2013-09 Perth

Come September (7th)

devascacion were once being bandied about, now it see ms to be a much close r contest.

Come September is a l 96 l romantic comedy film sta rring Rock Hudson and Gina Lollobrigida.

Th e lo cal versio n at the momen t is a comic, ho-hum election movie star ring Kevin "selfie" Rudd and Tony "action man" Abbott. There seem to be n o romantic leads and yes, there is no l ove in the air between the two maj o r scars. In fact, spite and vitr io l ofte n sur face between the two. While the critics have awarded the gong of "Best (better?)

Actor" co the Coalition leader Tony Abbott, d1e People's Choice Awa.rd category is still seeing Labor's Kev.in Rudd as the forerunner

With the election campaign officially o n d1e other side of the halfway mark, the Liberal-Natio nal alliance seems t o be al1ead in the polls. The expe r ts at this stage are calling it an election for To n y Abbott to lose. That th.is is the anal ysis shows how well Kevin Rudd has changed me eguation after replacing J ulia Gillard. \X! hi le term s such as annihilation and

An interesting side -s how in cbis elecciou campaign is the open h ostility b et\·veen the News Ltd media and d1e Lab or Pacey While the Labor Party tried to muzzle the pre ss under former communication s minister Ste phen Conroy and failed, it seems d,ac I ews Ltd is enjoying their potshots at the ALP thro ugh rne ir tablo id Dail y Te legraph.

''Throw this mob o ut" screamed d1e headlines as me elections were announced PM Rudd has been open])' critical in his opinion of News Ltd ; it will be interescing to see the kind of reve nge he will seek should he be remrned to power. As Julia Gillard found out, Kevin Rudd ne ither forgets n or forgives!

At the same cime, if ALP loses d1e eleccions, it will be interesci ng to see what happen s co one K. Rudd. If tbe Co a.licioo were to lose, it is clear drnt Ton y Abbott wiJI be d1e fall guy and there will be a sh o o t-out between Malcolm Turnbull a nd Joe Hockey for l eader. U nder me Lab or Party, tbe li nes are not so clear. If Kev in Rudd is forced out, who will replace him? The strong union leader turned policician Bill Shorten at t he helm will further bind d1e party to the union movement, the very image they are trying to d1ange. There are few

chai:ismacic leaders i n the Labor camp wid1 a number of them electing to bow out, and so it wiU be an interesting conundrum for me ALP. But cometh d1e hour, cometh the man (or woman) and perh aps a new face leading the party post elections is ju st the tonic required co rebuild.

Having said that, whic11ever mo b comes in nex t will have to sore our d1e financial mess th.at the Wayne Swan -Chris Bo\ven terun leaves behind. It is a bit rich for the ALP to pressure the Coalition to reveal their costings, when even wit h the foll might of the Treasury, they did not gee a single nwnber rig ht in their budgets With the mining tax turning our co be one of d1e worse government deals ever negotiated wid1 the private sector, and total disconnect between ove rall earnings and expendirure, the Labor Party has racked up hu ge amounts o f debt in their six years in government. Someone need s to pay ic back One expects this will be our furure generacions. W/e may have escaped the global financial crisis, but unless the rig ht measures are put in place, one only bas to see the state of so me European economies co under stand the crises which can unfold.

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

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Indian-Australians call it for Liberals

PAWAN LUTHRA analyses results of Indian Link's online election survey

The Indian Australian comrnwlir:y has come out strongly in favour of the Liberal-National coali tion in an onli.ne survey conducted by Indian Llnk. Data \Vas gathered over four days between 16 a nd 20 Augus t 2013, from just over 500 peop le across the country M idway th.rough the 2013 election campaign just over 50% of those surveyed indicated their suppo r t for the Coalition for t he September 7 election

Tbe ALP secured 43.28% of the votes, compared ro 50 75% for the Co alition, with the Greens picking up the balance.

An interesting o b servatio n however came from the question on preferred prime minister. Surprisingly, Indian Australians believe tbat Kevin Rudd will make a better prime minister, giving him a comprehensive preference of 52.6% of the votes over Tony Abbott at 47.4%.

Indian Australian voter s seem to view the leadersh ip style of Rudd - or a t least the public leadership sty le - as much more likable.

It seems that the change from Julia Gillard did not make much difference to the voting intentions of the community. Over 70% of the respo ndents confirmed that it did n t1t m ake a difference to them who the leader of i:be ALP

is during this period. It appears that aJ1 the troub les w ith Labor, particularly with policy and not just with the personality iss u es at the leader ship leve l, h ave turned Indian Australian vot ers off.

l..'.v'liar was surpris ing was the stro ng g ain s that the Coalition has made into the perception of who wilJ d o more for the Indian Australia n c o mmuni ty. Traditionally, Labor has been s trong in staking its creden tials over the m igrant vote. However, in the Indian Link survey, both Labor and Coali tion seem to be neck and neck in securin g just over 47% votes, with the Greens picking up the balance 5%. Palmer United Parry did get a mention as working better for A u stralia's Indian conununity. As the co mmuni ty mamres from the working class migrant group to th ose establis hing, growing or being involved in small businesses, there seems to be the emergence of a shift away from Labor towards the Coalition.

\Xl hile we have certainly grown in numbers in recent years, i t is also clear tbar entreprene urial activity has increased wi thin our numbers with th e new arrival s, who are sma ll to medium business ow ners rather than those in the professions. The doctors and academics made up the ea dy

Indian settlers of the 1970s and '80s, whereas among the newer settlers a la rger number are entrepreneurs. And ro them, Liberal is a better fi c tha n Labor lnfluenc.ing ell.is dec ision is per ha ps also the percep tion that the Coalition w ill forge better relations b etween India and Australia. With the Labor Party stalling on the progress of uranium sales to India, their heavy-hand ed approach to the international stud ents' issue of 2009- ' 1 0, and i:be ir clampdown on 457 visas, the Indian community seems co be leani ng slightly toward the Coalition w ith a 51.5% vote as compared tO 48.5%, for Labor. This is also reflected in the respondents' answers to \Vhich party will offer better immigratio n poli ci es

State- based affairs - whed1er Campbell Newman's cost-cutting measures in Queensland or the Eddie Obe id -lan MacDonald ICAC saga in NSW - seem to have played a marginal ro le Ln the decision of d1e final vote. Only 25% have .indicated that state politics .influen ced t heir decision. lnterestingly e n ough, the debare o n asylum seekers ranked the highest among vacious issues of

concern co the voti ng .inte ntions, with educatio n c lose behind. The Australian economy was third as a facwr, whil e cost of living ranked fourth in order of importance In the marginal seats in \'{/estern Sydney, a region which a significant number of Indian A u stralians call home, the refugee issue is a hot topic, and it seem s diat the par ty wh ich settles d1e asylum seeker debate most effectively will stro ng ly gain from the Indian Australia n vote.

At t he last Federal elec ti ons in 2010, Indian Link polling had the election too close to call Days later, d1e election r esults vindicated this finding.

This time round, che Indian Australian commwlity has called it for the Liberal -Natio nal Coalition, opti ng ro voce out tbe Kevi n Rudd - led Labor Party.

It will be clear in just under two weeks if the Indian comrnmlity in Australia gets it r.ight rwo elections ill a row

\X!Jrntever the results, we urge the entire Ind ian Australian community w ho can, tO go out there and make your vote count!

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YOU TO Tl-IE

WORLD FOR IPMONE , IPAD AND ANDROID

PADA YATRA 2013

Temple

temple, under the auspices of Hindu Council of Australia, unifying Hindu people, temples and groups of Sydney/

Hindu Council of Australia

Walk from Sri Murugan Temple to Sri Venkateshwara Temple covering over 65KMS during October long weekend q

LETSGIVEHOPE and Hindu Council of Australia are organising

PADA YATRA i.e. WALK TO TEMPLE in Sydney. Every year during Octobe r Long weekend a group of people walked from Sri Murugan Temple in Westmead to Sri Venkateswara Temple in Hele ns burgh, a distance of over 65kms. This year we invite all young people of Sydney to participate, in f ull or partial steps over the October long weeke nd.

• Formal ised with & suppo rted by NSW State government, including RTA (RMS), State Police & other services.

1t.1101o

iellown

• Supported by all the temples in Sydney, under the Unifying ldow Theme of Hindu Council of Australia.

The Walk is divided into two day starting Saturday, 5th October 2013 morning and finishing on Sunday 6th October 2013. We will start our walk at 6AM on Sh October 2013 from Sri Murugan Temple in Mays Hill (Westmead) and walk towards Shiridi Sai Baba Mandir in Strathfield We wifl continue our yatro from Strathfield fro m 10:00 AM towards He1ensburgh.

Alternatively peop le can join us for a short wa lk from Murugan Temple to Just local temples. Temp les partlclpating in this event are Sri Murugan Temple, SAPS Swamy Narayan Temple, Auburn Sri Mandir, Karpaga Vlnayak Temple Flemington, Sal Baba Temple and Sri Venkateswara Temple, Email us on walk2temple@gmail,com for further details about the short walk.

Participants limited to 108, must have proven long-walklng experiences Registration Is essential. This Is purely a volunteer effort to re-live !he yatra of Hindu sages of India Open 10 all on first come firs! server basis, participants must cover all their expenses and arrange for return t ravel t o their homes

For more details and registration email wa lk2temple@gma il.cqm for mo re information about LETSGIVEHOPE" us visits us at www.letsgivehgpe.org.au

For the first time in Australia's election hiscory, we are witnessing che largest number of South Asian candidates actively participacing in the 2013 elections.

J\ total of 26 candidates of Indian and subcontinent origin will represent political parties, or scand as Independents, for seats in boch the Senate, as well as t he House of Representatives. W h ile thi s may see m like an un.impress ively low number across a wide range of political p latforms, it does indicate that the Indian diaspora is caki11g a greater interest in Australian policies and that they are lendu1g their voice and efforts towards better underscandu1g and acceptance of their commu nities within Australian society.

Conducting research for this reporr on the Australian elections has been an interesting and enlightening experience. Por instance, how many of us were awa re that some o f the registered parties on the Australian Electoral webs ite are the Pishing and Lifestyle Party, Australian Motorin g Enthusiast Party, Australia n Sports Par ty, Bullet Train for Australia, No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics and Shoote rs and Fishers Par ty? Would we vote for the Australian Sex Par ty, Coke in the Bubb lers Party, He lp E nd Mar ijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Par ty, Smokers Rights Parry or che Pirate Party Australia? We certainly aren't spoiled for choice, are we?

\'(/e are aU aware that the 201 3 Elections is bound to be dominated by the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and the Liberals (Coalition), with Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott res pectively, jostling for the th rone of Australia. The Greens, a growing and seemingly dedicated group have finall y found themselves in the reckoning, as more and more Australi ans seem to support their policies for climate change and a cleaner, greener world And of comse, a plerbora of parties such as the Palmer United Party and the WikiLeaks Parry, nor to me n tion Independents, are crying to ha\·e thei r say in the future of Austra lia.

Current u·ends indicate that multicultural commun.itie s in general are confused about the

current political scenario The ALP, with their leadership iss u es and their suspect policies in relation to asylum seekers and the economy, have lost them the vote of confidence with the public. The Liberals are faring no better. They come across as indecisive and conservative, to say the least.

Their po licies are unclear and they seem adept at c ircumvencing topi cs of controversy like the budget deficit and gender parity iss u es. And while both parties have reasonably strong candida tes in the background li ke Joe Hockey and Peru1y Wong, neither leader inspires confidence in voters.

For the Indian communiry, it's a matter of waicing an d waccl1ing. There are many i ssues i.t1 the balance, such as progressing ludo-Oz relations, v isa i ssues, trade and bilateral relations - the list is endless! Bue the increased representation of soud1 Asian candidates i n the 2013 Election is an indicator that ti.mes are chan ging, and d1at the vo ice of multicul tural communities are being heard. lt is a significant development and one that we musr embrace with enthusiasm, as a sign of better things ro come.

Both the major political parties have made an attempt to inculcate Indian-origin people into their campaign strategy.

The Australian Labo r Par ty has the support of two cand idates, Manoj Kumar, candidate for Menzies .in Melboume, Victoria, (House of Representatives), and Bhupinder Kw11ar, candidate for Cbibber, New South Wales, (Senat e) However, it does seem like Labor doesn't seem ro have made a strong enough pitch to recruit more candidates from o ne of die fastest growing migram communities in Australia.

The Liberals have done bette r, recruiting four candidates to the party, three of these from Vicror ia Dr Ali Khan, Jag Chugha and Shil pa Hegde will all contest from areas in Victoria. Following close behind are tbe Greens, with four South Asian candidates representing che party Prominent among these is Alexandra Kaur Bhatha.1, who will contest from Batman in ]Vfelbourne 's northern suburbs.

Bur it is d1e newer and lesser known parties who have a sttong Indian presence among their

There are more South Asian candidates standing for the upcoming Federal elections than ever, find SHERYL DIXIT and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA, and surprisingly most are not from the two major parties

Clive Palm e r ( PUP) w it h G a r y Lo ke

Jag Chugha ( Libe ra l) Shi/pa Heg de ( Libe r al)

of candidates in the fray

candidates. The P almer United Party has a coral of nin e Indianorigin candidates. Headed by Professor Clive Palmer as their Federal leader, the party was formed on the ashes of the U nited Australia Parcy (UAP), an Auscralian political party founded in 1931 and dissolved in 1945. Now in 201 3, the UAP has been re -lmu1ched b y Professor Palmer, with the slogan of 'Reunite the Nacion'. It's probable char as a newl y fo rmed parry, they needed the numbers from a cross -s ection of candidates, bur whatever the case, it is a fact chat the Palmer Uni ted Party supports the largest number of Indian-origin candidates in these e lections

South Asian origin candidates in the 2013 Federal Elections

SENATE

NSW Bhupinder Kumar Chibber (Labor)

Sam Swami Nathan ( Independent)

VIC

Gurminder Sekhon (Greens)

Binoy Kampmark (Wikileaks Party)

WA

Suresh Rajan (Wikileaks Party)

ACT

Indra Esguerra (Greens)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

NSW

Ammar Khan, Chifley ( Independent)

Mohandas Balasingham, Grayndler (Palmer United Party)

Raheam Khan, North Sydney (Palmer United Party)

Ganesh Loke, Parramatta (Palmer United Party)

Kalpesh Patel, Parramatta ( Independent)

Mohhamad Ashraf, Reid (Palmer United Party)

VIC

Alex Kaur Bhathal, Batman (Greens)

Ali Khan, Calwell (Liberal)

Dinesh Jayasuriya, Gorton (Greens)

Jatinder Singh, Holt (Palmer United Party)

Avtar Singh Gill, Isaacs (Palmer United Party)

Nihal Samara, Lalor (Liberal)

Manpj Kumar, Menzies (Labor)

Jag Chugha, Scullin (Liberal)

Shilpa Hegde, Wills (Liberal)

WA

Vimal Sharma, Cowan (Palmer United Party)

Vashil Sharma, Fremantle (Palmer United Party)

Kim Mubarak, Sterling (Independent)

SA

Bal winder Singh Jhandi, Barker (Palmer United Party)

Bikhar Singh Brar, Mayo

The WikiLeaks Party was incorporated as a political parry in 2013. According to its website, the party ' stands for unswerving commitment to the core principles of civic courage nourished b y understanding and truthfulness and the free Row of information'. The Constitution of the Wiki.Leaks Party li sts its objectives which include the protection of human tights and freedoms; transparency of governmental and corporate action, policy and information; recognition of the need for equality between generations; and support of A b o riginal and Torres Strait I slander self- determination Naturally,Julian Assange is its leader and is supported by rwo Indian oi:igin candidates, Bi n oy Kampmark, a respected academic and Suresh Rajan , a renowned economist.

