2013-12 Adelaide

In a word: happening!

If 2013 had to be described in one word, it would have to be, ' happening' While mo st people will have 'hectic' at the top of their lists, 'happenin g' best desc ribes the year gone past for us.

In Australian politics, a lot has happened in 2013. We bad three Prime :Ministers .in one year and yes, dem ocracy proved co be ar ics very best. No blood was s hed and those we chose to lead either changed those who were leadi ng, or were changed themselves. Julia Gillard survived the 6rst leadership challenge, but lost to Kevin Rudd in the seco nd. Mr Rudd became Australia's second Prime Minister in the year as a result.

Meanwhile, the opposition Coalition did not change much , including (as some said) d1eir views from d1e 1990s So d1e Australian public who wanted things ro happen in government, elected Tony Abbott as Prime l'vlinister And so we have our chird Prime Jviiniscer in one year!

Rudd bid an emotional adieu to politics in Parfa1menr, much to the joy of newl yelected Labor Opposition Leader Bill Sh orten.

On the international from, the most happening thing was the surveillance

tactics of America and i ts aUies. W hile the targets h ave changed, it seems the concept of eavesdropp ing remains the same as during d1e Cold War. W ith Edward Snowden's tevelations, President Obama had to apologise to German C h ancellor Angela Merkel and cw·rently; PM Abbott i s going through a rough ride when it emerged that Australia had been sn ooping o n phone calis in d1e higher ech elons in Indonesia

Positive news comes from the Middle East where some sanction s have been lifted from Iraq and were welcomed by its denizens and the reluct,'Ult internation al community, but the political situation in Afghanistan seems relatively unchanged.

Sy ria continues irs civil war and Egypt is experiencing political problems too.

In lndia, thougb not a lot h appened politicaliy wi th the san1e argy bargy tactics between the rwo major political parties, an increase in inflation and a drop in Indian economic growth resulted in a rev iew of lndia's credit raring. The most bappening thing in spor ts beyond the IPL march fixing scandal was the retirement of cricketing god Sach.in Tenclulkar.

Many natural clisasters have stirred up more debate about g lob al warming and i ts effects. The typhoon in the Philippines, die earthquake in China and the ll ttarakhand flood disaster in India ,vere just som e of t he many even rs resulting in serious loss of life and p roperty. Closet co home were d1e NSW bush fires that

created a haze of smoke over Sydney that lasted for days!

Man made events of destruction like tbe Ken ya malJ s hootings and the Syria chemical attack allegations shocked the world, while d1e US shutdown shook d1e world

la the local co=unity, a lot has been happening mo While we had great opportunities to interact and prornote our culture at vaijous me/as and get-roge thers, d1e Pravasi Bharatiya Diwas io Sydney could have been a great happening, but ended up being a non-h appening event. \Ve were graced with me presence of Shahrukh Khan who made die auclience wait for over 90 minutes before anything happened.

So wbat will 2014 bring? Will a repeat of the Rudd -G illard scenario occur in die Coalitio n Parry? Will PM Abborr's vi sit ro India d evelop I ndo- Oz relations? Will India choose a new government to its helm? Well, we'll just have to wait and see

But from all of u s at Indian Li11k, we wi sh you a very happy New Year and alJ the very best i n 2014 And if you have co picl< a word to describe d1e corning year, start w i th relaxing, adventurous, prosperous, fun, family, pos itive change, healrny and happiness. Here'.s wishing that tl1ey all come true for yon Pawan Luthra is the 2012 Parliament of NSW Multicultural Journalist of the Year.

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We love tbe holidays, it's that time of the year when we th.ink of nothing more strenuous than decidiJ1g whether to go to the beach or the park, or what sausages to grill on the barbi e. It's a time for reminiscing too, and while most of us have had fun family times, there have. also been those hilarious and unique moments which are sometimes fondly remembered, sometimes best forgotten. A few of our contributors sh ared thei1· merr y, mad, memorab le moments with Tndia11 Link.

Cracking ice at a Christmas party

There are possibly too many to choose just o ne! There was the time our new puppies decided to sniff out all of the edible presents under the Christmas tree and devout the lot, and then there ru·e of course, the numerous stories associated with my famous (or infamous, depencling on how you fared after drinking it) punch that l use to make, and that's not even mentioning schoolies Bur, T dlink d1at my most memorable silly season srory b y far is the time that m y work colleagues and I decided ro try to ice- skate (witl1 our shoes) across a frozen fouotain in London after a Chris tmas party. The ice appeared to be a good foot in thickness, but we soon learnt tl1at our measurements were off by a considerab le amount after the ice started tc> crack within seconds of LlS trying to slide across it. Needless to say we all ended up very cold that night, and rushed home to have hot barbs. It just goes to show that Sydneysiders don't really understand much about ice!

Lena Peacock

Man and his mushroom

Being an international s tudent in Srdney isn't easy, being away from family, bm recend y di e residence threw a party to celebrate the season. l was away, bur tl1e quiet, seriou s boyfriend got drunker than he has ever been. So me memorable texts appeared, like 'To much. Live yo u', wbid1 I assumed were declarations of love. Loud background music during a phone -call suggested there was dancing. If he and his friends got armmd to their original agenda, there was also a gan1e of cards. When the texting stopped, 1

assumed he had fallen asleep. Next morning, my phone buzzed witli his message, 'I want to d ie'.

Sometime during the evening, he'd found a huge stuffed mushroom. At one poinL his fri.ends thought he had gone to bed, but men d1ey saw a man si tting contemplatively in the rain , ho lding the mushroom. L ike the nice friends rney are, tl1ey put him co bed; but me next thing he knew, he was out in the ball, wearing n o tl1ing but boxers, socks and his left shoe. Oh, and still holding the mushroom His ke)7s \Vere inside tl1e house, and he ended up sleeping outside bis door before the coordinator let him in.

"I'rn gone one day, and tlus happens," I replied, after I nearl y died laughing. "1 won't be drinking for a while," was his sober reply. lc's too funny to let go mough, so all week he's been receiving texts from me saying, "I'm so 11111.rhed up, why would you abandon me, I mush you so much". He's pleading that I scop; this is one holiday he wanes to forget. Bm not if I can help it!

Kritika Rao

Plan paintballed!

Growing up outside of Queanbeyan, tl1e small ci ry east of Canberra was socially isolating The Ridgeway Estate where I lived had o nly about 100 residents, wim a single road leadi ng into and out of the estate. The entry was off tl1e main road to the coast from Canberra - the King's Highway, which was notorious for irs fast moving traffic. At tl1e time, the single lane road was extremely poorl y maintained.

As a young lad, my mates and l once ventured co the side of me highway having followed a dirt track mar led, on the other side, d ow n ro the township of Queanbeyan. The cars and trucks passing us were moving scarily quickly, and in our youthful indignance we discussed how to gain safe passage across the road.

Ir was on a balmy night around Ch ri sm1as tbar we came upon a plan co make the road safe r, so we could complete our journey alo ng rbe dirr track a nd into the town. One full moon night around 1am, my mates and J took some tins of white paint and paint brushes left over from my house having been painted only months earlier, and headed for the main road. \Virh one person looking out for the glare of clistaot headlights, we started painting stripes along tbe road. Long, wide, even strips of thick white paint with a space between each of them, ove r the tarmac and knobbl y gravel, parallel to the edge. After about 20 minmes, we thought we had done well. Stripes rig ht across bod, lanes! Shaking with laughter as we admired our work, we heard the d istant rumble of truck. Th e perfect time to resr our zebra crossing!

The truck rolled into sight and we stepped back from the highway, planning to move to the very edge as i t goc closer. We assumed it would stop, so we could cross. As it thundered close r, we crept forward. The moonlight glistened off the paint on tbe road. Bur as the truck approached, we realised rbat it wasn't acmall y slowing down. Then ir rushed past and there was a squelch y sound as wet paint sprayed eve r ywhere. Vt/e gazed at the back of tbe disappearing truck, and realised char it was leaving lo ng white paint lines up die highway.

As we howled with laughter, a car c.'Ulle tbe other way and created long white lines down die orber side of the road. It was the best C:bristmas holiday ever, even though that road was no safer co cross. Every trip to town in the back of Dad's car caused a smile, as we passed ilie ' crossing'. The paint took several years to fade

MohanDhall

Present peeker!

Jvly friend Ju-a is one of four, and her parents own a laundrette jtL~t down the street from where I live. Her litde sister Sia used to sneak to open her presents before Christmas, have a look at tbe m and dien put them back. On Christmas Day she would p ick up a present and say, "Ooooohl And thi s one's the fairy wa nd!" That's how everyone knew that she had sneaked a peek, but Sia n ever caught on that sbe had given hersel f away.

Lily Rose Robertson

Rocking on the road!

In rnyearly 20s, New Year's Eve in M umbai had become Jess about going to Midnight Mass and brrrning up the 'Old Man,' and more about which party we would attend One memorable year, a group of us were all d ressed up and ready to party. At 10:30pm, we fi t ourselves into four cars and headed off i n a loud and nois y cavalcade. There was an atmosphere of celebration and anticipation in the air as we beaded for Bandra Bandstand, about 20 minutes away, to a bash tl1rown by an upcoming actor. \XTe would get diere in plenty of ti.n1e, or so we though t.

Dri vi ng towards Bandra, a feeling of apprehension began to grow, becau se the main road was abso lutely jam-packed witl1 craf6c. We crawled alo ng , anxiou sly watching tl1e clock and u nfairly recriminating with our friend for not driving fast enough.

At I I :50pm, we had come to a comp lete stan dstill, and tl1e aanosphere in die car

·was wound up and anxious. Drive rs honked impatiently, their passengers argued , but tl1ere was just n o way we could get our of tl.1ere. At 1 1:55pm, our driver friend decided cl.mt he'd had enough. He got out of the car, clambered out of tl1e bonnet, scood o n tl1e roof Qt was his car, what clid we care?), and looki ng over the s ea of cars, he announced char a traffic light had broken down in the clistance He was just ab out to climb down when we heard tl1e fireworks, and the n ight sky lit up wirb a million Hares. This intrepid gu)~ the only teetotaller in the group, stood uprigh t and yelled out at the top of his vo ice, "Happy New Year, eve rybody!" For a magical m oment, iliere was silence Then car doors started opening, people s carted getting out an d w ishing each other a happy new year. All around us was a scene of cheerful chaos. Some wannabes climbed onto the roofs of dieir cars, but th e moment belonged to Oll.f friend and we were in tl1e midst of it, endiusiastically hugging strangers. A variety of music blared out of different car ste reos, and we began to serious ly party right tl1ere, surrounded by cars and people. It was a m emorable and tmforgettable sight. 15 minutes later, an irate parry poope r p olice inspector got ever yone into their cars, as traffic began moving. For our friend, tl.1e 9L1iec, well-mannered one, i t was his 15 minutes of fame, and we spent the rest of the year recounting his escapade, muc h to his visible embarrassment and secret d elight! He's a devoted husband and father n ow, but tl.1e sight of him atop his car, wishing the wo rld is still an unforgettable one.

Sheryl Oixit

and kin , we headed out to stay in a resort with close friends. 1 have no concept of travelling light, so the car boot was packed witl1 food to lase a wee k (in case we get hungry), clothing (1mpreclic tab le weatl.1.er, so gotta take ever)'tbing), golf clubs (hubby's sole conclition for coming alo n g), lllptop (naturally), seven pair o f shoes (to match every outfit and a few extra just in case) and a Christmas tree (in true festive spiri t)

On arriving at the resort, the porter inquired if ,ve were stayi ng for a month, and despite all his h ospitality groomin g, his eyebrows shot up in am ll5e111ent wben I sheepishl y mentioned the duration of our stay After a short rest, we pulled out rbe Christmas tree and in true celebratory spirit covered it with LED lights. Then we switched o n tl1e lights, and ,vitl1 a loud noise , tl1e power went off. We called the reception, where the sleepy operator said he could nor send anyone to help as the staff had all gone h ome early to be witl1 family. one of us were talented enough to 6x power omages and despite the three dozen candles that I had carried along, i t was still too bot to manage without electricity. A few irate phone calls later, the 'bordering o n rnde' receptionist offered us anorber room o n the oppos ite side of ilie resort. With no porters in sight we had to heave all die baggage, Christmas tree et al, to tbe newly allocated room. There was not even a car park n ear that room so we could nor clxive around to it. I still shiver from tl1e memory of earring the seemingly e ndless pieces of luggage, bags and cartons between the two rooms Three year s later, rbe niggling pain in m y lower back could well be attributed to rbar heavy, not hearty Christmas!

