any particular significance in chess, where you definitely get more time.”
But Anand made it clear he would not play beyond 50 years of age.
“I think 50 is a kind of a barrier. For me, I don’t expect to be playing top chess when I am 60. But still there are a few years left. In the meantime, I want to enjoy as much as possible,” he said.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has kept key policy rates unchanged but hinted at cutting rates in January, saying the focus of the monetary policy would now shift to spurring growth as inflationary pressures are easing.
“In view of inflation pressures ebbing, monetary policy has to increasingly shift focus and respond to the threats to growth from this point onward,” RBI Governor D. Subbarao said in Mumbai in the mid-quarter review of monetary policy.
The central bank has kept repo rate, the rate at which it lends to the commercial bank, unchanged at 8 percent. Reverse repo rate, interest rates the central bank pays to the commercial banks on their money kept, remains unchanged at 7 percent.
The RBI also kept the cash reserve ratio (CRR), proportion of money commercial banks have to park with the central bank, unchanged at 4.25 percent, after lowering it the previous two policy reviews.
The central bank’s action means there would be no change in lending and deposit rates by the commercial banks. Overall cost of borrowings, equated monthly instalments (EMIs) and interest rates on fixed and other deposits will remain unchanged.
Reacting to the central bank’s move, State Bank of India (SBI) chairman Pratip Chaudhuri said the commercial banks are unlikely to cut rates unless there easing in the monetary policy.
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said the RBI needed to cut rates to boost economic growth.
“Over a longer period of time, steps are needed to bring down the interest rate. RBI looks at these things independently and we should give them freedom to decide on interest rates,” Ahluwalia said.
In the second quarter review of monetary policy Oct 30, the RBI had lowered the CRR by 0.25 percent, but had kept unchanged the repo and reverse repo rates, which determine lending and borrowing rates by commercial banks.
As per latest data released recently, the annual rate of inflation based on wholesale price index declined to a 10-month low of 7.24 percent in November against 7.45 percent in the previous month, according to the government data.
However, wholesale price-based food inflation increased to 8.50 percent in November this year from 8.32 percent recorded in the corresponding month of previous year.
This was largely due to an exponential rise in the prices of cereals, rice, wheat and pulses, according to data released by the ministry of commerce and industry.
“The new combined (rural and urban) CPI (consumer price index) inflation increased in November, reflecting sustained food inflation pressures, particularly in respect of vegetables, cereals, pulses, oils and fats,” the bank said.
Meanwhile, the growth in the country’s gross domestic product in the second quarter of this fiscal at 5.3 percent was marginally lower than the 5.5 percent logged during the first quarter -- which has been a matter of concern for all stakeholders.
But the Reserve Bank relented in giving in to demands for a rate cut citing inflation as a key reason. However, in its future guidance
the RBI said there is a possibility of policy easing in the fourth quarter, if the core inflation continues to decline.
“In view of inflation pressures ebbing, monetary policy has to increasingly shift focus and respond to the threats to growth from this point onwards. Liquidity conditions will be managed with a view to supporting growth as stated in the SQR (second quarter review), thereby preparing the ground for further shifting the policy stance to support growth,” it said.
If a slumdog can be a millionaire why can’t he be a star footballer?
Yes, a Nagpur-based NGO has successfully tried to wean the slumdwellers from the evils they are easily attracted to by keeping them on a football field so that can get out of the clutches of slumlords who only initiate them to crime, bloodshed and drugs. In a novel enterprise, Slum SoccerKrida Vikas Sansthan from Nagpur is making the youths learn skills of the game and to be meaningfully competitive.
These youngsters may not have heard of Nani, who like them was raised as underprivileged child in Portugal and is today a winger of repute playing for English Premier League giants Manchester United, or of Carlos Tevez who has had a much worse childhood before becoming a star striker of United’s city rivals Manchester City.
But like these two, they too must dream big and there is not a better place for that than a sports field. The concept of slum soccer is catching on and the Nagpur initiative is giving the underprivileged youngsters a chance to stand toe-to-toe with the rest of the community and dream of becoming a star footballer one day.
The tournament is held only for the underprivileged youths in the country with the best eight players in the tournament selected to represent India in the Homeless World Cup, where 63 nations participate every year.
For the wide-eyed wonder-struck kids football has become a way of life, a vehicle to break the social prejudices and forget life’s hardships. Their immediate goal is the 2013 Homeless World Cup to be played in Poland.
Take the case of Shurojit Bhattacharya, it symbolises the hard work ethic the 100-odd players playing in this edition being played at the Ambedkar Stadium in the New Delhi.
“I played in Bangalore in the last tournament. I saw Italy lifting the World Cup in 2006 beating France. From then on football has taken over my mind. My aim now is to play for India’s national team and I hope that dream comes true one day,” said the 17-year-old.
Shurojit’s mother works as a sex worker in Sonagachi, one of Asia’s largest red-light districts, while his father works in a furniture shop.
“Through football I have become popular in my hostel and I have also made a lot of friends. I have become more disciplined and my life is more streamlined.”
“Earlier people used to avoid me and call me names, now they use the names of legendary footballers to address me. I am happy with the transformation.”
“Last year I went to see an I-League match between East Bengal and Churchill Brothers
at Salt Lake Stadium and never have I had so much fun.”
Captain of the Karnataka team, Revanna, said that his aim was to give back to the society whatever he has got from it.
The 21-year-old, who took part in the Mumbai half-marathon in January, is not just a football enthusiast, but a sports fanatic with rugby and running being his favourite pastimes.
Revanna, a graduate from Vivekananda College, Bangalore, hasn’t had it easy in life. He lost his parents at a young age and with no immediate family, the Bangalorean has had to fend for himself.
But against all odds and a little help from NGOs, he has overcome adversity and now is a sports facilitator in the same NGO that gave him the chance to come up in life.
“I want to give back to the community. I have been given a lot of opportunities to perk up my life and I want other underprivileged children to get the same opportunity,” Revanna said.
“Sport has made me a better person and because of it I am standing here and talking.”
Most players here participating in the tournament have come from a similar background -- slum dwellers, rehabilitated drug addicts, children of commercial sex workers.
In all 10 teams participated in the tournament.
The imposing Hotel Shalini Palace in Kolhapur in Maharashtra, a heritage structure steeped in debt, will soon go under an auctioneer’s hammer, a top official said.
The palace hotel has been taken over by Mumbai-based Saraswat Cooperative Bank Ltd, and its operations shut Dec 13, bank chairman Eknath Thakur confirmed.
“We had given the hotel management time to clear dues, along with interest and penalties, but they could not do it,” Thakur said.
Two years ago, the hotel management was similarly threatened with auction for defaulting on dues which are currently pegged at Rs.35 crore, Thakur revealed.
Spread over 12 acres of lush greenery on the edge of the Rankala Lake, the structure is currently owned and managed by the Chougule Group, said an official who requested anonymity.
Saraswat Bank and United Bank of India are understood to have extended a loan of Rs.60 crore to the hotel management, which has defaulted on repayment.
Thakur said that the auction proceedings will be initiated within a fortnight.
Hotel Shalini Palace was built by the Chhatrapati clan, who ruled large parts of Maharashtra. Construction work lasted four years, and the palace was ready for use in 1932.
The final cost was a king’s ransom in those days: Rs.8 lakh.
The palace was named after Princess Shaliniraje, daughter of then rulers of Kolhapur, Chhatrapati Shahaji II Puar Maharaj and Queen Pramilaraje.
Princess Shaliniraje was the mother of Chhatrapati (Dilipsinh) Shahu Maharaj, the present royal resident of the town, which once served as the capital of the family’s erstwhile kingdom.
The four-km long picturesque Rankala
Lake was used by tourists for boating.
The palace is marked with breathtaking arches and a prominent clock tower, all carved black stone.
Its massive wooden doors and windows are decorated with Italian stained glass, and floor has smooth Italian marble, and there are chandeliers big and small in the different rooms.
In the 1960s, the erstwhile rulers who owned the palace decided to hand it over to Mahatma Phule Education Society (MPES) which started a college. The MPES, with its meagre resources, could ill-afford the huge maintenance expenses.
In 1971, the Kolhapur Municipal Council (KMC) explored a bail-out package, including clearing Rs.14 lakh due to the Kolhapur District Cooperative Bank.
This would have given the KMC control over the palace premises, plus another three acres of land adjoining the building.
Unfortunately, old timers said that for over a year, there was no consensus on the proposal. While some groups wanted the palace to be taken over by the KMC and converted into a museum, others said it would be a white elephant, eating civic body resources.
In 1972, the KMC was upgraded to a municipal corporation, and the palace proposal went into cold storage.
In the late 1980s, the well-known Chougule Group of Maharashtra bought the property and started the state’s first - and only - heritage luxury hotel; the college shifted to a suitably modest building.
Hotel Shalini Palace, which once offered business travellers a taste of regal life, now stands at a crossroads.
Kolhapuris wonder what might become of the building. Will it stay a luxury hotel or will it become private property?
Cyrus Mistry appointed Tata Sons chairman
Cyrus P. Mistry will take over as chairman of Tata Sons Dec 28, 2012, when current chairman Ratan Tata retires, the holding company of the Tata Group announced recently.
“The board of directors of Tata Sons today (December 18) announced the appointment of Cyrus Mistry as the chairman of the board after Ratan Tata retires on December 28,” the company said in a statement.
According to the statement, the company’s board conferred on Ratan Tata the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus.
Mistry has been serving on the board of Tata Sons since 2006, and was appointed in November last year successor to Ratan Tata, who has been chairman since 1991.
Tata Sons Limited is a promoter of the key companies of the Tata Sons and holds the bulk of shareholding in these companies like Tata Industries, Tata Steel, Tata Power, Tata Teleservices, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Tata Motors, Tata Global Beverages and Indian Hotels.
Mistry, 44, is the younger son of construction magnate Pallonji Shapoorji Mistry, who holds an 18.5 per cent stake in Tata Sons, making him the single largest shareholder. He is married to Rohika Chagla, daughter of eminent lawyer Iqbal Chagla.
Cyrus’s one sister is married to Noel Tata, Ratan Tata’s half-brother.
IANS
As the year finally draws to a close, it’s time to say a heartfelt and relieved goodbye to 2012, and fervently hope that 2013 is a more positive year for the world. At the time of going to press disasters seem to be mounting, and although the past year has had its bright moments, the negatives seem to have outweighed the positives. But hey, didn’t we say that about the last year as well? And the year before that? We may have enjoyed our personal moments of joy and happiness, or sorrow and tragedy; but on a global scale, 2012 has certainly been a downer. Its time to move on into the New Year and hope that the world and its myriad denizens take steps to ensure a happier, safer and more peaceful planet. So let’s take a look back at some significant events of 2012, the year best forgotten!
