2013-07 Adelaide

INDIAN LINK RADIO CONNECTING YOU TO Tl-IE ORLD

FOR IPI-IONE , IPAD AND ANDROID

Rudd's return will slow down the India-Oz relationship

Ahigh -ranking Indian d i p lomat often expressed his exasperation widi Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in his first te rm of office, as to his leanings towa rds China. The sentiment in South Hall was iliac tmder Rudd, die Australia- China re lationship was a bit more warm and cosy than ic needed co be. India was frustrated at die way the Labor Party under Kevin Rudd rebuffed India's cliplomats, especially in d1e area of uranium sales. In the dyi n g days of the Howard government, it was announced iliac should the Coalition recurn ro power, iliey would initiate steps to sell uranium to India. However, wim Labor caking control in 2007, in his first stint at prime ministership, Kevin Rudd made no moves to progress any cliscussion on iliis topic; in fact, it was put on die back burner.

lt was under the next prime minister Julia Gillard, that me Labor caucus end orsed die sale of die p recious yellow cake to Ind ia. Interestingl y enough, this decision seemingly was undertaken

w ithout consulting he r then Foreign Ministe r Rudd, who was only informed of this after i t ,vas p ublicly an nounced. This decision was made in December 20 11 and to date Ii ttle progress has been made in practical terms. O n e expects thac: under the reincarnation of Kevin Rudd as Prime Minister, nor much will happen in th is regard. Interestingly, Rudd supporters, such as current Deputy Prime J\folister Anthony Albanese and Labor stalwart Doug Cameron, both disagreed wi ch die then P1vf G illard 's decision. 2008- 2009 was the per iod when the smdents' crisis had rocked the relations between India and Australi a. An endur tng i mage from the time is di at of Rudd's effigy be ing burnt by demonstrato rs outside di e Australian High Commission in India. While this was certainly not pleasant, it further distanced Kevin Ru dd from all d1ings lndian.

As to how die Indian community in i\u s[[alia reacts to the change of leadership in the Labor Party will be interesting to observe. Over the past few months, iliere hHs been a concerted effort by the subcontinent friends of Labor to reach om to the lnclians in Australia. Pormer PM G il lard's visit to me Parklea gurudwara, a m eet-and-greet w ith selected rueclia at Kirribilli House,

weekend fundraisers for the LHbor Party within me Indian co mmunity and the constant parade of Labor's margina l seat politici ans at Indian functions. These ha,,e all shown die importance given to die lndian vote at the next elections. \X l hether the new (or old?) Prune Mitlister Rudd will embark on simi11-r gimnlicks will be interesting to observe.

However, i f history is any indication, PM Rudd will prefer co practice his Mandarin at local Chinese functions, railier than covet di e lnclian vote Australian lndians will also remember p romises and grand iose sta tem ents such as the 20/20 fonm1s, g rocery watch, fuel watch, the Jack of coherent policy on 'the g reatest moral challenge of our times' and carbon tax, the clismantling of the Pacific solution of the Howard government, the near breakdown in the working of me government after d isagreements in the kitchen cab inet etc. \Xlhi.Je all iliese can be forgiven, what the Australian Indian community will be watching, is how the relationship between India and Australia progresses under a reincarnated Kevin Rudd.

Pawan Luthra is the current Parliament of NSW Multicul tural Journalist of the Year.

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Support for young couples

Supporting young couples in need by Frankey Fernandes in the last Indian Link is easily one of the best artides I have read in recent times It vividly highlights the plight of recently-arrived skilled migrants. They arrive here with great hopes of making a decent living, banking on their education and experience, but get disillusioned by a lack ofjob opportunities in their field of expertise. Just to put food on the table many of them take up any job, often menial, that come their way For fear of shame and ridicule from friends and relatives back home they keep their predicament a secret from them. Disappointment and delusion can lead to depression.

Being in a position to meet a number of newly-arrived skilled migrants from India, I am aware of their hardships including one case very close to what Frankey has described - an unexpected pregnancy that sadly did not go the full term. Of course one would say these migrants have chosen to come here with their eyes wide open. True. But that

is only one side of the equation.

The Australian Government also plays some role in attracting them with its long -term interest of populating the country with young and employable people to keep the economy going and fund the care of the aged, invalid and unemployed It has some moral responsibility to bear particularly when it spends billions on medical care and the general well-being of unauthorised arrivals Do those MPs and Senators who bombard the airwaves with the perceived plight of the unauthorised arrivals ever bother to know what the skilled mig rants go through? l highly doubt this. Because no one te ll s them.

There are dozens of community organisations representing every region of India and they can play a role in bringing the problems of their kindred to the public arena. They should look beyond bajans, bangras and Bol lywood 'tamasha ' if they want to prove their worth to their community and be taken seriously by the powers that be.

LP. A. Viramani

The state of Uttarakhand reels beneath nature's flood fury

That's

only

to describe the current simation in Uttarakband, over a fortnight since the devastating floods that overwhelmed th.is picturesque state, leaving behind unimaginable wreckage and destruction.

Uttarakhand, formecly known as U ttaranchal, is situated in the northern part of India, and is a renowned place of pilgrimage for Hindus with an abundance of temples and ho ly sites. It is also a popular courisr destination, thanks to its breathtaking natural beauty and i ts location at the foot of the Bhabhar and the Terai in the mighty Himalayas. It was created in November 2000 as the 27' " state of the Republic of India, from the Himalayan and adjoining northwestern distr iccs of Utrar Pradesh. Sharing borders wid1 T ibet, Nepal, Uttar Pradesh and J-limachal Pradesh, Uttarakband consists of che Garhwal and Kumaon divis ions widi 13 districts. Dehradun is its provisional capital.

According to the 2011 census of India, Urtarakhand has a population of 10,116,752, w ith more than 88% following Hinduism, and Muslims making up the largest minority. Sikhs, Christians, Buddhists, and Jains are the other major religions

Two of the most importam rivers in Hinduism originate in the region, tbe Ganga at Gangorri and che Yamuna at Yamunotri. These t\VO, alongwirh Badrinath and Kedarnath form the Chota Char Dharn, a holy pilgrimage for the Hindus. The state hosts me Bengal tiger in Jim Corbett National Park, d1e oldest national park of die Indian subcontinent. The Valley of Flowers, a UNESCO World Heritage Sire located here, is known for the variety and rarity of me flowers and plants found there. Besides diis, Govindghac in Uttarakhand is me commencement poim of me trek to Hemhmd Sahib, the holy shrine of die Sikhs. Kedarnath is a

revered pilgrimage sire for millions of Hi ndus, simated at an altirude of 3,586 metres in die lap of the majestic mountain peaks and near me head of die l'vfandakini river. It can be reacbed after a steep 14- km-long trek.

Natural disaster

Licessanc and intense rai11s hit me hlll state over diree days from June 14, triggering Aash Aoods and landslides, leading to hundreds of deaths and resulting in mousands more tTi.issing. Though over 100,000 peop le have been evacuated so far, at the time of going ro press, hundreds were still stranded at various poims across the state. At last count, approximately 800 peop le were dead and over 3,000 missing, but diese were just estimated based on what evacuated people recounted to the rescue teams and to government officials.

Major pilgrimage centres have also suffered ter r ible damage.

Pilgrimages to places like Kedamath and Badrinath, home to among me most revered Hindu shrines, have been all but washed away. Entire villages and small towns have simply disappeared in me Aood waters, with bridges and roads swept away, cutting off large areas, as weU as homes, hotels and businesses. Power lines have been damaged and die loss of life is tragically high. To make things worse, continuous rain and fogg y conditions seriously hampered rescue operations in the first week of the tragedy.

Many people had fallen ill because of starvation and staying out in the open in d1e freezing cold for long hours, so docrors were air- dropped in strategic locations.

It is reported that in one day, 700 peopl e were given medicines for various ailments Personnel of the A r med Forces Medical Services are working in the state wid1 29 teams deployed around Kedarnath while an emergency centre bas been set up at Joshi.math, an official release said.

The National Disaster Management Aud1ority (NDMA) declared die Uttarakhand devastation a "severe namral disaster" and requested leaders not to politicise the issue. Inspector Gopal Singh Meena from the NDMA has worked in some cough environments whenever namral calamity has struck, bur he said he has never seen such utter devastation. The NDJ\l[J\ team that was air-cL:opped at Guptkashi, which is located between Kedarnath and Rudraprayag, saw a ghost town with structures smashed to me ground like match boxes by the fur y of me flood waters, and twisted bodies of the o ld and young, men and women simpl y strewn around, revealed Meena.

l'vfeena al so said many people

took shelter in d1e jungles when the flood water inundated the areas. "There were wailing women and children in hysterical condition. They were there without food and water. They were totally in panic. They were crying for help. \Xie faced a lot of problems, as we had no way to reach them. \Vle then made ropeways and then many of our men carried them on their backs. Our firsr priority was to reach d1e women, children and the o ld," Meena added.

"Here (Gaurikund) , people had taken shelter in jungles. Many just couldn't walk. Thei r feet were swollen. They were corally famished and in urgent need of food and warer:' said Meena, whose team members were the ones who rescued and evacuated hundreds of people stuck in the entire stretd1 of Kedamath valley.

One of the casualties of the rescue operatious diat shocked

the nation was the crashing of an lndian Air Force rescue plane 011 June 25. The crash claimed the lives of nine personnel of DRF, six of tbe Lido -T ibetan Border Police and five of me Indian Air Force. J\mong the dead \Vas Wing Commander Darryl Castelino, who was piloting the iUfated helicopter when ir crashed. He was laid co rest on June 30 in Mumbai, wim full military honours.

Stories have also been filrering out of looting and rape. Says i\nupam Sharma who grew up in most of the areas in which the floods unleashed d1e ir fury, "i\1Iy broken heart skips a beat every time o ne hears abom the victims being looted, helpless female pilgrims awaiting rescue being raped , swami con men conni n g ac die worst time, kids who are orphaned being saved for the child labour market - the li st goes on. All in the most holiest

ayhem!

the

way

of areas where even the worst evil goes for penance!" He adds, "Then there is the pl ight of the survjvors having to take c lothes off dead borues ro save themselves, the chopper crash , the nob le a nd honest defense personnel, and some of the local administratio n. For me, it is a big churning of emotions as each time I hear the name of a p lace in Uttarakhand, I am taken back to the wonderful memories of childhood." A poignant and tragic feeling ind eed!

Forewarned and ignored

What has come to light in recent days is that an alert was sent to the Uttarakhand government about the rainfall activity for 48 hours before the d isastrous rains starred around June 14, India Meteorological Department official N Doraiswamy said recen tl y An WO official based at Dehradun reiterated that waro.i11gs of heavy rains and landslide were sent ro the state govern m ent. However, rl1e Congress gave a clean chit ro U ttarakhand Cluef Mjnisrer Vijay Bahuguna, who has been facing flak for "ignoring" rl1e advance warnings of very heavy rains by t he meteorological department, saying it was satisfied wirl1 the state government's rescue and relief work. The Met Office claimed d1at the Char Dham Yatra could have been halted in time, saving hundreds of lives. "The reasons (berund the tragedy) will

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be examined. The focus eight now shou ld be on evacuating stranded people, ensuring relief and rehabilitation and rnecking rl1e sp read of epidemic," said Maken, sp o kesman from the Con gress. Maken said tho u sand s o f people have been left homeles s and their houses uprooted. "\Y/e should rise above partisan pol itics and serve the peop le," he add ed.

The hand of God?

Bur for rl1e locals, the damage and devastation is the only rluog they are talking about. The Haridwar ghats, as well a.s the temples are empty. The rains and landslides are God's way of teaching mankind a lesson, they say.

" Rampant illegal construction on the banks of the river, corruption a nd looting rl1e pilgrims have led to this God was angry. It is his way. Omerwise, why would rl1ousands of people who had come to pray at these shrines perish like rlus?" said Man Singh

Up reti of DehradLrn. " This is god's way to teach people a lesson," added tbe 70 -year- o ld.

Others cite rufferent reasons for the djsaster Neighbouring

Madhya Pradesh C h ief l\iinister

Shivraj Singh Chauhan said the central government should de clare a na tional environment policy ro stop illegal construction and prevent a disaster like the o n e that

wrecked U ttarakhand. Chauhan also asked for me Utt·irakhaod

Aash Aoods to be declared a national calamity. " \'v'hen you camper w it!, nacure, then namre will unleash its fury o n yo u," Chauhan said. Talking o f the mushrooming of several buildings near rivers in UtL'lrakhand, he s aid , "Illegal construction and corruption go hand in hand".

Over 5,000 peopl e from Madhya Pradesh were rescued and have remrned home by helicopters, buses and u·aios. Chauhan declared a compensation package of Rs.2 lakh for the next of kin of those who died in rl1e Aoods, and Rs.5 lakh for tl10se who have lost meir entire fam ily.

Saviours of survivors

On hearing of che rusaster, help poured into Uttarakhand from all over the countr )7 Many religious and soc ial o rganisation rose co the occasion, with one of them distributing d10usands of food packers and even offeri ng to conduct the last cites of rl1ose who rued at Kedarnath. As the news of the devastation and deluge started pouring in, many religious and social organisations came om to extend a helping hand to chose anguished people looking for their loved o nes.

From Yoga Guru Rarndev co All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP)

to Nirmal As hram - all extended help of meir vo lunteers and thei r reso urces.

The All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP), whose sprawling comp lex, Shamikunj, is housi n g many o f the rescued people, i s being used as a relief camp by many states. Ac Rishikesh , many of rl1ese institutions are offe ring free food, water, merucines. And some are not charging money for t hose getting photostat copies of photographs of their dear ones.

The Gayatri Pariwar also rusrribured food packets. "Of the total 10,000 food packets rlut were air-dropped , most were sent by Shanti Kunj," an official of Shantik unj said And internation al aid agenc ies have also come to th e aid of rl1e flood-devastated state. Among rl1ese a re the '\Vaste Warriors,' headed by Briton Jome Underhill and a band o f vo lunteers. [(nown as tl1e 'ga rbage gi rl' of me m ountain s, she has embarked o n the mammod1 task of cleaning up after the ilisaster. "Whe n I lea.mt abour the disaster, I decided co adopt d1ese hills as part of our next clean-up campaign," Underhill said. " I was saddened to see hmv dirty it was everywhere. There is huge human waste. For the local civic aumorities, rescLting t he peo ple is me first priority. But we will ta ke care of it (removing garbage)," she added. Underhill has also come ro t he rescue of mules and horses that have been trapped by th e Aood waters in Uttarakhand's Kedarnaili-Badcinath axis.

Bue it's rime to wake up India, said U nderhill.

Search continues

For hundreds, rl1e searcl1 for missing famil y members continues unabated. Phocographs of loved ones taken on happie r, merrier occasio n s, showing a family gettogether o r celebrations now adorn the walls at relief camp s, railway stations and bus stands.

For the many hundreds of kjn, photographs are the one way to trace rl1eir kin still missing even a.frer a fortnig h t-long rescue a n d evacuation work carried om in nood- ravaged Uttarak hand.

Ac the Haridwar railway $Cation, relief camps have been set up by many state governments whose people had come to Uttarakhand for the Char Dham yatra when t h e rain- nood tragedy struck At the Shanti Kunj comple.,, headquarters of the sp iritu al and

Inadequate training or the lack of it may turn out to be the big gaping hole that let slip a preventive response. It was widely believed that such warnings of heavy rain were routine and nothing really happened most of the time to cause panic

It is time to ask whether it is better to develop well planned urban settlements than to try and support scattered habitations in the fragile mountains of Uttarakhand

social organisation of All World Gaya u·i Pariwar (AWGP), diree stares - Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Odi sba - have set up relief camps and many of their rescued peop le are staying in its sprawling complex.

The photo of an elderly woman, sitting \Vith a shy smile alongside her husband, or a family of four, who were photographed at a family functio n , or a mug s ize photo of a 40-year-ol d man

One of the casualties of the rescue operations that shocked the nation was the crashing of an Indian Air Force rescue plane on June25

La..""mikant Sharma, a minister in Madhya Pradesh Chief 1Vliuister Shivraj Singh Chauhan's cabinet, sa id they have heard man y a horror story of people being trapped and being swept away in the waters ''A famil y s aw cwo of ics members swept away by tbe water. They watched in horro r. They were mu te spectarors," Sharma said. Bue there were some stories of hope too. "We met three boys,

Pankaj Pokhir.iyal said so far they have registered 794 missing cases "We are g iving people a simple fo rm and asking chem to attach p h otos mo," Pokhriyal said. Ten ye ars in se rvice, che police officer from Tehri Garhwal said he has never ever seen such d evastacion.

