2013-07 Melbourne

CONTRIBUTORS

Petra O’Neill, Darshak Mehta, Chitra Sudarshan, George Thakur, Minnal Khona, Noel G De Souza, Frankey Gerard Fernandes, Sanam Sharma, Shraddha Arjun, Chitradevi Kasilingam, Nancy Jade Althea

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Ashish Chawla 0468 389 272

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Nitika Sondhi 02 9279 2004 DESIGN Danielle Cairis

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Women as leaders

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

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

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

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

walked shoulder to shoulder in the country’s march towards Independence. Even our neighbouring countries have had formidable female forces that galvanised the nation. Benazir Bhutto, Shaikh Hasina, Khalida Zia, Aung San Suu Kyi, Srimavo Bandarnaike, Chandrika Kumaratunga, all rose to top political office in their countries. Recent polls may have suggested (rightly or wrongly) that South Asian countries may be the worst places to be a woman, but never has misogyny been an issue for these leaders.

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

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

measures rather than the women per se who advised on these cutbacks.

Australia as a nation has come far in transforming society as a more open society for women.

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

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

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

3rd annual Shankaprakshalana Kriya

Sat 13 July 11:30am-2pm

Organised by Vasudeva Kriya, the Shankaprakshalana Kriya cleanses the alimentary canal including food tract, stomach and intestine. This recharges the entire pranic body, cleanses the nadis and energy level is raised and helps in inner sadhana. Only 15 places are available. Cost: $30. Shirdi Sai Sansthan, 32 Halley Ave, Vic 3124

Details: Rajendra 9802 8348 / 0410 527 904 vasudevakriyayoga@gmail. com or visit www.vasudevakriyayoga.com

Essay writing and quiz competitions

Sun 21 July 11am-4pm

Melbourne Kannada Sangha’s annual essay writing competition in English for children and general

What’s on

knowledge quiz program for all will be conducted. Last day for essay entries is July 4. Attractive prizes to be won. Please check the website www.mks.org.au for details.

Light lunch, coffee/tea and snacks will be provided at this free event. Fregon Hall, Fregon Rd, Clayton (Melway Ref :70 D12).

Details: Nagendra

0402 782 836, Srinivasa

Sharma 0401 900 080, or Malathy 0408 325 236

Jhankar 2013

Sat 10 August 7.30pm

onwards

Bollywood spectacular musical will be staged with talented local musicians, singers, dancers and actors, to create a unique multicultural exhibition. In collaboration with the Space Performing Arts Academy, the production will feature a

Bollywood musical in English, accompanied by a live band. All proceeds will be donated to the East West Overseas Aid Foundation (TEWOAF). George Wood Performing Arts Centre in Ringwood.

Details: Seema Gupta 0414351162, eraofexcellence@ gmail.com or www.facebook. com/jhankar2013

AIII India Day Charity Dinner

Sat 17 August

6:30pm-11:30pm

To mark the 66th Indian Independence Day, the Australia India Innovations Inc (AIII) will organise a charity dinner, with proceeds from the event benefitting Asha Global, the AIII’s adopted charity. Asha Global works with the children of women entrapped within the red light district of

Mumbai. Music, dance, songs with a sumptuous dinner and drinks. Tickets: $50pp (pre-purchase only). Held at Metropol Reception, Level 1/370 Clayton Rd, Clayton.

Chand Raat Eid Festival Sat 10 August 2pm onwards Springvale Racecourse, Springvale.

Details: Syed 0412 881 597 or syed@cref.com.au

Indian Cultural and Dance Festival

Sat 17 – Sun 18 August 12noon-7pm Cnr of South Bank Bvld and Queens Bridge Road (along the Yarra River).

Details: Subra Ramachandran 0403 777 252 or events@fiav.asn.au

Janmashtami celebrations

Thur 29 August full day until midnight

At 197 Danks Street, Albert Park.

Details: www. iskconmelbourne.com

Ustad Barkat Sidhu concert

Sat 7 - Sun 8 September 7th at Kew East and 8th at Hoppers Crossing. After sold out concerts in Canada and London, Ustad Barkat Sidhu will perform in Melbourne. Featuring Taruni Sood.

Details: (sponsorship and tickets) 0404 132 385 or 0422 469 322.

Ganesh Festival

Sat 7 September 10am onwards 21, Elgar Road, Derrimut.

Details: Rama 0401 817 523 or www.druta.com.au

Bear benefactress

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

BY PETRA O’NEILL

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

This page: (top) Sun bear Dilli shows Mary

Above:

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

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

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

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

As I was completing our chat,

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

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

Serey

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

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

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

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

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

This page (Clockwise from bottom left):

Cyril Sunshine resting by the pool.

Bears in a hammock having fun at Phnom Tamao.

Queen’s Birthday Honours

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

Multicultural missionary

Executive President of Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan and Founder and CEO of International Centre of Nonviolence

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sheryl Dixit

A country practice

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He has never left.

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

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

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

and wrote for the local Canowindra News.

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

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

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

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

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

The Kumars travel to Sydney every fortnight to visit their kids – and to stack their fridges with home-made food!

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

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

Rajni Anand Luthra

Dr Arcot Sampath Kumar, OAM

Gambhir Watts, OAM

Opposition Leader woos South Asian media

industry and services will be the focus of the Victorian Labor Party, Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said at a South Asian media conference held at the Victorian Parliament recently. Currently the Member for Mulgrave, Mr Andrews is also the Shadow Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs. The conference provided an opportunity for representatives from various South Asian media to ask him questions on various matters including the recent budget, health, education, jobs and Victoria’s future. Jude Perera, state member for Cranbourne and Parliamentary Secretary to the

to join politics and represent the community in Parliament.

The Opposition Leader briefly outlined his priorities to ease the pressures on communities if Labor wins the next election.

Mr Andrews stressed the need for the existing Government to acknowledge that there are issues, especially in relation to the difficulties being faced by various industries, and the loss of jobs. “Whether they caused the problem or not, it does not excuse the Government for its responsibility and duty to act and do something to resolve these problems,” said Mr Andrews.

“That does not mean that the State Government and Dennis

not been the outcome,” said Mr Andrews before he opened the floor for questions.

In reply to whether the ALP has plans in place to insulate Victorians against the predicted economic depression he said, “I do not wish to talk the economy down, however it is a fact that spending is soft and overall confidence is low at the moment. There are issues on how finance is working and every sector is facing challenges”. He added, “At difficult times like this the Government needs to recognise that there are issues and have a plan. If there are strategies in place they will help save many jobs, if not every one of them. We need to ensure that the taxpayers’

dollars are supporting local jobs, local produce and industries. A Victorian Labor Government will implement a plan to secure local jobs for local workers, to support these industries and preserve the livelihoods of many Victorians”.

A few reporters from the Indian media raised the issue of the shoddy treatment by the current Government, towards the Little India Precinct in Dandenong. According to them, the traders were provided rent relief recently; however, that still did not resolve the issue. They asked Mr Andrews how the ALP could offer better support to the affected traders. The Minister said he was willing to arrange another round of talks to get an update on the issue and try to be an effective ally.

With relation to the turbulence being experienced in the print media industry, he agreed that the industry is in transition with changes that are not necessarily positive. Representatives from media organisations then brought to his attention the issue that the budget allocated to them was a nominal 5% which has been

the same for the last 15 years. “For the ethnic media to thrive in proportion to the growth in the population there is a need for better funding and resources; however the future of ethnic media is not looking healthy and we live in fear that the lifecycle will collapse any day,” claimed Virosh Perera CEO of Serendib News Network. Mr Andrews acknowledged the importance of cultural media and said that while he cannot make any promises, he will certainly consider this issue and review the percentage of budget under his Government.

Manoj Kumar FEA Executive from ASTON was instrumental in getting the South Asian media together to meet the opposition leader. “We hope to hold more sessions like these in future that will offer forums and opportunities for South Asian media to discuss matters and issues that are relevant to our community,” said Mr Kumar. “I thank everyone who braved Melbourne’s cold and wet winter to come and support this event,” he said in conclusion.

PREETI JABBAL

Passion for community service

People of Australia Ambassador Deepak Vinayak wins prestigious award

For Deepak Vinayak, a knock on his door at midnight or even at 6am is a familiar occurrence. Deepak is probably the only Justice of the Peace in Victoria who is available 24/7, 12 months in a year. His dedication to community service is renowned, and it was no surprise to anyone but Deepak that he was to be presented the Community Cohesion and Multifaith Award 2013 by Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The award was presented at a ceremony in Tarneit in Victoria, acknowledging Deepak’s untiring work for the community.

“I am honoured by the award, and grateful that my work has been acknowledged,” he says. “Awards such as these encourage me to work even harder for the greater good of the community, something that I have been doing since the past 15 years”. Deepak’s respect for other religions and his strong philosophy of nonviolence, as well as his desire to help change people’s lives for the better, are also reasons for winning the award. He

dedicated the award to his “fellow community members, friends and families”.

Deepak was appointed as a People of Australia ambassador in 2012, to champion inclusion and provide input to the Australian Multicultural Council and Federal Government.

Although the appointment was for just a year, it has now been extended, a clear indicator of Deepak’s popularity within the community. His work extends to all facets of community service to everyone, regardless of ethnicity, gender or the complexity of their issues. Put simply, Deepak is a people’s person. “I feel that if people need me, I should help them,” he says. “For me, community service has now become a passion, a vocation. People seem to appreciate the work that I do for them, and that is reward enough,” he adds.

Deepak also candidly mentions that his ceaseless voluntary work has taken its toll on his health and family life, but he is unable to step back. “People come to me because they think I can help them, and I

can’t refuse,” he claims. “I work for communal harmony and social inclusion for all, from the grassroots level. If we work for other people it gives us more satisfaction,” he adds. Deepak’s repertoire of responsibility is impressive, considering that besides his regular job, all these other activities are voluntary. He has mobilised community members and resources in his quest for working towards a cohesive society. He continues to create awareness and support systems for newly arrived migrants through a range of multicultural and multi-faith activities. As a leader, he supports youth and trains them for future leadership roles. He has also been working to strengthen Indo-Australia ties at the cultural and social levels.

