2013-06 Sydney (2)

Women as leaders

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The Indian Australian community may be forgiven in not fully understanding the misogyny statements from the Prime Minister recently. While that rant directed against Tony Abbott, delivered in Parliament last October, went viral, the blue tiemisogyny speech of earlier this month has not gone down well. To many it ranked of crass opportunism.

Indian Australians are no strangers to having women in leadership positions. Some of the strongest leaders in contemporary Indian politics are women: Sonia Gandhi, Mamta Bannerjee, Sushma Swaraj, Mayawati, and Jayalalitha. You may or may not agree with their politics, but you will agree that they are all able to command a leadership position.

One of our best known prime ministers, Indira Gandhi, was so strong she was once described as ‘the only man in her (kitchen) cabinet’.

Going back a couple of centuries, Jhansi ki Rani was revered as a true leader in the first war of Independence in 1857. Following her, strong women leaders like Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, Vijaylakshmi Pandit, Kamla Nehru, Aruna Asaf Ali, Sucheta Kripalani all

walked shoulder to shoulder in the country’s march towards Independence. Even our neighbouring countries have had formidable female forces that galvanised the nation. Benazir Bhutto, Shaikh Hasina, Khalida Zia, Aung San Suu Kyi, Srimavo Bandarnaike, Chandrika Kumaratunga, all rose to top political office in their countries.

Recent polls may have suggested (rightly or wrongly) that South Asian countries may be the worst places to be a woman, but never has misogyny been an issue for these leaders.

There may have been loud disagreements on policy (Mamta Bannerjee, take note!) and governments may have changed or been driven out, but personal life choices, dress sense, size or shape of body parts, and sexuality of partners have never been the question of debate or comment.

As Prime Minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher ruled with an iron fist. Single-handedly busting up the unions, she did not allow gender to even come into the equation. She led with her own brand of politics, and while many openly despised her, none brought gender into question. In the current Euro crises, the two individuals who worked the hardest to save the Europe Union were the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of the Euro Union zone Christina Lagaard. While austerity measures were imposed in a number of countries, the protests were against the

measures rather than the women per se who advised on these cutbacks. Australia as a nation has come far in transforming society as a more open society for women.

Amongst women in power we have the governor-general Quentin Bryce, the prime minister Julia Gillard, NSW state governor Marie Bashir, Tasmanian premier Lara Giddings, ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher and ex premiers Queensland’s Anna Bligh, NSW’s Kristina Kennelly, Victoria’s Joan Kirner, and WA’s Carmen Lawrence. All have stood tall during their tenure. Who can forget the fortitude with which Anna Bligh handled the aftermath of the Queensland floods? Other than Gillard herself, none of the other women in the list above have brought up the issue of misogyny, at least publicly; they will all be remembered as leaders who did a tough job in trying circumstances (Kristina Kennelly is a shining example).

The gaining of political office, in whichever part of the world, has always been based on merit. The debates in such positions have, until recently in Australia, been centred around policy. It’s time for our leaders to let the gender issues slide, before they reach a new low, if that is possible.

Pawan Luthra is the current Parliament of NSW Multicultural Journalist of the Year.

Minnal Khona, Mali Iyer, Petra O’Neill, Noel G De Souza, Saroja Srinivasan, Farzana Shakir, Sandip Hor, Chitradevi Kasilingam, Bhavin Raval, Mallika Goel

PAWAN LUTHRA

SPIRITUAL

Gopa Kuteeram

4th Sunday of every month 4pm-5:30pm

The Global Organisation for Divinity runs free spiritual educational classes for children aged 4-12 years. Crestwood Community Centre, Crestwood Drive, Baulkham Hills. Parents can join in the devotional lecture by Sri Deepak Vinod. Classes are also being run in Liverpool. Baulkham Hills details: Jayashree on 02 9620 4676.

Liverpool details: Deepak Vinod 0422 127 956.

Chinmaya Mission activities

Classes

School holiday camp

Wed 3 to Fri 5 July “Saints and Sages: Heroes of Life”. Children aged 5-12 welcome. Registration close 30th June.  Teenagers, youth and parents are requested to come as volunteers (sevaks).

Shishu Vihar

Classes for children between the age of 2- 4.5 years, tailored to increase love and bonding between parent and child. Vedanta Classes In Castle Hill & Epping on Wednesday nights.

Meditation Classes

10-week program at Castle Hill

Sanskrit Classes 10-week program for beginners (Course 1) and advanced students (Course 2) at Castle Hill.

Hindi Classes

Beginners level starting in May at Crestwood Community Centre, Baulkham Hills.

Details: Br Gopal Chaitanya 0416 482 149.

Oonjal Sewa

Sun 23 June 10.00am-12.30pm

Sri Om Care is organising Oonjal

Sewa at Sri Om Adi Sakthi Ashram, 62 Kurrajong Cres, Blacktown, with special guest H.H. Sri Om Adisakthiyendra Swamigal in attendance.

Details: Jay Raman 0410 759 906.

Gayatri Jayanti

Sun 23 June 10.00am-1.00pm

All World Gayatri Pariwar (Australia) celebrates the birth of righteous knowledge in the form of Vedmata Gayatri by conducting a nine-kund Gayatri yagya (hawan).

Shree Swaminarayan Temple, 1/44 Bessemer St Blacktown.

Details: Neeraj Ram 0405 777 539.

Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Society of NSW activities

1-Day Retreat on Bhagavad Gita, Chap 8

Sun 30 June 9.30am-4.00pm

At the Eternal Godhead at Vedanta Hall, under the direction of Pravrajika Gayatriprana. Program includes silent meditation, class on Chap.8 of the Gita, question and answer session, group discussion and clarification of discussion.

Devotional music Avijit Sarkar and Friends

Sat 20 July 5.30-7.30pm

Early evening concert of devotional songs at Vedanta Hall. Includes complimentary refreshments from 5.30-6.00pm.

Sri Krishna’s Birthday at Vedanta Hall

1 Sept 10.40am-12midday

Program insilent Silent Meditation, Group chanting of the Sanskrit and reading of the English translation of Chapter 8 of the Bhagavad Gita, Talks by Pravrajika Gayatriprana & Saptarshi Ray.Venue: Vedanta Hall, 15 Liverpool Road, Croydon.

Details: 02 9745 4320 or email: admin.saradavedanta@ bigpond.com.

Website: www.saradavedanta.org

Swami Vivekananda’s 150th Birthday

Tues 17-Wed 18 Sept 2pm & 7pm

Play at Sydney Opera House: Oneness - Voice Without Form The Extraordinary Life of Swami Vivekananda.

Details: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

AWGP Australia

If you want Yagya, Satnarayan Katha, various Sanskara (Vivah, Janma Divas, Vivah diwas, Namkaran, Punsavan, Mundan, House warming, Bhumi poojan etc.) at home please contact any one of the Gayatri Pariwar parijan. Donations welcome.

Details: Archana/Anand Jaiswal 0404 430 730 or visit www.awgpaustralia.org.au

STAGE

Soorya Festival of Dance and Music

Sun 7 July A fund-raising event for Sydney Ayyappa Temple, at Sydney Baha’i Centre, 107 Derby St Silverwater. Program includes Katahka, Bharatanatyam and Mohiniyattam dances.

Details: Renga Rajan 0448 757 785.

Maya Youth in Performing Arts

About a Brown: The Musical Friday 12 July 8pm & Saturday 13 July 3pm & 7pm

This production aims to encompass the day to day lives and idiosyncrasies of second generation youth with a sub-continental cultural heritage in a stage musical with live orchestra and dance ensembles. All proceeds will be donated to the International Medical Health

Organisation. NIDA Theatre, 215 Anzac Parade, Kensington.

Details: www.mayaarts.com.au

MISC

Attention families of people with disability

Sat 29 June Samarpan, a new organisation formed by families of people with disability from the South Asian community, announce their first public event at the Epping Community Centre, 9 Oxford Street, Epping, from 2-5 pm. They will introduce Samarpan as an organisation that intends to raise awareness of disability within the community, connect families and the person with disability, and share information about the types of support that are available to families and for the person with disability.

Details: Uday Uday, 0438272023 or visit www. samarpan.org.au

Hindu Council of Australia opportunities available

Hindu Council of Australia invites expression of interests from anyone who wishes to expand their horizons and get involved with one of the biggest community events of Sydney. These are voluntary positions.

Details: Raman Bhalla 0401 057 224 or www.hinducouncil.com.au

Apply: info@deepavali.com.au

Seniors Day Care Centre, Baulkham Hills

Sri Om Foundation is planning to open a Day Centre at Baulkham Hills early Aug 2013 for those resident in Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Cherrybrook areas. This will cater to all frail aged seniors aged from 70 and above. Structured programs

for the frail aged will be organised. Sessions will be in one of the council facilities and Pick Up and Drop Off from home have been organised. Admission is limited.

Details: Shweta 0405 367 238.

Blood Donation Camp Sat 6 July 11.15am-12 noon

Australia Tamil Association announce their 16th Blood Donation Camp.

Details: Prathap Ramachandran 0432 016 639.

Sydney Sakhi Sangam’s Teej function Sun 14 July 11am-onward

This is their 15th year commemorating Indian women and their friendships.

Details: Nandini 0423 684 340, Sushma 0411 967 374.

ART Exhibition: A Tender Heart 22 June – 4 July Sydney photographer Katy Fitzgerald presents her images of India at ArtHere, 126 Regent Street, Redfern. She recently spent 5 months working and travelling in India. Funds raised from the exhibition will go towards Tender Heart School for disadvantaged children in Bhatola near Delhi, where Katy volunteered.

Details: Sandy Edwards 0402 112 755.

FILM

Sat 17 Aug GHARA presents Satyagraha

GHARA helps adults with intellectual disabilities in the poorest communities of Bangalore India. This movie will be held at Blacktown Hoyts as a fundraiser. Details: Kylee Davis 0410 657 896, ghara.trust@gmail.com or www.ghara.org

Queen’s Birthday Honours

Gambhir Watts and Arcot Sampath Kumar were awarded Australian honours this month

Multicultural missionary

Executive President of Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan and Founder and CEO of International Centre of Nonviolence

Australia, Gambhir Watts is renowned and respected within the Indian community, and for very good reasons. Since his arrival here in 1992, Mr Watts has made a significant contribution to Australian society, working tirelessly towards the promotion, education and acceptance of India’s rich heritage and culture.

For Mr Watts, the award is certainly an honour and an acknowledgment of the work he has been doing for a while now, but he is modest about being presented with such an accolade.

“The important thing is to continue the good work for Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia (BVB), and to continue striving to make a difference,” Mr Watts tells Indian Link

As one of the largest NGOs in the world, the BVB literally means the House of Indian Knowledge/Wisdom, and has over 367 constituent institutions, with the Sydney Centre being its first in Australia. Mr Watts was instrumental in setting up and launching the Bhavan in Australia in 2003, and has carried the reins of responsibility since then; his current role is that of President.

“My motto is that of the Bhavan: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or ‘The world is one family’, and I strive to achieve this through various events designed to bring people together,” he says.

The Bhavan organises various activities to enhance India’s culture and heritage in Australia, as well as promoting Sanskrit and Hindi languages and multiculturalism through mainstream events.

One of the biggest events organised by the Bhavan, the Holi Mahotsav is held annually at Darling Harbour, and is attended with equal enthusiasm by local Australians and Indian origin patrons. Mr Watts works tirelessly to showcase the event every year, which keeps gaining in strength and popularity. “The Holi Mahotsav celebrations have increased to three days now, but my eventual aim is to organise a week-long celebration,” he says.

Another significant event organised under the auspices of the Bhavan was the highly successful World Culture Concert and Arts Festival that ran from 2004-07, displaying performances of original cultural music and dance from different nations, which he intends reviving in the future.

One of the Bhavan’s newest achievements is the recent setting up of the International Centre of Nonviolence Australia, with the blessings of Ela Gandhi (granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi) and in association with International Centre of Nonviolence South Africa and Gandhi Development Trust South Africa, of which Mr Watts is Founder and CEO.

As can be imagined, Mr Watts leads an extremely busy life, balancing his business with his philanthropic work and working tirelessly towards achieving his goals. He works seven days a week, sometimes well over ten hours a day, but it’s all for a good cause – to achieve greater recognition for all that’s good about his motherland. On behalf of the community, we congratulate him on this important felicitation and wish him all the best in his endeavours.

Sheryl Dixit

A country practice

Dr Sampath Kumar was honoured for his service to the community of Canowindra in NSW, particularly as a general practitioner.

“I am very grateful to receive an OAM for my work as a general practitioner for over 40 years in Canowindra and the surrounding area (including Eugowra and Woodstock),” Dr Kumar tells Indian Link.

His work involves visiting the 32-bed Canowindra Hospital as well as at the 60bed Moyne Nursing Home.

“Working as a doctor in a small and supportive country town has been rewarding to say the least,” Dr Kumar says. “I am now campaigning for young doctors to come and serve in the country. It is a great opportunity. Every little bit you do is greatly appreciated”.

Dr Kumar moved to Australia in 1971 as a young doctor keen to take on postgraduate studies.

“I was all ready to go to the UK, but a senior colleague who was already here convinced me that Australia is a great place to live and work. I am glad I took his advice!”

Dr Kumar started work at Manly Hospital but soon found an opening in the country at Canowindra.

He has never left.

He took his bride Uma there soon after they were wed, and they raised their family of three kids there, quite happily.

“The community welcomed us with open arms,” Dr Kumar says.

The Kumars became quite prominent members of the local community. Dr Kumar joined local organisations such as Apex Club and Lions Club (of which he served as Secretary as well as President),

and wrote for the local Canowindra News. The family also got involved with the local farming community, having bought a farm themselves in the area.

“We took steps to involve ourselves whole-heartedly with the whole gamut of the social and community life here – from work to school to farming,” Dr Kumar reveals. “Being involved in farming has also given us greater insight into this rural community”.

Yet he lets slip that Uma was a bit taken aback at having to start life in a small community after having lived in the bustling city of Bangalore back home.

“But she assimilated very well. In no time, she had made many friends, and when the children came along, we put them in the local schools here, which also helped”.

The Kumars are all for a country up-bringing for their children. “We soon discovered Canowindra is a great place to raise a family. Our kids have got a good education starting here and then boarding in Orange and Canberra. Today, our sons are specialist doctors in Sydney working as a neurologist and an oncologist, and our daughter is a lawyer ”.

The Kumars travel to Sydney every fortnight to visit their kids – and to stack their fridges with home-made food! But for them, it will always be the country life.

“I’d like to send the message out to young doctors out there, to come and try a country practice. The work is varied and rewarding, and you’ll enjoy the peace and quiet and the country hospitality of the wonderful people here”.

