Lodge now can be counted in billi ons
It seems chat one billion dollars is the ne,v one hundred miJlio n. In nwnbers, a 100 million is 10% of the magic billion figure, but the way the billion figure is ban died about by the cur renr politicians in Australia, it does seem like loose change, Th e cen tre of the world, or at .l ease of Australia, in the first week of March has been \Xlestern Sydney. With PM Gillard camped out in the wild west, attention bas been turned to \v hat is on offer by the Labor government in Australia as the unofficial campaign for the September 2013 election kicks off. Dumb in g it down tO a price differential is easy, in te rm s of what Labor has to offer compared co what the Coali tion w ill offer , or take away In busi n ess, the competition seems tO be in the hands of the dumbest player whe n al] that exists is a price differential, and decisions are made o n pricing rather than 9ualicy This obviously has become the gran d play in the po litical stakes where rather than policy, it is a loose throw of a few billion here, m: a few billion there. The e n try fee ro stay at d1e
The Gillard government seems to be particularly keen to splash a few b illi on arou nd Onl y this week (and at d1e time of writing rbi s, iris Wednesday), $1.2 biUio n has been allocated ro salary increases in d1e aged care secto r; Wes tern Syd ney has been p romised SI b ill ion for a new road project (su b ject to conditions); last week Prime M inister Gillard unveiled a $1.1 billion school reading blitz and the wee k before she made a p i tch to blue-coUar workers, unveiling d erails of the Government's new $1 b illion jobs package, All o f chis, toge ther with promises in t he past, have even the Business Council of Australia worried, due ro the $49 billion b lack bole of unfun ded new spending commitments And this is before fonding has been decided for wha r seem tO be two of Labor's re -e lection p latforms, d i e National Disability I n surance Scheme (NDIS) and the Gonski Education reforms, which are both slated to cost about $10 b illion dollars a year Where the danger lies in these promised expenses for d1e rap idl y increasing Indian Australian community, i s d1e impact thi s spending - which has not been balanced by income - w ill ha,,e over d1e longer term. This c an mean increased taxes on the aspiratio n al and hard-working Jndian community, o r
government enforced austerity meas u res in d1e funu·e to pay off public debt.
More concerning is the Gillard government's demonising of foreig n workers Playing to its base o f rbe unions (and tbe funding received from them), d1e Labor Party, true to i ts DNA is keen tO allow for greater contraction o f the labour marker, so as to sq ueeze demand and increase wages. While d1ar can happen, what is shameful tO watch i s the lack of respect s bown tO t h e hard wo rk of these workers who contribute to the economy by paying their sh are of ta..'i:, 457 visa holders are nor supported b y government-funded l'vledicare and also pa y school fees for their children in public schools. They often take u p jobs which create greater flow-on o pportunities for d1e w id er community.
I t is a sh ame that d1e Gillard government h as failed ro recognise contributions b y d1ese wo r kers.
The Indian Australian community, which has grown strongly in the past few years with migrants starting in the 457 visa categories before becoming full time residents, has a ri gh t to feel insulted by the Gillard government's dog-whisding, If there are loop h oles in the system, d1e gove rnment needs co fix them : they have the mandate tO do so, but not by belitding the co n tribution of those w h o work hard in their new jobs d own under
United Petroleum is one of Australia 's largest Independent Petroleum companies with over 260 Service Stations and Convenience Stores Australia wide. Currently seeking expressions of interest. Th is is an opportunity to operate and manage a retail fuel and convenience store United currently has opportunities Australia wide.
Join this rapidly growing retail organisation and become a member of a dynamic and professional Retail team.
, Affordable investment in stock required
, Better Lifestyle
, Merchandising and Promotional Support
, Proven Retail formats
r Experienced Retail Support Team
, Training Support
, National Retailer
The successful operator will have a passion for retailing and delivering excellence in customer service Franchises also available
• Employer nomination (ENS) & Regional sponsored (RSMS) vis as
• Onshore and off shore visas.
• skilled - independent and Australian sponsored visas
• Independent and sponsored visas for Regiona] areas
• Student visas and graduate skilled visa
• Fiance' , partner and other Family visa applications
• Business Skill - Temporary , Provisional & permanent visas
• Bridging visas
• Applications for Review and Appeals Tribunals
As well as a sta ck of nominations, T11dit111 Link won awards for Best I ews Report, Best Online Publicati o n of the Year, and Best Image of the Year.
The hrdit111 Unk media group walked away with three accolades at the Premier's Mu.lticulnu:al Media Awards he ld in Sydney on Thmsday, 28th February
Held for the first drne, the awards ceremony acknowledged and highlighted the.important role d1at ethnic media plays in Australian society. With over 300 guests in attendance, awards were given co the best multicultlll'.al print, o aline, te levision and radio across the state. A\vards were judged by an
independem panel of academic and working medi a experts.
The evenin g was opened by NSW Premier Hon Barry O'Farrell, who underlined the importance of nmlticultlll'.al media in this state, as it "ensures that people regardless of language and cultural background can participate fully in public Ii Ee and public debate." Also in attendance o n the evening were M.iniste.r of Citizenship and Immigration Hon Victor Domioello and the Cb.air of the CRC, Stepan Kerkyasharian.
A Sydney- based media g roup, Tndiau Link was nominated in a whopping 7 our of the 10 categories, i..nduding Best Print Publicati o n, Best Edi tori.al or Commentary of the year, Best Use of Online & D igital Media and Best Featlll'.e o f the Year.
Indian Link has been in operation since 1994 and was born from Pawan Luchra and Rajni Luthra's destre ro act as more than just a voice of rhe Iadian community io Australia, bL1t also as a vehicle for cl:iange and a voyage of discovery. And judging from tbe results of this award ce remony, the media group is going from strength co strength. With its biggest strengths - focus on gualiry and high standard s, cpmp~ehensi\7 e editorial content and sleek presentation skillsIndian Link has come a long way. Starting off as a small black-andwhite monthly production, it has today morphed into a media house with extensive reach across many 01ediun1s. The periodical of choice within Australia's Indian community, it is also rhe first point of conract for mainstream media when it has a 9uestioo on an Indiarelated issue
Pawan Luthra, CEO of Indian U11k said he was proud of the ongoing recognition thaL the company has received, from with.in the community as weU
Media Awards, and to claim three awards yet again thi s year, reveals not only our dedication but also the high standard s we set omselves. l co ngratulate my team for their talent and their efforts".
Co-Editor R.ajni Anand Lmhra accepted the awards on behalf of the high- calibre media group. She d1anked the 70-odd contributors on both the radio and newspaper arms of d1e company, as well as the sponsors and supporters, who have all weighed in ro cake Indian Llnk to die high smn1s it enjoys today.
But she had a special word to d1e core team who work full- rin1e and behind the scenes. "The marketing staff Vivek Trivecli, Nitika Sondh.i Verma and Ashish Chawla, HR Mullins, contributing editors Pree ti Jabbal and Sheryl Dix.it, and graphic desi1:,mer Danielle Cai.tis, all work very hard to see chat a gualicy product goes om every fortnight," she said. "Their co e.xcellence is truly inspiring, and tbey all have egual ownership of the awards we received d1 is mond1".
This media group shows no signs of slowing down aor time s09n, as it continues to grow its portfolio. For Australia's lnd iancommunity, this can only mean fresh pathways for better integration and a stronger public voice.
as from the mainsa-eam. "In 2011 we were hooomed to receive the Harmony Award in the , SW Sub-Continent Community Awards. 2012 saw us bti.og home three of the 7 awards at che Parliament of NSW l'v[ulticulmral and Vivek Trivedi
Cover photo by Warren Duncan/CR( of NSW
Photos:Warren Duncan/CRC of NSW
·
BEST NEWS REPORT OF THE YEAR
Indian link
Literature of Anguish
BEST USE OF ONLINE & DIGITAL MEDIA
Indian Link
BEST ONLINE PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR
Indian Link
BEST PRINT PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR
Indian Link
BEST IMAGE OF THE YEAR
Indian Link
Aussie Kid Gandhi
BEST FEATURE OF THEYEAR
Indian Link
Australia Day Honours
BEST IMAGE OF THE YEAR
Indian Link
Julia Gillard at India Fair
BEST EDITORIAL/ COMMENTARY OF THE YEAR
Indian Link Community Leadership www.indianlink.com.au
Uteraft1re of .-lnguish by Usha Ramanujam Arvind (Sept-2, 2012)
Usha Ramanujam Arvind, one of !,,dim, LJnk'::, most experienced tean1 mcmbets, wrme the piece LJterah1rc of AllJ!,Jtisb. TIJ.is report concerns itself wid a wcirers' conference held at the University of Western Sydney chat brought together leading litemcy figures from India anti Australia, over a duce-day period
Usha's particular report was a pan of the paper's amhirious coverage of the entire event, which was based on the literature of Australia's Aboriginal community and India's Dalit cormnuniry. The writing eloquently explores the many shared similarities between cbese rwo seemingly different groups of people, who after generations of oppression, are now find ing a voice through literamre.
The inrelligem and soft-spoken Lsha said, ·•The Dalits back home and Aborigines of the Terra INDIAN LINK
Nullius form a birtet chapter of their countries' respectnre histories. Their tragic tale s share so many common threads, criggering mumal healing and fostering healthier relationships".
She added, ''G rowing up in a 'privileged' environment and as a member of India's 'forward caste', 1 bave :tlways felt 'guile' at the unfair exclusion of some sections based on caste, colour or rdigion Meeting die writers in person was an eye-opening experience lt is heartwarming to see that this report has touched a cho rd with the judges and readers and hopefully one day, we can together put this bitterness behind us".
Usha has been a valuable member of the fotlian Li11k team for twelve years, and wrote for lndit111 !?,:,.press before moving co Australia.
.,\l~o reporting &om tl1.e event were contributors Roanna Gonsalves and Priyadarshlni Cli.idambaranarhan, making ir a truly comprehensive report, re!lecring Indian LJ11k'.r highest sr.antlards
www.muttc:ultur.al"sw.com au
Rajni Anand Luthra and Dr Stepan Kerkyasharian AO, Chairperson of the CRC
The M11hat111a is reborn - a.s D; 101mg Aussie hd, b y Joann e Williamson (April I, 201 2)
The winning photograph for Best Image of the Year went to a photograph taken b y Joanne
Williamson, o f a young Australian boy named Ben Strin g er who dressed up a s Gandhiji. The image was supplied b y Lang uages campaigner Mala Mehta and was taken by Joanne at Cronulla Pltblic Sch o o l. The imag e was included in Indian link as part of a large feature story on a primary school program run iointly b y six schools in the central
fodian U11k
Since its launch in 1994, Indian Ll11k now p roduce$ six print publicaci~1ns a month. In addicion co this, its fort.nightly e- paper i s emailed to over 20,000 readers.
Sydney r egion. E ntitled " India Calling," cl1e N SW Department of Educa tion and Comm un itie s program is aimed at developing an und ers ta ndi ng of In d ia and its cuJmr e amo ng primary schoo l kids A s p art of th e ir year-lo ng accivi tie s in this pro gram, th e sn1den ts cele brare India' s fes civa ls, learn t he Hindi lang uage, and le arn son gs, as well as da nces fro rn India.
Thi s im age was t ake n o n o ne such celebratory d ay w hen teachers a s well a s stu d en ts dres sed up in Indian cos tumes
Ben a s t he 'young Gandhi ' witl1 h is co cron-draped a t cir e, fa ke bald head and round g lasses, cert ainly looked tl, e p art, showing the confidence of hi s r ever ed altereg o as he pos ed confidentl y for photos
Mala Mehta was thrilled by tl1e award " lf it i s anything to d o with m y /Jachcha.s, [young s tudents] , it makes me s o pleased," be said upo n hearing tl1 e news o f the award.
An o ther Indian Li11k imag e was also short-listed in the Best Imag e categ ory Encicled Designs 011 }Nlia, th.is image b y A.A P ph o tographer Paul Miller was taken at las r year's India- Australia Friendship Fair and feature d Prime l\fioi s ter Julia Gillard getting a henna tarto Q on her hand b y rmheridi arti s t Zeenat Lokhandwala.
hugely popular Indian Link llildio is also available on me website. The choice to eicl1er stream the radio online, or listen to .it through a down loadable smartpbone application, has brought in visitors from all over the work!.
Julia Gillard
a t India Fair byAAP
p h otograph er Paul MillerLast year alone, its webs ite ~i indianlink.com.au had 433,000 page views, with 233,000 unique vis itors. This large amoU11t of onlirre traffic viewed the wealth of infonnacion and entertainment available o n the news, entertainment and leisure sections of the site, and is growing <lay by day. "\Ve have been on the cutting edge of technology since our incepcion,'' commented Publisher and CEO Pawan Lurhra.
Not just content with the written word, the
The ouline presence bas improved dramatically, including cl1e iocreai;ed use of social media in 20 I 3 (Facebook, lnstagram and Twitter), with plans of improving chi. furcl1er.
A strong Indian presence of film and dance made the annual arts festival a unique experience
BY ROHANA WOODIndia India once again took centre stage at the Perth arts scene this summer, with performers such as Shiva Shakti participating in the renowned Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) held from February 10 - March 3 The festiv al occurs annually in Western Australia's capital city and encompasses in ternational and local contempora1·y dance act~, drama, live music and art installations.
r ow in its 60th year, PIAF 2013 attracted performers such as dance troupe Aracaladanza from Spain, respe cted author l\fargaret Arwood from Ca nada and the Berli ner Ensemble from Ge rmany, co perform exclusively for the festival.
Indian participants joined o cher esteemed international acts at the event co share their talents, stories and shows with the people of Perth. The Indian contingent included acclaimed film clil:ector Srinivas K rishn a who has links to Canada and India.
Described b y The Critical Guide to Contemporary Director s as 'one of the most talented and provoca ch-re directors worki ng in North America today', },fr Krishna burst onto the film scene in 'J 993 with his international hit, Masala.
Thi s time around too, Mr lvis hna did not d isappoint: his installation for PIAF was fantastic. My L ame is Raj is the first crossgen.re project of the director and it combines photography with film. The project was inspired by famous Indian filmmaker and acto r Raj Kapoor, with the artist and audience bringing him back ro life in the installatio n.
An old shop from on Beaufort Street in the heart of d1e city of Perth was transfo rmed by a niixrure of photos and film into a magical homage to Kapoor. Audience members entering di e makeshift studio could have a picrure taken as a film d,aracter and tben become a star in one of Kapoor's movies.
The crowds at the installation we re a mix of students from d1e nearby Central Institute of Technology, passers-by, lovers of Indian film, and children. It was an
ina:iguing installation which was pra ised by Perth Festival Artistic Director,Jonathan Hollowa y.
"S rinivas Krishna brings a filmmaker's eye and a visual artist's sensibility to the celebration of 100 years of Bollywood films. Putting you right at tbe centre of the work - this is 15 mi nutes of fame tl1ac feels like it p redates Andy Warhol," he said.
Mr Holloway was n or wro ng as the audience clearly revelled in di e joy of appearing alongside ac rors in lndian films.
The Indian talent on show as pare of PIAF did n ot stop wi th Srinivas Krishna. The production Sliiva Shakti from the internationally acclaimed Daksh a Sheth Dance Company also resonated with t he audi ence. The company is a family affair, founded and n ow co-clirected by Daksha Sheth and Australian born musician Devis saro
The husband and w i fe duo have worked cogetl1er co establish d1e dance company and collaborate creatively witli Devissaro, using
hi s composing skills a nd Daksha
Shedi 's 45 years of dance ei-.-perience. The lead dancers are Devi ssaro and Daksha Sheth's daug hter, as well as Bollywoo d actress Isha Sharvani, for whom performing in Perth was a homecoming of sores, because she i s half Australian. Their son and brother Tao Issaro was also invo lved in creating tl1e music for Shiva Shakti.
The dance performance blended contemporary and traditional Indian dance, and represents a journey of t he ancient Indian philosophy of Ta n tra. Shiva is the male principle pure consciousness, represented in Tantcic rexes b y an upward facing triangle. Shakti, is the lively feniinine en ergy, denoted by the red downward facing t riangle. Shiva and Shakti combine toged1er to create b li ss, and d1e Kundalini Shakci whid,, manifests in everyo ne. This unites us and connect~ us in tl1e dance of Sliiva.