Deepak is a recipient of the Multicultural Award for Excellence 2010 from the Premier of Victoria, and is a member of the Royal Victorian Association of Honorary Justices. He was nominated for the Australian of the Year

award 2012, and for the Pride Of Australia Medal 2010/2011. He is the Founder Patron of the South Asian Community Link Group, Regional Advisory Council Member for VMC and Member of the Hume City Council Craigieburn Festival Committee.

Deepak continues the good work, carrying the mantle of responsibility with pride and dedication. The Indian community wishes him all the best in his future endeavours.

“I work for communal harmony and social inclusion for all, from the grassroots level. If we work for other people it gives us more satisfaction”

Deepak Vinayak

2012 VCE top achievers honoured

Indian origin students received accolades at the recently held Premier’s VCE awards

Every year, top performing students are felicitated for their outstanding academic achievements in the Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE). In a ceremony held on June 5 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre at South Wharf, 286 students were honoured at the 2013 Premier’s VCE Awards. Premier Denis Napthine congratulated the students for performing at the very highest levels in VCE in 2012.

“Completing VCE is no small feat, but doing so with a top score is a tremendous achievement,” Dr Napthine said.

“Today is a wonderful occasion to celebrate these students, who are an inspiration to their peers, schools and communities. I wish them all the very best on the next exciting stage of their life journey,” he added.

There was an air of anticipation and excitement at the event, as Melbourne’s best and brightest waited for their turn up on stage. Dr Napthine said

the breadth of talent on display at the Awards was good news for the state’s future. “If these students are Victoria’s best and brightest, then we are in very safe hands indeed,” he added.

Among the winners was Varun Peri, a student from Melbourne High School, who received a perfect ATAR score of 99.95, for which he received the Top All Round High Achiever Award. “I was thrilled with the Award, it’s great to be recognised for the achievement, it made the effort worth it,” said Varun. “The support from my family and teachers was a big contributor to my success,” he added.

For Varun, Year 12 was tough, with much of his time spent in studying and preparing for the exams. His subjects were Physics, Chemistry, Mathematical Methods, Specialist Maths and English, along with Biology, which he completed in Year 11.

“When I received my

was Amarjit Batra from Camberwell Grammar School, who scored an ATAR of 98.75 and won the award for IT Applications; and Srishti Dhir

from The Mac.Robertson Girls High School with a study score of 50 who won the award for Environmental Sciences. Sheryl Dixit

An old head on young shoulders

Devanand Sharma is the new Ambassador to Israel

BY DARSHAK MEHTA

Devanand Sharma is his country’s youngest Ambassador. And, no, he is not representing India. He is unique in more ways than that.

He has recently been designated Australia’s next Ambassador to Israel. Yes, he is a true-blue, dinkydi, ridgy-didge Aussie. And if that means he is half Indian, well, welcome to the new, really, really multicultural Australia.

Devanand, or Dave as he is known, is just 37. When I first heard that, I said “Wow”. And I thought: you @%*^#*! overachiever.

The world is at his feet and barring a disaster, he should certainly be heading The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) before he turns 50, surely!?

An extremely rare fact: Dave is probably only the second Australian of Indian descent to represent Australia as an Ambassador.

In case you are curious as to who was the first, I believe it must be Peter Varghese who was Australia’s Ambassador to India

between 2009 and 2012, before he was promoted and made the head honcho of Australia’s diplomatic service – the DFAT. He still heads it. Varghese was born in Kenya to Malayali parents and has been one of Australia’s most distinguished and senior civil servants.

Dave Sharma holds a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Cambridge and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Deakin University. He is a senior career officer with the DFAT and was most recently Assistant Secretary in the Africa Branch, and previously, Acting First Assistant Secretary, International Division in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.

Sharma’s prior international service includes postings as Counsellor at the Australian Embassy in Washington, Third Secretary at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby and as Senior Civilian Adviser with the Peace Monitoring Group in Bougainville. Sharma was also an Adviser to Foreign Minister Alexander Downer from 2004 –2006. His father originally hails from Uttar Pradesh, though they subsequently settled in Trinidad and Tobago, and his mother’s family is from Sydney and Dave grew up in Sydney but remains in close touch with the Indian side of his family.

Sharma will be accompanied to Israel by his wife Rachel and their

three young daughters.

Clearly his young age is the first thing that strikes one about Dave. (By comparison, the average age of an Ambassador or High Commissioner that India appoints, is generally in the 50s). But he himself is nonchalant about it.

He says without hesitation, “My appointment proves that Australia is a meritocracy and even the highest positions are available to all comers”.

“The younger generation should certainly look at opportunities in public life and in the public service,” he adds. “Though there are only a handful or so of Australians of Indian origin in the ranks of DFAT, their numbers are certainly growing in the junior ranks”.

Australia has been a strong supporter of the State of Israel since its establishment, and was one of the first countries to grant official recognition and to establish diplomatic relations.

The Australian Embassy in Israel opened in 1949.

Australia and Israel enjoy a significant trade relationship worth more than $900 million a year. Australian exports to Israel include coal, meat and aluminium, with imports including gems, manufactured items and telecommunications equipment.

So, it is an important posting, and the Australian Government would have made it after due consideration about the merits

of various candidates.

Questions have forever been raised about the influence of the strong Israel lobby within Canberra (and Washington/London), so the new Australian Ambassador may have to walk a tightrope and be prepared to tell his hosts things 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 Middle

East peace settlement. Australia supports a negotiated two-state solution, with an independent, viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel.

But in fact, the superior lobbying skills of Israel and the Australian Jewish community has ensured that Israel has had a robust input in the decisions this country has made.

This is something that eludes the Indian community – even though it is four times bigger!

Shiamak spectacular sets stage alight

Bling, beats and Bollywood warm up the audience at Shiamak’s annual Winter Funk

Shiamak’s dancing stars gave a new definition to the word ‘winter-warmers,’ with their spectacular performance at the Winter Funk 2013. Held at the National Theatre in St Kilda recently, the Shiamak Winter Funk set the stage alight with a Shiamak-style Bollywood dance extravaganza. This annual event is a culmination of the efforts of students enrolled in the Shiamak Dance Group in Melbourne. Students from all ages and all stages performed on stage to a sell out audience comprising of friends and family. The entertainment temperature was raised with a heady mix of the latest Bollywood dance numbers, well-choreographed sequences, glittering costumes and some unmistakable talent.

Says renowned choreographer Shiamak, “Shiamak’s Winter Funk show is a chance for my students to express their passion and truly shine in a professional dance setup. Melbourne has great potential, students here have a certain energy that makes them great performers on stage!”

Not everyone who is seen on stage at this annual event is born to dance, but they are free to dance and that’s definitely more important. “Have feet, will dance!” is one of Shiamak’s oftquoted statements and Vihang Nikalje, Manager - Shiamak Group Australia endorses this.

“In the process of learning, our students acquire various skills that hold them in good stead in all phases of life. Discipline, coordination, confidence, teamwork, exercise and professionalism are all part of this experience. The enormous amount of fun that these students end up having during their classes is the proverbial cherry on the cake,” he said. Vihang is currently managing the Shiamak Dance School in Sydney, while instructor Darshan Pawar is responsible for the classes in Melbourne.

The excitement on the evening of the Winter Funk was palpable

as students finalised their costume trials, rehearsed their steps and dealt with the butterflies in their stomach. Vihang Nikalje and Mishti Shirke took the audience through a quick succession of performances. The items presented were split according to suburbs and level of advancement.

The Special Potential Batch and Shiamak Show

Kids executed the best performances of the evening. These groups are made of students picked by Shiamak for their talent and capabilities. Dances choreographed on Ganpati, Fevicol Se, Ghagra undoubtedly good; however this year again, there were many praiseworthy performances from other students.

A deviation from previous events was in the form of a formal recognition of people who have supported the group since its inception in 2006. “These people have made us feel welcome and cared for since we arrived, and over the years they have become part of our extended family. They have contributed to the Shiamak Group in various ways from assisting us, supporting our events, cooking for us, promoting us and for always being there for us. We wish to take this opportunity to thank these special individuals,” said an emotional Nikalje. He requested Vasan Srinivasan, President of the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FIAV) to present the tokens of appreciation. Among the recipients were Mr Vasan and Mrs Lata Srinivasan, Krishna Arora, Subra Ramchandran, Sonali Padwal, Radhika Sarve, Ankush Gupta, Karishma Singh, Mishti Shirke, Sunil and Bina Shirke, Arun and Rajshree Sarve, Abhishek and Seema Gupta, Amarjit and Neerja Singh, Manisha Chaubal Menon, Ambarish Deshmukh, Manisha Isaacs, Chandana

Photos: Ravinder Jabbal

“Have feet will dance!” is one of Shiamak’s oft-quoted statements

Diljit dhamaka revives show

Punjabi stars shimmer and sizzle to a lukewarm audience at the Jat & Juliet concert

BY PREETI JABBAL

For a show that was a musical promotion of the highest grossing Punjabi movie till date, the Jat & Juliet concert in Melbourne remained an ephemeral experience. This concert was not about the rendering of songs; it was about the stars, comedy and fanfare that made Jat & Juliet a blockbuster success. It was timed well to promote the upcoming

release of Jat & Juliet 2, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Neeru Bajwa. Punjabi cinema fans in Melbourne were delighted to watch live performances from Diljit Dosanjh, Neeru Bajwa, Feroz Khan, Rupinder Handa and Nirmal Dhaliwal at the Melbourne Convention Centre recently.

The evening took off with a lively performance from Rupinder Handa, winner of Awaaz Punjab

Di, a singing reality show on Punjabi TV. Rupinder sang well and tried her best to involve the audience; however, she was met with a lukewarm response. Undeterred, she continued to sing Ghaint Jattian, Mere Haniya and several other songs. Just when it

became too much of a good thing, Punjabi playback singer Feroz Khan took over and sang his song Tarakkiyan followed by some melodious numbers. Sporting a bright coloured traditional outfit Feroz sang beautifully and changed the tempo from bhangra to serenade, albeit in Punjabi.