God bless the Queen!
In a tumultuous world, Queen Elizabeth II, monarch of the United Kingdom in her imperturbable self, celebrated her diamond jubilee celebrations with splendour and dignified pomp in June. At 86, the monarch placidly parachuted into the opening ceremony of the London Olympic Games alongside fiction’s most iconic spy, James Bond aka Daniel Craig. And why not, as the 2012 London Olympic Games promised the world a treat, and they delivered. Despite a few unsavoury doping stories, the athletes performed well and carried home their medals in glory.
And now that the Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton is pregnant, the UK is once again in the spotlight.
Not that this spectacular event helped much with Europe’s financial crisis, which still shows no signs of resurrecting from its monetary mire. We can only hope that 2013 provides a solution, but don’t hold your breath.
In the scientific world, the discovery of the Higgs bosun particle or God particle made headlines across the world, triumphing over petty politics and celebrity scandals. And in another spectacular event, Curiosity, the NASA satellite finally landed on Mars and continues to beam images of the red planet. To the relief of NASA who has now justified its existence, for some time at least!
The civil war in Syria continues and the only people truly in distress seem to be the Syrian civilians as they flee in droves to neighbouring countries. At the time of going to press, the rebels looking to overthrow the government have captured nearly 60% of the country.
Israel and Palestine also stood on the brink of war, sending shockwaves through the world in mid-November. Fortunately after eight days of pounding each other with rockets, a ceasefire was set into motion and an uneasy calm prevails. Lets hope 2013 brings a solution to this war-devastated region.
Felix Baumgartner is certainly one gusty man and the first to break the sound barrier through a record space jump from a helium balloon, 24 miles over Roswell, USA.
2012 was election year in the USA, and President Barack Obama won a second term in office, much to the general relief of the world, and the slightly confused relief of Americans. He now has his hands full, trying to avert an impending fiscal cliff and dealing with disasters, both manmade and natural.
China too, has experienced a change in leadership after ten years, with a Xi Jinpin elected as the new party general secretary. Political instability continues in Egypt and Greece too, hovers on the edge of unrest.
The trailer from an anti-Islam film produced by an Egyptian-born Coptic Christian sparked widespread riots across the world, for its depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. Innocence of Muslims gained notoriety in September, with protests by Muslims in Australia and the Middle East, among other countries. Riots over the film began at the United States embassy in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the death of four United States citizens, including the embassy’s ambassador.
The sporting world, and in particular, cyclists around the globe reeled in shock as iconic American cyclist Lance Armstrong was stripped of his medals and accused of using banned performance enhancing drugs. He has been banned from professional cycling for life
Former US General and CIA Director David Petraeus was forced to quit after it was revealed that he had had an affair with Paula Broadwell, principal author of his biography. Investigations continue following allegations of breach of security, and have seeped into the lives of other top brass within the US Army.
Sir James Wilson Vincent ‘Jimmy’ Savile was a BBC TV presenter, media personality and ‘prolific’ philanthropist, who died in October 2011. But since his death, hundreds of allegations of sex abuse were unearthed, and police now believe that Savile may have been one of Britain’s most ‘prolific’ sex offenders.
Hurricane Sandy hit parts of the Caribbean, mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States in late October 2012, leaving devastation and wreckage in its wake. The largest Atlantic hurricane on record with winds spanning 1,800kms, the losses from damage and business interruption are estimated at over $70 billion. Over 250 people were killed
along the path of the storm across seven countries.
The devastating shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut in the US has left the world shocked. Of the 27 killed, 20 were schoolchildren, gunned down by 20 year old Adam Lanza on December 14.
In another incident in August, six people were shot at a Sikh gurudwara in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, while the gunman was killed by a police officer. The rising number of gun-related crimes is forcing the US Government and Congress to relook at legislation relating to the use of weapons.
This year has seen many deaths, from the shock demise of Whitney Houston to Robin Gibb, after a long illness. Donna Summer, Vidal Sassoon, Neil Armstrong were among those who passed away in 2012.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard is still in the head hotseat in Canberra, and has been making waves internationally too. Her strongly worded speech in Parliament in which she accused Tony Abbott of sexism and misogyny made waves around the world. And the political posturing continues…
The floods in New South Wales and Queensland took their toll on the country too, with destruction and loss of property amounting to millions.
The Australian swimming squad’s dismal performance at the London Olympics disappointed fans back home, and investigations continue into allegations of misconduct.
In what is now an internationally infamous prank gone wrong, 2Day FM radio jocks Mel Greig and Michael Christian are still experiencing heavy backlash from across the world. They pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles, calling the King Edward VII hospital in London to enquire about the condition of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge. The nurse who took the call later committed suicide, resulting in a media frenzy of naming and blaming, with the only losers being the family of the deceased.
The Catholic Church in Australia has been embroiled in a shocking scandal, revealing that hundreds of children have been
sexually abused by its priest since the 1930s. A Royal Commission has now been set up to further investigate these crimes and bring justice to the victims.
Much admired Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, renowned philanthropist and mother of media magnate Rupert Murdoch passed away aged 102.
Ricky Ponting finally bid adieu to cricket, retiring from the game in early December. And Australian captain Michael Clarke scored more runs this year in fewer Tests at a higher average than cricketing legend Don Bradman did in the greatest run-scoring year of his fabled career. The pup’s growing up!
The huge blackouts in India at the end of July left a staggering 820m people without electricity in the largest power outage in history. Three of the country’s interconnected northern power grids collapsed for several hours, as blackouts extended almost 2,000 miles, from India’s eastern border with Myanmar to its western border with Pakistan.
Sachin Tendulkar continues in the news, this time as speculation about his retirement reaches fever pitch. He is now a member of the Rajya Sabha and has been presented with the Order of Australia. But when will he hang up his gloves? That’s anyone’s guess!
Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, sole surviving member of the terrorist squad that was responsible for the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai was finally hanged in mid-November.
But in the case of the two young girls who were arrested for posting an innocent comment on Facebook relating to Bal Thackeray’s death, the incident seems to have opened up a veritable can of worms on legislation governing the internet. The saga continues…
Several significant personalities passed away in 2012, including renowned film-maker Yash Chopra; actors Rajesh Khanna, AK Hangal, Jaspal Bhatti; Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and renowned sitarist Pandit Ravi Shankar.
So let’s hope 2013 chimes in positive change, less strife and more understanding, less vengeance and more peace, a still imperfect, but better world.
Sheryl DixitColonialism-
Revolution (Vol I) by Rajendra Prasad is a powerful indictment of what passes off euphemistically as the benevolent Raj. British colonial rule of India and China (two countries under study), the author says, was nothing short of a terrible crime against humanity. In what is undoubtedly a pathbreaking study, Prasad dives into newspapers, books, pamphlets, booklets, journals, confidential notes, British official reports, secret directives and even posters of a bygone era to study how colonialism bled India and China, more so Calcutta and Shanghai, from 1850 to 1914. The results are devastating!
The book, the author says, is “history written by us”“the exploited and the lumpenized colonial people”. His focus on Calcutta and Shanghai has a reason. “Both the colonial port cities had played a significant role in imposition and fostering of
colonial factors of production.”
And both paid a heavy price for it - in the years under study.
Prasad is clear that British colonial rule was to blame “for various problems that confront ex-colonial societies” today. In contrast to the school of thought
that credits British rule with “development”, Prasad marshals a wealth of statistics and facts to lay the claim that Britain was indeed “responsible for crimes against the innocent colonial world of humanity”.
British rulers were “autocratic,
savagerous and fascist”, destroyed indigenous culture, consciously and painstakingly distorted the path of social formation, drained the colonies of merchant and commercial capital, and forcibly captured all sources of revenue. Worse, they played one religion against another, one race against another, one clan against another, one caste against another. Whatever the British introduced in India and China for “development” was meant to cement their own rule, for their own selfish ends. But colonialism in Asian societies found little attention from Marx, says Prasad. Not that Marx was not keen to analyst the apathy of the colonial people but “he was too preoccupied with the conflicts and tensions of the capitalist society... He did not address himself to colonial people, the only exception being Ireland”. But India, the book says, suffered in some ways far worse than Ireland at the hands of British. British colonialism imposed colonial factors of
production, strangling India into an agricultural colony. At the same time, the native population was deprived of basic food necessities. Scarcity of food led to famines. Indian economy was transformed into a lumpen one “by forcibly maintaining it in a state of wretched backwardness”.
China suffered similar fate, with Britain “exporting” many experienced officers from India! Foreigners controlled China’s export-import trade, and China was compelled to borrow funds from foreign merchants on its soil. Shanghai, like Calcutta, suffered the deepest imprints of colonial subversion of economy, society and culture. Colonial people, Prasad says with indignation, were not treated like humans. For the metropolitan bourgeoisie, the ends were more important. “If the means had been given some human consideration, probably colonialism may not have survived for so long.”
Let’s Call him Vasu by Shubhranshu Choudhary is the untold story of the growth of the Maoist movement in the very heart of India, an insurgency Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calls the country’s most serious internal security threat. This is also investigative journalism at its best, with a jaw dropping narrative. After spending years chasing the story, former BBC journalist Shubhranshu Choudhary has come out with a gripping account of why the Adivasis and Maoists are at war with the Indian state.
If activist-writer Satnam’s book, Jangalnama: Travels in a Maoist Guerrilla Zone could be called the Indian answer to “Red Star Over China”, then this would classify as the Indian part II of the Edgar Snow classic. Shubhranshu is a gifted storyteller with a reporter’s eye for detail.
The author is no stranger to insurgency. While a journalist, he was once fired at by Indian soldiers when he was with the ULFA. He escaped minus his media kit, fled barefoot, and rode
After spending years chasing the story, former BBC journalist Shubhranshu Choudhary has come out with a gripping account of why the Adivasis and Maoists are at war with the Indian state
a bicycle for six hours to catch a flight to Delhi.
In this book, using his contacts forged when he was young, Shubhranshu forays into Bastar, the secure headquarters of the Maoist onslaught, to learn why the Communist Party of IndiaMaoist (CPI-Maoist) is today such a ferocious force.
Let’s Call Him Vasu is also a brutal expose of the way India has cheated the Adivasis. Shubhranshu travels to village after village with no trace of modernity.