The ancient story was expressed in the PIAF performance as Isha and her fellow dancers used martial ar ts, yoga, dance and aerial acrobatics. The combination weaved an eJaborate web of ideas and took the audience co anotlier dimension.
Accornpanied onstage by five drummers, the dancers put o n a show of incredib le strength, agility and athleticism while using suspended hoops, s heets of red material and acr obatics Performing for four sold -out nights, the s how commenced with five drwnmers booniing a deafening beat and slowly the dance began. The initial aces took the audience on a journey of yoga : familiar poses such as the warrior pose and salute to tl1e sun could be seen in the routines lsha, accompanied by five
''Audience members entering the Krishna's studio could have a picture taken as characters and then become a star in one of Kapoor's movies
''other dancers, created an inten se e:...-perie n ce fo r die audience. While there was no doubt that the physical strength of the performers was breathtaking and d1e performance awe-inspiring, the overall energy mer its peak too late in the show and did not reach a crescendo u ntil tbe final two acts. When the energy did build it was fantastic, well developed and powerful, but overall the show \Vas not coo phenomen al With a surreal and booming in strum ental, there is n o doubt about d1e creative brilliance in the D aksha Sheth D ance Company And because of the Jin ks they have with Perd1, Australia will sure ly bring tl1em back to perform again.
Indian artists and performers were n o r only the only In dian link at PIAF: so too were people who were interested in India and the couou-y's srories. British journalise an d au tl1or, Anne de Courcy's hi stori cal book The Fishing Fleet exami n ed d1e rela ti onsh ip between d1e UK and India in a n ew, unusual way. Talking to an audience of about 300 people at the Perdi Writers Festival which is pare of PIAF, Ms de Courcy was witty and emertaining as she discussed her research, travels an d die tales uncovered while writi ng die book. Her quips and anecdotes, deli vered in her distinct English accent, pleased and am u sed the audience.
The Fish ing Fleer cells the sro ry of hundreds of young British women who went to India during the Ra j period These women were different as they went to lndia in seard1 of husbands. In tl1e book tliere are stories about A u straLians, British aod Indians, and it paints an interesting picture about this particular period in hisro1-y Ir reflects di e complex relationship between India and the UK.
Overall, the PIAF ·was a g reat platform to showcase talent from d1e subcon tinent to an app reciative audience.
V;;;:::mmunications engineer
Jacob John has won international recognition for his outstanding contributions ro 3GPP or Third Generation Partne r ship Project, an innovation in the high -speed cellular services known as 3G.
Joh n, who is a distinguished member of the Motorola 1fobi Li cy's Standards and Research Group, was bestowed an international standards award at the 3GPP Radio Access I erwork (RAN) Group meeting at Maira in February. John was nominated for the prestigious award by RANS chai r John Brown of NTT DoCoMo, one of the world's largest mobile communication operarors.
Conferring the award, Brown sta ted that.: "Jacob John has contributed significantly to the technical and manager ial reguirements of TSG RA.!'\!
\Xlo rking Group 5. Furthermore, he has canied bis knowledge and technical expertise into d1e Global Certification Forum (GCF), greatly beneficing the wider device - related industry. L1 all aspects of his work he has been an outstanding ambassador for his company and RANS and thoroughly deserves the recognition within the 3GPP co tn In unity "
A joint collaboration between eLite telecom groups in t ortb America, Asia and Europe, 3GPP or the Third Generation Partne r ship Project is the international standards' organisation responsible for the development of mobile communications standards of 3GPP technologies. These include d,e second generation (2G) global system for mobile communications or GSM, universal mobile telecommunications system or UMTS (3 G ) and long term evo lution or LTE , the fourth generation cmnmunication network for high speed darn transfer (4G) RAN is one of d1e four technical specification groups (TSG).
Talking to Indian Unk about winning d1e award, John said, "(The award) means a lot to me as
Jacob JohnI feel honoured, but at the same cime hLmib led, to be recognised by an international standards organisation • 3GPP. I definitely consider this award as one o f my greatest achievements as a telecom professional."
" lr means a lot to my famil y as welJ who have been putcing up with my freguent kmg haul travel and being away from home," he added.
The award is in recognition of John's extensive contribution as a leading test and cerci fication expert not only in Australia, but worldwide.
He was una n imously elected as Vice Chair of 3GPP RANS, a group covering all leading carriers, device vendors and test industry in 2009 and again in 2011. The RANS group is responsible for the development of conformance test standards for mobile phones "These standards are then appLied in the certification of mobi le phones by certification organisations like GCF," he explained.
John'.s core area of e.'lpertise is technical management and leadership in the field of wireless protocol development, testing and certification.
To be a successful leader in 3GPP,John beLieves that one has to combine strong technical proficienc y with astute diplomatic skills. Disp laying fairness and consideration, the ro le seeks co find consensus among competing .stakeholders. Through his wuque leadership style, be has not only managed tin1ely development, but also strictly adhered to high international conformance standards.
In 201 1, John was a finalist for the Australian Communications Ambassador Award for his strong
leadership skills and visib le contribution to the telecom industry.
"I took d1e lead role of aligning Australian regulatory requirements with die relevant international standards. Being one of die few delegates in 3GPP and Global Certificacion forum (GCF) from Australia, I have always promoted Australian interests and reguirements in these forums," he said.
He has made extens ive inputs to the development of the Australian RegLtlatory Standards for GSM and I1ff-2000 Customer Eguipment as member of Communications Alliance wo r king committees. John has also served as a vital source of technical information on 3GPP Standards and Regulatory Standards in othu jurisdictions to ACMA and Emergency Services Organisarions.
"Tn 3GPP, one of my significant achievements has been the o n- tin1e development of conformance test standards for LTE that allowed certification to be activated in December 2010. This in rum enabled the launch of LTE devices by leading Operacors like Verizon, AT&T and NTT DoCoMo," John explained.
He continues to serve technical- consultative roles at the Australian Regul atory Authoricies and Industry Forums such as Communications Alliance and AMTA, as well as leadership roles in Internatio nal Standards Deve lopment and Certification Organisation s
The e lectronics and commmucations engineer, who hails from the lnd.ian state of Kerala, completed his Masters in Computing from U TS Sydney. Since his move co Australia, he
bas clocked over rwo decades of experience in the sophisticated area of systems des ign, development and testing.
Before joining Motorola's Australia Software Cencre in 1997, Job n has worked for the NSW State Government as Senior Engineer Special Projects in the Department of Gaming & Racing.
Speaking about his role in the rapidly changing industry that has witnessed dramatic overhaLtls in the past rwo decades, John beLieves he was "very fortunate to be part of the l\fotorola team responsible for die development of world's first commercial GPRS phone in lace 1990s".
" I started in 3GPP contributing to the development of GPRS Standards (2 G ) in 1999. From 2001, I began actively contrjbuting to the develo pment of UMTS Standards and finall y LTE since 2007. It has been exciting to see mobile data tech1iology evolving from dial-up speed during GPRS times to today's broadband speed d1rough LTE. We are headed cowards even higher data rates cluough aggregation of carriers as well as efficient use of spectrum," he added.
At Motorola, John leads the Test Standards and Certification team, which is responsible for generation of new ideas, and introduction of these ideas into the industry standards, including development of conformance tests for certification. " Some part of the 3GPP test standards are applied as regularory reguirements in many jurisdictions including Australia," he exp lained. The remaining is left up to d1e certification organisations Like Global Ce r tification Forum (GCF) and PCS Type Certification Review Board (PTCRB) to appl y in certification.
Leveraging on his roots, John has also lobbied extensively w i th bis Indian counterparts over the past decade.
''l\fany of d1e multinational companies are represented in 3GPP and GCF by Indian origin professiona ls and more and more Indian Telecom companies have started activel y participating in 3GPP and GCF i n the last few years. In fact, the next GCF meeting is being held at Delhi. One o f the key objectives of chis meeting is to promote GCF to the Indian mobil e industry," he revealed.
John is extremely upbeat about the future of this cutting edge industry. "Consumers can
expect the mobile revolution to continue m1al1ated with more and more features and appLications packed into a converged device. In addition to d1e significant improvements in data rates, 3GPP is working in the areas o f energy saving and s upport of diverse applications Like Rich Communication Suire (RCSe) and WebRTC," he seated.
Another area of strong activity in 3GPP is support of arplications for 'Machine-roMaclune (M2M) Communication' service in mass markets. M2M products are utilized in the areas of transport, logistics, automobile, home automation, digital heald1 and fitness, remote monicoring and control , and energy management, be pointed out.
Besides commm1ications techn o log )', jacob John is eguaUy passionate about badnunton Despite hectic demands on his time, the former scate and nationals p layer continues to represent the g ame at i\ifasters level, hav ing won the NSW A - Grade Men's doubles with Yogen Bhatnagar
John's core area of expertise is technical management and leadership in the field of wireless protocol development, testing and certification
'' Consumers can expect the mobile revolution to continue unabated with more and more features and applications packed into a converged device
films feamred in the list are n ot big b udget fil ms," h e exp lained " They have nor b een chosen based on me actors o r on the b udget and special effects, but o nl y on me basis of comenr''.
11!pwale Kaathimpm, a Tamil film made in Australia has been selected as part of the 4th Norway Tamil FiJm Festival to be held across Oslo, Berlin a nd Lon don. Made by Eelan El an ko, a Syd ney based fi lm - maker, the film is among 15 se lecte d fo r the a\va rd s co be held betwee n A pril 24- 28.
Tn!J,avale Kaalhirupw, which tra n slates to Siveetheart f 111ill ll'aif for_yo11, is also the first Tamil film to be made enti re ly in Australia (Love a11d Longing in a Foreign Land, Tndio11 Link, Oct (2) 2012)
The smry revolves arou nd th e cultural challenges faced by two Australian T am.ii families after migrating co a n ew country \Vh at seems at first lik e a simp le love story between Thana (played by Din esh Sivarajah) and Pavi (pla yed by Niloja Loganathao), acquires a twist as tl1e m ovie progresses a n d viewers realize that both ch aracters have had a st ormy past.
Tbe movie which took over th ree years ro make, played co full houses in Sydney, Melb ourne a nd Brisbane.
T his has definitely b een a labour o f love fo r Elanko who i s excited by th e prospect of his movie bei ng part of a prestigious in ternatio n al film festival foe Tamil films The festival line-up features l 2 films fro m the Tam.ii film indu stry in India, and one each fro m Canada, Sri Lanka and J'uisa:alia.
He says thaL it i s an h o n our for his film ro featlue alongsid e 12 films that bave been box office hits in lndia. "J\fos t of tbe Tamil
He went on to say that it was unexpected and a very pleasant surprise t hat hi s 'veeft1 sa111aJ1of (ho m e- made food) sh ould be selec ted for such ao honour
"There are two metrics o n wh ich films can b e judgedarti stic merit a nd tec h nical effects.
Technical effec ts are mostly depend ent oo the size of tl1e b udget, b ut the artistic m erit of a film is entirely dependent on the peop le working in ir. And we are ha ppy ch at this has sh own through in om film ," he added.
Honours seem to be piling up for Ela nko, espec ially after Julie Owe n s, M P for Parramacta, mentioned me m ovieio her address co rhe Australia n Parliament o n Febrnary 7. Ms
Owe n s congratulated Ela nko on h is achievement and stated that " Th e fi lm has been selected to be sc reened in tbe Tamil Film Festh7 al in Norway io Ap ril 2013- a g reat achievement by E elan. "
He is m ore excited by this event man me awards "l fee l like I have wo n an Oscar This is a greate r honou r th an a n y awa rd ," he said enth usiastically. But h aving tasted su ccess, E lanko n ow fee ls tl1e weight of responsi bility and the urge to make better films
"I w ant co make films ch ar are not onlr about Sci Laokans and Indians , b ut Australian s as a w hole," he cl aimed. He is currentl y m aking two different sh ort films in T arn.ii and English, follow ing wh.ich he plans to go to India to m ake a film b ased o n h is childhood there
Elanko feels his success is very
sig ni ficant, give n his background as a refugee.
"I left m y motherland ho lding n otl1ing b u t my life in my bands," be said em otio n ally. Growing up in lndia as a you n g boy, h e la cer
• • •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
A well equipped and profitably running Indian Restaurant is on sales under $50,000 (negotiable) at Concord West NSW
It ha s got 80 seats and is fully li cen sed, large function room and close to all shopping and public transport.
Contact R.Vasudevan at Mob: 0438 296 034
•
m oved co New Zealand and men Australia, to s tud y and work.
And havi ng travelled a long way from tliose beginnings, we wi sh E lanko success witli his future projects
(AVERAGE PROFIT $3000/WEEK)
• Busy Main Road locatio n with Very l ow ren t an d long lease avai labl e
• Established Clientel e
- Cafe area with Takeaway shop potentia l(all Equipment Available)
• Regular detailing work from local car
d eal ers and companies
• Potentia l to operate 24 hours
• Can secure contracts with local
b u sinesses in the area
• Fully functional website
• (Wal kin Walk out)
Please contact: 0405 977 211
'Do you have what ir takes?' This slogan printed on a plastic bag was to change the life of Indian business studenr Ash D ixie forever Ash, who was struggl ing to fi nd a job despite completing a Masters Degree in Business Ma nagement from &\,UT University, was about to pack his bags and head back to India when a d1ance sighting of this 1:ecruianenr ad by V ictoria Police a ltered d1e course of his life.
"M y hou semate went to the Police Museum and remrned with a b ag that said Joi11 Victo1ia Police Num 1 read it and t hought to mysel f, why n ot? l have always wanted to be a cop, so let m e give them a call. Thar was the start of my policing career," said Ash D ixie as he shared his story wid, lr,dian Li11k.
He fou nd out that u nlike India, candidates over the age of 28 were aUowed to join the police force in Victoria and he decided co apply.
"My app lication went through successfully and 1 was called in for selection much co m y delight and my parents' dismay. Being typical Indian parents they took a while to reconcile to die fact d1at 1 was about to give up a potential 'b u siness' career and become a cop instead," continued Ash.
''Many friends a·ied to dissuade me, hmve,7 er I was determined There was one major hitch, though. I did not know how co swim and d1at was a p re-requ isite for this role I rook 10 mond1 s to learn how to swim and ir wasn't easy Tbe physical was tough bur I managed to pass me swimming test a nd was pleasantl y surprised to see that I wasn't the last one out of the poo~ t here were three od1ers b ehind me," he said wi t h a laugb, reminiscing about bis eacly days in 2003 w hen be became one of the fit-st few Indians to join ch e Victorian Police Force.
Ash arrived in Melbourne from Nas ik in India in 1999, as a business student. On comp letion of his course he applied for a permanent residency. His story resembles that o f many migrants who go duough die initial str uggle to /i.nd a job a nd ro assimilate in a new environment. Ash's choice of vocation however, was quite unu sual as he joined a police fo rce that was predominantly Caucasian at mat time.
" Initially people were qui te surprised to see a non -Caucasian
Ash Dixit, Senior Constable like me when 1 went on m y beat; however over t ime I noticed t hat d1ey felt more comfortable in approaching me, especially those who belonged co muJticulmral backgrounds," claimed Ash. "Many ethnic communities have diffe rent perceptions of t he police based on their experience in d1eir own countries. Fo r example, in lndia people generally hesitate ro report a crime as the policemen in lndia are considered co be unapproachable, corrupt or ineffec tive. They carry that perception / experience witb tl1em when d1ey migrate and are reluctant to have an ythi ng to do with cops eve n if they are the victims They are also unaware o f their rights. My job is to chang e tl1at mindset," he explained.