Rajni Anand Luthra

Photo: Federation Fotos

Dr Arcot Sampath Kumar, OAM

Gambhir Watts, OAM

Meeting India’s youngest minister

Sachin Pilot greets the Indian community in a whirlwind visit to Sydney

BY MALLIKA GOEL

When Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs

for the Government of India strides to the podium, the silence is palpable. Articulate, young, infinitely presentable – and did I mention young? He could be India’s saving grace, and we are all eagerly gathered to hear what he has to say.

This is the Minister’s second visit to Sydney, following in the footsteps of a wider Australia trip that included stops to Melbourne and Canberra, in a detailed programme drawn up by AusTrade – the purpose of which was to discuss commercial and company related matters. Three other senior members of the Competition Commission of India accompanied him this time.

Mr Pilot’s previous visit to Sydney was in May 2012 to attend CeBIT, in his previous position as Minister of State for Communications and IT.

Organised by the Indian Consulate and hosted at the Four Seasons at Circular Quay, this particular evening however, is an opportunity for the Indian community in Sydney to enjoy a brief Q&A with Mr Pilot. And for many – myself included – this is an exciting first.

The Minister talks about the “cohesive workable partnership” between India and Australia. It is a relationship that’s going in the right direction as “there are no divergent views on anything of major significance between our two countries,” he states.

He notes, “The relationship is one that has potential to grow, especially in areas of technology and telecom, where India has been doing tremendously well, and can share its considerable expertise with our friends in Australia”.

Happy to see “such proud smiling faces,” Mr Pilot encourages us to diligently keep doing the work we have done so far, so both countries may benefit and ultimately do better, bigger things together. He ends by inviting us to “get together and share a few ideas”.

Sprinkling his words with a

touch of humour, always a crowdwinner, Mr Pilot asks us to shelve the difficult questions for later, as it’s Saturday night. A goodnatured chuckle follows, after which he spends a good half hour listening to and allowing himself to be photographed with various members of the gathering.

I hear a range of questions directed at him, from heavier topics about recent corruption scandals in India and what he plans to do about them (not going into detail, he acknowledges it is a problem, and that more transparency in public life is needed), to the current state of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. What more can be done between India and Australia? What’s his vision for the future?

How has his youth been received?

The Minister is diplomatic and polite, tactfully sidestepping questions when required, not quite encouraging conversation, but responding to questions curtly, before moving on to the next circle.

“Working the room” is the expression someone near me uses, but it is said in a positive light – after all, time is scarce and much of the questions are being repeated.

Before we know it our time is already up and Mr Pilot is gone in the whirlwind of a meet and greet. There is a possibility that he might visit Sydney again later this year for a regional PBD (Pravasi Bharatiya Divas) on November 10-12; however this will only be

confirmed closer to the time, given that the Minister’s home state of Rajasthan is due for state elections around that time.

An MBA graduate of Wharton Business School, there should probably be no surprise that Sachin Pilot is well-spoken.

I think it is more relief than anything, which is the lingering sentiment in the room, that someone so young, in fact, the youngest Minister in Indian politics is in a position of power.

Sachin Pilot symbolises a new relevance for India. Even the good relations between him and NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell bode well for the future of both countries. Sachin Pilot gives people the feeling that they can connect to him, relate to him and most importantly, share hope with him! A second-term MP, he is obviously doing something right and it’s clear that he resonates with the people both back home and here.

It has been a long time coming, but maybe India is in for the start of change it needs.

A range of questions are directed at him, from heavier topics about recent corruption scandals in India and what he plans to do about them, to the current state of innovation and entrepreneurship in the country

Sachin Pilot gives people the feeling that they can connect to him, relate to him and most importantly, share hope with him!

BetteR than

A radical breed of Indian filmmakers are conquering the global audience with unique and thought-provoking films

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

Rarely has an independent film raised so much interest in India in the weeks before its official release, but Ship of Theseus, made by filmmaker Anand Gandhi is one such film. The film screened at the recently concluded Sydney Film Festival where it won rave reviews, as it did at the London, Dubai, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Mumbai, Brisbane, Rotterdam and Transylvania Film Festivals. The film is but one of the many new movies making the international circuit and showcasing an immense and untapped well of talent for storytelling, screenplay and acting from the Indian film industry. These are award-winning films that grasp concepts of reality and present them with simplicity, finesse and authenticity that

make them tremendously appealing, however, to a larger international market, rather than a domestic one.

New ideas

With one of India’s leading film personalities Kiran Rao presenting the film and a strong online campaign promoting it, Ship of Theseus seems to be the first independent film sailing into the year’s top ten list of many critics, nationally and internationally.

An ‘independent’ film is defined loosely as a non-studio funded film. But that, says filmmaker Ritesh Batra and one of Gandhi’s contemporaries, is outside of India. Within India, according to Batra, an independent film is one that is ‘independent in spirit’.

And Batra should know. His first feature film Dabba (The Lunchbox), won the Viewer’s Choice Award Grand Rail d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

As films ‘independent in spirit’, the Indian audience is likely to classify The Lunchbox and Ship of Theseus in the ‘art’ film

category, variously called arthouse, alternate, parallel, sometimes even ‘meaningful’ cinema. This is the kind of cinema that has no commercial trappings – it does not have songs or dances, or even heroes and villains, is low budget, has no stars, might win an award or two, but typically, is the kind that has no takers in terms of a mass audience.

And yet, Ritesh Batra and Anand Gandhi are heralding a new era in Indian cinema, one which is seeing the paradigm shift considerably. Their particular brand of cinema asks more questions than it gives answers, and leaves you thinking long after you’ve left the theatre. Their movies have already won over cinema buffs internationally; so can the domestic market be far behind?

While there is still a long way to go, these films are finally creating furrows in the mindset of an audience that is conditioned to the removed-from-reality and escapism fiction of commercially successful films.

Sailing towards success

Ship of Theseus is a story that interweaves the dilemmas faced by three separate individuals as they grapple with issues of identity and change. A blind photographer who receives a cornea transplant wonders whether her art has changed after her operation. A kidney transplant recipient is consumed by the plight of his anonymous donor. A dying monk refuses medication because he has spent his life fighting against animal testing. In a classic Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram tale, writer-director Gandhi addresses the notions of truth, justice and beauty. The title itself comes from the fabled paradox of Theseus, in which the question is asked, ‘if a ship has each of its parts replaced, is the new ship the same as the original?’

“The idea of the film came to me as I nursed my grandmother in hospital and saw the disease and death around me,” Anand Gandhi revealed, speaking to Indian Link at the sidelines of the Sydney Film Festival. “As the story developed,

my own artistic, ethical, social and philosophical struggles defined the struggles of my characters”.

The film was a hit at Toronto last year, with acclaim for its unusual story as well as for its stellar performances, and Kiran Rao got wind of it.

“She made it a point to see it, and loved it,” Gandhi divulged. “We talked about working together, and when I suggested she could present the film, she came on board”.

Having produced a philosophical treat, it is quite surprising to learn that Gandhi actually started off in the industry at 19 as a writer on the TV soaps

Kyonki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi and Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. (Another example of the dichotomy that characterises his work, perhaps?) He laughed at the suggestion that at first he gave us trash, but now he wants to make us think.

“In my defense, I was only 19! Look, every artiste wants to reach out to the mass audience. I am glad I got it over with early on!” said Gandhi. “I was just

Hugo Weaving with Anand Gandhi

Monsoon Shootout

Monsoon Shootout

Ship of Theseus

MonsoonShootout

Bollywood

telling Hugo Weaving, my friend and co-jury member here at Sydney, that if we have the luxury and the leisure to dream and imagine and invent, we also have a responsibility to do something interesting and thoughtful. If I have privileges, I must put them to good use”.

Hopefully the Saas-Bahu audience will think the exact same thought, and move up a notch along with him!

Guns ‘n’ rain

Amit Kumar’s first feature, Monsoon Shootout also featured at this year’s Sydney Film Festival, and was included in the competition category. The film is about the dynamics of split second decisions that could change your life forever. To shoot or not to shoot, that is the question faced by a rookie cop in this action-packed police thriller set in monsoonal Mumbai. Three different scenarios play out, based on the decisions that could compromise his morals.

Kumar claims he has always

been intrigued by the decisionmaking process, like how much of the other person’s perspective do you take into consideration while making a decision that will affect them?

“The idea has been sitting in my mind for ten years now,”

Kumar told Indian Link. “The UK Film Council that was supposed to fund it closed down, and when I found an Indian producer they wanted a well-known star in the film, so it stalled again. Finally Anurag Kashyap helped out”.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui gives a stunning performance as the baddie at the other end of policeman Vijay Verma’s gun.

Nawazuddin (the new Naseeruddin?) also appeared in Kumar’s first offering, a short film called The Bypass (2003). Kumar must surely be thrilled with the way Nawaz’s career has taken off in the last ten years.

“Having Nawaz on board makes it all very powerful,” he admitted. “You have him, you’ll have the producers.”

Dabba dreams

Written and directed by the talented Ritesh Batra, Dabba (The Lunchbox) is set in Mumbai and revolves around a mistaken delivery in the dabbawala (lunchbox service) popular in Mumbai. This leads to a relationship between Saajan, a lonely widower who is about to retire, and Ila, an unhappy housewife. They start exchanging notes through the daily lunchbox that inspire them to create a fantasy world together. The film was screened on May 19 as a part of the International Critics’ Week at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where it received a standing ovation of over 15 minutes and very positive reviews. Dabba also won the Critics Week Viewers Choice Award, also known as Grand Rail d’Or.

Batra is a graduate from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts film programme, and his talent has been lauded at Sundance, the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) and by French-German TV channel ARTE. The Dabba screenplay has

also been applauded and awarded an honourable Jury Mention at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and was promoted at the Goa NFDC Film Bazaar, the Berlinale Talent Project Market and at the Torino festival screenwriter’s lab.

International recognition

So, what were Gandhi and Kumar expecting from Sydney?

“I got exactly what I was expecting,” Anand Gandhi confided. “A warm welcome. A full house. A curious and interested audience, who treated me to wonderful Q&A sessions, which often spilled out of the theatre!” (He forgot to add, modestly, a standing ovation).

Amit Kumar was more romantic in his reply saying, “I came expecting simply that the Sydney audience will love my film, and come to India to see the monsoon… but maybe not a shootout!”

Kumar added however, that he hoped to see his film challenge the

existing notions of Indian cinema.

“My film was in competition, so viewers were primed to see something different, but yes, I’m hoping to change perceptions about the kind of films we make in India”.

We can safely conclude that these filmmakers did exactly that, given the more-than-warm response. The other Indian links at the festival, namely Algorithms by Geetha J and Ian MacDonald (a documentary on blind chess players); Char: The No-man’s Land (a documentary on the social effects of the environmental problems with the Ganges); and Midnight’s Children, no doubt added to the growing realisation that Indian cinema goes well and truly beyond Bollywood.

Home truths

While Bollywood has been whinging for years about the lack of international recognition, it is a fact that the Indie industry seems to have gone and won it through sheer talent. Ritesh Batra, Anand Gandhi and Amit

Lunchbox

Anand Gandhi and other members of the jury at Sydney Film Fest

Kumar were all at Cannes this year where India, celebrating its 100th year in cinema, was the special guest country. While Cannes did its bit to honour the Indian industry, did the Indian industry live up to its part of the bargain and showcase its strengths fully?

Amit Kumar seemed to think not.

“It could have been a bit more balanced,” he claimed. “Hindi cinema is not representative of Indian cinema. But then, it is more visual and widely known. Still, the new breed of film-makers did manage to impress. Lunchbox did very well. My own film was well-received, but it is a genre film and will travel well. Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly was interesting, you can always expect something different from him. And Bombay Talkies was good too, in sending the new message out”

Anand Gandhi’s response was dismissive. “Hundred years on, the issue that engages me the most is, where do we stand today. Right now, my peers are making really exciting cinema - cinema that will change the game,” he said.

The interesting fact about both filmmakers is that though their stories are largely set in contemporary Mumbai, they are suitably global enough in theme to reach out to a wider audience. They are also based on real-time situations and episodes offering a slice of actual life in India, something that resonates more with an international audience than the song and dance fare that seems to characterise Bollywood. Perhaps this is where the new breed of filmmakers is different from those in Bollywood. Another challenge that radical Indian filmmakers face is in finding funding for their movies. Producers within the domestic film industry are simply not interested if the film is not commercially viable. Anurag Kashyap and Guneet Monga came on board to produce Kumar’s Monsoon Shootout, and actor Sohum Shah stepped in as producer of Ship of Theseus, “to safeguard the artistic integrity of the project”. With Dabba, the film was jointly produced by Indian, British, German, French and American film bodies. And while these awardwinning films have been shot around themes mostly in Mumbai, funding

for these has been, either partially or wholly, through international producers. Perhaps it’s time Bollywood looked beyond its boundaries towards supporting new talent that brings recognition to the Indian film industry as a whole. And what better time to promote this than in 2013, as India celebrates 100 years of cinema.

The Indian response

It’s early days yet for Ship of Theseus in India, but Gandhi is confident that his film will do well.

“I am greatly surprised at the response already,” he said. “It is unprecedented, I should say, to hear people talk about a film that is arthouse yet entertaining”

The Twitterverse is replete with eager viewers who have liked the trailer.

The film was released in five centres only - Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. But the online push has been so strong that Kiran Rao has just announced an online voting system for other cities. The film will be screened in the city that gets the maximum votes.

“With our online campaign, our effort is to gauge the interest of that audience, and hopefully, based on that, to take the film to them,” Rao said recently. He added, “It’s an exciting new way to reach out to viewers, a democratisation of cinema, where audiences decide what they want to see”.

For Amit Kumar, the expected Indian response to his film Monsoon Shootout is also clear. “It will probably be similar to Gangs of Wasseypur Although Monsoon Shootout is slightly different in tone, I think it would be safe to say, those who enjoyed Gangs will enjoy my film too,” he claimed.

And perhaps the audiences are ready for it in their own way, given that some recent commercial releases that blur the line between mainstream and art-house have been well-received, like Chak De India, Rocket Singh, Kahani, Vicky Donor, OMG and Ankur Arora Murder Case.

Anand Gandhi tellingly observed, “I think it is quite an arrogant response when Indians (outside of India) come up to me and say, ‘I love your film, but I don’t think the Indian audience will get it’. Everyone wants to think! We just have to give them more food for thought!”

Hope they dish it out by the platefuls. With details Sheryl Dixit and online sources

10

RECENT INDEPENDENT FILMS FROM INDIA wORTH

A wATCH

k sh Ay

Shot completely in black-and-white, Kshay directed by debutant Karan Gour, is a psychological drama about obsession. Rasika Duggal’s portrayal of an obsessive housewife is outstanding. The film played in four festivals including Dubai International Film Festival 2011.