Jabbal

Preeti

Maybe we can aU learn :1 thing or l'WO from t!1ese writer~ ancJ remember to stay safe and om of trouble Ju.ring the silly season!

Heavy, not hearty!

It was 'Heave Ho!' in stead of 'Ho! Ho! Ho!' the year we decided to celebrate Christmas in lnverloch with some friends. The holidays are a tin1e ro rejuvenate and recover from a year of working hard and partying even h arder. So witl1 kitl1

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Adelaide taxi drivers protest against violence

TARUN KAPOOR reports on the November 16 Indian taxi drivers assault

History repeated itself in the fateful early hours of ovember 16, 2013, wh en mulitple fodian origin taxi drivers were assaulted by imoxicated men in separate incidents in Adelaide. The previous taxi driver attacks o ccured in 2008 and 2009. This month, M.--inbic Singh, a 24-yearo ld taxi driver who hails from Punjab, India and currently res iding at Torrence Vil.le in Adelaide, suffered a blow to his left eye while trying to protect his fellow taxi drivers statio ned at Henley Beach square, who refused to take tl1e fare of five intoxicated passengers, in a taxi wh id1 could nor sear more than four peop le and one driver. As a resul t of the b low, Manb ir has lost the v ision in his left eye and has been left unable co work as a taxi driver. Doctors who attended t o Manbir have said that tl1e chances of recovering his vision are extremely low and he may now have to the injury for the rest of bis life.

According to Manbir, t here were around l 0- 15 taxi drivers stationed at Henley Beach Square and a g roup of intoxicated men approached the fuse taxi driver in che queue, but were refused as

INDIAN LINK

they were heavily intoxicated and because the munber of p assengers were more than tl1at taxi could carry. On being refused multiple rimes in th e queue, the group reached Su.nit's taxi, and then they started tO punch and kick his ta.xi. Concerned about the group's violent actions to his ta.xi, Sunit who had so far remained inside h is taxi, got om co cry to pacify the group and stop the damage being inflicted upon his vehicle. However, this d id not have the i.ntemed result, as instead he was pushed to tl1e ground and attacked. Seein g this incident, fellow taxi drivers including Manbir rnshed to stop the violent attad, upon Sunit. It was during th.is rim e tbat Manbir was punched so violently tl1at he was blinded in the Ieft eye.

According to Jujhar Singh, an Indian origin taxi driver who was present during tl,e actack, the intoxicated group of five men were furtber joined by another five-six m en, wh ich futber fuelled the intensity of the altercation.

Several emergency messages were sent fro m ta.xi drivers co ask for help from operators of othe r ta.xis during dus, as well as calling che police. Police arrived 20-25 minutes later. B y thi s rime,

Kuna!, another Indian taxi driver sustained injui:ies to b is throat.

Kuna.I has now recovered his vo ice after the attack and remrned to India Acco rding to Jujhar Singh, Klll1al had experienced a sinular incident arotmd a year ago

"No" was v ictim Manbir Singh's respo n se to being asked if he thought the attacks were raciall y motivated He also pointed our tl1at since d1egroup were heavily incoxicated, it wouldn't have mattered who was at the receiving end of their wratl1.

There are questions over tl1e treannem of this crime by Adelia.de police, who reportedly allowed some of the attacke rs to Aee on the night of the incident.

\X'hen tbe Indian ta.xi drivers requested to lodge a formal complaint they were refused by tl1e officer on duty, w ho stated that he couldn't tal,e so many com p laints at d1ar tin1e, and they should report the incident in tbe morning to their local police station. As per a witness account, the ouly person whom the police arrested was one of the accused who was so heavily intoxicated that he could not move on.

However, tl1e c o mments that fuelled frustration amongst d1e ta.xi drivers was from the police

officer on duty, tl1at the only arrest made was due to the ir disp lay of public disorderly behaviour, rather than because of tl1e incident which occured. This was despite the fact that tl1e incident left one person blind and aootl1er without speech in hosp ital lo a se parate incident, anomer Indian origin ta.xi driver, Inderjit Jassal was attacked at Port Adelaide. He was repeatedly punched in the face aod is now recovering "I'm not going to drive taxis any more. Driving a bLxi at night is very dangerous," Inderjit

Manbir Singh

said Maninder Jassal , tl1e victim's wife, is reluctant for him to keep driving. "I would say don't touch the ta.xi again, for (the) fam.ily's sake". In anotl1er incident, police have charged a man for allegedly robbing a taxi driver at kiufepoinc at suburban The Barron last Thursday 21 Novembe r, 2013.

In the absence of a fonnal association co represem them, victimised local Indian taxi drivers called for a ' Dri ve r Safety Awareness Campaign' which was held on November 26 The y walked from Elders Park to Parliamem in order ro draw the attention of the SJ\ government to di e safety of ta.xi drivers in general. The protest bad the participation from around I 00 taxi drivers from the Indian c o mmuni ty who marched peacefully and presented their concerns to the Minister of Transport Services, Ms C loe Fox Ms Fox promised to en.force r eforms to sup port me safety of taxi drivers and subs idise drive r safety shields However, on being questioned about the police behaviour in the recent attad<s, as well as t he lack of T axi Cou ncil su pport, she said she was not ) ' et aware o f the facts an d would investigate

Will the law makers really take action this rime to support taxi drivers? lf taxi drivers take us home safely, do they not have the right to go home safely coo?

Ms Cloe Fox, Minister of Tran sport Services at t he Driver Safety Awareness Campaign

Tidy up and cook-off by CIISA

A clean up and a curry picnic were two events that were enjoyed by members of Club India

Tbe Youth C lub of C lub India International SA Inc. (CIISA) undertook a beach cleaning drive at the Grange Jetty along the Adelaide West coastline recently This was the second major event of the yomb wing since its tbe incep tion.

On a bright and sunny day aided by a cool, gentle breeze, 11 enthusiastic youngsters tmder the leadership of Allwyn D'Souza, Youth Coo rdinator of CUSA covered a l ong stretch across tl1e coastline of Grange beach in a dr ive to p ick up litte(, inc luding plastic and tin cans, and other debris.

Wearing protective gloves the group scoured the appointed region of the beach in their drive to pick up litter, an initiative that was well received and acknowledged b y some patrons goi ng about their day on Grange beach.

The event began w ith 'get to know yo u' games, followi ng which

me youngi,ters were divided into two teams. As the event p rogressed, to make for a ligh t and humorous afternoon, each individual was addressed as their favourite item of food, and witl1 names like 'sushi', 'butter chicken' and 'pizza' to name a few, the afternoon gained momenuun ver)' qui ckl y. A series of games like cricket, dodge ball, and short spri n ts had als o been organised for the enthusiastic youngsters.

Ltmcb was hot 'Fish 'n' Chips from the local deli, organised by Nick Fernandes, Social Coordinator. The games then continued, and refreshments an d lollies saw an end to the day; Each of the youngsters then parricipatd in a short survey, expressing their views on whether they would like to be involved in sim ilru: activ ities in the future.

It was an enjoyable event for the yo un gsters - Alyse, Nathan

1300 849 458

and Shireen De Souza, icole Morais, Chri s Fernandes , Shane Paul, Kar rell Vaz, Samson Fernandes and Allen Anthony John, who were all thanked for their involvement in this Youth Club event.

Club India International SA Inc. also organised tlicir annual curry p icnic cum sports day at the Hazelwood Park recently, which was attended by State dignities including Soutl1 Australia's Governor, Hieu Van Le; Mayor of the City of Charles Sturt, Mayor Kirsten Alexander; and senior officials from the Department of lmmigration

The event was well attended by senior members of tl1e C lub, as well as recenc nligrants w ho have now ruade Ausu·alia their home. i\lfainvell Taylor, President of CIISA welcomed tlie gathering.

Mr Van Le, Chairman of tl1e South Australian Multicul tural 03

and Etlinic Affairs Comnlission (SAMEAC), rook an interest in unders rauding the intdcacies of various dishes cooked mat had their origins in India, as well as me annual cook- off show event.

While the children were entertained witl1 sporting activities,

the adults join ed in playing other games followed by a round of rug of war and a treasure hunt. The curry picnic is an annual affair organised by CllSA at which families attempt to cook the best Indian food wllich i s later shared witl1 guests attending.

Frankey Gerard Fernandes

Spiritual Master H. H. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj Honored At 33rd Annual Meeting And Banquet Of Indian American Medical Association Of Illinois

(Chicago, IL) His Holiness SantRajinder Singh JiMaharaj was the honored guest and speaker at the Indian American Medical Association of Illinois' (IAMA) 33rd Annual Meeting and Banquet on Friday, November 16, 2013 at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows, Illinois.

Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and Congressman George Foster commended the Association for their commitment to the community and the quality of health care services they are providing.

The internationally recognized spiritual Master of meditation on the inner Light and Soundwas introduced with a tribute to his many achievements as president of the Human Unity Conference, head of Science of Spirituality, and best-selling author of books translated into over fifty languages incl uding Meditation as Medication for the Soul, Inner and Outer Peace through Meditation, Empowering Your Soul through Meditation, and Spark of the Divine.

Not only has H. H SantRajinder Singh JiMaharaj presented the benefits of meditation to medical practitioners worldwide-including the National Institute of Health, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, and universities such as Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, IIT Madras (Chennai), IIT Delhi, and IIT Mumbai-but many doctors have also learned the meditation technique from him and use it regularly with their patients as an invaluable heal ing modality.

In his address, H H. SantRajinder Singh JiMaharaj recognized the mission of the IAMA comprised of Illinois physicians of Indian origin "committed to professional excellence in quality patient care, education, and community healthcare." He congratulated the doc-

tors who work tirelessly to assist their communities toward achieving impeccable health.

He noted that it is a universal truth that the health of our body and mind depend unequivocally on our spiritual health He spoke on the importance of meditation, cit ing national journals that have published research into the physical , mental, and emotional advantages of meditation. These benefits, the spiritual Master explained, are merely byproducts of the meditation practice. The true His Holiness SantRajinder Singh JiMaharaj with President Dr. Raj Arora, Dr. Annita John, purpose of meditation is and Dr. BaluNatarajan. to experience the real ity of our true selves, who we really are at the level of our soul.

H. H. SantRajinder Singh JiMaharaj then spoke about research into near-death experiences by medical doctors Raymond Moody and Melvi n Morris who investigated th is phenomenon and concluded that spirit or soul exists beyond the human body, mind, and emotions. The spiritual Master stated that vistas of inner light, beauty, and music, as well as the Power that brought all creation together, exist within each and every one of us. We do not have to undergo physi-

cal trauma he said, but through meditation, we can experience this reality ourselves. He then explained the simple process of Jyoti meditation - meditation on the inner Light-and put the audience of hundreds of doctors and medica l practitioners into meditation Following this uplifting discourse, His Holiness SantRajinder Singh JiMaharaj was presented with an honorary plaque by the IAMA.

For more information about His Holiness SantRajinder Singh JiMaharajand the Science of Spirituality, www sos.org/australia

SPECIAL REPORT

Meagre attendance and few program sessions with mass appeal mar diaspora event

estimated $2.8 million worth of economic activity for SW"'

.fltBY PAWAN LUTHRA

If the mission statement for the Regional Pravasi

Bhari tya D i was (Overseas Indians Day) .in Sydney was

"Connecting for a Shared Future - the Indian Diaspora, India and the Paci fie," sadly, the event does not appear to have achieved its ob jective, Poor attendance, unrealistic costing, a skew cowards business in the program sessions, and less than satisfactory execution have been cited as facrors.

With more than 800,000 Indian diaspora in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Is land nations, Day One on November 10 saw l ess than 150 people in attendance Numbers p icked up o n Day Two to about 350, but dwindled to about 200 on the last day.