Hospitals do without doctors, teachers boycott schools but collect salaries, there is no water and power supply, there are no roads, and ration shops are located miles away. Worse, outsiders cheat the Adivasis left and right, bully and rape them, and even kill them if they don’t give up their land for corporate India, eyeing the enormous mineral wealth in Chhattisgarh’s tribal heartland. “It is only an accident of history that the tribals have turned to the Maoists.” Indeed, the entry of Maoists shook a callous state and
forced traders to treat the tribals with some dignity.
Some of the darkest secrets about the CPI-Maoist are revealed in this book. How did a group of 49 men sent to present day Chhattisgarh a long time ago from Andhra Pradesh transform Bastar into a Maoist fortress? How big is the Maoist army in the region? Where do they get their arms from? Where and how do they manufacture them? Did the LTTE really train them? How do the Maoists treat their enemy, within and without? How do the security forces treat the Adivasis? Who are the men (and women) posing such a threat to the Indian state? How big is the women’s role in the Maoist movement? What is the Maoist budget? How was the Salwa Judum unleashed - and defeated? Can the Maoists ever win? Can they be subdued?
Every question is answered - by the Maoists who allowed Shubhranshu to be in their midst, in their forest hideouts. If you are a student of Indian politics, this book is for you.
BY Noel g De SoUZA
Some people become famous for outrageous acts. If media persons commit such acts for their own personal gain, then they should not be surprised when their actions boomerang back onto themselves.
Three females committed sacrilegeous acts in a Russian orthodox church with blatant disregard for the sensitivities of worshippers and those who respect religious freedom. The three women in question were sentenced to jail terms. One of them succeeded in her appeal, but two others did not and will serve their jail terms far away from their young families. The perpetrators brought this on themselves.
banishment from royal occasions. The pictures were published in the glossy French magazine, Paris Match. That might have been a coup for the photographer and the magazine, but Sarah’s life has been damaged forever.
Freelance photographers/journalists are on the lookout for saleable stories; they harass and trouble celebrities, very often to the point of despair. We have seen such intrusions in the lives of Nicole Kidman and Madonna in Sydney.
Recently, two employees of Sydney radio station 2Day FM, DJs Mel Greig and Michael Christian, made a hoax call to the Edward VII Hospital in London. They pretended to be the Queen and Prince Charles, and asked to be put through to Kate Middleton, spouse of Prince William. Jacintha Saldanha, an Indian-origin (west coast Konkani speaking) nurse, took the call.
There were protests and even deaths when a Danish cartoonist drew cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed carrying a bomb
There were protests and even deaths when a Danish cartoonist drew cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed carrying a bomb. This actions and those of the newspaper which publicised the offending cartoon were defended on the grounds of press freedom.
A cartoon series recently showed the Hindu God Krishna uttering phrases invented by the writer of the series. Offended Hindus protested, but their protests were rejected by the producers on the grounds that no copyright was possible on the words of Krishna.
Many British royals are popular amongst both, monarchists and republicans. There are republics within the Commonwealth; India was the first to become a republic. The royals who attended the Commonwealth Games in Delhi some months ago were treated with respect and with genuine friendship.
Prince William and his wife Kate are popular royals. Their youth and their ability to mix with a wide variety of people who constitute the Commonwealth is admirable. But the paparazzi hound them wherever they go. These are defined as freelance photographers who have no permission to photograph their targets, and do so with stealth. They relentlessly hunt their targets in every possible way.
The brief conversation (a prank) was broadcast live on radio with imitation sound of a Corgi dog for humorous effect. What was not funny was that Jacintha was found dead two days later. Apparently, she had committed suicide.
A shocked hospital expressed its sympathies to the young nurse’s family. It appears from press images that the nurses in the hospital were the ones most shocked. The question arises as to what admonishment was meted out to Jacintha for her to have taken her own life. Was any counselling provided to her?
Price William and Kate Middleton have expressed their grief saying that they “are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Jacintha Saldanha” and that “their thoughts and prayers are with Jacintha Saldanha’s family, friends and colleagues …”.
The question arises as to what admonishment was meted out to Jacintha for her to have taken her own life.
Was any counselling provided to her?
Rhys Holleran, the CEO of Southern Cross Austereo, has announced the suspension of the two pranksters and the withdrawal of all advertising on 2Day FM (some major advertisers had already withdrawn). The two pranksters are being given counselling.
The most obnoxious example of such privacy intrusion was taking telephoto pictures of Kate Middleton sunbathing. The pictures made prize items for sale. They were published, amongst others, in several magazines in Italy and Germany. There might be many a person who enjoys seeing images of women in states of undress, but in most cases those images show models who have been paid for their work. Here was a case of no consent at all.
Years ago, Sarah, the Duchess of York, was subjected to a similar situation when telephoto images of her with a boyfriend resulted in the breakdown of her marriage and her
Because of major intrusions of privacy by an unfettered British media, the Lord Justice Leveson inquiry was set up. Its deliberations brought out shocking revelations. In the final 2000-page report, Lord Leveson calls for the establishment of an independent body to replace the ineffectual Press Complaints Commission. The new body would be able to fine, demand corrections and apologies.
The Labour Party favours accepts the Leveson recommendations in toto. So does Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister and his Liberal Democrats party. Prime Minister Cameron, on the other hand, wants to preserve ‘press freedom’ or ‘freedom of speech’. The tragedy of Jacintha Saldanha has prompted Lord Leveson to call for legislation to stop online activity degenerating into ‘mob rule’ and ‘trial by Twitter’.
The line between what is legally and morally right and wrong is increasingly getting blurred, with the victims as the losers
Jacintha Saldanha, a 46-year old Konkani nurse at the King Edward VII Hospital in Britain, tragically took her own life in early December, following intense media scrutiny surrounding the circumstances of a ‘prank call’ of which she was the victim. The scandal has exposed two fundamentally flawed ways in which the media can sometimes operate – one, its obsession with the lives of celebrities, using infamy as a mechanism for generating publicity; and two, its attempts to carry out vigilante justice through an en masse attack on individuals.
Saldanha moved to Muscat from the port city of Mangalore in the Konkani region of southwest India, after gaining advanced nursing qualifications at the Father Muller’s School of Nursing. Sister Aileen Mathias, chief nursing officer at the school said, “Jacintha was a very efficient, intelligent and lively personality who had won laurels in her nursing studies.”
Saldanha then moved to Bristol more than ten years ago, where she settled with her family - and returned to India every two years or so to visit relatives. Saldanha has been laid to rest in Shirva, India.
The scandal which ended in Saldanha’s tragic demise unfolded like this: two radio jockeys from Sydney’s 104.1FM radio station, 2DayFM, made a prank call to King Edward VII Hospital in London, where the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, had recently been admitted. Mel Greig put on a fake accent, pretending to be the Queen, while Michael Christian introduced himself on the phone as Prince Charles. Greig asked, “Oh hello there, could I please speak to Kate please, my granddaughter?” After being put through to nurse Saldanha straight away, Greig enquired about Kate’s ‘little tummy bug’. Saldanha answered, “She’s sleeping at the moment. And she had an uneventful night. And sleep is good for her. As we speak, she’s been getting some fluids to rehydrate her. She was quite dehydrated when she came in. But she’s stable at the moment.”
The call was interspersed with moments of on-air incredulity from Christian, “If this has worked, it’s the easiest prank call we’ve ever made. Your (Greig’s) accent sucked by the way, I just wanted you to know.” The accents were indeed deplorable. Another staff member even yapped in the
background in an effort to mimic the Queen’s famous corgis. It was mediocre radio at best.
Even before Saldanha’s subsequent suicide, news outlets across Britain were outraged by the invasion into the royal family’s privacy. There was particular ire raised when Christian continued to promote the prank on social media even after the station apologised for the stunt. However, following Saldanha’s death, the British media in particular became ferocious. Social media attacked the pair, saying: “You’ve got blood on your hands” and “Many lives ruined”.
Saldanha’s death was certainly devastating. She leaves behind a young son and daughter, as well as husband Benedict Barboza. But was it to be expected?
As poor as the prank’s taste was, the pair of radio jockeys who have become the face of the British media’s assault on the situation could not have possibly or reasonably foreseen that their actions could have resulted in the death of an individual.
Firstly, the prank call was not done live – all such stunts are pre-recorded and then vetted by legal experts. In a recent television interview given by the pair, Greig said “You prank someone, you record it, then it goes to the other departments to work out what they want to do with it.”
Southern Cross Austereo, the station’s owner, tallied this claim with their statement: “The Company has conducted a review of the process undertaken in the airing of the segment which has found that company protocols were adhered to. Several attempts were made by the production team to discuss the segment with the hospital, but with no success. The segment was referred to an internal review process which included internal legal review and authorisation was granted to broadcast.”
Most importantly though, could Saldanha’s death have conceivably been a direct result of a prank call that was by no means malicious, and was every bit as stupid as the idea from which it was born?
It seems unlikely that the call itself, even in the wake of unimaginable publicity, would of itself cause a sound-minded person to take her own life. Indeed, the hospital has stressed that it provided Saldanha with all the support she required – and she had not even discussed the prank call with her family. The royal family too, clarified that they were by no means holding Saldanha
responsible for the disclosure of private medical information.
So who then is to blame?
Some media outlets always seek scapegoats – and the more sensationalist British tabloids, some of whom printed Greig’s face on the front page – are frequent culprits.
Why then, is there no proper scrutiny being made of the hospital’s process for high-profile patients? The royal family has long preferred King Edward VII hospital for its members – and the thought that the Queen would call reception to speak to her granddaughter-in-law is unfathomable. Why then, was the staff not briefed on the correct protocol for royal members? Why was Saldanha exposed and put on the spot by the receptionist who transferred the call straight to her?
Even Konkani community spokesman, James Ravi Pinto, agreed saying, “No one could have foreseen this. She must have been terribly worried about the incident even though the hospital had not reprimanded her and she wasn’t in any trouble. I think some system should have been in place at the hospital so such a call could not have got through to the ward and Jacintha would not have had to take that call, given the high-profile and sensitive nature of the patient’s condition.”
There needs to be more accountability on the part of the media, who escalated the story to much more dramatic proportions than it otherwise may have reached. The media’s obsession with ‘the big scoop’ and the big, overbearing headlines, certainly must have had at least as big a part to play in the pressure
on Saldanha – if not a more profound effect on her than the call itself.
At the end of the day, the big picture is this: two young Australians were carrying out a stupid prank for a radio station which has a history of less-thanethical stunts. They made a call to a hospital fully expecting to be hung up on immediately, and suddenly found themselves with sensitive information.
They were told by people with much greater experience and expertise than them that it was all okay – the prank could go to air.
Suddenly, they are the subjects of a witch-hunt. Their faces dominate the front page of newspapers overseas. They will always have Saldanha’s death hanging over their heads, whether or not they feel it was their fault. Their careers in the industry are in jeopardy. Their show has been cancelled. They are receiving daily death threats.