G ATT u

A heart-warming tale of childlike innocence hidden within us, this film was made with the help of Children’s Film Society of India. The story of a young boy obsessed with kite-flying, Gattu, directed by Rajan Khosa highlights the power of hope.

m umb AI c h A R A j A

Manjeet Singh’s film explores the underbelly of Mumbai during the rainy Ganesh festival. Touted to be India’s answer to Slumdog Millionaire, this film is a perfect blend of joy, sorrow and misfortune. The film was screened at the Toronto International Film Festival 2012, the Abu Dhabi Film Festival New Horizons Competition and the Mumbai Film Festival Indian Competition.

mI ss LOVELy

Ashim Ahluwalia’s film traverses through a long forgotten era of C-grade Bollywood horror and porn films. Starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Niharika Singh, the film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. It also won two awards at the 14th Mumbai Film Festival the same year.

s up ER m EN O f mALEGAON

The film takes us through the lives of people who are united over a single goal to produce a Malegaon version of Superman by making spoofs on Bollywood films. Before its theatrical release last year, the film bagged 15 awards at various film festivals.

G OOD N IG h T G OOD mORNING ( GNGM )

Shot completely in black-and-white, GNGM plunges into the psyche of the viewers by highlighting the strong desire to be loved. Following screenings at several international film festivals, the tragic yet comic film saw a theatrical release in 2012 and opened to mostly positive reviews.

s hu TTLE cO ck bOys

The film revolves around the lives, successes and failures of four friends who hail from lower middle class backgrounds in Delhi. It made its way to festivals including the Gotham Screen International Film Festival, New York, the Seattle South Asian Film Festival and the Chicago South Asian Film Festival.

D EL h I IN A DAy

Prashant Nair’s debut feature, set against the backdrop of a rich family in Delhi, makes a strong statement on the socio-economic strata without deviating from the crux of the plot. The film used flashes of comedy to shine a light on the uncomfortable realities of contemporary life.

pEDDLER s

This crime-thriller, an ode to Mumbai, revolves around destitute boys who get trapped in the drug trade and a young cop, who tracks them. The film was screened as part of the 2012 International Critics’ Week, an independent film event which runs parallel to the Cannes Film Festival in southern France.

uGLy

A story about a divorced couple who find their daughter missing, this is Anurag Kashyap’s short film that screened at Cannes this year.

H AR i CHARA n Pu D i PEDD i, IANS

Amit Kumar with Nashen Moodley, Director of the SFF

lots of soul food, but not many Indian takers

Once again, the Sydney Film Festival had a varied and enticing menu on offer, but lacked the subcontinent audience

food for their souls?

What were the highlights?

BY DARSHAK MEHTA

the 60th Sydney Film Festival which concluded over the weekend of June 15-16 screened approximately 155 movies.

Yours truly (and, Mrs Truly!) were fortunate to see about 35 of them in an 11-day marathon test of stamina and sanity.

Some of the movies were highly challenging and/or bleak. Not to mention, confronting. Others were uplifting, entertaining and even inspiring. It was the usual gamut of festival cinema.

One of them (Only God Forgives) caused us to walk out in repulsion at the highly gratuitous, sadistic and sickening violence on offer.

To see it get the Jury Prize as the best competition movie of the festival is extremely disappointing. That it will polarise audiences when released commercially, is a certainty.

Though there were a handful of Indian movies screened, it is dispiriting to see the continuing lukewarm response of the Indian community in Sydney to serious cinema. Fortunately, local Australians attended in droves. One is hard-pressed to explain why a proud and sensitive (at least to public criticism!) ethnic minority which feels mightily miffed when ignored, does little to support the propagation of their culture and “soft power”. It would be difficult to demand more Indian movies of the organisers of the Sydney Film Festival in the future, if there is such woeful patronage of the movies screened.

In stark contrast, when we went to see a couple of Iranian movies, their community’s support for movies from their homeland was enthusiastic.

Maybe, Indians are too industrious for their own good and have deferred the need of

The Audience choice award winner The Past from Iranian master, Asghar Farhadi, was certainly one. It starred Berenice Bijo who won the Best Actress award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. It is sure to be commercially released in Sydney.

Another standout Iranian film was Pardé (Closed Curtain) by the highly acclaimed director, Jafar Panahi.

The Act of Killing, a powerful re-enactment of the Sumatran genocides of the mid-‘60s, from documentarian Joshua Oppenheimer, was my favourite. Man’s inhumanity to man knows no bounds and this doco was a disturbing reminder.

An engrossing movie, set in Romania, Child’s Pose featured Luminita Gheorghiu. She gives a sensational portrayal and overall it was a riveting cinematic experience. It is easy to see why it won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale.

You will not regret seeing Wadjda, the first ever film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, or The Rocket, a charming story set in Laos, which warmed the hearts of audiences.

The Indian films screened were:

• Ship of Theseus, directed by Anand Gandhi (who was also a member of the jury)

• Algorithms, a touching documentary of three young, talented (though blind) young chess champions

• Monsoon Shootout, in the crime genre, set in the Bombay underworld and starring the ridiculously talented Nawazuddin Siddiqui. From all accounts, rundon’t walk, to see this entertainer, if it is released here, or get it on DVD.

This correspondent was not fortunate enough to see the above due to scheduling clashes of other movies.

Deepa Mehta directed Midnight’s Children based on the Salman Rushdie book. Rushdie adapted and wrote the screenplay of his novel and also narrates the story.

After a promising beginning, the movie flags and ultimately flounders. The novel was never going to be easy to film, though. The movie is worth seeing for the sumptuous colours and periodic details. I was certainly transported back for a while!

The contrast in the films of the two Booker Prize winning novels (Life of Pi being the other) with a sub-continental theme, is stark. Life of Pi is a far superior film, in all respects.

Char-The No Man’s Island, Sourav Sarangi’s multiple-award-winning documentary, filmed over a number of years, tracks a young boy and his family’s uncertain future due to the Farakka Dam altering the flow of the Ganga on India’s border with Bangladesh. A highly compassionate though ultimately troubling experience. Maybe, next year the Sydney Film Festival might consider publicising the Indian movies extensively, well in advance. Awareness amongst the generally cinema-loving Indian community of the Festival’s stupendous breadth certainly seems to be lacking. Ultimately, it is up to us, IndianAustralians, to try and support our culture much, much more: wherever, whenever and as often as we can.

Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children

Child’s Pose

Lamb, Aussie style

Mulwarra lamb is making inroads into the Indian palate through a host of traditional and non-traditional dishes

The Mulwarra lamb is all-natural prime lamb sourced from the pristine lamb regions of Victoria, which has specialised growers and some of the finest lamb producing areas in the world

BY MINNAL KHONA

There’s no doubt that most Australians love their Aussie lamb, but a taste of this viand cooked to suit the Indian palate in the Indian subcontinent is unusual. Recently, the Hyatt Group of Hotels in India has collaborated with Mulwarra Export, a Victorian company, to supply lamb to its properties at the Hyatt hotels in Chennai, Hyderabad, New Delhi and Mumbai.

From Australian wines to coffee, and now lamb, products from down under are gaining popularity and acceptance in India. To promote their product in partnership with Hyatt Hotels, Mulwarra Export Pty Ltd, Meat and Livestock Australia, and Treasury Wine Estates recently organised an ‘Australian lamb experience’ The participating Hyatt Hotels include the Hyatt Regency in Chennai and Delhi, the Park Hyatt Hyderabad and Grand Hyatt Mumbai.

I attended a media lunch at the Park Hyatt in Hyderabad for a taste of Aussie lamb, Indian-

style. I was curious to see how Australian lamb would fit into Hyderabadi biryani and other meat dishes for which the city is renowned. The lunch was hosted by Mike Tafe, Corporate Chef, Mulwarra Export, at The Dining Room, Park Hyatt’s Indian fine dining restaurant. Accompanying the food was the Koonunga Hill Chardonnay and Koonunga Hill Shiraz from Penfolds.

Greg Darwell, Managing Director of Mulwarra Export, told me his company’s lamb is being exported to over 30 countries. Greg revealed, “Early this year, we decided to introduce our product in India. The Hyatt group is one of our largest end users. It has been very well received in other parts of the world, and we hope to repeat that success in India”.

Incidentally, the partnership means that any lamb dish served at any of the Hyatt properties mentioned will be the Mulwarra lamb, and not the local variety.

The Mulwarra lamb is all-natural prime lamb sourced from the pristine lamb regions of Victoria, which has specialised growers and some of the finest lamb producing areas in the world.

The lamb is halal certified and USFDA approved.

Chef Tafe, who also has his own spice marketing company, has

been using the Mulwarra lamb for over 12 years at all the hotels in which he has worked.

“I am not afraid to use spices to appeal to the Indian palate, but at the same time I don’t like to overshadow the lamb,” he said, commenting on the menu for the day. Minimal marinades, slowly braised cuts of shoulder or leg of lamb were served in different avatars.

We started with a lamb and lentil soup flavoured with cumin and lemon-scented yoghurt. The soup tasted a lot like our dal makhni, except for the bits of lamb added and the hint of lemon. It was delicately flavoured and the lamb and lentils were easily distinguishable, even though both had absorbed the flavours of the spices. This was followed by a Japanese salad, a tataki of lamb loin with ginger, sesame and soy.

Chef Tafe, it seems, really knows his lamb. The several options that were served in the main course, all lamb-based of course, were full of flavour and each one was different from the other.

“I have created different recipes,” Tafe said. “Some are traditional ones. Essentially, the dishes are appropriate for the international traveller who is exposed to global cuisine. I try and incorporate flavours from the Middle East, South East Asia

and the Mediterranean as well as India,” he said, adding that the lamb lends itself very well to josh and Chettinad style curries.

True to his word, each serving had a different flavour. The barbecue Mulwarra lamb, butterflied with Greek spices and served with a basil tzatziki was refreshing and very soft. The breaded lamb rack cutlets with Italian herbs eventually emerged as my favourite from all the dishes I tried, and was replete with the aroma and taste of Italian herbs. Mixed with the bread, it was really tasty. This was followed by the lightly smoked lamb cutlets with chipotle butter, also quite different. The roast lamb rump with ras-el-hanout had a distinctly Middle Eastern flavour.

The one aspect that repeatedly stood out in all the lamb dishes served was that there was no prominent odour that lamb can sometimes have. In fact, even though all the dishes were delicately flavoured with a minimum of spices used, none of the dishes had any odour. Chef Tafe definitely accomplished his goal of not overshadowing the lamb.

We ended with a mango pavlova and though none of the dishes were traditional to the Indian palate, I could see satisfied faces all around me.

The breaded lamb rack cutlets with Italian herbs eventually emerged as my favourite from all the dishes I tried, and was replete with the aroma and taste of Italian herbs

Mulwarra lamb for Hyderabadi diners: Lamb noisette, Barbecued butterflied lamb leg and Slow-roasted Zaatar lamb

Preaching to the audience

My Cornerstone is a film that describes itself as a tale concerned with a young Indian nurse who travels to Sydney to look after the unwell grandmother of the Pintos, a wealthy Indian-Australian family. Naturally, there’s a love story between the nurse and the son of the family, some cracks between the husband and wife’s relationship and a mysterious character called Chris.

The World Pictures Australia film is directed by Stanley Joseph (also screenplay writer), and stars James Morcan (also the writer of the story), Zenia Starr, Gil Ben-Moshe, Oren Ben-Moshe and Romin Khan. It’s a drama meets romantic comedy, meets religious flick (if you can get your head around that), which premiered in Sydney this month.

Although it’s fantastic to see another addition to the Australian film scene, especially an Indian Australian one, it doesn’t quite hit the mark.

Shot between November last

year and March this year at various locations in Mumbai AND Sydney, this film isn’t quite sure what it wants to be. The big secret about who the character Chris is, is worked out by the audience early into the piece. This renders the shots of him on Sydney’s Eastern suburbs coastline with wind through his hair as quite comical, especially with the choice of music. The film might have been best

left as a comedy, rather than trying to introduce elements of drama and religion into it, which leave the audience feeling confused. For the non-religious audience members, you might end up feeling preached to by the end of the film, leaving a bad taste in your mouth. It might have been a good idea to have transformed Chris into Cupid instead.

Crowned Miss India Australia 2013, Zenia Starr is Adina David, a nurse who secures a job in Australia through an employment agent in Bangalore. There are constant flashbacks to Adina’s previous attempt to get placed in a job in Australia, which ended in her being kidnapped. This is played up as her past, which haunts her. There’s a love story, a wedding and characters who transform into better people along the way.

“She was somebody I felt growingly attached to as I read through the script,” Zenia Starr told Indian Link. “Her desire to stay attached to her faith and cultural roots despite the pressures of

popular society is something I respect. I was also intrigued by the fact that it sought to marry Indian and Australian cultures, promoting the best of both, and this is something my identity is tied up in so I thought it would be fun to be a part of. Overall, it has a great message for people of all faiths, cultures and generations!”

My Cornerstone was made over the space of 36 days (along with another feature length film), and the “the cast and crew pulled some pretty long hours at times, sometimes working at 20 hours at a stretch,” says Zenia.

The grandmother Lydia shines in her role, however, some of the other actors don’t seem as comfortable in their roles, like the vain mother Miriam, who is quite stilted in a few scenes. Miriam plays the mother who wants the best for her son (in terms of a marriage match) and acts as a voice of racism against Indians, despite the fact that she is Indian Australian herself. “I think most Indian migrants take pride in their roots, however I would agree there

is a minority who have superficially ‘over-assimilated’ in order to fit in,” Zenia says of Miriam and her attitudes.

“The intention is probably simply to feel more accepted in a foreign land, but it is unfortunate that it can drive people to be heirarchical amongst their own community. I hope this film reveals how unattractive that attitude is”.

Zenia hopes that audiences walk away from My Cornerstone feeling “the sweetness of life is in the relationships we build and nurture, rather than the possessions we have or the status we hold”. However, it’s easy to be distracted from this message by the unfinished looking film, which could have done with a tighter edit. The version that we saw however, was a slightly different version to the one that other audiences will be treated to, so here’s to hoping that these flaws are removed, along with the drawn out shots of Chris meditating, with the same music track played again and again.

Melissa Twist

My Cornerstone is an Indian Oz film that looks at racism within the community, kidnapping in India, and the church, with a few chuckles along the way

Raga saga!

Lovers of Carnatic music were treated to a bevy of unique performances at the annual Sydney Music Festival

BY MALLI IYER

The Swara Laya Fine Arts Society’s 7th Annual Sydney Music Festival kept lovers of Carnatic music enthralled for the better part of the Queen’s birthday weekend at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta. The 3-day festival was notable not just for the high quality and calibre of the artistes, but for the opportunity it offered to the performers to express themselves creatively.

Ms Julie Owens, Federal Member of Parliament from Parramatta was Chief Guest, and Ms Julia Finn, Councillor from the Parramatta City Council was a special guest. The honour of playing the saxophone for the inaugural concert went to Dr Kadri Gopalnath, the only world-renowned saxophonist who plays Carnatic music. Credit was duly given to him for mastering a complex western instrument, modifying and perfecting it for 20 years, adapting it to playing nuances of Carnatic music. Dr Gopalnath was commended for his achievements, his versatility to play music for well-known AR Rahman compositions, and playing in Jazz festivals in Prague, Berlin, France and Mexico.