Diljit Dosajh, the star of the show made an entrance towards the latter half of the event, beginning his performance by paying homage to Saheed Bhagat Singh through his patriotic song Mein fan Bhagat Singh da. He then went on to sing some of his popular numbers, while clips from his current films played in the backdrop. The show took

real momentum once Diljit came on centre-stage and rewarded his fans for their patience with a solid performance. His songs Dil Nachda, Los Angeles, Jhanjar, and Smile among others, were well received. His co-star in Jat & Juliet, Canadian-born Punjabi actress Neeru Bajwa added the sizzle quotient with a couple of tappy dance numbers.

Overall, as far as concerts go, this one may not have evoked the desired response from the audience as well as the artists, however the enthusiasts who were there to have a good time managed to do so with humorous comments, encouraging applause and a healthy dose of balle balle

The ever-popular Sizzlin Events was instrumental in bringing this mixed bag of talent to Australia and New Zealand. Over the years, Sizzlin Events has acquired a good reputation for professionalism in the entertainment industry. Its aim is to bring artists and events to Australia, not only to entertain the Indian community, but also to provide them with opportunities to revive and relive memories of their country of origin. Nick Bahl and Goldy Sharma from Sizzlin Events officially teamed up with Gurjot from Muziqueevents as promoters of this show, which was sponsored by Barkly International College.

Photos: Creative Art Media

Sri Lalgudi baani

BY CHITRA SUDARSHAN

Recently, despite it being a wet and cold day in Melbourne, many gathered at the Kel Watson theatre in Burwood to pay tribute to legendary musician, virtuoso violinist and vaggeyakara, Padma Bhushan Sri Lalgudi G Jayaraman who passed away on April 22 this year. The renowned maestro was such a multi-faceted musician,

composer and musicologist that he created his own ‘baani’ or musical style, which will be perpetuated by his many sishyas who live in the far corners of the globe.

Two musicians from the Lalgudi tradition in Melbourne, Narmatha Ravichandhira and Uthra Vijayaraghavan organised the tribute jointly to pay homage to the doyen and founder of that great tradition. Two visiting artistes from India and the UK, who had come to attend the twoday Mummoorthigal Festival, were also present at the event. Veena artiste Sri Vasantha Kumar and

violin vidwan Sri Gnanasundaram put together the tribute with the help of friends resulting in a rich collage of music, dance, documentary, video, audio visuals and talks, that collectively brought to life the genius that was Lalgudi.

The evening began with a prayer by Chaitanyaraman Gnanasundaram - aptly, a composition of Lalgudi. Uthra Vijayaraghavan and her students presented a couple of Lalgudi’s varnams, followed by a violin rendition of another one by Smt Narmatha’s students. In the latter half, they presented

Lalgudi’s tillanas, including a dance - a madhuvanti tillana Lalgudi was renowned for the melodious varnams and tillanas that he had composed - so it was a fitting tribute to his memory. They were accompanied on the violin by Chaitanyaraman and Sri Gnanasundaram, and on the mridangam by Sri Ravichandhira and Sai Nivaethan Ravichandhira.

AGA Gnansundaram, a disciple of Lalgudi G Jeyaraman paid an emotional and rich tribute to his guru, sharing memories of his long association with Lalgudi and how he had been enriched by it. Sri Vasantha Kumar, for his

part, recalled several memorable encounters with the violin legend.

The Iyer Brothers of Melbourne recounted the close relationship forged between them and the maestro and his children, during their visits to Australia over the past two decades.

The documentary, publicly available and produced by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the special Powerpoint presentation put together by Jothin Vallathol and Nagasundaram, provided wonderful snippets from the life and music of a great Carnatic music genius.

String theory!

The violin and veena are highlights this month

TYME concert – an orchestra comprising the best young musicians of Melbourne, and their concert was a crisp and polished presentation which would put even some of the best Chennai orchestras into the shade. This was followed by solo concerts from some of Melbourne’s best artistes.

they played were like cascades of melodies flying out of their violins.

TCarnatic music trinity of Thgayaraja, Dikshitar and Shyama

Shastri was held at the Kel Watson Theatre over June 1 and 2, and was organised by the Academy of Indian Music.

Day one began with the traditional singing of Pancharatna kritis of Thyagaraja and a couple of compositions from Dikshitar

music teachers and artistes in Melbourne. This two-day festival is a much-anticipated event in the Carnatic music calendar, and besides well-known musicians from Melbourne, there were feature concerts by visiting artistes Sri Vasanthakumar on the veena and AGA Gnanasundaram on the violin.

AGA Gnanasundaram and his son Chaitanyaram performed a violin duet, supported by Hariharan Balasri and Sainivaethan on the mrudangam. Sri Vasanthakumar, a disciple of Pichumani Iyer, presented a solid, traditional veena recital, with Ravichandhira on the mrudangam. It included ragam Bilahari and Gowli pantu

The second day began with a

InConcert Music presented the famed Mysore Brothers violin duo on June 9, at the Wellington Secondary College. The brothers Manjunath and Nagaraj are well known to Melbourne audiences, having come here before. They are renowned for their fast-paced delivery of kalpana swaras and they didn’t disappoint. The bahudhari, vasantha and other kalpana swaras

The highlight of their concert was their Ragam tanam pallavi in Shankarabaranam and Ragamalika. Other ragams and kritis included the rare Nasikabhushani, which they played in a languorous and unhurried style, demonstrating their ability to perform both the drawn out kritis and alapanas, and the super-fast swaras with equal ease. Sridhar Chari accompanied them on the mrudangam

Inconcert Music also presented the Carnatica Brothers and Nithyashree in a double bill on 15 June at the Rowville Secondary College.

Chitra Sudarshan

The Senior scene

NRISA: On staying fit and active, and on Indo-Oz art links

ISCA: Celebrating an OBE

Sandy San, who served as secretary of the Indian Senior Citizens Association this month obtained his OBE (Over Bloody Eighty). To acknowledge his long association with ISCA members, Sandy invited many performing artists, including old ISCA members who now attend seniors’ meets in suburbs closer to their homes, and many more from his fraternity. There were around 250 in total for the ‘Sandy San Day’.

Prem also spoke with regret about a recent burglary at his home when he and his wife Usha were away. Usha lost all of her gold ornaments collected over a lifetime, and Prem, who is an authority on precious stones, lost an irreplaceable and beyondmonetary-value collection of rare and precious stones. The advice went out from police that the best place to keep one’s jewellery is either in a bank vault or on one’s person.

orthern Region

conjunction with Sharda Kala Kendra, organised an evening of celebration of Indian culture in the City Hall at Northcote. The event was supported by both the Victorian Multicultural Commission and the City of Darebin.

NRISA President Dr. Santosh Kumar welcomed guests and participating members, and aptly drew everyone’s attention to an article in The Age that read, “We should use, not loose, our seniors’ brain power”. To emphasise this, Santosh made a reference to a Zen Buddhist saying, “Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water”.

“Today,” Santosh pointed out with pride, “we at NRISA justify this Buddhist saying by staying alert and physical, and thus keeping our minds and bodies healthy”.

Our group disproved the antiquated idea that after age 65 you are weak and frail, incapable

NRISA takes the initiative to regularly invite the young of the community to attend their program, and most, thrilled by the variety and vitality of our program, dance along and participate in other activities as well.

The audience was entertained on this occasion by Piya Modi and Shruti Raman’s performances of Bharatanatyam, and by the songs of Sunila Sharma Patel, Sushil Sharma and Sunita Sethi.

In a ‘special appearance’ however, the vivacious Pallavi Sharda stole the show. The young daughter of Professors Hema and Nalin Sharda, Pallavi is an accomplished Indian classical dancer, and now a popular Bollywood actress. Pallavi has acted in many movies, My Name Is Khan, Dus Tola, Love Breaks up Zindagi, Heroine, and an Australian movie Save your Legs, to name just a few. She is now engrossed in her work in the upcoming Besharam, co-starring as lead with the popular star Ranbir Kapoor and guest star Rishi Kapoor. Many members of NRISA have known Pallavi since her childhood days in Melbourne.

Reminiscing on her childhood,

impart cultural education to the younger generations.

Pallavi spoke at length also about the Indian Australian collaboration in the cinematic arts. She introduced a new project entitled Lights Across The Sea, a musical documentary based on the fusion of traditional and contemporary arts. It revolves around William Eicholtz’s contemporary sculpture, Louise Rippert’s artworks and the traditional techniques of Bengal’s Durga deity makers. The music in the film is composed by acclaimed classical Indian singer Dr Revati Sakalkar, who also features in the documentary.

Dr. Amit Sarwal, an Alfred Research Fellow at Deakin University, also detailed the evolution of this Indian Australian art collaboration, and stated that the documentary will be screened at Federation Square, as part of the Deepawali celebrations late this year. No doubt it will enlighten young and seniors of the community alike, even those who are not Indian.

NRISA meets every third Sunday of the month, at Seniors’ Hall, 18 Bent St. Northcote. Details Dr. Santosh Kumar: 0411 136 612.

Baba, of Baba Entertainments in Little India conducted music on a rather elaborate arrangement, including shlokas in Tamil, Sandy’s native language, and instrumental Veena, which Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, is known to play, and showered praises to a print of her that was displayed.

Sandy, along with dancer Lisa, hit the large floor and sashayed to music from The Sound of Music Lisa, who has learnt ballroom dancing for five years and now runs her own school in East Doncaster, was impeccable. Eric, her partner in the many dances they performed, beautifully matched Lisa’s every move, never once stepping on her toes. Many couples joined in.

Then came the young, energetic and accomplished Luba, who danced non-stop in Spanish Salsa, Mexican Flamenco, English Ballroom, even Bollywood style, to tunes played by Baba.