Most of the South Asian ca ndidates standing for election are from across Australia but unsmprisiogly, none belong to the orthern Territory, Canberra and Tasmania. What is surprising though, is that none are from Queensland, with its relatively strong Indian migrant base. The candidates still do not seem to have a strong presence, bur the fact that they have o ne at all is promising from a lo ng term perspective.

So what kind of policies do these candidates support and what are they striving to achieve?

Jag Chugha is the first Punjabi SiJd1 co stand for a Federa.l Sear of P adiament in Australia. About his candidacy Jag says, "Scullin is a great p lace to live, but things should be better. Under La bo r the cost of living has s ky-rocketed, smaU businesses are doing it

Alex Bhathal (Greens)

cough and people are worried about d ie ir job security. These are issues diat people are talking to me about daily. I want co give m y community a s trong loc al voi ce and fight for our fair share". As a lo ng- time resident of Scullin, Jag fee ls be understands the l ocal community's needs and can represent local families co deliver real results

For A lexander (Alex) Kaur Bhathal, Greens candidate for Barman in Melbot1rne's Northern Suburbs, it is her fourth candidacy for this federal seat. "I am standing for a vis ion of a future in Batman where we can all dirive, she says in a statement o n the Greens website. "I will work for a Aourishing small business sector, combined wi th a renewed manufacnu:ing base which could provide hundreds of local jobs in die renewab le energy industries building a s trong focus on renewab le technology research and d esign manufacturing in our suburbs wh ich have grea t manufacturing infrastructure and plenty of people looking for local work. W/e are the most progressive electorate in Australia, with a combined Greens and Labor vote of 78.5%".

SO- year-old Sa m Swaminatha n is a relarively new migrant who came here in 2003, and is standing as an lndependent. "I stand for economic growth, employment, the abolition of carbon tax, services for sen.ior cirizens and tax concessions for working parents," says Sam enthusiastically " \X'e're standing for three ke y diings at this e lecrion," says Dr Binoy Kampmark of tbe W ikiLeaks Party. "These are issues of transparency, acc ountability and justice. I call this the 'holy trin.iry' of our p latform. L1 terms of accountabilit y, Wiki leaks is well known for its slogan of 'We open governments, everywhere'. As a party we want no hidden deals, no backdoor deals. We want transparency i n funding, in accounts. B y accountability, we refer to surveillance. \'(/e believe die stare has become too powerful i n relarion co citizens. ls it necessary to spy on u s to keep us safe? \'K/e want to generate an

interest amongst tbe public, as to what Intelligence does with our data In terms of justice, we seek protecrion for whistle blowers, and want to stop abuses of stare power".

For Ganesh Loke, candidate for the Palmer U n.ired Party, a solution to tl1e Ca rbon Tax and die problem widi asylum seekers is paramount ''\Xie want to have tbe Carbon Tax abolished; co have a human.irarian refugee policy whereby Australia is protected while at the same time refugees have opporrmlities to enhance dieir lives, and to do away with paid polirical lobbyists," says Ganesh. "Both major parries are against refugees. That's against in ternarional law, which states tliat genuine refugees must be resettled.

Nlr Palmer's p o licy of onshore proce ssing is die most humane po licy in tli e debate," he adds.

Shilpa Hegde is a candidate for the Liberal Parry from Wills in Melbourne, and she says that L iberal has a plan to put Australia b ack on crack. This plan .includes generation of one million new jobs witllin five years by delivering lower taxes, more efficient government and more productive bus inesses. "l've noticed many families have become burdened by the ris ing cost of living and die lack of essential services in their comnmnity," s he adds.

"J\s a part of di e Liberal team, T have the real sol urions co lower die cost of living and fight for improved se rvices, like schools and hospitals, for our community l want to represent m y conmmnity in Parliament and make sure d1e residents of \Xlills get their fair share," she adds.

What was the 'X ' factor that convinced these candidates to join the party of their choice?

''T be protection of human rights is paramount co me. WikiLeaks Party delivers this," succinctly states Suresb Rajan from the WikiLeaks Party

"I've been in~' olved in the Liberal Par ty for a number of years now, and this combined with my interest in helping out my loca l commun.i cy, influenced m y decision to run for Parliament," says Sh.i.lpa.

" I was 6rst introduced to the Liberal Party several years ago b y m y fatlier and at that time realised that l too shared tlie beliefs of the parry," says Jag. "Ever yo ne should be free to pursue dieir goals and develop tli eir talents".

"I've never been in politics," admits Binoy "I've written e;,.1:ens ivel)' about politics though. And di.is is the first politica l party I've come across tbat extends my (passion) fo r being crirical of power. " lt's a party of review, if you like, a watchdog part, so important in today's world. That's tl1e first reason. The second reason is the party's diversity is remarkable. Membership extends across die left-right d ivide It's a broad eclectic group of people with simil ar interests"

J\ former Labor Party member, Ganesh claims he was completel y disillusioned b y tlie Party in recent times and so decided to seek a new p latform.

''\'(/e are tl1e most progressive e lectorate in Australia, witl1 a combined Greens and L'lbor vote of 78.5%," states Alex. "People in this seat value social justice, human rights and d1e environment. I would be proud to represent the people of mis seat".

The campaign trail is a rough and challenging one, which certainly needs the benefit of strategy to reach out to as many voters as possible How did the candidates deal with this aspect of the elections?

Jag is out campaig11.ing every day, listening to locals. " I'm meeting people at s hopping centres, schools, markets and train station s," he states "I've been out door knodcing and leaAecing, trying to let people know mar die Liberals have a p lan to reduce the cost of living for families, help small businesses get ahead and s trengthen the economy. l've also been attending com munity funcrions where I've bad the oppormnicy to meet many people of d ifferent cultures and backgrounds".

Sam, a chartered accountant b y background, has been reaching out to die l.ndian community through various associations, and has been meering people at culmral fm1ctions, and p laces of \vorsbi p. He has also been emailing Indian associations in Newcastle and Central Coast.

Binoy has been campaigning across various forums, particularly in social media, "I've also participated active ly in forums such as at the Fitzroy Town Hall recentl y w llich was received well. W/e've bad a variety of debates and meetings in our effort to gatl1er a support base. There h as been interest from die commrnlity because of di e Indian backgrow1d

(my motlier is Bengali). And also Indian connecrions overseas have brought good and posirive coverage for both Suresh Ra jan, our candidate in \'(/J\, and me," he claims.

Ganesh has been canipaigning at community functions such as tbe IndAu s Fair and the CIA Independence Day Dinner, as well as at shopping malls, local srarions, and places of worsh ip such as the Swaminarayan Temple. Ganesh also participated in the Daily Te legraph debate to put ford, his vi ews to a wider audience. "Being a tecllie, social media is one of m y strengths," he reveals "My Facebook page has 3,200 likes, more tl1an other candidates in my con sri tuency"

Sbilpa and her team have been following a similar strategy of letterboxing, door knocking and meeting peop le in shopping centres, community bub s and train st:.1.tions "I've been listening to locals and many peop le have been telling me tliat tl1e cost of living is having a real effect on dieir household ," she says " ] want people io \'{iills co knO\v that the Coalition has real sol u tions to lower tli e cost of living, create job growth, strengthen our local economy and get the Budget back on track".

AU the candidates are i nvo lved in various charitable acrivities, including support for specific charities, volunteering their time and efforts fo r the berrermenr of die co mmun.icy.

Most of the Indian origin candidates contesting in the Federal elections have a strong background and would be more than proficient at their role, if elected.

Sw:esh Rajan from WikiLea k s Parry bas had a disringuished career in economic s as well as having been a vigorous advocate for eth1.1.ic com.11iLuliries a nd people with disabilities. He ser ved fo r several years as head of the Edi n ic Communities Comicil of WA and is currentl y die President of rbe National Ecbn.ic Disability Alliance, t he peak bod y for the CaLD Disability organisations in Australia. Suresb holds a Bache lor of Commerce with a double major (Management and AccoLmting) a nd a Masters of Business A dmioistratio n from tbe University of Western Australia, and is a regular commentator on television and rad io in his role as a financial planner and economist.

A lexandra Kaur Bathal is a well-known and respected member of the community She has 25 years of experience working in die social wel fare sector, widi families and local communiries A lex is a former

Welfar e Spokesperson for the Australian Greens Victoria and .i s active in the refugee rights movement, anti-nuclear and environmental campaigning As a qualified so cial worker, A lex's professional expe ri ence includes clinical pracrice with yOLmg people, commun.it)' development, research, management, program and policy development.

Jag bolds quali fications of Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Laws. He is a practicing lawyer with over 15 years of experjence and i s currently die senior counsel at a rop 100 ASX Australian listed company.

Sam Swanunadian, the NSW Senate Independent has e,,crens ive \Vork experience ,vitllin tlie mainstream, through 11.is dealings witl1 charity organisations in tlie norm shore, churches, aged care and retirement facilities.

Bin oy arrived in A u stralia i n the 1990s but has been living in the US and in the UK where he \Vorked cowards a Cambridge PhD. Dr. Binoy Kampmark now teaches core legal courses witli.in die Legal and Dispute Studies program for tl1e Bachelor of Social Science at RMIT Universi ty.

Ganesh arrived in Australia in 1999 as a student, and took degrees in IT and education from Charles Smrt University He is currentl y an IT entrepreneur in Sydney. Sbi.lpa is an Electronics Engineer wbo cnrrentl y works for DWS as an IT consultant

So finally, why politics, and will this be a career for these candidates, regardless of whether they win or lose?

"Po litics is a platform by mean s of w llich you can bring real change ro society," says Ganesh Loke. " If you ,vane to change the system, come forward, get invo lved".

" Politics is a way of serving tl1e people. There's been nobod y from die India community so far who has risen in tllis field. 1 feel it is rime to take some responsibili ty and sea.rt to give back ," says Sam.

"I'll answer tl1at question by quoti11g from French writer Andre Malroux: Politics is justice; if yo u can't have tl1em rogetl1er, it's an empry miss ion," emphasises Bijoy.

Witl1 the elecrio n fast app roach ing, these 26 South Asian candidates are worth keep ing an eye on. To date mere have been a very small number of Indian - origin parliamentarian, including the serving Senator Lisa Singh from Tasman.ia, and the reconcesting Alex Bbathal lt \\~11 be interesring if the commmlity can add to tllis on die night of September 7th.

What 's dragging rupee down: Specu lation or eco nomics?

\.Vhat's fuelling the persistent faU in the value of the Indian rupee? According co experts, there are several reasons. But most of them feel the bottom i s yet to be tested.

Tbe rupee, which was valu ed at around 55 to a US doUar in January, now trndes as much as 18% lower at 65 to the greenback Against the British pound sterling, it has b reached che 100- mark. Each passing day is seeing a new low.

The Indian currency depreciated almost five percent this month.

Some analyses fee l the currency has weakened due to str uc tllfal problems in the econo my and the trend would continue if they were not addressed urgently. Others maintain the recent volatility is more due to speculations and external faccors.

" The decline is not ju st because of psychological factors alone," said Anis C h akravart:y, senior director, Deloitte in India. "This is hard economics," Chakravarcy told lANS.

He said str uctural problems in the Indian economy are impacting investment and growth and must be addressed urgently to ensure stability in the currenc y and equity markets.

"The re are issues wicl1 the Indian economy time need co be addressed".

He pointed out that India's current account deficit - which is the difference between the total imports and exports of goods a nd services, and also inward and out\vard money transfers - jumped more than 10 times in five years.

1n other words, a net amount of $90

billion equiv alent went out of Ind ia in 201213, as against $8 billion in 2007- 08, putting much pressure on the country's foreign exchange reserves thar is generally used by central banks co keep currency markets stable.

E quated to cl1e gross domestic product, t h e defic it touched a record of 4.8%.

"Foreign ftmds have withdrawn significant amount of money our of Indian markets in the past couple of month s The trend continued during A ugust. It is evident that alarmingly high l evels of current accotmt deficit have been core ro th is slide," Chakravarty said.

Finance Minister P. Chidamba.ram said the rupee is undervalued and has overshot its reasonable linut due co "unwarranted pessimism" in the markets.

Some analys ts also see cl1e recent volatility as a result of speculation. " lt is more of hype and overdone," says Siddharth Shankar, advisor at brokerage firm KASSA.

''There \Vas oo such economic development in the past couple of moncl1s co justify cl1.is volati lity"

According to Deutsche Bank and several think tanks and analysts, the rupee will soon couch a new lo\v.

" W/e now believe the rupee could couch 70 to the US dollar io a month or so, although we expect $Orne revival by di e eod of the year," the German bank said in a report.

Shankar, referring co the Deutsche Bank report, said such statements only add to cl1e volatility that affects tbe econom y.

"No doubt, cbere are prob lems with the lod.ian economy - growcl1 is l ow, cunent

account deficit is high. But these things have not come abou t in the lase one or two months. They have been there for a couple of yea rs," he said.

India's economic growth slumped to five pe rcent in die financial year ended March 31, 20 I 3. And according co Shankar, growth was likely to remain below fi ve percent in the cmreot fiscal as weU.

D.i.nesh Thakkar, chairman and managing d irec tor of Angel Broking, said the Indian rupee was slipping due to botl1 weak domestic and international factors.

"\Y/e expect the d epreciation in the rupee to continue until the Indian economic scenario stabilises and when tl1e world markets absorb the impact of the quantitative easing of stim ulus proces s by the US Federal Reserve," Thakkar to ld lANS.

The US Federal Reserve recently .indicated that .i t may resor t to quan ti tative easing b y trimming the $85 - b illion - a momh debt purchases later this year and eventually end it by next year if the economy performs in line with estimates and the job situation imp roves.

These comments led to a broad raUy in the dollar, while currencies of other emerging markets, including Indonesia, Mal aysia and Thailand hie multi-year lows

But the Indian rupee was me worst hit. lt has depreciated more than 1 5% in three month s

Foreign fonds have also sold over $11.5 billion of Indian debt and equities since cl1e Fed hi.med at cutting tl1e stimulus in late Ma)'.