Swara Laya organisers deserve kudos for mobilising a team of Sydney’s music teachers and students to kick off the festival with an innovation titled Kshetra Magimai and singing compositions and krithis in the praise of deities associated with the following dharma kshetras in South India, namely Thirukkadaiyur Abhirami, Kanchi Kamakshi, Madurai Meenakshi, Thirunelveli Kanthimathi, Chidambaram Sivakamasundari, Thanjavur Brihadambika, Thiruvaiyaru Dharmasamvardhini, Thiruvanmiyur Thripurasundari and Thirumayilai Karpagambikai. Musical treats enjoyed by rasikas at the festival varied from orthodox

styles at one end of the spectrum, to the unconventional at the other. There were 10 major concerts where performing artistes sang 87 unduplicated ragas. The other notable feature was the rendering of 16 rarely heard ragas such as Vairavam, Devamruthavarshini, Manoranjani and Nari Ritigowla. There were several examples of individual brilliance, as with Nithyashree Mahadevan and Sanjay Subrahmanyan, among the vocalists. P Ganesh on the chitravina (aka gottuvadyam) and playing solo; Srimushanam Raja Rao on the mridangam, and TG Muthukumaraswamy on the thavil excelled as accompaniments.

Among the team concerts, Mysore Brothers Nagaraj and Manjunath raised violin solo concerts to another level with their faultless and synchronised rendering of Manasa Sancharerey in raga Shyama and Rama Katha Sudha in raga Madhyamavati.

The vocal team of KN Shashikiran and P Ganesh sang a pallavi written and composed by Shashikiran and dedicated to the Sydney Murugan Temple in Westmead. The original creation was set to pancha raga and pancha tala. It was a classic example of artistes expressing their bond with the city of Sydney.

Two other teams of vocalists

beautifully and complemented each other as they went on to analyse the nuances of Saint Thyagaraja’s Koluvai Unnade raga Bhairavi. Their ragam, thanam and pallavi in raga Amir Kalyani in praise of Lord Krishna with lyrics, Brindavana gana lola murali dhara was a case of oodles of melody, particularly as their ragamalika four ragas embellished the concert.

The genius of Sanjay Subrahmanyam was amply evident as he tested his accompanists, Mysore Nagaraj and Srimushanam Raja Rao by venturing into uncharted depths in raga Gauri

Julie Owens honours Kadri Gopalnath

Inaug

Sanjay Subrahmanyan

Ranjani and Gayatri

to match him, blow for blow. Sanjay has all the makings of a musical great!

One youngster who rates

the praise of Lord Krishna and the other Vishnu avatars. Her discourse gave every indication of her confidence and a full

self-gratification.

Among the quiet achievers of this festival were Poongulam Subramaniam and TK Murugabhupathi on the mridangam, HN Bhaskar, Mysore Manjunath and Nagai Sriram on the violin, and Chidambaram Suresh on the morsing. Their performances as accompanists added lustre to each of the concerts. Vandana Dixit and Ankita Manoharan did a splendid job of compering and introducing the concert artistes to the audience.

All credit for the success of the Sydney Music Festival goes to Mr and Mrs Kanagasabhai Jayendran and their family who have worked tirelessly to bring top artistes from India to perform here, initiating necessary actions to run a highly successful program. Sydney’s Carnatic music lovers owe them a debt of gratitude.

The vocal team of KN Shashikiran and P Ganesh sang a pallavi written and composed by Shashikiran and dedicated to the Sydney Murugan Temple in Westmead. It was a classic example of the artistes expressing their bond with the city of Sydney

Ganesh

Kadri Gopalnath

Nithyasree Mahadevan

Carnatica Brothers

Competition winners

People Parties Places

30th wedding anniversary

Chamak Challo Bollywood Nights launch party

Abirami Vallal performing her Bharatha Natya Arangetram, Riverside Theatre

Poonam and Ajay Roy celebrate their

Photo: Fish-i Photography

Torrential monsoonal rains cause havoc in the Hindu holy town of Kedarnath in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.

The death toll caused by flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides continues to rise and and more than 1,000 pilgrims bound for Himalayan shrines remain stranded

‘India must focus on jobs for growth’

India must make employment a key driver of its growth strategy as higher economic growth by itself does not create more jobs, according to a leading US research organisation advocating sustainable development.

“Indian policymakers cannot assume that higher economic growth will automatically lead to more jobs,” Sabina Dewan, founder and director of Just Jobs at the Washington based Centre for American Progress (CAP) said in an e-mail interview.

Currently headed by Indian-American policy expert Neera Tanden, who has served in both the Obama and Clinton administrations as well as presidential campaigns and think tanks, CAP was founded in 2003 by John Podesta, who served as President Bill Clinton’s White House chief of staff.

Despite high levels of economic growth, India’s economy created 60 million jobs between 2000 and 2005, but only 2 million between 2005 and 2010, she pointed out citing data from the Institute of Manpower Research.

“The government must prioritise employment as a key driver of their growth strategy,” said Dewan, who currently leads the India operations of Just Jobs programme, “dedicated to creating better livelihoods for more people around the world”.

“This entails moving from more capitalintensive to more labour-intensive growth,” said Dewan whose research examines the nexus between economic opportunity and economic growth, development and stability.

“The government must undertake necessary reforms to improve the quality of education and skills development, streamline regulations, develop infrastructure, and improve access to credit and access to energy.”

In India Just Jobs, which was launched in October 2010, works with partners like the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and Saath.

“Our work in India ranges from research on solutions to India’s jobless growth to

examining what works and what doesn’t in preparing India’s youth for a 21st century labour market,” Dewan said.

“My professional and personal goal is to be a part of ensuring that India’s economic trajectory is upward bound, especially through the creation of just jobs toward a growing, strong and stable middle class,” she said.

With partners in countries from South Africa to Norway to India, Just Jobs conducts joint research and advocacy on how to create more and better employment, especially for young people, Dewan said describing it as “one of the most pressing challenges of our time”.

“We believe that good job creation is essential for reducing poverty, and generating more equal, inclusive and sustainable economic growth”.

In addition to the Just Jobs project, CAP is part of the Track II dialogue on energy and global climate change with India.

CAP also engages in dialogues about India’s role in anti-terrorism efforts and maintaining peace and security in the region especially vis-à-vis Afghanistan and Pakistan, Dewan said.

The think tank also recently launched the Just Jobs Index (JJI) that “provides an aggregate measure of one of the most important questions facing global policy makers: are we creating enough just jobs?” she said.

While other global economic indices, such as the World Bank’s Doing Business project or the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report focus on the corporate side of the global economy, JJI also addresses labour and employment.

This would help researchers evaluate the effectiveness of economies in providing just jobs complete with appropriate remuneration, good working conditions, and with room for upward mobility for their citizens along a number of sub-dimensions.

Yet despite the pressing need for such an index, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have yet to respond to the launch of the JJI, she lamented.

They innovate to usher in winds of social change

A school dropout, Jenpu Rongmei, 29, was as disillusioned and angry as many youngsters in Dimapur, Nagaland, till one day he lost his younger brother to a drug overdose. It completely shattered him, but the simmering anger drove him to a mission to reform many disenchanted youth like his brother.

“It is difficult to cope with the loss of a dear one and it took me three years to overcome the grief. That is when I saw there were many youngsters around me who were taking to alcohol and drugs because of fewer opportunities in the city,” Rongmei said.

“These youth needed direction and help and I felt the onus was on me to make, at least, an effort to change their lives,” Rongmei who founded Youngers’ Club in 2010, three years after his brother died, to address the problems youngsters face in the northeastern state.

Twenty-nine-year-old Shariq from Lucknow was very disturbed when he heard and saw how women are harassed while travelling, mostly in auto-rickshaws. He along with his friend Zeeshan founded “Safe Safar” last year and launched an initiative to create awareness among women and some auto-rickshaw drivers on the issue.

“We didn’t know from where to start and how to start. So we did a small survey on our own and found that 98 percent of the women face problems while commuting,” said Shariq, who held workshops with women and auto-rickshaw drivers and told them to raise their voices against the molesters.

Like Rongmei and Shariq, there is a growing tribe of young men and women who are trying to bring about social transformation in society to make it a better place to live.

Motivating and mentoring these young people are NGOs Youth Collective (CYC) and Pravah, which came together and formed Changing Looms-Learning and Leadership Journey (CL-LLJ). This group supports, encourages and recognises independent social initiatives in the country.

So far, they have identified 17 such initiatives that deal with different issues that ail society.

“More than money and funds, it is important to put their ideas into action. They can get a head start in not only leading social change but also being at the forefront of a movement,” said Kanika Sinha, a member of the group.

“We just felicitate these aspirations and provide them better guidance. We are a means and they are the change,” Sinha added.

The group, which met in New Delhi recently to share the ideas of these young entrepreneurs with possible donors for financial aid, also provides skill and capacity building, mentoring and networking opportunities to people aged between 18 and 35.

Making a choice between chasing his dreams and giving up the mundane corporate job as a business consultant was an easy task for Gautam Gauri, 31.

“Listening to your heart is more important than making money. I had this pending dream to do something meaningful. I didn’t know what was the right thing. Then I associated myself with an (ex-IIM) professor who is into social work. I worked with him for a year and realised my true calling was here,” Gauri said.

His Diksha Foundation helps facilitate education and empowers economically and socially underprivileged children in Patna.

Like Gauri, Rongmei is a happy man now and finds solace in his work, which has brought happiness to many lives.

“I am slowly coming to terms with my brother’s death. I am a changed man now. All this was possible because of my work,” Rongmei, who started another programme in 2012 for HIV-affected children called Care and Hope after he saw how such children face discrimination and helped rehabilitate them.

Journalist-turned social worker Gitanjali Babbar, 26, interacted with sex workers and found that they had no social life other than their lives in the brothels.

After many hiccups, she started Kat Katha in G.B. Road, Delhi’s infamous red light district, where the sex workers meet for a few hours and lead a “normal life” as they get a chance to entertain themselves by indulging in activities they enjoy like painting, singing or simply reading books.

“I am not here to earn money. I am happy doing this work. My parents have been very supportive of my work. And I feel that I am bringing some happiness in the lives of these women, who are shunned by society,” Babbar said.

New mental health bill bans electric shocks, gives right to treatment

The right of mentally-ill patients to decide their mode of treatment, decriminalising suicide for them and a ban on electric shock treatment without anaesthesia are some of the progressive provisions of the new mental health bill proposed by the Indian government.

“The bill was passed by the union cabinet last week,” said Health Secretary K. Desiraju recently in New Delhi.

Once passed by parliament, the bill will repeal the Mental Health Act, 1987.

If passed, it will make access to mental healthcare a right for all. Also, such services would be affordable, of good quality and

available without discrimination.

An estimated 10-12 million or one to two per cent of the population suffers from severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder and nearly 50 million or five percent from common mental disorders such as depression and anxiety, yielding an overall estimate of 6.5 percent of the population.

Keeping in mind the rising number of people suffering from mental ailments, the new bill aims at introducing progressive and far-sighted steps for patients, a senior health official said.

“If a person has given an advance directive to the state that he or she should not be admitted to a facility without consent, it will be heeded to,” the official said.

This was proposed keeping in mind that a person can be branded mentally ill by family members in property or marital disputes.

The official said the 1987 Act had vested extraordinary powers in treating psychiatrists. The bill now states that an individual can himself or herself take a call on the treatment.

Psychiatrists, however, feel that by giving powers to a mentally-ill patient to decide on the course of treatment would put him at risk.

“A patient in a psychotic phase or a mentally-ill person doesn’t have the judgemental capacity to decide what is good or bad for him or her. So trusting that person to make the correct choice in such circumstances might be risky,” said Samir Malhotra, head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Max hospitals.

He further said that the bill would significantly reduce the powers of the doctors in deciding the patients’ well-being.

The bill also provides the right to confidentiality and protection from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, in addition to the right to live in a community. Legal aid will also be extended to them.

It bans the electric-convulsive therapy or the electric shock treatment without anaesthesia and restricts psychosurgery.

Under the provisions of the bill, the government has an obligation to provide halfway homes, community caring centres and other shelters for mentally-ill people. Halfway homes, common in the western world, are for those patients who have recovered but need 24-hour monitoring and rehabilitation.

It also envisages a mental health review commission, which will review all admissions in mental health institutions beyond 30 days.

The commission would be a quasi-judicial body to oversee the functioning of mental health facilities and protect the rights of persons with mental illness in these facilities.

The bill also proposes to provide free care to all homeless, destitute and poor people suffering from mental disorders.

Trying to address the needs of the families, caregivers and those of homeless mentally ill people, the new legislation provides for setting up central and state mental health authorities, which would act as administrative bodies.

The bill decriminalises suicide for mentally ill patients.

Reacting to this provision, Malhotra said: “In certain circumstances it can help, as police action is sometimes cumbersome, but it can also not be denied that criminalising suicide had acted as a deterrent in some cases”.

Under the Indian Penal Code, suicide is a criminal act and a person can be jailed for at least one to three years. The Indian government had launched the National Mental Health Programme (NMHP) in 1982, keeping in view the heavy burden of mental illness in the community, and the absolute inadequacy of mental health care infrastructure in the country to deal with it. According to eminent psychologist Aruna Broota, many Indian mental facilities and institutions are in a pathetic state and need to show a sympathetic attitude towards these people.

“The situation is slightly better in south India than in north India, but generally the condition of these facilities is very bad,” she said.

“One can have as many fancy bills and laws you want. But ultimately, it is us the society that has to accept that mental disorder is like any disease and we need to accept this,” she added.

India-born Amol Rajan is editor of London’s

The Independent Indian-born Amol Rajan has been appointed editor of the London morning daily The Independent, making him Fleet Street’s first non-white editor, the newspaper reported recently.

Rajan, 29, was previously the daily’s comment editor.

Oliver Duff, who was executive editor and news editor of The Independent, has been named editor of sister title, i, while another executive editor, Lisa Markwell, has been named editor of The Independent on Sunday.

This means two women and two men will serve as editors of the four titles owned by Evgeny Lebedev.

Sarah Sands is the editor of the group’s fourth title, the Evening Standard

“Our businesses are at a critical stage

and a bold approach is needed for our industry,” Lebedev was quoted as saying in a statement after the new appointments.

“Today I am continuing this approach by appointing as editors two highly talented young journalists. Their energy, creativity and resourcefulness will invigorate both The Independent and i.”

He added that the group’s goal “is to develop a pioneering and integrated newsroom for the 21st century, providing print, digital and television output 24/7”.

According to the Huffington Post, Rajan, who is a columnist for the Evening Standard, has long been seen as a potential future editor.