Senior Cons tab le As h Dixie is curr ently the Community Liaison Officer for Maribyrnong Police Station. He works widi people from a wide variety of personal backgrounds, interests, academic fields of smdy, hobbies, belief systems and per so n alities. In Jun e
20 10, Ash joined former V ic corian Police Co mmi ssion er Sim on Overland in addressing m embers of the Indian m edia about Victoria P olice's drive ro attract a m o re diverse ra nge of police recruits to reflect the mti.lticuJ mralism of Victoria. Th e appeal was a way to create greater trust and understanding with the community Continuing d1is tradition of fosteri n g community relatio nships, Ash recently helped to establish the l\faribyrnong African Youd, Adva ncement Committee This initiative is to guide roung African people ro procure jobs, traineeships or voluntary work, wi th a view to gaining employment. "As a m igrant 1 can relate to tl1ese newcom e rs and understand the difficulties d1at mey face in starting afresh in a new co Lm try," said Ash.
Ash e-"'<pressed his concern over me increase in incidents involving people fro m l n dian / migrant b ackground. in Melbourn e, and said t hat there is a ten dency to underreporc victims of d omestic violence within our community
"I am keen to liaise widi the Indian communi ty to make [hem aware o f d1eir rights, to in form them about services that are available co diem and to assure then, that Victorian Po lice is ve ry approachable ," he said. "I wane di e community to know that we are here to help"
Ash's advice to people from tl,e community w ho are interested in a policing career, is to spend a couple of years in Au stralia before consid eri ng joining the force. According to him it is important to be familiar wid, die language, cul nue and lifestyle o f die community and have some lo cal work experience before joining tbe police
"I have reall)' enjoyed my job as cop for n early 10 years and would reco mmend po li cing as a career to anyone ln particular, l would encourage those from minori ty communities to join as it is critical diat we, as a service, are reflective and representative of the entire community," said Ash in conclusion.
As the primary school smdents sang the number F-l11m bonge kallf)'Ob ~!Ve shall oucrco,m) , an emocional Ela Gandhi related how she sang this very song to herself when she was incarcerated in a South Afr ican prison during the days of the anciApartheid struggle.
The parcicular song was a favourite of her iUustrious grandfather Mahatma Gandhi, and became an anthem of the movement be led for India's independence from British occupacion.
The smdents at Sydney's J\shbury Public School welcomed peace accivist Ela Gandhi ar a specia l school assembly, as part of a program on Indian smdies. Called 'India Calling', this innovative educational program is aimed at developing an understanding of lndia and its cuJmre among primary school children. With five other schools in the area, 520 students in Years 3 and 4 celebrate India's festivals and learn the Hindi language, as well as songs and dances from India. The project was launched b y the Sydney Region of the NSW Department of Education and Communities in 2008, as pare of its 'Expanding Horizons with Asia' initiacive.
At the assembly, Ms Gandhi interacted with the students, the blue of her sari in sync with the blue of their uniforms. She spoke to them about her grandfather, desc r ibing in particular his iconic Dandi Salt Jvfarch. (The smdenrs learned that with this 24- day walk on which thousands of people joined him, Gandhi triggered off the peaceful Civil Disobedience Movement that ultimately ended the Br itish colonization of India). The other participating schools joined in v ia video-conferencing.
Ms Gandhi also watched a special presentation in which a young student read out a peace poem. This was highlighted by a Powerpoint presentation made up of iUustrations created by the students. And of comse, chis was a perfect oppornmity to present !.hat Joi Ho dance number yet again!
As well, :Ms Gandhi planted a tree in the schoo l's Peace Garden.
Earlier on, she was welcomed in true Indian tradicion by Ashbury kids, who marked her fo rehead with a tikka
Relieving Principal Mrs Sally D'Arrigo said l ater, " It was a beauciful clay The stud ents got to see Ela Gandhi's peaceful nature first hand and learned of the value of non-violence".
Mala Mehta, founder ofthe .lJ\BBV Hindi School in Thornleigh who helped devise the India Calling progran1, also attended the event ai1d was thriUed \Vith how weU it went. " I was quite overwhelmed, not only with the fact that the kids responded so weU, but also to note that the program has come so far as to be ab.le ro host a personality of the scanue o f E la Gandhi," she said.
I · re at 1 On MY schoo is g : 1 ', fust day, n1y fo enc rnJ to ilet M eisha was rny h cl co \~he n w e a Partne r. ulcl '\ t ,v e wo t o the tot e , I go r Afte r schoo ' g o cogecheth. school park l -nt to e we cl s iste r 'th roy rnum an Wl d 1 wasn t uce because l w ent h e ne xt day also T ark after school to the p f nd cl my a e and shO'\\•e 1 uke who rnv mum w a s I 1 t s l o t s of fon. schoo., 1 Marcus Miranda Epping Heights Public Schoo l W Carlinefo rd , NS
Toono
1 lik sey emy Ki and I'v nd;; it's fu 11 · e ll1ade foends B s o me or IVh [came to cl en first k• ie class rd no\v an , ic/n 't I )'One's called names 0 ne · · becaose L gir] 'Nosey ' I uer nos a \Vays ru e Wa s to.Id 01 nnJ.ng. When I )' !l:lt1m / tl1at gid b ' s 1e found ecaus e f nos e. No w O her the that I k.n names f D IV I don't h o m y friends ave to ~" , any thing else Bc"" them N o sel' o,· 1 · Ut the ti: ,,, r i s no 1end b tmy s ti} · 1 ecaus e he tuns r nose
M: aya Jha"A
P, " Cl arndise Ki J 111; .,1_ nuerunrt ,,c arsuen Pu6/;' .,. en,.c;ast Adelaide zc Schoo/
I'm 5 and a big girl because I'm going to s chool now. Oo m y fir st day of scho o l I learned rnan y dungs uke bow to drink from the bubbler. I also made a new friend, but T didn't know her name then. I know it now, and she is still my fri end On my firs t day, I m id m y mum what I wante d for lunch and s h e packed it. I wo r e m y uniform, had m y bag packed and we went to school. le was exciting and I liked it.
Sai Hasini MadukuriDarcy Road Public School, Wentworthville, NSW
f liked m y fi d h rs t ay t sc oo/, M , a d d ) mwn and a told me th learn ABC at l 'Wot1Jd and l 2 Schoo/ but l - -3 at and had ti Jtzst played ' un f to ld m y mum ti l 1at I didn't earn A BC d laug h ed Ma~ sbe just · Y ad k IVh a t [ had as ed Said learned and [ n o th1ng. But th srud that if 1 d. en h e 1dn't l an y thing, Tdo , e aro g o to s l n t need ro h . c Joo/. So I told Un IV/iar l did b want to ecau se [ g o to scho l H c;mbeso b o. e s· o ssy! '-
Jona Il-ive<fi
Redeemer Ba , North A '/Jt,st Schoo/ n rmmntta, NSW
Despite financial hardships a determined athlete doggedly pursues his sporting dream for glory
In the b,,ttle that goes on through life Task b11t a field that isfair, A ch,111ce that is equ11I }l)ith all in the strife, A co11mgc to strive and to dare.
This sportsma n's praye r rang like a litany in the m in d of Ravinder Singh Khaira as he prepared to compete for the V ic torian O pen and AWD Track and Field Champio n shi p recently. Th e event was the Me n's Javelin Throw and Ravinder had reached the finals The Lakeside Stadimn in Albert Park had nrrn ed into h is p e rso nal battl efield, and he was in i t to win
Hours of gruelling training sessions an d determin atio n c ame ro the fore and Ravinder wo n tl1e gold, coming fitst w ith a throw of 70 86m
"It was not my person al best," remarked R avinder as he descri b ed the event lacer. "I have th rown at 74.68m in official competitions, bu t my aim is to reach 77m and more".
If R avi nd er throws at 77m o r more, the V ic torian Institute of Sports will pay fo r his Aighrs and accommodation to attend competitions around Australia. At the moment he is mostly selffunded and has had ro forego certain competitions due to affo rdabili ty.
Ravi.nder came ro Australia from Patiala, Pun1ab in 2009 as a srnd ent to do a n Autom otive Dip loma. He currently relies on his parents in India and his weekend taxi job in Melbourne to make end s m eet and to finance hi s own training
"lt i s no t easy for me to pay fo r coaching sessions, club mem b ership, expe ns ive equipment, dietician, phys io and massages on a regular basis, but I have som ehow managed thanks to gen erous friends a nd supportive p a.re nts, and m ost importantly, through the sh eer ,vill to continue and aim for a world championship," claims Ravi nder 'forice winner of the Victorian Javelin Throw championship, R avi nder's th row of 72.42m in tl1e javelin event got him to 3rd pl ace in the 2013 Hunter Track C lassic in Februa ry 2013.
Ravi nder has al so qualified to attend the Ausu·alian Athletics
Tour: Qanrns Melbourne World Challenge to be held on April 6 at Lakeside Stadium, i\lfelbourne; and t he 91 st Ausu-alian Athletics Cha m pi o n ships & Wo rld Champ ionship selectio n trial s to be h eld 011 April 11 at Sydney Olympic Park Athletics
Ce n u-e, Sydney This event is the culm ination of the Ausu-alia n do m estic season, and more tha n 600 athletes are expec ted to represent thefr state or territory at this champio n ship. In 2013, the meet will also se rve as th e offi cial Selection Trials for tl1e Australian Flame team to the 2013 IAAF Wo rld Champ ionships in Mosc ow, Russia
R avinder is also preparing for the As ian Track and Field cha m pionship robe held in India in July 20 13
Says R avinder's ex-coach Gus Puopolo, " Rm7 inder has talent and potential. He now n eeds to mm his talent ro distance."
His current coach Iain Simmons agrees. "1 have known R avind er for a few years now, bm I've o nly been coaching him for just over a year since I retired from ja velin throwing 1 believe Ra,Ti nd er has the potential ro at least be an O lympic finalist, as some of his phys ical resting is at a similar level to the world's best javelin throwers," he says.
He add s, "We have a go al of qualify ing for this year's world championships in Ru ssia. To be ab le co reach these goals, Ravinder has to train full ti m ethat involves 12 - 14 sessions per week. Th is makes it d ifficult co support himself with the high cost of being an elite athlete, witl1 co ntinuous coses inc luding medical, training, coaching, dietary and travel mat add up well into thousands of dol.lar s. He does mis while worki ng as a rnxi driver. I admire his dedication to his sport and his drive to compete for his country, though tl1is is not the best training environment for an e lite athlete"
L1 2007 -2008 prior to coming to Australia, R avinde r used to participate in javelin events for the National Institute Of Sports in Patiala. Between 2003- 2006 he also competed on state and national levels in volleyball. He rook up javelin throw around mat ti m e, after getting disgruntled with team sp orts and the associated politics. R avin der always enjoyed tin kering arou nd in his house and be decided to come to Australia. to complete h is diploma in Auto m o ti ve.
"Australia i s a country where peopl e with sports talent aim fo r t he b est. Jvfajority of the sportspeo ple here ai m to be pan of the world ch ampion ships, Olympics or Com rnonwealm
Games Th ey scare by aiming ve ry high and whe n they put in the effort they definitely get results I admire tl1is me n tal strength and l feel m otivated by it," says chis driven young man Ravinder's story is in spi ri ng as he strives to compete a nd win again st athletes who are far better supported rha.n him through sponsorship packages and mon etary bac king. He p u ts in n early 25 hours a week in training and p hysical fitness, which does n ot leave much time or energy to earn a living.
His p ar ents who are born teachers by pro fess ion, are very supportive and help him as much as possib le.
"However, it is not much when you con vert Indian m o n ey to Australian dollars," says Ravinder practically "1 unde r stand that financial stability is important. My friends keep chastising me for rel ying o n my parents and n ot taking up a full time job; however I am convinced that th is is the prime of my sporting career and I should focus o n my sport completely above all other things. I am willing to put in the hard yards and q ualif), fo r the world championships".
"l will b e rep resen ting Australia as well as tl1e Indian and Sikh commuuities," he concludes with hope.
''Twice winner of the Victorian Javelin Throw championship, Ravinder's throw of 72.42m in the javelin event got him to 3rd place in the 2013 Hunter Track Classic in February 2013
Canada ranked as Top Migration Destination
Canada plans to welcome between 240 , 000 and 265 , 000 new permanent residents in 2012
• Low IELTS required!
Chefs, Cooks , Restaurant Managers , Nurses , Soc i al Workers and many more occupations in Demand
International Students eligible to apply for permanent residency after one year study
Reliance Education Australia
A: Level 28, St Martins Tower, 31 Market Street, Sydney (near Town Hall Station) FREE CALL AUSTRALIA WIDE 1800 070 921
•
•
•
A child, dressed as Lord Shiva, plays with sand on the banks of the Sangam in Allahabad during the Maha Kumbh. The Kumbh Mela, which runs from January till March takes place every 12 years in Allahabad.
External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid made it clear chat be held no official talks with Pakistan Prime l'vfinister Raja Pervez Ashraf at Ajmer.
Khurshid said he merely received him formally.
"If (anyone) chooses an Indian religious p lace like the Ajmer dm;gah for mental peace, we formallr receive him and allow him to do what he wants," Khurshicl said.
The minister was speaking co reporters on the sidelines of the 44th raising clay parade of the Central fodustrial Security Poree (CISF) in Uttar Pradesh.
"\~'e received Ashraf in a formal ,vay but there were no official talks because that was not a suitable occasion. If the Indian government talks to a government, it is done at the government level in a formal way," said Kbnrshid.
He was asked how far the Inclia- Pakisr,'ln peace talks have been successful.
"Success cannot be acquired in a dar For success, there is need to build a foundation on which a house can be constructed and people can live in peace. Bur it takes long long time."
Ashraf flew co Ajmer on a private visit to pray a t the dargah of Khwaja Moinudclin Chishti. He renirnecl to Pakistan also on the same day.
Shivratri
The curtain came down on the Kumbh 2013, the b iggest religious congregation on earth, with over 70 lakh peop le taking a holy clip at Sangam on Maha Shivratri
Lakhs of devotees f1ockecl to Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers
The Krn11bh began Jan 14 w ith Makar Sankranti with six ma jor bathing dates passing off peacefully. Over IO crore peop le visited the Kumbh mela premises in the 55 days.
On the last day, seers, sai n ts and pilgrims had begun clismantling their tents and proceeding back home. Several seers moved
to Vara nas i for their further religious Journey.
While no major incident took place, a middle-aged man drowned in the Ganga near Sector 14 of the Kumb h mela, police said.
Acleqnate arrangements had been made aL the railway station where 37 people died in a stampede at Manni J\mavasya Feb 1 1 due to poor arrangements and overcrowding.
Addressing the meclia, Devesh Chaturvedi, clivisional commissioner of Allahabad and in charge of rbe Kumbh, said more than 10 crore people had bathed dur ing the Kumbh, ar an average of five lakh people each day.
On Mauni Amavasya, the number of people visiting the Kumbh crossed a mass ive three crore, Chaturvecli added.
Maha Shivratri was observed in other parts of the state with traditional gaiet)' aod fervour However, two people we re killed during a stampede a t the famous Loclheshwar Mahadev temple in Barabanki, 225 km from Allahabad.
Pres ident Pranab l'vfokherjee presented the Scree Shakti Puruskar for 20 12 on l.nternational Women's Day while thanking women for their contribution in the making of India.
''I take this opporrw1ity to e.xtend warm g reetings to women in all parts of our coLmtry. I thank them for the ir invalnable contribution in the making of our great nation," the president told the awarclees.
The mother of di e Dec 16, 2012, Delhi gang-rape victim who succumbed to her injuries, was given the Rani Lakshmi Bai Award for "di e spi..tjc of Nirbhaya", nickname for the girl "Nirbhaya, as she is now known, was a brave and courageous girl who fought till the very last minute for her dignity and her life. She is a true hero and symbolises the best in Indian youth and women," Mukher jee said. He add ed : "Her sad demise should not be i..t1 vain. We must do everything possible to ensure that such an inc.idem never happens again."
Ochers who received the award were Pranira Talukdar of Assam, Sonika Agarwal of Delhi, Guramma H. Sankina of Karnataka, Omana T.K. of Kerala and Olga D'Mello of Maharashtra
The president said: "We muse strive to en sure that women feel safe and secure at all times in our country."
''The figure for female Lite racy is 16.7 pe rcent be low male literacy. Surveys have indicated diat female hourly wage rates in agricul ture vary from 50 ro 75 percent of rhe male wage rates. More disturbing is the increase in t h e incidence of violence against women," he said.