"I have been born here and s pent my entire life. But have never see n such a massive descruccion where hundreds have died and hundreds are miss ing I th ink ic's God's way

nurnbers live on murism.

According to one business stud)', the loss to the tour.ism industry on accoum of the Aoods is estimated at Rs.12,000 crores.

Urcarakhand ranks eighth among aU sta res on the tourism map. Major pi lgrim age centres have also s uffered terrible damage and pilgrimages to places like Kedamatb and Badrinath, home to among the most re vered Hindu sh rines, are unlikely for months, if

simacion in the state. He has spelled o ut enhanced rates of compensacion, w hich m ake sense in the case of lives los t , chose injured, a nd property damaged, but are merel y symbolic in the case of circumstances such as farm land being washed away.

Rs 10 lakh, each , will be paid co the families of those killed in the IAF chopper crash, and special pensions and oche r benefits co the deceased members of the Urcarakhancl police.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) declared the Uttarakhand devastation a "severe natural disaster" and requested leaders not to politicise the issue

- they all tell the story of families corn apar t b y a force greater than mankind. All of them are m issing. For the angui shed families, ic has been a he llish 15 days.

Facigued and looking fragile was Rajkwnar Singh from Rajasthan, searching for his SO- year-o ld b rother, siste r- in-law and their three children. Sneha Sharma, 21, desperatel y searc hed in hospitals, police stations and re lief camps for her parents, two brothers and two siste rs who had gone ro Keclarnach s hrine Carrying photographs of her famil y, Sharma met a n army official, who after seeing her 17-year o ld siste r J yoci's photograph, told her tbaL they have cremated her. "He co ld me that they found her body and cremated h er. I don't know about Lhe rest of the family members. No one is able to help me our. Where should l go, what should I do," she wailed. She said if she had been the only smvivor in her family she woul d have killed herself. Bur she has to think of a younger sister who is in college.

Similarly, Subhash Chandra Sha rma from Ghaziabad was desperate ly searchi n g for his nephew, his wife and their three children. When he failed to get an y news, he registered a missin g persons' report.

who were pa.rt of a large g ro up of 18 people, coming back alive.

They told us that when the first Aoor of the lodge where they were Sta)~ ng was filled up with water, they went to the second floor. But when the secon d floor too filled up, chey he ld on to the \vi.ndow grills and saved their lives. "They were inconsol able. le was difficult for us to make them understand. Their entire families h ave died," said Sharma, who leads the team of ove r SO state officia ls tracking and rescuing people. He said they bad also come across people wbo walked for 2 -3 days, r eaching a relief camp in Rish.i.kesh or were picked up on their way from the main road. "Many people have lost their clothes, their footwear and their vehi cl es. Apart from offering chem food , water and medicines, we offer them chappals, soap, tootbpaste and moth brush," Shar m a stated.

The scene is the same at the R.ishi kesh too. Large posters of loved ones can be seen from far off. The R.ishikesh bus stop does not look like a normal inte r sta te bus sta nd; as one side o f the bus stop waU has been taken over by photographs and posters, the other side has been taken over by the police a nd by voluntary and religious groups offering people free food, water and medicines.

Station Officer of R.ishikesh

o f punishing us humans. \Vhat else can we call it,' he said.

Blowto tourism

The devastating Aoods h ave strangled the booming tourist indu stry too, and experts say recover y will take a l ong time. Mass cancellacions by tourists and pilgrim groups have taken p lace in Urcara khand, affeccing even places that did not experience what has turned out to be one of the worst ever natural di sas ters in the state.The cancellacions extend ro the months of July, August and September

'

'Th e impact of the floods is being felc b y hill sracions like Mussoorie, ainital, Jim Corbett, Dehradun, Lansdowne and Kasauni," said Richa Goyal Sikri , director of STIC Travel Group "Travellers are recons idering their p lans due to exaggerated reports of rhe bad weather an d road cond.icions," s he said.

The cancellacion rares are touching an alarming 50 percent, a huge b low ro a region where large

not a few years.

lndustry in siders say the state will be able to bounce back by the next murisrn season only if all governrnenc departments and bodies in the stare work in coordinacion.

"The government says it w ill tal,e tl1ree years for the state to get back to normalcy but tl1e duration will be longer seeing tl1e loss of infrastrucmre," warn ed George Kurt)' of che Travel Agents Assoc iaci on of India.

Rnancial aid

Chief J\lli.niscer Vi jay Bahuguna has announced the fuse ro u nd of measures, m ostly financial, to deal with the post-disaster

Help has been offered by otl1er stares as well, witl1 the i\ndhra Pradesh government announci ng Rs.SO crore for relief works a nd for constructio n of four pilgrim amenicies cencres.

Chief 1\finiscer N Kiran Kumar Reddy aimounced that Rs.1 0 crore would be given to Utt.'u-akhand government fo r rescue and relief works Another Rs.40 crore will be spent through Tirumala Tirupaci Dev asrhanarn (TI'D) for construccion of pilgrim amenicies complexes, said a statement from the chief mini ster's office.

Ch ief Minister Bahuguna said tl1at children in areas hit by the floods would be given Rs.500 and college smdenrs Rs.1,000 each as intermediate relief.

Rescue and rehabilitation

The Uctarakha nd government has now set up a reconstruction and rehabilitation authority co oversee relief wor k in the state, while Chief l\1inister Bahugu n a ann0tmced setting up of the Uttarakhand Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Authority. ln a fa r-reaching decision, the chief ministe r said no permission would be given henceforth for cons truction along ri verbanks

Thousands of dwellings and buildings along riverbanks have been ,vashed away or destroye d in the Aoods. The chief m ini ster announced chat \Vater a nd power bills for flood -affected peop le would be waived. He also said chat kin of all missing people should report co the authorities, so that compensation can be given co them on the bas is of an affidavit.

As the rescue operations continue, the au thorities are now confronted with the manunoth task of clearing up the debris, searching for bodies and disposi ng them of properly. The chief ministe r announced that a team of 200 people, including officials from the police, health, animal husbandry expert.~ a nd sanitation, are being rushed to Kedaroath to collect D r A sanipl es of bodies Various state governments have been asked to verify the list o f missing people and if thei7 are not traced in a momh, they will be declared dead.

The l ational Disa ster Response Poree ( DRF) bas sent a rerun to the state for lo cating bodies tmder the debris and co deal with

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decomposing corpses of httmans and animals, which could pose a severe health hazard and could possibly cause ai1 epidemic. T o hasten the process, the state government has sought earthexcavating machines from the central govern m ent. It bas also sought 100 ronnes of b leaching powd er to hel p dispose of the carcasses of anin1al s killed.

Commentary

Gurinder Kaur is on the board o f Voltmtary Action Network India and, having worked for Oxfam, she has first hand experience in d isaster preparedness and relief and rehabilitation. Ms Kaur comments, " The Uttarakband tragedy needs to be understood in its entire[)', Natural river courses and othe r drains seldom respect human-made concre te, scone or tar structures. On the contra ry, it must be the other way about. We must keep habitation out of the expected and known ways of t he occurrence of natural phenomena.

In the case of the Uttarakhand disaster, we now have all the analysis and narratives about what happened , what really could have been done before, during and afte r the melange of rain, flood and mud overtook tbe collective lives o f thousands of peop le.

We know that scores of hotels and othe r bui ldings had been built in violation right on the flood courses of rivers rapidl y Aowing across steep gradients. We know that di e tim ber mafia, d1e stone mafia and the construction mafia made the regi o n far more vulnerable by taking away

httmungous quantities of wood, stone, sand and other materials. \X'e also know n ow that greedy tour operators colluded ,vi d1 equally g reedy hotel ow ner s to dis regard di e actual carrying capacity of the sta re's roads, transportation and dwelling units.

Mose astonishing ly, we know that advance weather forecasts and Aood and landslide warnings were issued by the meteorology department. Offic ials, l eaders and other responsible people were informed about di e prediction of widespread heavy rain. Alerts were issued for halting the yatll'Js to the Chaar Dhams for four days and for moving die pilgrims already in the Chaar Dhams to safer locations Did d1ese warnings fall on deaf ears?

Although ir would seem that s uch was the case, we know now that the warnings were received and read. What then was the matter? The officials and die others responsible for responding co disasters and in charge o f protecting and saving lives knew diere was a drill to be followed. But it i s evident diey did not know when or how co kick it in.

Inadequate training or the lack of it may turn out to be the big gaping hole that let slip a preventive response. ] r was widely believed that such warnings of heavy rain were routine and nothing really happened most of the time to cause panic

Oddly and simply enough it. is all about training. Each and every resident of Utrarakhand, permanent or transient, official o r ordinary citizen, muse be exposed

ro app ropriate and adequate disaster preparednes s and response training. Training must be so good that even if woken from sleep, a response shoul d begin at once.

1n a disaster prone and ecologically fragile habita t, expect the tmexpected to happen. Commmiity level preparedness and response training need to b ecome th e backbone of a statewide disaster management strategy. For the governing appararus, repeated tra inings - at least three a year - must be mandatory. Disaster preparedness and response must permeate om very consciousness".

Also commenting on die situation, a powerful editorial published in die Garlnval Post on June 18 states " The problem lies with the lack of a comprehensive development policy diar focuses on what is sustainab le as against mere tokenism It is time to ask whether it is better to develo p well p lanned urban settlements than co cry and support scattered habitations in die fragile motmtains of Uttarakhand. The people are already voting with their feet, taking die first opportunit)• to get o u t of the harsh and increasingly d jfficult life in the hill s lt is for t he government to meet this challenge in e idier

a posi tive manner, or waste funds a nd energy in d1e futile effort to shore up a collapsing way of life.

The hills cru1 nurture only a limited mtmber of people in die context of modern day lifestyle deman ds. Funds would be better utilised in developing the urban infrastrucrure for the people corning in anyway, rather di an spending it on building that which will be destroyed in the next landslide, flood, cl oudburst, etc."

The Garh1val Post edjtorial of June 27 comments on the state's post-disaster policy saying, " The shape that Uttarakhand's development has taken is d1e c umulative result of historical forces, p olitical and economic asp irations, centcal and state policjes, and the raw energy of the peop le trying to make a living All of t h is needs to be reviewed to establish what die state waots co c hange and what it will stand by'' It further comments, "Tbe tragedy was certainl y ' man-made' in !.hat the forces of namre were ignored in the rush for development. However, di ere is an extent to which the people o f Uttaral<hand need to be apologetic for the speedy and unplanned growth. After all, what j g better? Youth i nvolved in chaotic entrepreneurship; or jobless and Maoist fodder?"

To donate

Caritas: www.caritas.org.au

INDUS Fair: Sun 11 Aug 11 am-6pm

Rosehill Gardens, Roseh1II Race Course, Rosehill

All proceeds go to the Uttarakhand disaster relief fund www.indausfair.com.au

Google person finder

goog le org/ per sonfi nder/2013-u tt rak hand-flood s

You can also request a status via SMS by sending an SMS to 9 77 33 00 000 with the message Search person-name.

Festiva to screen rare

The 2013 OzAsia festival will be a home-inspired treat for the Indian diaspora

0ne of India 's greatest au teurs, Sat:yaj ir Ray's recently resto1·ed films will be shown during the OzAsia festival from 13-29 September in Adelaide, to coincide with the anniversary of 100 years of Ind ian cinema in 2ll13

lorernationally acclaimed filnL~ by che ren own ed director such as Nfobanaga,· (The big city), Chamlato (The lonely wife), Kapumsh (The coward) and Mahapumsh (The saint) are all par t of the Adelaide Cinemachegue. These films have been recently restored, and will be screened alongside the one on Ray himself (The Cre,1tive Perso11).

The film is an unigue partnership with Adelaide Cinematbegue'.s OzAsia on Screen , in association w ith t he Media Resource Centre. This year's festival will feature a wide variety of feature films and documentaries encompassing films

10 JULY 2013

from I n dia, Hong Kong,Japan, Malaysia, Australia, China and Indonesia. In a first, the festival will showcase tl1e Asia Pacific's hig hest accolade in lilm, the Asia Pacific Screen Award s with a selection of the 2012 fi lms in competition.

The program for the Adelaide Festival Centre's award winning OzAs.ia Festival tl1at celebrates its seventh year r unning in 2013 was unveiled at tlie Ade laide Festival Centre recently Ir will host 28 performances and 47 events featuring 195 ar tists and presenters from across the Asia Pacific region.

The 2013 program boasts 6 world premieres, 9 Australian p rernieres, 22 South Australian premieres, 24 Ans tralian exclusives and 2 Adelaide exclusives The spotlight for this year is on Malaysia and the Malay Tige r, national animal of tlie country is the hero image for the festival Acco rding to the organisers, like tl1e tiger, die festival encompasses virmes of bravery, strength an d regality

Ozi\sia festival's Artistic Director Jacinta Th ompson says, "Malaysia is an exhilarating and diverse country to explore wi tl1 a melting pot o f races an d religions where l'vfalay, I ndia n Chinese an d

other etlinic groups creace a healthy and vibrant cultural environmem".

]\fa T ho mpso n further stated tbat OzAsia 2013 encapsulates this vibrancy and diversi ty ilirongh an array o f performances, evems and exhibition s, fro m acclaimed con tempo rary singer songwriter Yuna and Gabriel Robert Rawantas commonly known as Guba, m political and social theatre tl1at iorerrogates race and ide nti ty, literature even ts tha t g ive voice to contemporary Malaysian writers, and food and community events tl1ac explore the g astron omic paradise that is Malaysia. Indeed, the re will be sometliing for everyon e.

One o f rbe m ost interesting experiences will be an evening wi th Malaysian born I ndi an singer an d darling of Australian music, Kamahl. He will take tlie audience on a nostalgic journey through music. It is a lirtle known fact tl1at tlus icon nugrated to Adelaide in 1953, as one o f south Au stralia's firsr migrants of south Indian /i'vlalaysian origin. Seeing him perform is like taking a trip tl1rough lustory.

U-Theatre from Taiwan's m t)st revered theatre croupe will perform Meeti11g 111ith Bodhisa/111a, feamring

16 drumm ers in an enlightening whirlwin d o f acbletic drumming, martial arts, Bucl d lust chanting and sacred d ances. T he other area of interest to tl1e Indian diaspora will be Talking History's 'Forgotten Connections - India and South A11stralio, 1880- 1940s.

Professor Emeritus Margaret Allen, from the U1u versi ry of Adelaide will d e li ver a talk o n lustorical connections between India and Australia w ith craders, travellers and missio n aries journeying b etween Indian and Au stralian Ports.

The crowd -puller during the OzAsia festival is the Moon Lantern festival o n September 19 from 3pm to 8 30 pm at the E lder Park. It will feamre 12 scliools an d 42 communi ty groups includi ng local hh,mgra dancers and turban tyin g stalls. TI1e illwninated moon la n tern mascots wiU be the Indian inspired link to th e 2012 tl1eme, as well as d1e sumpruous feast of Asian fres h food.

O n e item to look om for will be visual artist Daniel Connells work, projec ted onto i nner city walls every night of tl1e festival. Last year his work hontmred the parents of young Indian migrants to Adelaide, and in 2013 he w ill focus

o n the South Nortl1 Ease and West Asian faces rhat make up tl1e many :Malaysian stude nts i n Adelaide.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Direc tor Douglas Gautier said , "Over th e la st seven years the Adelaide Festival Centre has steadily built a repu tation for i ts successful focus on As.ia -Australian cultural engagement".

He furtl1er stared rhat the festival, through performing arts, literature, films an d visual arts strives to im prove tl1e understanding of Australians in regard s to As ian culture, traditions and language. He asserted t h at the showcasing of Asian culmre aids in connecting lo cal Aus tralian Asian communities, and is helping to p ro m ote respect and harmony in the South Australian communi ty

H e further stated rhat tl1e nature of the varied artistic coUaborations witl1 Asia and festival cen tres' training and exchange programs for Asian arcs administrators is h elping to develop deep and broad relations with t he Asian region.

The full program details are available in tl1e OzAsia festival program: www oznsia.festival com au

w ww.in d ia n li nk.com. a u

Clockwise from Left : Satyajit Ray's The Saint; Talking History: Forgotten Connections; SOUTH (south ) EAST; Kamahl

Queen's Birthday Honours

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

Gambhir Watts, OAM

Multicultural missionary

E.xecutive Presideor of Bharatiya Vjdya Bhavan and Founder and CEO of International Cemre of Nonvio lence Australia, Gambhir Watts is renowned and respected within the Indian community, and for very good reasons. Since his arrival here in 1992, ]\fr Watts has made a significant contribution to Ausrra]jan society, working tirelessly towards the promotion, education and acceptance of India's rich herimge and culmre.