The Sydney Convention Centre w ith iL~ capacity of over 2,000 looked strangely desolate as key note speakers, some of them highly accomplished in their fields, made their addresses

The concept of the Regional PBD

Regional PBDs are organised by the Indian Governmem's :rvUnistry of Overseas Affairs to provid e a platform for the Indian community in a selected region of the world to contribute to the relationship between the countries of their region and India. Last year, the evenr was held at Port of Spain, Mauritius.

Earlier this year, there was much excitemem in Austral ia's Indian community as Syd n ey was picked to host the convention. An Indian High Commission communique said it expected " l ,000 participants from within Australia and from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Fij i, New :Zealand, PNG, Hong Kong, Phillippines and the Pac ific Island s" The P remier of NS\XI Barry O'Farrell showed the san1e enthusiasm, declaring d1at he foresaw "an

In the end, no more than 350 delegates attended, of whom 140 we re invited speakers. Most attendees were loc al Sydney-siders, wid1 only a smattering from other stares, predominantly Victoria. The overseas delegates made up a negLigible number.

PBD Sydney: Highlights

At the very outset, it must be said that hosting d1e seventh Pravasi Bhartiya Di vas in Australia presemed a great opportunity for the Indians in the region to connect w ith the motherland and w-ith each other. Attendee Ra j Natarajan, past UlJ\ President, pointed our, " PBD Sydney was a perfect opportunity to present issues of concern in the local diaspora to the po licy makers both in Australia and India, becau se we had the ears a n d eyes of rhe highest office in States, the Premiers and some of the h ighest offices at the Federal level like the lmmig:ration and Tracie Ministers".

A significan r p latfor m ,vas created by AustraLia's nomination as the venue fo r the 2013 Regional PBD.

As well, attendees were afforded an excellent opportwi.iry to listen to speakers with some great stories to tell. The passionate and emotional speech b y the former Prime 1'Unister of Fiji, Mahendra Pal Chaudhry, particularly stood out. E qually well presented was the warm welcome by NSW Premier Bar r y O'Farrell who hosted the delegates at Goven:une nt House, speeches by the P r emier of South Australia Jay Wetl1erill and the Depmy Premie r of Queensland Jeff Sweeney, and the warm and friendl y Pallavi Sha rda, Australi a's own Bollywo od celeb rity. Well- known recluse and cricket legend Steve Waugh n1rned up as well, to s hare his experiences in India

From cbe Federal level, tbe Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison and the Minister for T rad e and lnves m1ent Andrew Robb found their way to the PBD even as their new government

Th e Languages se ssio n: On e of th e fe w t h a t appea led sat its first week in Parliamem. Two of the plenary sessions, one on languages and the other on media, went down particularl y well. Never has the PBD discussed the power of Indian languages in the Ind ian diaspora; seeing tlus on the pr ogram was indeed heartening, and sets a positive prececlem for fonue PBDs. The session on media was efficiendy handled b y moderator Suslu Das as she led die participants thro ugh a strucnu:ed session yet allowed flexibility in the var ious di scussion poims.

F lying in t\vo accomplished performance artists such as santo()I' maestro Sluv Ktm1ar Sharma and acclaimed vocalist 1-feeta Pandit also added a deeper dimension to the cultural engagement of the PBD. Bodi artists tbrilled rhe crowd, however small, at their performances.

Perhap s most successfully, the convention turned out to be a great opporn11i.i ty for d elegates to network with community members from other states and nacions. Faces were put to names

already known, as people got to know each other.

So what went wrong?

The C h ief Guest, India 's ~'1inister for Overseas Affairs, Vayalar Ravi looked stunned as he stood at the dais to address the nearly empty Sydney Convention Centre in bis opening spee ch. He fumbled his way tluough his address, which he attributed, somewhat strangely, to 'poor stage lig hting'. Speaking to fodian Linkon the last day, di e Minister did commeut on the poor turnout, citing "the vast distances peop le would have had to travel, which would have added to the cost of attendance"

Unfornmately, more thi ngs went wrong than right for this much - an ticipated event.

For starters, the organisers chose an overly bureaucratised 'top -heavy ' approach, about which much comment has alread)' appeared in community media.

Decisions were made out of Canberra, not exactly t he greatest h Ltb of connectiv ity a mongst the local India population in

Australia. Sydney and Melbourne seem t o have more than a third of the targeted audiences of the PBD, and it is in put from these concerned pmuasis which shoul d have been so ught

Perhaps the eligibility for membership in the managing committee s hould bave been a non - GPS ddve to centres of infl u ence w ithin the local Indian commmi.it)', say Harri s Park in Sydney. This would have verified the candidates ' credentials i n terms of bow connected they are to the bulk of the Indian community! (Take for instance, Senator Lisa Singh, who sat on the organising committee. While she is deservedl y admired for making it to ParLiament through sheer dint of hard work, her indepth knowledge of the Indian communiLJ here is questionable). Jokes as ide, the organisers si mply could nor excite tbe community about tl1e PBD. Perhaps the marketing could have been better, to reach a w ider section of the targeted audience. Instead, thousands of dollars

una

NSW Premier Barry O ' Forre/1 with delegates

were spent on the ve nue and on brochures distributed at d1e even t

Syd n ey resident Rajesh Kumar wco ce o n Tndian Link's Facebook page, "There was absolutely no marketing. If people (o r o rgan isation s) want to selJ so m ething, they fi rst have to spend money to sp read d1e word. Generall y our people h ave th is habiL in India of relying on the population, d1e quantiry but not the q uali ty; the lndian government has to realise that t he quantity sruff with no qu ality can work

only in Inclia and not outside India".

The figure o f registered delegates bandied about was 600 ; however even at the pea k of the conference on Day Two, it was obvious d1at there were less than 350 people in attendance. When questioned about chis, organisers res p onded that chere bar/ been 600 r egistratio n s, and perhaps people chose not to attend. Ha.rd to believe, as th ere are n o t coo many people who woul d forfeit the atte n dance fees of $425

Th e cos t of S425 pe r delegate was deemed extreme eve n by those who did attend ot only was this amount prohi b itive to most in Sydney, intersrnte a nd overseas visitors would have had to add cravel and accommodation fares as welJ ' 1 foun d it very pricey," said o n e Sydney resi den t who chose nor co attend "There seems to be licde idea of the income and lifes cyle p r essures of the local Indian community"

He added laughingl y that one organisi ng committee member tried to entice him with di e attrac tion of food : two grand lunches and two dinners, besides quali ry speakers at the sessions (Reporting o n the event in Indian magazine Ken1/o Todq;•, delegate Treassa Joseph commented that m ost o f tbe atten dees were members of tl, e Indian community w ho were closely c o nnected co the Indian High Commi ssio n or organisations that were already engaged in b ilateral relations witb India).

The d ecision co run die event over weekdays was anod1ec point of contention. This meam d1at

Po. \e. e,\ue Oot1

''

Perhaps most successfully, the convention turned out to be a great opportunity for delegates to network with community members from other states and nations ''

SPECIAL REPORT

Former Fiji PM Mahendra Choudhary was a popular speaker

many could not attend due to work commitments Much of the lndian d iaspora works in an employed category, and for most to take two out of their allocated 20 annual leave days to attend a conference, or take unpaid l eave, is difficult. The weekday choice is more conducive co a business program where attendance suits the bLtsi ness community

The heavy focus on business programs was robustly criticised by most o f those attending.

Sources within the organising committee p ointed c:be finger at Canberra's micro management of tl1e whole affair. W ith just a couple of individuals who had the ear of tlie High Commissioner Bi ren Nanda, tl1ere definitely was a strong bias cowards business, w ith less emphasis orr issues which concern and connect tlie lo cal diaspora with Lidia and within the reg ion. Business sessions of opportunities in services, lmsirress opporttm.iries in resources, business o pportunities in primary commodities, business opporcun.iries in infrastructure etc. would have all been well appreciated in an Tndo- Australian business forum , not i.n w h at was

an essenrially a forum for the diaspora co connect.

Saba Zaidi Abidi, the founder of Vision Asia network se rvices was outspoken in her views.

" The Australia India Business Council was heav ily involved irr tlie planning and execmion of tlie PBD event a.l o ng with tlie Indian High Commiss.ion and dominated most of tlie sess ions," s he wrote in a Jeerer to Indian Llnk. ' This ma kes one wonder as to wbatwas tl1e objective o f this whole exercise? If the pmpose of the PBD was t o promote B2B relationships between governments, then yes, it did achieve that objectively to some extent. But if i t was abouc people coming together co ce lebrate tlieir common heritage, share e.'-periences and bring to focus tlieir currenr proble ms and iss ues, and highlight the needs of tlie pravasi community at large, it fell short of delivering that There was hardly an y P2P or people- topeop le contact".

Some break-out sessions saw no more than 20 -30 people attending. On o ne occasion, an organising co m mittee member was seen i mploring attendees to return to

the auditorium , even as tl1ey stood o utside lamenring the lack of relev ance. l\.fost sessions ran !are - even tl1e cultural performances. Well- known sa11/001·anist Shiv Kumar Sharma could not help commenting chat Indian Standa rd Time seemed ro ha ve cros sed international boundaries, as he pariemly waited to start hi s show as part of the opening day e n tertainmem. Members of the eve nt manage ment company tliat helped put tlie conference together we re heard muttering in frustration as tlie organisers rook rime to get the event underway.

A note to organisers

It was clear to all d10se who attended that while it was an excellent op portunity to network, PBD Sydney could perhaps have been better th ough t thro ngh. A pres s release by tl1e orga nisers sent om upon the c o nclu sion o f the conference des cribed it as "a very successful firs t-ever Regional Pravasi Bhataciya Divas held in Sydney". The y can continue to l.ive with tl1e delusion tha t it was "very s uccessful," or cons id er some of the following as suggestio ns ff the y are not alread y doing su ch analys es, the communi ty out there definitely is, and these suggestions are compiled from tliem.

The costing should have been recon side red. Daily pricing or separate pric ing for attending relevant forums would probab ly have brought in more attendance. A more SLLitable -vetme co uld have kept the prices down. Would a weekend PBD have been better?

A solid publicity plan should have been put in place, much in ad vance, to ensure the message of the PBD got through clearly to the community al .large. A m o re transparent way of working and organising tl1e conference ought to have been adopted, rather than isola ted decisio ns taken on tl1e advice of a few who are l argely not co nnected with the local community. Other mi.nor plans to create goodwill in tlie c ommunity could have been i mp lemented, such as free entry to attend the cul tural performances (ra ther tlian have the mae stros perfo rm to empty halls).

The implications of Sydney PBD

Th e message chat the Indian government will probabl y get om of the Sydney PBD, is that the Indian commttni ry in A ustralia (and the region) is too s mall, and/ or too uninterested, for tl1 em co bod1er with.

Deplor abl y, this is far from the truth The Ind ian communi ty i s strong and fuJly capabl e

o f making a difference, as mainstream politician s in Australia have already found o ut. Their strengtl1, and this is not just in th eir numbers, but also in terms of tlieir in fluence, i s set to g row tn the very near fumre. The Indian governm ent has bee n slow in engaging witli Australia, and a strong Sydn ey PBD would have indicated to them that the diaspora here could be relied upo n to h e lp them cake the relationship furtlier. Reg rettab l)~ this op p o rtunity was missed

On the other hand, the message tl1ar t he Australian government will get our of the event, is that the organisi ng committee could not engage the Ind ian community h ere. Both sides of tlie political divide are constantl y on tl1e lookout for s trong Indian figures that t hey can count on to reach tl1e community, a vi.able vote1)a11.k. Perhaps the organisers were not those tliat the loca l diaspora .look to as die true l eade rs o f the community?

And finally, the message that the T.ndian community is going ro take away from tl1e Sydney PBD is this: the powers - that- be within tl1e Indian gover nment representatives here, as we.LI as tl1ose with in tl1e community, need to be bener in -couch with t he community they serve, o r hope to represent.

Saba Zaidi Abdi with Steve Waugh

Manpreet Singh with Minister Vyalar Ravi

CORRESPONDENCE

PBD Sydney : An opportunity lost

It is heartening to know that the Indian Government has a separate ministry for overseas Indians and also make.5 an enormous effort co recognise the contriburion of the overseas Indians co their motherland India, by conducting Pravasi Bharatiya D iwas (PBD) every year. The regional meet of PBD held in Sydney on 10, 11 and 12 November presented a great opportunity to address some of the major problems facing people of Indian origin living in Australia.