US honours "Nirbhaya - brave heart, fearlessn
Nirbhaya, the "Fearl ess" De lhi gang rape victim, has been honoured with a US "woman of courage" awa rd posthumously fo r "inspiring peop le to work roged1er ro end violence against women i n India and ar0tmd die world."
US first lacl}1 Michelle Obama joined Secretary of State John Kerry as he praised the determination and courage of "a woman known simp ly as Nirbbaya - brave heart, fearless" at the State Deparm1enr presentation ceremony on International Women's Day.
"Her bravery inspired millions of women a nd men to come together with a simple message: No more. No more looking the oche r way when gender- based violence happens. o more stigma against v ictims or survivors," said Kerry.
"Nitbhaya's fight survives her," be said an nouncing the award "for inspiri ng people co work together co end violence against women in lnclia and around the world by clispl aying immense courage in demanding justice "
The audience stood up and observed a moment of silence after he read om the c itation.
Kerry also read part of a statement from Nirb haya's mother and father saying, "W/e never imagined that t he g ir l we thought was our daughter would one clay be the daughter of the entire world. She was meant to be the daughter of the world. This is a huge
achievement in itself."
"Today, out message to the world i s: do not to lerate any attack oo your dignity aod honour; d o not silendy bea.r ill tream1enr," they wrote.
"Earlier, women would keep silent and hide away when they were Sllbjected co sexllal misconduct," irbbaya's parents said , ow ''\'v'omen, both in Inclia a nd in the rest of the world, refuse to be stigmatised and will nor keep silent anymore," they said. "Th is incident has opened their minds and empowered chem . T hey are no longer scared of what anyone will say."
Besi des Nirbhaya, eight other women were give rhe annual award recognising women around the globe who h ave shown exception al courage and leadership in ad vocating for women's rights and empowerment, often ar great personal ri sk.
They are Malalai Bahacluri, first sergeant, Afghan National lntercliction Unit (Afghanistan); J ulieta Castellanos, rector, National Autonomous University of Honduras (Honduras); Josephine Obiaju lu Odumak.in, president, Campaign for Democracy (Nigeria); Elena Jl.1ilashina, journalist, human r ights activist (Russ ia); F'artuun Adan, executive director , El m an Peace and Human Rights Centre (Somalia); Tseri..t1g Woeser (Wei Se), Tibetan author, poet, b logger (China); Razao Zeimnah, human r ights lawyer and founde r , Local Coordination Committees (Syria) and Ta Phong Tao, blogger (Vietnam).
Staff members of T ihar Jail walked the ramp as d1ey showcased dress and jewellery des igned by female inmates of die jail.
As pare o f rbe Enttepreneurship
Development P r ogramme, the inmates were enrolled in a one-year certificate course in fashion designing under designer Monica Dalal.
"\'v'e have taken the initiative to train our female inmates dress designing and jewellery designing so chat when they leave prison, they will h ave an opportunity to sustain themselves," said VirnJa Mehra, director general (prisons).
The jail is also coord inating with companies who can provide employment ro the trained in m ates.
A US -based l GO has partnered with Vedanta Hospir,'lls, a multi - specialty heal thcare facility set up in Odisha by Vedanta Al umi n ium Ltd. (YAL), to carry out cl eft lip and palate sur geries, the company said.
Vedama Hospitals at Lanjigarh in d1e state's Kalahandi clistrict star ted these surgeries free of cost a year ago, VAL p resident Mukesh Kumar role! reporters.
"The partnership with Smile Train, a US - based imernacional charity, will leave no sto n e unrurn ed to treat sucli cases in the state's Kalahan cli -Bolangir, Rayagacla an d Koraput region," he said.
Cleft lip and cleft palate are bir th defects that occur when a baby's Lip or moud1 do nor form properly.
In India, over 35,000 children are born every year wid1 clefts and over 50 per cem of them remain 1mtteatecl for lack of awareness.
Smil e Train con ducts free cleft lip and palate smgeties worldwide and has compl eted more than 80,000 such surgeries. Vedanta Hosp it.'ll is the on ly Smile Train Centre in western Odisha, Kumar said
SAARC literature festiva l starts in Agra
A three -da)' SAARC festival of lirerauire beg,111 with a call for concerted efforts to raise eco -consciousness and resist predatory policies that devour nature and its components.
The theme of this year's festival is "E nvironment and Literature"
"As the 1--limahyan g laciers shrink, sea levels r ise and green patches are replaced by ugly bald terrain. It is o nly befitting that the pen- wielders of the SAARC region put up a united front against polluters and p redators," said Ajeet Caur, president of the foundation of SA.ARC writers and literamre.
The festival is being attended by delegates from Paki stan , Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sci Lanka, Maldives, Nepal and India.
More than 15 de legates from Pakistan attending the festival stressed on commonal.ities and desired peace and goodneighbourly relations.
The SAARC literary awards went to writers from Pakistan, Nepal, Sti Lanka and Afghan.istan.
"This annual meet of writers acquires special import.'lnce in the context of the continu.ing c o nflicts in the SA.ARC region based on lang uage, ethnicity, religion and culmre. W/e believe char literature cannot exist in total isolation from lived c ulture. Dreams o f our future shall emerge frorn this shared identi1y, conttibutory history and participatory destiny," Caur stated.
Sri Lan.l<an writer Daya Dissanayake said: " \ '.qoman is co nature what man is co culture. This idea has been hi jacked, distorted and misinterpreted by the male dominated society."
Jharna Rehman, a writer from Bangladesh, said women and natu re were closely related.
Pak.istan's Farheen Choudhary said: "Natural disasters are the worst part of environmema l issues, creating mass g raves, dislocations of people, food scarci ty, health problems and even p sychological issues. Surprisingly, wrjters didn't pay much attention to the sub ject particularly in south Asia "
How to involve India's massive midd le class and it s rich and hefty d iaspora in lndia's growth story? W/here co find a p lace for thus far marginal.ised rural India in its growth narrative? How to drive sys temic change in education and why is the Indian political .scene so unattractive to its yomig peopl e?
These were some of the questions that panellists grappled with on the first da y of the India Conference, the largest studentrun India- focussed conference in the US, organ.ised by the s tudents of Harvard U niversiry March 9 - LO.
Now in its temh year, the conference w ith the theme of " India vs. India - Local Strength or G lobal Growth?" was attended on die first day by 22 speakers mingling widi over 300 attendees representing voices from across di e professional and
ideolog ical specmm1.
The theme refers co the decision co embrace Ind ia's daunting complexity and seern.ing incoherence rather than 0\7ers impli fying the hackneyed "growth story'', according to the organisers.
Focusing on government and development issues at the Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, panellists alluded again and again to the real.icy of the many stories of India.
There was the economist's sto r y of India, the p o litician's, the student's, and, bit by b it, a more multilayered narrative Indian story than any of diese, which could nor be encapsulated in an y one way.
The daunting of India's complex problems and systemic and infrastructural challenges were described in great detail b y each of the conference's four keynotes.
Ashok Alexander, formerly country tlirector of the Bill and l\1lelinda Gates Foundation, spoke about the need to rise above tbe standard reaction of paralysis in the face of this complexity.
Arnn Singh, deputy chief of mission at the Indian embassy in Washington , mentioned the man y co lours of India and the di.fficul ty they p ose when viewed through d1e lens of US cooperation, but cl osed on a hopeful note, touching briefl y on the p o rtfolio of internationall y cooperative research achieved nonetheless.
Ajay Maken, Indian minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation, talked about how India and its policy- makers rook a decade to accept that urbanisation is inevitable, but today ever ybody understands that urbanisation is actually desirable.
Sam Pitroda, advisor to the prime minister on pub lic information in frastrucrure, spoke about radicalising democracy duoug h making information more radically available to a new generation o f Indians.
The events at tbe Harvard Business School campus in Boston, across die Charles R.iver, promise to continue this dialogue.
Tou rism ministry's new film awarded in Berlin
The tourism micistry's new film Find What
You Suk received the fust prize at the 11th
Golden C ity Gate Tou.rism Media Awards
Ceremony held in Berlin co coinc ide with Indian Tourism Bourse (ITB) Berlin 2013.
The Golden City Gate is an international film, print and media contest for the tourism industry. The awards ceremon y is held every yea r at ITB Berlin, the world's leading crave.I trade show. The competition provides tOLirism advertisers an oppor tunity ro participate in the comest for presenting their new creatives
All entries are as sessed by 45 independent international expert jurors with stro ng industr)' background. T ourism M in.ister K. Ch.iranjeevi had launched di e new campaign, Find What Yo11 Seek, as the second phase of Incredible India Ca m paign at W/TM 2012 last ovember, along with the new domestic campaign Go Bryo11d.
By launching th is new campaign, the tourism ministry has made a paradigm shift by shifting the focus from destinations and products ro consumers (travellers)
The new campaig n empba.sizes diat there is something for every ttaveller in India and every traveller can find what he or she is seek.i ng wh il e travelli ng in our inc redible country.
Go Bryond urges travellers ro ttavel beyond the obvious, the known destinations to the lesser known destinations.
Shakespeare now comes in Punjabi; Darwin to follow
It rook a retir ed h istory professor two decades of meticulous effort co bring \':{l ilJiam Shakespeare closer to Pwijab. Eighty- t\vo- year Surjit Hans has finall y translated all the works, including 38 plays, of the 1 6th century Bard of Avon inro Punjabi.
Hans, who taught h istory at Amritsa r 's Guru Nanak Dev Un.iversity and chose to translate Shakespeare imo Punjabi full- time only after his retirement .in 1993, recently finished die translation of T-lemy VTTI the last of the plays of d1e Bard (1564- 1616). He was assig n ed die translation work by the Patiala -base d Punjabi University
And d1ere is no stopping him.
Hans says he is read y to start trans lating Charles Darwin's The 01igi11 of Species.
"This is worth doing. Da.nvin is the founder of die m odern rimes. His work has
modernity of thought," he said
"Now, l want Punjab i readers co know abollt The Origin of Species coo," Hans sai d.
Hans' relationship with Shakespeare goes back co his college days when he played the part of di e wounded soldier in Macbeth and acted in Hamlet.
"The inspiration to ttanslate the work of Shakespeare into P u njab i came at tha t time. 1 wanted that the average reader in Punjab should be able to read Shakespeare even if he did not know English," Han s said in an interview at his residence in Punjab's Mohal.i rown, 10 km from Chandigarh.
"I ttanslated l'vlacbeth into Punjabi when I was in college in the mid - 1950s. I started foll - ti.me translation of Shakespeare's works only in 1993 after m y retirement," he said
Hans says his mltlad (mentor) Raj Kumar Kaul in Hoshiarpur told him in the early 1950s that "a good reader should also write".
"An Anglo -Iri sh teacher o f mine also helped," h e said
H.is love fo r t he Bard's wor ks got sttonger when Hans lived in London for seven years in the 1960s an d saw plays at the Royal Shakespeare Club.
Asked about the difficulties he faced in trans lating die Bard 's works inro Punjabi, Hans said: ''Translating Shal,espeare con structionally and in verse form was not d.i.fficult. In Punjabi diough, there are no words to ttanslate English words like he, she, h im or he r You have to use a verb to tell di e gender. In his poem, Ve111rs and Adonis, die reference to the se words comes in every line Bllt di e beauty of d1e verse gets lost in doing ttans lation. The weakness of (Punjab i) language is there."
Among all die works of Shakespeare translated by him in Punjabi , Hans rook the maximum time over Tivo Noble Kit1s1J1en and T-lemy Vlll. "These have a lot of rhetoric," he pointed out.
Hans says some characters and situations in Shal,espeare's plays have a commonal.ity w ith Pun jab.
A fter finishing The O,igin ef Species, Hans wants to ttansbte Adam Smith's The lf7ealth qf Nc!lio11s as well.
" This is basic book of economics. People should know about it," he says with a smile.
India, it is said, is an amazing place for photography.
For budding Sydne y photographer Tanaya Deshpande, her native India turned out to be a weaJ th of opportuni ry - and a cause for HSC success.
Tbe Turrarnurra )'Otmgster picked photography as her
medium fo r her Year 12 visual arr course last year. Taoaya's major work, entitled !\,fade in India, is based on a series of smnning images from her homeland It won h er a Band 6 resul t.
"I was looking for the real lndia, stri pped back from the commerci al," who fini5bed her HSC at Pymb le Ladies College (PLC) in 2012, told India11 I.ink.
Getting down co t he bare basics, the young photographer found beauty in shots of nature, just as much as in those of people.
Poignant photographs of s treet
ki ds, the colours of life on streetsid es, even mome nts from the dail y ro u tine of life, captu red ber interest. For sure, you wiU find hints of the western stereotypes about India - the Taj, e lephan ts, ht1111t1 tattoos. But this, ultimately, is the beauty of the wo r k: it shows the artist looking at lndia from the vantage point of a native, as weU,is that of an outsider.
The stri king feamre of tl1e composite image is that the individual shots are projected on to the bare ba cks of human figures
''M y statement is that travel changes you: it leaves a mark on you that stays forever," Tanaya revealed.
She might as \vell have b een saying that India leaves a stamp on you forever.
The work was presented on 9mm- tl1-ick wood, with otl1et phocos o n the rmacol.
It comes as a surpri se co learn that Tanaya only cook up photography three years ago
"M y uncle is a keen photographer and inspired by him I began co play around with the camera," said Tanaya.
Her first pieces wer e based oo Aowers.
''l wasn't even going to d o visual art as a subject in Year 12," Tanaya admitted. " It just occurred to me while thin king about m y possi b le subjects that pechaps T should do sometl1ing creative to get a break from the rigour of o cher sub jects, so I picked it. And then I couldn't decid e between photograp hy and ceramic s, both ve r y popular options at my school, and both of which scale weU"
fa tl1e en d of course, it aU
worked well for rhe spunky young girl.
"Nor only did I finish with a Band 6 in visual art, it also turned our to be my best subject!" she said.
Today much of Tanaya's Year 11 and Year 12 work is shown as samples for the benefit of younger students at PLC who are starting off in the subject.
Speaking about her school course in photography, Tanaya said, "ln my first year in photography in Year 11, 1 learned all about the camera and bow to use it. A lot of it was new ro
me, such as ISO exposure and all the jargon! We also learned how to organise phoroshoots and did various experiments such as underwater photography, and then went on to Phocoshop as well."
She continued, "By die end of Year 11, I was hooked. I couldn't wait to get on to my major ,vork for rhe HSC. Various projecr ideas came Lnto my head, especially as my reacher said, 'think b ig, die world is your oyster' "
That year Tanaya travelled ro India widi her family and came back with abouc a di ousand shots on her camera. She knew then
chat those photos would form her final work for the HSC.
"Of course, to pick 6 out of the lot was a challenge," she said wid1 a laugh. "But my reacher hel ped me as I sorted through diem As I looked at the work of odier artists to get a better perspective, the idea came to be that I could project each of my chosen images on to the bare back of a human figure "
The encl result was nothing short of striking.
The work is certainl y a pat on the back for th.is talented photographer.
The women of the famed literary family from Bengal were harbingers of change in their own right, writes
MADHUSREE CHATTERJEE. .....................................................................................................................
Ata tim e w h e n th e str uggle for a ~orld cha t i~ safe tor wom en 1s 111 the n ews, here is a boo k chat is timely, even as it retell s h istory
Am na Chaka ravarti, a 2004 Commonwealth Writer s' Pri ze nominee, recalls tbe contributio n of the Tagore women to the m oder n women's m ovement in h er new boo k Jorasanko (H arper Collin s India) Jorasanko is the name of the Tagores' a ncestral hom e.
wife of Satye n dranath T ago re, el der b roth er of poe t R ab indrana th Tagore and the first In dia n to enter the Indian Civil Service in 1863, was the fo rce behind the opening of che zenana (area whe re wome n were kept in se clusion) in the tr actitio n al e lite househ o lds of 19th century Be n gal.
She was the first wo man from a feudal family to accom pany her hu sb and ro his p lace of work
After a one -a nd- a- half yea r scim in Bombay, as Mumbai was called, w h ere her husband was p osted as assistant collector, Jnanadananclin.i brough t the "Par si way o f wear in g th e sari" to Bengal.