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 Bharaci ya Vidya Bhavan Australia (BVB), and to continue striving to make a difference," Mr Watts tells Indian Unk.

As one of the largest , GOs in the world, d1e BVB literally means the House of Indian Knowledge/Wisdom, and has over 367 constin1ent instimtions, with d1e Sydney Centre being its first in Ausrralia. M r Watts was instrumental in setti ng up and launching the Bhavan in Australia in 2003, and has carried d1e reins of responsibility since d1en; hi s current role is that of President.

"My motto is that of the Bhavan: Vt1s11dhaiva K11!111J1hak.a111 or 'The world is one family', and I strive to achjeve this through vario us events designed to bring people together," he says.

The Bhava n organises variou s activities co enhance India 's culmre and heritage in Australia, as well as promo ting Sanskrit a.ad Hinru languages and multiculturalism throug h mainstream events.

INDIAN LINK

One of the biggest events organised by the Bhavau, the Holi Mahotsav is held annually at Darling Harbour, and is attended w ith equal enthusiasm by local Australians and lnclian origin patrons. ]\fr Watts works tirelessly to showcase the event every year, which keeps gaining in strength and p o pufacity. " The Holi Maliotsav celebrations have increased co three days now, but my eventual aim is to o rganise a week- long celebration," he says

Another significant event organjsed under the auspices of the Bhavan was d1e highly successful World Cul mre Concert and Arrs Festival that ran from 2004-07, di sp laying performances of

• A country practice

: Dr Sampath Kumar was hon o ured for !us

: service to the c o 1nn1Lu1iry of Cano\vindra in : NS\V, particularly as a general practitioner.

• "l am ve ry grateful to receive an OAM

: for n1y \Vork as a ge neral practitioner

: for over 40 years in Canowi ndra and the • s mrounrung area (including Eugowra and '\'.Voodstock)," Dr Kumar tells Tndia11 Li11k. His work invo lves visiting the 32- bed Canowindra Hospital as well as at the 60bed Moyne N ursing Home.

"Worki ng as a doctor in a small and s upportive country town has been rewarrung to say the least," Dr Kumar s ays I am now campaignjng for yo ung doctors original cultural music a.ad dance from : to come and serve in th e country. Ir is a different nations, wluch hemtends reviving : great opportlllury. Every little bit you do is in the future. : g reatly appreciated".

and wrote for th e local Ca1101JJi11dra 1'Jew.r.

The family a lso got involved with the local farming community, having bought a farm themselves in the area.

"\'{le took steps t o involve ourselves whole -heartedly wid1 d1 e who le gam u t of the social and conmmnity life here - from work to school to farming," Dr Kumar reveals. "Being involved in farming has al so give n us g r ea ter i nsight into this rural COllll11Ullit)'".

Yet be lees slip that Um a was a bit taken aback at hav ing co start life in a small community after having lived in d1e bustling ci ty of Bangalore back home.

"Bue she assimilated ve ry we ll. ln no rime, she had made many friends, and when the children ca.me alo ng, we pur them in the local schools here, which al.so hel ped".

: graduate smdies.

: ul was alJ ready to go to tbe U l<, but

: a senior colleague who was already here

: c o n vi nced n1e d1at r\ustralia is a g reat

: place to Live and ,vork. I am g lad l cook his

: advice!"

One of the Bhavan's newest achievements : Dr Kumar moved to Australia in 1971 is d1e recent setti ng up of the Internacional : as a yow1g doctor keen to take on postCentre of No nv iolence Australia, with the blessings of Ela Gandhi (granddaug hter of Mahatma Gandhi) and in association wid1 International Centre of Nonviolence South Africa and Gandru Develo pment Trust South Africa, of which Mr Wlatts is Founder and CEO.

As can be in1agined , Mr \X/atts leads an extremely busy life , balancing h is business w ith his philanthropic work and working tirelessly towards achieving his goals. He works seve n days a week, so metimes well over ten hours a day, but it's aU for a good cause - to achieve greater recognition for all that's good about hj5 motherland. On behalf of the community, we congratulate h im on dus important felicitation and wish lum all the best in lus endeavours.

Sheryl Dixit

: Dr Kumar started work at Manly Hosp ira!

: but soon found an opening in the coLtntry

: at Canowindra.

: He has never left.

: He took lus bride U ma there soon after

: they were wed, and they raised chert family

: of three kids therel quite happily

•

• " The community welcomed us with open

: arms," Dr Kumar says.

.

• The Kumars became quite prominent

: n1en1bers of the local con1n1unicy Dr

: Kumar joined local organisations such as

: Apex Club and Li o ns Club (of which be

: served as Secretary as welJ as Pre side nt),

The Kumars are all for a country up -bringing for their children "\Y/e soon discovered Canowindra is a great place to raise a family. Our kids have got a good educatio n starting here and tl1en boarrung in Orange and Canberra. T oday, our sons are specia]js c doctors in Sydney working as a neurologist and an o nc o logist, and our daughter is a lawyer".

The Kumars travel to Sydney eve ry fortnjghc to visit their kids - and to stack their fridges wid1 home- made food!

But for them, it wilJ always be the country life.

"I'd li ke co send th e message ouc to young doctors our there, to come and try a country practice. The work i s va ried and rewarding, and you'U enjoy the peace and qwet and the co untry hospitality of the wonderful people here".

Rajni Anand Luthra

Dr Arcot Sampath Kumar, OAM

Healthy, wealthy and wise

An interactive forum presents sensible options for seniors to lead a happy life

There comes a time for all of us, when decisions have to be made. None more so than as one ages, the relative stability of man y years of working life starts co come to an end, a nd the future has to be considered The body sta rrs to fail, fu1a nces n eed to last, l iving requirements may have co be altered and suppo r t mechanisms need to be sought out. Sometimes it can aJJ appear to be too much! Even though we think we know everything, it often help s for the mind to be refres hed wi th all that i s currently availab le. We need to be e ncouraged, coaxed and nudged in the right direction so we can find tl1e o ptimwn so lution for ou r needs It is in this context that, with the aid of a very welcome grant from the Government of South Ausa-ali a, the Seniors Group of the lndian Australian Association of Sout h Australia (IA.ASA) organised a Well-Being Festival for Indilln seniors of Adelaide recently

The plan for d1e day was to have aging related topics presented by experts, wid1 tl1e opporrunity for members to make comments and pose questions. To avo id the 'all work and no play' adage, the programme was spiced up with suitable breaks, n ice khaa na and time co mingle and socialise

After a n introduction by the IAASA President Dr Surendra Agrawal, the first presentation was by Associate Professor Renuka Visvanathan, Direcror of the

Aged Care Division at Queen E lizabetll Hospital. Sbe suggested mat seniors should tr y to maintain a liiesryle char would keep them healthy and ind epend e nt for as Jong as poss ib le. This inclu ded keeping socially active, eating well and caking exercise. The aim of the age-care professional was to intervene earl)' enough to keep olde r people h ealthy, and to reduce and delay the need fo r res idential aged care. The need of keeping t he bodr and mind ac tive was stressed Jvfosc people a re well aware of the loss of bo ne mass and witb measures of dealing with dus, bur the issue of muscle loss (sacrope1ua) seem s to be Jess well known For vegetari ans d1is is a cause of greater conc ern as meir diet tends to lack protein , whic h is the base requirement i n build ing m uscle. It's a common misconception diat lentils and nuts alone can compensate fo r not eatin g meat as a source of protein Dr Visvanathan suggested mat vegetarian s need to think of taking a supplement sud, as 'protein whey' to maintain muscle mass. The aim s hould be to build up resen7es i.n order co coLmteract d1e inevitability of the aging process She also warned against unexplained weigbt loss and the need to maintain weight in advanced years

1 ow that the bod)' had been catered to, it was time to cons ider the nund. Dr Asha C Arasu i s a Psychiatrist, also at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The s tate of me nund is so often over looked and its importance to overall well-being is not sufficiently considered. I liked her simple, but powerful quotations: successful old age may lie not so much in our stars and genes, as in ounelves.

You can add life to your years, instead ofjust years to your l!(e. The world looks different at different times in a person's life. At twenty we worry about what others think of us. At forty we don't care what others think ofus.

At sixty we cliscover they haven't been thinking about us at all".

We were g iven very c lear explanations about depression, dementia, Alzheimers and Parkinson's diseases. [nteresti11gly, Dr Arasu mentioned chat typicall y patien ts rend to seel, medical advice for Parkinson's disease at the onset of tremors. Yet such tremors are usually pr ece ded by a gene r al slowing dow n , and investigations sho uld ideally be cornrnenced at this earlier stage. Ocher states of the nuod that can arise include confusion, loss of memor y, changes in person ality, sorrow and anxie ty.

A common theme for both doctors was the importance of maintaining a relationship wi d1 a general practitioner to ens Ltre mar a crcle of routine health checks are in place, and to discuss

any special i ssues d1at may be troubling tbe mind. As D r Arasu observed that i.n old age one needs co accept life as it is and make the best of it, rather than pi n in g fo r what might h ave been and wondering how things might have mrned our if a different c ourse of action had been taken. Sounds easy, but I suspect we ate all a lirde guilty of these negative choughrs now and again

Th e next speaker was Mr Bob O rmo nd from the Department of Human Ser vices at Cen crelink

Ir is a mark of a cmly developed and caring society when the government is prepared to take responsibility in providing assi st,rnce for d1e needs of its people. Mr Ormond talked on topics of relevance to us, mainly about the Aged Pension, criteria fo r e ligibili ty and respon s ibilities of the recipients. These are complic ated areas, but to have them explained si mply and have tl1e offer for further d etailed consideration of individual circwnscances was much appreciated.

A logical patl1 was being fo!Jowe d in the p resentatio n s

as our next speal,er Mr Val Py lype n.ko from the Seniors' Information Servic e of the State Government o f South Australia expl ained th e accommodation options available to seniors and the aged Broadly, d1ere are rnree types - retirement v illages, e n try contribution accommodatio n and serviced apartments, each with its own set of implications for independence and finance.

Las tly, 'l\fr Ramana R ao of Metaplanners t alked to us from d1e point of view of a financial planner. Presented wid1 the saying chat 'mo ney can't buy you happiness,' he went on to exp lain that at least m oney should be able to provide for comfort and security.

It i s a lways difficult to judge wheclier such a clay bas been a success. Had we been nudged in d1e r ight direction? Were some of our d oubts c larified? Were we made to feel more confid ent to do something positive fo r our wel fare? If the answer to any of d1ese questions is 'yes' then I, for one, would clairn the Well -Being Festival to have served its pLtrpose.

Creating a home away from home

Cl/SA silver jubilee celebrated with affirmation of values, music and dance

'''Unity i.n diversity' is a great way to describe the wond erfu l multiculturalism d1at we enjoy here in South Australia., stated Mr Hieu Van Le, AO Lieutenant Gover.nor of Sou th Australia and Chairman of South Australia Multicul tural Edmic Affairs Comnussio n, w lu le addressing an augu st garnering at the Club lndia lnternational SA lnc.'s (CIISA) silver jubi lee celebrations in Ad ela ide recently.

Jv[r Le was referring co die CIISA mono 'Unity in D iversity,' an d srnted d1at it speaks volumes about what the club stands fo r.

"U ni ted under di e common values that Aus tralia stands for, we respect peop le from all backgrounds, a.nd we know diat by

INDIAN LINK

emb racing o ur incredible diversity we become a m ud, better and stronger society," be said.

Mr Le congramlated di e cl1iJdren who led the si nging of d1e national antl1ems o f Australia and India, and y01mg Maxine T aylor who acknowledged die traditional cu stodians of die land. He furthe r srnred that given d1at Soudi Australia is bl essed with a rapidlyincreasing Indian population, he had no doubt that the Club would continue to grow and co shine even brighter over die next 25 years

In her addr ess, Kirsten Alexander, Lord Mayo r of the City of Charles Sturt acknowledged me contribution of me Lldian community co tl1e City, with meir work culmre, food, resrnurants, shops and communi ty centres and emphasised the work of CilSA. She applauded the efforts of its members in offering settlement su pport to r ecently arrived migrants and also its volunteers, fo r facilirncing social integration which

in turn helps resid ents feel at home CilSA President i\llaJ-..-.vell Taylor while ac knowledging the contribution of past members, stated mat die C lub has come a Jo ng way from what it is today. He also acknowled ged the support from d1e City of Charles Stun Council, tl1e State governm ent and tl1e Federal government in assisti ng the C lub financially.

Mr Taylor also highlighted the CIISA's acluevemenrs and overall contribution to South Australia

Earlier, Vice President Daniel D'Silva welcomed die garnering and re m embered di e contribution of d1e fow1der member Robin Phillips; as a mark of respect, a minute-lo ng mi.nme silence was o b served to pray

Od1er dignitaries pr esent were Kuarna E lder Uncle Lewis O'Brien and officials from the Department of Immigration and Citizen ship, Government of Soudi Australia.

The offi cial part of tl1e event was followed by a gala dine-and-dance at which Aussie band Sh al(en Not

Stirred perfo rm ed, w hile John Paul Pereira sang Australia folk so ngs such as l~1ltzing Matilda and l Still

Call A11shvlia Ho111r, Atuta John performed Bharatnacyan1, an Indian traditio n al dance; and Shane Paul presented a Bollywood item Club members and meir families al so joined in a n Indian fas hion sh o\\i wearing Indian atti re.

Club lndia was for m ed 25 years ago by a group of Indian migrants who came co st.-u:t a n ew Life in Soud, Australia According to founder member Robin Phillips, at that rime Australia's population was abou t l I million, and the Indian population in Soum Australia was Jess than a dozen famil ies These enthusiastic young families join ed forces to support each omer in respect co social, culnu-aJ and herirnge aspects, interactions and challenges to esmblish die Club. It p rovid ed a niche for new Indian nugrants who spoke English at home and did not n ecessarily align witl1 me larger religious or language based community organisations d1at

were emerging at that time. \'v'hile many of di e fmmcling members had their roots in Anglo Ind ian communities, CIISA has continued to this day to be a space for all people of Indian herir.-ige who ,vant a fun, open and supportive family-friendly communi ty; an Indian home away fro m home.

In 1989, Club Lidia Internation al SJ\ was officially incorporated. Since men it has opened its hospitality to more tl1a.i1 500 new an d established Indian migrants. Though India has man y diverse in ternal comrnrnuties represented here in J\ustralia widi their respective languages, sucb a.s die very strong Gujarati, Malayalee and Punjabi communities w h o all have significa n t communi ty organisations, C lub India has been unique in that it has never been of a single community, but has become a meeting place for those wislung to relive d1e hospitality of India in a new Australian conte..xt.

(Above and right) patrons of Cl/SA

From left, Cl/SA Pres Maxwell Taylor; Lt. Gov of SA Hieu Van Le; City of Charles Sturt Mayor Kirsten Alexander; Kuarna Elder Uncle Lewis O 'Brien

An old head on young shoulders

Devanand Sharma is the new Ambassador to Israel

Devanand Sh arma is hi s country's younges t Ambassador.

And, no, he is not representing ludia. He is unique in more ways than that.

He has recently been desigua[ed Australia's nexr Ambassador t o Israel. Yes, be is a true-blue, dinkydi, ridgy-didge A ussie. And if 1.hat means he i s half Indian, well, welcome ro the new, really, really multicul tural Australia.

Devanand, or Dave as he is known, is ju st 37 When l fuse heard that, I said "\Y./ow".

A nd I thought: you @%*"#*! overachiever.

The world is at his feet and barring a disaster, he s hould certainly b e heading The Australian Departmenc of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAl) before he mrns 50, surely!?

Ao extremely rare fact: Dave is probably o nly the second A ustralian of Indian descent to represent Australia as an Ambassador.

In case you are curious as to who was the first, 1 believe i t must be Peter Varghese who was Australia's Ambassador to ludia

betwee n 2009 and 2012, before he was promoted and made the head honcho o f Australia's diplomatic service - the DFAT. He still beads it. Varghese was born in Kenya to Malayali parents and has been one of Australia's mosL distinguished and seni or civil servants.

Dave Sharma holds a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arcs from die University of Cambridge an d a Master of Arts in International Relations from Deakin U niversity. He is a senio r career officer with the DFATand was most recently Assistant Secretary in tl1e Africa Branch, a nd previously, Acting First Assistant Secretary, International Divi sion in the Department of Prime Jv[inister and Cabinet.