At age 80, Sandy, switching from Portuguese to Mexican, to baseball to English hats, tried his best to keep up in every dance. This turned out to be an international musical affair that entertained us for two hours. Getting down to business, President Phakey thanked Sandy for shouting the vegetarian luncheon and drinks on the day.

He also announced ISCA’s intention of buying out a property where meetings could be held for free rather than in a hired hall, and requested donations.

At the end, Sandy had a special word for Parag Mody, the gentleman who, in the year 1995, aged 30, laid the foundation of ISCA, the first Senior Citizens Association in Melbourne. Thanks to this organisation, senior members of the community keep themselves physically and mentally fit, make friends in their new country of residence, and help each other in their time of need.

To close the event, came the fast Radha Tera Jhumka, and members just went berserk. Young Tripti Mithaiwala, even though she’s a new mum, was the mover of the day.

ISCA has secured the use of Ashwood Hall where every Friday, members gather to socialise, bring food to share, participate in yoga and oil painting lessons that Bhagatji offers, and also learn basic computing and use of ipods, etc., from Dinesh Sood, while many other disciplines of learning remain in the pipeline.

At another Friday event at Ashwood Hall, Marina Raghavan arranged a delightful sitar recital by the renowned Jyoti Thakar, a fifth generation musician from the Ashtewale Gharana of central India, some of whom performed at the darbar of the Maharaja of Gwalior. Arvind Shankar Paranjape accompanied her on tabla, himself an accomplished musician who spends much time and effort promoting Indian music. Their CD was on sale. A collection by participating members was presented to the duo.

ISCA meets every second Saturday of the month. Details President Phakey: 9560 9607

Lamb, aussie style

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

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

By MINNaL khoNa

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Uttarakhand rescue mission hit by rain, IAF chopper crash kills 20

At the time of going to press, heavy rains had hit operations to evacuate thousands of people still stranded in the hills of Uttarakhand, as most helicopters could not operate, while 20 people were killed as an IAF Mi-17 crashed while returning from a rescue mission, officials said, speaking from Dehradun.

The state government has put the death toll in the flood disaster at 845 and said it could climb further. With more rain and rising fog across the valley and the hills, operations slowed down, leaving more than 7,500 people still stranded on the Badrinath route.

Returning from a rescue mission from Guptkashi and Kedarnath, a newly-acquired IAF Mi-17 V5 helicopter crashed north of Gaurikund.

While National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) vice chief M. Shashidhar Reddy put the toll at 20, the IAF said that eight people, including five crew members, were killed.

Eleven bodies have been recovered, an IAF source said. The search for survivors had to be called off after it grew dark.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh expressed shock over the accident while commending the armed forces for their “selfless work” in saving lives.

While Indian Air Force (IAF) and army officials maintained that the rescue operations would continue, they admitted that the operations “had taken a brief hit” and added that they were now being “extra cautious and not over zealous”.

“All efforts are being done to pull out the trapped people but we will now take weather conditions and warnings more seriously,” an army officer said.

The NDMA declared Uttarakhand devastation a “severe natural disaster” and requested leaders not to politicise the issue. It also said it would send a team to locate bodies under the debris.

Due to severe rains in Dehradun, many helicopters like the Mi-17 with higher passenger capacity were mostly grounded at the Jolly Grant airport while smaller choppers which tried to fly had to return to their bases at Joshimath and Harshil.

Fog prevented rescue sorties around Devprayag, where a cloudburst in Dubh Mamora village left two people dead and three missing, and washed away several houses, while bad weather hit chopper missions at Jangalchatti, Guptkashi and Gauchar.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said that while weather had hit the rescue operations, he requested people not to lose hope.

“We will reach every person who is stranded, it is just that weather is hampering the rescue efforts,” he added, contending that the number of people to be rescued was well under 5,000.

Officials also added that the mass funeral proposed for the people who died in Kedarnath premises and whose bodies are decomposing there was also aborted due to the rains.

The NDMA also said that around 125 bodies were recovered from the flooddevastated Kedarnath area, while many more could be buried under the debris.

Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel, undertaking rescue operations

there, said the decomposing human and animal corpses are posing a health hazard.

Personnel of the Armed Forces Medical Services are working in the state with 29 teams deployed around Kedarnath while an emergency centre has been set up at Joshimath, an official release said.

In New Delhi, the NDMA vice chairman said MPs from all states could each contribute Rs.50 lakh from their funds for the relief work.

“Despite doing politics over the calamity, all the leaders and MPs should contribute as they can donate Rs.50 lakh from their funds in a national level disaster,” Shashidhar Reddy said.

He said the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) would send a team to the state for locating bodies under the debris.

The ITBP raised concerns about decaying corpses. “The corpses are eight to nine days old. They are rotting. It is difficult to operate in that area due to the strong stench,” said an ITBP spokesman.

An aid worker meanwhile called the situation in Uttarakhand “a mess” as vast stretches of roads have disappeared and transporting relief to some of the worst-hit areas was near impossible.

“It is a mess right now. It is a complete mess,” despaired a spokesperson for ActionAid, which has relief workers in Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh districts.

She said that renewed rains and landslides have made it difficult to reach the areas cut off since the cloudburst and terrible flooding of over 10 days ago.

The spokesperson reiterated that the overall death toll would “definitely be more than 1,000, may be in thousands”.

Help is pouring into Uttarakhand from all over the country.

Adopt zoning bill to minimise flood-linked disasters: Water secretary

States should adopt and implement a model Flood Plain Zoning Bill that was first circulated to them 38 years ago as this will minimise losses like those caused in Uttarakhand, a senior official has said

in New Delhi. Ironically, Uttarakhand is one of only three states to have acceded to the measure, having done so only last December.

“Mitigation of devastation caused by floods, as we have seen in Uttarakhand, is possible if the bill is adopted and implemented by the states,” Secretary (Water Resources) S.K. Sarkar said recently in an interview, adding that the bill will regulate land use in flood plains and contain flood damage.

The bill provides for flood-plain zoning authorities, delineation of flood-plain areas, prohibiting the use of the flood plains and removing obstructions to ensure the free flow of water.

Sarkar said the states have reservations on the bill because of population density pressure and difficulties in relocating people living in flood plain areas.

“There are problems with states also. It (the bill) requires consensus building,” he added.

Water Resources Minister Harish Rawat had told a meeting of the Ganga Flood Control Board in January that the ministry was considering a review of the bill and re-circulating it among the states in view of their objections.

Ministry officials said the bill calls for zoning rivers in a way that loss of life and destruction to buildings are prevented or minimised in case of floods.

They said that the bill was aimed at preventing construction of residential areas in vulnerable zones and allowing parks, playgrounds or fields to come up in the low lying areas.

The bill has been drafted by the Central Water Commission (CWC).

Ministry officials said that the bill prioritises different types of buildings and utility services in view of the likely damage they may suffer in case of floods.

They said that defence installations, industries and public utilities, including airports and railway stations, should be located in areas that were above the highest flood level in the past several decades.

The officials said that they have been pursuing the model bill with the states and

there was a need to not only adopt the bill but implement it, as there were increasing intrusions into the flood plains.

They also said any buildings constructed in low lying areas needed “special type of construction.”

For me, winning the game is very important: Dhoni

India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni preferred to remain grounded on June 23, despite being the only captain to have lifted three ICC titles -- 2007 World Twenty20, 2011 World Cup, and the 2013 Champions Trophy.

“I never turn up on the field to achieve something as a captain. For me, winning the game is very important, and that is of utmost importance for us as a team,” said Dhoni in Birmingham, after a nerve-wracking win over England in a rain-marred final that was reduced to a 20-over match.

Dhoni was disappointed that a Champions Trophy final was decided in a 20-over match.

“I think it’s a bit unfair that in the ICC Champions Trophy 50-over format we had to play a 20-over game to find a winner. But still, I think they needed the result,” he said.

Asked how he motivated his boys, Dhoni said: “Before going in, I said let’s first of all get rid of the feeling that it’s a 50-over game. It’s a 20-over game, and we have seen in IPL and in T20 formats, 130 runs can be a difficult target to achieve. Secondly, nobody looks to the left of the pavilion. That’s the side that the rain was coming from. So, I said God is not coming to save us. If you want to win this trophy, we’ll have to fight it out.”

Dhoni said that beating England while defending a modest total of 129 was a special feeling.

“It means a lot because you’re playing against some of the best sides, and also the kind of match that we had won. To beat England in a 130-odd runs game is something that’s very difficult,” he said.

Dhoni was all praise for Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja, saying that they accepted the responsibility that was given to them and took it as a challenge. IaNS

Torrential monsoonal rains cause havoc in the Hindu holy town of Kedarnath in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The death toll caused by flash floods, cloudbursts and landslides continues to rise and and more than 1,000 pilgrims bound for Himalayan shrines remain stranded

The Dilmah

brand names in tea

owned tea brand – after 30 years of being in the tea business. It is named after his two sons Dilhan and Mallik.

When he started out, the competition was tough and the challenges ahead were immense. He says, “In the early stages the Sri Lankan government was promoting Ceylon tea, and the marketing was aimed at multinationals and the big traders. The UK alone bought 180 million pounds of tea, and my biggest challenge was that I was competing with my own country’s tea. But I was convinced about my product and persisted. I started small with one estate, but expanded later as the government gave us local manufacturers tax benefits”.

The tiny, upstart tea company that Merrill dreamed of in the 1950s, to change the exploitation of his country’s crop by big traders, has today grown to become one of the top 10 tea brands in the world. Today, 20% of his total production is sold in Australia, and it is the number one brand in New Zealand.

Intrigued, I ask him how the sales in Australia came about. He replies, “When I started, Australia was importing only 8 million pounds of tea, and the quantity had dropped from 52 million pounds. Big names like Bushells and Unilever were selling blended teas along with 20 other family owned companies”.

huge volumes and countries like Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Mexico, Vietnam and Bhutan among others, are all customers.