The hospital, which seems to have no process in place for advising staff on how to deal with high-profile patients, meanwhile threatens legal action against the radio station. There is no scrutiny of their system.
The media continues to hype up the story, even while the devastating typhoon that claimed hundreds of lives in the Philippines slips quietly under the radar. The publicity generated from Saldanha by the media in Britain was infinitely more influential than a Sydney radio station.
Make up your own mind – does everything add up?
Even before Saldanha’s subsequent suicide, news outlets across Britain were outraged by the invasion into the royal family’s privacy
There needs to be more accountability on the part of the media, who escalated the story to much more dramatic proportions than it otherwise may have reached
The suicide of a radio prank call victim brings about a tragically bizarre twist to an unfunny joke, resulting in worldwide anger and recrimination, says RITAM MITRA
chess. He was awarded a FRS in 1951.
Of the tears, sweat and suffering hidden below its surface. Of social ill-treatment due to misunderstanding and misinterpretation suffered by many a scientist. Yet the actions of these geniuses have made our lives more comfortable.
Today our world comprises of computers, mobile phones, tablets, Facebook and Twitter. It seems that the world cannot survive for even a minute without computers. But who dreamt of inventing a computer? The answer is Alan Turing, whose centenary the world celebrates in 2012. His dream has given us the luxury and convenience of a computer. This tribute lauds the genius of Turing and his life.
Alan Turing was the founder of Computer Science, significantly influenced computing, computer science, artificial intelligence, developmental biology and the mathematical theory of computability. He also made important contributions to codebreaking during World War II.
Alan Mathison Turing was born on June 23, 1912 in London as the second son to his parents. His father worked for the Indian Civil Service in Chatrapur in Orissa and his mother was the daughter of the chief engineer of Madras Railways in Chennai. His brilliance became apparent as soon as he was admitted to school, recognised by the headmistress and other teachers. At 13, he joined the Sherborne School in Dorset and mathematics and science, especially experiments in chemistry, were his favourite subjects much to the annoyance of his teachers who emphasised on the classics.
Contrary to expectations, Turing studied advanced mathematics and even digested Einstein’s theories while at school, extrapolating the physicist’s interpretation of Newton’s laws. But he was a loner, and had none with whom he could discuss and share his ideas. His paper on Einstein’s theory was shown only to his mother. Later, Turing made a friend in Christopher Marcom, whose life was unfortunately cut short because of tuberculosis. This had a profound impact on
Turing who became an atheist. He began feeling that all phenomena including the working of the brain, must be materialistic. This paved the way for his future theories in Artificial Intelligence, Cryptanalysis and computers.
After school, Turing entered the prestigious Cambridge University as an undergraduate at Kings College. At 22, he obtained a first class honours in Mathematics and was elected to be a Fellow on the strength of his thesis on ‘Central Limit Theorem’. Turing also worked on the Entscheidungsproblem (Decision Problem) formulated by the great German mathematician Hilbert. Turing showed that any effectively calculable function can be calculated by a ‘Universal Turing Machine’, a type of an abstract computer. These are studied even today in Theory of Computation.
Cryptology or code breaking was another passion of Turing which he pursued while he worked for a PhD in Mathematics at the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, as he built stages of an electro-mechanical binary multiplier.
Turing is well known for his work in breaking the German code during the war. He started working for the Government Code and Cipher School (GCCS) at Bletchley Park in Britain. During 1939-40
Turing and others designed a code-breaker called ‘Bombe’ that supplied intelligence to Britain for the rest of the war. They decoded about 39,000 messages a month, which later rose to 84,000. From the mass of German signals which were in a state of a mess, Bombe
However, a secret aspect of his personality took a heavy toll. Turing was a homosexual at a time when being gay was considered a crime. He was offered a choice – to spend his life in jail or be treated with female hormones. He opted for the latter and underwent the chemical castration via injections of stilboestrol for a year, as a result of which he became impotent and developed gynecomastia. In addition, his security clearance was removed and with it went his cryptanalysis practice for the government.
worked out millions of possibilities till it arrived at a meaningful result. Turing was awarded the OBE for this significant contribution.
He also wrote two papers on this topic which were so valuable and vital that GCCS did not release them to the public for nearly seventy years.
From 1945-47 Turing worked at the National Physical Laboratory in London where he formulated a Stored Program Computer and later wrote a paper on Intelligent Machinery, published after his death. His design for ACE (Automatic Computing Engine) was a complete specification for a general purpose digital computer. Had NPL followed his advice, a computer with increased memory would have resulted long before it really came to light. Some of the early British and American computers were built based on this design. Turing later became the Deputy Director (there was no director) of the Computing Laboratory at the University of Manchester. Here he developed software for his computer and designed Ferranti Mark I, the world’s first available electronic digital computer.
Turing is the father of modern Cognitive Science and believed that the human brain is largely a digital computer. He tackled the problem of Artificial Intelligence and proposed a test to qualify a machine to be called intelligent. This Turing Test is current even today. Turing had felt that it was better to build a machine with a child’s mind and educate it, rather than build it like an adult. Then he wrote a programme that played
In 1953, Turing was made a reader in Theory of Computing and he worked on Artificial Life, a chemical basis of Morphogenesis concentrating on pattern and form in living organisms. He used his Ferranti Mark I to model chemical mechanisms by which genes could control development of anatomical structure in plant and animals. This work is also considered seminal in that field.
Turing was found dead on June 8, 1954 with suicide believed to be the cause of his death, however some have challenged this conclusion, stating that his death was accidental. Eccentricity thy name is genius, and Turing is no exception. On the first day of the school term at Sherborne, a determined Turning rode his bike 97kms to school as a general strike had resulted in no public transport. On another occasion he ran to London, a distance of 64 kilometres to attend a high level meeting. He was a world class marathon runner. He usually suffered from hay fever in June, so Turing would ride his bike wearing a gas mask. The chain on his bicycle would come off at regular intervals, but instead of fixing the problem, Turing counted the number of times the pedal went round and at the proper count he would get off the bike and put the chain back in position. Another of his strange habits was to chain his coffee mug to the radiator pipe to prevent it from being stolen!
No wonder Turing is now seen as one of the most influential men of our times. The Turing Award, almost like a Nobel Prize, is given to outstanding work in the field of computing and he has been acknowledged in various ways. In 2009, the British Government rendered its apology for the inhuman treatment he was accorded.
Turing’s life was that of genius, drama and tragedy, but to recall line from T S Eliot: Suffering is action; out of suffering comes poetry.
Contrary to expectations, Turing studied advanced mathematics and even digested Einstein’s theories while at school, extrapolating the physicist’s interpretation of Newton’s laws
In 1953, Turing was made a reader in Theory of Computing and he worked on Artificial Life, a chemical basis of Morphogenesis concentrating on pattern and form in living organisms
Respect and felicitation is the rightful due of the Father of Computer Science on the centenary of his birthSYDNeY SRINIVAS
SANDIP HoR
Iam not the only one who fell in love with Bali on my first visit; there are many like me from different parts of the world. I pleasingly discovered this during my recent second visit when I came across many who were now enjoying their third, fourth and even sixth trip to this little Indonesian island. Bali bestows everything to lure holidaymakers, from sprawling beaches and wild surf to Hindu temples and a vibrant culture; from colourful markets and gleaming shopping malls to luxury resorts and an array of restaurants and cafes serving culinary delights of your choice.
Located 8 degrees south of the Equator, Bali with its awesome natural scenery, lays a serious claim to being paradise on Earth. It is a magical land that goes beyond the sun, sea and sand into multiple shades of green streaked across hillsides and spreading valleys and terraces, amid tranquil settings. The atmosphere creates a unique appeal which pledge to change one’s life as seen in the recent Hollywood blockbuster, Eat, Pray, Love.
The Balinese are very hospitable and I felt that warmth once again while checking in at the chic Vira Bali Hotel located in Tuban, south of downtown Kuta, the Mecca for tourists in Bali. The other two areas where tourists congregate are Legian and Seminyak, the latter being a bit more stylish and trendy. A large number of sleeping accommodation is located along the beach in these three urbanised quarters, packed with restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops. However those travellers who prefer tranquil hideouts sneak into luxurious villas and resorts in beachfront areas outside urban limits, such as at Nusa Dua, Jimbaran and Uluwatu where the reputed hotel brand Anantara has just opened an opulent haven, extraordinarily ideal for romantic escapes.
Doing nothing is a great way of spending time in Bali, particularly for those with a mission to relax and recharge their batteries. A group of holiday-makers leave their watches in the hotel safe
and follow the sun from its rising till it sets. After having breakfast, sometimes on the beach, they just sit back and loosen up under the sun, gazing at the blue waters of Indian Ocean perhaps with a Bintang beer or green coconut water in hand. When bored, they go around the sheltered bays for a swim or trundle along the seaside. Some dive into a special Balinese massage for the ultimate relaxation of mind, body and soul.
The mood changes as soon as the sun comes down, with a carnival like milieu engulfing the ambience. Neighbourhoods like Kuta and Seminyak come alive with fun and fiesta. Loud music can be heard from all directions. Bartenders get busy shaking cocktails while waiters in plush restaurants keep flying like expert ballet dancers from one table to the other, skilfully balancing plates of food for guests finishing their day with a lavish meal, washed down with the best international wines. Clubs open their doors for night owls keen on continuing the ‘chill out’ period into the early hours of the morning.
However, by no means assume Bali isn’t a place that rewards the traveller who wants to plan and ‘see and do’; they can be easily kept busy for days with activities to suit their taste, as well as endless sightseeing. Being surrounded by water, Bali is naturally a haven for aqua fanatics. All kinds of water sports and aquatic activities from surfing, scuba diving, snorkelling to jet skiing and banana boat riding, are available to keep adventurelovers active. For shoppers, the opportunities are endless. There are large departmental stores such as Matahari, Centro and Sogo which sell local and imported goods at excellent prices. However shopping from the colourful nests in narrow alleys and back lanes is exciting, bargaining being the key element of the game. You can get designer label products such as watches, sunglasses and clothing, fake but hard to distinguish from the real ones, at rock bottom prices. However some designers such as Ralph Lauren have licensed manufacturing units in Bali, so the number of their branded
shops selling genuine Polo goods at prices much lower than expected, will surprise you. And for culture vultures, the menu card is pretty long, ranging from temple hopping to browsing art at the galleries in Ubud, the epicentre of Balinese culture, or enjoying a traditional dance performance such as Legong or Kechak, the performers magical in their colourful costumes.