Sharma's prior international service includes postings as Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in Washington, Third Sec retary at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby and as Senior Civilian Adviser with the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougain viJle Sharma was also an Adviser to Foreign Minister Alexander Dow ner from 20042006. His father originally hails from U ctar Pradesh, d10ugh they subsequently settled in T rinidad and Tobago, and his m o ther's fanuly is from Sydney and Dave grew up in Sydney bm rema in s in close touch wit!, d1e Indian side of his family.

Sharma \vil] be accompanied to Israel by his wif e Rachel and tl1eir

three young daughters.

Clearly his yo ung age i s the first thing that strikes one about Dave. (By comparison, the average age of an Ambassador or High Commi ssio ner that India appoints, is generally in the 50s). Bm he himsel.f is nonchalant abom it.

He says wid1out hes itation, "My appointment proves that Australia is a meri.cocracy and even the highest positions are available to aJJ co mers".

"Th e younge r generation should certainly look at opportunities i n public life and in the public service," he adds. "Th ough there are only a handful or so of Australians of Indian orig in in tl1e ranks of DFAT, their nw11bers are certainly growing in d,e junior ranks"

Australia has been a strong supporter of the State of Israel. since i rs establishment, and was o n e o f [h e fuse co untries to grant offic ial recognition and co establish dip lomatic relations

The Australian E m bassy in Israel opened in 1949

Australia and I srael enjoy a significant trade relationship worm more man $900 million a year. Australian exports to Israe l include coal, meat and aluminium, with impo rts including gems, manufactured items and telecommunications equipment.

So, it is an important posting, and the Australian Gover nment would have made it after due consideration abom d1e merits

of various candidates.

Questions have forever been raised about the influence of the strong Israel lobby wi tl1i.n Canberra (and Washington/London), so the new Australian Ambassador may have to walk a tightrope and be prepared to teli his h osts mings they do not want to hear on the Palestine problem which has defied a solution for over 60 years

Australia recognises that Israel's long- term security requires a comprehensive, durable l'vfiddle

Ease peace settlement. Australi a supports a negotiated two -state sol ution, witl1 an independenc, viable Palestinian Sta[e al.ongside a secure Israel.

Bm in fact, the superior lobbying skiJls of Israel and the Australian je\vish cornnmnity has ensured that Israel has had a robust inpm in the decisions this country has made.

This i s something that eludes tl1e Indian community - even tl1ough it is four ti.mes bigger!

Srajan Singh's space odyssey

The sky is no longer the limit for NASA International Space Camp winner

shuttle simulator, having a go at the gravity machine, and tbe scuba tank which replicates working in micro-gravitational situations. "All of that is going to be just fantastic and I'm really looking forward to jc."

This is just tl1e first step in what Srajao hopes will be the start of a journey towards realising a childhood dream, bur he knows it's a tough road al1ead A lthough NASA is associated wirh space e.'<p loration more d1an anything else, there are o f course only very few astronauts in rhe organisation - and Srajan is determined to be part of the latter group.

Space is one of the few things that makes us wonder and dream as both children and adults. The moon and the sun a re so intangib le; yet so tangible. The mystery of the night sky, the wondrous event of a shooting scar, and the desire to experience weightlessness - every one o f us is fascinated by these thoughts, and yet such an incredibl y small number of people have dared to dream of taking them any further Srajan Singh is one of those few. Recently, the Year 11 student from Scone Grammar School was one of just two students in Australia selected for a prestigious space camp conducted b y NASA at the U.S. Space and Rocket Centre in Huotsville, A labama this month, and he hopes it is just tl1e start of a bigge r dream.

16 JULY 2013

The NASA International Space Camp was established in "I 990, and invites two smdents and one educator from 35 counr.ries around the world to represent their country and participate in a comprehensive education program exposing the students to various demonstrations, sinmlations, activities and projects at the Space Cent.re in Humsville The camp is said to be both academically and physically challenging, with students given a taste of the intense training astronauts go through.

Srajan has grown up in towns s uch as Parkes and Narrabri, and it's clear his outback NSW lifestyle has had a big part to play in his interest in space. " Botl1 of [Parkes and Narrabri] have large radi o telescopes And especially when I was in Narrabri, we had friends who worked as astrophysicists for CSIRO. So rhere were times when they would take us to have a look around the main comrol for the array and deep in d1e belly of the telescope itsel f. As a 7 yea r old at tbe time - its definitely a motivator!"

More recentl y, Srajan has taken a particular interest in his science and maths subjects at schoo l - a must- have for any buddi ng NASA astronaut. He not only achieved a resul t in the top band of HSC Extensio n 1 Matl1s in year 10, bm will be taking oo the HSC Extension 2 Exan1 chi s year - in ye ar I l. Bue chat's just rhe tip of the iceberg "I really love music as well and it's a huge passion of mine. 1 enjoy reading up on and watdting documentaries about sp ace; but more generally science and new discoveries. Recently I've gotte n into a new series of books and documentaries called the Fabric of the Cosmos - it's worth looking up!" Given astronauts are required to be incredibly fit, it's a good thing Srnjan loves hi s sport, too - including tennis, cricket, swimming, archer y and hockey. He credits his school for providing the support he needed to manage his busy schedule

Srajan applied for d1e e.xciting camp through the Australian Schobrships Group, which held a competition for its stL1den ts

aged l 6- 18 years old. After co nsidering rheir academic results, achievements, career aspi rations, social and community participants, the ASG decided on two students - Srajan and J-\jmee Parson s from Nowrn Christian School, SW - to travel with the winner of its National Excellence in Teaching Awards (NEiTA) 2013 lnternational Space Camp Award, Sophie Fenton of Ballarat Grammar in Victoria. ASG CEO John Velegrinis said of the pair: "Srajan and Aimee both have a passion and great interest in space. They have achieved exceptional academic results an d are bod1 invo lved in a number of extracurricular activ ities. I knmv they will be great ambassadors for A ustralia and ASG at the Space Camp, and we wish d1em all the best."

At the camp, Srajan will spend a week going through all kinds of experiences that only a lucl--1' few have been able to enjoy - including tl1e same training undergone by the NASA astronauts who Srajan wants co join some day. Srajan looks forward co Ayi11g rhe space

He hopes that his time at the Space Camp will. no t only be enjoyable, bm lead to imporcam conn ections and experience in reaching his goal. "My dream really has been to see the Eard1 from space and to know that I'm acn1al1y playing a par t in our progress to a new funrre The International Space Station is just a way for me to achieve d1at goal. To reach tl1ere, 1'11 have to achieve some sort of sc ience degree and then apply to NASA. Having been co rhe lnternarional Space Camp will certainl y .increase my chances of being accepted. Once in NASA, who knows, maybe m y calling will be as a ground scientist; but nothing beats the ISS -it's a whole different ball game."

His parents, Anuradha Singh and Dr Sanjay Verma, are naturally very proud and suppor tive of Srajan's achievements. Anuradha took d1e phone call that carried rhe great news, and Srajan labels it as "One of the happiest moments in my life! My parents would have loved co come, bur the centre has strict rules that no one other than the delegates of the 35 invited couna-ies can come inso unformnately they can't."

Srajan's favourite moment in space e.xploration history is d1e launch of d1e space probe Pioneer 10, which was rhe first manmade object to reach escape velocity from the solar system , taking it past d1e astero id belt, and becoming, as Srajan puts it, "Our beaco n to d1e rest of the universe, to let everyone know ,ve're here mo!"

To any smdents unsure abont what their future holds, Srajan's advice is simple. " Trying to balance hobbies and studies is hard, but it's doable My advice is do what y0L1'll enjoy and put your heart into it. Then the sky is d1 e limit!"

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Srajan Singh and Aimee Parsons

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India declines Snowden's asylum request

India recently said ic has declined che asylwn request of fugitive former CIA agent Edward Snowden who b lew the whistle on US data 1nin.ing.

"I can confirm that on Jul y 2, Ollt embassy in Moscow did receive a communication dated June 30 from Mr Edward Snowden. That communication did contain a request for asylum," said India's external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin in New Delhi.

"We have carefuUy examined tl1e request. Following that examination we have concluded t h.at we see no reason to accede co the request," he said

Snowden, who i s ho led up in i\.foscow airp ort has so ught asylum from 21 countries, including India. His US passport has been revoked.

The 30-year-old blew the whistle on massive data mini ng by America's Nationa l Security Agency (NSA), us ing its top- secret Prism programme.

India said earlier chat it would be " unacceptable" if it is revealed chat the cyber snooping has infringed o n the privacy laws of Indian citizens.

Snowden has reported ly sent asylum requests to 20 cotmrries, including Ausa·ia, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Finland, France, Germany, lnd.ia, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Norway, Poland, Russia , Spain, Switzerland and Venezuela.

Snowden has been crapped i n Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport since Jw1e 23 after Aying in from Hong Kong, from where he leaked cop secret documents detailing NSA smveillance programmes

WikiLeaks recently posted a statement attributed co Snowden on its website, which be slams President Barack Obama for " using citizenship as a weapon".

"Al tl1ough I am convicted of nothin g , (tl1e US) has unilateralJy revoked my passport, leaving me a stateless person," Snowden says in the statement. ''\Vith out any judicial order, tbe admini stratio n now seeks to stop me exercising a bas ic right. A right that belongs to everybody. The right to seek as ylum".

" Their purpose is co frighten, not me, but those who would come after me ," says the statement.

SpiceJet to be first to import aviation fuel: Ajit Singh

A yeat after aUowing domestic a irlines to directly im port aviation fuel co save o n co s ts, Civil Aviation J\finister Aj ic Singh has said that he expected budget carrier SpiceJet to be the firsr co opt for th.is.

"We have alJowed them (airlines) to directly import fue l by entering into tie-ups with other companies. I e.""'pecr SpiceJet to be the first to directly impo rt the fuel. When the y will stare is up to them," Ajit Singh said in an interview in New Delhi.

Spicejet was also tl1e first private carrier co get approval to directly import fuel.

The approval was granted by che Directo r General of Foreign Trade under tl1e ]\11.in istry of Commerce and Ind u stry, clearing the airline's applicati o n co source aviation curbi ne fuel directl y from overseas suppliers, a top company official said.

Last yea r, the company's chief executive officer Neil :Mills had said thac me carrier was negotiating with l eading oil marketing companies to start directly importing fuel. A ministerial gro up headed b y men

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had Feb 22, 2012, alJowed dome stic airlines to directly import fuel, which till time time can1e under the restricted import list and could o nly be imported by certain public sector uni ts

The mo\·e was said to enable airlines to cut operating costs b y about I0 - 15 percent.

Eve n the Airports Authority of India (1W) had said it wiU form a jo int ve ntures with ai.tli.nes, sta te-nm L1nits and Reliance Industries to provide cheaper fuel.

Currently, ATF sold in tbe country is nearl)' 50-60 percent costlier than in overseas markets like Bangkok , Singapore o r Dubai as an additional 4 -34 percent state sales tax hi kes tl1e prices.

Ajit Si ngh a lso said his ministr y was wo r king o n a mechanism to bring the sales cax to a uniform four percent, a move tl1e industry says wiU considerably bring down prices.

Fuel comprises about SO percent of the total operar.ing costs of a irlines in India.

High fuel prices have dented the Indian civil aviation sector as major airlines bleed under the high sales cax regime. Fa.res a.re also increased time- to- tin1e on the pt·etext of d1e soaring fuel prices.

A momentous week of US decisions impacting Indians

From the passage of a comprehensive Senate immigration bill to a series of US Supreme Court rulings on minority voting righ cs co gay marriages, tl1e bst week of June in \v'asbington was one o f momentous decisions with wide implications for Indians.

The Senate immigratio n bill passed w ith a 68-32 vote w ith 14 Republicans joining al1 rl1e 54 Dem ocrats, for one, is a mixed bag for India with 1T service companies like TCS, \X"fipro and Infosys and US companies doing business witl1 them complaining about h igher fees for HI B and L 1 visas for highly skilled workers.

Indian techies, o n the ocher hand, are happy over the prospect of wider oppornmities w ith the cap o n HlB visas being raised from 85,000 to 195,0U0.

Students in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and maths), coo

have been put on the fast track for green cards, though critics complain it would spur a brain drain from India.

But South Asian organisations led by South Asian Americans Lea.cling T ogetl1er (SAAL1) have branded it a "deeply flawed" bill as i t limits family- based immigration options for siblings and adult married cl1ildren and "creates nee dless barrie rs in tl1e patl1way to citizenship" for 11 million tmdocumented immigrant.~, including some 260,000 Indians.

With the Republican controlled House o f Representatives working o n its own vers ions of im migration reform, the US corporate lobby, Indian techies as also Soutl1 Asian organisations are hop ing co in Auence the final shape of the bill before ir lands on President Barack Obama's desk, if ever, after its passage by a deeply divided Congress.

South Asian organisations are also e lated over tl1e US Supreme Court decis io n co declare unconstitutional a key sec tion of the Clinton era Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) , which only recognised marriage betwe en man and woman for hu ndreds federal benefits

Desi gays are happy that same-sex couples will be ab le to petition for the in1migration o f their partners, despite me fact that those prov isions were not included in the Senate bill.

SAALT has also welcomed anothe r Supreme Court decision on Texas U ni vers ity, Austin's u se of race in irs ad.missions polic y for promoting diversi ty w ithin ed u cation.

D esp ite common mispercepti o ns to the contrary, Souch Asians support and benefit from holistic race-conscious admission polici es , SAALT said as "Soutl1 Asian students, along with aU ocher students, enjoy a richer learning environment when tl1ey are in.m1ersed in a diverse educational setting."

Howeve r, SAALT has condemned tbe Supreme Court decision to invalidate a key section of che historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 which required several Southern stares witl1 a history of racial discrimina tion to get any changes in voting laws cleared by tl1e US Department of Justice or a federal c ourt.

While the court recognised that racial discrimination continues to plague the ability of many co vote, it a sked tl1e Congress co update me criteria for a s tate to be covered by the special provision in the light of recent increased minori ty voter nrrnout.

Noting tl1ac South Asian and other vote rs of colour continue to encounter barriers at tile polls because of race, reli gion, and language abili ty and resrrictive vo ter identification proposals, SAALT said the community will not be immune from the court's "disappointing" ruling

South As ian communities have also welcomed the passage of two bills by ew York City Council on community safety, which curb discriminatory policing practices and e.""'pand tl1e basi s for pro hibited profiling and discrimination.

l n add ition co the current prohibition on profiling on the basi s of race, ethnicity, religion, and national o rigin , the ban would now include age, gender, ge nder identity or express ion, sexual orientation, immigration status, disability or housing status.

Telecom Commission approves 100 percent FDI in sector

The Telec o m Co mmission recently approved JOO percent foreign direct invesnnent (FDI) in tl1e relecom sector.

A Department of Telecom (Do1) official said in New Delhi tb ac the department will se nd a detailed note co tl1e Department of Industrial P o licy and Promotion (DIPP), wbid1 will subsequently forward it to the cabinet for approval.

Raising the FDl li1nic from the cL1rrent 74 percent will help in Aushing fresh funds into t he sector. Of tl1e 74 percent FDI allowed at present in cbe sector, 49 per cent i s done through aucomatic route and the rest after approval from the F'oreign Investmen t Promotion Boa.rd (FlPB)

The Commission also d iscussed creation of Telecom Finance Co rporation (TFC) to address tl1e sector's funding chalJenges, and asked for a derailed project repo rt on this.

Australian minister for Defence Stephen Smith (left) and Indian Minister for Defence, Mr AK Antony (right) speaks during a press conference at the Department of Defence in Canberra, in June

ear

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

Whenifirst met Mary Hutton, she was speaking at the Sydne)' office of World Expeditions, the Australian adventure travel co m pan y, and she was about to lead a com to India co visit the sanctuaries established there to care for rescued bears.

In 1 993, Mary, a grandmother living in suburban Perth was con templating her retirement. Instead, her Life rook an entirely different and unexpected mm When she switched oo d1e televis ion one nighr she saw gut-wrench ing news footage of traumatised As iatic black bears, confined in boxes, unable ro move, wid1 catheters piercing their gall b ladders to extract bi le for use in traclirional C h in ese medicine. On learning that d1ousaods of bears suffer extreme cruel ty, Mary embarked on an unstoppable mi ssion ro free them

Mary S\Vtmg into action col.leering signatures at d1e local shopping mall. Within mo n ths she had a group of vo lunteer 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, kil led to make bear paw soup. She b rought some that had been rescued to Taronga Zoo, and later co Perth Zoo to start a regional breeding program. Mary then set to work building a sanctuary in Cambodia, now the world's largest sancruary for sun bears. In Laos, Mary also established sanctuaries aod contiJrnes to ca m paign for the closure of bear bile farms in Vi etnam and Laos Hundreds of thousa nds o f local schoo l children have v isited the sancruaries in an attempt at educating them about the environmen t and the need co p rotect animals in the wild.