Trimming of stin1ulus b y the US may lead

co furmer outflow from ladia's equity and debt markets and put more pressure on the current account deficit - and ultimately the rupee. A foreign exchange reserve of $275 billion could prove little ro stave it off

Now, Che nnai autos GPS-fitted, costlier

Io a first-of-its - kind development in the country, auto -rickshaws in Chen.na i will be fitted w ith a merer with global positioning system (GPS) and e lectronic digital printer, Tamil Nad u Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa said recently.

1n a statement issued revising the tariff for auto-rickshaws, Jayalal.ithaa said: "For me first time in Ind.ia, auto -rickshaws pl ying in C hennai will be fitted with GPS and electronic digital printer, free of cost, by the government, involving an outlay of Rs SO crore".

She said tl1e travelling public will be given a receipt with the distance travelled and the tariff rate.

"The operation of the auto- rickshaws will also be monitored effectively," she ad d ed.

The meter, the chief minister explained, will al so have a ' panic button' so iliac a passenger can press it in case of a.n y clanger. The dev ic e enables monitoring by a control centre.

She said the government has fixed tbe minimum tariff rate at Rs 25 for the first 1.8 km and Rs.12 for every additional km.

For night travel (between 10 p.m. and 5.a.m.), the tariff will be higher by 50 percent.

The waiting charges wiU be Rs. 3.50 per five 1ninutes, and Rs.42 per hour.

An Indian girl ties a Rakhi or a sacred thread on the wrist of an Indian policeman at Chhatrapati Shivaji terminus railway station on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan festival in Mumbai, 20 August 2013. Raksha Bandhan is a Hindu festival celebrating the bond between sisters and brothers and is observed all across the country

The revised tariff will be effective from Sunday and the tariff cards can be obtained from the regional transport authority office by the auto - ric kshaw drivers.

"One of the barometers of the law and order situatio n in a state/c ity is how the auto -rickshaw / taxi drivers charge thei r customers and how the governmen t imple ments the rule of law. In Chennai, auto-r ickshaws are notorious for over charging. I hope at least the government will now implement strictly the rule of law," she said. N itya a private sector employee told lA1 S.

1n 2007, when auto-rickshaw tariff was last revised, the minimLUn meter rate was fixed at Rs.14.

All five Mumbai rapists held, Chavan assures speedy justice

tfaharas htta Chief Minister Prichviraj

Chavan Aug 26 said the Mu mbai ga ng -rape case would be tried in a fast track court and noted criminal lawyer U jjwal Nikam has been requested to appear as public prosecutor eve n as tl1e fifth susp ect was arrested

The last remaining accused was arrested in Delhi, hours after the fourth accused was held in Mwnbai, ending a three -day hunt iliac foUowed the horrific sexual assault of a photojomnalist.

"The case will be tried in fast-track court to ensure speedy justice m the victim," Chavan told rep orte rs in Pune.

Mohammad Salinl Ansari, 27, was nabbed ar Bharat Nagar in north Delhi, a Delhi Police official told IA.J'\JS.

An official said four officials from ?vlumbai Crime Branch and a team of Delhi Police trapped Ansari and rook hinl into custody as he was going tO a relative's house.

He was take n to a hospital for a medical check- up and presented before a duty magistrate before being taken to Mw11bai.

The Delhi court granted Mumbai police his transit remand for 48 hours, after which he would have to be presented b efo re a court.

Accorcliug to police, tl1e fourtli accused, Mohammed Kasim Hafiz Shaikh alias Kasinl Bengali, was arrested at Mumbai Central railway station early on A ugust 25.

Co-accused Siraj Rehman Kban was arrested tile night before.

A 1vhm1bai court sent both Hafiz Shaikh and Khan tO po li ce custod y till August 30 for questioning.

The 22 -year-o ld phot9journalist was raped by five men in an abandoned textile mill complex in central Mumbai o n Augusr 22 after her male colleague was beaten and bound.

The Mw11bai ga ng -rape m irrored d1e December 16, 20 12 sexual assault in a bus in D elhi ou a young woman who evenn1ally died in a Singapore hospital.

The latest incide nt shocked the entire nation, triggering fresh demands for d eath to rapists.

The Mu mbai accused allegedl y also shot picnires of the crime o n mobile phones and threatened the victims with dire consequences if tber complained to police.

The photojournalist was on an assignment for a n English magazine and had gon e to the desola te area to take p ictures of tl1e abandoned fac tories when she and her male companion were attacked.

Disgusted b)7 tl1e sordid details of tl1e gang rape, Hafiz Shaikh's mother told d1e media at her home in Mw11bai that t he authorities a nd courts were free to hand out the most severe

punis hment to her son.

"He d eserves stro ng prn:i.ishment," sa id Chand Bib i in Agripada in south Mumbai.

Two Qllier susp ects, Vijay Jaclhav and Chand Babu Sattar Shaikh, are also in Mwnbai police custody riU August 30

While Shaikh was n abbed within 18 hours of tl1e incid ent that shoc ked the nation, Jadhav was taken into custody on August 24 Tb e photojournalist remains warded in h ospital after suffering serious in juries

On August 25, her family pleaded for her privacy w hile the Maharashtra government said public prosecutor Nikam, who successfully called for death sentence to Mun1bai terror attack accused Ajmal Kasab, i s set to take up tl1e case against tl1e five rapists.

India- born Satya Nadella in running for Microsoft top job India-born Satya NadeUa, currendy heading Microsoft's Cloud and E n terp rise group, is listed am ong likely successors to the information technology g ian t's CEO Steve Ballmer, who is set to retire widli n a year

As executive vice president, Nadella " run s a group that continues tO churn out growth an d profits," n oted Seattle Times in a story on the start of a guessing game among i\1.icrosoft watchers since Ballrner's impending depar m re was announced.

"Th ere is no single clear succ essor co a lightning rod of a leader wh o remains o ne of the most identifiable CEOs in tl1e country," i c said "\X'hat's more, the next CEO may well have a far different job tlrnn the one Ballmer i s vacating," tile Ti1J1es said as "Once tile dominant force in technology, Microsoft now finds itself chasing compa1lies in key businesses such as Google in Web searc h and Apple in mobile devices".

Nadella, 44, as head of Microsoft's $19 billion Server and Tools Business, is credited w ith d1e tran sfor mation of the business and technology fro m client-server software to cloud infrastrucnu:e and services.

Before joining Microsoft in 1992, w here he initially worked as the se1lior vice president of R&D for the Online Services

Division and vice president of tl1e Microsoft Business Division, Nadella worked with Stm Jvlic rosysrems as a member of the technology staff.

Listing Nadella an1ong potential Ballmer successors, the !Vall Street ]011mal noted he " ran the Server a nd Too ls business successfully from 2011 co this ye.ar and took over ruru:i.ing the company's impo rtant cloud -computing efforts iu l ast month's management reshuffle"

''Indeed, in reassigning a number of top executives, tl1at reorganisation seems a tailormade b,lke-off for tl1e cop job," it said

1 adella also figures on ilie New York Tin1es' li st o f current Microsoft execu tives ,vho could be contenders besides T ony Bates, forme r director of Skype and now executive vice president of busin ess development and strategy.

Speculation by an alyses and executives about external candidates incl ud ed Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook; Reed Hastings, dlief execu tive of Netflix and a former director at Microsoft; Score Forstall, who ran iOS at Apple tmtil las t year and John Legere, chie f executive of T -Mobile, it said.

r adella h olds a .!\faster of Science degree in Computer Science from ilie U1liversicy of W isconsin-Milwaukee, a Master of Business Administration from tile Uni~1ersicy of Chicago, and a Bachdor of Engineering i11 Electrical Engineering from the Man.ipal Institute of T echnology.

He is also an alumnus of the H ydera bad Public School, Begumpet.

US marijuana streak named after Sanjay Gupta

]nclian Arnet:ican medical journalist Sa.njay Gupta bas bad a strain of cannabis named after him sinc e he suggested a rdook at tlie use of medical marijuana changin g his previous position on the controversial issue.

A Colorado medical dispensary nan1ed a new type of medical marijuana - Gupta Kush - after Gupta, CN1 's Cllief Medical Correspt)ndent, adcliug him to a list of celebrities inclucliug President Barack Obama who have namesake cannabis strains.

" Dr. Gupta's recent reporting on marijuan a puts hinl at the forefro n t of the m edical cannabi s movement, and we thought what b etter way tO honour his efforts tllan b y giving him his own scrain," said Jeff Kless, owner of Helping H and s Herbals Dispensar y in Boulder, Colorado, in a media release.

"\Xle'd like to ensLLre he remains part of the annals of cannabis cu.lnu:e, and now he will," h e added.

Kless c all ed naming a mari juana strain after Gupta as "our way of tipping om hal and honouring hin1 for taking such a firm, science-based stance on behalf of marijuana as ' real' medicine".

"The political and health establishments n ow realise tl1at cannabi s bas genuine m edical benefits, \vhich we've been saying for year s," he said

"Gup ta Kush imparts a very relaxing state that calms the mind w ithout comprom isi ng clarity \Xlhen the mind is quiet and happy, people allow th emselves to heal. Medical marijuana hdps d1at happen," K less claim ed.

Gupta Kush is an inclica strain with its origins in the Hindu Kush mmmtains of South As ia, the reported birthplace of some of ilie world's old est and most potent cannabis strains, according to tile release.

1t has a rich green co lour hidden beneatl1 a deep layer of trichomes, and a thick, hashy, floral taste O n set is inun ediate and effects are long-lasci ng, it said

Since publicly announcing his changed views on medical m arjjuana earlier this mond1 , Gupra has inspired a m o re serious loo k at weed and eve n generated some pressure on Obama to re-examine his position on marijuana laws

Ho,vever, the White Ho use lase week indicated Obama isn't looking to change current federal laws rdating to marijuana anytime soon in d1e light of Gupta's views

Obama considered naming CN 's Gupta as surgeon general in 2009 , bu t d1e n eurosurgeon later said he withdrew his name so he could maintain his surgical career IANS

An Indian Air Force Lockheed Martin C- 130J Super Hercules kicks up a cloud of dust after landing at the high - altitude Daulat Beg Oldie military airstrip in the Ladakh region of the Indian Himalayas on August 20, 2013. The C - 130) aircraft made its first successful landing at the airstrip, the world's highest at 16, 614 feet (5, 065 metres), which is serviced by the smaller twin - turboprop engined Antonov An -32 and military helicopters

Lucky Si ngh is a ll ears a s CG Arun Goel s p ea k s in Sydne y

CANBERRA

Representi n g ou r motherland in our new home

Responding to an invi tation from the High Commissioner 's office, a group of retired service officers made a trip from Sydney to Canberra tO attend the Independence Day celebrations. Apart from the fabulous weather, the great drive a nd very engaging company, the day i s one co remember.

The ceremony was held at the Commonweal th Club in Canberra an d the guests were received by d1e H.igh Co mmissioner M r Biren Nand a and his wife a nd other m embers of his office. The atmosphere was electric and th ere was exci ce m en t in the air. It was great to see the Indian

Independence Day

officers mingle with their serving counterparts from the Australian defence forces. As finger foo d and soft drinks were served, guests from the two countries mingled with each other sharing thei r thoughts and views Then it was rime for the official cerem ony. A coast was raised to the President of India which was followed by d1e Indian national andi e m. A roast was then raised tO the Queen and this was fo ll owed by the Australian national anthem. The true essence of being an Indian Australian dawned on me as ] sang both the amhems with equal fervour and pride. The High Commi ssio ner Mc. Nanda addressed the August gathering which included the diief guest Senator Lisa Singh

and Andrew Leigh representing Fo reign Minister Bob Carr. In h is speech i\tlr. Nanda spoke about the bilateral ties bet\veen. lndian and Australia and how the visit of forme r Prime Mfoister, Julia Gillard to India helped improve and righten these ties as it opened a 'new chap[er' in the lndo -Australian relationships. He also spoke about Prime 1foiister Kevin Rudd's visit in 2009 d1at prompted di e growth of reh1ci ons between India and Australia in die fields of education and trade. He hoped that iliese relations would continue to grow and strengt hen as mi1iisters from both the countries continued to visit each other.

Senaror Lisa Singh quoted Jines from Nehru's famous 'tryst

with destiny' speech as she spoke about her Indian connections. She a r ticulated that the TndoJ\.ustralian relations were strong, healthy and ever-growing. Sbe spoke about the lm·ge number of Indian students stud ying in Australian universities and about the formal agreements between Australian a nd Indian universities, including student exchange, staff exchange and academic research

She also spoke ab ouc the Australia lndia Institute established in the University of Me lbourne which has helped enhance the under standing and cooperation b etween the t\vo countries. The senator's speech was inspiring and delivered a stro ng message of continued friendship.

ln his speech, Andrew

Leigh spoke a bout his lndian conn ections, his visits to India and d1e vib ra ncy of d1e Indian nation. He spoke about t he interesting Indian politics and was amazed at the way e lections were held and offices formed in t he largest democracy in. the world. His speech was very refreshing and laced with hwJ10ur.

1\s d1e ceremony concluded d1e feeling was o ne of eiruberance and pride of being lndian Australian. As Indian Australians we make positive contributions to tbe fabric of the community that we are currently a part of. It is die Indian s in Australia who create and build platforms fo r better ties between the two countries. W/e are the representatives of our motherland in this adopted

The Indian community across Australia celebrates

country of o urs and we s ho uld always be conscious and aware of this responsibility.

NimaMenon

SYDNEY

A song for azaadi

The Indepe ndence Day flag hoisti ng ceremony in Syd ney did not follow tradition thi s time ro und.

I n a change from routine, the event was held around midday, as op p osed to 9am in previous year s. Those of us who h ad to leave wo r k o n a weekda y to attend, expec ted to see a ch in crowd but we were pl easantly surpris e d indeed Ga tl1ered at the INDIAN

Con sul General 's Pleasant Ave reside nce in East Lind-field, o n a pleasant ,vinter morni ng, were some 300 m e mbers of the Indian communi ty, all geared up to sing tl1e national anthem, many dressed in suitably Indian colours

Lucky Singh wore her ch erished tira11gCljhc111dt1 as a d11pattt1 over a pl ai n w hite chmidar suit (o k, not really, we know she's way too patriotic for ch at: h e r chm111i was daintily d yed in the natio n al colours). Rek h a Bhattacharya, an Allahabad U niver si ty alumnu s who ha s always worn white on Independence D ay, brough t out he r pearl-white Assamese sill, sari for the o c casi o n And the ad orab le Oscar wa s there again th is year, as

he is every ye ar, in his trad e m ark l ehru cap and swashbuckling khr1di suit worn over his favourite Gandhi -them ed t- shirr.

Consul General Arnn Goel was d oubt tickled p ink that his little experi ment had worked. He said at the outset dia t the change was in keepin g wi th local demand as commuaicy members found it h ard to get to the north shore at an early hour. As well, he declared, the new riming coincided with the tinling of che real celebration back home.

Not changing traditi o n howeve r, he unfurled the T ricolour, led the gatl1ering in a re nditio n of tl1e nacional antl1em, and read ()ut the message o f

Honorary Consul Arehano Singh unfurls the tricolour and addresses the Brisbane Indian community t he President of India o n the occasio n.