We always talk about three Cs which bind Australia and India: Cnrry, Cricket and Commonwealth, but most recently anod1er C bas been added which i s comme rce. Yes, the PBD p latform is used co promote commerce between India and ocher countries which have beneficed from l ncl ian migration li ke Australia Most of che Indian migration, especially to western nations inclurung Australia is through skilled migration, bringing doctors, engineers, IT p rofessionals, accountants and business brains. Australians of Indian bad:ground are generally well educated and belong to the cop economic strata of society and hence they are not only able to look after themselves but also look after and help rusadvamaged people in their community.

The d isadvantaged people in our community are chose people w ith Indian passports who travel to dus country like the senior citizens who come co live with d1eir children, lnruan international studems, and Indian workers on short term work visas who work in farms etc. These disadvantaged people are doing it tough and they need the help of the Indian High Commission/Consulates in major cities like Sydney, Me lbourne, Bi:isbane, Adelaide and Perth However, such heJp can be delivered onJy with d1e help of the host i.e., State and Federal Governments of Australia. It is in tl1is context that tl1e A L1stralian citizens of Indian heritage can p lay the ro le of ambassadors of India in Australia and have the power to lobby with politicians to make those policy changes necessary co make the life of Indian seniors/ smdents/workers a bit easier and happier.

PBD Srdney presemed a perfect oppormniry to make those points with d1e policy makers because they had the ears and eyes of the highest o ffice in States, d1e Premiers and some of tbe highest offi ces at the Federal Jevel like the Immigratio n and Trade ministers. U n fortunately no such attempt seems to have been made co lobby for change in policies whicb affect Indian seniors/ smdems/ wo.rkers

For example, the Ioruan seniors do not have Medicare cover, travel concessions or seniors' card facilitie.5, which results in a huge drain on chose yo ung immigrants who are trying to find their feet I nd ian internation al students are being used as cash cows. Indian workers who are on work visas are being exploited by their employers in farms and facmries What d id PBD, Sydney do to address these problems? I am afraid nothing, unless I am proved wrong.

While there were some lughlighrs like NSW & SA

Premi ers' and Immigration & Trade Ministers' speeches, Steve Waugh's address and the Pa!Lwi Sharada imervie,v, 1 think the following shortcomings were too many ro ignore:

• To start with the high registration fee d iscouraged many interested non- resideor lnruans to participate

• The registration fee could have been waived for Indian seniors, students and workers to ensure their participation, thus providing an opportunity to tell their stories and seek

so lntions co their prob lems.

• Publicity was totally lacking an d 90'1/,, of the non- resident Indians in Srdney, I spoke to were completely una,vare of PB D Sydney.

• J\Jthoug h there were man y eminent speakers, it was evident that merit was not the criteria for selection of most speakers. le was apparent that personal preferences and favo urs played a part in the selection.

• T found very li ttle scope for interaction between the Indian Government delegates, including d1e l'vfiniscer for Overseas Indians, who mostly kept to themselves an d the participating n on- resident Indian delegates, wid1 exception of a privil eged few.

• PBD Sydney was a good idea bm poorly executed.

Raj Natarajan

Oz/11dTV Sydney

Disappointi ng turnout

I think the program o utline and d1e calibre o f speakers at the Sydney PBD were fantastic, especially at the breakout sessions Pt Shiv Kumar Sharn-ia's santoor recital and me exhibition on Indian m igration m Australia were m y personal h ighlights, and also the fact that I met a loc of people for d1e first time - peo ple I bad previous ly only heard of or known of, but had never met in person. It was disappointing to see the low turnout though - the large venue seemed to swallow up tbe sruall- ish audience quite easil)c Also, having attended the PBD at Kocbi in January d1is year, I had e>.7Jecced the RPBD m have a much stronger focus on local community concerns, people's issues and diaspora matters d1an ic did - tl1e Sydney convention seemed to focus more o n business instead. That said, perhaps the objective of holding tl1e RPBD was not cleacly understood by mo st of the attendees, and only the organisers can tell us if they were able to achieve what they set o u t co. All in all though, icwas a good expe rience and a great networking opportunity for those who accended.

Manpreet K Singh

Ei::emtiue P rotfucer Punjab i Program

SBSRadio

828,

not P2P

Afte r months of preparation, pooling of eno r mous resources and publicity hype, o ne was expecting PBD to be a hnge celebration of people of lodian origin in the Oceanic region. As it mrned out it did attract some politicians, a few businesses, the education sector and large Indian delegations exploring business opportunities with Australia. 1 ,000 delegates were expected ro attend d1e PBD at the prestigious location of Darling Harbour Convention. Centre, but only 500 plus enrolled, om of which ove r l /3 were speake rs or i nvitees. The plenary sessions were attended by not more than 250 people at any given rime in a ball that had around 3,000 capacity The show went on but d1e auruence was nussing. It was a well organised event but lacked lustre. AIBC was heavily involved in the planning and execu tion of the event along with the Indian High Commission and dominated most of d1e sessions.

This makes one wonde r as to what was the objective of this whole exercise? If the pmpose of the PED was co promote B2B business and b i.lateral relationships between governments, then yes, it did achieve d1at objective ly to

some extent. But if it was about peopJe coming together m ce lebrate d1e ir common heritage, share experiences and bring to focus their curreor problems, issues and h ighlight the needs of me Pravasi community at large, it fell short of delivering d1ar..

There was hardly any P2P, or people to people contact. So why did it fail co attract me community? Was it the high cost of $350 [early bird discoumJ for a 3 -day event fair?

Or because it was scheduled o n working days? Perhaps tbe programme Jacked lustre an d failed to attract interest an1ongst the community at large. Maybe it was a combination of all the ab ove.

Why wete there no popular events s cheduled, open co tl1e public free of cost? If the Government of NSW could host AR Rehman in a free concert for the lnruan community, why can't the Government of lndia do die same for its pra11C1sis?

Renowned artists like Pandit Sh iv Kumar Sharma and Meeta Panrut were invited co PBD but d1e concert was open only to the delegates and they performed to an almost empty hall.

L1 fact Meeta Pandit commented, ''W here is the audience - is there a cricket match taking place)"

Some important sectors like medicine and health, tourism and sports were missing from d1e 3-day agenda.

As for the round table discussion on Power of Media in the Asian Century,' wluch was well chaired by Sustti Das of The Age, which I was invited co be a panellist on, we had a robust ruscussion on:

• Role of media in both countries in reporting Violence ag;unst Indian Students in 2010 and lessons learnt from it.

• W ill tl1e Indian med ia pl ay a dominate role in shaping the world opinion o n the global stage like the west did in the last century with the power of its economy and the magneti sm of its culture? Will we see an As ian Ruperr Murdoch emerge?

• Thirdly, in the next 20, 30, 40 years, where are we likely to turn for authoritative, accurate and balanced n ews coverage? The .influence and u ses of new merua - whether it's the social media such as Twitter, Facebook etc. or on.line news, analysis and b logging, as well as on.line TV /radio.

• The n.eed to have an NRl TV channel which connects the Indian diaspora globally and focuses more on issues and concerns for non- resident Indian and 2"" and 3"1 generation Indians. (Minis tet Ravi who also attended the sess ions agreed to offer supp() r t co any such initiative).

• A critique of t he local print media which has predomi nantly become an advertisement directory (The fact that no local prim media was invited co be on the panel was poin ted out as they could not contribute to the discussion).

• While we enjoyed meeting and exchanging ideas with many interesting people from od1er cities and countries, we missed the local participatio n.

In his concl uding remarks CGI Mr Anm Goel commented chat d1e two useful recommendation that emerged from the PBD deliberations were:

• Need to have O ld Age Care facilities for ageing Pmvasis.

• Need to have a NRI TV channel co connect the Indian diaspora globally.

Saba Z-aidiAbdi Managing mrector Nuvera Medin.

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osa success

Manju orchestrates her ingredients into the finale of Recipes to Riches

''Tb.ink M anju, chink StllllOStlsl" shouted an enthusiastic ManjnJebu as she reached out co us through our television screen s from t he secs of tbe recently concluded T{ecipt to Rirhes series aired on channel Ten.

The show was a twelve part series w h ere J\usu-alians brought to the tab le their homemade recipes, and the winner of each episode saw their produces on the shelves of \Voolworths ac ross Austra lia the day after the episode was aired.

Brisbane-based Manju who has been a radio convenor for over 26 years and who currently is the Honorary Ambassador of City of Ipswich for India, made it to the fi nale of the show for her produce, Manju's Vegetable Samosas. Tndian Lillk caught up with Indian -born Jvfanju co find om more about her expe riences on Recipe to Riches and ber love for cooking a particular sc1111osa which impressed not only cl1e judges, but also the rest of Australia.

"Anything I do is our of sheer love and passion, and the same holds true for cooking," says Manju passionately, bur w icl1 a smile. '·Cooking is like music co me, l am t he direcror and I have to orchestrate ingreilients accordingly co create a dish. I can create food out of anything".

However, this did not hold true when i\fanju first moved to Australia in 1978. "f did not know how to cook when. I first got to Australia," she says with a laugh. "The only dis h I knew was sp iced potato curry and this was because of a photographic memory of sitting long hours in my kitchen in India waiting for the food to be cooked and se r ved co me by my mother," she adds "Spiced potatoes berween toasted bread was like a st1111osa to me then".

It was not until 1982, w h en a health shop Manju was browsing through made her an offer co deliver a dozen .ra111osa fo r $6 ·•1 remembered talking ro God and aski ng Him how this would be poss ib le. And the answer l gor was 'Do unco me and I'U

b.less you ' ," s he reveals. This was the beginning of her learning process of making a sa111osa. :tvlanju remembers that h er first batch was with Aaky pastry. "I goc better ar making the dough for tl1e .ra111osa, and my sa111osa.r were so ld in few shops within my area," reminisces Manju. "l ,vas unaware that l had scarred a catering b u siness of sorts, wh ich went on for ten years".

She continued to make samo.ras for her friends, ger- togethers and family friend Greg Chappel, former Australian cricketer who is a big fa n of Manju's homemade samosas.

"1 came across the application for Recipe to Riches and filling in the form was the most difficult part. I told myself I would give it a go and see what happens next," states i\l[anju who shared her homemade samosa re cipe along with a photograph of the finished product.

Man ju eventually got a nod from the judges for her so/110.ra.r and received the Golden Ticket, an entry to the competition.

Up against other homemade recipes, l\ifa n ju was asked to produce a large number of sa!l1osas in a commercial kitchen. Having never worked in. a kitchen of this magnitude, the task ahead seemed daunting. But "wirb a focussed, confident and positive attirnde I went ahead and prepared the samosCl.r," she says

After getting a go -ahead from the judges, Manju was then asked to market her product ro Australians. "During this

ID11fJ

section I felt very disheartened and thought this journey was finished, but it was my daughter Tabitha who offered me words of encouragement and this kept rne going," sh e reveals.

Manju's samosas were a bit among the locals and she was announced the winner of tl1at particular episode, wicl1 her sa111osCls made available on the shelves of \Voolworths. "fr was a dream come true to see my sa111osas in the frozen section," stiys l\ifaojn. She qualified to participate in the finale with ten other contestants, each vying for a life-changing parmership wicl1 Woo lworcl1s.

"Being in cl1e grand Enale of Recipe to Riches I was a Little shaken up, I had to pinch myself co

Her own cooking sho,,, someday which will showcase both Indian and multicultural cuisine, and cl1e production of a range of frozen food products, are whacManj u aspires to and hopes co achieve in tl1e future.

performs

Chidambaram pegs eco nomic g rowth at 5 percentfor 2013- 14

The Indian econ o m y is on the path of recovery Growth wi Uaccelerate in the coming quarter and is expected to be around five percent for the current financial rear, Finance l\linister P. Chidambaram said recently in New Delru.

Tbe country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth rose to 4.8 percent in the quarcer ending in September as compared to 4.4 percent in the previous quarter, according to latest data from the Central Statistics Office (CS O).

Average growth in the fitst two quarters of the current financial year srood at 4.6 perce n t.