Th e sari was ea.rlier wrapp ed aro und the bodies o f wom en in a single sheath w ithou t p leats o r a shoulder drape. Bue Jnanadanandin.i wore it tl1e way it is draped today, with p leats arou nd the waist a nd the fabric g ath ered into a drape to cover the "breas ts and the s ho ulder", making the wom an look el egant.
T he feisty wife of the c ivi l administraror was also tl1e first o n e to wear tl, e Orie n tal dress - a Mughal style k11rta (s h ire) and vo lmninous pants - to travel.
The lig h t- eyed Jnanadanand.ini,
'' Jnanadanandini, wife of Satyendranath Tagore, elder brother of poet Rabindranath Tagore and the first Indian to enter the Indian Civil Service in 1863, was the force behind the opening of the zenana in the traditional elite households of 19th century Bengal. ''
desc ribed as "mealy m outhed" by her m other- in -law, i ntro du ced the nuc lear famil y with.in the very walls o f Jorasanko, ad opting tl,e weste rn way of li fe.
Chakrava rti 's account reads like an abso rbing family soap, and o n e m ight be forgiven fo r th at the work is non - fiction.
The work examines other wome n in che T ago r e house ho l d too Satada Sundari, w ife of D ebe ndran atl, Tagore and mother of poet Rabindranatl,, suffered the t hro es of seeing family valu es change. The ratl,er plain wo m an, wh o tl,e T agore household and a dashing
Aruna Chakaravarti
husband , refused to let tl1e "old world conservatism slip by".
A li t tle ind ole n t and lazy, she rebelled against daughter-in-law J nanadanandiui.
Sarada's sister-in-law Jogmaya was a tota l contrast to her. Though second in the hierarchy o f wome n in cbe house h old, she was the o n e who loo ked after alJ n eeds of the family She proved an excelJent mother to n ot onl y her own chi.ld.ren, but to Sarada's as well, Chakaravarti holds.
Of T ripura Sundari, w ho was not exactly renowned for h e r beauty, the autho r says condescenctingl y that s h e made up for tl1e lack of beauty '\vi th h e r tireless wor k of household management S he had the strength and e nergy of the barren woman and all her h eartache. Though she received a lot of com m end atio n , it failed to satisfy her".
Digambari, wife of pioneer Dwarakanath, R ab indranath's grand father, i s painted as s to ic. She bore her husband's abse nce wi thout co m p la.int, and the force of her cha.racter su.rprised even Brahmin pund.its.
D riven by tl1e urge to "atone fo r her husband's sins" of moving inro a ne w home from a ncestor
l eelmoni Tagore's abode, for h is asso ciation with British rulers and for the pleasu res he soughr in nautch girls, Digambari Joc ked herself in the prayer room.
In contrast, Kadarn bari D evi, the w i fe of Jyoti.rindranath and sister-in -law of poet Rabindranath, w a s a melancholic and gen tle woman with d eep sen sitivities, relined i n telJect an d an insatiab.l e thirst for knowledge She was driven to end her life.
"Mrinalini was salc-o f- theea rch", the silent force b ehin d husband Rabindranach's meteoric rise Ln t he Liternry world
What the writer perhaps fo rgets to ad d is the contribution of the p etite former Bollywood actress Sharmila T agore, the wi d owed begum of Nawab Mans u r Ali Khan Pacaudi, and g r eat-grand daughter of R abindran atl1 Tago re. Sharmila ,vas symbolic of tl1e family's contin u ed presence in tl,e n ew popula r cultural milieu o f ci n e m a in India. An d i.i1 a stran gely karmic way, she was also the f.u nily's tenuous tie co its ancient se cular roocs, the Pirali Brahm ins of Jessore, wh o were ostracised b y tl1eir Hindu brethren for allowing tl1eir blood brotl,ers co convert to Islam and bri.i1gin g d,e two faitl1s togetl1er n early five c en turies ago.
the convicted killers o f Rajiv Gandhi. The Chief Minister, opposition leaders and other politicians in Tamil I adu Jed demonstrario ns to commute the cap ital sentences of rhe perpetrators. \'v'as the Rajiv Gandhi atroc ity any less worthy of capital punishment, compared to d1e Delhi sexual assault?
President Pranab Mukherjee has iss ued an ordinance at the recommendation of tbe Indian Cabinet, which provides more stringent penalties, amongst others, for group assaults on women. It encapsulates the recommendations of the Justice Verma Committee. It returns the issues which have been so overp layed in the media, to the principles of l egal processes.
Indians spoiling the name of India has seemingly become an art form. No other comparable country soils its own image so well. Political dramatics have been commonplace in Delhi. The first organised giant 111e/a took place in Delhi w hen demonstrations by adults (and their children) assemb led to hear Anna Hazare proclaim himself the prime speake r against corruption. Bur corruption exists worldwide, including in Australia and the U SA Such corrnption led to the G lobal Financial Crises
The An na Hazare campaign was extremely well organised, down to a large number of persons preparing and distributing food. One wo nders from where and from whom d ie mone y came. Soon after, a similar campaign much of the san1e crowd, came to see Swami Ramdev, an exponent of yoga, rant agains t the Congress- led Indian government.
At that time the now famous horrendous incident took place in Delhi - the medical student gang-raped in a bus from which she was a!Jeged!y later thrown out. Her horrific injuries led to her death in a Singapore hospit,11. There were loud and consistent cries fo r the alleged perpetrators to be awarded capital punishment.
The crowds gathered in De lhi now had a live incident to show the world. Bur d1is time the anti- Congress forces were o utwitted.
Sonia Gandhi, the Congress President, took up the agitarors cause as did Sheila Dixit, d1e Congress Chief 11:inister of Delhi. lt was now these two ladies who led the agitation.
\X/ith di is incident, die agitation then moved ro women's safety. India is not the world's only place whe re women are bullied.
The Delhi agitarion against assaulters of women had morphed into a lynch mob. Lawyers refused to defend rl1e accused. Whilst saying that he appreciates the anger of the people, no less than the august personage of rl1e Chief Justice of India A.li:.'l111as Kabir has warned that such anger must not mean that the legal processes are b ypassed.
''Peop le's reaction has been that do not send the accused to trial. Hand them over to us, we will deal wid, them or hang them But let us not get carried away A swift trial should not be at d ie cost of a fair trial," he warned.
There has already been a lynching incident of a high -profile politician , Bikrarn Singh Brahma b y a mob in Assan1. He is the Chairman of die Baksa District Congress Comnurtee and ilie Congress party's coordinamr of the Bodoland Territorial Council.
A political rival accused Bralmia of entering his house earl y one morning and sexually assau lting a woman. The video footage of rl1e lynching has gone viral. He was di ankfolly h anded over to the police as he could not have defended himself when being assaulted.
When sla\7 ery was abolished in the USA in the l 9rl1 century and thereafter until 1920, an estimated 3,500 Negroes and 1,300 wh ites were summarily lynched in America's southern states In 1891, eleven Italian migrants were lynched in New Odeans Such horrendous 'trials' continued upto 1 968!
This led to a wholesale Aeeing of Negro com tmmities to d1e north where they now form a subsranrial part of d1e popularion and enjoy a good degree of political power. egro emancip ation was a triumph for President Lincoln. Creditab ly, the USA sought to pr otect human rights dtrough legislative measures. The Dyer AntiLyn ching Bill in 1922 sought
Indians spoiling the name of India
has become an art form. No other comparable country soils its own image
'To assure to persons within the jurisdiction of every State the equal protection of d1e Jaws, and to punish rhe crime of Jynchi.ng .'.
Not too long ago, Senator Chris Evans announced an injection of $67 mi llion in funds for a partnership between universities, s chools and state govenu11enrs. The raciouale was simple: he lp more Australians ad1 ieve their goal of going to Unive rsity "A univers ity d egree gives Australians a greater chance at getting a high paid and high skilled job," said rhe Senator.
The Gillard Govermnent believes diat higher education should be encomaged, and says its goal is ro reach its target of 40 percem of young Australians holding a bachelor's degree by 2025. That's desp ite experts like Tom Karmel, managing director of ilie National Centre for Vocational Education Research, indicating d1at there is a ri sk greater numbers of people pursuing university degrees won't get a 'good return' from it.
Yet sin ce the governrnem spends millions each year subsidising education and making ir easy to attend college, d1ere are even more credentialed individuals dian ever before. This naturally makes getting a job after graduating more competitive than say in 199 1, when only 8 percent of people aged 15 and over he ld a tertiary qualification. The re is - in economic terms - potentiall y an ove rsupply of graduates relative to the number of jobs available.
It's nor an exaggeration to say that the current univers ity system promotes conformity at the expense of lateral d1inking and creativit)" Many of the world's entrepreneurs - tal,e Bill Gates or Mark Zuckerberg - were coJlege dropouts who made it big despite, or perhaps because of their lack of formal training. University tends to compartmentalise bur the rea l \vorld isn't always Like it is in t extbooks, especially if diose textbooks are written by state- funded professors whose theories ar en't subject to the discipline of the market.
Chances are, in a free- market without governmem crutches, specialisations such as 'gender studies' aren't Likely to attract man y paying students and will be reliant on philanthropic support to survive.
There would also be significantly fewer economists pontificating about po licy issues - in cenrnries past, economics was considered a hobby, nor a profession Only those disciplines that directly relate to providing a good service - in helping produce computers, cars, trains, or curing cancer - would find large numbers of customers willing ro pay for ilie course
Without government funding of higher education, there would be no raxpayersubsiclised p leasant interludes of se.x and parties between leaving schoo l and beginni ng working life (the laid back undergraduate lifestyle). 1foteover, practical business skills such as admi.nisrracion and effective communication might enjoy a resurgence.
While it's true d1at a lot depends o n di e particular degree yo u do (the arcs degree, forever the butt of jokes, is probably less useful on the job marker than a
\X/'har about rhe Australian commission looking imo
so well women being sexua!Jy bullied in the armed forces? A newly established commission is also investigating sexual crime s in Australian religious i.nstimtions. And similar incidents are reported from I rel and, Canada and Britain.
One may get the idea that in India, its peop le favour harsh judgemems and punishment. Bur it was only mond1s ago that there was an agitatio n in Tamil Nadu, si milar to the Delhi agitation, to pardon
''It defined 'mob or riotous assemblage' as 'composed of three or more persons acting in concert fo r d1e purpose of depriving any person of his li fe widmm aud1oriry o f
law' D yer was a Republican and his biJJ was blocked by Democrats who then d o minated d1e sou thern states
Ultimately, the USA passed the Fourreemh Amendment which guarantees the eight to due legal process whilst the Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unu sual punishment.
Legal processes should remain pararnoum as opposed to mob rule
None of rl1is is ro say diat d1e humanities a ren't worth pursuing or that only knowled ge di ar's commercially valuable is important. degree in medicine), the debate around university qualifications has raised some valuable questions Question s like " ls d1ere a better way to structure our univer sity system , a way that doesn't load students
Bur it's a reminder to parents, students and anyone at d1e beginning of their careers tli at further education isn't necessarily a guarantee of success or gainful employment in one's chosen. field. The number of cab drivers in New with unnecessar y debt and gives rhem a re alistic chance at getting a job down the u-ack?"
Wr iters li ke Tony Featherstone, for example, argue d1at in business, a more Aexible mode o f
to say that the current university system promotes conformity at the expense of lateral thinking and
York City who have degrees should be proof of that. As Michael EUsberg points om in The Education of i'VW/io11aire s: Eve~-ythi11g creativity
education would better serve companies. Instead of die stan dard 3 year campus- based degree, why nor allow students to gain qualifications while doing work experience and receive on - the - job training? Or why not let them enro l in a shore-term or part- lime course for subjects, as the need arises?
You Ll7oni lJa1 11 in College .Abo11t How lo Be S11ccesifitl, even graduates need ro learn how to m arket diemselves.
That's a lesson that Julia Gillard would be wise to consider before subtly instilling the mentali ty that tertiary education is an end in itself. It's not the degree that matters - it's yo ur street- smarts, creativity and diligence d1at count.
Lynching of offenders by mobs has become their method of meting outjustice, while the legal system is being ignored
While the government and Universities entice students into taking degrees, will added qualifications ensure a better career?
• General Skilled Migration (onshore & offshore)
• State Sponsored Visas
• Employer Nominated Visas
• Partner & Family Migration
• Business M i gration
• Student Visas
• Adv ice on various pathways for permanent residency to onshore graduates.
• Advice & Assistance w it h Professional Year Program.
• M RT Application for Review
• Advice & facilitate procedu res fo r Student Visas
• Guidance and assistance in selecting appropriat e professional courses based on ed ucation and background.
• Change of Course, University and Education Provider
• Assistance w ith credit transfers
• Im m igration & Visa Advice
• Student Visa and Appeal Matters
• Admission and Visa Assistance for other countries including Canada and New Zealand.
O ur Assoc iates : Robert (Bob) Fenwick - IVisalaw New Zealand
Katerina Knize - Law offices of Katerina Kn ize , Montreal Canada
Volunteering as Protocol Manager during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, I had oppor tunity to meet and greet a few rimes, a young, jeans-clad Danish b loke Frederik a nd his Aussie gitlfriend .Mary. F ive years la cer they got married and became Crown Prince and Princess of Denmark. So upon arriving in Copenhagen, not knowing exactly where to begin explori n g, this loose royal connection inspires me to go on an imperial odyssey I start with Amalienb org Palace where the golde n couple reside along with Frederik's mother Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II, the present head of state.
Denmark is an archipelago co mprising of over 400 is lands. le is linked to Germany by a land border and to Sweden by a magnificent bridge. Fabled with stories of the 9th cenmry Vikings,
this Scandina\Tian nation boasts one o f the oldest monarchies in Europe. Over centuries, the Danish rulers beautified their land with architecturally st:rnrni ng edifices - palaces, churches, bas tions and monwnems that stand today as one of main attraction s of Copen hagen , the capital city where most of the regal actions took p lace.
Like their British counterparts, the Danish royals don't have any real power, b ut carry lots of prestige and charisma. They are highly prized by the peop le as a living manifestation of the country's history and tradition. Also their sim p le lifestyle earns them respect. The Queen, who asce nd ed the chtone in 1972, is highly educated and i ndependent, with her own interests and work as a stage designer and translacor.
The Crown Prince and Princess are said to live Like any other Dan ish citizens and a re often seen within the public domain w ithout any royal hang-ups.
1 reach Amalienborg Palace with the sliui hope of spotting diem
somewhere, buc disappointingly find they are all away in London for the Olympic Games. So f am left on my own to explore the regal quarters edged around an octagonal cobblestoned square The centre piece here .is an equestrian statue of Frederic V, the 18th cenmry k ing who developed chis palace and the adjoining neighbourhood as a new, sm art and elite district to celebrate 300 years of bis family's rule of Denmark.
The palace complex consists of four similat looking stately buildings, three of whicb are offi ci al residences of the royal family members while the fourth is converted to a museum. Visitors are aUowed to wander freely in the square, take as many photos they like of the beat- skin hatted gu ard s, buc access to die inside of the royal residences is prohibited, though b)' visiting die museum one can peek into the pomp and grandeur of it all. I learn from an attendant that this palace became the royal h ome after their original abode, the Chrisrianborg Palace was destroyed by fire in 1794.
Copen.hagen to some resembles a fairy- tale ci ty, still L'1rgely low -rise with houses featurin g oxidised copper on die roofs. The ciry area, criss-crossed w idi caa.als like Amsterdam, is small; you can easily w al k from one end co the ocher in less than an hour. A walking tour is best for a han dson encomi cer with sights and sowi ds of the Danish cap ital, h owever a canal cruise is highly recommended for a different orientation of tbe city, very colourful with centuries old gelaticoloured gabled buildings at the starting point in Nyhavn.
Cope nh agene rs claim their city to be the safest in Europe, if nor in the world. It's true; your only fear will be getting bit by a speeding bicycle! Cycling surely is the preferr ed mode of transportatio n for the 1.2 million people here, keeping chem fit in a clean environment. However there is also a good array of public transportation comprising of trains, buses and taxis.