T h e Pr esident's m iss ive was a call to rise up to the. many challenges t hat face tl1e natio n today. He sp oke early o n about tl1e declining m orals within society, a cause fo r concern for every rightt h inking citizen. " \Ve have allowed unb r idled personal enrichment, sel f- indulgen ce, incolerance, discourtesy in behaviour and disrespect for au thority to erod e our work cul tu re," he decl ared.

'

To end , he reminded his p eople of their d e m ocratic duties in term s of tl1e up coming general e lectio n s, and somewhat spiritually, placed r esponsibility directl y in their own hands if tl1ey wanted to see change in t he larger society

'The ideals of patriotism, c ompass ion, to lera nce, se lfrestraint, honesty, discipline and respect fo r women have to be con verted to a living force". H e spoke of the n eed for a "judiciar)' that gives justice w itho u t delays," and the need fo r world class un iversities as entitlements that will lead to empower m e nt of t he people. The U ttarakhand tragedy and the Maoist violence in Chhacisgarh al so fow1d m e n tion.

Afterw ards, the gathering moved to an ad jacent community hall for a cultural sh ow. The regular culprits were up on stage, Vinod R ajput, R ekha Rajvanshi and others. B ur ic was n ewbi e Dawa D ol ma tliat sto le the s h ow. Her stron g Ae mere IVClfan ke logo11 literally brought t he h ouse d own D ear Rekha Bhacta was reduced to tears in a hall tl,a t came to an absolute standstill. And i f you tl1ough t it was because sh e is one of the old er m e m bers of the communit y, what would you s ay to t he twenty- something D eepa Gupta w h o ope n.ly jabbed away at her eyes with a tissue CG Goe l revealed later that Do lma ran g his office out of the b lue, to say she

wanted co present th is particular number on the occasion. Our very own Lara 1fangeshkar was immdated with offers afterwards.

The brunch that followed - or should we call it a filling lunch - was very welcome after that emotional interlude. The fresh bhat11re, the b iggest sa111osa.r you have ever eaten , the gulabjam1111s and the masaia ch"i were all lapped up eagerly.

Hurray for azaadi, a newfound singing sensation, and oversized S{lfl/OS{IS.

Rajni Anand Luthra

MELBOURNE

And where were you on 15 Aug 1947?

Acrowd of about 50 gathered at the India Consulate at 344 St. Kilda Rd, Melbourne to celebrate lndia's Independence Day. The early morning ceremon y saw the acting Consul General Raj Kumar unfurl the Indian national flag as the members of the lndian community collectively sang the national anthem.

Mr Kumar also read om the message of the fodian High Commiss ioner in Austral ia Mr Biren Nanda, to Indian nationals here.

"India's relations with Australia have grown from strength to strength since the establishment of a strategic partnership between the t\vo countries in 2009," Mr Nanda observed.

,cLast year people born in lndia were the largest segment of new immigrants in Australia. The 400,000 scrong Indian community in Australia is acting as a bridge between the two countries. They have the potential and the capaci ty to qualitativel y transform our bilateral relations in the future". Commllnicy memb ers then took the floor. Th e eighty-something Krishna Arora, favourice "Aunty", spoke warmly about her memori es of mid August, 1947.

"l was a teenager in De lh i," she recal led as everyone listened, enthralled. "There were feelings of happiness swee ping over

the entire city We sat g lued co the rad io, our only source of information. I remember the ciry all lit up in celebration. The India Gate area was decked up like I had never seen ir before".

l o doubt the description was of the days before the religious riots between the Hindus and the Muslims broke om. Or perhaps, Mxs Arora cleverly chose to ib>nore chat part of our histor y on this particula.r occasion!

84-year-old Gurmindcr Dhingra took the oppornuiity ro remember Jawal1arlal Nehru, l.ndia's first and most popular prime minister.

A poem presentation in Hindi by Aviti was another highlight.

Over snacks, the discussion was all about the upcoming Regional Pravasi Bharatiya Divas to be held in Sydney later this year.

A.sh ish Chawla

ADELAIDE

Independence: To w ish for glory

L011g_)'ears ago I/IC nu,de a tTJ'Sf 1vith desti19; and f!OIJJ the time coflles

1vheJ1111e shall 1·edee111 ourpledge At the strok.e qf the 111id11ight hour, 111he11 the 1vodd sleeps, Tndia 111i/l a11111ke to life

{llldJi·eedo111 A 1110111ent col/leJ; JJJbich comes but nwe!y in hislo~y, 1vhen we step fro111 the old to the new, 111hen an "ge ends, and 111he11 the soul of a 11atio11 /011g .mpressed, ji11d,s 1llten111ce"

These immorral words of Pandit Nehru delivered an ancient and proud nation into independence.

Almosr seven decades from that day challenges and promises remain with the country now truly established on the wrn:ld stage and one to be reckoned wich and not taken lightly

Across the world, Independence Day is celebrated by lndian communities big and small.

ln Adelaide the celebrations were conducted with pomp and ceremony with the Indian community our in force, man y proudly resplendent in national dress. The proceedings, organised by the Indian Australian Association of South Australia (IA.ASA) , started with the singing of the Australian and lndian

national anthems. Dr Rake sh Mahindra, the incoming President of IAASA reminded us of how our forefathers had to fight long and hard for tl1e freedom we are enjoying today. Thar it was a day for us to reflect on the sacrifices made and our opportunity to pay homage to those brave souls. Guests included J\'LI'. Jay Weatherill, Premier of Soutl, Australia, Mr Hien Van Le, Lt. Governor of South Australia, other ministers of the St.'lte, and local government representatives. Soutl1 Australia has singled l.ndia our as a cmmrry witl1 which it would like to establish trade links so it was not surprising ro have the Premier,Jay \XleacheriU, st.'lte his desire to establish a broad -based economic and cultural approach on an i.nstin1tional basis with India. Other speakers present also e,xcolled the positives to be bad in a relationship with India. Recognition was also paid to the large number of migrants from India who call South Australia home.

Following the speeches, the mood was lightened by music and dance from a ll corners of che cou.n try highlighting the variety of language, race, culture that is India. The programme commenced wid, the Bbarataoatya m praye r dance Pushpanjali in welcome to the auclience. Th.is was followed b y a couching performance of a patriotic song in T elugr1 by Sharda who dedicated the song to her mother and to her childhood when she w;is caught d1is song. A simple deli,7 ery, a lovely voice coming from the heart was quite captivating. The Temple of Fine Arts bravely put on a Gujerati Dandiya dance with children some of whom were of pre-

school age. The brightly colomed clothes, the clicking of sticks and movement in dance could only be applauded b y an appreciative audience. We had the aptly named and very accomplished Murali Ramakrishnan playing a hau.ming me lody on tl1e murali. The cultural progr amme came to an uplifting end wit!, the Guru Nanak Society performing a b lazing bhangra with energy, colour and carefree abandon.

The importance of celebrations of the Independence Da y cannot be oversrared as one can easi ly forget in the daily humdrllm of life the sacrifices made by many for our futures. The roll- call of 0L1r saviours such as Mahatma Gandhi, Lokman ya Tilak, the debonair Bhagat Singh, Mau lana Azad, Dadabhai Naoroji to name a few, goes on and on. Bur I leave you with the words of the m ys terious, tl1e enigmatic and the one who inspired fierce loyalty, Subhas Chandra Bose: "lvllyhe khoon do, main tmnhe azadi doonga " Avi Chandiok

BRISBANE

Celebrations as w ell a s soul searchin g

The 66th anruversary of India's Independence

D ay was observed on a warm sunny Thursday morning at the Honorary Indian Consulate in Brisbane. Although the rurnout was a mere few peop le, it did not dampen the patriotic spirit burning strong in the hearts of those. present.

The Indian flag was hoisted at 9am sharp by Archana Singh, Honorary Consul of India for Queens land along w i tl1 Prof

Sarva- Daman Singh, former Hon orary Consul of India for Queensland. The fodian .national anthem was sung with fervour.

Speaking on the occasion, Archana Singh, Honorary observed, "Jndia can be very justi.6ably proud of all her achievements in all Gelds o f industry, infrastructure , education, research and technology Economic performance and growrh rates are no doubt an important indicator of our tremendous achievement.

H oweve r, hand in hand with the celebrations, some soul searching is also crucial to India's future progress. It is o nly when every citizen becomes an integral part of the journe y into the fun1re and partakes of the benefits of freedom and deve lopment tl1at we will be true to the m emory of all freedom fighte rs There is so m uch to be done. The motlier that bas nurntred and Sllstained us through trials and tribulations over the centuries, now more than ever needs careful attention"

She further sa id, "\Xle may not live in India , but in our own sm all ways, we can all honour and sustain her great traditions of social harmony, religious p luralism and freedom of thought and belief. This is the true essence of independence".

Signing off with a Va11de l\,ltitara111 and wishing each other 'Happy Jndepe.ndeuce Day' , people dispersed to either run ro work o.r grab a bite of tl,e fresh hot sa111osas Not ro forget devour sweet syrupy delicious g11labjam1111s prepared by Archana Singh, Honorary Consul of lndia for Queens land, herself.

Tasneem Zavery

A song for the motherland

The Indian High Commissioner Biren Nanda with Senator Lisa Singh and guests in Canberra

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The great East-West contrast for healthy living

De-stressing and rejuvenating the mind and body takes different forms globally, but serves the same healing purpose

nBY NOELGDESOUZA

The Wes tern prescription for good health, such as for those who have diseases like diabetes and heart problems, i s co remain active; practically, this means walking or jogging More energetic versions are cycling and swimming.

ln contrast, the Eastern prescription (Hindu -Buddhist) fo r good physical and mental healt h is scaying still and includes emptying the mind (praryahara). Emptying di e 11-und i s no easy task; the mind is naturalJy designed to flit from one thought to the next. Memor)' consi s ts of a jumble of mind- images which are an imprint of the world w l-uch one has experienced. Patanjali counsels agaLn st m odifying such images, as chat would mean bei ng active and not passive, as praryahara should be.

psychosomatic illnes ses mean char we need to guard against allowing unhealth y emotions to permeate our way of l ife. Permitting emotions suc h as sadness and fear to dominate our thinking can be detrimental. Ins tead, making happiness and hopefulness a part of our medicative process cou.ld mean good healtl, There is an obvious age factor which can dictat e t he exerc ises an indiv id ual chooses Young athletic-oriented individuals wid1 reasonably good health may opt for jogging and cycling, whilst older p ersons may choose relax ing exerc ises and hope that inner calm develops. A variant of active exercise is tl1e military goose -step move m e nts which were see n so often in the news relating to the threats fro m North Korea. Similar parades are also common in the Balkan states, suc h as in Greece.

In these troubled

the effects of sud1 emotions is no easy task. Events like d1e ho rrendou s bombing in B osto n and the tragic explos io n s in Texas have traumatised peop le even in far away p laces

Hindu scripmres liken the mind co a raging bull wh ich need s to be controlled b y hold ing its horns. Chapter

6 of tl1e Bhagwad Gita

''Emptying the mind is no easy task; the mind is naturally designed to flit from one thought to

the next. Memory consists of a jumble of mind-images which are an imprint of the world which one has experienced

extols: 'In a fair still spot. Hav:ing his fixed abode There restraining heart and senses, silent, calm, Let him accomplish Yoga , and achieve Pureness (of) soul, holding immovab le Body and ned, and head Tranquil in spiri t , free of fear. That Yogin, so devoted (and) so controlled comes co the peace beyond "(E Arnold's poetic version of the Gita).

Modern workplaces demand a lot of mental activity an d alertness. Indeed, cl-us places stress on individuals w ho long for calm and often go on hol idays co distant p laces International tourism has become tl1e order of d1 e day.

Of course, tl1e Eastern a nd Western systems often contain e lements of ead1 other, but predominantly the Western way is to activate one's muscles and breatl-ung; whilst the Eastern way is to de -stress tl1e body and slow tl1e breathing to calm the m ind (the highes t version of this practice is dhyana , a term common to both H in duism and Buddl-usm).

It is being accepted in tl1e West t hat emotions have their effect on health. Such

invented during Mao's time. It was political i n character and was meant for galvanisi ng tbe Chinese peop le.

Aged persons who choose rela.xing exercises could possibly benefit from the Chinese Tai -Chi system which can be performed by individuals of aU ages Its main aim i s apparently to achieve inner calm tl1roug h graceful movements. A variant i s the martial style move ment times, worry and fea r are w id espread. The almost instant transmission of troubling news exace rbates the effect of events which may be far away, but n ever d1eles s relevant. Emptying the mind from

Hosp itals i.n Au stralia bar visitors during certain homs when patients are encouraged co rest and to s leep Such supposed 'inaction' is sai d to help in d1e curative processes. This coincides with the Easter n way. Ir is possib le for all indiv id uals, w hether sick or not, to sec asi d e a peri od w hen they

can rest with n o interruption. his then that d1e)' can stop worrying about the workplace and o d1er maners, and cry to 'empty their minds'.

,,Modern med icine has produced a whole rru1ge of medicines for inducing sleep. Amongst d1ese, barb iturates have a reputation of being habit-fo rming. Milder ve rsions for helping o n e to sleep are periodicall y being announced by drug compa1-ues.

Some practitioners of yoga develo ped a type of yogic rest or trance called ruriya which is abso lute rest with d1e organs going into a feeb le state of activity. Such a trance i s obvious ly difficult to achieve. Modem medicine has its variant in t he form of induc ed coma, which is used in very serious medical cases.

Every indiv id ual needs co make a conscious choice depending o n what sui ts that person's ability. For example, someone who cannot have a daily run might still be able to swim. Even so meone who mostly lie s in bed can engage in mental exerc ises. The above exercises might be decided upon by consultati o n with someone or by reading books, but tl1e choice is entirely left to tl1e indi vidual. le is based on freedom of choice and on se l f-clisc ipline.

In a rece n t article in the S.Jdmy Morning Hemld, Hugh Mackay, social commencaror says, "Eve ry part of our society has become infected w:ilh the virus of s elf-promotio n , obsessed with recognition. ln the name of encouraging one ro 'feel good' about o urse lves , as a society we seem to have gone a bit too far".

W/e see adults clamoring to be photographed w ith celebri ties, children are rewarded for even the s mallest of efforts made, and certificates a nd praise are lavi s hed for almost everything Unless t h.is is done wi th a sense of m oderation , all ic does is co buil d a bloated sense o f self-worth that fuels egotism.

Gone are the days when verbal praise and acknmvledgements were the reward , instead o f material things or public accolades. The i ncidents of edification have reached s uch enormous proportions chat it has become a source of embarrassment. In an era where feeling unique an d special is encouraged almost constantly, be i t fashion or t he owning of rare material possessio ns, the constant war-cry o f bein g 'special' is ofte n taken co the extreme.