Bali is famous for its myriad of architecturally stunning temples which are sprinkled throughout the land, giving the island its other name, ‘Sharibu Pura’ meaning land of a thousand temples. Even every house has a small temple, demonstrating the strong religious affinity of the people. Strangely there are no deities inside; praying is mainly through the practice of centuryold traditions and daily offerings of fruit, flowers and incense sticks symbolically to Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The shrines are generally quiet but on special days, large numbers of devotees gather at the local temples for worshipping through dance, music and rituals.
On my last trip I visited many of them, but the ones that impressed me were the Pura Besakih, Bali’s holiest shrine; Pura Tanah Lot, the most photographed site; and Pura Luhur Uluwatu, perched atop sheer cliffs that drop straight into the pounding ocean. These three are located in the countryside away from din and bustle of the urban quarters. I visited the temples this time again, not entirely inspired by their piousness, but more because of their vibrant ambiance and picturesque settings. Also the journey provides the opportunity to breathe fresh air and watch the rising mountains
to the undulating, sunkissed lush green rural landscape.
Indonesia is often described as the ‘Ring of Fire’ because of its several volcanic mountains.
Some of these dot the Bali landscape and attract the nature aficionados. While heading east towards the Pura Besakih temple one can glimpse the 3142m high Guning Agung, often referred as the Mother Mountain. While traversing north west, you come across the 1717m high Gunung Batur, which with its lunar-like double caldera and a sprawling lake offer a splendid vista.
As you can realize, the appeal of Bali as a holiday destination is multi-fold and is so irresistible that when the time comes to leave, everyone feels they haven’t had enough. This creates a sense of insatiability which sows the seeds of a desire for another visit; at
Although cricket has such a long and colourful history, there are few who can claim to have been as gritty and rough-and-tough a specimen as Ricky Ponting, Australia’s second greatest ever player after Sir Donald Bradman. After retiring from all formats of the game at the end of November 2012, Ponting leaves behind a rich and unrivalled legacy to the game.
Ponting was a cry back to the Test cricketers of yesteryear –the type for whom fame was an unnecessary side-effect of putting every inch of their bodies on the line for their country; the type who were relentless in their pursuit for victory, which of course, was everything; and the type who would do anything for their teammates. As tributes pour in across the world for one of cricket’s most courageous warriors, Ponting’s retirement signals the end of an era.
And what an era it has been!
Ponting’s individual statistics are sublime enough – but his success as part of a team is nothing short of astonishing. He has won more Test matches than any other player – 108 (of which he captained 48 –another record). It’s been said that he was unimaginative as a captain – and he perhaps was – but even with a team like the one he led, 48 wins is a remarkable effort.
Ponting finishes his career
16 Test wins ahead of the next most successful player; his own weapon of mass destruction, Shane Warne. In fact, the next two most successful active players are Jacques Kallis on 76 wins and Sachin Tendulkar on 66 wins.
With those two current legends in their twilight years, it may well be that no one will ever win as many Test matches as Ricky Ponting. With 13,378 test runs and 13,704 ODI runs, Ponting retires as the second highest international run scorer of all time. He tormented all and sundry – but Indian fans will take special relief in knowing he will never again be up in assault of the Indian bowling unit. Against India, he
scored at an average of 54 –higher than his career average of 51 – and made 8 centuries, including his two highest scores of 257 and 242. Ponting’s breathtaking century against India in the 2003 World Cup final – and his valiant single-handed effort to rescue Australia from India in the 2011 World Cup quarter-final –are two of the finest episodes of the tournament’s history.
A number of cricketing icons have retired in the past year. For Rahul Dravid, time spent at the crease was paramount. For VVS Laxman, firing when no one else performed was his bread and butter. Yet for Ponting, statistics, fame and fortune were all secondary. His was a mind tuned to a mongrel, get-your-handsdirty dial; whatever it took to win a match, you could be assured Ponting would give it a shot. A favourite highlight for many, which perhaps sums him up best, was his sledge to Javagal Srinath of India. In 1999-2000, when India toured Australia, Srinath bowled a bouncer at Ponting, which the Australian took on the helmet grille.
When on song, Ponting was the most scintillating batsman in the world to watch. He was not beautiful like Tendulkar – but nonetheless exciting. He was ruthless on the short ball – his signature hook shot sent many bowlers back to their marks scratching their heads. He played his straight drives on the walk – normally a sign of imbalance, but with Ponting it seemed like a touch of flair. His fielding was electric, and he stands shoulder to shoulder with Jonty Rhodes in this respect – although his ability to hit the stumps was perhaps even a shade uncannier.
Upon his retirement, Ponting was magnanimous in his praise of two Indian players. “Sachin was the best I played against, and that’s coming from more of a captain’s point of
view as well, knowing he had so much success against us in our conditions and their conditions,” he said in Perth. Perhaps more surprising was his praise of archnemesis off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. “Harbhajan’s probably the other one (along with Curtly Ambrose and Wasim Akram) who caused me as much grief as anything. He got me out a lot of times. Those guys through their careers can all put their hand up and say they had my measure,” he added.
Harbhajan paid rich tribute to the man who was his 50th, 250th and 300th Test wickets. “He was a fantastic cricketer, outstanding batsman. Who can forget that knock he played against us in the World Cup final in 2003; I hate him for that! Now that Ricky Ponting has retired I can honestly say that he was the guy we all looked up to. He is one of the great legends of cricket that I
a happy retirement, Ricky. The cricket world will miss you,” said Harbhajan.
Although he rated Tendulkar as a better batsman, Ponting may have raised the ire of Indian fans when he said, “The way I judge players has always been on their ability to win games, and win games by themselves. Lara probably more than what Sachin’s done for India.” But with his record – it’s fair to say he knows a little bit about winning.
“Hopefully my impact and input on Australian cricket has left something behind,” he said. Australian cricket was made all the richer for Ricky Ponting – but he leaves behind a mark on the game that will see him recognised as one of the greatest ever batsmen, one of the fiercest competitors and a truly dedicated servant to the game.
His was a mind tuned to a mongrel, getyour-hands-dirty dial; whatever it took to win a match, you could be assured Ponting would give it a shot
Ponting was a cry back to the Test cricketers of yesteryear – the type for whom fame was an unnecessary sideeffect of putting every inch of their bodies on the line for their country
1 cup icing sugar
BY lIZ gAeTeFind it hard to buy a gift for that ‘someone’ who has everything?
Often a gift that has been made from love is the best gift to give. There is nothing better than receiving a creation from someone who has put their time and effort into it and made it all from ‘scratch’.
Gifts of food can be beautifully packaged in a nice jar or in the case of baked goods, can be placed into a lovely festive dish, wrapped in cellophane paper and gathered together with curled ribbon and an X’mas card.
And what’s more, you can get the kids involved with the cooking, and definitely the decorating!
These nuts can be presented in a clear or frosted glass jar. They are delicious and sticky, and are a great snack to have with a nice cold beer on a hot day!
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp curry paste
2 tsp ground ginger
3 tbsp savoury chutney
500g cashews, almonds, walnuts, peanuts or macadamia nuts, or a mixture of your choice.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add all ingredients except the nuts. Simmer until the sugar has melted. Remove from stove. Add the nuts, mixing until well combined. Place the nut mixture on a pre-lined baking tray and place into a preheated oven at 180 degrees for a conventional oven, or 160 degrees fan forced oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
Once cooled, store in an airtight container.
Cut into shapes of X’mas trees, stars, Santas or snowmen, these are a great giveaway for teachers and students alike, and make a change from the candy cane and card combination.
250g unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp vanilla extract (this has a more intense flavour than vanilla essence)
1 egg
3 cups plain flour (sifted)
1 tbsp cold water
Preheat oven to 170 degrees for a conventional oven or 150 degrees for a fan forced oven.
In a large bowl, place the butter, sugar, vanilla, egg and tablespoon of cold water. With an electric mixer, beat until the mixture is light and fluffy. Stir in the sifted flour. Place dough onto a lightly floured surface and gently knead until the mixture comes together. Divide into 2 portions. Wrap with cling film and place in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. Place one portion of the dough between 2 sheets of baking paper, the size of your baking tray. Roll out dough with rolling pin until 5mm thick. Using various shaped Christmas cookie cutters i.e.
Christmas tree, gingerbread and snowmen, angels and Christmas bells, cut out the shapes into the dough, but leave at least 2cm between each cut cookie. The dough can soften quickly, and leaving adequate space between the cut cookies makes it easier to remove the excess dough. The easiest way to do this is to scrape away with a knife. Add the excess dough to the other half of the mixture and repeat the process. The mixture should make about 30-40 cookies depending on the size of the cookie cutters used. Bake for approximately 20-25 mintes. These cookies can be dusted lightly with icing sugar or for a hands-on decorating effect, get the kids to help out. Use icing writing pens to create smiley faces on the gingerbread men or tinsel on the Christmas trees, or decorate with cachos and sprinkles. X’mas shaped cookie cutters can be purchased at most major department stores and come in a set, while icing pens are available at most supermarkets in the baking section.
This recipe makes 12 muffin-sized cakes. Place some on a small serving tray and wrap up nicely for a lovely two-in-one gift.
2 cups dried fruit
¼ cup apple juice
75g blanched almonds
75g walnuts
75g pecans
1 egg
60g butter, melted and cooled ¼ brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup (75g) plain flour, sifted ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp all spice
2 tbsp apricot jam
Paper-lined foil patty cases (available from the baking section of your supermarket)
Preheat oven to 160 degrees for a conventional oven or 140 degrees fan forced oven. Place the paperlined patty cases into a 12-hole muffin tin. Put the dried fruit into a bowl and add the apple juice. Allow to soak for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While fruit is soaking, place the almonds onto a baking tray lined with baking paper and allow to bake in the oven for 8 minutes. Keep aside to cool. Whisk together the egg, melted butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in the sifted flour and baking powder, then the soaked fruit and baked nuts.
Spoon mixture evenly into the prepared patty cases, pressing the mixture with the back of a spoon to fill in any gaps.
golden and firm. Remove from oven but leave the cakes in the muffin tray. Warm the jam in a microwave oven, until runny. Strain through a sieve so the jam is free from any fruit skins. Brush the cakes with the jam, while they are still warm.
A true Aussie recipe, the traditional rocky road in cupcake shapes is a very special kind of treat
125g slivered almonds
2/3 cup desiccated coconut
100g mini marshmallows
100g snake lollies
1 cup rice bubbles
375g white chocolate melts
Paper patty cases
Preheat oven to 180 degrees for a conventional oven or 160 degrees for a fan forced oven. Place the slivered almonds on baking paper, placed onto an oven tray, and bake for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Cut up the snake lollies into small bite size pieces. Combine these with the desiccated coconut, mini marshmallows, rice bubbles and cooled slivered almonds in a large bowl.
