An officer and a gentleman

Working for the Victorian Police Force has been an interesting and rewarding experience for Ash Dixit

BY PREETI JABBAL

‘Do you have what it takes?’ This slogan printed on a plastic bag was to change the life of Indian business student Ash Dixit forever. Ash, who was struggling to find a job despite completing a Masters Degree in Business Management from RMIT University, was about to pack his bags and head back to India when a chance sighting of this recruitment ad by Victoria Police altered the course of his life.

“My housemate went to the Police Museum and returned with a bag that said Join Victoria Police Now. I read it and thought to myself, why not? I have always wanted to be a cop, so let me give them a call. That was the start of my policing career,” said Ash Dixit as he shared his story with Indian Link

He found out that unlike India, candidates over the age of 28 were allowed to join the police force in Victoria and he decided to apply.

“My application went through successfully and I was called in for selection much to my delight and my parents’ dismay. Being typical Indian parents they took a while to reconcile to the fact that I was about to give up a potential ‘business’ career and become a cop instead,” continued Ash.

“Many friends tried to dissuade me, however I was determined. There was one major hitch, though. I did not know how to swim and that was a pre-requisite for this role. I took 10 months to learn how to swim and it wasn’t easy. The physical was tough but I managed to pass the swimming test and was pleasantly surprised to see that I wasn’t the last one out of the pool, there were three others behind me,” he said with a laugh, reminiscing about his early days in 2003 when he became one of the first few Indians to join the Victorian Police Force.

Ash arrived in Melbourne from Nasik in India in 1999, as a business student. On completion of his course he applied for a permanent residency. His story resembles that of many migrants who go through the initial struggle to find a job and to assimilate in a new environment. Ash’s choice of vocation however, was quite unusual as he joined a police force that was predominantly Caucasian at that time.

“Initially people were quite surprised to see a non-Caucasian like me when I went on my beat; however over time I noticed that they felt more comfortable in approaching me, especially those who belonged to multicultural backgrounds,” claimed Ash. “Many ethnic communities have different perceptions of the police based on their experience in their own countries. For example, in India people generally hesitate to report a crime as the policemen in India are considered to be unapproachable, corrupt or ineffective. They carry that perception/experience with them when they migrate and are reluctant to have anything to do with cops even if they are the victims. They are also unaware of their rights. My job is to change that mindset,” he explained.

Senior Constable Ash Dixit is currently the Community Liaison Officer for Maribyrnong Police Station. He works with people from a wide variety of personal backgrounds, interests, academic fields of study, hobbies, belief systems and personalities. In June

2010, Ash joined former Victorian Police Commissioner Simon Overland in addressing members of the Indian media about Victoria Police’s drive to attract a more diverse range of police recruits to reflect the multiculturalism of Victoria. The appeal was a way to create greater trust and understanding with the community. Continuing this tradition of fostering community relationships, Ash recently helped to establish the Maribyrnong African Youth Advancement Committee. This initiative is to guide young African people to procure jobs, traineeships or voluntary work, with a view to gaining employment. “As a migrant I can relate to these newcomers and understand the difficulties that they face in starting afresh in a new country,” said Ash.

Ash expressed his concern over the increase in incidents involving people from Indian/migrant background in Melbourne, and said that there is a tendency to underreport victims of domestic violence within our community.

“I am keen to liaise with the Indian community to make them aware of their rights, to inform them about services that are available to them and to assure them that Victorian Police is very approachable,” he said. “I want the community to know that we are here to help”.

Ash’s advice to people from the community who are interested in a policing career, is to spend a couple of years in Australia before considering joining the force. According to him it is important to be familiar with the language, culture and lifestyle of the community and have some local work experience before joining the police.

“I have really enjoyed my job as cop for nearly 10 years and would recommend policing as a career to anyone. In particular, I would encourage those from minority communities to join as it is critical that we, as a service, are reflective and representative of the entire community,” said Ash in conclusion.

Initially people were quite surprised to see a non-Caucasian like me when I went on my beat; however over time I noticed that they felt more comfortable in approaching me, especially those who belonged to multicultural backgrounds

I would recommend policing as a career to anyone. In particular, I would encourage those from minority communities to join as it is critical that we, as a service, are reflective and representative of the entire community

VVIP choppers, civil n-deal figure in ManmohanCameron talk

India voiced its “very serious concerns” over the bribery allegations in the AgustaWestland VVIP choppers deal during talks between British Prime Minister David Cameron and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as Britain assured it would act on any request for information.