Mary's iuvo lvernent with India was prompted b y an email from Maneka Gandhi in 2002, that led to the Free the Bears Fun d joini ng Wildlife SOS (an Indian based conservation group) and International Anima l Rescue, in the seemingly impossible

chal.lenge o f rescuing India's dancing bears. The tradition of dancin g bears had existed since the 13th centur y, when nomadic Kalandar tri bespeop le would visit the palaces of Mughul Emperors with performing wild animals, including sloth bears. Unfortunately, the practice continued through to the twentieth century, "~ th the bears used to ente r tain foreign tourists at popular sites such as the Taj Mahal Although the sloth bear has been protected b y Ind ian law since 1972, and bear dancing has been prohibi ted si nce 1998, with all bear dancing licenses evenmally revoked , it was difficul t to enforce this la,v, since no facilities existed to place the bears.

The Free the Bears fund financed the construction and ongoing car e of rescued bears at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility. All the sloth bea r s that were n1rned in remained in the sanctuaries due to health and behavioural prob le m s.

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, d1e Fund made 'seed ' money a,7ailabl e to over 500 Kal aJ1dar faJnilies to buy equipment and learn new skills, so the y cou ld begin new su stainable for m s o f income, with a basic education provided for their childre n, in exchange for turning in d1ei r bears Some chose to remain witb their bears aJ1d gained employment at the sanctua r ies.

The Fund paid for 554 rehabilitation packages for the rescue of former danc ing sloth bears and supports four sanctuaries. Sadly due to deaths caused by illness, mainl y tuberculos is, the F Lmd currently supports 370 sloth

bears at the sanctuaries at Agra, Bannerghatta near Benga luru, West Bengal and Bhopal (Van Vihar) providing a safe and secure home. \Vhen the last dancing bear entered the Bannergh atta sancnrnry in December 2009, the pitiful sight of bears being dragged o n ropes through the street.5 was consigned co the past.

1v1ary maiorains contact with the Kalandars, v is iting a village recentl y where cottage industries had been estab lished, \vith women se\ving and the children attendi ng schoo l. Mary is currently develop ing a vohmteer program in India and welcomes vo luntee rs, as [he sanctuaries chat coul d not continue withom tl1e generosity of donors, whether companies o r individua ls.

1v1ary advi sed that she would be accompanying another tom to Laos and Camb o dia to visi t tl1e bear sanctuaries in Nove mber, after just having her aurob iography Free the Bears published.

''\Xl ill you ever sto p? " I asked this unique lad)r.

"Unli kel y," replied Mary, wi th con vi ction. "\l({ich each country facing a unique set o f issues co ove rcome, we employ a range of strategies including environmental education, conse rvation research an d strengthened law enforcement, to ensure that we achieve o ur miss ion to protect, prese rve and enrich che lives of bears

Above:

Mary'sfi rst sighting of a dancing bear Kalanda r with a Sloth bear.

Main picture:

Tina and Santiago were less tha n two weeks old when rescued.

throughout the world," she added. I don't think l\fary will be retiring any time soon.

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

bears in India and 31 bears in Laos have been rescued so far, with 25 moon bears placed at the Tat Kuang Si

R escue Cemre. In Cambodia, 168 sun and moon bears have been rescued, with 127 at the Phnom Tamao Rescue Centre.

As I was completing our chat,

Bears in a hammock having fun at Phnom Tamao

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

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

Feed time for Serey

l\fary mentioned tha t a little one year old male su n bear had been brought co the sa nctuar y, rescued by a policeman from a province nearby. Over 80 bears have been rescued in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, and bro ug ht to sanctuaries b uilt with support from Free the Bears F Lmd. Overall, over 800 bears have been rescued and reside in the safety of sanctuari es built or supported by Free the Bears, with over 500 bears relying on the Fund fortheir ongoing care.

For opportunities to voluntee1; wid1 commit111e11t t/Je main criteria visit: Freethebe111·s.org.a11

This page (C/odcwire from bottomleft):

Cyril Sunshine resting by the pool.

Saraswati symbolism

Indonesia's gift ofa statue ofSaraswati to the USA is a profound expression of its heritage and legendary beliefs

Indonesia's motto, and he set about co create unifying bonds.

Indo nesia has gifted a beautifully crafted white sranie of Saraswari, the Goddess of Learning and the Ans to the USA, as a gesture of friendship.

:tv[os c Western reports have ei,rpressed surprise that this 1fosli.m majority country (with the largest Muslim population) has gifted the statue of a Hindu goddess, when H indus make up onl y about three per cem of that coun rry's pop u.la cion.

Bue such reports have got it wrong Indonesia cherishes its Hindu past which incidentall y, is termed within the country as its 'Golden Age ' (Zrm1an Emas). Two famous Hindu epics, the lvfahabharata and the &111r!)'ana were declared as the official

He did chis by making the Mahabharata and Ra111t!)'tma official legends and by invoking the Buddhist concept of the Pa11cha Sila or five princip les. The statement of the Indonesian spokesperson concerning the non- religious nanire of the Saraswati statue is correct, because She emanates from lndonesian legends which transcend all religions and seers i.1.1 that country.

The island o f Java where a majority of

When Suharto

went a step further than Sukarno, by Sanskritising

Indonesia's educationa l terminology

''lndonesians live, practice a syncretic form of religion. The legends assumed the Presidency, he of the Hindu ep ics are celebrated in unique puppet shows, drama and dance. This writer sa,v this fascinating blend between Jakarta and Jogjakarta.

On the way to Bandung, legends of lndonesia a long rime

ago. These are taught in Indonesian schools and thus all Indonesians are conversant with these legends.

The choice of Saraswati as a gift does not represent a minority, but a vast majority of the lndonesian people. As the Indonesian spokesperson said, Devi Saraswati was chosen because "Her rep resentation at the Ind o nesian Embassy was nor decided only out of any religious grounds, but more on irs symbolised values that para.I.Id with several key principles of lndonesia- CJS relations Lmder comprehensive partnership, in particular ed u cation and people- topeople contact"

Ir was Indonesia's foLmding Ptesident Sukarno who provided official recognition for this already existing situation. He had a Javanese fac:her and a Balinese Hindu

mother, and he made Garuda, the vehicle of the Hindu God Vishnu, as the country's symbo l. Garuda a lso was chosen as the name of Indonesia's airline. Garuda, depicted differently, i s also the symbol of Thailand.

,,there exist places at which puppets are meticulously manufactured When Suharto assmned the Presidenc y, he went a step further than Sukarno, by Sanskriris ing Ind onesia's educaciona.l terminology.

Most Indians with whom l have spoken do not realise the Jndian -ness and the Hindu-ness of Indonesia. When BJP leader La.I Krishna Advani visited Indonesia recently, he expr essed his asconishmenr at the Indian things he had encountered, including banks with the names of Hindu deities and Ganesha on an lndones ian banknote.

Bali is a concentrated culuire house of Indonesia It has some of the finest craftsmen who create incredib le representations of Hindu art. This writer was thunderstruck with tl1eir creations. It was fortuitous that the lndonesian Ambassador D r D i no Pac:ti D ja.la.l came up with the idea of [he presentation to the US, along \Vitb d1e regent of Badung.

The choice of The statue of Saraswari has four hands which Freedom Square in Jakarta was erected to showcase Indonesia's va rious historical epochs.

Amongst the large stames

''Saraswati as a gift does not represent a minority, but a vast majority of the Indonesian people

is a common feamre of Hindu deities One hand holds prayer beads (aks,m,ala) symbolising learning; two hands play a string instrument (vee11a) buil t, the first one is a chariot showing Krishna preaching the Bhag1J1ad Gita co Arjuna.

Indonesian television has shown the entire JV!ahahharata series

produced for lnd ian audiences dubbed in Indonesian, several rimes. The Ramayana is very important in the country. In honour of Laxman who Jed the Aeet against the dem on- king Ravana, Indonesia ca.I.ls its admirals 'Lax manas'.

When Lldonesia became an independent nation, thanks to the intervention of Australia and I ndia at the U nited Nations, it was a large archipelago with diverse cultures, several religions and sec ts. The fom1ding President Sukarno invented the slogan 'U nity in Divers ity' which is now

,,symbolising the arts; and the fourd1 ho ld s a manuscript symbo lising learning. Saraswari is shown on Her vehicle, a white swan (hansa) This is a faithful depiction of Saraswati as idealised i.1.1 the painting b y Raja Ravi Varma, India's mo st famous painter of mytholog ical themes. The adherence to Her symbol s has been meticulous.

In Bali, there is temple dedicated to Saraswati and an educational instimte ca.I.led Maha Saraswati Universiry. In Thailand , Saraswati is known as Surasawadee.

Indonesia's choice of Saraswaci as a gift ro the USA is a tribute to India, from where the concept of Saraswaci originated

He ain't heavy, he's my brother

Two brothers aim to achieve their dreams, through personal sacrifice and unshakeable determination

as over 400 concerL~ in India, Ausa:alia, New Zealand and the USA.

I1, 'I BY ), : CHITRA- SUDARSHAN

ings of S ilmce (S ilverfish, Bangalore, 2012) is a debut novel by Shriram Iyer, a Melbournebased management profe ssional. Bangalore born Shriram Iyer is somewhat of a high -achiever; besides his busy career. He bas authored several short stories, theatre scripts and screenplays for short films. Silver medallist under the Shankar's International Award given by the Presidem of India, Shrira.m is also a professional singer who has co his credit an Ind ian pop album, Ts Dh1mdh

Mein, (released in 2007 by singer Shankar l'vlahadevan), as well

11Vings of Silence is about cwo brothers in an Indian-American family and their epic journey en route co ,vinning an Olympic medal for Raj Sethi, who is the elder of the rwo, but born deaf.

Saurav Sethi, the you nger brother, is a tennis prodigy and a Grand Slam champion in the making, but he watches his elder brothe r Raj fight a losing battle in life and p lunge into the depths of depression. All this time, their father Akshay Sethi poms scorn on his elder son's attempts to make something of his life, and heap s attention only on Saurav. U nable to countenance chis injustice, Saurav gives up tennis and his ow n chances and ambitions to resurrect his brother Raj's life U nabl e to make their fad1er understand, they run away from home together and embark on a rollercoaster ride

d1ac will pusb d1eir courage and determination to d1e limit. As the stori' unfolds, the brothers bond emotionally, and there are a few twists and turns. Po r tuicousl y, they receive considerable help from Sourav's 'soulmate' Shalini, and their rather rich aunt who had been banished from their family circles so me yea rs earlier, for an indiscretion.

As Saurav prepares to give Raj a life he deserves, the reader is drawn into the world of the two brothers, and becomes engrossed in their travails anJ their setbacks, d1e stre ngd1 they draw from d1e enormous trust placed in them b y peop le within their close circle place , and ultimately, their jo y and tcitm1ph s The protagonists' heartaches and their elation at realising the impos sible dream of running che marathon in the 1980 O lympic s engage the reader, and cornpels a feeling of antici pation. Will chis completely tear the famiJir apart, or bring them together

WINGS OF SILENCE

again? The saga is sec against the cold war tensions of the time, and I ye r brings the political landscape of that period into clear relief. The training regimen of a marathon runner is meticu!ousl )' woven inco the narrative - Iye r seems to have had help from the Australian marathon legend Robert D Costella - and this brings a g reat deal of authenticity to the storytelling

The saga is set against the cold war tensions of the time, and Iyer brings the political landscape of that period into clear relief

Children can test their creative skills through websites that help them to develop simple games and interactive stories

As parents an d teachers, we have not adequately realised the need for programming ski lls as part of children's education. In fact, some say that it is as important as their literacy and numeracy skills.

Progrnmmi ng he lps kids express t he ir creativity, learn logic, build objects that are not just 'be' but also 'do' in nature, test and improvise. By learning to programme, children learn co so lve problems, get over o b stacles and collabo rate with others These are essential life skills needed co excel in any profess ion As :i'vUT Professor :i'v1itchell Resnick wrote, when kids 1earn to code,' they also ' code to learn'.

Many o f us are intimidated by programming, viewing it as endless lines of computer code. However, I look at programming as creative expression that blends logic, technique and art. The detail s of syntax and programming lan guages are just incidental, not the core of

programming. lt should be rnught at an early stage when children's minds are not con sumed b y spec ific streams of knowledge.

These are the skills of the 21st century. I n a few years, everyone will be programming, not just prograrnn1ers. Let's make sure our kids l earn these essential skills w h i.l e they are still in primary sc hoo l.

So how do we teach programming to kid s (and adul ts)?

One of your first destinations i s Scratch Q1tgJ://scratch.rnit.edu/).

Des igned for kids aged 8 to 16, it helps kids deve lop animations, interactive stories and games by dragging-and-dropping b locks.

T h ey can select or draw their own characters called Sprites, code in behaviour by selecting blocks of script that can he lp them move, make sound and doing activities.

Thei r creations are saved, can be described and shared with others.

Scratch is my e ight year o ld 's favoucite tool and o n a recent Sunday morning, he built a game in which 'evil alien astronauts' who try to enter tbe solar syste m (comp lete with a Saturn with its rings in the background) are fired upon by the player who scores points for direct hies, loses po ints for missed bits and the game is timed to be comp leted in a minute. He was thrilled to receive

a dozen views a few mi nutes after he shared the game with t he Scratch community.

Similar to Scratch is Hopscotch, except chat it i s an iPad app. The app prov ides just the right number of controls for kids starting out, which means they can find om and learn how each method works without the invo lvement of adults lf you are reall)' interested in only games, ace older or an adult, and want co design once bm p lay everyw here, cross- pbtform in otbe-r wo rds, then Scencyl (http:/ /www.s cenc yl. com) is rour choice. Bring your ideas to life with this extensive development p latform and then publish your games on Windows, l\fac, iOS (iPhone and iPad) , Android (Samsung, HTC and other smartphones) and other p latforms, so almost an yone can access and play your games It is a paid software app, but if you become an expert, yo u also have the opportunity to monetise your creations by selling your work. For the really yo ung, even p r e- kindergart en, there are a few interesting iPad applications. iPad is great for this purpose as its touch interface is intuitive to kids. D ais y the Dinosaur lets the players manipulate the character and so lve challenges chat involve loops, events an d other basic

prog rarnm ing. Move the Turtle is a similar app for very youn g kid s. Making animated greeting cards and basic games can be a great introduction to programming. But he re is a review of resources that teach kid s how to programme: • Free courses on bow to programme and specifically on Sc ratch and App Inventor (anod1er game creation software) are available at Pl ura!Sight (h cgJ: // p lu ralsight.com/craining/ Kids)

• For o lder kids, say 14 years and o lder, Codecademy (http:// ww,,r.codecademy.com) is a great resource to learn programming interacti vely.

• Khan Academy Q1ttp:/ /W\V\\, k.hanacademy.org), the celebrated provide r of free Mad1s education on tbe web has a module on computer progranrnu n g that Salman Khan teacl1es as intuitively as he teaches Mad1s.

So, it's cime for children to not just play games, but a lso learn how to design and build tbem. It's a skill that they wou ld find to be as essential as reading, writing and cotmting as they grow up and build the ir careers i n the information age, i n which software is 'eating d1e world'.

I will talk about why this learning is so important to adults in the nexc part of this series.

Howt in is toot in?

How your weight can affect your chances of getting pregnant, can increase your risk of osteoporosis and more

If you can you hide behind telephone poles, or pass thrnugb cracked doorways, then you are too thin. ln this world full of overweight and obese people we sometimes forger char there are too skinny people around.

The social pressure ro be chin beckons each one of us at all rime.,;. Television, magazines, movies, and the internet, all o f which are Aooded with information a bout how to be slim , tell us being thin is symbolic of intelligence and beauty

Adver tisers heavily market weight reduction progran1s and present anorexic young model s as the symbo ls of achievement and sexual desLrability. Cl o the s are des igned and disp layed for thin bodies in sp ice of the fact that few women could ,vear them successfuJJy l n countries wbere o bes ity is widesp read, young adolescents who tend to remain d1 in feel chat they have achieved a grea t pe r so nal vicrory. This vi c to r y is further applauded by friend s and relatives w h o are heavier and m a ke the adolescent feel d1e urge to maintain their dlin p h ysique even more. Therefore weight loss is viewed as a sign o f extraordin ary ach ievement and self discipline, whereas weight gai n is looked upon as a loss o f self control and d eternlination.