Addressing a press conference in the capital , Chi dambaram said tbe economic growth perfo r mance in the second quarter of tl1e currenc financial year was in line w ith tl1e government's expectation and was likely to improve significantly in the second half of the year.

''The secon d quarter GDP growth rate indicaces that the economy may be recovering and i s on a growth trajecrory again," tl1e finance minister said.

Apart from the second quarte r GDP growth numbe r s, Chidambaram also based bis o ptimism on recovery in e..xports and a very good improvement in current account deficit simarion.

"\'\lirh d1e recent impr0\7 emenrs in some important sectors li ke manufacmcing, better pe r formance of expo r ts and w ith the measures taken by tl1e governmenc, the econo my can be expected co show further improvement. \'Ile expect the growtl1 fo r tl1e financial yea r 2013 - 14 co be 5.0 percent," the finance m inistry said in a statement.

India's cu rrent account deficit

fa lls to $5.2 bi llion

in Q2

India's cur rent account deficit declined to $5.2 billion in July-September quarter o f the current financial yea r as compared co $2 l billion recorded in tl1e corresponding

quarter of las r year, on cbe back of rise in exports and decline in go ld imports, government da t a showed recently

As a proportion of tl1e country's gross domestic product (GDP), the current accounc deficit d uring the quarte r un d er review is 1.2 percent, sharply down from 5 percent reco rded in the cor responding quarter in 20 12- 13, according to data released b y the Rese r ve Bank of India (RB[).

The current account deficit (C AD) was reco rded at 4.9 percent of the councry's GDP i n me April-June quarter of tl1e current financial year

''Tbe lower CAD was primarily o n account of a decline in tbe trade deficit as merchandise exports p icked up and imports moderated, particularly gol d imports," t he RBI said

On a balance of payment basis, mercha n dise exports increased by 11.9 pe rcent to $81.2 billion i n the second quarter of 2013 -14 on the back of significant growtl1 especially in tl1e exports of textiles and textile products, leatl1er and Leather produ ces and chemica ls

On the otl1er hand, merchandise imports at $1 14.5 billion recorded a decline of 4.8 pe rcent in tl1e second quarter of tl1e current financi al yea r as compared witl1 a decline of 3 percent.in tl1e second quarter of 2012- 13 year-on -year, pi:imarily led by a steep decline in gold imports, whicb amounted to $3.9 b illion as compared to $16.4 billion in the first quarter o f 2013- 1 4 and $ 11. l billion in tl1e second quarter of 2012- 13

As a resulr, the merchandise trade deficit (BoP basis) contracted to $33 3 billion in tl1e second quarter of 2013- 1 4 from $47.8 billion a year ago.

29 years later, Bhopa l gas victims still wait for justice

It was on the night of Dec 2 -3, l 984, that a toxic gas leak from the ll nion Carbide Corporation's pesti cide p lant in t he Madhya Pradesh capi tal killed and maimed thousands of people. Nearly three decades

later, victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy are stiU fighting for justice.

The v ictims have been waging legal battles demanding more compensation, better treatment facilities and removal of haza rdous waste from the sire, and jobs for affected people.

Various social gro ups fighting for justice for the victims of one of the world's worst industrial d isasters are p lanning to ho ld a meeting in Bhopal to reiterate tl1eir demands.

Most of the vicrin1s bl ame the state and cenu al governments for not paying heed to theii: needs.

' 'ln tl1e past 29 years, we have been fighting witl1 ! inure d resources bur nothing substantial has come out yet Botl1 tbe state an d central governments have been eye-washing tl1e world on tl1e matter," said Rachna Dhingra , a member of the Bhopal Group for Information and Action.

Dbingra s aid 25,000 metric tonnes of toxic waste stiU lies inside the locked Union Carbide plant in Bhopal.

"So far, o nly 350 tonnes of waste bas been removed and the rest continues to lie inside the plant w i th none h aving any answer to when wil l it be removed," she said.

" The Madhya Prades h government has accepted the contamination of g roundwater in tl1e regio n , bur no steps have been taken for i ts disposal ," she said.

The Bhopal gas traged y killed over 3,500 people in a single night. An estimated 25,000, who \Vere maimed have clied ove r rwo decades.

Balkrishna Namdeo of the Bhopal Gas PeediL Niras hrit Pen sio n Bhogi Sangharsh Samiti said tl1e worst part is tlrnt the culprits behind ilie tragedy are still at large and tl1e government has failed to put them behind bars

" The peopl e who were responsible for the who le traged y have gone scot free and our government did not take any action co punish those responsib le for taki ng so many innoceoc lives," Namdeo said.

Victims say the impacr of the tragedy can be seen even today as hundreds of cluldren born in the area even now suffer from disabilities

"There are no jobs, victims are being given substandard medicines in hosp itals and children continue to be born witl1 disabilities of all kinds. We have been fighting and will coocinue for our rigbrs," seated Rashida Bi, head of the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Stationery Karmchari Sangh.

Indian Mars craft crosses

moon o rbit

Becoming tl1e farthest object sent by tl1e country into interp lanetary space, the 1ndian spacecraft co Mars crossed the moon's orbit on Dec 2, on its way towards tl1e red p laner, ISRO officials said in Bangalore recently

" The M ars Orbiter has crossed the distance of the moon's orb it around 8am and is now tl1e farthest object of India in tl1e interplanetary space," said a senior space agency offi c ial.

As earth's only natural satellite, tl1e moon i s around 384,400 km away and is tl1e fifth la rg est of its kind in the solar system.

Cruising at 32 km pe r second in the 680- million km solar orb it, the Orbiter Flew over the satellite, cross ing its orbit where lodia's moon craft Cha ndrayaao - 1 orbited in 2008 -09 The spacecraft has crui sed a distance of 536,000 km from eartl1 by 5 pm on Dec 2

"The Orbit is on course and cruising to escape the earth's sphere of influence, which extends up to 9 I 8 ,347 km in the deep spa ce," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) di.recror Devipr asad Karnik said in Bangalore

Scientists at the In dian telemetry, tracking and command network (Istrac) in Bang alore and tl1e In dian Deep Space Network at B ylalu, abollt 40km from Bangalore, are monitoring the spacecraft's movement in the sun -synchronous orb i t and checking its subsystems.

"The Orbiter bas crossed tl1e rubicon never co remrn, as it was freed from the earth's gravity on early Dec 1 and is on way for a rendezvo us with the red p lanet," Karnik said.

T he craft was Aung into outer space 1.11 am Dec 1 after irs engine was fired for 22 minutes for the cruc ial trans -Mars injection at a velocity (speed) of 648 metres per second.

T h e deep space network will conduct the fust of the four mid- course corrections Dec l l to ensure the Orbiter stays on course in the su n orbit.

After a nine- momh long journey, tbe spacecraft wiU ente r in mid -September 2014 the 1\fars sphere of inAuence, which is around 573,473 km from its surface, in a hyperbolic trajeccory.

" \Xl hen the spacecraft is closest co Mars i n mid -September, it will be captured into tl1e Ma r tian orbit through a crucial manoeuvre," Kar11ik said.

Transition from the eart h's fina l orb it to solar orbir was programmed in line w ith sun's gravity and laws of the universe to ensure the Orbiter reaches precise ly on time co sling into the Martian orb it in midSeptember.

T h e 1,337 kg Orbi ter was launched Nov 5 from Sriharikota spaceport off the Bay of Bengal, about 80 km nortb east of Chennai, on board a 350- tonne rocket wicb five

An Indian Naval band

during Naval Day celebrations at the Arabian Sea in Mumbai, India, December 4

scientific instnunents, l\ifa r s Colour C amera, Methane Sensor, Th e rmal Infra red Imaging Spectrometer, Lyman Alpha Photom et er, and Mars e.wspheric Netmal Composition

A nalyser.

lndia became the fuse Asian country and fo urtl1 nation in tl1e world to leap into d1e interplanetary space with its Rs.450-crore exp lo ratory mission to Mars, about 400 million km fro m earth.

So far, only Russia, USA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have nndertaken such missions.

Japa n's impe rial coup le floo red by g rand reception

Japanese Emper or Akihito and Empress Michiko we re Aoored by the "gorgeous and colourfuf' ceremonial reception accorded ro them at Rashtrnpati Bhavan in New De lhi recently.

The presence of smartly- turned out personnel of the tliree Services as well as tl)e horse- mounted Presidential Bodygnards in their red -go ld liver y, left me Japanese imperial couple "ve ry much impressed". Sakuram Tanino, press sec retary co tbe empero r and former envoy ro India , said d1e ceremonial reception was "very big in scale".

The imperi al couple, who are on a six-day state v is it to India, late r went to Rajghat ro pay Aoral tributes at the samad hi o f Malrntma Gandhi.

They had paid tribute at Rajghat dui:ing their visit 53 years ago, when they were in India as crown prince and princess of Japan and were in their early 20s, said Tanino.

The emperor and empress during their visit to the Japanes e embassy were very impressed at h ow big the peepul tree, known in Japanese as ho, had grown in the 53 ye ars since they planted it.

Need more American investment into Ind ia, says Sibal

Com1mrnications Minister Kapil Sib al recently called for greater investments from US -based companies in India to create jobs and buying capacity for d1e local population

"You need co invest in agriculture, medical (sector), electronics and education. Unless you help Indian econ omy, you won't be abl e to foc rease buying capacity of L1dian consumers," Sibal said at the ninth Indo -US Resurgence Summit held in New Delhi recently

"The (U S investo r s) are interested in selling their aircraft, defence equipment, but that is not the wa y to converge in this partnership".

According to Indian government estimates, the Indo- US trade in merchandi5e goods for the calendar year 20 12 stood at $62 85 billion wid1 balance of trade surplus of $18.18 billion in favour of fodia.

On the other hand , civilian and military orders placed by India w itl1 American companies have created tl10usands of jobs in the US. 1 otwithstanding d1e growi ng trade ties, t b e US Lrnder its strategic partnership wants co co-develop ne w systems for civilian and military purposes wid1 India.

The minister, who was speaking at the event organ ised by the Inda -American Cha mb er of Commerce (IACC), also attacked d1e US government policy o f restricting visas ro Indian information technol ogy (IT) professionals

"You are a countr y mat talks about liberalisation of g lobal economy and ye t yo u are .increasing cost of our IT sector by trying to i.mpose restriction on our people trying to go ro US. I don't think m is is the r ight attitude fo r partners," Sibal said.

Sibal added tl1at the u·ade between the two countrie s can rapidly expand, and pointed at the enormous opportunity for tl1e companies of t\VO sides to collab o rate in areas like manu facmre o f consumer durables as there is exponential demand in lndia.

" Today because of high wag es cost in China, manufacturing facilities are sh ifting to India. Japanese are very keen to invest in India, I don't know w h y the Amer icans don't come forward," Sibal said

"

The present in1port bill of crude o il is about $140 billion Do you th ink Inclian economy can afford to import $300 billion of consumer electronics? We will become bankrupt. We have no choice to bui ld manufacturing sector in our country".

The dar-lon g summitin the national capital was attended b y more than 200 delegates representing companies and institutions from India and the U S, including top dipl omats and officials from government level s

According to IACC's regional president Lalit Bhasin, the summ it focussed o n enhancing the partnership bet-veen the rwo countries i n me sphere of aviation, aerospace, security, serv ices, tiade, media a nd entertainment.

"Our resurgent summit seeks to provide more depth to commercial ties behveen t he world 's most powerfuJ and the world's largest democracies," Bhasin said.

"The idea t o enhance the partnership to the next .level of business, t he middlelevel enterprises d1at are d1tiving hubs o f innovation and emp lopneor".

End travel curbs, demand Pa kistan , India jo urnalists

Journalists from India a nd Pakistan bave demanded an end to res tricti o n s on comm1rnications and travel between the two COUntJJ eS.

The demand was made in a joint declaration by the Karachi Press Club (KPC) and the Mu mbai Press C lub at d1e end of a week-long visit by an Indian jomnalists' delegation to Pakistan recently, the Dai!J Times reported KPC prc:siden t lo1ciaz Khan Faran and Mun1bai Press C lub president Gurbir Singh signed the declaration.