Dilmah has, of course, expanded its ouvre and one can sample various kinds of teas at the Tea Bar at the Radisson, which also has an extensive high tea menu, and offers various kinds of eatables along with the hot and cold teas.

As for teas worldwide and on the company website, there is a vast range on offer – Gourmet teas, Very Special Rare Teas which features some of Dilmah’s rarest teas; Seasonal Flush teas – where twice a year, if weather conditions are perfect, one can enjoy the rare indulgence of the Seasonal Flush.

A family-owned firm has managed to topple the big boys in the tea business and convert several coffee drinkers to a cup of chai

So what is the best way to drink tea, I ask the tea master in conclusion to our conversation.

meet me and through an hourlong conversation with interesting anecdotes and details, the story of Dilmah in Australia came to light.

When the Dilmah Tea Bar was launched at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Hyderabad’s swanky Banjara Hills area in India recently, it seemed too good an opportunity to pass up. Familiar with Dilmah tea during my years in Sydney, I was keen to meet its founder and find out how he created a brand that is now synonymous with 100% pure tea. Merrill Fernando and his son Dilhan readily agreed to

Born in 1930 in the village of Pallansena, near Negombo town in south western Sri Lanka, Merrill J Fernando hails from a rural, middle class background. He moved to the capital Colombo, seeking better prospects. He wished to become a tea taster, which was then the domain of British expatriates who guarded their profession keenly. Merrill was fortunate to be selected to join the first batch of Ceylonese (Sri Lanka was then called Ceylon) to be trained in tea at what was then the ‘mecca’ of tea –Mincing Lane, London.

He recalls, “When I was in London, I was horrified to see

how tea was being mixed and blended, and being marketed as pure Ceylon tea. Tea, a finished product that was handpicked and produced according to a traditional and artistic process in Sri Lanka, was treated as a raw material and shipped at nominal value to Europe where value addition, branding and packaging took place. This meant that the producer received a tiny fraction of the profits from the sale of Ceylon Tea, while middlemen, mainly a handful of large corporations, benefitted disproportionately”.

This bothered him no end, and Merrill persevered with his dream of setting up his own company that manufactured and sold pure Ceylon tea. He established the Dilmah brand – the first producer-

In spite of the stiff competition, Merrill approached Coles in Melbourne. It took him two years to convince them, but they agreed to take two of his packs.

“I think that was more to get rid of me as I was really pestering them,” laughs Merrill. “But then they got a very good response and asked for more of my tea as they got several calls asking about it. The big boys in the business dropped their price to destroy my brand. But I was producing and marketing single origin 100% pure Ceylon tea and it was done ethically and in a manufacturing process that was different from the usual CTC. I was using the traditional methods”.

Gradually Woolworths came on board too, and sales in Australia went beyond Merrill’s expectations. Today Dilmah is sold in 101 countries with Russia importing

“Depending on how strong or weak you want it, boil some fresh water and place one tea bag or one teaspoon of tea in a kettle that is completely dry. Then pour the boiling water over it and let it stand for 3-5 minutes. Stir and serve hot. Do not add milk or sugar – that is heresy. Tea is best enjoyed when its natural flavours come through. Even the health benefits of its antioxidants are most effective when imbibed in this way”.

Taught to share from an early age by his mother, Merrill has also set up the MJF Charitable Trust which uses some part of the company’s profits to help the poor, the disabled, women and children.

While multinationals continue to advertise with Bollywood stars and celebrities endorsing their tea, Merrill decided to talk to the viewer himself in the advertisements made by the company. It worked wonders and people were convinced about the sincerity and the genuineness of the brand. But, as Merrill says, his Dilmah will always be a small, family brand because it represents integrity, which in the world of tea requires quality, commitment and passion.

Those are not qualities that can be extended to the mass market.

MINNaL Na

A tea taster’s dream has morphed into one of Australia’s biggest

Merrill with his sons and grandchildren

Dilhan, Merrill and Malik Fernando at the Dilmah Tea Office

Dilmah story

Merrill says his Dilmah will always be a small, family brand because it represents integrity, which in the world of tea requires quality, commitment and passion

India’s population conundrum

Despite its billion plus citizens, India has forged ahead to improve the quality of life of its denizens

By NoeL G De SouZ a

When I left India for Australia some thirty-five years ago, the country’s population was just over 600 million. That figure was enough to raise eyebrows in Australia. Since then, India’s population has more than doubled. Where population increase is concerned, India is not out of kilter with the world as a whole, which has dramatically increased its population within the last two centuries. China, despite its strict one child policy, continues to grow.

Today, both India and China have over a billion people each. In Malthusian terms, this is catastrophic. Malthus, a nineteenth century scholar, became famous for his theory that while food production can be increased by better methods arithmetically, population increase can greatly outpace it exponentially.

But the story does not just end with numbers. People in India, China and elsewhere are demanding, and often getting, a better standard of living than what their parents and grandparents have had. This increases the demand for resources.

In contrast to India, Pakistan has had a much bigger population (180 million) increase. Between the years of 1990 to 2009, its population increased by the staggering figure of 57.2%. Its fertility rate is 3.07, which is much higher than India’s at 2.57 and Bangladesh’s reported 2.55. In contrast, Iran’s is much lower at 1.73. This explodes the myth that population increase is religion based.

This method might be of some use if populations are in a similar developmental stage, such as Britain, Denmark and Sweden. But are such indicators useful, if say, Denmark and Sri Lanka are compared where climate, societal structure, developmental stage and cultural factors are dramatically different?

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

Where population increase is concerned, India is not out of kilter with the world as a whole, which has dramatically increased its population within the last two centuries

Both China and India are considered as ‘middle-income’ countries in Westernbased ratings, but both these countries have pulled hundreds of millions of people out of poverty within the last fifty years, and continue to do so. Western-based ratings are heavily biased towards the Scandinavian countries and the application of their values to the world’s emerging nations is very dubious and misleading.

Bangladesh’s population is believed to lie between 150 and 170 million. It is one of the most densely populated countries. The situation is similar in Pakistan, which has very limited inhabitable land. Because of rapid population increases, both Pakistan and Bangladesh have young populations.

Population numbers are meaningless unless the ‘quality-of-life’ indicators are also taken into account. For this the quality of health is the most basic factor. Well-known billionaire-philanthropist Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, has launched a worldwide drive to have children vaccinated against widespread diseases like polio. India has had a major campaign against polio, and it has only recently reported its last polio case.

In contrast to India, Pakistan is struggling to have people vaccinated, because the infamous Taliban are against all types of vaccinations, and have physically attacked health workers who carry out such procedures.

One may well ask what is the ‘quality-oflife’. The Western method of assessing the quality-of-life of a people has long been to calculate the average consumption of items, such as electricity, water and proteins.

As countries develop, their people long for freedom, first of all to learn, and then to express themselves creatively. India has adequate freedom compared to China, but much more so when it comes to Pakistan. India’s film industry, its vast newspaper network and its universities bear testimony to this.

On the creative side, both India and China have given the world two of its greatest civilisations. On a practical basis, China offered ceramics, gunpowder and tea, while India offered sugar, steel and curries. The two civilisations interacted over a long length of time, Chinese Confucianism merging with Indian Buddhism.

Today both India and China have been recipients of foreign technologies. India received much more than China from the European colonialists. In recent decades, China welcomed investment and technology from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and the United States, amongst others. Simultaneously, Indian and China have forged ahead on their own in fields such as space science and information technology.

To sum up: the quality-of-life of individuals is reflective of the environment that their country provides. Nurturing a country’s environment helps to nurture an individual’s personal milieu.

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Supporting young couples in need

An Adelaide doctor helps young women without Medicare see their pregnancies through

and it may seem like a disaster but people simply need support”.

By FraNkey GerarD FerNaNDeS

Nitin and Rekha (names changed) are a young couple who came to Australia to make a better life. A few months after arriving Rekha realised that she was expecting their first child. Her joy however, was short lived, after her initial visit to the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, when the couple were told that because they were on the Skilled Migrant Visa, and did not have the medical insurance to cover the cost of the pregnancy, they ought to abort the child or face a hefty medical bill.

The couple were shocked and confused. $17000 was beyond their capacity, as well as the costs of setting up for a child. With heavy hearts and under great pressure they went to the abortion clinic in Woodville. As luck would have it, they were approached by a Good Samaritan who asked if there was anything she could do to help them save the baby.

“Mothers without Medicare” is this service, and their lives were changed.

Today Nitin and Rekha have a lovely healthy child and are thankful to the Good Samaritan who came to their rescue. They have since paid back this loan to enable another couple to benefit. This is the situation facing many recent migrants to Australia, especially many families from India and those on the Skilled Migration Visa. Often Health Insurance will not cover pregnancy. The average cost of delivery can be from $7,500 or if complicated up to $20,000 and higher. Couples, confused and under pressure, are often directed to the abortion clinic. It will cost $2800, still a large sum, but much less than the cost of delivery and associated ongoing cost of child rearing.

“This is a scandal,” says Adelaide GP Dr. Antonia Turnbull. “To say to someone in Australia that we cannot help you have your baby, is a scandal”.

After receiving many new migrants in such a situation, Dr Turnbull decided to spearhead a campaign in South Australia to help women without Medicare have their child.

“Pregnancy is not a disease as the insurance companies call it,

For many young couples in a new country without the support networks of home, an unplanned pregnancy can be a confusing and very daunting thing.

Dr. Turnbull has seen 20 couples in Adelaide and assisted them through the group Mothers Without Medicare. a formal organisation, nor does she have the time to publicise it, but she sees it as an extremely important service.

“I just respond to situations. Couples are sent to me as they know I try to help and so we do”.

The original idea was to set up a fund as

“The money is not for us to keep,” she says. “It is for us to move around where it is needed. These couples can’t pay now but they will be able to in the future. When they can, they can return the money and help fund another life and another couple’s future. It’s a wonderful thing”

Her first case was very touching. “A young Chinese couple came to me. they were both on Student Visas. Their health insurance did not cover pregnancy. They could not go back to China. They were advised to abort but didn’t want to, and had very little money. Eventually we found a wealthy donor who funded the birth. That child is now 20, a beautiful young woman, all because of that donor”.