Prom the Amalienborg Palace precinct I march up to see the Marble Church next door, whose large green dome, designed co rival diac of St Peters in Rome, dictates the city's top view. lt took nearly 145 years co build chis grandiose edifice, made mainly from I orwegiaa. marbles whose lack of supply delayed the
completion. It's said at the end Jocal marbles were used and you can easily spot the two types. You are allowed to go to the cop of the bell towe r for a breathtaking v ista if you can n egotiate 260 steep and twisting steps. I give ic a miss and spe nd time m the brick-built Rosenborg Palace, a museum displaying a d azzling collection of crown jewels, perhaps comparable to th e ones disp layed in die Tower of London.
My nex[ stop is che hiscocically significant Cbristianborg Palace, n ow home to the Danish Parliament, Supreme Court and Royal Reception Rooms. Ir i s located on a small island. 1 reach there walking through Stroget, the world's longest pedestrianized street, flanked on bodi :;ides with trendy bars and cafes blended with an interesting mix of churches, stan1e.s and museums.
The hefty granite faced neo baroque palace I see today stands at the site where di e city's founder Bishop Absalon established a cas tl e in 1167, making iL the nucleus of a future metropolis. The castle was later replaced by a grand palace, renovated several times by future Danish monarchs who added more and more grandeur. A devastating fire twice destroyed large portions of it h oweve r, making it unliveab le. The present version was built around what remained of die previous
structures, bur by then the royals had settled at the Amalienborg Palace.
Another citadel. that interests royal enthusiasts is che Krooborg Palace which is located in the nearby port rown of Helsingor, 45 km north of Copenhage n Shakespeare has made this imposing castle immorral by making it the setting fo r h is Ho!!llet. The half day trip from Copenhagen is thoroughly enjoyab le ro trace the dramatised paths of Prince Hamlet and his uncle Claudiu s who po isoned Hamlet's father ro become King of Denmark.
You can spend days in Copenhagen chasing royal gra ndeurs, bur there ate other attractions that demand attention as well from first time visitors; most significant among them being the Tivoli and the Little Mermaid
D otted right in the heart of the city in front of Radhus, Copenhagen's grand red brick town hall, rl1e 1843 established Tivoli Gardens i s a colourful and vibrant park filled with adrenalin rushing rides, stage shows and top notch enterta irnnent that brings your childhood alive. At night, the lighting and fueworks display is unpress1ve.
Perhaps Little Mermaid needs no introduction LLke Big Ben i s ro London, Eiffel Tower to P aris, the L ittle Mermaid is the iconic symbo l of modern Cop en hagen
Placed at the end of the city's picturesque harbour promenade in 1913, rl1is tin y bronze srame of a mermaid sitting on a rock a nd sadly gazing at the passing ships was carved by famous sculptor Edvard Erikson. He was commiss ioned ro do so by Danish beer baron Carl Jackson who was in spired by the tale of a little m ermaid falling in love with a prince as portrayed by writer Haus Christian Anderson in his ballet Uttle Me1waid. For many visi rors ir's the first thing ro see in Copenh agen and as expec t ed the waterfront area is packed with busloads of tourists an d souvenir sellers all the rime
As said, the city is small but attractio ns are big and Yaried. So I leave the. once- upon- a- time home of the Vikings with a promise to come back, n ext time. with better luck pernaps to spot some royals
Fly Singapore Airl ines (www.lingaporeair.com) to Copenhagen with aircraft change at Singapore STAY
Set nea rthe water adjacentto Copenhagen's new ferry term inal Adina Apartment Hotel (www. adina.eu) offersstyl ish and comfortableapartment type accommodation
GETTING AROUND
Since roads areseverely potho led, the preferred way to t ravel is by boat. Pandaw Cru ises www. pandaw.com and the Road to Mandalayand Orcae lla www.orient-express.com offer cru ises on theChindwin and Irrawaddy River~
MORE I NFORMATION
a t • I 0 n a I
We beat the best with no less - TAI offers best Airfares and Packages to suite all budgets
We Specialise in: Competitive airfares to India, Indian Sub-continent, Fiji, Middle East, Asia , Europe, South America, North America & Africa.
TAI - offers Special Round the World Fares and packages to su ite both individual and group travel. TAI is focused on Tailor made and prepackaged tours
A re you looking for air tickets from India our partnered offices wi thin India can organize any travel or tours within India and prepaid tickets
Travel Air International now offers language support,
Languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi, Arabic
Office
Phone: +61 2 9631-0206
Fax: +61 2 9688 2203
Email : sales@travelairinternational.com
Address: Shop 6 / 3, Aldgate St
Prospect Shopping Village
Cnr of Blacktown Road and Aldgate St
Prospect NSW 2148
whi le yo u are visiting family o r friend s wh y n ot getaway and do a private to ur.
h a lf day tours s tarting from $35 Per Pe rso n
Full Day T ours st,uting from $90 Per Person
Call us today take a pick from our range of city tours.
Ca ll 9633-2045 and find out today
Shree Swaminarayan, who is the key guiding force for this faith.
Perth has a new Hindu temple, che Shree Swaminarayan Temple, at 1 1 Marshall Road, Bennett Springs (Beechboro). The temple was opened in a special ceremo ny o n 14 January, 2013.
The temple belongs tO a wider group of Swaminarayan organisations and temples around the world Besides the tern p ies in India, there are over 30 s uch temples located in maj or cities in the US, Europe and Afri ca. ln Australasia, t here are established templ es in Auckland, Sydney and Melbourne. The. first Swaminara yan te mple goes back a long way in hi sto r y and was constructed in J\hme.dabad in 1822 AD on land given by an English colle.ccor during the. British Raj i n India.
The land for the Shree Swaminarayan temple in Perth was purchased in December 2007. The construction of th e Mandir began in mid 20 11 with completion in December 2012 and the opening ceremony in January 2013.
Rav ji Gangji Ha.Lai, President of the Perch tem ple committee , told Indian Link, " There is an immense sense satisfaction for al1 of us invol ved in seeing the temple ope n to the publ ic in 2013 Hundred s o f community vo lunteers contributed their rime during weekends in the temple building efforts, and for t heir efforts and dedication, we are truly grateful".
Describing t he activities at t he centre, Jvlr Halai said the temple offers the younger generation especially children the oppo rtuni ty to reconnect with their roo ts in the contex t of r e lig ious and culm ral identity.
"C urrently, Gujarati classes are being conducted at the temple and there a.re p lan s for man y more su ch activ i ties," be revealed.
A pipe band and 1ezim folk dance troupe have also been success ful progra m s undertaken by the Haribhak tos (co mmunity of devotees)
The temple hosts the main deities from the Hindu pantheon like Lord Ra m, Krishna, Shiva, Ganeshji, and also primari ly,
Shree Swaminarayan was born in 1781 near Ayod hya in India, and renou nced family life to b ecome a yogi at the age of 11. Ar 18, he adopted Rarnanand Swami as his Guru in rh e sta te of Gujarat. He initiated ove r 2000 sadhJJs, builr cemp les and installed 11111rtis (s tames)
Ser in large open spaces, in the sub urb of B en11ett Springs in the Swan reg ion of Perch, the temple is beautiful, clean and well maintained. The interior hall is vast wi th stunning statues of the deities, bedecked with jewellery
and adorned with resplendent lightin g Giving a m o dern to uch to the relig ious activities, there are 2 large T V screens inside the temple displaying audio visual information to visi cors. An in reresting fea ture ,vas that chey display t he wordings of hymns being cha.need - a definite co n venience for the man y who m ay not know the hymn s but wish to par ti cipate in the singing. The temple is open daily and welcomes all v isitors. Derails abouc opening timings and activities at the temp le are availab le on the temple website at hctp:/ / sstperth.org
Iknow it's sacr ilegious to show even a sneaking dislike of food programmes on TV but 1 ask for forgiveness in advance, being one of the few who would rathe r not ,·varch them. lt's almost u nheard of to press the 'off ' button o r change channels when cbese programmes are o n. Cooking sh ows h ave taken the airwaves by storm and provided a rich source of content for the media. Don't get me wrong, I have no objection to others enjoying these shows, bm the y are not for me A recem count of shows on eight of the main T V channel s during p rimetime i n a single week showed chat over '10% of peak viewing time between 6- 9pm is devoted to food progra=es. Bur there are a variety of sho~rs li.lmed in all parts of the world ranging from farming on smaU -ho ldings and raising cute, heald1 y animals and birds desti ned as produce, to the art of e n tertainin g wim family and guests having a real jo lly time of it an d, o f course, chefs in kitchens doing d1eir d1ing. What's next, where do producers go from here as they try to leverage every bit of aud ie n ce from this genre? Cooking in o uter space, o n Everest or even w1de1water may be on d1e cards, for our entertainment
There is no doubt that al.I this interest has raised d1e awareness in all aspects of what we eat and how things grow. And d1at is n ot a bad thing Yet obesity ra res o nl y seem to be on the rise in o ur so ciety. A look at newsagents' racks s hows a proliferatio n of magazines on cooking and food, while the internet is awash with biogs, sites and YouTube demon stratio ns of recipes It's almost as if d1ere is a huge industry at man y !eve.ls, and participants have been able to cash in on the coat-tails of chi s interest in food Bue we musm 't lose sight of the fact d1ac mere are only so many peo ple and t.l1ey can on ly eat so much It's not as if more food is being cooked, or is it?
To get an answer to the question above J decided ro take a look at some governmen t
numbers They revealed a fascinating picmre. They showed d1at in 2009-20 10 expendjmre on supermarkets and groceries rose b y 2% over d1e previous yea r, but well be low d1e long-term trend. The concl us io n is that te.lative ro prev ious years, peo ple mu se be co oking less or us ing cheaper ingredients. A nd wou.ld you believe ir, the next set of numbers showed that me g rowt.11 in expenctiture on takeaway foods, cafes and res taurants had skyrocketed and m ore or less doubled i t.~ long- term trend Thjs tell s us at least two things Of course, d1e more prosp erous the economy, the m o re people will eat our. T o me cbjs ties in with a visi on of people sitting armmd in cafes and restaurants with d1eir smart phones and iPads, and mjs is more o r less what one can see m ost times o f the day But what stick s out like a sore dmrnb if one be ljeves the numbers, is that pe o ple must be cooking a lot less than they used to, contrary to \vha t o ne m ight ex pec t fro m thi s apparent mushrooming of interest ju cooking.
Sharing a mea.l with friends i s undoubted.ly one of the real pleasures of l ife. When all the food has been cooked and enjoyed, good - byes said and the guests have go n e, yo u sit at me table and drain that la st si p of wi n e t.l1at remains in your glass. It's peaceful n ow and yo u sic i n qu iet contemp lation o f d1e evening and men reali cy strikesyi kes, mese endless piles of dirty plates and glasses Yes, clearing-up is next. Ever an integral part of co oki ng and entertaining, will we see a show o n d1is part of the process? I do n 't think so!
\Xlh o is to reaLi y say what people are getciJ1g up to in their kitchens and with their eating habits. For m y part, I am grateful to have a nice, square meal every day A while back I had a hanl{ectng for creme caramel. D o you t.l1ink J could find it anywhere - n o, n ot on your life! It surpri ses me that m os t restaurants do not serve d1 is heavenly dessert. l had no cho ice.
I picked up a recipe book, put on an apron and after some h esitation and a lirde tension, r mad e so mething which still had to be mrned upside d own. Plop, out it came. Much to m y delight i t looked just as a creme caram el should, the taste was divine and since d1en my popularity amongst m y family has increased no end. Cooking - l'm beginning to li ke it!
www in dia n li nk.com au
Why do you persist in rormencing me so," Parvati's mother lamented.
"\'qbat have I done now, mother?"
"Tonight is Maha Shivaratri, die great nig ht of Shiva. Ir is a clay of prayer and penance, bur you want co go co the movies with your friends Your presence is needed at home. You can tell )'Our friends tbat you can meet them on another night," she answered.
''Nforner, I have no interest in eidier die prayers or d1e penance. J do nor want anyd1ing, nor am J seeking forgiveness for any wrong," Parvaci replied.
"Of course, you want somed1ing! AU unmarried girls want this. Ao eady marriage and a good husband," Narayani annorn1ced.
''And your Lord Shiva can give me that. In rerurn for keeping me awake a.U night chanting his name, he will bless me w ith a good husband. And will this good husband of mine also be sitcing up aJJ night and praying for a good wife. Or does he have the privilege of having a boon granted wid1out penance?"
"Don't be silly, child, men do not have to ,vorry about that Ir is the privilege of LIS women to seek Lord Shiva's bless.ing," replied her mother.
''Nlum, Dad left you to seek Mount Kailash and his god. What good did you r prayers do for you? If 1 was you, I would ask for compensation," said Parvati
"PARVATl ! Thar is enough!"
Narayani screamed. Then, calming down she said, "Besides, d1at was my mistake. I used to cheat when I was yotmg Instead of saying my prayers I u sed co r ead novels."
" I don't believe you did it And you never got caught?" asked Patvati, astonished that her mother would deviate from her moral path.
''No, we were good at it. But it was not the right thing to have done. AU d1ose novels I read brought me a good husban d bur I was cheated from a long file with him," lamented l arayani.
"Mum, it has noming to do with how well you prayed or how good )'OU behaved. Men are human beings and have human failings and
A huge Shivaling in Kota Rajasthan
aspirations. Unlike you, I do not hope for an ideal person. I want him to love me more d1an he loves God," said Parvati.
"1 do not begrudge your father his need for spiritnal enlightenment, for when I finally learnt to pray prope rly l had asked for a husband w ho was wise and who also deeply worshipped my Shiva. \Xie each have our own journey co undertake. A nd l can't complain, he gave me a wonderfo.l daughter and he left us well provided for," Narayani justified.
"1 don't think ir was how you prayed, mum , bur what you asked for d1at may have been you r downfall," Parvati joked, then giving her mum a hug added, .cl must rernember to word my prayers properly if I ever have to deal with your Shiva."
"\'v'ould you rather that l had married a womaniser, an a lcoholic o r an abuse r? My Shiva gave me a good man. I have mud1 to be grateful for," said Narayani stoutly.
For the first rime, Parvati reaJJy looked at her mother. Somewhere between her supe rscicions and her rirua.lism, her mother had fo und srrengdi to fight life's challenges and a faith that sm,v each challenge as a reward. Somewhere in between her praye r and Shiva's boon, she had found peace and forgiveness.
Leaving these sombre thoughts behind, Parvati cominued o n a lighter note, ''\Xfell mum, if Shiva gave you a good man but for a short rime, then we will pray chat I find a ' not so good man' for a longer tio1e."
"There you go, acting foolish again. Don't fool arow1d \vim faith
and belie~ m y child. While other girls wrote Lord Ram and Lord Shiva's name on me bilva leaves d1ey offered in prayer, 1 wrote the names of my favourite actors. \XThile tliey made garlands to adorn the Sbivaliog, I made o n e to decorate my hair. And while tliey fasted with sincerity, I would p inch die pm.sad from the shrine or p luck the fruit.~ from the orchard," l arayani recounted wim shame.
Parvati smiled again. Her motber, who never broke a rule, was quite die imp in her youth. Then in an accepting voice she asked, "Ok mum, why don't you cell me what your Shivratri is all about and maybe, if I am convinced, I might join you this year in the poqja."
Narayani had waited for th.is moment for me past five years, in fact, since her daughter's sixteend1 birthday. Grabbing Parvati's arm, arayani led her to die prayer room and sat her daughter down next to her. Then pointing to d1e Shivalin g she spoke of itS significance as d1e creator. Looking at die photo of Shivj i she related die tale of how co save mankind from d1e poison churned out from the ocean, Shivj i drank .i t but held it in his throat, turning it blue and earning him die name Neelkanta - the B lue Throated One. Finally she lifted rue statue of Shiva standing in a dancing pose wid1 a ring of fire around him and told of his cosmic dance, caJJed d1e 'Shiva Tandav', die dance he undertakes to display his omnipotent power as creator, preserver an d d estroyer.