The declaration said the limit of allowing only hvo accredited journalists in the capitals of e imer country on a reciprocal basis was "ir.rational and restrictive"

Jc said tl1e severe travel res trictio ns imposed on journalises have made comprehensive and crmhful reporting imp ossible.

The Indian declaration called me restrictions imposed by bod1 countries on disu·ibution of print editions " archaic and resttictive," es pecially since internet ed itions were freely availabl e dirough o ut th e globe

Bodh Ga ya te mple dome in laid with gold

The dome of Bodh Gaya's 1 , 500-year- old Mahabodhi temple, Buddbis m's holiest shrine, ha s been inlaid wid1 nearly 300 kg gold donated by devo tees from Thailand, giving tbe s hrine a new look.

"A tean1 of technical exper ts from

Japan's Emperor Akihito shakes hand with the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee during a meeting in New Delhi, 2 December. The trip of the Japanese Emperor is to commemorate the 60th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties between the two countries

Thailand ha s com pleted work to gold- pl ate the dome and .final touches we re gi ven co it recently," the te mple's chief monk Bikbshu Chali11da said.

Chalinda said in a telephone interview from Bodh Gaya, about 110 km from Patna, that the temple's dome had become more attractive and beautiful after it was inlaid witl1 gold.

"Thanks to the 289 kg of gold donated by tb e Thai King's treasury and Buddhist d evotees from Thailand, the temple has not only become richer but it has a different look," h e said.

According to him , more than 200 Thai devotees, mostly mose who donated gold, were can1ping in tl1e temp le premises to o ffer prayers

N. Dorjee, secretary of tl1e Bodb Gaya temple management committe e, said work on ilie dome started in November. A Thai compan y carried it o m , overseen b y me Archaeological Survey of India (AS])

The go ld was flown in a special plane fro m Bang kok.

Dorjee said it was Thai King Bhumib ol Atulya who decided l ast year to cover the temple dom e with gold. Bur it took rime to get me ASI's clearance.

The first phase of the wor k involving chemical treatment was co mpleted in August co prepa re die foundation for g old placing.

The anciem 180 feet structure of the Mahabodhi temple is estimated to have been built between the 5th and 6th century AD.

le was lost and rediscovered in tl1e 19th century by Alexander Cunning ham, who founded the 1\SI in 1861.

Scientific validation of ayurvedic medicines begins in Ke rala

CARe Keralam, which r ecently scientifically validated the anti -diabetes ayan1edic formulation N ishaakathakaadhi Kashaya m (NKK) thus facilitating its sale abroad, is going ahead with the same process for ocher produces coo, an official said recently in Kochi.

The scientific v alidation of d1e diabetes form ula tion was a 6rst-o f -its-kinu attempt in the hisrory of f!)'llrveda Such validation is necessary for the marketing and sale of qyur11edir products in fore ign markers.

CARe KeraL1m, a co mmon fac ili ty set up as a joint venture behveen qy11rveda units and d1e Kerala government, will id entify 20 popular formulations for scientific validation with a view to ensuring wider acceptability fo r '!)'1trvcdi,- medicines

Man y ayurvedic formulations are mar:keted mostly as fo c>d supplements.

CARe Keralam (the Confederation of Ayurvedic Renaissance Keralam Ltd) will be supported b y the acional Innov ation C ou ncil and the Council for Scientific and lndustrial Research (CSIR) in du s attempt co bring international recognition to qy11111edic medicines.

"We have been entrusted this p ioneering sc ientific study b y tl1e ational Innovation Council. We are read)' to t ake up more such studies to promote the standardisation of ayurveda products, to bring them on par with modern medicines," CARe Keralam managin g directo r Karimpuzba Raman said CARe Keralam, along with CSIR and other natio nal ag enc ies, is also planning a g rand qytwucda summi t t o place this age -o ld Ind ian system of medicine in tl1e limelight and identify key produces for scientific validation, w id1 tbe support of tl, e industry Spurred by d1e huge response to its dossier on NKK, d1e group is also planning ro h o ld a clinical cri al o f the form ula tion with a minimum o f 500 subjects, co establis h tl1e efficacy and safety of the produc t and offic ially declare it safe, ru1d in accordance witl1 global standards.

CARe Keralam was establ ished in. Koratty in Thr:issur d istrict o f Kerala witb the s uppor t of the Department of A yurveda, Yoga, Nanuopatby, Unani, Sidda and Homeopathy (Ayush) o f the government of India It has conducted a comprehensive multidisciplinary sn1d y on NKK 's eight raw materials, and the Cf)'lltwtdic product formulated from them, demonstrating its efficacy o n rats

The exhibition showcases a rare glimpse into Indian art dating from the 8th century to present day

To savom the ar tistic riches of India, one had to go no farther dian the Art Gallery of South Australi a. In mid - Ocmber, die GaUer)' launched an exhibition titled, F.ealt11s of l f7011der- Jain, Hif!d11 a11d lsla11tic m-t of Jndi", at a gala function he ld on its rear courtyard. The invited guests, numbering around 200, included Adelaide's arr aficionados and several Indians from various community gro u ps.

Showcasing more than 200 paintings, sculptures and decorative art pieces dating from the 8'" century ro the p resenr day, the organisers p r oudly p roclaimed, '1t is the Gallery's fi r st major exhibi tion dedica t ed exclusively to the art of lndia .Many of tbe works are on display for the first time. Jain art has never before been comprehensively displayed in Australia"

Welcoming the guests at the launch, GaUe r )' D irector Nick Nlitzevi ch said the first piece of Indian art ,vas obtained in 1904, but serious collecting of Asian art started only a few decades ago.

Gallery's curator James Bennett told Jndi",1 Link mat, "All but one of the exhibits have come from local sources, ma n y from our own coUection mat have been sirring around for over 30 years, but have never been exhibited. Quite a numbe r are from local collectors 20

and one is from a European co Uecror who has vo lunteered it to be disp layed on hearing about die exhibition".

How much

evident in the introductory speech of Mr Michael Abbott, a leading QC and Gallery's Board Chairman, when he thanked a long list of persons who have loaned or gifted their pri2ed possess ions to th.is exhibition. It was heartening to know that so many Adelaidians are interested in Indian art. However, modesty prevented h im from mentioning that a good number of tl1em are from h is private coUeccion.

i\'1r Abbott, a legal lumina ry, .i s well known for his huge coUection of Indian artworks including antique textiles. le i s interesting co note that dii s mp silk who delves in forensic details in court, is equally dedicated to the line arcs.

Visi tors to his grand o ld house are reported to have a sense of enrering an Indian art gallery. He does not hold die pleasure of his

collection just to hiinself, but has shared it w ith the w ider public by donating or permanently loaning a l arge num b e r of them, valued around $5 miJJi.on, ro galleries around Australia with the SA Gallery getting the lion's sh are.

When asked what sparked h is interest in Indian texti les, not very common for collectors, rvfr Abbott said, '1 once went to a trade textiles fair i n I ndonesia and saw fine Indian textiles d1ere that sparked my interest in them.

My first acquisition of Indian a r t was in the early 70s My special ioreresr is in the Coramandel coast an d Gujarat". He has visited India countless ti.mes in pursuit of his passion, besides snapping up rare pieces at famous auctions overseas.

Among other benefactors to this current exhibition are l\,lr Barrie Heaven, who once owned the renowned Lord K itchener restaura n t, die only lndian eatery in Adelaide until die 70s, and .Mrs Judy Heaven, a foi-mer curator of the Gallery.

How mericulously the currenr exhibition was organised can be evidenced the moment you climb down the stairs where a larger drnn life wooden temple guard, a common sight in Soud, ln dian temp les, catches die attention. The entire basement has been segmented imo sLx sections with each entrance decked with large,

intricately carved wooden panels giving a feeling of entering a temple or royal come. One section is devoted to Jain arc. Sculptures of Shiva hold court in one room while paintings of Krishna and stanies of Vishnu pervade tli e och er, representing the two major seccs of Hinduism

Antique textiles cake up one section, while silverware and jewellery occupy another Islamic arr has good coverage where every waU was covered ,vith Koranic scriptures as can be seen on die Taj J\fahal or famous mosques.

Attention to detail is admirable.

Curacor Bennet said he sought the help of Prof Ri chard Cohen from Virgi nia University in the US, and rwo Iranian experts to get the correct translation of notes accompanying some Islamic art pieces. Offering an idea of the work behind the show, he said it took 18 months of planning and ful l four weeks of installation by ten worker,5 The entire set• up was not just a showpiece of workmanship, but a work of art in i tself!

As it could take an hour or two to see the treasures on display, children can malce their own artful creations widi playdough in an acrivity room w here many Ganesha idols crafted by young and o ld adorn the shelves.

The Rc"hm of Wonder· exhibition is not limited co masterpieces

of an. It comprises a series of lecmres on all aspects of Indian art, workshops on dtaping a snri, hmna decoration, tabla playing, music and dance performances, yoga and meditation classes, Hare Krish na chanting, Deepa Mehta's three movies and even a tour of tlie adjoining Botanic Garden to explore Indian Rora. Deserving of a bouquet, thi s elaborate show goes on w1til J anuary 27, so in terstate visitors during d1e Ch1·istmas holidays can enjoy a rim, artistic feast. Adelaide's North Ter race that houses the gallery, museun1, State Librnry and rwo universities is apdy called the cul niral golden mile, and i t is now furdier enriched widi priceless treasures from India.

Details are auailab/e on the Ga/le,y's website at www.artgallery.sa.gou.a u

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F~ to INDIA

from

The future for lndo-Oz relations

Will the new government prove to be old wine in a new bottle or will it make an effort in genuinely improving lndo - Oz relations?

Return fare including taxes

MOHANTHITE

Despite the change of government

ir up nicely: Leaming.from cbaos: IVin i11 fndirt to 1JJi11 everywhere ] ndia is like a wild horse. Once you tame it, it will be your Black Caviar". Australia is fast losing irs attractiveness for Indian students as a destination for higher studies. W ith the high Aussie dollar and increasing restrictions on student visas and permanent residency, Indian smdenrs today tend to prefer ilie USA and UK over Australia. in Australia after six years, the impact and implications for relations with India are most likel y to be minimal.

*Fi.est of all, lndia is mired in its own economic, political and so cial prob lems, adversely affecting its growth rate and global leverage. There is a looming mssle between Rahul Gandhi and r arendra

Modi in the upcoming elections. Until India finds its own direction and moves

''With the high Aussie do llar and increa sing rest rictions on student

v isas and permanent residency, Indian studen t s today te n d to prefer the USA and UK over Australia

decisively, it can't expect the rest of d1e world to take i r seriousl y

Even though both Libera ls and Labor have endorsed selling uranium to Indi,i, it is highly unlike ly to warm Ausn:alia's relations with India. The key challenge in the relationship is 'trust deficit'. Ir is telling in the fact that no Indian Prime Minister has visited Australia in over 25 years, whereas Australian Prime Ministers have been to India se,7 eral times dming d1at pe riod.

In finding reasons for India's lack of interest in Australia, the S]dmy Momi11g Herald (29/8/201 2 ) felt tha t "to India, Australia doesn't matter that much [as] Australia is, at best, a third -tier parmer in Indian eyes". le is true that the only thi ng that interests India about Australia is its energy resources Pri~rate Indian firms like Adani and GVK Group have m ade .some major inroads in regards to this

T oday, India is A usn·alia's fourrb larges r trading partner with trade heavily skewed in fa vou r of Ausn·alia. Still, Australian companies have had very limited success in entering the burgeoning lndian marker. In m y keynote address on 'Doing business in India' o rganised by ilie Q ueensland Government's India Council in 2012, I

Bur India is becoming strategically impo rtant to Australia in one respect, human resources. The focus

of Australia's migration program has significantly shifted over Lhe last decade towards an 'emphasis on attracting skilled migrants

''in o rder to meet Australia's labour needs' and skilled migrants, bod, permanent and temporary, are allocated the lion 's share (68 %) of tl1e migration intake

In 2011 -12, India became the largest source counn·y for permanent m igration, and second largest for temporary skilled migration in Austra Lia India is also the prime destination for g lobal services offshorfog Harnessing Indian human capital is therefore v ital for tl1e long- term economic and labour need s of Australia

There is tremendous scope for relations between India and Australia ro reach new heights - economically, politically and socially. To realise this p o tentia l, both sides need to make so me serious strategic moves. India o n its part needs to shed its 'reluctant superpower' image and should participate seriously in gl obal affairs by taking decisive steps in forging enduring partnershi ps witl1 USA, Japan and Australia.