Most o f us envy these peop le but we do not r ealise th at these peopl e might have their own set of prob le m s which might be. as se r ious as being ove rweigh t.

Nutritional Deficiencies

Being unde rweight is u sually accompanied by a deficie ncy o f essential nutrients and / or trace elements. Anemia and lowered immun e system s are just two defic iencies that might be prevalent in skinny people.

Anem ia is a disease o f t he blood d1at occurs when there 's a deficie nc y of red blood cells

Anemia is caused by nutriti onal defic ie nc ies of iron , B- 12, a nd folate. There is lack of energy and fatig u e, irregular heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, a nd headach es

Unaware of risks

VI.le n o rmall y as so ciate overweight with diabet es and high cholesterol but sometimes thin or skinny people are more at r isk of d1ese problems. It's very easy to be thin yet unhealthy, as naturally thin p eop le might in dulge in fast food, or eat more high fat or high calorie foods and think they can get away with it. No matter the weight tbough, b lood sugar levels and bad choleste ro l counts can

\ -

be risi ng. Thin people might also skip our o n the regular check- up s a nd blood tests tha t can detect these problems because they think they'r e in good sha pe.

Osteoporosis

Being mo skinny increases th e risk of d1e bon e- th in ni ng disease os teoporosis, and th e ch a nce of breaking b mes. Fat fuels me production of th e hormone estrogen, wh ich wome n need for stro ng bones. Too little estrogen can make bon es poro u s a nd brittle, and more prone co fractures As a result, a sim ple fa ll or accident is m ore likel y to cause serious i n j ury.

Eating Disorders

Alth o ugh we all worry about o ur weight sometim es, people with an earing d iso rder go to extremes co keep themselves from gaining weight. Al th ough we al l worry about our weight som etim es, people with an earing disorder go to extremes co keep themsel ves &om gaining weigbt. Th ese are mainly ano rexia m:rvosa or b ulimia

VP eople with an orexia a re. obsessed wid1 being t h in . T hi s c o n di ti on is characte r ised by selfstarvation and ema ciation. They don't want to eat, and they are afraid of gaining weight. T hey may constantly worry abour how many calories they ta ke in o r how much fa t is in their food. Th ey may take diet pill s, laxatives or w ater pills to lose weight, o r d1ey may exerc ise too much. Anorexi cs usually thi nk th ey 're fat even th o ugh they're ve ry thin Bulimia is eati n g a lot of food at once (called bingeing), and the n throwing up or using laxa tives tO remove the food from the body (called purgi ng). After a binge, so me b ulim ic s fast (don't eat), or over exercise to keep from gaini n g weigh t. P eop le wid1 bulimia may also use water pills, laxatives or diet pills co " control" d1eir weight. P eople with bulimia often cr y to hide their bingeing and purging They may hide food for binges B ulimics are usually c lose to no rm al weight, but th eir weight may go up and down.

T h e re is n o s ingle !mown c ause fo r these disorders m o ug h physical, psych ologic al, pe r so n al, and soc ial issues have been associated w i th triggering eating diso rders The gastro intes tinal tract is profow1dly affected in anorexia as iL may result in constipation or bloating. Excessive vomiting in bulimia may cause dehydration and also severe potassi um defi cie ncy L1 ve r y seve re cases medical com plications such as seiz ures, heart failure, or irregular h eart rh ythms may also exist.

Fertility

Being underweight can affec t your ch a nces of ge t ting pregnan t. A shortage of fat can mean your

body is n ot producing enough estrogen , w hich is needed for conception. It's a form of narural pro tection - when yo u get very d1in, your body knows that ir will be harder for you to s u stain a h ealthy p regnancy, so makes it more difficult for you to conce ive in the. firs t place.

It is n o t b ad to be skinny, bur those who are u nderweight shoul d assess their conditio n wid1 the help of a heal d1 professional a nd work coward attai ning a health y weight in order co minimise h ealm pro blem s and achieve perso na l well bein g

5 ways to get through winter, stylishly!

the floral pants and dresses, even scarves, sweaters, bags and shoes are aJl pare of the floral trend.

' BY 'ii KALYANI WAKHARE

Ioften get asked about ideas for looking stylish in winter As the weatl1er cools clown and adding

layers becomes essenti al, it can be a bir tric ky to avoid looking claggy and repetitive witb the same outenvear, unless .it is a trench coat (wh ich is a clear winner ,mytime!) But l guess there are plenty of occasio n s when you'd like to tr)' something besides tl1e class ic trench

Here are some of tl1e big, hot tre nd s that give yo u extrao rdinary sty ling o pti ons with a range of really simple pieces.

Chunky or sparkly knits

The pull over is b y far tl1e most reliable and practical piece during winter!

The question is how to \Vork the pullover to make it interesting, trend y and packed with style

Chunky knits : a ver s atile neutral pullover wi ll go a lo ng way for unlimited styling o p tions Think abom combining it with printed pams, co loured jeans and even over paste l dresses for a polished ladylik e loo k.

Sparkly sweater: sparkle, sh ine and still stay warm on a cold winte r night, plus yo u 'll neve r have to worry about how to dress for a winter party with this o n e. Add that sp arkly statement neckpiece for instant glam.

Winter florals

The Rora! trend conci.nues into w inter and I'm loving the possibilities! I find the idea of wo r king my spring p ieces overtime really appealin g. So bow exactly do you make ir wo r k in this harsh wea the r ? Simply laye r you r floral pants with chunk y knits, cardigans, blaze r s and coats in complimentary colours to the i;,rint. Wear the floral dress with a dark coloured coat and bright beret.

If you think the floral look is far too casual, wear everything el se a1J black. Also, think beyond

Coloured coats

A warm coat is a must have but a coloured o n e is just perfect for adding drama! A burst of colour peps up wintry black , navy and grey outfits Keep your handbag and boots reall y p lai n and neutral, and conrrast yo ur scarf with tl1e coat to make a statement.. Str ipes and polka dots are perfect coo wben you have a strong solid coloured outerwear. Tr y a leopard print scarf or ankle boots w ith a crimson red coat for tl1ac daring loo k!

Jewel tones

F'iery ruby, rich eme rald, royal amethyst or sapphire!

Don't just think jewellery

This trend includes scarves, shoes, be!ts, clutch bags a nd even Jea n s

Perfect co light up a dreary clay and make you sta nd our and look radiant. The tci.ck to mal,e it work is co combine opposite colours.

For examp le, wo rk your jeans n' b lack tee look with pl Lm1 b allet Rats and a mustard yellow str uctured bag, or a bright red cardigan over the crisp wh ite shirt, teamed w itl1- a dark green pencil skirt.. If yo u 're not much of a risk taker, just start off witl1 a jewel to n ed scarf worn over a beige top or dress and matching b allet flats

Big bags

Totes, hobos, slouch bags

yes! T is the ti.nie of the year to flat u1t these big bag.i tha t are roomy and ca n 6t all your prized possessions, including rour lapcop. Plus it's handy ro have a n oversized bag in wimer to put away the scarves and sweaters once you're indoors too.

So what are ~ome of tbe popular colours? Tan and black are certainly the more predictable choices but this year go all om ,and experiment with colour. Try a red cote or a teal one! Mustard, coral , animal prims or textures are rigbL on trend too. Ensure that one p iece of y our outfiL marches or complimencs the colour of tl1e bag for best results.

winter orals ·ewel tones

l>c-fure your problc-ms des troy you E1na il : p r ofessorehrima @ hotmail.co1'n

Te l: 0469 914 779 / 0420 483 714

I n Fool scrny Gordon Slre-e-1

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Think Travel

What happens when the lure of easy money becomes an insatiable and unstoppable desire for wealth

job. Nita was a genius at making money. She called it a lucky streak, and promised d1at she could solve SaL'lita's problems too.

She stood beside the w indow and gazed out at the landscaped garden and colourful blooms. Serene and beautiful, it was the ideal locati o n in wh ich co sit and contemplate her life, meandering through the pathways that she had chosen , and to that all- crucial moment. Sanita was an addict and like all addicts she had remained in denial for over a decade. During that time she saw her marriage faU apart, her chi ldren lose faith and her friends disperse from her Life Of course, she regretted her every act and her every lie. She would always regret those, but de.spire the many losses she had brought about in her life , she had been unab le co take contro l.

Then o ne day, feeling lost and desperate, she had stood at the edge of her fifth storey balcony and looked at the concreted ground below. It welcomed her, and it o ffered her a conclusion. Then just as she prepared herself for the jump, t\VO question s arose ,._,;thin her: What were the odds chat she might survive? And if she did, what were the odds that she would recover complete ly? Bus y working out the odds, that decisive momenr to jump passed, and Sanita realised that she really did not want co leave this earth, at least, not as a failure.

And for the first time in her entire Life, she also admitted diar she truly had a problem because even at the moment when she was end.i.ng her life, she was betting on the odds.

Careful.I)' she had climbed back o mo the balcony and, sitting down in an oucdoor chair, she spent d1e next three hours contemplating on all that bad happened. Like the pages of a book, she flipped through each and every moment of her life.

Her birth had been welcomed, her chi ldhood had been happy, a nd her ro ud1 was joyo us. Everytb.i.ng about that phase of her life was normal and beautiful.

At 21, Sanita married the man of her dreams. He was everydung that she had wamed in a partner - handsome, funny and generous.

Everyone loved him, even the kids in her family. They had a wonderful six mond1s which she treasured even today. If one thing lacked in their lives, ir was the freedom to spend what tbey wanted and d1e liberty to stay where they liked. Financially they were comfortab le, but nor rich. With bod1 of thern working fulltime the y had managed ro buy a lovely home, small buc quaint and close to her family.

Sanira had always seen her mother dependant on her father for ever)Ttbi.ng. He made aU the decisions, and whenever mere was budgeting to be done, it was always her mother who made the sacrifices. \'(Thile SaL'lita and her husband combined their income, she maintained d1e liberty of having her own account and she retained the freedom ro shop as she wanced. One by one, she bad decorated each room in their new home and d1ere had been just rwo more rooms to go. One of d1em was a nursery.

In tbe seventh month of their marriage, Sanita found out diat she \Vas pregnant. The initial joy was soo n overr idden by their financial worry. She ·wou ld have to give up work and d1e m o ment she did that, d1ey would have to sell rneir home. She was not prepared ro make that sacri lice.

She kept the pregnancy a secret from her husband for a week, while she debated on her action. At the end of rhat week she had come ro a decision. The baby must go. Nothing was ready for it. She and her husb and had planned a world trip which would have ro

have been pm on hold She had also just bought her first car. It would have to be resold. They would not be able to educate the child .i.n a prjvare school, nor offer it all d1e luxuries they had planned for it.

On tbe morning of the seventh day, she gave her husband the news. He was ecstatic, but d1at euphoria lasted just a few moments before !us countenance turned to one of worry. His look gave her d1e courage to give him her second piece of news This she relayed as a decision. They would nor be keeping rhis baby as d1ey were both young, and could have anod1er baby in a few yea rs as planned. While her husband did nor verbally agree, he did n ot disagree eid1er. And the relief o n his face convinced Sanira d1ar she had taken the right decision.

A week later, their life had returned to normal. There was no baby and d1ere was no conversation about it. They worked each week and saved each monch. A year later rhey had cleared the car loan The second yea r they had saved enough to go on their trip B y the third year, they had sold their home and bought a larger one. This increased mortgage meant chat d1ey had to postpose having a c.luld for another couple of years. As she turned 31, d1ey were in a position to think about starring a fanuly, but it srill meanc that Sa11ita would have to return ro work, leaving d1eir baby in childcare. I t was d1is pl an that nnnerved her. le was also at thi s ti.rue that she befriended a woman at her new

And she was right On d1eir first ou ting together, Sanita had made $50,000. i\foner that would make her year- long marenuty leave, wori-y- free On d1eir seconding outing just three weeks later, she made another $25,000. The o utings became a regular 'all girls' event. A year later she fell pregnant agam. Two years la ter she had her second chil d Through it all she successfully mainrained her two lives.

Her husband never once questioned the ' bonuses ' that she was frequently receiving, but still she set up another secret bank account and began depositing the funds in there. Not once did her husb and de lve in rhe derails, and not once did he pick up diat she had become a gambler.

The lucky streak .l asted nearly ten year s, dur.ing which s he m oved from the racing circuit to casinos, and was now weU and truly hooked onro internet gambling. They were getting so far ahead in d1eir paymencs d1at her husband even spoke of early retirement.

Then just as if the skies had moved and the stars had shifted, that luck y streak ended. In the hope of a recovery she bega n to draw money from her secret stash. \Vhen that was exhausted, she began drawing on d1eir joint account. Thar too was emptied. Still hopeful, Sanita began using the mortgage payments. It was hard work juggling money around, bur she man aged for another nine months. She increased the home Joan by forging her husband's signature. She wou ld have been able to get away with it again, bad d1e kids not overheard a call to the bank and repeated it to 'Daddy' that evening. By die time Siuuta's husband returned from work rhe next day, he had found our everything. Eve r y desperate act and every fraudulent deed!

When he did not express either anger or horror, and instead blamed lumself for not being acti vely involved in the financial aspects of their life, Sanita knew the meaning of shame. When the bank foreclosed on their loan, she experienced the meaning of pain. And when her children told her that they hated her for making them lose their home, she knew

''As she turned 31, they were in a position to think about starting a family, but it still meant that Sanita would have to return to work, leaving their baby in childcare

''tl1e meaiung of degradari o n.

They moved in to a small aparanenr and the children even had to move schools Sanirn too had to change her job, ro a nonfii1ancial institution. Through it aU her husband blamed on.ly himself. Had he blamed her, life would have been bearable Had he yelled, her days would have been to lerable and had he mid her tl1at he hated her, her man~age would have been workable.

He did none of these; instead he found a second job and she had sought an o utlet on the balcony. Ir was at the balcon y that she had that Lifechanging moment.

She admitted herself into the cli11ic in which she now resided. She declared herself as a gambler and she promised ber kids rhat she would ne ver let d1em down again.

The recovery would be long, the journey hard and rhe experience unpleasant, bur she would succeed because the one person who sh ould have walked away, who was justified to leave her, never did.

orn1n

It's a laugh riot on UZMA BEG's morning show on Indian Link Radio, and yet there are some life-changing moments

If you're looking for a show with a C\visc, tune in to Moming Masala!

On Mondays we go from jokes to poetry co discussions about children and what on eanh to do with them once you've had chem!

Every Tuesday on 1'foming Ma.sala I cell you what to do with your kids so you're not tearing your eyes, out \Yhen they're tearing your house down! Relax, 1 am not telling you what my grandma cold me; I back my advice up with a lot of research.

Wednesday is a ve r y special day on Afor11i11g 1vfosala not bec ause the weekend is two days away bnc because our show brings hope to a lot of people. I en courage people co share their troubles so all the listeners can come toget her as a family and lend a helping hand. Those who wa.nc co remain anonymous most certainly do. Together we've helped so many unfortunate men and women find their vocation in life!

What's a show w i thout celebrities and gossip? That would amount to Mornings Without l\fasala! Hear the m ost candid interviews of celebrities and their juiciest gossip right here on 1'1-orning lv[a.sala Well, they have it all, so I am sure they won't mind!

For instance, my dear friend Ra hat Fateh Ali Kha n cam e on air w ith no notice at all and l can never thank him e n ough

for that. People loved bearing ''Rahat the Friend" on a ir as opposed to Rabat the celebrity who chinks before he speaks to the press. Peop le were blown away by the humble man b ehind all d1a c ta lent. His an1azing self deprecating se n se of humom shines through when you know him as closely as I do, and people loved th e interview! He to ld us the uncut version of how he lost his manager Ch itresh Shivastav in a road accident while touring the US and how he escaped injury - or worse, death - by a la st minute dec ision to sic with h is musicians in tbcir van.

Johnny Lever may be a comedian to che world but my listeners got to know him as a healer. The way he prayed for me day after day when I lost one of my C\vins was at the ti me unbelievab le to me. The fact that he called me everyday during my pregnancy frorn Mumbai, right from tbe time he mer me to pray for me and t he safe delivery of rny baby, just b lew me away He may be a comed ian to his fans but to me he's the most amazing healer who helps people through d1e power of prayer.