Then s he detailed how t he Shivratri prayers are done. The ShivaJing is first deansed with
water, milk and honey, representing tl1e washing away of bad emotions. Then vermilion paste repre.~enting virtue is applied on the Shiva.ling as a reminder to adhere to righteousness. The offering of tl1e hi/Pa leaves is symbolic o f tbe surrender of oneself co die tl1reeeyed deity. This is foUowed by die offering of fruits, which represents the offering of our desires When these a.re given back as. pm.sod, it represents tl1e fulfili11ent of O LU' wishes Incense is burned to purify tl1e air and to symbolically spread goodwill an d success. Lamps are lie to spnbolise the awaking of our inner b e ing and the attainment of knowledge
The Linga is also marked widi the 'Tripw1dra', the three horizontal stripes made by smearing holy ash and symbolising spiritual knowledge, purity a nd penance. A rosary of Rudral,sha seeds beloved to Lord Shiva and a statue of die Cobra sn ake are p laced near.
Parvati listened carefuU y and tl1en asked, 'Why tonight of aJJ nights?"
"Mythology says, Lord Shiva dedared that tl1e rituals performed by his devotees on the 14d1 da)' of the dark fortnight in d1is month please him tl1e most. Scientifically, the planetary positions on chis night are such that there is a powerful natural upsurge of en ergy in the human system. 1ti5 said to be beneficial for one's physical and spirin1al weU-being. l\1Iy m odier believed ir was die night Shiva manifested his physical form into the Linga form Odiers have said it was d1e night Shiva married Parvati, hence girls pray to Goddess Parvati as well. Whid1 is what yo u should
be doing, since you are starting so late o n this journe)', It might help you catch up, if you pray to born," Narayani added ~~th a laugh ''Alright mum, but j ust to make it clear, I am go ing to pray because of yo u and not Him," saying tlus, Parvaci bowed in front of die sluine
Narayani looked at her shrine, "~peel me tears from her eyes and said to her lord, ''Yo u have a hard task ahead of you \vith this one. I was a piece of cake."
Just then the doorbell rang Paivati rushed to save her momer the trouble. A stranger faced her, a good - looking one who seemed to kn ow about her for he said immediately, "Parvati, I have a letter from your father. I am a botanist and was stud)~ng plai11s in the Himalayan ranges when I mer your father. As I left, he asked me co personaJJy deliver this letter to hi s wife "
Taking d1e lerter from him, Narayani, w ho had now reached them invited him in.
Even wid1out opening the envelope, Narayani knew what the contents wort.Id say. From a distance, her husband was fulfilling his last role as a fatlier Only that would explain why he had chosen d1 ts day, to send tllis man.
At drnt moment she heard tl1e words that confirmed her belief. "Forgive me, I should h ave introduced m yself earlier. My name is Shiva.raj, Sllivaraj Lingara ja," he said.
The unopened letter feU to me Aoor, escaping arayani's trem bling fingers. Her Shiva was once again granting a boon
An elated Shilpa Shetty was named the Wellness Icon at the NDTV Good Times Lifestyle Awards 2013 in Greater Noida recently. The actress and reality TV star is married to businessman Raj Kundra and has a nine month old baby boy called Viaan. Shilpa tweeted that she is happy to continue inspiring
people in the field of wellness and fitness. She received the trophy and certificate looking fit and fabulous in a green leopard print Dolce & Gabbana dress. It's interesting that the actress was picked among so many of her seemingly equally fit contemporaries. But good job Shilpa, show us how it's done!
Is anyone out there missing Munnabhai? Well, it's good news for fans of the character, as filmmaker Subhash Kapoor has been roped in to direct the third instalment ofthe highly successful Munnabhai franchise. The film will go on the floors early next year.
The first two filmsMunnabhai M.8.8.5. and Lage RaghoMunna Bhai - were directed by Rajkumar Hirani. And the unusual jodi of Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi made the films enlightening and entertaining, with Boman Irani thrown in for good measure. But these super successful films were made in 2003 and 2006
respectively, so it's been a big break for the iconic Munnabhai. And which issue will he tackle next, the upcoming election? Kapoor is reluctant to comment.
"Right now only one thing has been finalised that I will be direct the film. Nothing more than that;' he said Naturally the trio of Sanjay, Arshad and Boman w i ll be a part ofthe film. The leading lady is also yet to be finalised.
Kapoor's ongoing Jolly LLB also stars Arshad and Boman along with Amrita Rao in the lead ro l es. Laced with humour, the film is a satire on the country's legal system, and will release in mid-March So let's get ready for some more Munna capers!
Actor Jackky Bhagnani has an unusual gift for his dad, producer Vashu Bhagnani, regardless of whether he may want it or not! It took Jackky a long time to get the rights to Korean singer Psy's superhit number Gangnam Style for his film Rangrezz, but he finally clinched the deal.
Directed by Priyadarshan, Rangrezz releases on March 22, and features actress Priya Anand opposite Jackky.
"I thought that Indians should also have this song. So I started a conversation, which took three months. When I got the papers signed finally, I took them to my dad and said, 'You have done a lot for me and I have got a gift for you'. He was shocked to see that gift;' said the 27-yearold actor.
"We call it Desi gangnam;' said the actor, who admits he is now"trying to establish my own identity:' Not too sure how he's going to achieve that considering that Gangnam Style is now last year's style! A good gesture, but a tad late, Jackky!
But as it's desi, maybe Jackky will make the song trendy again. Good luck with that, Jackky!
John Abraham turned producer with Vicky Donor, so can direction be far from his thoughts of progress in Bollywood?
Not really, as the hunky actor admits that direction is also a part of his p l an, and he would especially love to direct superstar Shah Rukh Khan some day. " I think I will do a fairly decent job directing, because I feel I have a vision and I would like to get that aaoss,"the 40-year-old said.
"I would love to direct Shah Rukh! (He is) very interesti ng and very charismatic. I would not like to play on his strengths, but I would l ike to get something else out;' added John.
Generously, John admits that other actors are also interesting to direct.
"Aamir (Khan) directs himself, so that's interesting about Aamir. Each one is different and probably if I am doing a fun film, may be Akshay Kumar. But I am not thinking about it right now, so it's completely hypothetical. I may (also) direct newcomers;' said John.
His latest release I, Me aur Main hasn't done that well at the box office, so it's likely that the dream of directing may become a reality sooner than la ter! Good luck, John!
Soha Ali Khan is almost as outspoken as big brother Saif when it comes to the film industry.
The actress recently made it clear that she doesn't believe in the 'hero-heroine dynamics' of Bollywood. Instead, the actress prefers a character-driven role in a movie, even if she doesn't get to play the protagonist's role.
" I look for character-driven scripts. I find the words 'hero' or'heroine' very absurd We all play characters;' said the outspoken actress in an interview recently.
Even her debut Bollywood film Oil MaangeMore, released in 2004, reflected this choice. 'When I did my first film, I chose the character of a girl who chooses her career over the boy. But then everyone was like, 'You are not the heroine of the film! She has to get the hero: But I felt the other role was more interesting," Soha said.
The 34-year-old daughter of veteran actress Sharmil a Tagore is appreciative of the kind of cinema the Indian film industry is witnessing currently "It is not star-driven It is script and plot-driven this is more exciting for me:' she said
Soha has been a part of offbeat films like Soundtrack and Midnight's Children as well as commercial films like Rang De Basantiand Tum Mile And she is happy the lines between the two are blurring gradually "In the 1970s, there was commercial ci nema and parallel cinema Now that line is not so clear Good films work at the box office, with offbeat subjects or actors So the distinction is blurred now,"she said "I want to be part of good cinema with songs or without songs, with or without
JOHN ABRAHAMmasala, with or without Salman Khan. The story should be good, the character should be good Whether it works or not is secondary," she added
Soha also admits she regrets being a part of some films , but she doesn't allow herselfto dwell on it too much
"There is no point regretting anythi ng I don't look into the past. Of course, there are films which I have done which have not worked But I don't dwell in those;' she said
Soha will be seen next i n Tigmanshu Dhul ia's Saheb Biwi Aur
Gangster Returns
But if there's one thing that annoys this actress, it's references to her royal background. 'Don't rub in the roya lty, please!' seems to have been Soha's under lyi ng statement when, while promoting the new film, she mad e her displeasure clear at her royalty references being relentless l y rustled up D irector
Dhulia put his foot in it when he said at the event that he chose Soha to play a princess in his film as she looked every inch the roya l in royal finery To this, the
sharp -tongued Soha retorted , "Oh yes, I even sleep i n royal clothes " Explaining her snappy response, Soha said, "It is true When I was ask ed if I was comfortab le playing my character because of my royal background, I did respond that way But I was being facetious in merely stating how 'u nroyal' my dress sense is As a matter of fact, I am so bohemian i n my dress code that only recentl y have I started wearing shoes instead of chappals So I was actual ly making fun of myselfl "
Naturally, Soha ad ded she is very proud of her royal antecedents "I embrace my identity. It is a privilege to come from the background that I do;' said the daughter of the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, who was nawab of Bh opal until 1971, when Ind ia aboli shed royal entitlements.
Well, we'll be seeing princess Soha in royal style soon!
Urvashi Raute l a is just 18, but has already impressed director An il Sharma with her debut performance in Singh Saheb
The Great.
Sharma believes sh e has a long way to go "As the leading lady in the film, Urvashi h as done a wonderful job. So l et us welcome this new girl with all our good wishes,"he said Urvashi i s sai d to have replaced Ameesha Patel in the movie, and w ill be seen romancing Sunny Deol, who is 38 years her senior
Ur vashi was in t h e news for winning the I Am She Miss Universe pageant in 2012, but she had to give up her titl e because she was found to have been 25 days below the minimum age l imit of 18 years
Sharma, who had earli er directed Ameesha and Sunny in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, says Ameesha was never signed on for Singh Saheb The Great.
" She was supposed to be a part of the fi lm but officially we never signed her It was very m u ch a media created news;' said Sharma
Looks like Urvashi has had more success with Bollywood than beauty pageants Good luck to her!
soHA AL.I KH AN
STARRIN G: Sushant Singh Rajput Raj Kumar Yadav, Amit Sadh, Amr ita Puri DIRECTED BY:
Abhishek Kapoort really can't get any better than this, can it? The year has just begun and we have one of the finest, most vi brant and fulfilling coming-of-age films in living memory
Kai Po Che (the war-call uttered during kite -flying in Gujarat) is not about kiteflying. In fact there is just one fleeting sequence, very effectively positioned in the meticulously structured narrative, where the characters actually fly kites Kai Po Che is about spirits soaring skywards, as the characters - each one so vividly etched into the compact narrative that you come away with people whom you will probably carry with you for keeps - let their spirits roam wild and free, soaki ng in the sunlight of desi re, longing, aspiring, stumbling and getting back on the feet.
Set in Gujarat during times of peace and unimaginable stress, Kai Po Che takes Chetan Bhagat's engaging novel about friendship among three d i ssimilar young
people struggling to find their voices in Gujarat in and around the year 2000, and converts the written word into an enrapturing entity far beyond just a story well told
The three, joined by a fourth - a girl who happens to be the sister of one of the heroes secretl y involved with the hero's best friend - bring to life a world wher e the accidents of existence collide gently but powerfull y with man-made and natural calamities that shake the very exi stence of an Indian middle class, living on an edge where toppling over the abyss is a real possibility
Sure enough, by the end of the film one of heroes Omi (Amit Sadh) does fall into the abyss of bigotry Though he is finally given a chance to redeem himself, it's too late. A dream has al ready died, though another one is reborn.
Kai Po Che is about the shared aspirations of three friends : the reckless and devil-may-care cricketer lshaan (Sushant Singh Rajput in a remarkable film debut), his caut ious, shy friend Govind (Raj Kumar Yadav) and their somewhat confused friend Omi, the son of a liberal temple priest who tilts towards Hindu radicalism more out of an economic necessity than a ideological
imperative
Into these lives, screenplay writers Abhishek Kapoor, Chetan Bhagat, Pubali Chaudhuri and Supratik Sen introduce a socio -political perspective that is rare in mainstream Hindi cinema
There are many reasons why Kai Po Che is one of the most compelling products of the post-renaissance era in Indian cinema To my mind its greatest achievement is its fusion of"ci nema" and "history': a synthesis that fi l mmakers today would consider unpalatable for viewers Hence they serve up the junkfood equival ent of cinema. Quickly ingested and easi ly forgotten.
Not this time!
In Kai Po Che, the characters and situ ations created to bring out the personality conflicts emerge from the two crises poi nts i n Gujarat's history - the 2001 earthquake and the post-Godhra carnage in 2002.
The sustained pal pable tension of the riots towards the concluding lap of this riveting ta l e is the stuff t h at great cinema is made of
The virtues of the film are many: songs (AmitTrivedi) and background music (Hitesh Sonik) that seem to echo the protagoni sts' inner world
without making a song and dance, cinematography by Anay Goswami and editi ng by Deepa Bhatia that says it all w ithout a singl e shot being redundant, and most of all, a terrific gallery of actors who make the brotherly bonding look so rea l you feel other cel ebrated films about male bonding (including Abh i shek Kapoor 's Rock On) were mere teasers
And yet to describe Kai Po Che as a film on male bondi ng wou ld be akin to treating Dr Zhivago as a film on the med ica l profession.
Taking the core idea from Bhagat's novel, Kapoor weaves together a tapestry of thoughts, characters and lives that embrace an entire ethos and cu lture without sacrificing individua lity.
Fearless and al most flawless, Kai Po Che bubbles over with the warmth of lived-in experiences and with centra l performances that are so unstudied you suspect the actors were born to play these parts
Among the trio, Am it Sadh as the fence-sitter turned Hindu radical gets into the skin of his character and remains there t i ll the end, and not for the first time He was also admirable as a narrator-journalist in Ka b eer Kaushik's Maximum. Here's an actor who deserves a lot more.
Raj Kumar Yadav as the voice of reason among the trio of friends yet again displays his amazing ability to come to grips w ith the body language, speech and inner wor ld of the peopl e he p l ays I've not seen any actor deliver his l i nes in recent memory so naturally without artificial punctuation. Raj Kumar's triumph is the triumph of refined acting in Hi ndi c inema.
And let's not forget the ta l ented the spontaneous Amrita Puri as l shaan's sister She is at the periphery of the pivotal axis and yet makes her presence felt with such an endearing lack of van it y.
As for Sushant Si ngh Rajput, the script favours his character. And he repays the compliment right back, with bonu s. With his compe ll ing screen presence and an abi lity to render r estl ess energy in a rest rained pattern, he immediately establi sh es himself as one of the most articulate actors of the post-Ranbir Kapoor generation
His relationship with the cr icketing prodigy Ali (Digvijay Deshmukh) is in many ways the core issue of the m u ltifarious plot. You cheer for lshaan's streetwise heroism i n a way you haven't cheered in a l ong while
Take a bow, Abhishek Kapoo r You have proven that Rock On was no flash in the pan. Kai Po Che takes the theme of friendship to another l evel.
Yeh dosti hum nahin todenge, indeed Sometimes the best of friendships get swept away in politics and history It takes a master storyteller to remind us that cinema is finally a mir ror of forces which have a bearing on l ife
Kai Po Che just tempts me to tell the escapist mer chants ofBollywood to go fly a kite
SUBHASH K JHA
Wasseypur's gangs never had it so good Seeing the glorious guttural outflow of blood, bullets and profanities in Zita Ghaziabad one could safely assume, Wasseypur is safe. So is the other release this week.
Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che is as far removed from its Friday competition as flying kites is from a hail of bullets.
To be fair one can 't compare two films as disparate in intent, purpose, tone and treatment as Kai Po Che and Zita Ghaziabad except for the fact that somewhere down the line as we approach the crux and the core, both films say the same thing. If you want to survive in this cut-throat world, you have to recognise your own weaknesses and strengths- not that one sees the hurried restless unanchored
strangely identity-less and vapidly violent characters of Zi/a Ghaziabad ever doing any introspection.
Where is the ti me to sit and think when everyone is out for a kill? The biggest casua lty in all this gore-mongering is a logical pattern of storytelling. The material is edited more to accommodate optimum punches and punchlines than to tell an anchored story. The narration leaves no room for any kind of emotion to take root.