Both countries also agreed to launch negotiations on a civil nuclear agreement and cooperate in energy security and boost trade as Cameron and Manmohan Singh held wide-ranging talks on a wide gamut of regional and global issues, including Afghanistan.

Cameron, who is in India on a threeday visit at the head of the biggest-ever 100-member delegation, and Manmohan Singh held talks after which the two released a joint statement outlining their areas of cooperation, including a MoU on health.

Cameron said his country would respond to any request for information on the AgustaWestland issue. He said the Italian authorities were looking into the issue in detail as Finmeccanica, the parent company of AgustaWestland, is Rome-based.

He asserted that Britain has tough antibribery laws and any one found guilty of corruption would be punished.

Manmohan Singh conveyed India’s “very serious concerns regarding allegations about “unethical means” used in securing the $750 million contract for AgustaWestland helicopters.

“I told him that we have sought an explanation from the company by Feb 22 to examine if the contractual provisions on unethical practices and the Integrity Pact have been violated. I have sought full assistance from the UK in this case. Prime Minister Cameron has assured me of the cooperation of his government in the investigations,” the prime minister said.

Manmohan Singh thanked Cameron for Britain’s support for India’s full membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and other multilateral export control regimes.

“We have also decided to commence negotiations on a bilateral Civil Nuclear Agreement,” he said.

Cameron also “committed the UK to make available to India cutting edge British technology, civil and military, that the Britain currently shares with its top international partners, in accordance with international obligations”.

Both agreed to work together to achieve India’s ambitions to join the major export control regimes (Nuclear Suppliers Group, Missile Technology Control Group; Australia Group; Wassenaar Arrangement).

The India-EU Free Trade Agreement also figured in talks, with both sides underlining their strong commitment to its successful outcome.

Cameron emphasized that their bilateral relations has “all the potential of growth” in the decades ahead.

“It is a strong partnership that we want to build together.. we are on track to double our trade to 23 billion pounds by 2015,” he said, and added that Britain is looking to open British trade offices all over India.

“We want to open a pan India network of British trade offices by 2017.”

Cameron also said he was “excited to examine” business prospects around the Bangalore-Mumbai industrial corridor. He made a pitch to help build the 1,000-km Mumbai-Bangalore industrial corridor generating investment projects worth up to $25 billion.

He also elaborated on the steps Britain is taking to boost trade, including reducing barriers to investment. Britain is bringing in same-day visa service and re-writing rules of sharing technology.

Both sides have a new collaboration on cyber security and agreed to cooperate in energy security.

They also agreed to further intensify cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Cameron said they had emphasized on the need for a “stable and secure Pakistan, which is at peace with itself and its neighbours and has eradicated the threat that terrorism poses.. and that must include to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 attacks.. and we will work together to that end”.

Afghanistan also figured in the talks, with Britain saying that “it will not abandon Afghanistan” and will continue to support Kabul even after the troops have left in 2014.

Britain will work to bring long term economic security and development to Afghanistan to prevent it becoming a haven for terrorists, he said.

They also discussed Sri Lanka and the need for “free and fair elections” in Maldives, where the former president Mohamed Nasheed has been staying in the Indian High Commission in Male since Feb 13.

Indian comic book industry: Big-bucks mantra

The Indian comic book industry is laughing all the way to the bank. Modern storytelling, broadening readership to include young adults besides children, diversification into areas like graphic books, mobile apps and merchandise, has enabled the Rs.100 crore ($22 million) comic industry to reach out and captivate newer audiences with an eclectic assortment of products.

According to industry experts, it was the need of the hour to change and modernise content of their publications to cater to the children of the new millennium.

“The content has changed over the years and keeping with the times the characters have changed and so has the storytelling,” Manas Mohan, chief operating officer of one of India’s oldest publications, Amar Chitra Katha, said.

“The contemporary content has helped us to retain our young readers in the metros and mini metros while we have successfully percolated into tier-II and tier-III cities as well,” he added.

The transformation was evident, going by the success of the just-concluded Comic Con India (CCI) at Dilli Haat and a huge turnout of children and young adults alike. Be it Batman, Fred Flintstone or Chacha Chowdhary, the three-day annual event saw over 80 participants and several interactive sessions and talks by renowned artists.

According to CCI founder Jatin Varma, the focus has shifted to young adults as comics today are not just limited to kids.

“I believe that lovers of comics and cartoons can be found in any age group, but most of the comic books, graphic novels and games at the CCI were for young adults,” Varma said.

Ashok Namdeo of Campfire Graphic Novels agreed, saying graphic novels have played a major role in luring young adults to start reading.