Place the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl and melt in the microwave, in short bursts of 25-30 seconds at a time, stirring the chocolate each time. This will ensure the chocolate melts evenly and doesn’t burn. Add the melted chocolate to the ingredients in
The gift of giving is even more meaningful when the presents are tasty homemade Xmas goodies
the other bowl, ensuring that they are well coated. Spoon the mixture evenly into the patty cases and place them onto a tray. Place tray into the refrigerator allowing the mixture to set for about 30 minutes. Serve as a part of your festive presentation tray.
Coffee-lovers, rejoice. This is a special one for you with the flavour of your favourite drink
2 tsp instant coffee powder
2 tbsp thickened cream
2 tsp boiling water
3 x 180g blocks of white chocolate
1 tbsp Baileys Irish cream
1 tbsp coffee beans (approx. 20-25)
Place boiling water and coffee powder into a bowl and stir until the coffee has been dissolved. Combine one-third of the white chocolate and the cream into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in short bursts 25-30 seconds at a time. Stir with a metal spoon.
Once the chocolate is all melted and mixture is nice and smooth,
it is then ready. Stir in the coffee mixture and the Baileys. Place into the refrigerator for 3-4 hours or until firm.
Line a tray with baking paper. Roll the mixture into small balls, about 2 teaspoons at a time. Place onto the tray and place into the freezer until firm.
Place half the remaining chocolate into a heatproof bowl and in the microwave, melting the chocolate in short burst 25-30 seconds, stirring with a spoon. Chocolate will be ready once melted through and smooth.
Using a fork, dip truffles into the melted chocolate, shaking off
the excess. Return truffles to the tray and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Melt the rest of chocolate in the microwave in the same way, re-dip the truffles with this second coat of chocolate and top each truffle with a coffee bean. Makes approximately 22 truffles.
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This is addressed to all of you who have gone through some kind of harassment in your lives and have felt angry and helpless. I write this at a time when issues of women’s safety have resurged after certain horrific incidents in India. When I read about the rape and murder of a young woman in Mumbai, there were so many thoughts running through my head. But mostly I felt anger, that a senseless crime can set us back so much, when we have made great strides on so many fronts, where we are breaking barriers everywhere, entering fields that have been male bastions.
If there was some small comfort in the thought that we live in Australia, a place that is relatively safer for women, it was quite short lived when, almost immediately after, there were a series of attacks on women in suburban Western Sydney. A young woman walking with her three young children at 10am on a street in suburban Sydney was pushed to the ground and assaulted by a man. A teenage girl was attacked on the street and pushed into a ditch. And these are not one-off cases.
According to the Australia Institute of Criminology, assault is the most common category of violent crime that is prevalent in Australia, with 171,083 recorded cases in 2010. Although assault is more common among men, when it comes to sexual assault, women unfortunately come first. There were 17,757 reported cases of sexual assault in 2010, with the highest number being recorded among females in the 10-14 year age group.
In spite of the increase in the number of violent crimes against women, for most of us self-defense is something that we hardly think about, until we are caught in a situation where we are required to protect ourselves. I decided to speak to one of Australia’s leading female selfdefence experts and director of the Self-Protection Consultancy, Penny Gulliver, about this.
She says, “It’s only when disaster happens, that women find self-defense relevant to themselves. Sometimes it takes very bad things to happen for women to realize that it can possibly happen to them...I am a
propagator of change in a very positive way for women, to help them feel more powerful and confident in all aspects of their lives.”
Penny offers some important tools and safety tips for women everywhere:
“The most important tool is awareness of what’s going on around you. Awareness of what you see, hear, touch, feel and who is looking at you”, says Penny. Women who are distracted, talking on their phone or looking for something in their bags are more susceptible to surprise attacks.
Holding something in your hand that could be used as a potential weapon is a turn-off to would-be attackers. It could be anything like an umbrella, walking stick, or even a cup containing a hot liquid like coffee.
Acting assertive and confident is another deterrent. “Stride in a bold confident manner. And don’t wear clothes that restrict your movement”, according to Penny.
Trust your intuition. If you see someone who doesn’t quite “fit the picture”, in a familiar environment, or if you feel someone is watching you, move out of the area as fast as you can.
If you feel someone approaching you could be a potential threat, the best thing to
do is run. But run towards areas where there are other people, not lonely areas like parks. Talk loudly on the phone asking someone to meet you, acting as though you have backup, even if you don’t.
When you go out alone with your young children, you are at your most vulnerable. Running away is almost impossible, and you will always put yourself before your children. In situations like this, Penny says “You should have some kind of a game plan ready. Train the children to respond if there is a problem. You can ask them shout very loudly, or call a number on the phone, or even carry whistles that would attract the attention of other people.”
Attackers, especially if alone, are looking for an easy target, and acting assertive, and offering resistance, changes their perception of you. “Most attackers are not brave. If a man is attacking a woman, he is not a brave man. He is picking on her because she is weaker”, says Penny.
If you sense you are being followed or watched, let the person know you are aware of their presence. Look them directly in the eye. In this way you remove their advantage of surprise.
Penny narrated a personal experience saying, “When I was walking with a friend, some people started walking close to us. Because I could sense they were too close and were just behind me, I grabbed her arm and pulled her across to the other side of the road and waited for them. I picked up a beer bottle, and they could see it. I changed the probability of being attacked by my action and by my awareness of what their intention was. “
So what can you do if you are being attacked? How do you respond? Here are some pointers.
• Set aside your fears and apprehensions. No matter how afraid you are, always remember the more you resist and fight back, the more you increase your probability of escape.
• If you have been grabbed, or you sense that you are going to be attacked, you have to hurt and incapacitate your attacker to get away. Aim for vulnerable parts of the body –kick them in the groin, jab them in the eye, punch them in the throat.
• Use tools from your environment – stones, sticks, pieces of metal, anything that you find around you, even a pen.
One of Penny’s former students was getting off a bus in Parramatta when someone
There were 17,757 reported cases of sexual assault in 2010, with the highest number being recorded among females in the 10-14 year age group.
started following her. When she made it clear that she was aware of his presence behind her, he walked past her, went around a block and then grabbed her. Remembering a video she had seen in the class, where a woman defends herself with a pen, she did just that. She took out a pen from her bag and stabbed him with it.
If your attacker threatens you with a weapon, and asks for something, give them what they want. Throw your bag away from you on the ground and run as fast as possible in the opposite direction. It is definitely not worth risking your life for material objects.
In Penny’s opinion, “Self defence for everybody is very important. Everyone should learn do it at least once in their lives; it’s very much like doing a first aid course “
Although there are a number of martial arts and self defence classes available, those that cater specifically to women are few and far between. While choosing a course, look for convenience, affordability and ease of access, advises Penny. She herself teaches a basic self defense course for women which is a mixture of different martial arts.
And you are never too old to learn self-defense. Penny tells this story of a student of hers, a 68 year old woman, who realized she was being followed by a young man. She turned around, confronted him and punched him in the face! And told him if he followed her she would do it again.
Hopefully we can take our cue from her and stop being afraid. And start defending ourselves. Thank you for listening, An angry young woman
Sanjay Dutt is known for experimenting with his looks in his movies, going for a different look that enhances his character. He has sported the bald look in Agneepath and a turban in Son of Sardaar, but in the soon-to-be-released Zanjeer, the actor will be seen in short hair and a styled beard. His eyes will also be kohlrimmed in the movie, which is a remake of the 1973 film of the same name.
Sanjay plays the role that veteran actor Pran had played in the original. Director Apoorva Lakhia, who has taken on the challenge of the remake, himself sat down to design Sanjay’s look.
He roped in designer Navin Shetty for the costume, and popular hair stylist Aalim’s team for the actor’s hair, said a source.
Sanjay’s been on a roll in 2012. His spine-chilling portrayal of Kancha Cheena in Agneepath won him rave reviews, and Son Of Sardaar saw the versatile actor in a humorous avatar. Zanjeer also stars popular southern actor Ram Charan and Priyanka Chopra, and will release in mid-April 2013. So will this be another box office coup for Sanjay? Lets wait and see.
Popular Bollywood actress Vidya Balan wed long-time sweetheart Siddharth Roy Kapur in a quiet ceremony in Mumbai recently, taking their ishqiya kahaani to the next level. Kapur is Disney UTV’s managing director, and the couple have been dating for a few years now. However, the marriage plans were kept a secret in true Bollywood style, which meant that everyone knew, but no-one chose to confirm the event to the media. The couple were married in a quiet ceremony that wove together Tamil and Punjabi rituals.
Vidya, whose roles in films like Ishqiya, Kahaani and The Dirty Picture propelled her into a unique category all her own, is a Tamil. And Siddharth, who incidentally produced Vidya’s acclaimed film No One Killed Jessica, has a Punjabi background.
Both traditions were kept in mind for their exchange of vows in what was a completely private affair, attended only by family and close friends of the couple, with no guests from the film industry. Bride Vidya looked simple but is said to have changed her wedding attire thrice, a friend said.
Siddharth’s family members were seen wearing pink saafas, and the wedding procession arrived in typical Punjabi style, complete with dhol and ‘balle balles’.
The entire set-up and decoration as well as the food was Tamil style. The couple’s pre-wedding celebrations kickstarted with a sangeet, followed by mehndi, again a private ceremony.
However, Bollywood turned up in full force at the couple’s wedding reception in Chennai, to wish them well. As we do. Good luck to the happy couple.
Salman Khan is known for being game in trying something new on the dance floor, and he certainly got into the groove with South Korean rapper Psy in the singer’s hit, ‘Gagnam style’ at the recently held BIG Star Entertainment Awards in Mumbai. Salman energy was impressive and infectious as he staged three performances during the show, the first with a bevy of belly-dancing beauties, followed by his ‘belt’ style dancing made popular in Dabangg 2, and finally Gagnam style with the irrepressible Psy. The song, as we are constantly reminded, topped YouTube’s all-time list of most-viewed videos in
November. Perhaps Salman’s triple performance can top that.
Sallu’s waiting for the imminent release of Dabangg 2, and as a special gesture, he will watch the movie with Delhi Police personnel who have been appreciated for their bravery and meritorious services. The actor is expected to pay tribute to police martyrs prior to the viewing, and will meet the attendees and the kin of the five policemen who died during the Dec 13, 2001, parliament attack, after the movie.
A generous and honourable gesture indeed, from the superstar.