An iUusu·ation o f chis extreme marketing of one's uniqueness can be seen eve n in sports In an effort to encourage indiv iduals, t!Je team's contribution that is intrinsic in the success of th e individual, is re legated co th e back sea t. It seems we have developed an almost unque n chable need for recogn ition and the belief thar public rewa rd would so m ehow encourage better and more successful efforts.

\Vhar chis does is create a false expectation tl1at not only is one unique, but one has the right to b e seen as unique and be endo rsed by others The fact is chat each of us is unique and s pecial b y vir tue of just what we are - humans endowed with special faculties that make us stand apart from other

species. Within our own species , each individu al has a very si ngular DNA that makes us unique. This also bestows on us the capacity to chink, act constructively and conduct our lives as a community, not just as individual s or tribes of animals. Somehow, ,ve seem to h ave moved away from tl1e fact chat ,ve are inter-connected and inter-dependent

So, why are we descending further into chis vortex of se lf gratification? Is it a sense of intrins ic insecurity? Why do we post selfies on Facebook and metweets on Twitter? Perhaps ch is self-grandstancling g ives a sen se o f contro l in an increasing world 1.hat seem s beyo nd one's control. The truth is that no one is any more superior or inferior co any o ne else. As the saying goes, 'W hat you win o n tl1e swings, you lose o n the roundabout'.

On rhe other h and, we h ave individuals w h o are so self-critical, tl1at they discount ilieir own self-wo r d,. The y are rel uctant to speak up even w hen they have something worthwhil e to say, they take the back seat alwars, and

sometimes bec o me coo dejected a nd discouraged at the smaUest disappointment, in stead blamin g themselves. Often t hey also descend into self- pity Sadly, tl1ese negative emotions onl y destroy their confidence further.

A commo n l ament is char man y are too concerned about \vhat others might say'. In traditio nal culm res, o ne often hears the phrase, 'Wh at would od1er people s ay? ' \'{/he n we look into the orig in of d1 is phrase, it seem s ir came about to illustrate the idea that in the final analysis, what matters is how one's Life is evaluated posthum o usly when those left behind would be able to say, 'd1ere goes a g r eat person'. This is falsely und erstood to mean that we should somehow bow to od1er people's opinions, discounting our own ideas. \While this concern abour d1e views of ochers does produce some cohesi o n in n orms being maimained in so cial in teractions, it also stifles indi viduality to a certa in extent. It would seem that it requires a fi ne balance to maintain a sense of self-worth, while still being aware

of m aintaining cohesion wiiliin the family/ society.

The idea of an intrinsi c sense of sel f-worth tl1ac resulrs from th e pursuit of bas ic values such as kindness, ilioughtfulness, generosity and cornpassion in everyday Li fe seems alien t o man y It is the response from o ur feUow-be ings w h en we practice good values that validate om sel fwortl1. Self- esteem and self-worth are b oth intrinsic, and cannot be so ught externally. l\ sense of satisfaction in behaving in a 'hLm1an' way is somethi ng that is w ithin the expe r ience of everyone Generous giving, b e it of our time, mo ney or help brings with it its own reward.

Hugh Mackay's su mmation best illustrates tl1is: "Self-respect is a very priva te con cept, easily overloo ked in the noisy contest to construct and prom ote an ' im age'. le i s a thing we earn by cbe way we han dle di sa ppointment, tedium and loss, as weU as those fleeting m omencs of happiness. There i s no shorccuc, and no amount of se lf-promotion will get us d1ere".

It seems we have developed an almost unquenchable need for recognition and the belief that public reward would somehow encourage better and more successful efforts

The idea of an intrinsic sense of self-worth that results from the pursuit of basic values such as kindness, thoughtfulness, generosity and compassion in everyday life seems alien to many

Self-respect and self-esteem are commendable qualities to possess, except when they become obsessions

Sewing the seeds of change

An Aussie fashion designer's passion for ethical clothing takes her to a Rajasthani village

Meg Wilkinson's passion for textiles and clothing began with arc. She comp leted a Fine Arcs degree majoring in jeweUery and metal smith ing at the University of Tasmania.

"I think 1 was always a bit of a frustrated fashion designer," laughs Meg.

After making jeweUery for many years she went back to TAFE to snidy fas h ion and costume design and deve loped the idea of starting an ethical clothing business in India.

Meg's first trip to fodia was 15 years ago. "I landed at 2am and breached in the Delhi fragrance," says Meg. "11 [y heart just opened and I knew l'd come home".

What drives an Australian to scare a quest co help people on the other side of the wor ld? A passion for textiles and hand -embroidery, a desire co preserve traditio n al skills and the perseverance to produce clothing chat directly benefits the workers.

''l met a lot of peop le who go co Pushkar to ger clotl1es made," said Meg, "because making it in Australia i s too expens ive".

While working for The Body Shop, Meg was inspired by their ''Trade Not Aid" program, which advocates going inro developing countries and buying products from the source. Meg wanted to buy d irectl y from the artists and pay chem a little above tl1e normal wage. She saw tl1e difference it made to their Lives and village infrastructure

"It didn't cost much more but made a huge d ifference," she says.

A "major life shift" enabled Meg to resume study and travel to India. While staying in a guesthouse in Pushkar she fell in love with irs manager, Savar Ram. She cold him about her b usiness idea and they s carred Beej together in 2008

Beef is the Hindi word for seed, and \\~tl1 tbis enterprise Meg be lieves she is "sewing the seeds of change".

Beej employs workers from a smaU v illage about 20 kms ourside Pushkar. The initial set up was not w ithout its difficulties.

"1 wanted to create clotl1ing that used traditional skills with a modern edge and I was aiming at women 30 and over," s ays Meg. "l

Grevi/lea maxi dress

thought the lo cal women would be fine co use traditional skills so I was shocked to learn char those skills were dying out because machine embroidery was rep lacing traditional hand embroidery".

iVfeg had to train the women to create the embroidery for her des igns. Once the trai n ing was underway, man y of the women's grandmothers shared their memories about when they practised tl1e craft.

"It was difficult work for the women at first," says Meg. "They are used ro hard work (as the village is a farming community), but now tl1ey can have a break and do work that's more social and less physical".

Meg keeps her collections and runs small, crying to be as sustainable as possible. She poinrs out tl1at tl1e women aren't available all year because o f farm work, so they can work for Beej as ir suirs them. The women can earn extra money as Beej pays Rs 200 a clay minimum.

"Most women make Rs 70 on farms per day and I pay per p iece ratl1er than per day as an incentive. No one earns under 200 rupees and they are nor tied to the job".

Her practical approach is balanced with a desire to educate Australians about fair trade products. Her aim is ro "empower peop le who have nothing and peop le who have everytl1ing". She cites the recent building collapse in Bangladesh as an example of why there is a need fo r greater

scrutiny of manufacturing practises.

"Ethical fashion is talked about, but people are not acting on ir," says Meg.

She poinrs out tl1at consw11ers need co be wary of labelling and how fair trade goods are produced Fair trade is a general term and a brand name and buyers need to be aware char "an item is Fair trade cotton only if it's bought from char particular company''

The same prob lem exists witl1 d1e label "orga nic." Cotton manufacturing using child labour bas been reported in six of tl1e seven cop countries chat produce organic cotton. Beej has taken a considered approach co producing ethical clothing The bright and beautiful clothing is made from surplus cotton and low chemical d yes "\Y.le wanred to used Khadi band-woven cotton, but couldn't get enough so we bu y from local cotton manufacturers who store an excess of cotton tl1ar would otherwise go ro waste," says Meg. " Our clotl1es are dyed with lmv impact cl1emical dyes that don't run and we use Rangoli threads made in L1dia".

Beej aims to use " upcyclecl" material including Gujarat embroidery and employs local arasans

In five years Beej has shown sceady growth. They sell online and at selected Festivals and markets .including Woodford, Music Festival, WOMAD,

Rajasthani frill bag

designer markets like Brisbane's Finders Keepers and tl1e Qlcl Fair Tracie marker Meg wanes to sell clothes "w here people are excited about something that has a story and are giving back ro the community I want them ro come ro our staU and hear the background, knowing d1ey've

made a difference and started on tl1e patb of buying ethical products and supporting ethical trade. I wane people co think".

She concludes, If yo u have a dream and follow it with a pure intention eve r yt hing falls into place. It's totally possible".

Wattle kaftan

Indian Link Radio broadcaster PRIYANKA TATER takes us behind the scenes of some of her hit interviews

Salaam, nama.ste, sat snj,akt1al. 1\lfai11 hoon aapki dost a11r host

Prf)'anka Tate,:

The line w ith which 1 kickstarted my very first show on Indian Link Radio, is tbe one I choose to begin this article witb

It's been almost two years presenting on -aii- for fodian Link and the journey has been an absolute roller coaster I bet yo u'd agree that raclio can be cathartic for those listening as well as for those presenting. And one o f tbe most appealing things about Lhe \Toice without a face (that is, the rad io presenter!) is that the voice gets the opportunity to speak the hearts and minds of the "con1n1on man" our there. The personalised couch of radio can never be rep licated by any other form of media.

r ow befo re you conclude that this piece is a thes is on the radio, let me get back on track sorry, no soundtrack this time!

I Like to keep my shows fun, fast and ftill of entertainment, with the right dose of information, discussions and interaction. Wearing your thinking caps is an option!

But when it's an interview with an?body who is a 'so mebody', I try and make sure that thry put on tbat cap and don't get away easy!

\'i/e as p resenters are a voice of our listeners and it is a given that we act as the bridge to get the message across from both ends of the spectrrn11.

So let me rake you behind the scenes of some of my interviews.

Yes interviews can be tricky, especially when yo u have some controve rsies to tackle. Like the one that I did with Neville Roach, AO. Now th.is was about the annual Gandhi Oration at the UNSW 2013 which had Sir l'vlichael Kirby make some controversial remarks about l\fahatrna Gandhi And yes, I happened co question them. Mr. Roach, as patron of the Australia India fostirme at UNSW, is one of the brains behind the annual function. What happened can be best described as a robust discussion and was certainly stimulating for all those tuning in.

As a newbie in Australia, I got a chance straight up to relive my career as an entertainment reporter on Indian television, on an early assignment for Indian Link Radio: an interview with V idya Balan She was here for

the Bollywood Film Festival. Ali the journos, inclucling yours truly, waited patiently for our respective turn ro interview fodia's favour ite actress. Since 1 had interviewed her earlier on various occasions in India , V idya recognised me as soon as she walked in. Calling out to me, she started a conversation.

Alrig h t, sol had an edge over others in room and I could sense that my interview would go off smooth! Take i t from me, i f tl1e celeb is comfortable \\,ith the interviewer, half the job is done.

But it's nor always the celebrity who dictates the terms. More often tl1ao not I have found, the celeb's PR a nd managers and as sista nts are the ones who lay the rules. Often they are the ones who decide when the interview starts and when it needs to fi nish, which question is "too personal", where the interviewer is crossing the lin e and when they need to chip in to cur short an otherwise smooth £lowing conversation.

It was no different this time with Vidya Balan's manager. After the interview when I requested Vidya co record a message for lnd.ian Link Radio (something along the lines of " Hello

Australia, tllis is V idya Balan and you are listening to Indian Link Radio"). I was rudely stopped by her manager: it was time for photo ops, thank you. So Vidya, like an obedient child followed her manager and posed prettil y for the shunerbugs, while m y tean1 from lnclian Link Rad.io packed up quietly And just as we were about to leave, I heard a voice. "Priyaoka, you wanted an ID for your radio naa, let's do it now".

That was the adorabl e Vidya Balan, winning om hearts with her humility. She most definitely challenges tl, e norms both in reel and real life.

\Vhile you beard time interview on-air, I got to take a bit extra with me, some behind d1e scenes experiences and memories. Ah! These are some of the perks of the job!

A nd yet some interviews can be quire a challenge, just getting one at d1ar. The powerhouse singer Sukhwinder Singh chose to wear h is heart on h is sleeve on-air and it felt like I was just chatting with a buddy, who had allowed me and the listeners a free tour into his mind and heart. But only God, Neelarn Vasudevan (our Creative

Director), Ashish Chawla (our Marketing Man ager in Melbourne) and myse l f, know how we skipped a few heartbeats when the singer just did not pick up d1e phone for a live-on-air interview! So it was me calling him , his manager calling, and d1en d1e promoter of his show, and d1en me tr),i ng again to call and repeatedly call d1e singer. The interview that was supposed to go on air at 7pm finall y kicked off at 8pm. Those 60 minutes in between the less said of them, the better!

As it turned our, our star singer happened to be taking a shower and you see, yo u do n 't question scars or their idiosyncrasi es. You just go with the Aow! With no pretensions of modesty, I'd admit that there is a lot of sweat and blood which goes into ead1 show that we bring to you, o m listeners, as you are the reason for our existence on radio. And I can vouch for myself and pre tty much all my colleagues, that we love every bit of it. We love to chat with you on- air and off-air.

We love it when you share your joys and \Ve cr y our best to s hare your sorrows. W/e try to bi:ing s mil es to your faces

''I like to keep my shows fun, fast and full of entertainment, with the right dose of information, discussions and interaction

That was the adorable Vidya Ba Ian, winning our hearts with her humility. She most definitely challenges the norms both in reel and real life

and be your stressbusters.

Jaate jaate ek geet 111eri taref se aap s1111 Ima: Yim hi katJt11!) Bga sefm· saatb cha/11e se (H11111 Hai Raahi l~yaarKe)

Toh fi!bt1aal aapki dost a111· host PriJ•a11k{I T{lfer leti hai aapse ijtiaZfJI.

Stay tuned and enjoy d1e mus ic and the 111asti! Catch me Live every Tuesday and Thursday between 6pm to 9pm on your ver y own Indian Link Radio.

l11dian link can be heard wireless by subscription radio in Sydney and Melbourne 011 the i11ter11et (indi wlink com 1111) or download our free app from iTimes or the Android phone market pla ce

rea 1es or Swan Festival of Lights

A not-for-profit organisation promoting music and dance will take bring its creative expression alive during Deepawali

-::ti' 1

BY - l SAi NARAYAN

When it con'.es co prese nang the best of Ind ian

fi ne arcs to Perth audiences, che Temple of Fine J\rrs (TFA) is a welJ - known name The TFA organises and manages the Swan Festival of Lights, a n annual Deepavali event w hich puts up a r ich feast of multicultural dance, music and ar tistic performances. Their m any production achievements include Indian dance -drama adaptations of A Mids1111111m· Night's Dream, S1/la11 T_L/ke, and the Chin ese mytbology tale B,ttterfl.y Lovers, along with a number of Indian epics inc luding the Ra!IN!)Wla and Shak1111ta/a Estab lis hed in l 981, the organi sation has centres in Malaysia, India, USA, Singapore and in Perth, Australia.

fodi,111 Link caught up with Sukh.i Sbetty-Krishnan, Director/ Artistic Director of TFA, to get an inside v iew of the o rganisation a n d che visio n behind it. There are a few international d irectors and she is one of them.

How did it all start?