It is a powerful story, one that Dr. Turnbull relates with a tear in her eye, obviously inspired by the gift of a life which continues to touch people on and on.

“It makes me angry that in this lucky country, we are saying they cannot have a child. This gave me the energy to do something about it”.

Dr. Turnbull approached Birthline Pregnancy Support Inc. who agreed to the plan and accordingly opened an appeal account with ANZ Bank.

Many people have been happy to help Mothers Without Medicare. Dr. Turnbull’s hope is that more people will donate the cost of a coffee per week to help people give birth.

The loans would cover the normal costs for these couples:

• private medibank insurance for the baby for a year about $1,700.

• a midwife to care for the mother and child through the ante-natal period, for the delivery and for care up to six

weeks postpartum $3,000.

• the hospital cost of the delivery which if simple costs $7,500 and if complicated could be as much as $20,000.

“The basic idea is be part of the solution: don’t allow our country to say to anyone you can’t afford to have a child,” says Dr. Turnbull.

Word is spread by emails to friends and groups explaining to them the idea of raising funds for a good cause. Other than some of her doctor friends, Dr. Turnbull is also assisted by her husband Bob Turnbull who actively shares the responsibility to help Mothers Without Medicare.

One of the major issues Dr Turnbull sees in treating migrant communities is that they often hide their biggest struggles from their closest networks. There is a perception of shame and embarrassment especially in financial hardship. This makes it all doubly worse for people who are in this state of confusion.

“They don’t feel like they can get help or support from their community in fact they just cut themselves off in pain to save face and the social stigma attached to the issue,” Dr. Turnbull said.

“At the moment the challenge is to have more and more doctors come on board to say we shall

help Mothers Without Medicare and give them the best treatment and charge them smaller amounts. We also need to get more donors on board”.

She adds, “We also want to open up the issue and talk to community networks like religious organisations: the gurudwaras, churches, temples and mosques. We need to respond as a whole community: it is not just the responsibility of that community, it is all society that needs to help out, and we can”.

Dr Turnbull is very keen to talk

to these communities and groups about the issue and tell them how to set up a fund and what services are available to them.

This is not just about abortion, but about supporting people. It is another symptomatic issue stemming from the separation of communities. The issues we face are the same across the board, for established Australians and new migrants. Cross-cultural friendships and networks need to be encouraged and actually are essential.

To support MOTHERS WITHOUT MEDICARE contact:

Dr Toni Turnbull, Marden Medical Clinic, Marden SA 5070.

Or: Birth line Pregnancy Support Inc. 412 Magill Rd Kensington Gardens SA 5068 (08) 8331 1223 (ABN 58 798 576 758).

Cheques can be made payable to the Birthline Appeal fund or directly to ANZ Bank (BSB 015-310, Account no. 6360-23558. Any amount above $2.00 is tax deductible).

Dr Toni Turnbull with her husband Bob

Skills set, job ready

Forum advises struggling skilled migrants on approaching the workforce positively and professionally

When a young person in India takes a leap of faith and jumps on a plane to Australia, it is usually to sketch out a prosperous career. How ironical that the hardest thing to encounter when you arrive as a migrant is your first ‘real’ job - the job for which you hold accredited training and qualifications, albeit from your native country. This period of struggle, sometime quite prolonged, endeavouring to get a ‘foot in the door’ into the profession of your choice can be disheartening. Even depressing, in the longer run. Your self-esteem and confidence are dented; your tenacity and integrity of character is tested. Self doubts creep in.

Prospective employers often acknowledge aspiring migrants for their qualifications and credentials, but gently refuse them the opportunity as they are ‘untried and untested’ in the local workforce. The dilemma is more pronounced for individuals who have worked in their native countries (and have often held senior positions). All the hard work and sweat from those working years suddenly do not add up to any significant success in a new country. A recalibration exercise of academic and professional credentials and hierarchy may reveal a discouraging need to seek a ‘lower’ opportunity just to break into the workforce of the new country.

Help is at hand

If you are on this seemingly unending professional spiral and are feeling the brunt of an unfavourable orientation, the good news is that help and support is available. A while ago, I was asked by my employer (BlueScope) if I would be willing to be a corporate volunteer on the company’s behalf, to assist a group of skilled migrants in their quest to obtain jobs to match their skills and training. Of course, I was keen and put my hand up.

It was a two-day program run by Adult Migration English Service (AMES), called ‘Working

corporate volunteer on this program, I realised that this has been an ongoing endeavour by AMES in partnership with Telstra and a collection of almost half a dozen other corporations, such as BlueScope, IBM, Australia Post, Chandler McLeod, Australian Unity, ATO and Transfield. BlueScope has been associated with this community initiative for a couple of years now.

Program participation

The participants for this two-day program were a diverse group of skilled migrants looking to break into the Australian workforce into their relevant profession/industry. Hailing from almost 20 different countries, this group of starry eyed male and female professionals was comprised of engineers, architects, software professionals and accountants. Their stint as migrants in Australia ranges from three months upwards to twothree years. All had professional accreditations (including doctorate degrees) and a range of work experience within their native countries.

Advice and involvement

The idea of this workshop conducted by AMES was to put these professionals through a twoday interactive program where they would receive objective and tangible professional advice from business leaders from the

Advice that was targeted to suit their professional skills and backgrounds to assist them in getting ‘job ready’ in the Australian labour market.

The activities ranged from panel discussions with business leaders, to mock interviews and feedback sessions on resumes, interview presentation, body language, and interview techniques. The candidates were instructed to prepare real resumes and pluck out a real job advert within their field of expertise. The mock interviews were then held in relation to these job adverts.

It was refreshing to see the buzz around as all the participants seemed to imbibe as much as they could from this opportunity to enhance their chances of scoring their first ‘real’ job in Australia. It was a fantastic opportunity to network as well for the participants, and get to know people from various industries and organisations.

Corporate volunteers and the staff from AMES were equally enthusiastic, and willingly provided excellent advice and mentorship to the participants. It was also very heartening to see that all the big corporates had so readily made available senior employees from their respective organisations to support these newest members within the Australian community.

consensus by the organisers and corporate volunteers that majority of the participants were job ready in the Australian market, and the advice would help them enhance their chances of success in their next job interview.

As I interacted with the participants, it brought back memories of a similar struggle when I started out as a new skilled migrant in Australia. I was unaware of such forums at that point of time; but now having being part of such a successful endeavour, I am glad that these platforms of support exist. I encourage everyone in a similar situation to seek assistance from organisations such as AMES. You may not get all the answers, but it will go a long way in hopefully shortening your professional struggle.

The bigger message that came out of the workshop was that the Australian business community wants all new migrants to feel welcome into the community. There will be times when new professionals arriving into this country may initially face the rough side of luck while looking for jobs. Despair and disappointment do set in, but protect your dream and march on. Until you find that first job with your name on it. And after that, the world will be your oyster. For more information please visit www.ames.net.au

Prospective employers often acknowledge aspiring migrants for their qualifications and credentials, but gently refuse them the opportunity as they are ‘untried and untested’ in the local workforce

It was also very heartening to see that all the big corporates had so readily made available senior employees from their respective organisations to support these newest members within the Australian community

the temple facade

NaM SharMa

AMES Indian volunteers (from left), Deepa Mani and Sirisha Andey

He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother

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

Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

By ChITra SuDarShaN

Wings of Silence (Silverfish, Bangalore, 2012) is a debut novel by Shriram Iyer, a Melbournebased management professional. Bangalore born Shriram Iyer is somewhat of a high-achiever; besides his busy career. He has authored several short stories, theatre scripts and screenplays for short films. Silver medallist under the Shankar’s International Award given by the President of India, Shriram is also a professional singer who has to his credit an Indian pop album, Is Dhundh Mein, (released in 2007 by singer Shankar Mahadevan), as well as over 400 concerts in India,

Wings of Silence is about two brothers in an Indian-American family and their epic journey en route to winning an Olympic medal for Raj Sethi, who is the elder of the two, but born deaf. Saurav Sethi, the younger brother, is a tennis prodigy and a Grand Slam champion in the making, but he watches his elder brother Raj fight a losing battle in life and plunge into the depths of depression. All this time, their father Akshay Sethi pours scorn on his elder son’s attempts to make something of his life, and heaps attention only on Saurav. Unable to countenance this injustice, Saurav gives up tennis and his own chances and ambitions to resurrect his brother Raj’s life. Unable to make their father understand, they run away from home together and embark on a rollercoaster ride that will push their courage and

determination to the limit. As the story unfolds, the brothers bond emotionally, and there are a few twists and turns. Fortuitously, they receive considerable help from Sourav’s ‘soulmate’ Shalini, and their rather rich aunt who had been banished from their family circles some years 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 and their setbacks, the strength they draw from the enormous trust placed in them by people within their close circle place, and ultimately, their joy and triumphs. The protagonists’ heartaches and their elation at realising the impossible dream of running the marathon in the 1980 Olympics engage the reader, and compels a feeling of anticipation. Will this completely tear the family apart, or bring them together again? The saga is set against

the cold war tensions of the time, and Iyer brings the political landscape of that period into clear relief. The training regimen of a marathon runner is meticulously woven into the narrative – Iyer seems to have had help from the Australian marathon legend Robert D Costella – and this brings a great 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

If music be the food of love…

Indian Link Radio broadcaster SHRADDHA ARJUN on how she preps for her show, her wide taste in music, and

how

to

connect with listeners

ask me what my current favourite song is, and I’ll say Tere Ishq Nachaya by Sona Mohapatra. Or Mo Funk by Advaita. Or No man will ever love you like I do by Raghu Dixit.

For someone whose love for music is not limited to any genre - I enjoy Lady Ga Ga just as much as MS Subbulakshmi - my work at Indian Link Radio is something I absolutely enjoy.