“The dark and mature themes, combined with colourful graphical displays, lures the young adults who have started to take a liking to such books,” he said.

According to Varma, there has been a 100 percent rise in the number of publications at CCI over the years and a majority of such books are for young adults. The interest of children and young adults for comics also meant booming business for the event.

According to Varma, they did business of over Rs.1 crore, including sales of all types of reading material and merchandise.

“An estimated 50,000 people visited the convention this time. The revenue last year was Rs. 25 lakh while 15,000 visitors came to the event. It is heartening to see that the interest of people, including young adults, has increased,” Varma added.

“The comic and related industry today is worth around Rs.150 crore and the annual turnover is around two crores,” said Varma.

Introduction of exclusive merchandise in the Indian market has played a major role in keeping the interest alive.

A table lamp shaped as the sabre of Darth Vader, the central character from “Star Wars”, or glasses to cut eye strain from LCD screen glare - the merchandise promises to fulfil fantasies of comic book lovers, gamers and movie buffs alike.

Priced between Rs. 20 and Rs. 800, the usual and cheap products like pouches, wallets, coffee mugs, key chains, mobile and tablet covers based on cartoon characters are an all-time favourite.

However, despite being expensive, equally popular are niche items such as a motorcycle helmet emulating the one worn by Captain America or a replica of Hermoine Granger’s gown she wears in the “Harry Potter” series of films.

Special spectacles by Gunnar Technology Eyewear for gamers who are addicted to “Counter Strike” or “Call of Duty” can be bought for around Rs. 5,000. The price though is not a deterrent.

“If I am buying a state of the art video game for Rs. 25,000, I won’t mind paying another few thousands to have the appropriate eye gear to protect my eyes,” said Anirudh Singh, a hardcore gamer. But that is not all.

A lot of content creators also showcased their comics as apps for popular smartphones and tablets at the event. Amar Chitra Katha led the pack with all their titles available as apps for iPad.

“It has never been so good before. Not only do we get to buy our favourite comics but also the merchandise too... It was not so a few years back. It gives us more choice,” Sidharath Singh, a 12-year-old, who apart from comics buys merchandise of his favourite character Darth Vader.

“The apps help us to cater to our techsavvy readers in metros,” Amar Chitra Katha’s Mohan told reporters.

Hockey World League: Indian eves beat Malaysia 3-0

India notched up its second consecutive win in the women’s Hero Hockey World League Round 2 beating Malaysia 3-0 in an evenly contested match at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi.

Vandana Katariaa (9th, 38th) struck in both the halves and Rani Rampal (65th) completed the scoreline with five minutes left for the hooter as India took its tally to six points from two matches.

The top two teams from round two will qualify for the semifinal. The World League is a qualifying tournament for the 2014 World Cup in Hague.

For World No.12 India, who thrashed Kazakhstan 8-0 in the first match, it wasn’t easy going against the Malaysians, who are 22nd in the FIH rankings.

The Indian defence had to withstand the pressure of quick Malaysian attacks on more than one occasion. The Malaysian are a fit and agile outfit but it was lack of experience and poor finishing that did them in.

Malaysia had two clear chances from which they should have scored. Once center-half Nor Azlin Sumantri just had to beat India goalkeeper Yogita Bali but she shot wide.

India were clinical in their approach but had to fight hard in the first half. They didn’t have many opportunities upfront in the first half but made the most of the one that came their way. In the second half they stepped up the tempo as the Malaysians ran out of steam.

Though it was the Malaysians, who earned the first penalty corner as early as in the second minute, it were the Indians who drew first blood. The Malaysians fought hard to find the equalizer but the Indian defence looked determined.

India coach Neil Hawgood said he was happy to get three points but was not impressed with the performance of his girls.

“Happy that we got three points but I am very disappointed with the performance of the team. Winning today was important but still a lot of work needs to be done in the team,” he said.

Hawgood said it was the one of worst performance by the team since he took over in July.

“This was one of the worst performance I have seen since I took over. But even with their worst performance they can win 3-0, I think they can do much better when they play well,” the Australian said.

Wasn’t sure I could pull off Osama’s role: Ricky Sekhon

Hitting big time with his first film, Indianorigin actor Ricky Sekhon, who plays Osama bin Laden in Kathryn Bigelow’s Oscar-nominated Zero Dark Thirty, says he loved the challenge but wasn’t sure whether he could pull it off.