Sukhi explains that the TFA start ed in 1981 w hen founder Swami Shamanand formed a little prayer group to celebrate Nt1varatri and ocher Hindu festivals.

" There were a couple of accomplis hed Katht1kaii and Bht1rol11t1!:)'t11/l dancers in the gro up," exp lains Sukhi "To promote Swami Shancanand's vis ion, tl1e group decided to teach children about Hind u m)rtl10logy tl1rough dance and music. T hough primarily focused on Indian classical fine arts, the Swam i's vis ion was much more broadmin d ed. His vision e n veloped different fo rm s of dance and m u sic, not just Indian".

"He introduced jazz as welJ, for example, and made us awa re and accepting of other forms of dance," Su kh.i reminsces. The visio n also encourages tl1e

ideal of self-growth through the development of discipline, humility and love as part of learning the art form.

]n 2004, the Swam i developed a plan specifically for Pertl1, res Lilting in the creation of the Saraswati Mahavidhyalaya (SMV), where he srnted tha t 64 arts would be caught in various genres including v isual arts, poetry, m usic, dance etc. The educational and learning aspect of the dance forms come under the ambit of SMv, and T FA is its performing wing. TFA allo,,1s students and teachers to perform and exhi bit their r..'liencs co the ,vider community.

There are about 200 students of SMV learning various dance forms like Odissi, lvithok and Bbamt11t1!)•a111. A Bt1la V iht1ra is also conducted where children can learn m ythology thro ugh dance a nd music. Bollywood danc ing, didge ridoo and African percussi on, tablt1, uema, guitar, Auce and keyboard arc all part of the rich variety of programs on offer at SJ\{V. The p rograms are for children and adults, but age is no bar, explains Sukh i

What plans does TFA have for the future?

"One of the short- term goals i s to get another schooling centre open in the ciLy which would be ab le to cater for the community

that is n o r th of the river," states Sukhi. "Bes ides mis, mere is the Swan Festival of Lights scheduled later tlus year during Deepavali, fo r w h ich local and imernational talent would need to be o rgan ised and managed".

A lo n g term a nd ambitious dream project for the TFA, Si\1N and its affiliate bodies i s co create an Arc Sanctua r y to be located at Ke lmscort o n 15 acres of land. 1t is en visioned that the Sancmary would be a centre m odelJed on the Indian Gurukul system, providing education and workshop s ia holistic heal th, art, da nc e, music and yoga

As the TFA is a not -for- profit organisation, what motivates the members of the organisation to keep going and growing?

" The Swami's teaching is co love, serve and give When we see students enjoyin g their performances and the delight of the audiences tl1at's the satisfactio n th at motivates u s," reveals Sukhi. She relates au i nteresting anecdote from tl1e Swan Festival of Lights (SFOL) conduc ted lase year.

"During tl1e Ramayana performance, on o n e of the days, we had dis rup tions and performance cancellation due to rain," she recounts "The students were upset, especially the little ones

who were enacting th e monkey b attalion. We decided co do the enactment on the grass, instead of the stage. The enthusiasm of the kids was amazing as they slipped and danced o n die grass an d in tl1e rain. It was better than on the stage, because there was closer interaction with the audience, many of whom expressed their appreciation".

With a growing interest in Indian art form and various dance schools coming up all over the city, how does she see TFA as being distinct from the others?

"Though die SMV teac hes various dance forms li.ke Bharat11a!')l(IJI/ or Odissi in separate categori es, the TFA brings these different arc fo rm s together in its productions \Xlhatever m ovement best conveys tl1e message is utilised," reveal s Suklu. "As Swami Shamaoanda's vision envisioned the unity of vario u s disparate art forms, TFA seeks to implement tl1at vision in its productions. This i s not always the case in oche r schoo ls," she claims. Having said tl1at, she points om tl1at far from being competitive, she would encourage every sch ool that seeks co educate the community in the richness of our classic al arc forms.

How does Sukhi see the work ofTFA affecting the wider Australian community?

"India n fine arts are increasingly b eing seen as a .link which can bring India and Indians closer to tl1e wider Australian com m unity. The Swa n Festival of Lights sees a w ide spectrum of people attending tbe shows, and significant numbers of them are local Australians w ho appreciate tbe d ances, tlie music and t he food," she exp lains.

There are currently at least 10 local Australian studen ts le arning at the SMV Many Au stralian ministe r s see the o ppornmi ty fo r arts co create a stro n ger link between the two commmiities and countries. There i s eve n some interest from die local commuoit:y to cel ebrate the Deepavali festival togetl1er. She jestingly r emarks that the time might come when Deepav ali could even be a public holiday!

''"Indian fine arts are increasingly being seen as a link which can bring India and Indians closer to the wider Australian community. The Swan Festival of Lights sees a wide spectrum of people attending the shows"

Sukhi ShettyKrishnan

"Though the SMV teaches various dance forms like Bharatnatyam or Odissi in separate categories, the TFA brings these different art forms together in its productions"

Sukhi ShettyKrishnan

rea

strea •

The joy of expression through art comes at a subtle, yet painful price

BY ' PURNIMA I RUANGLERTBUTR

Some people see the future in a ba/1 ofblinding white light. Some see the past in the black cracks between moments. And me? I don't see anything. The paintbrush wounds in ways the sword can only dream of It is the sword's mostfervent wish to slice with the brutal subdety of the brush, so that its victim scarcely knows he has been struck.

MrChana inspected me as l walked in to the arr smdio. ! refused to budge until T mer the owner.

"F ifceen?" He guessed.

"No, twenty!" I lied.

''You're too yOLmg. Look at the other men, they're o ld enough to be your fa ther s A nd what does a boy your age want to work here fo r anyway? Go home!" Mr Chana nuaed to leave.

"Wair! Look, I need the wor k \\'ihy does it ma tter to you what age 1 ara?" My voice rose as Mr C b ana's figure recreated toward s the o ffice.

" I'U take halfof what the others ask you for!"

The figure stopped Paintbrushes hovered in mid-air - ali eyes mrned tome

He grinn ed

"

l\fake me some samples; we have a n ew client coming in today

If I like your samples, you can pa.int his bus " He turned to me. "Bue first, I need tea from d1at sta.ll ar the end of th e lane. D o n't walk s lowly it looks like rain"

Ro.lls o f soiled paper stretched across th e yard table, unearthed from the cupboard b etween cans o f paint and m rpenrine l wo r ked vigorous ly \vhilst the other me n furti vely glimpsed at what loo ked like burst5 of colour dancing o n a b lack smface. D ays later, three completed pane ls surfaced, its picrures celebrating Karac hi c ity's vir.ality.

Tbeftrsf tbi11g she said to Ille, 'Vid J'Olf know thc1t black can glow?" It 11Jas hard lo look a111ay 1vhile she 111as dra111it1g. She k,11e1JJ bow lo build light, depth,

1an 1n

shado111 011d meaning.from the ct11111bli11g po1JJder ef charcoal and tbe q11iueti11g, spreadi11g streak of black India ink To I/latch 1llJ tn/Jf/face gr01vfrom curving lines as l sat across_fiw11 be,; lo see to11es ef reflected dayligbt b/00111 011 llfJ cheeks as she nrhbed ,wmd and ro1J11d. .it 1vas 111es!llerir.

Th e paintings depicted an aerial view of a street. A brid al pr ocession snak ed its way d own houses garlan ded with shimm erin g fairy lights. Men on horses, a crimso n red and gold palanquin , a .firework frozen in mid-air, drummers adorned in sil k, and ther e were people l ike me who danced their way down a p ainte d street. O n e could see vendors heaving laden carts of amulets and souvenirs, beggars sprawled on the street, an d a boy gazing at the skyline - aU radiating a spectrum of c o lours

"The less a pait1ti11g co11tains, !be 1110Tf the content co1mmmirates," sbe co11tinfled.

'1t} lih! a blank p,,inting sqp as 11111ch a.ran i11tticate!J painted canvas". I smiled at her rl'!1i!e !tying to 11J1la11gle the !/leaning of what she'd just Jaid.

J mrned to the woi:ke rs. They were astounded b y the artwork's intricate perfection; ir was unlike anyd1ing they'd ever seen o n a Karachi bus. They plunged into t he commotio n of a city that never slept, one d1at transformed inro a luminous spectacl e wid1 harm onic music aud inviting crowds. It may have been certain circwnstan ces involving lovingly harboured delusio n s that real]y punctuated this Jove of a place They scurded away, w hispering the implausibility of Mr C h ana aUowing me to direct the pa.in ring of a bus as my first project. Strand s of nunbling clouds leaned in to hear th e conversation.

My eyes travelled across rhe panel s, looking fo r som e minute detail I'd left out. D rain ed , I propped d1em against d1e yard wall while Mr Cha na remained in his offi ce, slnrpiog his en dless cups of tea I wand ered o u tside into d1e wor kshops, passing men \Vith welding guns and m etal cutters, fash ioning velvet tapestries and mirrors onto buses l'v[adly caree ring buses paraded down Karachi's streets, each a moving gaUery of images d1ac exhibi ted religious iconograph y, vol u ptuous

wome n reclining in garde n s of pillars, a nd proverbs written with ornate calligraphy. Peacocks, flora in full b loom, veiled faces of women with coy kohl -rimmed eyes; d1ese were recognised images in che language of bus-art. Bus own ers paid srnaU fortunes for d1eir vehicles to be decorated. I imagin ed j\,fr Cha.na's response co my panels; l picnrred my bus bei ng whi spered abour on the streets more wo r k o rd ers would come in. She took me 011!far a drink for tbe Jii,t time. O11r teeth clattered t1gait1st 111arti11iglasses repeated!J, 11rgentf;1 lik.e 111e 111ere hying to reach c1 goal. TI 1110s no! even abolfl the d1i11k, bHI the orchestral sfOIJ' that H11folded, which l rond11cterl in 1"t1pt11re I even ate the .rk.ei11ered olive. When "D' 111011th jin7Jled that peifect 'o' - tbe drea111 qf polished fl.001,, ballroom d,wcing and the gentle sl/lish ef e111broidendJah,ic f/oflrished

'Hi, I don't think Ti11trot!Hced ll!J.relf, I'm A bd1JI''. Sbe took "D'Proffered band in her cool pal,11 a11d held it i11 a 11!'!)' T imagined mggestive. ':Aisha," she said, looking amused as if l 'd done something particular!)' sil!J. ' 'Tf>'hat} the poi11t ef it," she began, "[t} allfarfi1me thry all end 11p 111here th~)' ve start,edjiw11 Ol!JIP'!)\ don'!)'OH think?" She llfmed to 111e ,md l s111iled )}Jeak(y

"Hey rou!" I nu necl to see one of the men from the workshop. "]\fr Ch ana wants you in h is office," he said su.llenly, b efore walking off I followed with a kno t of anticipation in m y stomach. I

barel y observed the m a n who stood sternly in ]\fr Chana's doorway. His watch lit the room, and fumes from his cigarette hung in the air. l didn't know how long I stood before he n oticed me.

"Hd/be doing fl(J bus?" a s ked the man sceptically.

"Yes, sir. He looks young, but h as sucb skjl/ at a tender age," Mr Chana was assuring. "And and h e's cl1eaper than the other m en " his voice trai led off h o p efu.lly. Widtin m inutes I was n odding at Mr Chana's request co bri ng in the pan els fo r display. 1 leapt from the corridor into the yard.

A di scanr sou n d accompanied me as I sprinted d1rough die archway and into th e o p en. I felt m y hair, drenched a nd matted, stick to m y scalp. Me n scw-ried around heaving their woi:k inro d1e shade Chatter suffocated rhe dam pness of the air. Mr Chana and the man approached me, d1eir thunderous voices fading as d1ey sigh ted t he panels.

B lack pa.int ran clown drenched paper, swallowing every colour in i ts wake The wedding procession, the boy gazing at the skylin e, die mrmeric in wo m en's carts, the flickerin g fireworks - surged on to the yard floor.

Some people see thefuture in a ball of blinding 111bite light So111e see the pa.rt in the black cracks between 111oment.r. And me? Tdon't see anytbing ata/1.

Whether you 're voting Lib or Labor (or any

red and blue treats?

BY , LENA PEACOCK

party),

Wbile us Auss ies : don't get : quite as over- : excited when • . it's election • time as our American friends do, we can take a leaf out of their book when it comes to election themed food. And if yo u're completely over hearing anything about the election by now, why not view it as just another excuse to have a party invo lving lots of delicious food? And i f red (Labor Party) or blue (Liberal Parry) don't quite float your bm1t, just use them as the co lours of the Australian flag.

It's a wrap:The Prime Minister is

These are nice and easy to eat while watching the election on tv, and are so versatile, they can be sni ffed fuJJ of any of your favourite fillings.

Tortillas

4 cups of flour

l ¾ tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

90g butter

I ¼ cup of water (or a little more if needed)

Red food colouring

Blue food colouring

P lace dry ingredients and butter into a bowl. Using your fingertips, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the p ieces become the size of peas. Add water until it becomes a soft

• • • • . .

• : dough. Separate dough into three

: balls. Work red food colouring

• inm one of tl1e balls and bl ue into .

• anotl1er. Break each colour into . : about 4 dough baJJs. Roll dough

• baUs into d1in tortillas. Remove .

• excess flour from each tortiJJa as

• : much as possib le. Cook in a non -

: stick pan on medium heat just

• until each side is done - dus won't .

: rake long if you rolled iliem out

: thinly Roll with sandwich fillings,

: or a curry that doesn't have too

: much liquid to it.

:

OTT election beverages

• : Although there are plenty of

• alcoholic versions, here's a child

• : friendly ve rsion, which will

: hopefully keep the election talk

: tempers down.

• Cranberry juice . : t on- alcoholic pina colada

• Blue Gatorade

• .

Make jell y as per instructions on packer. Once red and blue layers have set, combine with chilled layer of condensed milk.

Sweet strawberry voters

l punnet of ripe strawberries

1 bag of white choco late melts/

o r chips

I cup of white sugar

I tbsp of milk

1 tbsp of Light corn syrup

Blue food colouring

Cooking paper

Wash and comp letely dry the strawberries. In a pot, simmer

1Octn of \Vater and place a glass or : metal bo\vl on cop of the pot to : create a double boiler. Slowly me lt : half the bag of wlute chocolate.

• : Simply combine ingredients in

• different layers to achieve desired .

• effect.

•

• : Election jelly jiggle time

•

• I box of b lue jell y .

•

• I box of red jelly

• 1 can o f sweetened condensed .

• milk

When r11ey are me lted, remove from heat, and add d1e second half of the chocolate, srin:ing until smooth. Once the white chocolate is completed melted , dip strawbe rries about 3/4 of the way in and then se t on top cooking paper for chocolate

co harden.

After you've dipped aJl the strawberries, in a separate bowl,

.

: 111.Lx together the sL1gar, corn

: syrup and n1ilk. Then add as

: n1uch blue food colouring (t\vo

: drops at a tin1e) co get the rig ht

: shade of blue you want. Spoon

: icing into a piping bag (or a

i.iplock bag wiili a hole cut in it)

Once chocolate has completely hardened, drizzle the ic in g back and fortl1 on the strawberries unti.J abom half of the white chocolate area is covered.