He had previously served as deputy comment editor and sports and news correspondent in the newspaper.

According to the Post report, he is also a keen cricket fan, and has authored a book on cricket’s best spin bowlers.

Rajan, who was born in Calcutta, as Kolkata was then called, moved to Britain when he was three and studied at a state school.

‘Harassed fathers’ demand gender neutral family law

The Child Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP), a Bangalore-based NGO fighting for shared parenting in case of divorce or separation, on Father’s Day June 16, demanded reforms in family laws - to make them gender neutral.

“The anti-father mindset unfortunately persists in our society. In divorce and separation cases, one of the parents, out of revenge, deprives the child of the love, affection and care of the other parent,” CRISP founder and president Kumar V. Jahgirdar stated.

He said people like him, who were seeking parenting rights and joint custody of the child, find they have no relevance

on International Father’s Day, celebrated on June 16 this year.

“This (single parenting) is one of the worst forms of child abuse,” he said.

CRISP, with more than 2,500 members across the country, said shared parenting and joint custody of children should be implemented as a rule in divorce or separation cases.

“We demand a separate union ministry for children and we demand that the new ministry be de-linked from the present women and child development ministry. Since both have different objectives and child rights are being ignored when clubbed with the women development ministry, such a mechanism would work better,” he said.

The NGO also urged the Supreme Court to define what constitutes the welfare of a child and lay down guidelines to avoid the confusion that prevails in family courts.

Delhi-based child counsellor Ekta Singh, also a CRISP member, said there is need for making it mandatory that documents pertaining to child welfare like passport and school admission forms should always have the consent of both biological parents, in case of separation.

Another member, Manpreet Bhandari, a software engineer in Bangalore, involved in a divorce case, said the custodian parent, who intentionally and consistently violates the court orders of child visitation, should be declared unfit to be a guardian.

“The custody should be give to the other parent,” he said.

CRISP, with its regional chapters in Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi and Lucknow, has been fighting to set up special courts to deal with child custody cases.

According to the data available with CRISP, more than 20,000 divorce cases are pending in family courts in Bangalore alone. The figure was collected from family courts. IANS

Chief of the Royal Australian Navy Vice Admiral Ray Griggs, with Chief of Indian Naval Staff Admiral DK Joshi, at a welcoming ceremony in New Delhi on June 10, 2013. Australia and India are planning to hold their first joint naval exercises in 2015

Bear benefactress

Mary Hutton has made it her life’s work to rescue and shelter bears from a life of exploitation and danger

challenge of rescuing India’s dancing bears.

BY PETRA O’NEILL

When I first met Mary Hutton, she was speaking at the Sydney office of World Expeditions, the Australian adventure travel company, and she was about to lead a tour to India to visit the sanctuaries established there to care for rescued bears.

In 1993, Mary, a grandmother living in suburban Perth was contemplating her retirement. Instead, her life took an entirely different and unexpected turn. When she switched on the television one night she saw gut-wrenching news footage of traumatised Asiatic black bears, confined in boxes, unable to move, with catheters piercing their gall bladders to extract bile for use in traditional Chinese medicine. On learning that thousands of bears suffer extreme cruelty, Mary embarked on an unstoppable mission to free them.

Mary swung into action collecting signatures at the local shopping mall. Within months she had a group of volunteer supporters and by 1995, the ‘Free the Bears Fund’ was formed. She also learnt of the plight of other bears like the Cambodian Sun bears, killed to make bear paw soup. She brought some that had been rescued to Taronga Zoo, and later to Perth Zoo to start a regional breeding program. Mary then set to work building a sanctuary in Cambodia, now the world’s largest sanctuary for sun bears. In Laos, Mary also established sanctuaries and continues to campaign for the closure of bear bile farms in Vietnam and Laos. Hundreds of thousands of local school children have visited the sanctuaries in an attempt at educating them about the environment and the need to protect animals in the wild.

Mary’s involvement with India was prompted by an email from Maneka Gandhi in 2002, that led to the Free the Bears Fund joining Wildlife SOS (an Indian based conservation group) and International Animal Rescue, in the seemingly impossible

The tradition of dancing bears had existed since the 13th century, when nomadic Kalandar tribespeople would visit the palaces of Mughul Emperors with performing wild animals, including sloth bears. Unfortunately, the practice continued through to the twentieth century, with the bears used to entertain foreign tourists at popular sites such as the Taj Mahal. Although the sloth bear has been protected by Indian law since 1972, and bear dancing has been prohibited since 1998, with all bear dancing licenses eventually revoked, it was difficult to enforce this law, since no facilities existed to place the bears.

The Free the Bears fund financed the construction and ongoing care of rescued bears at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility. All the sloth bears that were turned in remained in the sanctuaries due to health and behavioural problems.

The Fund also financed the Kalandar Rehabilitation Program, which enabled the owners/masters of former dancing bears to develop new livelihoods. In collaboration with Wildlife SOS, the Fund made ‘seed’ money available to over 500 Kalandar families to buy equipment and learn new skills, so they could begin new sustainable forms of income, with a basic education provided for their children, in exchange for turning in their bears. Some chose to remain with their bears and gained employment at the sanctuaries.

The Fund paid for 554 rehabilitation packages for the rescue of former dancing sloth bears and supports four sanctuaries. Sadly due to deaths caused by illness, mainly tuberculosis, the Fund currently supports 370 sloth

bears at the sanctuaries at Agra, Bannerghatta near Bengaluru, West Bengal and Bhopal (Van Vihar) providing a safe and secure home. When the last dancing bear entered the Bannerghatta sanctuary in December 2009, the pitiful sight of bears being dragged on ropes through the streets was consigned to the past.

Mary maintains contact with the Kalandars, visiting a village recently where cottage industries had been established, with women sewing and the children attending school. Mary is currently developing a volunteer program in India and welcomes volunteers, as the sanctuaries that could not continue without the generosity of donors, whether companies or individuals.

Mary advised that she would be accompanying another tour to Laos and Cambodia to visit the bear sanctuaries in November, after just having her autobiography Free the Bears published.

“Will you ever stop? ” I asked this unique lady.

facing a unique set of issues to overcome, we employ a range of strategies including environmental education, conservation research and strengthened law enforcement, to ensure that we achieve our mission to protect, preserve and enrich the lives of bears

This page: (top) Sun bear Dilli shows Mary

Above:

Mary’s first sighting of a dancing bear Kalandar with a Sloth bear.

throughout the world,” she added. I don’t think Mary will be retiring any time soon.

At Free the Bears, 100% of donations go directly to the rescued bears. At last count, 554

bears placed at the Tat Kuang Si Rescue Centre. In Cambodia, 168 sun and moon bears have been rescued, with 127 at the Phnom Tamao Rescue Centre.

As I was completing our chat,

a

Keeper Sreekanta with cubs in Quarantine Facility Agra Rescue Centre India.

with one of the rescued dancing bears in the Agra Facility. Soon to be rid of his rope.

Serey

Mary mentioned that a little one year old male sun bear had been brought to the sanctuary, rescued by a policeman from a province nearby. Over 80 bears have been rescued in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, and brought to sanctuaries built with support from Free the Bears Fund. Overall, over 800 bears have been rescued and reside in the safety of sanctuaries built or supported by Free the Bears, with over 500 bears relying on the Fund fortheir ongoing care.

For opportunities to volunteer, with commitment the main criteria visit: Freethebears.org.au

The tradition of dancing bears had existed since the 13th century, when nomadic Kalandar tribespeople would visit the palaces of Mughul emperors with performing wild animals, including sloth bears

When the last dancing bear entered the Bannerghatta sanctuary in December 2009, the pitiful sight of bears being dragged on ropes through the streets was consigned to the past

Main picture: Tina and Santiago were less than two weeks old when rescued.

This page (Clockwise from bottom left):

Cyril Sunshine resting by the pool.

Bears in

hammock having fun at Phnom Tamao.

opi N io N population conundrum

Despite its billion plus citizens, India has forged ahead to

populations are in a similar developmental compared where climate, societal structure, developmental stage and cultural factors are

One major factor which can be compared increased worldwide, principally because of the availability of medicines and new medical diagnostic techniques. China has, within the last fifty years, been a remarkable people and their longevity; between 1990 and 2009, from 68 to 74 years. India during the same period, increased from 58 to 65 years. This becomes even more remarkable when China’s vast population of over 1.3 population control, China has had a onechild policy which it continues to pursue, according to its family planning minister, at

countries in Western-

both these countries have pulled hundreds of millions of people out of poverty within Scandinavian countries

the world’s emerging nations is very dubious

As countries develop, their people long for freedom, first of all to learn, and then to express themselves creatively. India has adequate freedom compared to China, but much more so when it comes to Pakistan.

greatest civilisations. On a practical basis, China offered ceramics, gunpowder and tea, while India offered sugar, steel and curries. The two civilisations interacted over a long

items, such as electricity, water and proteins.

Today both India and China have been received much more than China from the European colonialists. In recent decades, China welcomed investment and technology individuals is reflective of the environment country’s environment helps to nurture an individual’s personal milieu.

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Beating the blues

We are all susceptible to mood swings, but when a low mood turns persistent, it’s time to take notice

BY SAROJA SRINIVASAN

As we come into winter, the weather changes with shorter days and perhaps less sunshine during the day. For many people, quite often this triggers a lowering of their mood. Called seasonal mood variation, it is common in countries closer to the Arctic. For those who come from tropical countries where there is guaranteed sunshine almost all through the year, this variation in sunshine is quite uncomfortable. This is when it is important not to let a low mood take over and allow one to insidiously lapse into feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, which are a hallmark of early depression, the persistent ‘blue’ mood.

Feeling sad and blue are the milder level emotions we feel when faced with many everyday situations when we are disappointed. Everyone feels sad or blue at some time. But when it stops one from meeting their normal everyday commitments, or from being active and begin to show serious physical symptoms such as loss of weight, appetite, and sleep disorders, it is important to seek professional help.

Many of the mild symptoms of being blue are triggered by the way we evaluate a situation. We have certain expectations about a way the situation should be and when they are not met, we can become frustrated and angry, or become sad and dejected.

Reaction to loss, be it a material thing, employment, a person or a pet, makes us sad. Sometimes this sadness continues for longer periods, making it more counterproductive to continue effective handling of future situations. It is at these times that we need to take time to reflect on the immediate situation and begin to deal with it without procrastinating for too long.

Grief and bereavement fall into a different category of experience. They may take much longer to resolve depending on the situation of those left behind. Even grief following bereavement warrants some

limiting of the time spent in grieving.

Understanding depression

Mild to moderate levels of depression are a pervasive malady of our times. Depression is a response that is located on a continuum. Beginning with feeling sad or blue and moving on to mild, moderate and severe levels, sometimes as a reaction to a situation and sometimes for no known reason, the term depression is easily misunderstood. It is a term that is increasingly used to describe even a brief lowering of mood.

Statistics tell us that the likelihood of anyone born in the later half of the twentieth century suffering from some level of depression is three times or greater than that of their grandparents. The age group of those likely to suffer from any level of depression is decreasing dramatically. It seems the chance of a young adult, adolescent or older child suffering from depression is alarmingly high.

Often depression is not

something like an infection that comes and goes once you have treated it. The trigger may be a situation that is something quite trivial.

Evidence is now mounting that feelings of depression are often triggered by social causes, and hence need to be addressed at the individual level. Since it is a frame of mind, lingering feelings can stay on just below the surface and that is why it is important to become aware as early as possible, so that something can be done about it. Understanding the early warning signs and getting them under control is an important aspect of early and effective management, before this escalates to a more severe level.

What makes you feel ‘blue’

Many life and everyday events in adulthood, even some that are pleasant, such as marriage and pregnancy, can often prove to be quite stressful. Combined with fewer traditional ‘buffer’ resources such as religion and extended families, these events can just

as easily foster a sense of hopelessness and helplessness.

It is also possible that as a sense of isolation increases, one may look to ways of counter-balancing the situation by seeking to satisfy the need for recognition, material success and a need to be seen as ‘special’. The need to achieve is overvalued, leading only to further stress when one does not achieve. When this occurs at times of increased uncertainties because of economic conditions, employment becomes a major source of stress, be it obtaining a position or keeping it. The frustration of being unable to confront the ‘systemic’ stress which is beyond one’s control, further fuels a feeling of helplessness, leading to feelings of mild depression.

People who move their place of residence are particularly susceptible to many situational stresses. The need to adapt to new environments, often completely different to what their expectations were becomes onerous. One way to cope under such stress is to strive for material success, as a way of counteracting the self-doubts that arise. But hope turns to fear when success does not follow immediately. This in turn, places enormous physical and emotional stress that can also lead to further feelings of helplessness.

Many children of migrants feel they are in a ‘no man’s land’ in the clash of cultural values and beliefs. The options may seem equally inappropriate, leading to considerable distress. Often youngsters feel constrained, and a sense of increased helplessness is quite common. Peer pressure in adolescence and young adulthood to seek maximum monetary and material reward for preferably minimum effort, further fuels the stress. Increasing levels of discontentment are experienced when this is not achieved.

The accelerated social and technological changes that lead to greater demands on one’s ability, further add to the vulnerability. A sense of failure, hopelessness and helplessness may begin to surface, starting the spiral of depression ever so insidiously.

Increased awareness of early signs of persistent changes is very important in dealing effectively with any level of depression.

The age group of those likely to suffer from any level of depression is decreasing dramatically, with chances of a young adult, adolescent or older child suffering from depression becoming alarmingly high

Understanding the early warning signs and getting them under control is an important aspect of early and effective management before this escalates to a more severe level

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Practical steps to letting go

Making a decision to moving on is a great way to heal the traumas of the past, writes FARZANA SHAKIR

We all go through rough patches in life. There are things that have hurt us in the past that rear their ugly heads from time to time, making us feel sad, resentful and regretful. We start feeling blue and give off negative vibes that also have an adverse effect on people around us. So what can we do to feel happy and cheerful again?

Well, to start with, we must take charge. Feelings of sadness hound us only as long as we let them. The moment we decide that we don’t want to feel this way anymore, the mind goes into remedial mode. It starts putting forward ideas that help make us feel better. Pessimism begins to evaporate, allowing the light of positive thinking to shine through.

Accept the past

Remembering past mistakes, traumatic incidents and people that have caused us anguish contribute to our collection of sad memories, as does the loss of someone dear to us through death or the break-up of a relationship. In trying to heal, the first step is to accept the past for what it is –history! We can’t undo the past; we can’t go back in time and fix anything. Start by telling yourself that there is nothing you can do now about the mistakes that were made or the hurt that was caused. Some things are just meant to be, and the storms you’ve weathered were predestined; they could not have been avoided no matter what. Our lives are shaped by incidents, both good and bad. Sometimes what seems to be a horrible experience turns out to be a blessing in disguise. In the end if you reflect honestly, it was all for the best. So stop feeling bad, it won’t change anything. Stop feeling sorry for yourself because when you’re done moping, crying and blaming others for your unhappiness, you will find that nothing has changed, you have not helped yourself feel better. Instead you’ve wasted precious time when you could have been constructive, productive and happy.