To keep our Bollywood-savvy clientele happy, I am uptodate with the very latest in Bollywood. And while I do enjoy much of what’s on offer, my special passion has to be with the more non-filmy stuff like Indian pop/rock/metal bands that dare to experiment. My regular listeners will vouch for that!

Saturday Night Unplugged

My current show on Saturday nights Saturday Night Unplugged, 5.00pm – 8.00pm is entirely based on music. Good music!

In half hour segments, I present Bollywood songs based on a particular genre (jazz, electro, rap, folk etc); rag/taal based film songs and general discussion about the chosen rag/taal; an artist in focus (a new/upcoming musician/ band, not mainstream Bollywood if possible); local talent (live interview/performances), as well as new numbers, popular hits, retro and yesteryears musician/ composer/lyricist.

The story of a song interests me the most: how it came about

and what it signifies. Like Satrangi re from the movie Dil Se: it establishes the foundation of the love story between Amar and Meghna (the protagonists) in the film, which then goes through 7 stages of love as described in ancient Arabic literature. These shades are defined as attraction, infatuation, love, reverence, worship, obsession and death.

I try to look beneath the surface to understand and appreciate the nuances and finer details of a composition. For example, Minds Without Fear, a number by Grammy Award winning artist Imogen Heap and Vishal Dadlani, came about when Imogen read Tagore’s famous poem Where The Mind Is Without Fear.

Indian film music tends to take us away from other kinds of music that is made in India. There are several musicians wellversed in classical/folk and other genres of music based in India who are sometimes better than the most popular playback singers. Sometimes we find that artists crossover and create beautiful fusion of musical styles that is not necessarily mainstream. I try to research and include their creations in my show.

I’ve had some artists from my playlist such as Raghu Dixit, Advaita, Rekha Bhardwaj retweet me or tweet back in reply when I tweeted that I was dedicating a half hour to their music on Indian Link. This is very encouraging and is definitely as good as a compliment in my opinion!

My show involves a minimum

of two hours of research. I don’t always feature the artists I love or admire the most. I sometimes play music that I don’t necessarily listen to. I try exploring something new every weekend, stepping out of the comfort zone and expanding my knowledge about music and that of the listener.

Baby steps

For my very first show over two years ago, I wrote a thorough script. I read from it word for word. It was very informative, however it lacked in spontaneity and sounded very rehearsed. I then realised how important it is to connect with the listeners, and simply reading from a website/ piece of paper would never help me do that.

At the moment, I do my research well ahead of my show, have a few pointers and speak spontaneously, often including references to current events around me at the radio station or in the news.

Of course much work has gone in to develop my current style. At one stage I was presenting the morning show 7.00am - 9.00am, five days of the week. This included an hour-long segment on spirituality and positive thinking accompanied with bhajans, and another hour on news stories of the day from India and Australia plus stories about the box-office, film releases, horoscopes and books.

The spirituality segment was the most challenging, for a young 20-something party babe like me!

Although I have a certain amount of familiarity and understanding of the vedas and spiritual texts, I am no expert at it. However this segment actually got me a lot of praise and appreciation, especially from older listeners. I’ve had listeners invite me for lunch to their homes (Mrs Kler, Neelam) and sometimes even visit me at the radio station (Ashaji). It was an interesting experience - the reaction from the listeners was completely unexpected. There was a lot of participation from the listeners and many called to tell me that the show helped them prepare for the day and cope with stress.

A desi girl at heart!

Initially when I had started off as an RJ at Indian Link, I tended to speak mostly in English. This actually did not go down too well with my morning show audience. I was able, however, to turn that around by up-skilling. I ended up getting compliments about how shudh my Hindi was on my morning shows, which in my opinion was the best compliment that I’ve ever received (specially because Hindi is not my native tongue, I’m a Tamil speaker! I once had a listener who called in from Perth to correct my pronunciation of the name of a hill station called “Chail”. While it was true that he was a bit unhappy about it, I was actually quite thrilled to know that someone was listening to my show in Perth! (This was before the Indian Link app was introduced and much before it was on Facebook).

I’ve had some artists from my playlist such as raghu Dixit, advaita, rekha Bhardwaj retweet me or tweet back in reply when I tweeted that I was dedicating a half hour to their music on Indian Link

Link up with me on Indian Link

I have enjoyed both the phases of my time at the Indian Link Radio and grown not only as a presenter but also as a human being in more ways than one. Now that I am working elsewhere full-time, I look forward ardently to Saturday nights to present my show and play some great music. Look out for my updates on Facebook, and come join me on a radio date Saturday nights! Listen online!

www.indianlink.com.au

rain or tears?

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

By ChITraDeVI kaSILINGaM

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

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

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

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

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

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

beating down on his face.

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

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

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

Creamy custard apples

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

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

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

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

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

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

CUSTARD APPLE AND HONEY FROZEN YOGHURT

Makes about 750ml of frozen yoghurt

Preparation Time: 5 mins

Waiting Time: Overnight

Ingredients

3 cups organic full-cream yoghurt

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

3 tbsp honey

Method

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

Adam Liaw

CUSTARD APPLE, PASSION FRUIT AND COCONUT ICE BLOCKS

Makes 8 100ml ice blocks

Ingredients

280ml water

¾ cup caster sugar (170 grams)

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

120ml passion fruit pulp (no seeds)

120ml coconut cream

Method

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

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

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

Freeze for another four hours.

Christina Soong-Kroeger

CUSTARD APPLE POTS

Makes 6

Ingredients

210g ginger biscuits (approx. 18 biscuits)

70 grams shredded coconut

525 grams custard apple flesh (approx.

1.5 custard apples)

280mls coconut milk

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 lime, zested and juiced (reserve zest)

Method

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

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

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

Christina Soong-Kroeger

CUSTARD APPLE,

RUM AND

COCONUT

PANNA COTTA

Serves 4-6

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Waiting Time: 2 hrs

Cooking Time: 5 mins

Ingredients

400ml pouring cream

400ml coconut milk

2 tsp dark rum

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp caster sugar

18g powdered gelatin

400ml custard apple pulp and juice

Toasted coconut and macadamia nuts, to serve

Method

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

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

Adam Liaw

All recipes© Custard Apples Australia

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M

TAROT

ArIes March 21 - April 19

The cards show very passionate times in your life this month. You will 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. Financially, 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.

predictions for JULY 2013

By NANcY JADe ALthIYA www.cosmick-aura.com

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 (at times) blunt speech. You will make new friends, who will turn out to be close alliances 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 - feb 18

The cards indicate a time of difficulties in close relationships. You may be stressed out about a friend who is going through 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 feb 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.

Thakur Chitra Sudarshan Tim Blight Kudrat Singh Leanne Woodward Sukrit Sabhlok

Sujith Krishnan

Sheryl Dixit Rajni Anand Luthra

cINe tALK

the pAIN of UNreqUIteD LoVe

r aa N jha N aa

STARRING: Dhanush, Sonam Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Swara Bhaskar, Mohammed Zeeshan

DIRECTOR: Anand L. Rai HHHHH

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 married 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 ironies of romantic associations.

Sometimes it’s not so cool to fall in love.

This non-derivative take on unrequited

love set amidst the bustling river-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 opulent, 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 Zoya around.

In seductive spirals of song-filled rhapsody, we see Kundan pursuing his lady-love through the robust gallis 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 loves 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 Kundan’s selfdestructive odyssey into the heart’s darkest regions, we are made privy 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: tall, creamycomplexioned, warm, seductive and unattainable.

Dhanush, as the worshipping loverboy, lets his face become the map of his heart. So transparent are his feelings for the girl that every kind 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 forlorn hero encounters at the river ghat, seems to have come into the picture knowing not only his or her own lines, but everyone else’s as well.

There is an air of unrehearsed preparedness in the way the actors pitch their characters. Dhanush’s

A cooLLY crAfteD cAt-ANDmoUse gAme

Shor TC u T ro M eo

STARRING: Neil Nitin Mukesh, Ameesha

Patel and Puja Gupta

DIRECTOR: Susi Ganesh

There are two ways of doing a fullon masala film.

You either turn it on its head and poke fun at ridiculous cinematic conventions. Or you 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 old-world formulistic flavour and the stench of the familiar 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 logic why an affluent couple, who could afford the poshest of duplex to meet, would choose such a spot.

And then the lover tells the unfaithful wife, “First time you do it, you feel bad. Then it becomes your style”. Er, how stylish!

But please don’t laugh. First-time

Hindi director Susi Ganesan is dead serious. The film shot at the speed of sound is filled with bizarre twists and turns. It’s basically 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 blackmailer named Suraj (Neil Nitin Mukesh), who believes in taking risky short-cuts to get rich.

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 blackmailer.

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 drools 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 husband’s

detective-friend.

Ganesan’s accent is so thick, it slices the gamboling narration into smithereens. At least for a while. But then again the film gathers momentum towards the end-game. The finale is a breathless whammy with Neil making a run for his freedom, quite literally, with the narrative panting behind him.

Shortcut Romeo is redeemed by a strong message on today’s 20-somethings yearning for materialism. And when our Shortcut Romeo finds his shortskirt Juliet (Puja Gupta) there is a delicious irony attached to the association. The film’s most vivid interludes go back to Neil’s childhood to show how he learned to be corrupt, acquisitive, and inquisitive, at a tender age.

Some of the action sequences with Neil, 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.

performance would go down in cinematic history as one of the most consistent and compelling portrayals of single-minded ardour.

As for Sonam Kapoor, she is a complete revelation! In a born-again performance she sparkles, creating a kind of sunshine-girl who is so taken up with herself that she doesn’t get the chance to see what effect she has on the other until it’s too late.

Swara Bhaskar as Dhanush’s devoted ill-treated girl-pal and Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub as his loyal friend, once again prove themselves natural-born scene stealers.

Raanjhanaa is a very simply-told story of a love so intense, durable and destructive, that it hurts.

Su B ha S h k . j ha

manages to stay constantly one step ahead of the audience. A coolly crafted cat-and-mouse game Shortcut Romeo finds Neil giving grit to the gripping goings-on. The last half-hour is a knock-out.