\Xlasin1 Akram agreed co give me a very rare interview where he was at his candid best and had me in stitches with his amazing sense of humour. My listeners got co know him for the direct, frank, candid and humorous person he is. He narrated th e whole horror

Uzma

With Joh nnyLever

of being accused of match - /i.,ung in the C ri cket World Cup of 1999 when Pakistan reached the final an d lose to Australi a. He coul dn't believe that his peop le were so ready to blame him for the team's loss in stead of congratulating him for leading the team ro the finals. Cricketer Shahid Afridi gave only o n e personal interview whe n he was in Sydney last and iliac was ro me. His spirit of charity and his compassion for ilie Lmcl erprivileged really struck a nerve in me. \Xlhen l got to know him better I realised what a lovely, obliging, fLm loving and patriotic person he is.

I was thrilled to bits whe n multiple award winning director of award winning TV serie s East lf?"est 101 Peter An drikidis came to my show along wi th lead actor Don Hany. We talked from Bollywood ro Hollywood, co all aspects of acting an d directing including the episode of Bast W'esl 101 Thad acted in. le was a pleasure co ace for Peter Andrikidis a treat to see him in action a nd learn so much from him. An even bigger treat was co have him on my show and get to kn ow him as a person. Most definitely one of d1e most humb le, down to earth and unassuming peop le I've ever met.

Some memorable moments :

• \X'hen the listeners all got together as a fan1ily and h el ped a grieving sister find h er miss ing brother.

• When we helped a yOLmg man t hrough wedding ji tters and convinced him to go ahead w irn his marriage. Soon we heard al.I about his happily-ever- after from India!

• \Vhen we convinced a suicidal lady that the man she was giving it a ll up fo r was nod1.ing but a fraud and life had much better in sto re for her!

Earn show clone for people on Wednesdays i s a memorable one because it changes someone's life.

So if you're l ooking fo r a show t hat gives you fun, laughter, seriousness, goss ip and a chance to lose your i n hibitions and be crazy, tun e in to Morning 1'1fasafa

We do it all here, from A11tak.rhmi to composing poetry together, to making a movie script from just a couple of lines! Bored of your mundane daily routine? Well, no more pick up me phone and participate your heart out. I am just a phone call away!

Morning Masnla with Uzma Mon-Tu e-Wed 9am- 12 noon

Listen here: www.i11di1111link.t'o111.1111

n dia n link.com.au

Uzma With Shahid Alridi

'th Rohot Foteh Ali Khon uzrnow1

CONSUMERIST QUIRKSOI= Tl-IE GREAT INDIAN MIDDLE CLASS

GHANCHAKKAR

STARRING: Emraan Hashmi, Vidya Ba Ian, Rajesh Verma and Nam it Das

DI RECTOR: Rajkumar Gupta

e is a lazy lad. And she is one helluva crazy Punjaban whose kookie cooking drives her sullen husband up the nearest wall. Disgust on the dining-table camouflaged in tons of table-salt, Sanju (Emraan Hashmi, pitchperfect in his spousal indol e nce) would probably have gone on tolerating his wife's appalling culinary skills, matched only by her hideous fashion sense, if only he didn't decide to pull off one last heist that would make him and his inept cook of a wife rich for the rest of their life. Take-home food, here we come!

Oh, I forgot to tell you Hashmi plays an expert lock- picker, the kind of safe-bet who can crack safes faster than we can say ' Saif Ali Khan'. Forgetfulness comes easily in this crazi l y unpredictable dark comedy about an ordinary Delhi couple's life going unimaginably out-of-control when they decide to mess around w ith two self-styled bumbling baddi es who seem to have modelled their crime life on pirated video prints of Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino crime flicks. Really, they suck at their job. Every character in this out-of-the-box comedy is a bit of an ineffectual selfimportant clown. In trying hard to be cool, they end up l ooking like fools And they don't even know it!

Ghanchakkar is a domestic comedy that gets progressively dark and sinister. Some of the fi l m's most r iveting moments find our amnesiac hero searching for his own identity and trying to locate the trust factor in his marriage that is threatened by his lack of cogent memory. Director Rajkumar Gupta is the master of straight-faced whimsy. There are no laugh-out-loud moments in Ghanchakkar. Its humour i s the kind that hits you in hindsight.

Characters such as Parvi n Dabas keep popping up for no seeming purpose. But then we begin to realise the plot's larger design is to tell us that there's no real larger design in life. Very often things happen haphazardly and i nexplicably because that's the way life is.

The characters and situations in Ghanchakkar are neither relatable nor particularly l i keable. You really don't want to run into these people even for fun.

Many chunks of Gupta's storytelling seem excessively quirky capturing in l anguid motions, the vagaries of everyday life without whipping up an overpunctuated drama either through the background score or fancy editing patterns. Setu's camera looks at Mumbai's mi ddleclass with affectionate disdain, not judgmental, but certainly not aloof either.

Some ongoing gags, like the Namit Das' character's phone-sex and the guy on the local train returning home with vegetables for his wife who is repeatedly intimidated by Namit Das, just don't hold together. That may be because this is not comic cinema as we know and acknowledge it.

Gupta creates a world high on eccentricity in the uncaring city. If the truth be told, we've never seen anything like this film before. Gupta's third film is wacky, whimsical, dark, scrumptious and though not as lightly humorous as your average comedy, wonderfully innovative in the sparing use of dramatic devices, includ i ng music.

Its sinister thrusts, especially towards the end, eat ravenously into the comedy. This may not work for those who are comicall y regaled by the Golmaal series or even the wacky w it of Fukrey. The comedy in Ghanchakkar is entirely reliant on the principal characters ' ability to penetrate and make sense of the squalid world of greed and acquisitiveness that they seem to inhabit so casually.

The film's heist-quotient is substantially sustained and aggrandised by the crackling, hissing and snarling

chemistry between the bold and fearless Balan and the endearingly restrained and under-the-top Hashmi.

Their mutual suspicion of one another's marit al integrity is del i ghtfully irreverent and yet disturbingly relevant in today 's times when distrust is a dowry gift in a majority of marriages.

In their del ightful l ovemaking sequence, Gupta and his astute co-writer Parvez Shiekh turn the politics of the bedroom on its head. Hashmi appears seductively at the bedroom door wearing the nightwear that his wife has brought him Underwears and condoms are shyly mentioned. What follows is funny and, er, unforgettable

The incidental characters - an inquisitive neighbour, an over-friendly real-estate agent, a nosy mother/motherin-law whom we only hear on the phone, et al, appear unannounced But then

all said and dumped, Ghanchakkar is nothing like anything we've encountered in the genre of dark comedy Depicting the scary but savagely funny underbelly of the Great Indian Middleclass' consumerist caprices, Ghanchakkar g ives Vidya Balan another chance after The Dirty Picture and Kahaanito create an unorthodox heroine. You may not think much of her loud attitude to life, but then you have to hand it to Vidya for staying constantly unpredictable in her characterisations. Emraan Hashmi seems to instinctively grasp his forgetful character's obsti nacy and anxi eties. He brings ca l m to the breathless proceedings.

Ghanchakkar may not be every moviegoer's cup of tee-hee. But this comedy of arr ears, monstrous arrears, is quite simply one of the most unusual comedies in er, living memory.

SUB HASH K. JHA

Tl-IE PAIN OF UNREQUITED LOVE

RAANJHANAA

STARRING : Dhanush, Son am Kapoor, Abhay Deal, Swara Bhaskar, Mohammed Zeeshan

DIR ECTOR: Anand L. Rai

This hugely enriching film about the pain of love has four heroes: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, A R. Rahman's music and the city of Varanasi. Not necessarily in that order.

He loves her to death Cross his heart and hope to die. And it's their wedding day But they're not getting marri ed to one another As he returns exhausted from messing up her marriage to another man, the slumbering band-baaja wallahs at his own wedding hasten awake and begin playing a wedding song wearily

It's a brilliant moment defining the contradictions and savage ironi es of romantic associations

Sometimes it's not so cool to fall in love

This non-derivative take on unrequited love set amidst the bustl ing r i ver- bank politics of Varanasi, tells us that love can kill your spirit, soul, self esteem and

finally, your physical presence as well.

Raanjhanaa is an opu l ent, epic, seductive, raging and rippling ode to love The script by Himanshu Sharma, journeys from lover- boy Kundan's childhood when he first sees his object of adoration doing her namaaz, and follows him to adulthood, much in the same way as he follows Zaya around

In seductive spirals of song-filled rhapso d y, we see Kundan pursu i ng his lady- love through the robust gal/is and mohallahs of Varanasi. It's a beautifully charted journey, made vastly enjoyable by the director's confident and unhurried control over his lover's uncontrollable passion It's as though Rai knows that the heart is more prone to betrayal than redemption

She slaps him?That's fine He l oves her all the more for it She turns his proposal down? That's okay He'll do it again and again It's the protagonist's single -mindedness that navigates this enchanting love story through a series of circumstances that make Kundan look as brazen as they make destiny look cruel.

Throughout Ku ndan's self-destructive odyssey into the heart's darkest regions,

we are made pri vy into his agony and ecstasy

We know exactly how his heart beats Maybe partly because it beats to the sound of A R. Rahman 's evocative songs We see Zoya just the way Kundan does: ta ll , creamycomplexioned, warm, seductive and unattainable Dhanush , as the worsh ipping loverboy, lets his face become the map of his heart So transparent are his fee l ings for t h e g irl that every k ind word or gesture from her brings a response of teary gratitude in his eyes

The characters dither, stray, falter and lose focus. The narrative never does Every performer, including bit- player Rahul Shankliya who the for l orn hero encounters at the river ghat, seems to have come into the picture knowing not only his o r her own lines, but everyone else's as we l l.

There is an air of unrehearsed preparedness in the way the actors pitch their characters. Dhanush's performance wou l d go down in cinematic h i story as one of the most consistent and compelling portrayals of single- minded ardour.

As for Sonam Kapoor, she is a

A COOLLY CRAFTED CAT-ANDMOUSE GAME

SHORTCUT ROMEO

STARRING: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Ameesha Patel and Puja Gupta

DIRE CTOR: Susi Ganesh *** s,.'r,'r

here are two ways of doing a fullon masala fi l m

You either turn it on its head and poke fun at r idiculous cinematic conventions Or yo u treat the stereotypical characters and sacred cows of our cinema with full seriousness

Shortcut Romeo takes the midway route It seems so full of the o l d -world formulistic flavo ur and the stench of the famil iar that parts of the pulsating aggressive storytelling actually feel like a spoof

So, we have the film's unfaithful wife Monica (Ameesha Patel) and her slimy lover (Jatin Garewal) making out on a golf turf: it is beyond l ogic why an affluent couple, who could afford the poshest of dupl ex to meet, would choose such a spot

And then the lover tells the unfaithful wife, "First time you do it, you feel b ad. Then it becomes your style''. Er, how stylish!

But please don't laugh First-time Hindi director Susi Ganesan is dead serious The fi l m shot at the speed of sound is filled with bizarre twists and t u rns. It's basica ll y the story of a woman who cheats on a saintly tycoon of a husband (effectively played by Rajesh Shringapure) who has a massive portrait of Rabindranath Tagore in his bedroom, and a cheesy blackmai l er named Suraj (Ne i l Nitin Mukesh), who believes i n taking risky short- cuts to get ric h.

This is not the first film about a cheating wife and a blackmailer Reena Roy and Naseeruddin Shah had done the roles with heart-stopping tension in Bezubaan Shortcut Romeo scores in the way the plot paces out its drama in the ongoing friction between the cheating wife and the b l ackmailer

Neil plays the cheesy go-getter with a schemer's delight His eyes glint when he talks of teasing more money out of Monica He drool s when she transfers cash into his trashy life Alas, excessive hedonism is just an excuse for African tourism

The Kenyan expedition reads like a botched- up touristic brochure Bad idea, Ganesan Even worse is the director himself showing up in the

second - half as the cheated h usband's detective-friend.

Ganesan's accent is so thick, it slices the gamboling narration into smithereens At least for a wh i le But then again the film gathers momentum towards the end-game The finale is a breathl ess whammy wi th Neil making a run for his freedom, quite l iterally, with the narrative panting beh ind him.

Shortcut Romeo i s redeemed by a strong message on today 's 20- somethings yearning for material ism. And when our Shortcut Romeo finds his short -skirt Juliet (Puja Gupta) there is a delicious irony attached to the associati on The fi lm's most vivid interl udes go back to Neil 's chi ldhood to show how he l earned to be corrupt, acquisitive, and i nquisitive, at a tender age

Some of the action sequences with Nei l, specially one key fight with African tribals, are first-rate. But then the songs - oh my god! - they pop up at the most inopportune moments

complete reve lation! In a bornagai n performance she sparkles, creat ing a kind of sunshine - girl who i s so taken up with herself that she doesn't get the chance to see what effect she has on the oth er until it's too late Swara Bhaskar as Dhanush's devoted ill- t r eated girl-pal and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as his loyal friend, once agai n prove themsel ves natural-born scene stealers

Raanjhanaa is a very simply-told story of a l ove so intense, durable and destructive, that it hurts SUBHASH K. JHA

In spite of its massive flaws, including the cheesy d i al ogues, Ganesan's sty li sh shocker of a thri ller manages to stay constantly one step ahead of the audience A coo ll y crafted cat- and- mouse game Shortcut Romeo finds Neil giving grit to the gripping goings - on Th e l ast half- hour is a knock-out.

SUB HASH K. JHA

BLAST FROM Tl-IE PAST, BOLLWOOD'S GOING VINTAGE

Call it the filmmaker's confidence in the bygone era or their love for the romanticism of the retro look - Bollywood's forthcoming offerings like Lootera, Gunday, Bombay Velvet and Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara have oodles of the past in their look and feel.

Old world charm has gripped Bollywood, a key element of Indian cinema that is celeb rating 100 years of its existence this year But it requ ires the right mix of research and vision to hit the bull 's eye as far as styling such projects is concerned, designers say

A retro look can be described as anything from t h e 1930sto the 1960s or even the 1980s, said designer Pria Kataaria Puri, who is responsib le for actress Priyanka Chopra 's look in the remake of the 1973 filmZanjeer Research is the key, claims Puri, stating that when styling an actress according to the fash i on of the 1960s, knowing the way women wore saris and eyeliner, and made the beehive hairdo, i s crucial.

There are different examples of fi lms experimenting with some distinct looks of the past - some focus on bell -bottoms and some on fitted short kurtis, wh il e others are inspired by the Sadhana cut, the bouffant, the cat eye makeu p, the oversized glasses and the hairbands, as well as the unique sari drapes

Lootera, a pe ri od romance drama set in the West Bengal of 19S0, spells the vintage flavour from the word go - Ranveer Singh sports a clean-shaven, hatted and neat look, complete with crisp white shi rts and chic braces to hold up his trousers His on-screen lady love, essayed by Sonakshi Sinha, i s seen in simp le saris teamed with quarter-sleeved blouses and a big round bindi.

Fashion from the past years also reflects i n Gunday, set in the Kolkata of 1971 to 1988. True to its time period, the film's lead actress, Priyanka Chopra, dons a stunning retro look, with sensuous saris, sleeveless blouses and long tresses.

Similar is the case for Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara, with the story backdropped against Mumbai of the late 1980s.

In her new film Bombay Velvet, actress Anushka Shar ma w ill reportedly go retro as the movie chronicles the evolution of Mumbai over a period of two decades

The trend is surely up and coming!

Ace designer Anju Modi, who has designed costumes for Sanjay Leela Bhansali 's period drama Ram Leela, co- starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone said it is the romanticism of the retro look"which inspires filmmakers to dig i nto the past.

" They like to recreate the old world charm. Whil e there is no dearth of stories that they can derive from the modern era, there is a ce rtain glamour that constantly draws Bollywood filmmakers to the retro look;' said Modi.

Globally known designer Ritu Kumar said of the trend, "It is a measure of confidence in India's history and identity that any industry goes looking back to recreate a bygone feel and t o uch:'

Designer and styl ist Pernia Qureshi , who was behind Boll ywood actress Sonam Kapoor's uber chic styl e in Aisha, believed " lndian films have now started taking fashion more seriously''. " People have realised how styling can play a key role in portraying exactly what i s needed;' Qureshi said

"To go deep into a character, the clothing, accessories and the overall look are vital. The retro look is about imitating the styles from the past without losing out on the modernity of the clothing and the looks so that it is relatable to the people of today's day and age;· she ad ded.

IIFA and women empowerment

The 14th edition of the Internat iona l Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards has added women empowerment as a cause that it will pursue under the programme 'Power of49'.