Bag it and bin it

Make a conscious effort to let go. Get rid of the things that remind you of the painful times in your life. Gifts from an ex, belongings of someone who is not with you anymore, photos, letters and emails are a constant reminder, and hence a cause of unnecessary

distress. Just let go, bag and bin the hurtful memorabilia. There is no need to cling to it. Today is a new day and you’ve decided to move on. Once you get rid of all traces of the stressful period, you’ll never be able to look at things and be reminded of the pain associated with them. This will help you heal much faster.

Count your blessings

Look around you, is life really that bad? If you take a moment to reflect, you will find so many things to be grateful for in your life right now. Make a list of things you count as blessings, your family, friends, your job, health, that potted plant on the window, your zany old neighbour… with so many things eager to put a smile on your dial, is it worth moping away precious moments in sadness?

Join a social group

Having a support network of friends around you is great for keeping the blues at bay. So go out there and socialise. Join a group, a book club, a knitting society or whatever interests you. This way when gloom comes knocking, all you have to do is pick up the phone or drop in on a mate. Talking to friends or family members can cheer you up immensely. It takes your mind off yourself and immerses you into a

different mood. Soon enough the focus is something or someone else and you feel better.

exercise

A brisk trek around the block or in the park is highly recommended for overcoming feelings of sadness. Fresh air clears the mind and promotes feelings of wellbeing. Joining a gym is a very effective way of beating the blues, as exercise releases endorphins in the brain which are mood-lifting chemicals.

Meditate

Meditation is a proven practise for self-healing. Achieving a meditative state calms the mind and helps the body to relax. Get into the habit of meditating regularly and/or explore religion. It really helps as you feel reassured of forgiveness, and are more open to forgiving yourself. You learn to let go of hurt. It puts hope back in the heart that has lost it. Try it, it works!

Take it in your stride

Alexander Dumas wrote in The Count of Monte Cristo, “There is neither happiness nor misery in this world. There is only a comparison of one state with the other. He who has experienced the greatest misery can feel the greatest happiness”. And we emerge stronger from each trial

we go through. So when you remember the past and all the hurt it caused you, be thankful that it’s over and you are better now, ready and able to experience happiness. Consider life to be a rollercoaster ride. There will be ups and downs, but know that neither state is permanent. If you’re experiencing lows now, know that the highs are not far, most of the time they are just around the bend. Lift your chin up and soldier on.

Be your own best friend

Even when the whole world seems against you, be your own best friend. Listen to your thoughts and find the good in you. Convince yourself of your worth, take care of your appearance and walk tall. You deserve to be happy, so give yourself the best chance.

Take charge of your moods. Don’t dwell in the past and use it as an excuse to sink into sadness and anger, as it affects the people around you. Your kids, husband, partner, siblings – whoever shares your living space feels the full impact of your mood. Take responsibility and don’t be a cause of unease to them. Lift yourself out of darkness if only for the sake of other people in your life, and you’ll find that your consideration and thoughtfulness will pay off in making you the biggest recipient of your own act of charity.

Some things are just meant to be, and the storms you’ve weathered were predestined; they could not have been avoided no matter what

Joining a gym is a very effective way of beating the blues, as exercise releases endorphins in the brain which are mood-lifting chemicals

East meets West

The former Portuguese colony is a compact delight of cobblestoned streets, Macanese cuisine, churches and modern casinos

pastel coloured buildings.

exotic flavours of a colonial Portuguese milieu which I sensed earlier in Goa, come back to me the moment I walk into the centuries old centre of Macau. It is a former Portuguese colony neighbouring Hong Kong and geographically positioned like a fruit bat, hanging onto the Chinese mainland. The character of the entire historic settlement, clustered with piazzas and cobblestoned streets, baroque churches, stone fortresses neo classical edifices, bustling cafes and inviting shops doesn’t take much time to proclaim its European heritage.

After establishing themselves in Goa, the Portuguese landed here in the early 16th century and soon turned the impoverish area into an important trading port, linking Europe with China, Japan and India. During their stay of almost 400 years, they bejewelled the village-like land with architectural marvels and developed it like a mini Lisbon.

In 1999 the colonial regime ended and Macau became the Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. However, the Chinese administration so far has been quite protective of the tiny peninsula’s European heritage, despite the Portuguese population being only a small fraction of the regions total number of 580,000. Portuguese is still the official language, alongside Chinese, while street names and sign posts are in two languages. “You can freely communicate here at all levels in any of the two lingos, plus English,” says my omniscient guide Aloniro Noruega, an Indian of GoaPortuguese origin who moved to Macau three decades ago.

The landmark site from the glorious past is the World Heritage listed Senado Square, which is said to be the civic hub of the Portuguese colonial empire. Its striking features are the wave- patterned, stone mosaic streets created specially by experts from Portugal, and the gorgeous

I feel like trundling along the paths of the European settlement and immediately get absorbed by its buzz, which tells me this is where Macau’s heart has been pounding for centuries. Beautified with trees, fountains and benches for people to sit and relax on, the spacious piazza, now packed with nice cafes and boutique shops, nested in lovely old buildings, strikes me as a perfect venue for socialising and holding public events.

At one end of the square is the former Loyal Senate, and opposite it is the 16th century built Holy House of Mercy, the oldest charity institution in China region. It’s well known that the Portuguese introduced Christianity into the region, which is why the domain is powdered with so many beautiful churches.

Founded in 1587 by three Spanish Dominica priests, St Dominic Church attracts attention because of its magnificent yellow Baroque exterior, while the serene atmosphere inside gives instant peace. This church is famous for its alter, decorated wooden ceiling, and the treasury of statues, and other sacred art displayed inside a museum occupying the old belfry. A local tells me that it was from here the first Portuguese newspaper in Chinese soil was published.

This church also houses a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, a title for the Virgin Mary, due to her reputed apparitions to three shepherd children at Fatima in Portugal

“Every year on the thirteenth day of May a procession streams out of this church marking the traditional Catholic feast of Our Lady of Fatima,” informs Aloniro.

“Senado Square then turns into a sea of people and candle lights, celebrating a Portuguese heritage”.

Macau’s most familiar landmark is the ruins of St Pauls. Nested at the top of an imposing staircase, not far from St Dominic Church, the facade of what was originally the Church of Mater Dei, built by Jesuits in early 17th century and later destroyed by fire in 1835, is the only part that remains.

However, the intricate carvings on the facade are daunting enough to remind modern day onlookers of the architectural ingenuity of the Portuguese builders.

Pictures from bottom left clockwise:

Senado Square at midnight

Buildings showing the European character of Macau

Old city centre

A statue from the past

Portuguese cannon at Mont Fortress

One option for exploring the city

Ruin’s of St Pauls

Signage in Portuguese

IP HOR

in Macau

The character of the entire historic settlement, clustered with piazzas and cobblestoned streets, baroque churches, stone fortresses neo classical edifices, bustling cafes and inviting shops doesn’t take much time to proclaim its european heritage

At just under 30 square kilometres in size, Macau is a pretty compact destination.

With history as my companion, I wander with Alonoro through alleyways lined with inviting cafes and shops selling antiques, silk and souvenirs, past even more churches and grand edifices of the colonial masters, and visit bastions built to protect the land from foreign invasions. By the end of this I feel pretty familiar with the character of this old-styled European colony.

Goa once again hits back when I drop in at St Francis Xavier’s Church, reminding me of Basílica do Bom Jesus in Goa, which holds the mortal remains of the 16th century Catholic saint Xavier. There is, however, much more to Macau than reminiscing

European legacies. In the last few years charismatic-but-sleepy little Macau has experienced the sort of boom usually associated with cities like Guangzhou and Shanghai. But rather than skyscrapers, flyovers, and shopping malls, the infrastructure investment here has been all about building megacasinos and hotels; the trigger for this being gambling legal in Macau and not in neighboring Hong Kong and China. So another luring face of Macau is its identity as the Las Vegas of the East. This draws a constant stream of visitors who dream to become instant millionaires. They try their luck at the Grand Lisboa, Venetian Resort or Galaxy, Macau’s three extraordinarily plush joints to thin or thicken their wallet.

During their stay, the

colonial architecture includes oriental designs, with Chinese-style buildings standing next to ArtDeco architecture, and temples sharing space with churches. Portuguese coffee shops and dim-sim eateries run full house and festivals like Senhor dos Passos and Chinese New Year are both celebrated with pomp and glory.

Macau is a haven for foodies and one of its specialities is Macanese Cuisine, which is a unique combination of Portuguese and Chinese delicacies mixed with ingredients from Europe, South America and South East Asia. While sampling some of the items like Galinha à Africana at Restaurante Litoral and pastéis de nata from Lord Stows Bakery,

I keep enjoying the beguiling past of Macau where Western culture and Eastern Civilisation have combined to gift visitors a memorable time.

Travel noTebook

MAc AU

Ge

TTI n G TH e R e

One option is to fly Cathay Pacific www.cathaypacific.com.au to Hong Kong and then take the fast ferry from the airport. However, if you are staying in Hong Kong, ferry services depart from Shun Tak Centre Terminal in Hong Kong Island, or from China Ferry Terminal in Kowloon. Turbo Jet www.turbojet.com.hk offer services almost 24 hours a day.

ACCo MM odATI on

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e AT Restaurante Litoral www.ristaurante-litoral.com for Macanese dishes, Restaurante Espaco Lisboa for Portuguese delicacies and Indian Spice www.indianspicemacau.com for curry specials.

C U

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Rain or tears?

Inseparable in life and death, true love endures the ravages of time and tide

BY cHITRAdEVI KASILINgAM

The old woman lay on the bed staring out of the window. She did not see that it was raining heavily. Her thoughts were on her son. She knew that she did not have much time left. But she was not ready to go without seeing her son who was her joy and pride. Her little boy. Not that he was a little boy anymore! He was a grown man working in the city. She knew he would come. There was a flash of lighting followed by thunder, as the rain came down in heavy torrents. She sighed and closed her eyes. The pain was unbearable. Part of her longed for relief, while part wanted to live.

Her husband walked out to the porch. He too knew that the end was near. He knew she was in a lot of pain, but not once did she complain. She had been a strong, active person before this terrible illness struck her down. How was he going to live without her, he wondered unhappily. Thirty-two wonderful years together. A wife, lover, friend and companion, is what she had been to him. Tolerating his temper, encouraging his business ideas and cheering his successes. He knew that with age he had mellowed, and could see things much more clearly.

He walked back into the house hoping that the rain was not

going to prevent his son from coming to see them. He noticed that the floor in the living room was wet. He realised that the rain was beating in through the glass of a broken window higher up in the wall. He decided to wait until the rain stopped, and then do something to fix it, if only temporarily. The rain finally stopped, and he walked to the shed in his backyard. He picked up a large piece of plastic sheeting

and the ladder and walked out towards the window. He leaned the ladder against the window frame and climbed up carefully, with the plastic sheet in his hand. He managed to push one corner of the sheet between one end of the other window and the frame, and turned to try to do the same thing with the other end. But he lost his balance and fell hard to the ground. He lay there, as the rain began again,

Thirty-two wonderful years together. A wife, lover, friend and companion, is what she had been to him

beating down on his face.

Inside, the old woman saw a bright white light shining, and saw a youthful husband beckoning. With a radiant smile she rushed into his arms.

The son ran in from the rain, surprised that his father was not there to greet him. “Mum, Dad, I am home,” he called. But only silence answered him. Outside the rain continued to pour down like teardrops from heaven.

Inside, the old woman saw a bright white light shining, and saw a youthful husband beckoning. With a radiant smile she rushed into his arms

Creamy custard apples

Australians are getting to know and love the unique look, flavour and texture of this unusual fruit

In India, it was always the strange fruit with the strange name – a green apple-shaped monstrosity with a bumpy, serrated outer skin and lots of big black seeds within, clothed in the most delicious creamy flesh. It is the custard apple, or sitaphal.

Living in Mumbai, the sitaphal milkshake for dessert on a drive down to Bandra Bandstand was almost a Saturday night ritual, as any true Mumbaikar will know. And sitaphal ice cream was a Sunday afternoon delight!

So it’s just fantastic that the custard apple is causing a sensation right here in Australia, and is expected to be a big hit this winter. According to Adam Liaw, Destination Flavour host and MasterChef Series 2 winner, Aussies are now embracing the quintessential dessert fruit as they broaden their palates and experiment with more exotic foods when it comes to home cooking. “In Australia, custard apples are becoming increasingly popular for their delicious sweet flavour and soft creamy texture, and they can be used to give a tropical accent to drinks and desserts like cheesecake and smoothies,” he says.

Custard apples are highly nutritious; 100 grams of their sweet flesh provides 110 per cent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C. They are also low GI, and a source of protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals. And that’s to satisfy the health fanatics.

For us foodies, custard apples can be eaten as a snack, pureed for dessert recipes including fruit sorbets, ice creams, cakes and pies, made into smoothies, and even sliced raw and added to Asian salads. Adam suggests that custard apples can also be added to hot dishes like Thai red curries with chicken and stir-frys. Now that would be an interesting combination for gourmands to try and enjoy! But until you decide to get more adventurous with cooking this delicious fruit, here are some sitaphal recipes that are delicious, nutritious and simply irresistible…even in winter!

CUSTARD APPLe AND HoNey fRoZeN yoGHURT

Makes about 750ml of frozen yoghurt

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Waiting Time: Overnight

Ingredients

3 cups organic full-cream yoghurt

1 cup custard apple pulp and juice (about 1 large custard apple, or you can use frozen pulp)

3 tbsp honey

Method

Line a fine sieve with muslin or a clean tea towel and place it over a large bowl. Pour the yoghurt into the muslin and leave in the fridge to strain for at least 2.5 hours but preferably overnight. Put the strained yoghurt into another large bowl and mix through the custard apple pulp and honey until well combined. Freeze in an ice cream maker for 1 hour and then transfer to the freezer to set for a further 2 hours. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can just freeze this mixture in a large bowl in the freezer, whipping vigorously with a whisk at 45 minute intervals until it is set (about 3-4 hours).

Adam Liaw

CUSTARD APPLe, PASSIoN fRUIT AND CoCoNUT ICe BLoCKS

Makes 8 100ml ice blocks

Ingredients

280ml water

¾ cup caster sugar (170 grams)

350 grams ripe custard apple flesh (approximately 1 custard apple)

120ml passion fruit pulp (no seeds)

120ml coconut cream

Method

Make up sugar syrup by placing water and sugar in a small saucepan and bringing to the boil. Stir to dissolve sugar then turn off heat and leave to cool. Blend custard apple in a processor until completely smooth, and then mix blended custard apple with half of the sugar syrup.