A bunch of clubs in Mumbai recently enjoyed actress Priyanka Chopra’s company in a completely different avatar. The star was DJ to her single, ‘In My City’, while partying for a few minutes with her fans. She tried the same routine in Delhi and Bangalore, and the marketing move was a big hit, revealed Priyanka recently at a press conference in Mumbai. The actress visited four clubs - Hard Rock Cafe, F-Bar, Ghost and Hype, but not to perform, only to DJ.
Priyanka’s single has received a surprising number of accolades, and she intends releasing a few more to be enjoyed by her fans, before bringing out an album. Another smart marketing strategy, usually done in the US, said the actress. “This is how it is done in the US. They release a single, let it grow and then release another one. So I guess we will be releasing an album during spring, summer next year,” she said. And perhaps to ensure their popularity, her forthcoming songs will very likely have a few lines in Hindi too.
In the meantime, the versatile actress is ready for her next challenge in 2013, taking on the role of boxing champion Mary Kom. “I do at least one film which is challenging for me every year. Mary Kom is that film for next year. If you meet her in person, you will see she is so sweet....can’t imagine her to be a boxer,” said Priyanka. Known for her roles in non-conventional films like 7 Khoon Maaf and Barfi, the actress has already started preparing for the film with a lot of training.
The actress will be seen in four films next year - the Zanjeer remake, Gunday - the film on Mary Kom, and Krrish 3. But whether she’ll be singing in any of them is a question the actress is reluctant to answer. Well, with her talent and versatility, it wouldn’t surprise me!
best known for her oomphy clothes, or lack thereof….
Seeking Sunny Indo-Canadian adult movie actress Sunny Leone is proud to learn that she is the most searched personality online in India. The actress was named the most
ABHILASHA SENGUPTA brings us up-to-date on what’s hot and happening in Bollywood
(Find the answer under Caption Contest)
searched celebrity in Google’s annual Zeitgeist list. The second position went to veteran actor Rajesh Khanna, who passed away in July this year.
“It is a very proud moment for me. Me and my husband Daniel Weber have worked really hard to get recognition and it is really overwhelming that people and my fans are searching for me online,” said Sunny.
“I consider myself lucky. I am just one film old in Bollywood and despite that I have achieved so much,” she added.
The actress made her Bollywood debut with Mahesh Bhatt’s Jism 2 and will next be seen in Ekta Kapoor’s Ragini MMS 2.
Sunny said she always wanted to achieve such recognition, but thought it was impossible. “I always wanted to be here but thought it is not possible. But after being here I feel anything is possible. It is so amazing. It is indeed a proud moment for me and my husband Daniel,” she added.
Hmmm, wonder if which sites fans of Sunny visited to find out more about the sultry siren. Any guesses?
Superstar Shah Rukh Khan has received many international accolades through a long and exciting career, but this latest one has a special significance. The actor has received the BrandLaureate Legendary Award for his contribution to the Hindi film industry, and for being India’s foremost brand ambassador in Malaysia.
Former recipients of the award have been former South African president Nelson Mandela, Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus, Indian businessman Ratan Tata, late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg and F1 ace Michael Schumacher, among others.
The 47-year-old was in Malaysia to attend the birthday party of Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammad recently, and was naturally pleased with the felicitation.
“It is an honour to be given the BrandLaureate Legendary Award. It is always a pleasure to be amongst friends and to be given so much love and motivation to do better,” Shah Rukh said in a statement.
The actor was honoured by the Asia Pacific Brands Foundation, and received the award from Robert Loh, founder of Lord’s Tailor, KK Johan, president, The BrandLaureate, and Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohammad.
Congrats on another well-deserved feather in King Khan’s cap.
She may be a young and successful actress, but Sonam Kapoor’s heart is in the right place. She recently announced that some of her clothes will be auctioned online to raise funds for charity this Christmas. And as Sonam’s dress sense is stylish and uber cool, the initiative is bound to be a success.
Sonam will auction her clothes on her friend, stylist Pernia Qureshi’s online fashion boutique, Pernia’s Pop-Up Shop. The proceeds will go towards Smile
PRIyANKA CHOPRA
SHAHRUKH KHAN
Foundation, an NGO which works to support poor children.
“Pernia and I wanted to do something for children this season. So we thought it would be great if I give like 50 pieces from my wardrobe and the proceeds go to Smile Foundation,” Sonam said.
The actress wants this money to be used to provide education to children.
“Pernia wanted to associate this with charity and I wanted to do something for education,” she said, and obviously, it’s a connection that works. This is the first time the actress has given away her clothes for a charitable cause, although she had been involved in charitable acts in the past.
“Pernia and me really believe in this. It is a great idea for people to go and check it out. We are waiting for the traffic for all the social networking sites to come there,”
And let’s hope her kind initiative works, and that the proceeds of the fundraiser bring smiles to many less fortunate children. Good on you, Sonam! Honesty and industry work, says Jacqueline Many would believe that ‘Betrayal Is Survival’, the tag line of Jacqueline Fernandez’s , truly reflects the cutthroat competition and survival in the Hindi film industry, but the Sri Lankan-born actress says hard work and honesty can do
“It is a very competitive industry. They say that if you want to survive here, you have to be cut-throat. But I don’t see a need for that. Sometimes I feel that hard work works. If you want to sleep well at night it is better if you just be an honest person,” said Jacqueline in an interview. Personally, she feels it is better to forgive and forget than hold a grudge against anyone.
“I think betrayal is a part and parcel of life and I think we all have experienced it. But I am someone who doesn’t believe in holding grudges. I am someone who forgives and forgets. I think it
Born to a Sri Lankan father and Malaysian mother, Jacqueline made her debut in the Hindi film industry opposite Riteish Deshmukh. Though it didn’t click at the box-office, the film landed her roles in and now Race 2
But creating a niche for herself was not easy, says Jacqueline.
“It is a little bit difficult when you have come from outside. I feel that the industry embraces people who are from the industry faster. But once you have proved yourself, it is easier for them to accept you,”
But even though the 27-yearold actress has managed to
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create an identity through her hard work, she is still wary of making friends in the industry.
“I think at the end of the day, these are all people you have to work with. Sometimes it is difficult because you don’t want to cross that line between professionalism and friendship. Getting along with co-stars is important, but when it comes to having real friends I don’t go looking for them in the film industry,” she said.
With two successful films Murder 2 and Housefull 2 in her kitty, Jacqueline feels that she now has more responsibility and this makes her work harder.
“It (success) doesn’t change you as a person; it changes the surrounding and scenario and gives a lot more responsibility,” she said.
Directed by Abbas-Mustan, Race 2 also stars Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham, Deepika Padukone and Ameesha Patel and releases in endJanuary 2013. So good luck to Jacqueline and may her hard work and honesty pay off.
The script seems to be written by someone who loves Akshay’s humorous heroics and his emphatic but spoofy hijinks. Both the traits are amply accentuated in the script. Khiladi 786 ultimately becomes a showcase for its insanely successful superstar hero’s talents. Akshay, as we all know, loves to play the Punjabi Devdas. He did it effectively in Vipul Shah’s Namastey London, where he stepped back gallantly to let his wife Katrina Kaif make a fool of herself with an undeserving boyfriend.
Exactly the same triangular situation crops up in the second-half of Khiladi 786, when midway through the anarchic hilarity, Akshay decides to play the bleeding teary-eyed martyr “gifting” Asin to the aforementioned jailed jerk.
Mamta Kulkarni in the early Khiladi film Sabse Bada Khiladi had done the airheaded lover-girl running after the wrong man. Back then, Akshay stood guard over Mamta with the same steadfast loyalty as he does for Asin.
It’s all done in fun, with plenty of unzippered zest and a comforting absence of vulgarity. The ensemble cast, particularly Mithun Chakraborty and Raj Babbar, catches on to the shrill sur of a music that suggests a blend of parody and homage to the Formula Cinema. So, we have long-lost brother of the hero showing up in the climax with a mocking mawkishness that Manmohan Desai would have approved of.
The music by Himesh Reshammiya is splendidly in-sync with the film’s wackedout mood. He often uses standard background effects from old Hindi films to remind us that we are laughing at conventions that never grew outdated in our cinema.
Oh yes, Reshammiya also plays an important part in the film as a hopeless inept wedding planner. It’s good to see Reshammiya doing a Gujju act. He was born to play Mansukh.
What can be said about a film where a couple named Mili and Bhagat conspire to bring their employer’s empire down?
Mili? Bhagat? Get it?
Khiladi 786 is the kind comic orgy done in shades of green, orange and pink, which doesn’t require us to strain our brain.
The kicks and grunts, guffaws and chortles, the antics raillery and tomfoolery, all flow out unstoppered like an uncapped toothpaste tube.
The formula is simple. And
stark. Get the audience to laugh at any cost. And some of it does work quite well. Shukriya
We have a hero. No, make that a super-duper-hero, who flies across the air, pounds automobiles to a pulp with his bare fists, breaks down a jail cell’s stone walls with a flick of his manly fist, gets goofy or gooey-eyed depending on his co-star on screen.
Akshay’s crazily improvised performance as a sham cop borrows dollops from Salman Khan’s Dabangg and Akshay’s
own Rowdy Rathore. The derivative derringdo doesn’t diminish the impact of the italicised antics that range from the arresting to the exasperating.
Sample this. Asin (back in fetching form for the first time since Ghajini) loves a lout who is chronically incarcerated. Each time the jailed loverboy (Rahul Singh, well-cast effectively played) is about to be released, he’s sent back packing for some unintentional crime or the other.
Aa ab ‘lout’ chalen?
Some things never change in our cinema. Heroines may come and go. Heroes live on forever. A sense of continuity runs through all of Akshay Kumar’s comedies. He doesn’t do anything here that he hasn’t done before. The trademark goofy grin and the self-deprecating humour are back. Here, the hero is desperate to get married. That’s a sporting part whose subtext screams, ‘Look, I am such a big star and I play a character who can’t get a woman to marry me, ha ha.’
FILm: Khiladi 786
As for Akshay Kumar’s Khiladi act, he can do the parodic paces blindfolded. Adding adrenaline to the antics are the crashing, tumbling somersaulting cars, which provide thrills in a very Rohit Shetty way.
Incidentally, one character played by Sanjay Mishra thinks he looks like Amol Palekar. And bursts into Aanewala pal jaanewala hai from Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Gol Maal Wondering if Mishra got the wrong Gol Maal. And did he mean Ajay Devgn instead of Amol Palekar?
Khiladi 786 is an oddball of a dhamaka that blends slapstick with stunts. It is farcical fun from first frame to the last. Go, have a blast.