The Australian goverrunent and political/ business leaders equally, need

''Let us hope Tony Abbott and his

to look beyond short- term fixes in strengtl1ening tl1eir relatio nship with l.ndia aod show patience, perseverance and genuineness in their engagement.

government w i ll be the guiding light that heralds a new era of Inda- Australian Let us hope To ny Abbott and his government w ill be t he guiding light tl1ac heralds a new era of lndo-Australian

re lation s

had noted, "Success in India requires a unique approach to find me jt1gar1d way, like 'water Aowing through t he paths of least resistance'. Slicing tluough the chaos in India to success demands a unique genius , one iliac can sometin1es confo und Western logic and no rms The title of an upcoming book sums

relations.

After all, d1e lndian and Australian tectonic plates were fused together millions o f years ago and according to new research, Australian aborigines had contact with Ind ian migrants 4,000 years ago. So our relations go a long way back, and even Pauline Hanson will not be able to tell Indian migrants to "go back to where you came fro m !"

www.i n dia n link.com.au

On money and happiness

Showing more empathy and charity towards the poor can help reduce poverty and destitution in the world

BY SHAFEEN I MUSTAQ

If the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer, does this mean the rich have to curb their dreat:ns and aspirations to lift up the status of the poor? When David Beckham earns $100,000 a tlay, should he be giving that away to live in Inglebu rn, so chat the poor can rise up to a proper standard of living? The reality of rnodern soc iety i s that the rich are rich at the expense of the poor. \Y./e Jive off the poor, we cake their mone y, their oil, minerals, gemstones and their labour at such horrifying low costs that we create a socioeconomic div ide respons ib le for the brain drain and resource drain of ocher countries. In doing so we make ourse lves wholly respons ib le for the growing economic divide and the misfortunes of chose less well off.

Does chis mean the rich are not allowed to aspire? No. Everyone is enti tled to asp ire. The garment worker who is only paid 50c for a dress yo u bought at $110 is also entitled to aspire. But she liYes in a society in which you have conb:ibuted to the death of her cl.rean1s. We have built a soc io - economic arena tn wh ich third world countries are pitted against first world countries like gladiators, w ith little to no hope for success Shouldn't we work cowards a society where this worker's labour is duly paid and her right to dream is duly respected and given a lighting

chance? Islam's way of wealth distribution gives people that chance. The concept of 'zakoa! which is to donate a small po r tion of one's wealth to the less fortunate means chat if we all gave a little of ,vhat we have, there would be no poverty in this world. But we don't. We would rather spend it on a new house or another car, than g ive even a cent more than what is expected of us

It is here tl1at I believe it is our collective responsibility to judge eacb other, and remind ourselves of om bow1daries and of the risk of hedonism. A reminder between friends that extravagance leads to the loss of val u es and sense of self, should not be considered offense. Rather, it should be gratefully accep ted so that we do not lose oucselves in the consumerist mad dash for materialistic satisfaction. So, no!

I don't think David Beckham should live tn Llglebnrn. He has worked very hard to get where he is, by virtue of his looks, talent and his efforts at harnessing his fame. But he should remember that the privileges be takes for granted which pos ition him in the c,i111e de la cri!111e of society, are but a dream for 90% of his fellow humans. And he knows tl1at.

His efforts with ONICEF and those of Meryl St:reep and Angelina Jolie w ith other NGOs, show that there ate celebrities who take on the responsibility of helping those less fortunate, and cake it very serious ly

So the next time you look at that amazing red sports car, or the brand new housing complex in which you can build a mansion, remind yourself that having food, shelter, clothes and access co education put5 you i.n the cop

10% of society. Remind yo urself that we live in a world of 6 billion people in which the majority go hungry every day, have little to no shelter, or are facing religious and cuJmral persecution. Recognise that the current socioeconomic status, division of wealtl1 and labour, and political hegemony only perpetuate this divide and drive mankind to total despair and apathy. Remind yourself cbaty01/ can make a clifference by doing

you r bit for your fellow humans. Buy fair trade, look behind the fa<;ade of materialism, refrain from extravagance, put aside some portion of your wealth for charity.

The most important thLng yo u can do to srop tl1e perpetuation of our consumerist cu lture is to educate your children, families and friends. Teach chem the value of money. Show d1em d1rough your own actions d1at simply because you have the means to deck

''The concept of 'zakaat'which is to donate a small portion of one's wealth to the less fortunate means that if we all gave a little of what we have, there would be no poverty in this world

''yourself in Louis Vuitton, doesn't mean that you do Fo r somewhere in some dark decrepit factory, d1ere is a little git:l who makes those lush things ) Oll crave with no hope of ever wearing tl1em herself. Remember rliat wh il e you have asp irations, you are not d1e only one that does. And there is nothing m ore rewarding tl1an giving back some.one's right to aspire, in whatever way you cau.

There are no problems without solutions

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Apart

In celebratio n of my twin daughte r s' 4'" birthd ay I rook th em o n th eir first overseas holiday to Fij i. As we disembarked from the p lane and began the walk coward s the taxi srn nd , icky turned and ran back to the craft o n h earin g a deafeni ng welcome cr y of 'Bula' (Hello!) fro m large m en in grass skirts, w ielding cl ubs for dramatic effect. Severa.I trips later we retmn to exp lore the Cora.I Coast o n the main is1md of Vi ti Levu.

Th e drive from t he airport passes r adi , predominantly an Indian town with the Sri Siva Sub rama ni ya Temple, th e lai-gesc in the southern hemisphere, a nd spice s hops and Indian restaurants lining the main street. \ l itb v illages, co c onut trees, sugarc ane a nd pin eapple plantations, Fiji's coasrnl road is a pictures9 ue drive circling tl1e island as beauri fu.l beaches, coral reefs and scenic bays co rne in to view. \ V/e arr ive at our hotel, Outrigge r o n cbe Lagoon, and for the next week, m y teenage daughters s pend their days b y the poo l while l venture off explo ri ng the island.

Mo r e cban just an idyllic hol.iday destination in the South Pacific, Fiji is friendly. le took me several clays to realise, as I wal ked alon g the roads ide, that a too t from a pa ssing car was a way of asking whether l was in n eed of a lift. Afte r wal ki ng for several k ilo m etres on ch e fust d ay a nd many toots later, a mini bus wi th yo ung backpackers onboard stopped and the guid e from Fee J ee Expe rience offered me a r ide. Over the n ext few days, I was offered lifts b y an academic remrning to Fiji Universi ty with he r smd en ts in tow; Inoke, an attorney goin g home with his daughter a fte r a conference; and raxi drivers o ffe1.ing a life w hile o n their way to collect passengers. 1 also caugh t local b u ses piled high with fresh fruit a nd vegeta b les, wi th fre9uent sco ps fo r children making the.ir way to school.

1 caught a bus to Suva, the cap ital an d h ome to h alf of F ij i's

population, and a city tha t see m s to be subjected to a constant driz zle I visi ted the li vely marker, had an excellenr Indian lunc h with local ingre d ients rep lacing those that are not locally available, and vi sited the Fiji Museum , w h ich tells the c ountr}"s story thr ough musical instru ments, cooking tool s a n d war clubs. I als o visited Pacific Harbour, wi th several r eso r ts and a marina

Fiji's most beautiful beach is Natado la, a long crescent sh aped beach of w h i te sand. W ith a go lf course and several expensive resort hotels, while Jovel)', those staying here bad little inclination to ve n tu re beyond

l caug ht the local bus several tim es to Sigaroka, the l.argest town on the Cora.I Coast and the commercial centre for tl1e far m in g comJnunities upr iver in the Sigaroka Valley The .fresh produce marker sold tl1e sweetest pineapples, and roots fo r making kat'a were piled high in bunches. A few supermarkets, resrnurants, a l'vfosque and souvenir sto res make up tl1e compact town

Locals advised that I sho uJd do two thin gs while in Fij i - rake a cruise to the i slands and travel into the interior.

After cross ing the Sigatoka River by boar, we hopped inro an o p en 4WD jeep with considerable horsep ower and for the next hour we went up and down hills alo n g t he v alle y roa d, skirting b)' th e river manoeuvred w i th cons iderable skill by Josephine, our tour guide. Stopping at a village we met villagers climbing onboard a truck to atte n d a cllurch serv ice An eld erly man hopped out, came towards us and presented me w ith a Aowe r garland.

Ar i aihebe Cave more than 170 metres long, we waded knee deep in cle ar water ro the dark inte ri or before be ing offered kt1va by the village ch ief. Inevitably, vi s.irors will be invited to drink kava, a relaxing traditional drink made from the kava root that numbs your tongue and tastes like bi tter liquid mud. l\ifade b y placi ng ground kava root in a cloth infu sed with water in a wood en bowl, it is offered as a gesture of welcome.

0 Lu final day was spent o n Ra Maranrn, a beautifu.lly restored

from its stunning beaches and relaxing ambience, the sociable natives of Fiji make your trip special

tall ship as we cruised ro Tivua lsland for snorkelling, kayaking and a tropical buffet lunch. W ith dJe most perfect of sunny skies, a sudden storm had us running for cover, with offers of kam. \"(/e returned back co rbe botel with the crew singing merril y

Fij i is a co u ntry with a strong cultural heritage of F ijians and descendants of Ind ian labourers who were brought to work in d1e sugar industry between 1879 and 1916 On our lase night we

INDIAN LINK

watched another sunset, the aromatic blend o f coconut oil and tropical b looms filling the air. 1 went for my final walk along the beach and began talking to a family preparing a picnic. "Would you like to come join us?" Ir was

Rajen , a chef at the Outrigger Hotel, enjoying his day o ff.

"Come agai n!" they called, and as d1e horses were brought down to the water's edge for a swim i n the lagoon, I thought I surely can and will!

TRAVEL NOTEBOOK

GETT ING THERE

Virgin Australia, Jetstar and Fijia nAirways fiy from Austra lia to Nadi. Watchfo r specials. Taxisare plentiful at theairport or pre-boo kacoach transfer withCoral Coaches or private transfer t hrough you r hotel. Express and loca l buses provide convenient and Inexpensive transpo rtat ion aroundthe iSla nd, but as they stick to the main roads, hirea taxi fo r sightseeing the beaches, since many are away from the main road

I

ACCOMMODAT ION

Fiji has a 010u rableexchange rate whichtrans lates into a great and affordable holiday dest ination, and resorts aregenerall yof a highsta ndard We thoroughly enjoyed ou r stay at theOutr igger on the Lagoo n- Fiji +679-650-0044 / reservat ionS@Out ri ggerfiji.com.fj/www.o utriggerfiji.com Thedail y activities planner will occupy your time without needing to leave t he resort. The kid's cl ub is excellent My daugh ters spent their time by the poolside, although gu ided tours to sand du nes, kaya ki ng etc,, are on offer. Fire walkin g, the Fij ian Lovo and traditional dance ni ghts area high light. The resort fronts a bea utiful lagoo nwithanexp.1nslve lu sh iropical garde nand large lagoon swimming pool. Some resorts are mo resuited toco upiesor honeymooners, whil eot herscater fo r fam ili es Solotravellers might better enjoy tou rin gwit ha to ur companysuch as Fee.lee Experience.

DIN ING

Opt fo r a meal package if you plan to spend yourtime at a resort, si nce meal costs do ad d up. We fo und several restaurants only asto nesthrow from the resort, wit h Le Cafe recommended.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Avo id thecyclone season Captain CookCru ises offer a great day sailing out to Tivua Island.+ 6796701-823/reservations@captaincook.com,fj/www.captaincook.com.fj S i gatoka Rive r Safa ri offer two excurs ions, both recommended. +679 -6501-721 / safari@sigatokariver com/www.sigatokarive r.com

WHY HSC SCALING MATTERS

BY RICHARD CHUA, FOUNDER OF TALENT 100 AND EDUCATION THOUGHT LEADER

In this article Richard Chua explains how to target and achieve an ATAR. Richard graduated from Sydney Grammar School with a UAI of 100 (ATAR equivalent 99.95). He currently works as a Strategy Associate for Google in Mountain View.