INDIAN LINK: NEWS ON Tl-IE GO!

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Seeking a suitable match Currently pharmacist in UK, (but would prefer to settle down in Australia).

Born May 1979 (UK citizen), and is also an Australian permanent residen t. 5' 7", slim, vegetarian, Hindu Punjabi khatri. Father-retired, mother - ret ired, one brother (all in UK) and one sister (married an d settled in Australia). Contact redvanillal 01 @hotmail.com

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SEEKING BRIDES

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Seeking a suitable match, currently t est analyst in UK, (but would prefer t o sett le down in Australia). Born May 1975 UK (citi ze n). Australia (permanent residen t ), 6ft. Hindu Punjabi khatri. Fathe r - retired , moth e r - retired, two sisters (younger in UK) and ol der sister (married and set tled in Australia).

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TA n QTPR~o,cr,oNs FOR K

By NANCY JADEALTMEA "'":'R~J:~!:df'~uti~H1".ll

ARIES March 21 - April 19

This is a month of social indulgence and making time for special friends. Take care of your limbs, try not to pull any muscles. Your love life is causing you some stress. Work will be demanding, but major changes will benefit you. You will be feeling a bit lethargic, but keep motivated towards a better work situation. Company cutbacks mean keeping on your toes. A pet may be feeling m.

TAURUS Apr i l 20 - May 20

You will be feeling very positive, as finances will be stable. Expect an increase in income from another source. Friends may request you for money, politely decline as the loan will not be returned. You may have some stomach issues, so change your diet, cut out wheat and try a gluten free diet. Family and communication will be important. Someone living in another country will cause concern, call them.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

It's time for social activities, parties and entertaining. There may be a new job offer or promotion. Debts and bills need to be settled so keep your accounts updated. You may think of a short holiday soon. Your lower back may cause some problems, maybe related to an old injury. Electric items may need attention. You are surrounded by white, guided by protection from a relative who has passed over

CANCER June 21 - July 20

It's a time of love and romance. Make a commitment to someone you have liked for some time now. Don 't rush into buying, despite wanting new things for your home. Work is positive with a greater interest in social activities and workshops. Expansion and stability is paramount, as well as future investments and property. Your spouse may be unwell, give them rest and support.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

You will have increased expenses, so do not overspend and control outgoings. Take care when using the stairs. You may think of taking up some creative activity like writing or painting, now is the time to let your creative juices run wild. Work will be steady; if look ing for work, a recent meeting will have a positive outcome. Certain people have not communicated well with you which has been upsetting.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

You will be uneasy and restless, with disturbed sleeping patterns. Try to relax before bedtime. Be careful when dealing with relatives in difficult situations and discussions. Take care on the road, people may be careless. There is some confusion and doubt about the future. You are not feeling secure and stable. Financially you want to save more money, but are a bit disorganised and lazy. Look after an old relative who is ill.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

You may have a stressful month, with a chance of splitting up with a longtime close friend. You are thinking about how to increase your finances. Try and relax, take up meditation , if very stressed, but you will get through. You overreact and get upset quickly, keep cool and calm. You will think about buying new clothes and changing your image, with a new hairstyle. Get involved in community social activities.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

You will be feeling very energetic, charged and in control. You wilJ make plans to start new ventures. Your investment in stocks and shares are not giving good returns. Put your cash elsewhere, take advice. Relationships are stressful, ease the situation by spending quality time together. If in an exercise regime, keep persisting even if you are not that motivated. Try to lose weight and keep healthy.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

This is a great month for career advancement and new possibi lities. You will travel and look at the possibility of a venture overseas. Financially you are saving, and that feels good. Spice up your love life with role playing and fantasy in the bedroom, as Saggis get bored quickJy. Speak to your partner, as you feel they are not taking the initiative. You may start a new venture in the future, so make plans.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

You will look at ways of increasing your income. You will feel healthy and relaxed, as health is good and you are trying to lose weight. This is a time for travelling and thinking of buying a house or maintaining your current home. There are exciting changes, so keep motivated. You tend to keep to yourself, as you have been betrayed Jately by some good friends.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18

You will feel restless because of work pressure. Take care and get enough rest to handle demanding work projects. J Take care when driving, especially if you drive a red car. News relating to a health test will be favourable. Spend , time out with your family, and make time for yourself. You may be suffering from headaches, and stiffness around the neck. Someone abroad will be in touch.

PISCES f=eb 19 - March 20

You will take more of an interest in spirituality, meditation and chanting of some kind. You are stressed out, so relax your mind and body. Regular massages will be good. Relationships are on and off, decide what you really want. Keep finances in check and start saving as you have been overspending lately. Start exercising regularly, spend more time in the gym to keep your health in order.

MAPPY SOTM SRI!

Itwas party-time for Bollywood recently as Boney Kapoor threw a bash to celebrate his wife and actress Sr idevi s 50th birthday The ti/mi revellers kept the party going we ll into the night. From Rish i Kapoor to Shi lpa Shetty and Sushmita Sen, filmdom's best and brightest came out in ful l force to wish the birthday girl. Hema Malini came with her daughter Esha and son-in-law BharatTakhtani, while Juhi Chawla was seen with her husband Jay Mehta, and Anupam Kher was spotted too. Manoj Bajpayee and Vinod Khanna were also spotted along with Rish i , who worked with her i n successful films li ke Nagina and Chandni. Sridevi's b rother-in-law Anil Kapoor, who worked with her in hits like Mr India, too came for the do with his wife Sunita.

Last year Sridevi hogged the l imelight for her comeback film English Vinglish , in which she gave a credible performance. Before retiring in 1996 after marrying Boney Kapoor, she enjoyed success with hits like Sadma, Himmatwala, Chaalbaaz andJudaai

Well, S0's not a great age to start sizzling on the screen again, but Sri seems to have achieved this Good on her!

I'm a clutter- breaker: John Abraham

John Abraham, whose latest production Madras Cafe was under attack from Tamil activists for allegedly showcasing LTTE cadres as terror ists, says he always wanted to break clutter w ith his films. And the courage to do so comes from his audience.

His debut production Vicky Donor dealt with the sensitive subject of spe r m donation in a lighter vein and Madras Cafe is based on the Sri Lankan civil war. While one entertained, the latter is aimed at engaging.

'Very frankly, the courage to be a clutter-breaker comes from the audience. Vicky Donor was widely accepted. It really doesn't matter if some pol itical organisations object to my (new) film. It's up to the audience to accept or reject the film," John sa id.

Madras Cafe, which features John as a RAW agent and Nargis Fakhri as a war correspondent, released this month. Theatre owners in Tami l Nadu refrained from releasing either the Hindi or the Tamil version feari ng protests from Tamil activists

Isn't it a tough situation for a new producer like you?

"I am new to the business. But if I' ve to be a clutter-breaker, I may have to make political statements. As a filmmaker, I must be all owed to have my say in a democratic nation;' he said.

Farah hopes SRK will loosen the purse strings for Happy NewYear Choreographer- director Farah Khan hopes the success of Chennai Express helps her next directorial venture Happy New Year, which she is making with Shah Rukh Khan in the lead ro l e SRK co-produced his Chennai Express, wh i ch had Deepika Padukone i n the female lead, with UTV and the romantic comedy is reaping gold at the box office. Farah is interpreting the success of the film as good news for her movie because the Bollywood Badshah is produc i ng her project as well.

"I am very happy at the success of Chennai Express. It has broken all records. Shah Rukh is the hero and producer of my film. Now he wi l l come on the sets of my film filled with more energy and hopefully will shell out more money for my film. I am very happy;' Farah told reporters jokingly.

Farah is repeating the hit pair of SRKDeepika in Happy New Year She worked with them in Om Shanti Om, which also marked Deepika's debut i n Hind i filmdom.

Farah also informed Happy New Year, which also stars Abhishek Bachchan, is set to go on floors next month.

"The schedule wil l start September 1st in Dubai,"said Farah.

For laughing out loud!

Comedy grips Indian TV

If laughter is t he best medicine, Hi ndi general entertainment channels

AHRUKH KHAN ON SH '/ NIGHTS ... coMED

(GECs) are using it to the hi lt to woo audiences They are serving comedies in new formats, using fresh storytelling techniques, funn i er gags and l aughing all the way to the bank with soaringTRPs

The demand for li ght-hearted shows can be estimated fr om the fact that Comedy Circus is i n its 16th season and has also entered the Limca Book of Records for being the longest runn i ng reality comedy series.

If that is not enough, stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma's show has caught the fancy of non-traditional GEC -viewers and it has been extended owing to its popu l arity, whi le SAB TV has dedicat ed itself to just comedy shows

"The audience wants to laugh and this is why the trend of comedy shows i s on a high on TV;'said Kapil, host and producer of Colors' Comedy Nights With Kapi/.

"I'm the same Kapil who is doi ng comedy on Indian TV since many years But the only difference is that I'm se lli ng comedy in a new way and this is what people are enjoying My comedy is not, my packaging is new," Shar ma told !ANS. His show boasts oftop Bollywood celebr ities and an audience full of youths as he focusses on issues which affect the common man.

It's true that Shekhar Suman's once cu lt show Movers & Shakers had an al most similar vein - he too picked up issues concerning the common man, but there's something definitely new about Comedy Nights With Kapil

TV also offers a platform in a big way to stand-up comedians - Raju Srivastava, Bharti Singh, Sudesh Lahiri, Krushna Abhishekand Sunil Pal, to name just a few

As far as heartwarming 'dramedies' are concerned, the 1980s and 1990s saw many: Yeh Jo Hai Z indagi, Dekh Bhai Dekh, Hum Paanch, Flop Show, Shrimaan Shrimati, Zabaan Sambhalke, Office Office, Tu Tu Main Main, Yes Boss and Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai.

Cut to the 2000s Shows like Khichdi,

F.I.R., Malini Iyer, Kareena Kareena, Comedy Circus, The Great Indian Comedy Show, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, Lapataganj and Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah cut through the clutter of saas-bahu melodrama to give TV viewers bouts of laughter.

With loads offun and clean content, the comedy makes for a viable familyviewing experience

Actor-producer J.D. Majethia of Khichdi fame believes the space for comedy shows has grown manifold over the years and it is pleasant to witness the boom in the number and kind of sitcoms and how they have entered the weekend programming.

The direction in which comedy is heading on the sma ll screen is " perfect;' says producer Asit Modi, known for the much-loved Taarak Mehta However, it is a difficult genre, and sustaining its charm

requires special skills.

'We need actors and writers with special skil l s for comedy. Everyone can't make people laugh India lacks adequate creative ta l ent for comedy. There's scarcity, and so the scope of the genre is limited Moreover, to do clean comedy for TV is even tougher," Modi told JANS

His Taarak Mehta has been running successfully for over five years, and it has crossed the 1,200-episode mark.

"New ideas from new people always help. As long as you give freshness and variety, things will work;' explained Modi, who also added that the basic ingredients of a good show are "a good story" and "a promise to entertain the audience''.

Majethia too is all for keeping up w ith times

He said, "When we don't wear the clothes that we used to wear years ago, or even live the life we used to back then, why must we be served the same content

WI-IO WORE IT BETTER?

ANIL KAPO OR

on TV? New times demand new things''.

Perhaps, that's what he is targeting through his new show, reportedly titled Bh Se Bhade, featuring ace comedian Deven Bhojani.

People will identify with flawed hero in 24: Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor is confident that the audiences will relate to his character in his debut TV production 24 and it will cement his place in the hearts of viewers because of its realism

Anil plays Jai Singh Rathod, the chief of anti-terrorist Unit of India, in 24

My character is such that people wil l identify with it. He is a common man, he is a hero but a flawed hero. He is like any other man. Every man today is trying to balance between his family and his professional commitments. He wants to keep both parti es happy and that is tough;' the 56-year-old said at the launch of the show

" My character loves his country, He is very patriotic and trying to save the future prime minister of the country, while on the other hand his family is al so falling apart. So, I feel people will see my character as real and it wil l cement it's place in their hearts and the show also;' added the actor known of hit movies Mr. India, Virasat.

Anil, who started his stint in the internationa l cinema with Slumdog Millionaire, also featured in the eighth season of the American version of 24 He sa i d that the Indian adaptation of the superhit American TV series by the same name has been adapted according to Ind ian sensibilities

"

The story has been successful all over the world and we have adapted it in such a manner that it cou ld hit the sensibilities of the Indian audiences, so they like it," said the actor

Kangana Ranaut or Keira Knightley in Burberry Prorsum?

Share your views with us on our Facebook page

Being directed by Abhinay Deo, the show wil l go on air in October on Colors TV and the first season will have 24 episodes

It also stars Mandira Bed i and Tisca Chopra, while Anupam Kher, Rishi Kapoor and Boman Irani will make cameo appearances

FARAH KHAN

JOHN ABRAHAM

EXCEPTIONAL POLITICAL TMRILLER

MADRAS CAFE

STARRING:John Abraham, Nargis Fakhri and Raashi Khanna

DIRECTOR: Shoojit Sircar

f only history could be changed by art. Cinema is a powerful medium for socio-political expression and revolution. Alas, in India, entertainment engages all other aspects of life on celluloid.

But seriously, it's time now to get off the Chennai Express and get into Madras Cafe for a cup of the compelling. We need a reality check. And we need to regain a sense of history in Bollywood cinema which seems l ost in the hoary art of streetside tamasha, glorified and aggrandised by cinematics that are perceived to be the elixir of pop culture. It is time for mainstream entertainment to grow up. Heightened realism is a means to achieve a synthesis of fantasy and history in this deftly scripted semi -fictional account of the processes leading to Rajiv Gandhi's tragic assassination in 1991.

The trenchant script, co-written by Somnath Dey and Shubendu Bhattacharya, attempts and succeeds in building the same spira l of pseudohistory that Oliver Stone built in JFK. I feel Indian politics, because of the country's multi- culturism, is far more complex than its American or European counterpart. Our cinema tends to dilute, simplify and trivialise history because we are much too wary of and lazy about getting involved.

Not Shoojit Sircar Not Madras Cafe. Not John Abraham. What a courageous producer and actor John has proven himself to be! More of that later.

But first the plot.

Let me say right away, that to understand the enormity of the story told in Madras Cafe, the audience ought to be familiar with the violent history of the Sri Lankan civil war. But even if you don't know that thousands ofTamilians died in the war of separatism, it is no sweat off the screenplay's back.

Tucked away in the compelling creases of the plot is a terrific thriller about the assassination of a prime minister, who, let it be known, is not named in the film. Nor are the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eel am}, Prabakaran and the other key players. But then this is India. Here, secrecy and stealth are the founding

fathers of any political expose.

But you can't escape the clutches of history's tyranny. Sircar's skilful weav ing of fact and fiction leaves little room for scepticism. We know as we watch with helpless astonishment, that the 'Prime Minister'will die, that the hero in this case won't be able to save him.