Subhash K.Jha
CAST: Akshay Kumar, Asin, Mithun Chakraborty, Himesh Reshammiya, Raj Babbar and Rahul Singh
DIrECTOr: Ashish R.Mohan
Great Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar, described by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a “national treasure”, who bridged the gap between the east and the west in the world of music died on December 11 in a US hospital. He was 92.
The end came just a few days after a heart valve replacement surgery. He had been admitted to the Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, San Diego, near his home after he complained of breathing difficulties.
Though the surgery was successful, recovery proved too difficult for the renowned musician. His wife Sukanya Rajan and daughter Anoushka were by his side when the end came.
“Ravi Shankar’s health has been fragile for the past several years, and he underwent surgery on December 6 that could have potentially given him a new lease of life,” claimed a statement from the family. “Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the surgeons and doctors, his body was not able to withstand the strain of the surgery.”
Memories from the media
Tributes for the sitar maestro poured in as the world learned of his demise. Paying tribute to the maestro, Time magazine recalled that in 1968, its reviewer had written “that the sheen of celebrity that the musician’s association with The Beatles had created was starting to fade. In hindsight, that assessment is debatable”.
“More than forty years later, Ravi Shankar is still one of the most powerful and lasting influences in music today.”
The influential New York Times, in a front page story, said the Indian sitarist and composer’s “collaborations with Western classical musicians as well as rock stars helped foster a worldwide appreciation of India’s traditional music”.
“Shankar, a soft-spoken, eloquent man whose performance style embodied a virtuosity that transcended musical languages was trained in both eastern and western musical traditions,” it said.
“Although Western audiences were often mystified by the odd sounds and shapes of the instruments when he began touring in Europe and the United States in the early 1950s,
Mr Shankar and his ensemble gradually built a large following for Indian music,” the Times said.
The Washington Post said the Grammy Award-winning Indian sitar virtuoso had become “the world’s leading representative of South Asian music, exerted a major influence on popular music in the 1960s.”
“One reason Mr Shankar’s music had such influence over audiences and musicians was the otherworldly quality of its tones and rhythms; the sitar produces more tones than a guitar and is based on a different theory of music,” it said.
“His music transcended trends and cultural barriers,” CNN said. “The legendary sitar player’s classical career outlived his counterculture fame, but he continued to meld East with West and composed concertos, which harmonized his sitar with orchestras.”
Talented and humble Artistes across the Indian musical scene also mourned the loss of a great musician.
Indian writer-lyricist Gulzar, who worked with Pandit Ravi Shankar for 1979 movie Meera, remembers the late sitar maestro as an honest person who was young at heart. “I volunteered to travel with him (on his tour), so we could get the music for Meera ready. Panditji was young at heart and had boundless energy. He was honest and very sincere. These qualities remained with him till the end,” recalled Gulzar.
Saddened sarod maestro Ustad
Amjad Ali Khan recalled that he fondly called the late Pandit Ravi Shankar ‘Dada’, an elder brother.
“It is surreal for me to believe that Pandit Ravi Shankar, whom I called ‘dada’, is no more. His passing away marks the end of an era that was truly magical,” said the sarod maestro. “If the sitar is today regarded so highly, it is because of Pandit Ravi Shankar. His name is synonymous with the sitar,” he said. “Dada possessed
all the qualities of a great artiste, including humility and grace,” he added.
Amjad Ali Khan credits Ravi Shankar’s wife Sukanya for his success and is confident that their daughter Anoushka will take the legacy forward.
“The future of sitar is ensured. The tradition of classical music of Miyan Tansen and Swami Haridas will continue. But masters like Pandit Ravi Shankar would never be born again. Khuda kare unki punjee ko bachche hifaazat se rakhen (May God keep the legacy safe and secure),” he said.
Bhajan singer Anup Jalota remembered the late Pandit Ravi Shankar as the person instrumental in giving India and the sitar, international fame.
“Pandit Ravi Shankarji was the godfather of classical music. I believe he did more than he could, he made the sitar and India famous across the globe. We salute him and pray that the respect he got in this world, the same he gets in the other world also,” added the 59-year old musician.
Kathak maestro Pandit Birju Maharaj said that he knew Ravi Shankar since he was 12-14 years old. “He loved me a lot. I’m very unhappy. I hope his daughter Anoushka, who is a sitarist herself, will carry forward his legacy. And I pray to God that Panditji will one day take birth again and strum the sitar,” he said.
Bharatanatyam danseuse Geeta Chandran said Ravi Shankar had paved the way for musicians to explore classical music in all its forms. “At his time, there was a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude among Indian musicians vis-a-vis their own music. It was Panditji who experimented with many musicians, both Indian and foreign, and went on to take Indian classical music out of its box and into the wide world,” she said.
Odissi danseuse Madhavi Mudgal knew Ravi Shankar since her childhood and recalled that he had a charming and attractive
personality and a marvellous memory. “You could contact him 25 years after meeting him and he would remember you,” she stated.
Leela Samson, chairperson of Sangeet Natak Akademi, said that in the 1950s and ‘60s, Ravi Shankar conquered the world with his music, performing in Europe and the US, educating audiences, and collaborating with outstanding musicians in the West.
“These years opened out India’s music to the world as no other epoch before or since, and paved the way for exchanges in the field that continue to flourish today,” she said.
Ram Rehman, spokesperson for human rights and culture organisation SAHMAT said, “Ravi Shankar was a shining example of India’s composite culture and was a vocal critic of groups who were seeking to divide and define us on communal lines.”
Regardless of his health, Ravi Shankar gave his final public performance on November 4 at Long Beach, California, performing with Anoushka, that was billed as a celebration of his tenth decade of creating music.
And just a day after his death, Pandit Ravi Shankar was named a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award recipient. The sitar maestro will be honoured along with six other artists at an invitation-only ceremony in Los Angeles just a day before the 55th annual Grammy Awards are telecast live in early February 2013.
Ravi Shankar was also recently named as one of the Grammy nominees for Best World Music Album. It is a category in which Anoushka, a sitar virtuoso in her own right was also nominated, marking what appears to be the first time that a father and daughter’s albums would compete for the same honour at the Grammys.
Ravi Shankar had a need to constantly move forward and create, an urge that was present even in the final years of his life. His album ‘The Living Room Sessions, Part 1’ received the Grammy nomination, news of which reached Shankar the night prior to his surgery.
In a review of the record, Songlines magazine stated that the master has lost “absolutely nothing in the way of musical virtuosity, technical brilliance and the kind of high-energy passion that belongs in concert performances.”
Even American rock band Guns ‘N’ Roses performing in India dedicated their concert in Mumbai to the sitar maestro, out of respect for his contribution to the world of music.
The curtain falls
Ravi Shankar maintained residences both in India and the United States. He is survived by his wife Sukanya; daughter Norah Jones; daughter Anoushka Shankar Wright and husband Joe Wright; 3 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. He also had a son, Shubhendra Shankar, from his first wife Annapurna Devi. Shubhendra died in 1992.
Ravi Shankar and Anoushka visited down under in the spring of 2010, aptly called the ‘Farewell to Australia’ tour, which was received with tremendous accolades.
Pandit Ravi Shankar lived life to the fullest, in creativity and harmony, excelling at his music and bringing recognition, familiarity and acceptance to Indian classical music across the globe. The world will miss a true genius and international icon. Rest in peace, Pandit Ravi Shankar.
Sheryl Dixit and IANS
Ustad
Tributes flow in following the demise of Pandit Ravi Shankar, an exceptional musician and international icon
“If the sitar is today regarded so highly, it is because of Pandit Ravi Shankar. His name is synonymous with the sitar. Dada possessed all the qualities of a great artiste, including humility and grace”
Amjad Ali Khan
Please help me, I am totally confused. I am a young, attractive, intelligent girl and only a few months ago I joined a reputed HR firm. I like working there, the people are all sweet, except some of the women who seem to be jealous of me. But ek banda hai, who pays me extra attention and is always willing to help me with working the photocopier. He seems to be around whenever I’m making a cup of coffee, and one of my colleagues hinted that he is hitting on me.
Abhe woh bahut cute hai, lekin he’s a married man with two young kids. But the problem is not just this. Recently we had our office Christmas party and of course, everyone got a bit tight because the booze was free. And Auntyji, he would not leave my side! He danced with me, held my hand and hung around me and I have to admit that I enjoyed his attention. Specially since it was sobering up all the other mean women who kept giving me dirty looks. Party ke baad, he wanted to drop me home in a cab, but my brother, the kabab mein haddi, dropped in to pick me up.
Now in the office, we pretend to be polite, but through the day we are sms-ing each other, and he really seems to like me. He bought a new mobile phone for this purpose. One of my friends who is also a colleague has noticed the chemistry between us, and says that what we are doing is wrong. So now I’ve started feeling thoda guilty. But I don’t see any problem with being friends. We’re not doing anything wrong, are we Auntyji?
Auntyji says
Array bewakoof, I don’t know why you’re asking me, if you think you know it all, but here is my advice for what its worth. Drop that man immediately! Stop all contact with him and if possible, move to another department or another company. The fact is, he is a married man, uski biwi aur bacche hain, so he should not even be flirting with you. But maybe he hopes that it will turn into something more. Phas jayegi toh you will be the one to suffer! Your reputation in the office will be mud, you will be called a home-breaker and worse. Kyon shadishuda banda ke saath involve ho rahi hain, there are plenty of single, fancy-free young men of your own age out there. They too, will pay you attention, if you let them. Don’t fall into this lafda, there is too much at stake for him and for you.
My husband and our kids are going to India soon on a holiday, and there we will be meeting with our extended family and many, many relatives and friends. My problem is that my kids are now in their teens, they have strong Australian accents and are quite opinionated and independent. I am worried that they will not fit in with their Indian cousins and may even offend some of the elders with their attitudes. India mein, the elderly expect some level of respect, jaise touching their feet – but I am not sure that my kids will want to do this. They are very good generally, but if people back home constantly keep pinching their cheeks and patting their heads, they will be uncomfortable and irritated. Main kya karoon, auntyji?
Auntyji says Mujhe samaj mein nahi aata hai ke isme problem kya hain? But since you ask, I will give you an easy solution. You say that you’re kids are generally good, so why not talk to them before you leave and give them an idea of what to expect. Forewarned is forearmed. If they are really that good, they will tolerate all these gestures of affection, after all thode din ka sawal hain. Touching elders’ feet is a sign of great respect, and they will gain the blessings of these elders, so it is a good thing, after all. Don’t worry too much, just enjoy your holiday. Kids nowadays are much smarter that we give them credit for being, I am sure yours will make a good impression on your relatives and friends. So chill, mum, its all good!