Evenly spoon custard apple mixture into eight 100ml ice block moulds. Insert ice block sticks and then freeze moulds for four hours.

Mix 120mls passion fruit pulp with 3 tablespoons (45 mls) of the remaining sugar syrup and pour into four of the moulds. Mix 120mls coconut cream with 3 tablespoons (45 mls) of the remaining sugar syrup and pour into the remaining four moulds.

Freeze for another four hours.

Christina Soong-Kroeger

CUSTARD APPLe PoTS

Makes 6

Ingredients

210g ginger biscuits (approx. 18 biscuits)

70 grams shredded coconut

525 grams custard apple flesh (approx. 1.5 custard apples)

280mls coconut milk

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 lime, zested and juiced (reserve zest)

Method

Process biscuits until they resemble fine breadcrumbs then divide evenly amongst six serving glasses.

Toast shredded coconut in a dry fry pan (no oil), stirring occasionally until it turns brown. Remove from heat and leave to cool. Blend custard apple flesh, coconut milk, brown sugar and two teaspoons lime juice until smooth. Spoon into glasses on top of biscuits crumbs, diving the mixture evenly.

Sprinkle toasted coconut evenly on top of custard apple mixture and garnish each pot with lime zest. Store in refrigerator until serving.

Christina Soong-Kroeger

CUSTARD APPLe, RUM AND

CoCoNUT

PANNA CoTTA

Serves 4-6

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Waiting Time: 2 hrs

Cooking Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

400ml pouring cream

400ml coconut milk

2 tsp dark rum

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp caster sugar

18g powdered gelatin

400ml custard apple pulp and juice

Toasted coconut and macadamia nuts, to serve

Method

Place the pouring cream, coconut milk, rum, honey and caster sugar in a saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Heat the liquid gently until nearly a simmer, stirring until all the gelatin has dissolved. (To check this, lift your stirring spoon out of the mixture and make sure there are no gelatin granules sticking to it). Allow to cool for 5 minutes and then stir through the custard apple pulp and juice.

Freeze in individual molds or glasses for at least 2 hours, or until the panna cotta is set. To serve, scatter the top of the panna cotta with either toasted coconut or macadamia nuts.

Adam Liaw

All recipes© Custard Apples Australia

Winter wellness

A few timely tips can help you care for your skin better during cold weather

the city, you often have to walk through wind tunnels, those strong gusts of air that blow between tall buildings. So make sure you have lip balm on and your head covered, as the extreme cold can make hair very dry too.

t’s getting colder, with winter having arrived in full swing and cold biting winds, plus dipping temperatures can play havoc with your skin. Skin reacts immediately to changes in weather conditions, and needs maximum protection in extreme temperatures. In winter especially, if not looked after well, skin can get dry and flaky, even itchy. That’s because there is low humidity in the air and the moisture from our skin gets dried out; in fact, it can even wrinkle prematurely, if not properly moisturised.

So what do you need to do to make sure your skin is kept healthy during winter? Most people know what needs doing, but few follow through with this. However, if you do follow these simple tips, you can protect your skin from the harsh effects of the winter season.

Don’t clean your skin

Now don’t take this the wrong way, but a lot of people have a cleansing, toning and moisturising routine. You can skip that routine at night as cleansers strip the skin of its natural moisture, and toners can be alcohol-based which further dry the skin. Splash your face with lukewarm water if you feel the need to clean it.

Moisturise, come what may

No matter how busy you are, you

must moisturise your skin every day. Cream based ones work better in winter, for all types of skins. For sensitive skin types though, a hypoallergenic one works well as these are usually fragrance free.

Prevent lips from chapping

An inevitable fall out of winter winds is dry, chapped lips. So always keep a chapstick or lip balm handy and rub some on your lips the moment you feel them starting to go dry. If you leave too long between applications, the skin can crack and bleed.

Sun protection

The winter sun may not be very harsh, and sitting in the park in a sunny spot feels great in winter. But that doesn’t mean the sun is not harming your skin, just because it seems far away from your part of the world. It still has UV rays that can harm, so even in winter, please do use sunscreen. You can reduce the sun protection factor to 15+ if need be, but don’t step out without it.

Wind chill

Sydney and Melbourne can get very windy and if you work in

extreme temperatures

A really hot bath can be a divine respite on a freezing day, especially if you work outdoors a lot. But that is one temptation you have to avoid for the sake of your skin. Use hot water by all means, only don’t make it really, really hot. It might warm your skin, but nothing strips the skin of moisture the way very hot water does. So ensure the water is hot enough for you to feel comfortable, without your skin drying out. Also, avoid getting into the warmth of indoors and running out into the freezing cold too often. If you are going skiing and if your skin changes colour in the extremities and is painful, see a doctor. You could be suffering from frostbite.

Vitamin supplements

A lot of people are not exposed to enough sunlight, so a vitamin D supplement helps to keep immunity levels up. Our body produces some amounts of it naturally, but that is usually more so during summer. So avoid the winter colds and flus by drinking warm water and taking Vitamin D supplements.

If, despite all these precautions, you still have scratchy skin, please consult a doctor. And moisturise your hands and feet every night before you go to bed. Your skin will thank you for it.

A lot of people are not exposed to enough sunlight, so a vitamin D supplement helps to keep immunity levels up

No matter how busy you are, you must moisturise your skin every day. Cream based ones work better in winter, for all types of skins

MINNAL KHONA

Tired echoes, heard before

Khaled Hosseini’s latest offering has a few gems but less of the power and subtlety of his past novels

in the brilliant beginning, soulful ending and some form of oasis in between. Any book that starts with a Rumi couplet is bound to raise the reader’s expectations.

manner. Ambiguity seeps in and lingers on. But at the cost of lyricism and lucidity, which have been the hallmarks of the first two books by the author.

However, the journey to serenity is rather laboured at times, and the reader has to take solace in the brilliant beginning, soulful ending and some form of oasis in between

Have you ever sat in a desert, on a moonless night, listening to the tunes of the sarod emanating from a dimly lit home in distance? In the company of solitude, stars and symphony? Or can you imagine yourself being in such a milieu? The pace of time assumes elasticity when this happens. A sculptor monographs your heart. And senses. And sentiments. Not with a chisel, but with a feather. And without losing the perpetuity of that lingering feeling. This is what one feels when reading the recently released And the Mountains Echoed by renowned author Khaled Hosseini, published by Bloomsbury.

This is Hosseini’s third novel and there are some jewels interspersed in the pages. The rhythmic and phonetic translations have helped to make the imagery vivid. The fragrance and moods of the soil have been well captured. In between, Hosseini twirls and un-twirls strings of the reader’s heart. Arguably, quite akin to Beethoven’s rendering of Ode to Joy in the ninth symphony. And, at times, akin to rendering of Pathetique. The pendulum sways with varying speeds, varying stops and varying moods.

However, the journey to serenity is rather laboured at times, and the reader has to take solace

The earlier books by the same author – The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns arrived like comets, but ruled like planets. They seemed beyond the reproaches of laws of diminishing returns. There was a hiatus of almost six years till the smells and splendours of Afghanistan reached us again in And the Mountains Echoed Crescendo was the benchmark of the earlier books and probably the expectation of this again has the impact of spraying the reader with the dampness. And sustained dampness, at that!

In terms of the plot, the DNA of this book and the previous two are from the same fabric, have the same texture, so And the Mountains Echoed breeds familiarity. Rather, predictability. In a nutshell, it is a story of a brother and a sister whose separation is ‘compelled’ by economic circumstances and, of course, the stepmother. The story sprawls over decades, cultures and continents. In the end, do the siblings meet? If yes, how and what is the emotional quotient?

If not, why? In between there are sub-plots as Hosseini takes a detour and forays into a European by-tale. Perhaps the objective was to avoid being typecast as an Afghanistan specialist. Or he might be preparing to step into a literary backdrop sans Afghanistan in his next project. The subplots, often told in a firstperson narrative, sound disjointed. Some of them start in a kneejerk

The book is better than average if considered without the legacy of earlier two books. But in their wake, And the Mountains Echoed assumes a tired look. It is apt to end this piece with a Rumi couplet. We are as pieces of chess engaged in victory and defeat: our victory and defeat is from thee, O thou whose qualities are comely!

Hosseini takes a detour and forays into a European by-tale. Perhaps the objective was to avoid being typecast as an Afghanistan specialist

BHAVIN RAVAL

Khaled Hosseini

SEEking groomS

Well settled parents looking for suitable match for their 32-year-old daughter, who works for a multinational company in Sydney in a senior corporate position. Pretty, beautiful, 163cm tall, brought up in, and values both Indian and western culture. Seeking Hindu professional man, preferably from a well settled family background. Please contact: sur6958@gmail.com or mobile: 0404 147 744.

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Seeking groom for Hindu Punjabi 30-yearsold, 5’1”, Australian citizen, well qualified, fair, charming, family oriented, responsible girl in Sydney. Brought up in India. Well settled, qualified, professional suitable matrimony match required. Caste no bar. Previous marriage annulled. Contact: +614 062 82 784 or: Lifepartner145@yahoo.com.au

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Parents seeking match for fair, slim Hindu Khatri girl, 26 years, CPA Australia, working as an accountant in Sydney. Born and brought up in Kenya in a loving family with high moral values, our daughter is now an Australian Citizen with a double degree (Accounting and Applied Finance) from MQ University. We are a small, tight knit, professional family and are looking for a well educated, family oriented boy who is willing to settle in Australia. Please email proposal with education, job details and recent photo to rits.bahal@gmail.com

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Living in Canberra. Please email: catholic_guy_1985@outlook.com

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Bangalorean gentleman 43-years-old, born in Coorg, India. Sincere / God fearing. Alliance for genuine girlfriend aged 27-45 yrs, possibly early marriage, student, tourist, PR ladies interested. Please call Mr Davha for appointment on: 02 9676 2512 or: 0458 153 193.

Seeking match for highly educated, nevermarried, 5’ 9”, 1975 born Sikh Khatri boy. Full-time permanent job with decent income in customer service role. Looking for well-educated, never married Sikh girl from Australia. Early marriage. Phone: 0422 102 242 or email: jas_ghai01@hotmail.com

THE BUZZ

manivannan’s death shocks Tamil film industry

The death of popular Tamil actor-director Manivannan, who passed away due to a cardiac arrest in Chennai on June 15, has sent shock waves through the Tamil film industry. Celebrities say they will remember him as a ‘great soul’ who was versatile, talented and humble. One of the most influential writers, actors and directors, Manivannan starred in over 400 Tamil films and helmed 50 Tamil films in a career spanning three decades. He was 58.

Especially known for his roles in films such as Avvai Shanmugi, Amaidhi Padai and Ullathai Allitha, Manivannan was regarded as one of the best character actors of Tamil cinema.

Manivannan was a member of Naam Tamizhar (We Tamils) group. He supported the Sri Lankan Tamils so much that he got his son engaged to a Sri Lankan Tamil girl not long ago.

Recently, speaking at the audio launch of Nagaraja Cholan MA, MLA, which was his 50th directorial film, he said, “When I die, I want my body to be handed over to (Tamil director) Seeman and my funeral should take place under his guidance”. Seeman, who is Manivannan’s protege, heads the Naam Tamizhar group.

RIP, Manivannan!

Priyanka Chopra’s father succumbs to cancer

June 10 was a sad day for Priyanka Chopra and her family, as her father Dr Ashok Chopra finally succumbed to cancer at a hospital in Mumbai. Dr Chopra had been admitted to the hospital in the terminal stages of the disease, although he had been undergoing treatment for the past few years. Priyanka had reportedly cancelled all her shoots and was by his side for the last few days.

SRK vOTED INDIA’S MOST pOpULAR fATHER

India celebrated Father’s Day on June 16, and the day turned out extra-special for Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The doting dad of son Aryan and daughter Suhana, was voted India’s most popular father in a Father’s Day poll conducted by matrimonial site Shaadi. com. Surprisingly, the King Khan rocked up more votes than megastar Amitabh Bachchan, despite the latter’s famous son Abhishek and well-known daughter Shweta. The results of the poll, conducted among over 11,000 Indian women were announced a day before Father’s Day.

Shah Rukh received 34.83 percent votes while Amitabh was chosen by 31.58 percent of the women surveyed.

Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar took the third spot with 18.61 percent. The poll also posed other questions to the respondents. In the survey for the country’s most popular fatherdaughter relationship, Big B took the top spot along with his daughter Shweta. Veteran actor Jeetendra and his film producer daughter Ekta Kapoor got 35.06 percent votes, followed by father-daughter duo Anil Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor (22.42 percent).

Also, 44.85 percent Indian women voted for Shah Rukh and his son Aryan as India’s most popular father-son duo. So once again, SRK reigns supreme in his role as a father – but this time, he’s not acting! Congrats!

Chopra, a doctor, had retired from the Indian Army in 1997 as a lieutenant colonel. He is survived by his wife Madhu, also a former army doctor, daughter Priyanka and son Siddharth. Bollywood celebrities turned out in full force for the prayer meeting the next day, comforting the Chopra family on their loss. Among the attendees were Kareena Kapoor, Vidya Balan, Shilpa Shetty, Karishma Kapoor, Rani Mukerji, Riteish Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza, among many others.

There was an overwhelming outpouring of sympathy, with Bollywood celebrities eager to console the bereaved family, who were known to be close-knit. Our sympathies to Priyanka and her family.

Jiah khan investigation gets down and dirty

While Bollywood is still reeling over the suicide of Jiah Khan, Sooraj Pancholi, the actress’s alleged boyfriend has been placed in judicial custody and at the time of going to press, his bail hearing had been adjourned to June 21. Sooraj was arrested following a suicide note that

was found at Jiah’s flat by her family a few days after her death. Jiah, formerly known as Nafisa Khan, hanged herself in her flat in Mumbai on June 3. Speculation was rife about the cause of her death, and a failed love affair with Sooraj and a flagging career were widely cited as the reasons for the young actress to take such a drastic step. However, the families are now battling it out with the Pancholis adamant that their son is innocent. Jiah’s mother claims that her daughter took the drastic step not due to the lack of assignments, but due to her troubled relationship with Sooraj.

But actor Aditya Pancholi and his actress wife Zarina Wahab stood firm by their son, as he was charged with abetting the suicide.

“Let my son stay in jail a little longer. It will make him tougher and wiser. He has done no wrong. So, this experience can only make him strong,” said Aditya while remaining calm on hearing the verdict that the bail hearing had been postponed.

Sooraj’s mother Zarina, on impulse, paid an unannounced visit to Jiah’s mother Rabiya on June 11. The meeting between the two grieving mothers apparently didn’t go too well. When contacted, Zarina she said she had indeed paid Jiah’s mother a visit. “But it was not to pacify her or to work out any compromise in my son’s favour. If he has done any wrong let him suffer the consequences,” said the veteran actress. “No, I went just as one mother reaching out to another. I suggested we go inside the house because there were a lot of media persons outside. Rabiyajiji was in no mood for any conversation with me. I wouldn’t want to discuss what we spoke about,” she added.