Such are the heroes in real life. Unsung, sizes smaller than life. John Abraham skips into the part ofthe RAW agent Vikram Singh with an ease and comfort of a naturalborn secret agent. If James Bond or for that matter Kabi r Khan's Tiger were to have any truck with real-life politics, they would have been as believably brave and as credibly heroic as John in this film.

Every actor seems to take a cue from the vast resources of authenticity at their disposal. Specially riveting is Prakash Bela wade as John s associate, who seems to drink hard to escape from the enormity of his compromise. Even Nargis Fakhri , so self-consciously affected as Ranbir Kapoor 's doomed soul-mate in Rockstar, nails her war correspondent's part with her radiant presence. But I have a quibble with her character Jaya. Why does Jaya speak in English while Vikram answers in Hindi?

The linguistic puzzle never quite obstructs the devastating drama of war violence conspiracy and betrayal. These are dramatic points of political reckoning. And yet Sircar keeps the proceedings subdued and low-key. It's a miracle how Sircar's narrative voice never gets shrill even when the occasion is so ripe for over -statement.

Much of the credit for the tona I correctness of the narrative must go to

Kamaljeet Negi's brilliantly unadorned cinematography, which locks in on stunning visuals of vio l ence and espionage-related action without falling into the mistake of making the frames look prettier than the grim situation that they are meant to capture Sircar's editor Chandrashekhar Prajapati imbues a documentary style to the footage. But the sense of cinematic expansiveness is retained in the way the camera moves through the characters' restless lives, searching for positions of comfort in a situation laden with desperate anxiety.

There's a whole lot of stifled drama in Madras Cafe. When a key character dies in the second-half, the tragedy is handled without fuss. John's tight-l i pped performance gives the fi l m a sense of tragic grandeur. We constantly feel we are in a territory where drama has no place. The soundtrack is exceptiona l ly honest. Shantanu Moitra's background music underscores every scene without hammering in the emotions.

Madras Cafe is a dark, deep and satisfying film about the pol itics of

separatism. The film doesn't take sides. If it is agai nst anything, it i s the culture of vio l ence that nations often feed into neighbouring countries for the ir own gains This film opens up the hitherto unexplored genre of political drama in Bollywood

After Vicky Donor, we know Si rcar is comfortable expl oring innovative cinematic territo ry. Here, he tells an edgy disturbing provocative but rational and fair-m i nded story that takes mainstream Bolywood cinema kicking and screaming into a new horizon.

This is cinema signifying a comingof-age with unforgettable visuals and drama and a rousing mature careerdefining performance by its leading man.

Get off the train, baby

This is arguably the best political thriller that Bollywood has so far given us.

SUB HASH K. JHA

AN ILL-TIMED GANGSTER DRAMA

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAI DOBAARA

STARRING : Akshay Kumar, lmran Khan, Sonakshi Sinha; Director: Milan Luthria

D IRECTOR: Milan Luthria •,,,,_ 1,,,_-.,, ;....). ~

ow do I put this politely? This is arguably one of the most awful, ill-timed gangster dramas with most performances so loud and unassimilated that these characters could easily be contestants in an Eid special segment of Comedy Circus where the theme is 'Gangsta Rap'.

Such utter crap, and done with heartbreaking seriousness.

Milan Luthria has never been a great filmmaker. At least his earlier films like Kachche Dhaage and Dirty Picture had some interesting conflicts between characters who are driven by a desire for revenge but are frustrated in their malevolence by their love for the very same people they want to hate.

The problem with .Dobaara is that the two main characters who love each other

to death are people we have met over and over again. Most notably in Ram Gopal Varma's Company where Ajay Devgn and Viveik Oberoi played gangster and protege with great conviction and ballsy velocity.

The subsequent spinoffs have gotten seriously diluted.

This one is a sequel to Luthria's notso-engaging film where Ajay Devgn's imposing personality had made the pale and unintentionally funny proceedings bearable.

Except for Sonakshi Sinha playing a starlet who talks too hard and too much and gets the male protagonists (who need to be spanked for playing with guns when their IQ level suggests video games would be more apt) into a serious conflict merely because she's too dumb to see they both love her, .Dobaara has no redeeming qualities.

Akshay Kumar as a Dawood doppelgang(st)er is a laugh. His dialogues, meant to show his mastery over the hoary art of rhetorics, come out sounding like wimpy words of wackedout wisdom picked up from messages in Chinese cookies.

This film wallows in a kind of imbecilic irreverence where the protagonists seem bold, sexy and even brazen but are actually cardboard versions of the triangular lovers in Raj Kapoor's Sangam and Vinod Kumar's Mere Huzoor. But at least love t riangles of the past were honest about their melodramatic intentions.

You can almost smell the cheap perfume and the discount-rated champagne trying to pass as the genuine stuff in Shoaib's party. This guy thinks he is menacing. He is actually a joke. And if the real Dawood is anything like the way he is portrayed here we have nothing to fear except his cheesy dialogue-baazi.

The gangster-villain (Akshay insists he is a villain, and who are we to argue with a guy who keeps smashing up furniture and appliances every time he doesn't get his way?) and his cronies

STARK, BRUTAL SAGA OF SEDUCTION AND BETRAYAL

B.A. PASS

STARRING: Shilpa Shukla, Shadab Kamal DIRECTOR: Ajay Bahl

****";?

Somewhere towards the end of the protagonist Mukesh's descent into a self-created hell, we see him standing shamelessly at the roadside soliciting sex, being picked up by three drunken burly men.

A little later, Shadab Kamal sobs in the bathroom, blood dripping to his feet in a trail of tell-tale brutality.

The implicit violence that underlines this sequence reminded me of a similar process of sexual debasement undertaken by Mark Wahlberg in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights. That was a film about the porn industry in the 1970s.

B.A. Pass is set in present day DelhiPaharganj, to be more precise. Bustling with sights, sounds and smells of doom and despair, it is a gripping story of a young financially-challenged man's journey into a world of prostitution. We could say, we have never seen this before. And we would be as close to the truth as this film tries to get.

The taut screenplay by Ritesh Shah never allows room for superfluous moments We follow Mukesh's descent into a life of compromised morality with an absence of condemnation and censure. Mukesh's environment and his circumstances as a displaced orphan are not exploited to generate pathos. No one in this film allows us to feel sorry for the derelict lives. The characters tit into the film's wretched karma with disturbing inevitability, as though everyone we see in this motion picture was pre-ordained to suffer and fade away.

By the time we arrive at the finishing line, we know the protagonist has exhausted all his options. It is the end of the road for the film's achingly young gigolo-protagonist. Hard choices have to be made at this penultimate juncture.

As we watch the ta lented Shadab Kamal lay bare his character's soul, we are suddenly reminded of how far we have come in his 95-minutejourney from innocence and anxiety to despair and doom.

Debutant di rector Ajay Bahl puts forward a little gem of a story which radiates the colours of life's grim and harsh reality. There are so many young

dreams dying every day in the metropolises. As one struggler in Bollywood once told me, "I came to Mumbai to kick ass. Instead I ended up licking ass''.

To envision the withering away of innocent aspirations in the merciless light of reality w ithout a shred of self-pitying melodrama is not an easy task. Bahl does it with great confidence and sensitivity.

That he has personally done the film's cinematography is such a beautiful circumstance for the fi l m. I doubt another cameraman could capture those places in these troubled characters' lives that Bahl captures with such force and vitality.

A part of the film's riveting charm originates from the authentic faces that populate Bahl's nation of damnation. These are real people living out of authentic homes that exist beyond the director's domain of'action' and 'cut'.

appear to have walked out of'l oin' Aj it's den in the 1970s, not quite sure which way to head in the present day milieu of such awe-inspiring gangster epics as Luc Besson's Taken and Amit Kumar's Monsoon Shootout.

Except for a train robbery sequence featuring lmran Khan at the start, it has too little to offer in the way action and adventure.

And rea lly, what this film has done to the Mohd Rafi Qawwalli Tayyab ali pyar ka dushman would make Manmohan Desai wince if he was alive.

Dobaara done. Please, no third helping.

B.APass

is a stark and brutal saga of seduction and betrayal. It is that unusual work of cinema which explores the darkest depths of the human consciousness without losing sight of the light that underscores life.

It would be erroneous to treat this film as on ly a serious noire effort. It is that, yes. But it's also a film that makes an impact in unexpectedly blithe ways, creeping up into our conscience when we least expect an intrusion and lodging itself cosily in a corner.

SU BHASH K JHA

SUBHASH K. JHA

The fine art of complain • 1ng

SARAH MALIK pays a tribute to the good o/' evaluation form

Complaining works as a kind of soothing balm to frazzled nen,es I: absorbs our wor Des, our woes, our anxieties and the thousand natural shocks that Aesh is heir to.

And what better way to complain than the feedback forms that organisations use to assess customer satisfaction.

These assessment sheets bomba rd the hapless consamer at every nun. From shopping centres to video stores, lecture halls and used car shows, we are finally being asked what we th.ink. Questionnaires have suddenly become a necessity for corporations who have suddenly clued on co the fact that listening to and addressing customer concerns can actually improve profits.

1 for one am a b ig fan of these assessment sheets and fill them out with a meticulous zeal and solemn gravity, weighing each response carefully like a guru issuing prophetic wisdoms

These forms pander to the selfimportance that exists in all of us. It is a nan1ral law of the universe that as soon as any regular Joe is asked for their opinion, they become a self -proclaimed expert swaggering forth with all sorts of gems.

For example recently m y local supermarket revan1ped its lairout w ith flashy colours and rearranged aisles.

No doubt some ingenious marketing hack in accounting bad bloodlessly deduced (a fter careful study of the ps ychological make-up of us 'conswners ') iliat somehow swapping cat food in Aisle 3 and bread in A.isle 2 and drowning the store in a horrid blood red colour would somehow cough up more pennies for the corporate coffers.

Tb.is method of seducing us to buy more only succeeded however in rormenting th.is customer, forcing me to navigate frightening new terrain after having just figured out where tl1e stationary and hosiery were after the last revamp.

Needless to say I was incensed, and vented m y frustration on ilie assessment form with gusto that no doubt some poor sod in a customer service centre somewhere is still deciphering. Ir went something along the lines of 'Bright colours are infantile and abrasive,' 'Ais le 3 pad<aged goods inconvenient and clumsy,' 'Fruit ais les too big and ove1whelming causing customer co ponder on the boundless and amorphous nan1re of existence, prm7oking existential angst and general despair causing said customer to lash ouc at shiny tomatoes'

1 must say thm1gh, venting has a brilliantly cleansing feeling, like purgatory or confession.

And tlrns to the heart of my diatribe

l'v[y personal homage to tb.is brilliant shock absorber - tl1e assessment form.

l say, thanl< you m y friend, for being there to chart the discontent of our lives From faulty plumbing, shopping centre revamps, annoying cOJnmercials, wu.nspiring fads, banal celebrities and the hazard s and perils of public transport. You were tbere through it all.

Sure you came from humble beginnings. A grumb le there, a note here. But gradually you rose. Steadily gaining speed on the backs of whingers and complainers everywhere. You spoke to that deep visceral need in everyone - to have 01u complaints acknowledged, appreciated, accepted.

You took the place of the sympatl1eric friend, the halfliste11.i.ng partner. You did not judge or condemn, you me re ly listened.

Yes, you bring out the little old granny .in all of us. That dark, complaining, annoying side wh ich sees disturbance and righteous indignation at every possibl e bwnan error and irritation.

But tl1ankfully you allowed us

to purge d1ese dark and ab ysmal thoughts. To g ive a fonun from which our co!Jective consciousness could rid itself of the hundred shocks and injusrices of modern life. You made complaining fun, necessar)~ compulsor y almost.

Rising from the ashes of irre levance, a certain cachet began to be attached co you. Sudd enly customer satisfaction became all the rage. Hotlines and focus groups popped up everY'vhere.

Yo u gave complaining a competitive edge, made it an art to be striven for. A cerr.'lin g lamour infected the age-o ld tradition. Now not only was content important - a certain style was required. There was a race to be the most terrib ly inj ured, outraged and insulted. To be the most gri eved, in t he most Flagrantly woe -is -me, helpless romanticheroine style manner.

You created hierarchies i n tl1e complainants' code of conduct. The bitter edge that was the raison d'etre of every true b lue complainant started to disappear. Instead posers started coming in, imposters with the flair and style, but lad,ing in that essential venom count.

Instead of baleful treatises on the ti.1tility of life and the humru1 condition in gene ral, d1eirs was only semi-wistful nostalgic

tracts artfully requesting or gently seeking a re-evaluation of th ings as they were - more politeness please, more civili ty in public Ii fe, let's a!J be good citizens and live harmo niousl y toge t her so all our problems miraculously disappear.

The power of the complaint began to be diluted. Political correctness began to infi l trate tl1e complainer's words wateri n g down d1e pointed whinge to a pitiful whimper.

The true complainan t never pleads, never compronuses, never asks ohh so gently for things to change We are not revolutionaries, in fact we are counter-revolutionar ies. Our purpose is to remain in constant opposition. We truly !mow tbat life is a never-ending str uggle against tbe 'blows an d arrows of o utrageous fornme'. W/e shall continue to fight, to complain, to whinge lf we lived in a veritabl e uropia, we should find a flaw, a tragi c error in the perfection of thin gs.

We work against silence, our style i s bombastic, lacking in subtlety and full of contradiction s.

othin g or no one is sacred a n d immune from our scr utinising glare - full of evaluatio n and judgment.

We ar e tbe complainers.

Noveltv hems & Indian Crall Stalls comact/sms on D4n 434353 Web: www.celebrateindla.oru.au

Email: comact@celebrateindia.oru.au www.lacebookcom/Celebrateindia

Federal election, Saturday 7 September.

On election day, you will rec e ive t wo ba ll ot p apers: a green o n e f or t he House of Represe nt atives a nd a wh ite o n e for the Senate. On the green ballot p aper you are vot ing for a rep resentative of yo u r local a rea i n the Ho use of Representat ives. On the w hite ballot paper you are voti ng for represen t a t ives of yo ur sta t e or ter r it ory in the Senate.

Don ' t worry if you make a mistake. You can ask for another ballot paper and start again

Green ballot paper - number every box

On t he green ballot paper num ber every box in t he order of yo u r cho ice.

•

Number the boxes from 1 to 8 in the order of your choice.

rn SURNAME, Given names INDEPENDENT

rn SURNAME , Given names

[I] SURNAME, Given names PARTY [i] SURNAME, Given names PARTY [I] SURNAME, Given names PARTY rn SURNAME, Given names PARTY [!] SURNAME , Given names PARTY [!] SURNAME, Given names PARTY Remember number ev~ 1 ~o~ V

White ballot paper - two ways to vote

On t h e white ballot paper yo u have a cho ice of two wa ys t o v ot e:

EITHER - Above the line

Place a '1' in the box fo r t he p arty or group of yo ur cho i ce.