Su B ha S h k j ha

the bUZZ

Blast from the past, Bollywood’s going vintage

Call it the filmmaker’s confidence in the bygone era or their love for the romanticism of the retro lookBollywood’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 celebrating 100 years of its existence this year. But it requires 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 the 1930s to the 1960s or even the 1980s, said designer Pria Kataaria Puri, who is responsible for actress Priyanka Chopra’s look in the remake of the 1973 film Zanjeer Research is the key, claims Puri, stating that when styling an actress according to the fashion of the 1960s, knowing the way women wore saris and eyeliner, and made the beehive hairdo, is crucial.

There are different examples of films experimenting with some distinct looks of the past - some focus on bell-bottoms and some on fitted short kurtis, while others are inspired by the Sadhana cut, the bouffant, the cat eye makeup, the oversized glasses and the hairbands, as well as the unique sari drapes.

Lootera, a period romance drama set in the West Bengal of 1950, spells the vintage flavour from the word go - Ranveer Singh sports a clean-shaven, hatted and neat look, complete with crisp white shirts and chic braces to hold up his trousers. His on-screen lady love, essayed by Sonakshi Sinha, is seen in simple saris teamed with quarter-sleeved blouses and a big round bindi.

srK VoteD INDIA’s most popULAr fAther

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

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

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

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

Fashion from the past years also reflects in 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 Sharma will 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, costarring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, said it is the “romanticism of the retro look” which inspires filmmakers to dig into the past.

“They like to recreate the old world charm. While there is no dearth of stories that they can derive from the modern era, there is a certain 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 touch.”

Designer and stylist Pernia Qureshi, who was behind Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor’s uber chic style in Aisha, believed “Indian films have now started taking fashion more seriously”. “People have realised how styling can play a key role in portraying exactly what is 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 added.

However, Modi said, designers and filmmakers must work closely to get the desired effect for such projects. “Creative freedom is a must, which is also why most filmmakers prefer fashion designers assisting with the costumes for their movies. A lot of research went into Deepika’s look for Ram Leela

“However, since Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a very creative man, it was interesting how he and I tried to create a different look by putting our minds together,” Modi said.

Filmmakers have also harkened to the bygone era in the recent past. Actress Aishwarya Rai played a 1970s girl in retro comedy Action Replayy, and her attire was in tune with the theme. Even Deepika Padukone spelt style galore in retro outfits in her Bollywood debut Om Shanti Om

In The Dirty Picture, Vidya Balan also sported colourful retro styles complete with the bandana, and Once Upon A time In Mumbaai saw actresses Kangna Ranaut and Prachi Desai in some evergreen styles.

Let’s hope the trend continues, after all, isn’t it true that old is gold?

New directors take on short films

Anurag Kashyap, who directed a short film for Bombay Talkies, has woven together five short stories in his new

Sonam Kapoor

venture Shorts, due for release on July 12.

Five different directors (Neeraj Ghaywan, Shlok Sharma, Siddharth Gupta, Anirban Roy and Rohit Pandey) helmed five short stories for Shorts, which has already wowed movie connoisseurs in the global arena. Kashyap revealed, “They are very good short films, they have won awards internationally in the last two years”.

Richa Chadda, Huma Qureshi, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Murari Kumar besides some new faces star in the five films’ cast.

Huma Qureshi says the film has already received so much acclaim that its box office performance is not being thought about.

“We haven’t made this film for the box office. These are new directors, fresh talent, and we are also new-age actors, so the idea was to create some new cinema, new thoughts, and new films,” the 26-year-old said at the first look launch of the film.

The five short films are titled Sujata, Epilogue, Audacity, Mehfuz and Shor Huma said that the idea behind Shorts is to showcase the work of “a new breed

who wore It better?

Deepika Padukone or Ashley Benson in Dolce & Gabbana?

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of actors and directors who have an interesting way of looking at things”.

Anil Kapoor throws bash for Raanjhanaa success

Proud father, actor Anil Kapoor is so impressed with his daughter Sonam Kapoor’s performance in Raanjhanaa that he threw a party for the movie’s team at his residence.

Anil has been receiving several calls congratulating him for Sonam’s performance in the film. Her character goes through a transformation in the second half of the movie, and she has been praised for carrying the complex role with ease.

“Anil loved Raanjhanaa himself. He was impressed by Sonam’s growth as an actor. He is indeed a proud daddy,” a source revealed.

The collections from the box office grossed Rs.31.5 crore worldwide on its opening weekend (Rs.26.5 crore domestic and Rs.5 crore overseas).

The film’s high points are its Varanasi flavour, mind-boggling music by A.R. Rahman, Dhanush’s convincing portrayal of a worshipping lover and the earthy

side of Sonam Kapoor, who also shows her acting skills.

If Sonam gave her style diva tag a miss to play Zoya, she also made her character believable and the actress is getting praises from all quarters for her acting skills. Renowned novelist and columnist Shobhaa De tweeted: “Sonam can act, saala!”

Risk-taking Emraan revels in new role

Actor Emraan Hashmi who drew plaudits for his role in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, says that the risks he took in his career have paid off. “I always wanted to play versatile characters, it’s just that I got slotted. I was only taking up films that were offered to me,” Emraan said recently, at an event to promote his latest, soon to be released movie

Ghanchakkar

“But after seeing the turning point, which was Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, people started thinking beyond the image, and that I can do other films beyond the typical noir cinema of 2009. Then things really changed for me,” said Emraan.

After a spate of films like Murder and Gangster that earned him the title of Bollywood’s ‘serial kisser’, Emraan received critical acclaim for portraying a variety of characters in movies like Awarapan, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, The Dirty Picture, Shanghai and Ek Thi Dayaan

Now Emraan is foraying into comedy with Ghanchakkar. Calling it a ‘rebirth’ in his career post-2009, the actor admitted that breaking through stereotypes in films like The Dirty Picture and Ek Thi Daayan have brought him success.

“There was almost a rebirth of kind in my career after 2009 and I got to do the work I really wanted to do. In any decision, you have to be slightly cautious but you have to take risks. Because in my career, risks have already paid off,” he added.

Well, Emraan’s certainly taking a risk by venturing into the comedy genre, let’s hope its one that pays off for this adventurous actor!

cAptIoN coNtest

What’s the chitchat between Srk and Deepika Padukone?

Send in your responses to win@indianlink.com.au and win a surprise prize

What’s the chitchat between Padmini kolhapure and anil kapoor?

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

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

Pinky Verma Mosman Park, Perth WA

Pinky wins a ticket to new Hindi film release Ghanchakkar

ranbir Kapoor

Huma QureSHi emraan HaSHmi

Head over hashtag

Hallmark cards and the thrill of the chase vs Facebook relationship statuses and online stalking

Just “unfriend” (or “block” for serious hurts or infidelities) and reset your social media status to “single” and you are ready to “mingle”, yet again

By 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 love these days, and expressing it to the other person, is convenient, discreet, and “online,” thanks to smartphones and a galaxy of social media platforms.

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

Not much extra effort is needed to call off this “committed relationship” or more casually known as a “break-up”. Just “unfriend” (or “block” for serious hurts or infidelities) and reset your social media status to “single” and you are ready to “mingle”, yet again. Love via the

social media thrives on “pings,” “pokes,” “emoticons,” “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, discreet, and from my perspective “extremely boring”.

So youngsters, romans, countrymen, allow me to reintroduce you to the thrill and adventure of being in love, as we did it in the 1990s. No smartphones, no social media, and no internet (for most part of that decade). Just good old emotions fuelled with a healthy dose of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (aka DDLJ).

I say thrill because in the last decade of the previous millennium it used to take people a good two to three months (on average) to fall for someone. I reserve the definition of “people” for the purposes of this write-up specifically to the nation of India (and perhaps our neighboring nation towards the west). This time frame had nothing to do with any sort of “cupid complacency” on the part of the people involved.

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

Once you got past the initial

pleasantries between two interested people through random glances, disguised smiles, 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 Gallery came in quite handy at this juncture.

Dish out a Hallmark card dripped in over the top 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 sending it through ether. This is the precise moment when (in the case of guys) the best friend of the ladylove came in ultra handy. Pamper her, get her on side and you had a “mediator” acting as a pigeon delivering your love notes (usually tucked inside school books), for the 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 between. Landline phones were the most sophisticated medium for communication, however, not the most discreet.

The entire household had one phone at their disposal and often sat in the bedroom of the parents. If by any luck there was another extension of the phone line stretched out to a relatively

remote and private location within the house, you always ran the risk of someone else dropping in on your “love talk” from the other room. So when you young lot of today take for granted the luxury of calling each other in exquisite privacy of your very own smartphones, spare a thought for us who struggled our way through getting busted every so often.

A lot was said with ink on paper. The moon and the stars featured a lot in love notes hidden amongst notebooks. Accurately timed and frequent drive-bys by a guy through the girl’s street on his scooter helped fetch glimpses of each other through the day (something that has been made ridiculously easy by “face time”).

Love and romance in my days may have been slow, tedious, and “Bollywoodish,” but it was the way it ought to be, intense, overpowering, enduring, and at times dramatic. Lovebirds longed to be with each other (in person and not online with a green dot next to their names), wrote to each other, and stole secret moments out of their days to be with each other.

So my young friends, next time you are in love, do not lock yourself in a room and make it a social media experience. Get on a rooftop and let the world know about it. Stand next to the person who makes you go weak in the knees, look into their eyes and tell

Dish out a Hallmark card dripped in over the top romantic poetry and you could not have gone wrong (well, most of the time) them how you feel. Write a letter to them, a hand written one and not an email. Charm the girl’s mother. Tell the girl that “bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hain, Senorita,” (watch DDLJ if you do not know what I am saying). Go watch a rom-com together (Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani will do perfectly fine). Hold hands. Go for a long drive.

Take love and romance “offline” for a while and leave Facebook for the oldies to hook-up with their old flames so that they get through their mid-life crises.