Jiah, who debuted in Bollywood with Ram Gopal Varma’s Nishabd, was in a disturbed relationship with Sooraj, with gory details of mental and physical abuse and abortion coming into the limelight, offering an insight into a murkier world beyond the glitz and glamour of tinsel town.

Opinion is divided on Sooraj’s role in Jiah’s suicide, perhaps because it’s not

Priyanka ChoPra

such a shocking story, after all. There are numerous young actors trying to make it big in Bollywood and befriending those connected with stardom. And while both families are distraught at their loss, we can only hope that the truth stands revealed.

Hrithik hype to kick off Krrish 3

Hunky Hrithik Roshan seems to have gone pretty quiet on the Bollywood scene, but there’s a reason for keeping out of the public eye. It’s because he intends pulling out all stops on the publicity front when promoting the much-awaited Krrish 3, the third part of the successful Bollywood superhero franchise. Apparently Hrithik is said to have kept aside an entire month to promote his home production across the world. The movie is scheduled for a Diwali release this year, so from the first week of October, the actor will be globetrotting to market the film.

“The idea is to reach out to as many fans as possible during that time, because Rakeshji (director Rakesh Roshan) hasn’t started any kind of promotional activity yet. Even Hrithik has been off the media’s radar for a while

wHO wORE IT BETTER?

now, since his last release Agneepath was over a year ago,” said an insider.

So Hrithik will very likely hit Dubai, Canada, Britain and the US, not to mention within India. Krrish 3 will take forward the story of the superhero, played by Hrithik, seen in Koi... Mil Gaya and Krrish

Hrithik is currently busy shooting for Siddharth Anand’s Bang Bang with Katrina Kaif. He is also teaming up once again with his Agneepath director, Karan Malhotra, for Shuddhi. So be patient, Hrithik fans, there’s not long to go before your favourite hero hunks up the screen!

Words of wisdom from young Varun

Varun Dhawan sailed into Bollywood riding on the hit movie Student Of The Year (SOTY), but surprisingly, the success of his first film has not influenced this young actor.

“I think it is too early for all that (stardom). I just feel like an actor now and whose performance people really liked, hence they want to support and love (me),” said Varun recently.

Varun’s roots are in the film industry as he is the son of director-producer David Dhawan, known for films like Hero No.1 While Varun is proud of his film legacy,

he points out that he cannot take a piggy ride on his dad’s successful career. Measuring success with practical yardstick, the youngster said, “I am my father’s son. It is not my fault that my father happens to be famous and good at his job. I am proud to have a father like him. At the same time, I have to make my own space. If you don’t achieve, then people won’t care. I think each person has their own journey to fulfil”.

Philosophical words from one so young and riding a wave of success! Varun will team up with his dad in Mein Tera Hero, following which, Karan Johar, who launched him in his directorial venture SOTY, has roped the young actor in for his next venture.

“I feel very privileged and happy that these people are there. They are ready to experiment and try new things, which is amazing for new talent,” said the 26-year-old.

Thanks to the success of his film, he has bagged a couple of brand endorsements too. He is endorsing chat application - We Chat - along with Parineeti Chopra and is also seen in a Coca Cola new ad.

Varun likes to do launches when he is free. “I think it is good to spread social awareness and be in touch with current trends,” he said.

It’s good to see the young crop of Bollywood boys being sensible and smart! Good on you, Varun!

aj to ranbir, it’s russia with love!

Ranbir Kapoor is excited at the chance to promote his latest hit film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (YJHD) in Russia. The country has always been special for the Kapoor khandaan as Ranbir’s grandfather, the late cinema legend Raj Kapoor, continues to be a rage there. The youthful entertainer, directed by Ayan Mukerji, has done immensely well in India, crossing the Rs.100 crore mark within a week of its release.

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YJHD will release in Russia in the coming months. Ranbir will be there for three days before the release so that he has time to engage with the media and market the film,” said a source.

Raj Kapoor is still adored in Russia. Some of his films including Awaara, Shree 420 and Mera Naam Joker garnered a huge fan base for the late actor. Let’s hope the Kapoor legacy continues in Russia…

What’s the chitchat between Padmini Kolhapure and Anil

Anil: How about a remake of Woh Saat Din, eh?

Padmini: Sadly, they don’t tell such tales any more.

Pinky Verma Mosman Park, Perth WA

Pinky wins a ticket to new Hindi film release Fukrey

Kapoor?

Deepika Padukone or Ashley Benson in Dolce & Gabbana?

ranbir kaPoor

hrithik roshan

Varun Dhawan

CINE TALK

A NK u R A Ro RA Mu RD e R C AS e

STArring: Kay Kay Menon, Arjun Mathur, Vishakha Singh, Paoli Dam, Tisca Chopra and Manish Chaudhary DirECTor: Suhail Tatari HHHHH

Amother watches her young son being wheeled into the operation theatre for a minor operation. He never returns. Medical negligence is passé. Medical arrogance is the new menace. Enter a high-end seven-star hospital and you’re bound to run into the incredibly arrogant Dr. Asthana (Kay Kay Menon, back in fabulous form), who addresses the media as though he is obliging them by giving out information and who tells his junior, “Medicine is not just about healing. It’s also about making money. Who pays the bills of those who can’t afford them? The rich, of course”.

The pragmatism underscoring the Hippocratic Oath bypasses the young

idealistic Rohan (Arjun Mathur), the intern who dares to speak out of turn to question Dr. Asthana’s supreme authority in the hospital.

Taking the conflict between the blasé megalomaniac medicine-man and the idealistic intern as the central point in the plot, Vikram Bhatt has written a script that is partly a conscience-pricking morality tale, and partly a racy thriller set in the spick-and-span corridors of a high-end hospital where, for the record, an eminent surgeon has just goofed up.

But shhhh! No one in his intimidated medical team is allowed to speak up.

This is one of the most gripping moral dramas in recent times. The deftly crafted script raises the question of right and wrong in the medical profession without getting preachy or hysterical. Somewhere, Dr. Asthana’s medical arrogance connects with each one of us who has in one way or another encountered deadends in healthcare.

The characters are convincing, yet distant from what we generally perceive to be authentic cinema. The narration

A SOBERINg MEDICAL THRILLER INTELLIgENT AND fUNNy!

moves on two different levels: the headline-inspired pseudo-documentary and the sprawling soap opera that life often throws open in situations that we see as too unreal to be happening.

The performances in both the first-half (the medical drama) and the secondhalf (the courtroom conflict) are all supremely poised. The actors assume brilliancy without getting compromised by the need to shine. Tisca Arora’s bereaved mother’s act is so real and restrained! She gives us goosebumps when after her son’s death, she gets busy on her smartphone to fob off the terrible reality of the tragedy. Really, Tisca is one of our most underrated actresses. Kay Kay Menon rediscovers the aweinspiring actor within himself with a performance that leaves us repelled and

fascinated. Arjun Mathur as the daring intern who takes on the mighty medicine man exudes integrity without brimming over with righteous indignation. In an era when all our filmy heroes are growing stubbles and trying to look mean, Arjun plays a true-blue old-fashioned hero (the kind who used to fight for the truth) in a very contemporary context and style. Indeed, this is a far cleverer, wiser and relevant film than much of what we get to see these days. At a time when Bollywood is raining bubbles and effervescence about jawaani deewanis and yamla paglas, this sobering medical thriller comes as an invigorating cloudburst. Bursting at the seams with acting talent, director Suhail Tatari’s restorative drama hits us where it hurts the most. The conscience.

Su BHASH K J HA

Fu KR ey

STArring: Pulkit Samrat, Richa Chadda, Manjot Singh, Ali Fazal, Varun Sharma, Vishakha Singh, Priya Anand and Pankaj Tripathi

DirECTor: Mrigdeep Singh Lamba

There is something about the theatre of the absurd that brings on a volley of unwarranted nonsense in our filmmakers.

Not this time. Fukrey, about an eclectic bunch of no-good students poised between a rapidly-receding adolescence and a reluctant manhood, is far funnier, more intelligent and deftly executed than the recent, much-lauded Kai Po Che

And yes, though the boys think and talk a lot about sex, there is a refreshing absence of double-entendre.

With its inventive plot and wickedly dead-on characterisations, Fukrey is the kind of rare comedy where the actors take to their roles without considering their own ambitions. Each actor shines in his or her allotted corner and yet manages to merge with writer-director Lamba’s larger scheme of things.

And gosh, what schemers masquerading as daydreamers this

delicious romp into Delhi’s rumbling underbelly throws forward! The film visits places in Delhi where the stereotypes of middle-class life (girl courting boy from adjacent rooftop, working-class boy dreaming of attending a college filled with girls in short skirts, rave parties etc) flicker into shapes we have never seen before.

It’s a familiar world recreated with warmth and humour. Delhi, as shot by cinematographer K. U. Mohanan, never seemed more designed to demonise young dreams, not even in Shoojit Sircar’s Vicky Donor. Sperms maybe bankable. Youthful dreams are the real financial challenge.

It’s not just the ingenuity of the technicians that gives Fukrey its fresh flavour. It gets its palpable energy from its characters. These are youngsters whom we know, and probably don’t want to know.

There’s the embarrassingly named Choocha (Varun Sharma) who dreams of winning the lottery, and his cocky over-confident buddy Hunny (Pulkit Samrat) who interprets Choocha’s getrich-quick-by-hook-or-crook schemes. Their dreams of admission into a college of short-skirted girls is fuelled by a college

watchman Pankaj Tripathi, who can make even the commonest English word sound like an abuse.

Other characters - a mithaiwallah’s somber son (Manjot Singh) and a wannabe musician Zafar (Ali Fazal), join in to get a foothold into a world where money comes from unexpected quarters. Joining them is a female gangster (Richa Chadda) whose Bholi Punjaban is eminently feline and sensual, wanton and immoral, cheesy and yet enchanting. Richa’s scenes with the naive and funny Choocha are among the funniest in the film. A close second are the scenes where Choocha is being put to sleep by his friends to dream up their riches. Such moments of unalloyed worth define a dark and depressing truth about why today’s 20-something ends up tied to a ceiling fan.

The unraveling of youthful avarice is played mostly at a flippant devil-may-care pitch. Not that Lamba’s direction forbids emotional leeway. There is a poignant moment in a dingy government hospital where the dreamer-musician Ali has to collect a urine sample from his father. The

mirth melts into despair.

Watch the emotional and physical detailing here to know how diligently Lamba has crafted his tale of greed, male bonding, backstreet badmaashi, sunsplashed revelry, surreptitious romancing, and coming-of-age.

We have moved on from our fixation with ‘stars’ to explore talent that is refreshing and unique.

Su BHASH K J HA

Ask Auntyji

Dear Auntyji

have a little conundrum for which I need your advice. I have been studying for my MBA for the last 3.5 years and now it is coming to a close. My wife, who has a full time job, was tremendously supportive while I was studying. I did not have to do anything around the house. Not one thing. She held down her very busy job, and always cooked a beautiful dinner each night, cleaned the house, washed all my clothes and did not put any demands on me whatsoever. Most importantly, because she is so bright, she was able to assist with some of my assignments, reading them, providing insights and reviews. When I was demotivated, she helped me stay on the right path. She was an angel during the entire time Auntyji, and even when I became stressed, she was always the voice of reason and did not give in to her demons and argue with me. Now, I have grown used to all this, and I am concerned that when my MBA is over, I will have to do all these things. I really liked that I did not have to do anything, but now I will have to. Can you please advise what will be the best solution for me? How do I make myself like helping around the house again?

Auntyji says

You know, you are an impossibly besharam aadmi. You give all men a bad name. You know how to take, but have trouble giving back. If there were more selfish men like you on the planet, no woman would want to get married. The only good thing about you that I see is that at least you are prepared to speak the truth and acknowledge that you are a lazy bekaroo. Ok, now let me take a moment to remind you about your wife. She seems to be the ultimate in womankind, the one who holds down a job, the same as you, yet is able to run a household and take care of you so that you don’t have to worry about any of this. And you say that she did this with grace and dignity. You are truly a lucky man to have such a great wife. Now, you know, I am sure your wife does not absolutely love washing dishes and clothes and vacuuming and cooking. But she does it because it’s the right thing to do, and she wants to look after her family. She puts her feelings aside and gets on with the job. This is what you need to learn from her. You need to stop being such a lazy haraami and get on with the job of helping out.  No one likes to wash dishes, but it needs to get done so one may as well just get it over and done with. Studying for your MBA is tough, but the support structure required to ensure you achieve this without the needless stress is an art, and your wife has managed to accomplish this with ease. So, grow up, be a real mard and help around the ghar. Your wife will love you for it. Of course, if you want a divorce in a few years, then by all means continue to be a lazy so-and-so and wait for some other man to come and steal your wife from you. You need to know this – women love it when men consider what women want. They want a man to understand that any man who helps his wife with household chores will have a loving family life. So over to you, Mr MBA. Let me know how you go.

Dear Auntyji

In my opinion Kishore Kumar is the Hindi film world’s best singer. My friend who is from Pakistan says it’s Mohd Rafi. I think he only says it because he’s Muslim and Rafi is Muslim too. Sometimes we start arguing about this. I like my friend, but I don’t think Mohd Rafi is the greatest singer. What do you think?

Auntyji says

What the? What kind of na akl, zaleel insaan are you and your friend? Why must the two of you bring religion into everything? Tell me, when you look up at the sky and you see the stars, can you tell if they are Hindu or Muslim? Of course you can’t. Do you know why talented people are called stars? Because when a person has true talent, even when they are gone, their talent continues to shine on us. Similarly, the light from the stars in the sky continues to reach us even after the stars have exploded and died. So Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar are stars, and they are long gone, but their light continues to reach us. So for you to try to work out which was a better singer is insulting their talent. For you to try to bring religion into it, is like spitting on their faces. Religion is a human construct. We are all insaan. So I suggest that the  next time your friend insists that Mohd Rafi was a better singer, you should agree and say, yes, he was a true star and we humans were lucky to have him walk on this same earth as us. Say that Mohd Rafi brought so much joy into so many people’s life that he was indeed the greatest singer. And if your friend laughs at you, then laugh with him, because neither of you could even compete with Kishore Kumar or Mohd Rafi, so what is the point of debating this useless point? Both were talented artists who brought happiness to the lives of millions of people. Let’s leave it at that. One final thing. Only backward people constantly talk about religion. Religion is not what you do on the outside or what you say you do. Religion should be something private – between you and your god. Think of it this way. If there was one god, even if there were many incarnations of him, why would he choose between his children? Wouldn’t a god love all his children equally? So trying to create divisions between the different religions, and seeing others through the framework of different religions is possibly the most insulting thing one could do in the name of religion. We are all human. Let’s leave it at that.