"I t gives me great pleas u re to announce that IIFA from this year onwards has taken upon itself, in addition to climate change, as a cause it wishes to pu rsue - the ' Power of 49~' veteran actress Shabana Azmi announced recently at a press meet.

"Fortynin e percent i s the figure of the women we have in our country today, and as a nation we can ca ll ourselves civilized if this 49 percent gets empowered,"Shabana added

Fi lmmaker R Bal ki believes fi lms can promote t h e cause in a l ot of ways - for instance superstar Shah Rukh Kh an's initiative to name Deepika Padukone fi r st in the credit ro ll of their upcoming fi l m Chennai Express

"It's always 'starring somebody ' and then the heroine. I th i nk Shah Rukh was good enough to be the fi r st person to say I' ll do it d ifferently and Chennai Express wil l be the first fi l m where Deepika s name wi ll come first and then Shah Rukh's So it's a signal and not an end by itself, that focus on the 49 percent;' Bal ki sa id

"So films can do it in a l ot of ways and the same thing will happen at II FA. IIFA p l ans to surpr ise you at the show There will be a change which w ill signal something extremel y sign ificant as far as this cause goes," he added Well, at least the II FA is now recognising the contribut ion of women in Bol lywood There's a l ong way to go, but at l east it's a start!

What 's the drama about D - Day?

Spies and pat r iots, not gangsters and villains, says O-Day director N ikhi l Advani. He vehemently asserts that his film is not a regular underworl d or ' bhaigiri' one, but a serious espi onage thri ller based on the country 's intel ligence age n cy RAW an d its operations. Actors Arj un Rampa I, lrrfan and Huma Quresh i are p l aying RAW agents in the film " There is no connection to the underworld It i s about terror ism, it is about bri nging back Indi a's most wanted man It is an espionage thr iller. All three of them and A aka sh Dahiya, they ar e spies, they are RAW agents;'said the director recently "Ther e is no ' bhaigiri' in the film. It is about India, it is about four patriots;' he added Shruti Haasan will feature in it, with Rishi Kapoor in the role of an antagonist With that kind of impressive star cast, O-Day could well enjoy a V-day at the box office. It releases soon, so let's wait and see!

Hi rani's not running races

Director Rajkumar Hi rani has a slew of successf ul films under his be lt, li ke Munnabhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots, which makes the cur ious compare his success to his contemporaries But Hirani insists that he is not running a race with any director, inst ead h is endeavour is to tell good stories. Currently, he i s busy shooting P.K., starring Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma in the lead.

"I don't think any of us is running a race. I don't think I am running a race with any other d i rector or his fi l ms I don't think we are in a race at al l;' Hirani stated recently, rather repetit ively Fortunatel y he elaborated, saying "All of us are telling stori es which are completely d ifferent. If we tell good stories, if it connects w ith audiences, all the films will work. So the re is no race!"

According to Hirani , there is no formu l a to make a successful fi l m "I don't think any of us can make a formu l a If we cou ld, then every film would work So the best thing is not to worry about whether your film w i ll work or n ot Try and make what will wo r k for you So my effort is to try and tell a story that works for me, I connect with , and which I bel ieve in ;' sa i d the SO -year- old filmmaker Well Aamir can make any story work , so race or no race, Hirani 's onto a winner!

Intimacy, but in front of mummy

Sonakshi Sinha was i n the news recently, when her l ovemaking scene with co-sta r Ranveer Si ngh for Lootera was compl eted in the presence of her mother!

Apparent ly Poonam Sinha was there to make sure that the scene di d n't get too raunchy Sonakshi usually has a nointi macy policy with her films, but this one scene is the plot tw i ster, and couldn 't be avoided So mum came al ong to keep

SHABANA AZMI

it all clean. And what was her verdict? Well, no more acting lessons for Sonakshi! Poonam was so in awe of her daughter's performance in the film, she admitted that even Sonakshi's father, veteran actor Shatrughan Sinha, will think tw i ce before advising her on anything after the film.

Directed by Vikramaditya Motwane, Lootera is a period romance set in the 1950s. Poonam was also generous in her praise for Ranveer. " Ranveer and Sonakshi, both have done brilliantly wel l. A mother doesn't consider her children that talented, but when outsiders say so, she agrees But I think I have to bow down to Ranveer and Sonakshi 's work in the film;' she said

So whi le Sonaksh i had mummy, who did Ranveer turn to for reassurance and inspiration? Director Vikramaditya, of course, who made both actors comfortable for the intimate scene "Sonakshi is so coo l that I never felt awkward. We all are professiona l actors and this is our work Vikramaditya made a closed set for our comfort where there was only cameraman, Vikram, myself

NIKHIL ADVANI AND ARJUN RAMPAL

and Sonakshi. He gave us our own space and was very supportive;' said Ranveer, perhaps conven i ently forgetting the presence of mummy Poonam The actor said the director made it clear that if an actor is doing an emotional scene "then res p ect him or her so that they can perform".

Ranveer's look in Lootera has been inspired by late Ho llywood actor James Dean and Bollywood legend Dev Anand, he said "Vikram was very clear it had to be an amalgamation of James Dean and Dev Anand So those were the references that he used to send me;'reveal ed the 28-year-old actor. I did not do anything, he knew the kind of look he wanted, the kind of hair he wanted Every detail he looked i nto, so I really didn't give any input this time it was all Vikram 's," said Ranveer who is happy with the appreciation his clean look is garnering, especially from his female fans Both stars are expecting the usual barrage of e e e e e e

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questions speculating about their offscreen romance, but are taking this in their stride. "Earlier, when I used to read such stories it used to bother me and I used to think how can they write such things about me, this is my private l ife. Then I realised such things wi ll happen in the industry, so now I don't even read these stories," said Ranveer pragmatically. Lootera is co-produced by Anurag Kashyap, Shobha Kapoor and Ekta Kapoor, and will hit t h eatres soon.

Time fo r theatre? Big B thinks not!

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan says t h e stage is the most trying and difficult of all performing arts and that it would be wonderful to get back to it The thought came to the 70-year-old after he came back from watching a play at the Prithvi raj Theatre recent ly He says the experience reminded him of work in school and college

"It would be wonderful to get back to it, but now it is frightening to get up there a controlled environment is suitabl e to us today;'Big B posted on his blog. "We can make countless mistakes not so on the platform of the stage not so al so the immediate reaction of the audience, not so also the immediate reaction and applause of the people sitting in front of you That attraction is something only those that experience it can say;' (sic) he added.

Acting on stage is tough job

"The stage is the most trying and difficult of all performing arts, a wonderful place to learn to get initiated of what may follow some of the greats have migrated from the stage to greatness of their own e lsewhere, but have never forgotten the days of the smell of the wood work;' he wrote.

Bollywood actors Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and Anupam Kher are often seen entertaining live audiences with their plays But will Amitabh make a theatre comeback? Seems unlikely, but you can never know with the Big B!

Selena Gomez or Ileana D'Cruz in Vintage Dolce &Gabbana

PRI YANKA CHOPRA

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By NANCY JADEALTMEA

ARIES March 21 - April 19

The cards show very passionate times in your life this month. You wiU need to make some important decisions regarding land or a house. Try not to rely on advice from close friends. Take time out as you will be stressed because of having so many things to deal with. A young child in the family will suffer from tantrums, spend time with them. Make sure your car brakes are checked and that the oil and water are topped up adequately.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

You need to be careful how you communicate to loved ones this month. There may be some extra expenses coming up, but there is an indication that more money will come your way. Be careful of all documents that you sign, read them very carefully. There will be extra pressure at your workplace, and changes around the office. You may be blessed with a promotion. Make sure you have a medical check up, as you are feeling low on energy.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

The cards indicate a time of real intensity and meaningful conversations with your loved ones. You will plan short trips or quality time with your partner. Rnancially, things will look up too. Avoid important decisions until the end of the month, as you need to be prepared and get your facts together. There is an indication that you have impressed your superiors. If planning for a child, good news is on the way.

CANCER June 21 - July 20

Your cards indicate a lot of energy around you this month. You will be on full force with your life, and your energy will remain high. You will be keen to maintain this pace, but others will find it hard to catch up to you. There will be some news regarding a new job or promotion. Do not forget to maintain or start an exercise and healthy eating regime. Take care of your bones, keep up the vitamins or supplements.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

Your cards are showing that you will be a really busy social butterfly this month, and you will be meeting and attracting all kinds of interesting people. Enjoy yourself and the moment, it will be hectic but don't get too involved at this stage. At work, it will be imperative to maintain teamwork and keep everyone motivated. Be careful not to waste money this month on unnecessary and frivolous expenditure.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

The cards indicate a time when you may not be feeling your usual self. There will be a lack of energy around you, which is affecting your attitude and motivation. There have been some stressful situations lately, you are advised to take it easy. Take time out to relax and recuperate before heading back into the situation, this will help you deal with it better. You will look at how to improve your work/business situation.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

This month is filled with excitement and new ideas. Your mind will be like a buzzing tornado. Do not upset anyone with your (attimes) blunt speech. You will make new friends, who , will turn out to be close aJliances in the future. Red is very significant for you, so if you are thinking about buying a new car, consider this colour. You will also be thinking about taking up some outdoor activities.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

This is the time for impressing your superiors, and your charm will certainly pay off. New deals and ventures will be bagged because of your magnetic personality. You may think about writing a book or article. You are looking for something that takes your fancy. Look after your hair, you may be losing some of it. There will be some testing times with a neighbour this month, deal with them with diplomacy.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

Your cards indicate that you will be travelling this month, and important decisions will be made with regard to matters relating to the home. You will wonder whether to re-locate or stay where you are. This is a time of confusion in your love life, Be very careful, as there will be some unexpected expenses coming up. Make sure your health insurance policies are up to date.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

The cards indicate a time when passion and love are high on your agenda. There could be some hot steamy nights, but make sure that you remain in communication with your lover. You may be thinking of making a commitment and marrying. Health needs attention, as previous ailments may return. You will be trying hard to maintain a friendly cooperative disposition with colleagues. There will be some tension around work colleagues.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18

The cards indicate a time of difficulties in close relationships. You may be stressed out about a friend who is going through J some major difficulties. Your work life will be demanding. You may be thinking of moving into a new residence, with , interesting houses to choose from. Keep your options open, but you are keen to live close to water and greenery. There will be some over bearing relatives wanting your attention.

PISCES f=eb 19 - March 20

You may be trying to arrange a loan. The education of a child will cause stress. Work will take up a lot of your time, keep your focus and attention on every detail. Take care of your back, because of problems with it. You will worry about a situation from the past Travel is indicated with work, along with news about extra responsibility. A friend starting a new business may need your advice.

Hallmark cards and the thrill of the chase vs Face book relationship statuses and on line stalking Aaj

[31

Love Au.r

Just "unfriend" (or"block"for seriou s hurts or infide lities) and reset your social media status to "single" and you are ready to "mingle'; yet again

"I"BY I' SANAM • SHARMA

Social media has been a game changer at a lot of levels Reading the tweets and Facebook updates of youngsters these days, it seems that cupid has gone digital as well. Falling in Jove these days, and expressing it to the otber person, is convenient, discreet, and "online," thanks co smartphones and a galaxy of social media platforms.

If your heart skips a beat for someone then all you have co do is find (or shall I say "search'') his or her online avatar. A click of a bmton and you are "friends" with that person . A few online chats and a bunch of "pointed" comments on stams updates of the other person, and you are officially in love - or as Facebook would prefer to call it "in a committed relationship".

ot much exrra effort is needed to call off this "committed relationship" or more casually known as a "break-up". Just " unfriend" (or " block" for seriou s hurts or infidelities) and reset your social media status to "single" and you are ready to " mingle", yet again. Love v ia che

social meclia thrives on "pings," "pokest "en1oticonst "tags," and " hashtags". Like everything else that has gone online, love, falling in love, and expressing love these days must therefore seem quite effortless, risk- free, cliscreet, and from m y perspective "extremely boring".

So youngs ters, romans, countrymen, allow me to reintroduce you to the tl1rill and adventure of being in love, as we clid it in the 1990s. No smartphones, n o social rnedia, a nd no internet (for most part of that decade) Just good old emotions fuel.led witl1 a healthy dose of Di/wale Dulhanjya Le.fc!)'e11ge (aka DDL]).

I say thrill because in tl1e last decade of the previous millennium it used to cake people a good two to three montl1s (on average) to fall for someone. I reserve the definition of "peop le" for the purposes of this write-up specifically to the nation of l n dia (and perhaps our neig hbori n g nation towards the west). Th.is time frame had notlung to do with any sort of "cupid complacency" on the part of tl1e peop le involved.

You see, in the absence of online profiles, you had to cross paths on city srreets, college corridors, adjacent terraces, and even places of worship, and prayer to get a decent glimpse of each other.

Once you got past the .i.tutial

p leasantries between two interested people through random glances, disgui sed snules, and high-speed chases on scooters (you would be booked for stalking these days) , the next challenge was to express the "love" in some tangible way. Archies galler y came in quite handy at tlus juncture.

Dish our a Hallmark card dripped in over the cop romantic poetry and you could not have gone wrong (well, most of the time). However, it was not as easy as attaching the card to an email and sencling it through ether. TI-u s is the precise moment when (in the case of guys) the best friend of tl1e ladylove came in ul tra handy. Pamper her, get her on side and you had a " mecliacor" acting as a pigeon delivering your love notes (usually tucked inside school books), for tl1e rest of the romance.

As the "in a committed relationship" equivalent phase of those pre- social media times commenced, catch -ups between the love stuck souls were few and far belween. Land.line phones were tl1e most sophisticated medium for comn1tmication, howeve r, nor the most discreet

The entire household had one phone at their clisposal and often sat in the bedroom of tl1e parents. If by any IL1ck the.re was another e.xtension of the phone line stretched out to a relative ly

remote and private l ocation within the house, yo u always ran tl1e risk of someone else dropping in on you r "love talk" from the other room. So when you you ng lot of today take for granted t he luxury o f calling each other in exquisite privacy of your very own smartphones, spare a tl1ought for u s who struggled our way through getting busred every so often. A lot was said with ink on paper. The moon and the stars featured a lot in love notes ludden amongst notebooks. Accurately timed and frequent drive-bys b y a guy through the girl's street o n his scooter helped fetch glimpses of each other throug h the day (so mething that has been made ridiculously easy by " face time'').

Love and romance in my days may have been slow, tedious, and "Bollywooclish," bur it was the way it ought to be, incense, <;>verpowering, enduring, and at times dramatic. Lovebirds longed co be w ith each other (in person and not online with a green dot next to their names), wrote to ead1 other, and stole se cret moments out of their days to be wid1 each od1er.

So my yo tmg fciends, next time ;701.1 are in love, do not lock yourself in a room and make it a social med ia experience. Get on a rooftop and lee the world know about it. Stand ne.xt to the person who makes yo u go weak in the knees, look into tl1e.ir eyes and tell

Dish out a Ha ll mark card dripped in over the top romantic poetry and you could not have gone wrong (well, most of the time)

tl1ern how you feel. \X'rite a letter to tl1em, a hand written one and nor an email. Charrn the girl's rnother. Tell the girl that "bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain, Senorita," (watch DDLJ if you do no t know what I am saying) Go watch a rom-com cogetl1e.r (Yeh Ja1n111i H,,i Deei11a11i will do perfectly fine) Hold hands. Go for a long drive.

Take love and romance "offli ne" for a while and leave Facebook for tl1e oldies tQ hook-up with tl1eir o ld flames so that d1ey get through tl1eir uud- life crises

Australian Government

Th e secon d payment of the Schoo l kids Bonus fo r 2 01 3 is com ing in Ju ly. just in time to h el p w it h you r ch il dr en 's mi d -yea r expe n ses.

If you're eligib le, it wi ll be pai d au t omatica l ly into yo ur ba nk account. You cannot claim it th r ough you r tax *.

$410 a gear for each pri,narg student

$820 a year for each secondary student

Hal/ paid in Januarg and hall paid in July

Are you eligi1Jle7

Yo u could receive t h e School ki d s Bo n us if you h ave a chil d i n primary or secondary sc h ool and rece ive a fami ly or i n come suppor t payment (inclu d ing Family

Tax B enefit Part A ) or you are a p r imary o r secondary student receiving an income support payment

See if you'r e el i gi b le at australia.gou.au/schoolkidslJonus o r call 132 4 68

*The Schoolkids Bonus replaced the Education Tax Refund (ETR) in 2013 so you cannot claim the ETR in your 2012-13 income tax return