We meet the characters as blood-thirsty creatures of the underground And we are most happy to leave them to their internecine intentions. This is the kind of staged drama where lawmakers and lawbreakers behave with equal impunity Both sides are wedded to anarchy. Screw the emotions. This is an orgy of elemental escapades.
And that's where the fun side of the film unleashes with fatuous fury. The
action director is the real conductor of this disorderly orchestra. One violent outburst follows another as two clans of Zila Ghaziabad battle it out to a bloodied end.
Admittedly, the action is staged with a whole lot of gusto Tragically, the underlining humour of Salman Khan's Dabangg is missing here. These scowling, growling, barking and biting characters take themselves and their anarchic hinterland too seriously. They speak in a self-confident drawl in words about bodily functions thatVishal Bhardwaj or Anurag Kashyap's characters might use on a lazy Sunday to shock their neighbours. But make no mistake. The people who inhabit Zila Ghaziabad mean business.
The business of being mean is perpetrated in a torrent of rapidly-staged drama where aggression is King. The fi l m has a sprawling banquet of actors, and some very competent ones at that.
Sanjay Dutt delivers a punch-filled performance as a cop inured to ambivalence. He strikes swaggering postures that suggest John Wayne never really hung up his hat and boots. Vivek Oberoi, who was gloriously goofy
as a bumbling gangster in l ast week's underrated Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story, here displays a mean streak quite convincingly.
So does Arshad Warsi, better known for his comic acts, here sl ipping into a rugged roguery with rel ish. If you look around, Chandrachur Singh and Pa resh Raw al also show up to add muscle to the mayhem.
Every character seems to have fun with his part in this Khichdi Western, a distant doomed spiced-up teekhacousin of the celebrated 'Spaghetti Western; though whether we as the audience share the characters' sense of enjoyment or not depends entirely on the frame of mind we are in.
If judgemental, one could be deeply offended by the unstopped flow of aggression and profanity However, if in a lenient m ind-space, the bloody battle for indeterminate causes could provide some amount of lowbrow fun.
As expected, in this ode to mayhem and machismo, the ladies have little to do besides shake a leg and shed a tear. Minissha Lamba shows up somewhere along the way trying hard not to look lost in the stag party.
It's hard not to laugh out loud at these heroes of a subverted hinterland who li ve and die by the gun. They deserve the death they get.
But what about us?
SUBHASH K. JHA
STARRI NG: John Abraham, Chitrangda Singh, Prachi Desai, Raima Sen, Mini Mathur
DI RECTED BY: Kapil Sharma
What do you with a selfobsessed guy like lshaan who shoulders no responsibility except that to his iron-board torso and matinee-idol posturings, who takes everyone from Mom, Sis and girlfriend to success, friendship and karma, for granted?
John Abraham plays the kind of narcissist whose life is just waiting to fall apart. It does soon enough, leaving him well, high and not quite dry.
For much of its economical playingtime, /, Me Aur Main glides along innocuously in an urbane corporatised haze where women are allowed to be successful alongside men, though that success comes with a price.
Hence to no one's surprise, Anushka (Chitrangda) locks lshaan (John) out of her home and life. lshaan doesn't waste a moment in moving into a new apartment where he begins anew with flirty neighbour Gauri (Prachi Desai).
This is dangerously thin ice for a desi romcom to tread on. The principal characters do not aspire to any higher ground of existence beyond what they
are allotted by writers.
Director Kapi l Sharma's film derives some succour from urbane dialogues that the characters throw at one another at work and in parties.
Indeed the most interesting character to be obtained in this romcom is that of lshaan's frosty saree-clad, self-styled diva boss Beena (Raima Sen) who takes over the business and has poor l shaan by his balls.
It is interesting to see John play a complete jerk, the kind unfortunately girls of a certain age do fall for.
John plays the trashy lshaan without reservation -you wonder how this self-serving ass will fina lly get his comeuppance.
The payback comes in unexpected ways. The way an executive lifestyle and its sterile relationsh ips are kept afloat in the film, are proof of intelligent minds energising this endeavour which strives to titillate but gradually falls into the terrain of torpidity with no hope of a rescue.
John as the commitment-phobic cad skims over the smooth surface unable to nail the character beyond the occasional smirk and the constant gleam in the eye.
His character evolves gradual l y, though, with fatherhood fuelling a sudden change of heart that would have been more convincing had lshaan's growth from self-obsession to
caring been charted a bit more boldly.
Dwelling in the domain of surfacelevel emotions,/, Me Aur Main tickles our fancy just enough so we do not walk away with a sense of betrayal.
John works hard to give character to his amoral character. His mumbling monologue at the end with his newborn is touching.
Chitrangda smoulders with her bridled sex appeal exuding oomph without letting any of it spill over.
Prachi literal ly plays the girl next door with a warmth that wraps around John like a cosy shawl in winter
Television anchor Mini Mathur and Raima Sen provide colour and character to a script that needed more motivation and a larger sense of responsibility in showing its protagonist go from irresponsible to the committed.
I, Me Aur Main is an inoffensive, tender rom-com about a selfish jerk and the
two lovely ladies who come into his life. With an endearing threesome of principa l actors who aren't afraid to play flawed, this film should have left us floored. Instead it just leaves us pleasantly underwhelmed.
SUBHASH K JHA
Match in Tricity or Sydney for girl working Well settled/professional alliance invited in convent school, 5' · 1•: April 1987, M.Sc. IT, from Australia/India for 41 / 165 unmarried B.Ed., PGDCA, elder sist er married and settled in charming Punjabi Khatri girt, family oriented Sydney. Details 9988211362, 0430 172 569. and responsible, IT professional, working in Sydney. Australian citi zen. Early marriage. Can relocate. Serious proposals only Email profile with recent photo: sydgirl09@gmail.com
Hindu Garg Agrawal NRI parents of Sydney-based NZ citiz en daught er 38, 5 3'; well educated, IT professional. seeking qualified, well-educat ed Hindu professionals; daught er willing to relocate please respond: sashti@globalmatri.org
Well-settled Indian family looking for a suitable match for their 23-year-old dentist niece from India, Hindu, Punjabi, height 5'1 '; looking to settle in Australia. Will be visiting Australia in July. Reply to goodnewsmarry@gmail.com
Suitable match for beautiful , slim, Hindu girl, 29t h July 1981, S'S'; graduate from P.U. Chandigarh, Diploma in fashion designing. Working in Sydney, Belongs to a business family, brother well settled in Sydney, running own business. Looking for good looking, clean shaven, Permanent Resident / Citizen boy. Please con t act with phot o and details at : f unny_mints@yahoo.com;
+ 919417072965 (India);
0422 669 082 (Sydney)
Seeking Sikh boy, ready to settle in Sydney, for very beautiful slim girl 27/ 5'7" working in MNC, high income. Elder sister married, parents well settled in Sydney Aust ralia. Cont act with photo at sukhikaur20l 3@gmail.com
Seeking suitable match (from Australia, never married) for Hindu girl, 35 years, Chartered Accountant (non-veg), I iving in Australia over 25 years, with eastern and western family values. Please email with all details on ganesh2011 v@gmail.com
Suitable well-settled/ professional match
for Punjabi Arora beautiful, never married, Seeking bride for 31-yr-old, BTech, 39/166 qualified IT prof essional. GSOH with software professional, worked in USA, good family values Brought up in India. recently gained Aus PR, moving to Aus, Working in MNC Sydney. Australian citiz en. Early currently working with TCS Mumbai, marriage. Serious enquiries only Email det ails never marr ied, belongs to God fearing with photo: ausgirll 01@gmail.com cultured family. Please send details to: sandeepsinghnz@yahoo.com; Suitable Saraswat Bra hmin, MBA, CA, phone: 0466 971 880. Denti st or profe ssional with at least 5' 9"tall match for our daughter, aged 30, Match required for 27-year-old good slim, beautiful, 57"tall with fair colour. Graduate from well reputed university in accoun t s and commerce, f urther st udying MBA. Ours i s a well settled family. Contact partnersearch2707@gmail.com
looking boy 6'4~ Australian citizen, working in a steady job as Records Officer earning modest salary, living in Sydney, st uden t s st udying in Australia also are welcome to send t heir profile. Email at bahsyd8 59l@gmail.com
Seeking suitable match for 37 years, good looking Gujarati Brahmin boy, 57" Australian citizen caste no bar. Born and brought up in Mumbai, India and moved to Sydney 5 years ago. Plea se email with details on ravi.J)1OO@hotmail.com
Match required for a 48-yo, slim, clean shaven, Jat Sikh Aust PR living in Melb, working for a Bank, own house. I have no children but I don't mind if she has children. Genuine enquiries only email: Jat_sikh@hotmaii.com
Single tall man, often travels with work, desires to meet attractive good character single or widow lady over 40 with a view to marriage. Apply PP GPO Box 2336 Adelaide, South Australia 5000.
You will find help from a co-worker who tries to help you deal with a problem, but the cards indicate that it may cause more confusion. Try not to feel upset or angry, as it won't help. There can be romance in the air when someone reveals his or her true feelings for you. A Scorpio plays an important role. This month you will be feeling a little restless and overenthusiastic, so try and relax and let things flow.
You will manage to keep quiet about things that are upsetting you and this reticence will pay off. The cards indicate that a close friend will need to talk to you and will reveal some personal information. You will be thinking about a love relationship and wanting to know where you stand. There will be a very strong desire to ask your partner for a commitment, but Tarot advises take things slow and steady, and everything will work out.
The cards indicate that you will need to be patient at work this month. Make sure that you think about your best interests, as very often you do not always think about yourself and your own needs. Make decisions wisely. There is a real need to get things done and resolutions should be found. Lower back pain could be an unfriendly visitor this month. There is a kind of nagging pain: get it checked out, says Tarot.
The cards indicate that you will be all too willing to try and help everyone out at work. A great new romance is on the cards for you, so be sure to make your moves. Financially you will be looking at some investments, and will come across some lucrative deals. There is a block of land near water that will catch your eye. You need to make sure you check the oil, water and brake fluid in your car.
This month, you will find that you have become a shoulder to lean on. You will be giving loved ones your support and attention. Your caring, patience and support will be appreciated. It is a busy time for you at work, so make sure you give yourself a break. You will be planning to purchase a new car. There may be news of an engagement, foresees Tarot Clear out your wardrobe and throw out things you do not wear.
The cards show that you will be feeling very social this month. At work, you will progress as a team. You will also be meeting up with friends and will not feel like a hermit. There will be some lovely evenings spent with loved ones who will rely on you to take care of a family matter that is causing stress. There may be an Aquarius involved, Tarot suggests. You may be thinking about buying a new pet.
The cards show that you will be seeking harmony in the workplace this month. You are advised not to get involved in any office politics, easier said than done. Loved ones will look to you for advice and support. Take a deep breath. You will be able to help everyone out and still have time for yourself, Tarot knows. There will be some nagging health issues around an elderly member of the family. A blood test is required.
SCORPIO
- Nov 2 1
The cards indicate that this is the month to follow your instincts in business matters. It is in your nature to tell the truth so stick to it, and don't try to cover up as you will be found out. Love takes on a real twist as an old friend will resurface and wantto begin a relationship. You too will have strong feelings. Just follow your heart. Tarot foresees a legal matter as needing your attention.
SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21
The cards indicate a time when you will need to be very honest and open with a close friend. Your romantic life slows down this month, but don't get discouraged. This break will give you time to relax and focus on yourself. You need to keep going to the gym or working out, as you are not feeling too healthy right now, Tarot suggests. Check on your diet and work schedule and make sure you are getting enough rest.
The cards indicate a great time for you at work. A great new opportunity will be presented to you. Your intelligence and efficiency will shine through. Don't be shy when it comes to meeting new people this month. Your sweet, sensitive side will bring you close to someone with a lot of connections. You will be attracting a lot of attention from the opposite sex. Be careful of those around you, warns Tarot.
The cards show here that you need to allow your practical side to lead you in decision-making as the month begins. J Do not make any hasty purchases. A relationship will move quite swiftly, and you will realise that you have a lot in common with that special person. There may be talk of an engagement. Tarot urges you to look after your health this month. You may join an evening class to learn a hobby.
"'lf The cards indicate that this month will be a time when you will feel a little trapped. You will take time out to relax and enjoy time with your loved ones, giving yourself a break from it all. Virgo and Sagittarius play important roles. You may be thinking about travelling for a while and just finding out what you want to do in life. Tarot suggests you will come across a soul mate to share your dreams.
Bv the time this articJe is published, I will have either earned rightful ownership of one of the most coveted possessions, 'the NS\XI driver's license' or be sulking over w hat went wrong and why the res ring officer couldn't be a rad bit lenient.
Whatever d1e case, I truly and most sincerely believe tbat of all the examinations iliac I have taken in my life until now, the NSW driv ing test has been the most petrifying of all and has made me feel li ke a 'good for nothing' even before attempting it. Having said chat, let me confess mat d1e fuse bit, ilie computer test was a cake walk. Aren't we Indians sheer geniuses ar all iliings theoretical! While the guy next to m e was ventin g co.lourful epi d1ecs after a.Imost every d1ird click, 1 found m ysel f breezing through it and finished tbe tesr way before time.
Yes, I had done it, I had passed d1e DKT (Driver Knowledge Test) in one go Bur was iliat ilie real challe11ge? For all of you who have gone through it, I bet you know ilie answer
It was the next stage, d1e practical bir, the driving test mat was sending shivers down my spine.
I had beard stories, real stories of how one can fail the driving test. One of m y frie n ds had shared her experience. She had barely started ilie car when die testing officer said, "You have failed, would you still like to continue?" "What? Ine car hasn't eve.11 moved, how I can fail?" she quipped. Well, she hadn't
m oved the car, but had moved me rear view mirro r to adjust it, after she had s carred the car. Rule broken = Fail.
Another friend who has been drivi ng on Indian roads even before he star ted high sdiool had committed a supposedly co mmon mistake, stopped just past the stop line. Rule bro ken = Fail.
A regular Listener who often rings in on my show on Indian Link Radio, Ruchika once shared wim me on-ai r, how s he had always been a copper all her life and h ow failing ilie driving test had shattered her confidence and made her feel miserable - to me extent d1at s h e didn't attempt it again for years Fortunately she recentl y called up to say that she had fi nally mustered some courage and attempted i t again, this tinie passing wim Aying colours. Well, I have a ba n k of such hotror stories, but I shall 'brake' at mat.
So, co cut a long story short, I
decided to enroll myself in a driving school. Needles s co say $60/ hour did hurt, but as everyrhing comes at a cost, so be it!
Now here's another common 'fimdt/ ilia t we Indians tend to share: getting a 'desl trainer to tead1 us me nuances of ilie A ussie rules. After all we share a bond, they would understand ilie psydle of a fellow Indian like no orher Aussie trainer, and above all, have to give us some discount at least!
But let me warn you, experience has it d1at twless you are prepared to reveal your entire ancestry, every Litde detail of your exisre11ce and answers to aU m ose encroach ing questions during the course of chat one hour .lesson, steer clear of d1e desi trainer Pay some extra bucks and gee someone who's not .interested in your history, but in your driving and driving o nly!
So, back to me driving lessons Wim every lesson as much as l
was fielding chose questions, I was getting co know ways in which one can fail d1e test. Scare wi tho u t ilie leg on ilie brake = Fail; don't signal for at a least 5 seconds b efore leaving a parking space or moving from a kerb = Fail; an d d1e list simply goes on And d1en d1ere i s a Li se for loss of poin cs coo
I do n't know how many of you have gone ilirough somedung similar, but crust you me, if you were o n e of iliose who passed the test before things became so strict and difficult, consider yomself lucky.
Did I not men tion mat I used to be an e.xpert b ehind me wheels back in India, but does mat matter anymore? Don't bother answering, that was meant m be a rheto rical question. So while it may be too late for you to wish me l uck, here's wishing good .l uck to all of you who are yet to drive past ilie dieckpoint. Stop Press: I passed, 111atch out NSWroads!
kAkl" ti CAD•I )~hfE"SCIIOoL
IJ -