“I wasn’t sure if I could pull it off. I didn’t have an agent looking after me or a team around me to help prepare for the part. I hadn’t seen the script. And I was definitely not ‘Bin Laden skinny’.

“But how does one play the global face of evil? For any actor this would have the best challenge and I loved the challenge, so there was no second thought,” Ricky told IANS in an email interview from London.

Ricky belongs to a Sikh family in Punjab but was born and brought up in Southall, West London. He graduated in Drama and Theatre studies from the University of London.

Zero Dark Thirty chronicles the decadelong hunt for Al Qaeda leader Osama after the September 2001 attacks and his death at the hands of the Navy SEAL Team 6 in Abbotabad, Pakistan, in May 2011.

When the 29-year-old auditioned for the role, he didn’t know it would be for the role of Osama bin Laden, who was in his late 50s when he was killed.

“The whole story of Zero Dark Thirty began last year in March. The casting director called me and told me that she had been looking for me for a week. I was asked to come the next day. When I was auditioning for the movie, I knew very little of what my role was. I mean, I just knew that it was the role of a terrorist,” said Ricky.

“Later I got a call confirming my role in the movie. I was playing the world’s most notorious terrorist and I was made to sign a bond that I would not leak what I was playing. I just told my mom, dad and my girlfriend because they would see me doing weird things while I prepared for the role,” he added.

From seeing YouTube footage on the notorious criminal to reading books and losing weight, he did it all to look like Osama.

“To prepare myself for the task, my friend Tara, who works for the Institute of Ismaili Studies, gave me a list of books to read about Bin Laden and Al Qaeda. I bought a set of Rosetta Stone CDs to learn some basic Arabic,” said the actor.

“I did not have anything more than the footage available on YouTube. The journalistic inputs definitely helped me to prepare myself for the role. I had to shed a lot of weight for the movie.

“In movies, image is everything and I was playing a very ill man. While on vacation in Jamaica, my friend Henry, a personal trainer, had me running up hills in the morning heat and eating only eggs, lean meat and fish,” he added.

Though he has been in London since childhood, Ricky always enjoyed visiting his hometown in Punjab.

“I come from a Sikh family, born and raised in London. I have been to Punjab which is our hometown and it is always a pleasure going there. It’s where I can trace my roots and thus feel a sense of belonging with all the exposure to the culture there,” said Ricky.

Asked about future projects, Ricky said: “Zero Dark Thirty is high calibre credit, as a result of which I am getting more film projects. At present I am working on Swedish thriller.”

Indian MIT students’ big idea caught in US visa limbo

An innovative system developed by two Indian post-doctoral mechanical engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to transform the whitehot fracking industry is caught in a US visa limbo, according to a media report.

The system developed by Anurag Bajpayee and Prakash Narayan Govindan offers a cheaper, cleaner way to dispose of the billions of gallons of contaminated water produced by oil and natural gas hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, the Washington Post reported.

It “just might be a breakthrough that creates wealth and jobs in the United States and transforms the white-hot industry,” it said. “That is, as long as the foreign-born inventors aren’t forced to leave the country.”

They, according to the Post, say they are about to close on millions of dollars in financing, and they expect to hire 100 employees in the next couple of years.

Scientific American magazine called the water-decontamination technology developed by Bajpayee one of the top 10 “world-changing ideas” of 2012.

But their student visas expire soon, both before summer, and because of the restrictive US visa system, they may have to move their company to India or another country, the Post said.

Even as Washington is focused on the issue of 11 million undocumented migrants, the influential US daily used the plight of the Indian duo to illustrate the vagaries of “immigration laws that chase away highly skilled foreigners educated in US universities, often with degrees funded by US taxpayers”.

It costs about $250,000 to educate a single PhD student and the US government pays for at least 80 percent of MIT’s graduate research, according to Leon Sandler, executive director of MIT’s Deshpande Centre for Technical Innovation, cited by the Post.

“Essentially we are funding their research, spending a quarter-million dollars in taxpayer money; then we make it hard for these people to stay here,” Sandler was quoted as saying.

His group helps start-ups and provided nearly $150,000 to support Bajpayee and Narayan. “If you want more innovation in this country, fix the visa situation,” he said.

Bajpayee and Narayan want to stay in the United States, according to the Post. They don’t want to move to Chile or Israel or Singapore, which seem too small and too far from their main markets in the US oil and gas fields.

But if they can’t legally stay in the United States, they have other options to consider, they were quoted as saying noting their biggest financial backer is Indian and is pressuring them to build their company at home.

“If it doesn’t happen in the US,” Narayan said, “we will make it happen somewhere else.”