Next week, HSC students will final ly get the i r ATARs - fou r digits wh ch cou d determine what careers and professions they may be doing for the next 20 yea r s. Your ATAR Is your ticket to Uni• versity, so Its important to know exactly how this is calcu lated.

At Talent 100, we've cons istently had more than a quarter of our students achieving ATARs over 99. Last year, we had 7 students who achieved an ATAR of 99.95 This week I'm going to share with you the secrets to t heir success - how to break any ATAR down into smaller, more achievable goals in each of your subjects.

WHAT IS SCALING?

Scaling is the process of standardising marks so that they can be compared across subjects. In scaling marks the UAC will adjust the highest mark, median mark and standard deviation so that al l subjects are directly comparable. The reason it is needed is that without scaling, it would be impossib le to compa re a 95 in Economics with a 95 in Mathematics Extension 2.

ATARVSUAC

The UAC basically converts the averaged HSC Assessment and HSC

Exam ination Marks to their own UAC score through a process o f scollng to o UAC score. Each unit is converted to il score of 50 ond the best 10 units (Including Englis h) are used to calcu late a score of 500. Most students are unawa re t hat the r ATAR is calculated from th is base score of 500. The table be low illustrate the relat onship:

SCALING GRAPHS

The most important th ing to note is that not al l subjects ore created or scaled equall y. Some subjects that a re considered hard er are obviously sca led h ig her, whilst some subjects i n wh ich it is easy t o sco re high marks will be sca led downwards.

The graph below (fig 1) g ives you a good Indication of how subj ect scales. From the previous t able, you shou ld be able to see if you wanted to score an ATAR of say 99. you would need to score •45/50. Following those marks you can see that you would need to score i n t he top 56% of Maths Ext 2, the top 23% of Maths Ext 1, bu t in t he top 4% of Maths Advanced For simplici ty's sake we've shown what it ta kes to score A TARs of 95, 97 and 99 respectively.

What you now have are the relative benchmarks for performance to score any ATAR. Hence, suppose you were aiming for an ATAR o f 99.00: If you were in the top 20% for Maths Ext 2 but in the top 20% for English. this graph clear ly ind icates that your time will be better spent in English because an improvement to the Top 10% i n English is going to deliver much better gains t han a sim ilar improvement in Maths

HOW DO THE DIFFERENT SUBJECTS SCALE?

At Ta lent 100, we've examined the sca ling of categories of subjects such as Mathematics English, Science and the HumaniUes. When you exa mi ne the scaling graphs, some clear trends emerge: Scaling Graph (fig 1)

STUDY SMARTER, NOT

You now know what ranks you need in each subject to score any ATAR. The next steps are to ensure that you ach eve those ranks.

If you are in Year 9-12, Talent lOO s courses can help you do just that. We've consistently had the best results in the i ndustry s ince 2008. Our courses will help you develop the three skills and resources you need to ace any exam:

1. Understand the theory: We teach i n small g roups of up to 13 to ensure you understand every syllabus dot point.

2. Perfect exam technique: With regular tests and homework set in examination style, we help you trai n your exam technlque on a weekly bas is.

3. Online learning system: Need extra help on a topic? Our classes are supported by the most advanced online learning system ever created for HSC students.

At Ta lent 100, we've helped 1000s of students ach ieve the ir dreams, and we'd like to he p you

For a THREE WEEK free trial, simply call us on 1300 999 100 or you're welcome to visit www.talent-100.com.au

Highest Decision Rules

Scaling Subjects

Source: Report o n the Scaling of t he 2011 HSC (UAC)

You should use this graph to target the UAC score out of 500 you need to achieve your desired ATAR. Th is way, you can be fairly cert ain what ATAR you are heading for well befo re you sit your exams and adjus t your study patterns accordingly. For instance, if you wanted to score an ATAR of 99, you wou ld need 449 or roug hly 45/50 for every subject.

3Uand4U 3U and 4U Maths are by far, the highest sca lingsubjects that are readily accessible students, Because of their high scaling, vou should take the highest level of mathematics that you are capable of. For instance, to be on target for an ATAR of 99+, you only need to be average in 4U Maths, whereas vou would need to be In the top 4% of 2U Maths. Advanced Where possible you should take at least advanced English. The higher &Higher English as a group, scale well above Standard Eng lish. For instance, students who scored in the 25% of Advance receive scores higher than those students who score in the top 1% of standard.

Physics & Physics and Chemistry are the highest scaling sciences, and scale Chemistry significantly better than biology.

Economics& Economics is the best scaling humani ty, and scales just as well Modern History as Physics and Oiem istry. Apart from Economics, the other humanities scale significant y worse • you will need exceptiona l ranks to score an overal l ATAR if you choose humanities

Yes, summe r is here and cbat m eans chose red and b lack hand -picked small juicy m ouchfuls of deliciousness are back. And back with a bang And even better news? Th e fresh Australian ones are here to hang o m wi th us a n d our reci pes until Easter time.

Not only do tl1.ey add a colourful touch to your meal, but tl1ey're also low in calories, high in d ietary fibre and jam packed full o f vitamin C. And becau se iliey're so sweet, you don't even have to bribe kids to eat them.

"The long process of growing Australian raspbe r ries and blackberries starts in late amm1111 or early \vimer depending on tl1e region," says Phil Rowe, an Australian berry grower. "And due to tl1eir delicacy, we don't use machines to pick the fruit. lr's an .intensive process". But so long as tl1ey make ilieir WR)' into our h ands, we don't really mind. Thanks for doing the bard work Pbil !

You ca n use berries as a snack, in a fruit salad, o n top of your cereal, or rum them into a bealchy ice- cream by adding iliem to yoghurt and then. chuck them into the freezer. Other suggestions are:

INDIAN LINK

Oh so ber • nice

LENA PEACOCK grabs a handful ofAustralian raspberries and blackberries, which make a delicious, naturally sweet addition to recipes

Berry yoghurt swirl popsicles

Se111es 8

Prep tin1e: lS minutes

Cbill time: 2 bours

Ingredients

Rr,spbmy p11ree

125g raspberries

2 tabl espoons caster sugar

Black/Jerry puree

1 25g b lackberries

2 tabl espoons caster sugar

Va FJill"yoglmrt 111i:xftn·e

2 cups(S00ml) Greek style

natural yogh urt

¼ C'up (55g) caster sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Metbod

To make each puree: separately ble n d berries and sugar in a food

pr ocessor, sttai n tbrough a sieve, set aside

To m ake yogurt m.ixture: place all ingredients in a bowJ, whis k until combined.

T o assemble: pour a fC'.v teaspoons of raspbe r ry p u ree into each 200ml popsicle mould, do the same with the yogurt mix and ilien ilie blackberry puree co give 3 layers. Repeat seque nce to create more layers.

Gently swi rl the layers with a

wooden ske,1rer. Cover mo uld s, insert sticks and freeze for 2 hours or untiJ froze n.

• • •••••••••••••••••••

1! .::J' • )

Raspberry,

blackberry and yoghurt jelly cups

Ser'l'es 8

Prep time: 20 minutes

Setting time : 2 h ours

Ingredients

Yogb1111 jel!J

1 cup (250ml) tl1ickened cream

1/ -1 cup caster sugar

1 teaspoon \Tanilla extract

2½ teaspoon s powdered gelatin

1 cup (250g) Greek style natural yog hurt Rr,spbmyjel!J

3 cups (750ml) wh ite grape juice

2 tablespoon s caster sugar

3 teaspoon s powdered gelatin

125g raspberries

125g blackber r ies

Method

To make t he yogurt jelly: p lace ctean1, sugar and vanilla extract into a small pan ove r a medium beat Stir until sugar has dissolved and gently bring co boil, remove from heat Sprinkle over gelatin and whisk until dissolved. Add yogurt, whisk u n til smooth. S t r ain mixture through a sieve, set aside to cool.

T o make jelly layer: pour one cup o f the grape juice and th e sugar into a small pan over a medium beat Stir until sugar bas dissolved and gently bring ro boil, remove from hear. Sprinkle over gelatin and whisk until dissolved.

A dd remaining juice, sttain ilirough a sieve and set asi d e co cool.

To assemb le : divide hal f tl,e berries between e ight 200ml cups or glasses. Pour over half me grape juice m.i..,..tu.re, refrigerate for 30 minutes or until set. Pour all tl1e yoghurt mixture over tl1e first layer of jelly, refrigerate until set. Place remaining berries on top of set yoghurt mi.xtu re and pour over remai ning grape juice mixture. Refrigerate until set.

Ser ve d1.iJled.

• • ••• • •••••••••••••••

Raspberry, spinach and Persian feta salad with salted candied walnuts

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking tin1e: 5 minmes

Ingredients

SaltJd

60ml (¼ cup) olive oil

2 ta b lespoons ver juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mu stard

1/2 teaspoon caste r sugar

1 00g baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons chives, roughl y c hopped

1 l emon, coarsely zested

125g raspberries

100g Persian feta, drain ed, crumbled

Salted candied wol1111ts

2 tabl espoons caster sugar

½ cup walnuts, lightly roasted

1/2 teaspoo n salt Aakes¼ teaspoon dried chilli Aakes

Metbod

To mal,e the ca n died walnuts : h eat suga r in a medium, non- stick frying pan over medium bear. Coo k, tilting and swi rli ng the pan occas ionally for 2-3 minutes or until sugar melts and a light caramel forms Working quickly, remove pan and add walnuts, salt and chilli Aakes. Carefully ross to cover nuts in caramel, and pour m ixture onto a tray lined wiili baking paper and spread out using a wooden spoo n Allow ro cool. Th en using your hands to snap the caramel, se parate tl,e clusters

To prepare salad : for the dressing, place the oil, verjuice, mustard and sugar in a small screw- cop jar Season wi tl, salt and pepper. Shake well to combine. Place tl1e spinach in a large bowl. Sprinkle over tl1e chives, lemon. zest, rasp berries, candied walnuts and feta Dri2zle over half the dress ing , serve imm ediat ely

Note: For a simpler and quicker salad serve with p lain walnuts railier tlian candied.

Recipes courtesy of Australian Ben-ies

Concept of karma explained

The protagonist's journey towards seeking spiritual awaken ing explores the basic tenets of Hi nduism

-li BY ,\; PRIYADARSH INI

There has been a proliferati o n of books on sptrimality and religion recently, carering co d1ose of us confused and weary with what life ilirows ar us, One book chat jotns this growing list is Tbe Sear-ch that Seeks ) -011 by Sangamicbra Amudba

The story revo lves aro m1d me experiences of the central character Karma, his spiritual awakening and journey through life. Karma is an engineering student who is disconsolate after his m od1et dies quite suddenly, A previous encounter at cbe Podhigai hills leads him to journey the.re agai n in search of something to calm his troubled heart. He meets a few ascetics who lead him towards a path of spitimali ty. He s carts to practise meditation, learns about controlfu1g bis thoughts and to keep calm , and foc u s on his goals. He also learns about ' karma' which is a central concept in the book. After a few days,

be has to go back home to fulfil his 'material responsibilities'. However Karma is a changed man, ab le to face any simation with a calm strength tbar astounds bis friends and relatives. The rest of d1e book talks abour his life after thi s experience. The book finallr comes full circle w ith him going back co the hill s to join cbe ascetics.

a message from

APJ Abdul Kalam, former President of I ndia

organisation's website A finalist at the International Book Awards 20'12, in the Sp iriruaJiry category, the book has a fore\vord by Dr Abdul Kalam, and even a chapter about him

She introduces certain basic concepts from Hinduism such as kar111a, and this book would certainly serve as a goo d i ntroduction to people not familiar with them. The book que.~tions some of the ritualistic religious practices mat are a part of Hinduism, and emph as ises the use of meditation and oilier introspective practices instead. The author talks about u sing medication and yoga as a tool to overcome problems cha t people face everyday. ln her fo reword she advises the reader co n ot just read tbe story, but ro place d1emselves in the posi tion of t he main procagonist and by comparing bis reactions to their own, t hey can l earn somed1ing about themselves in die process.

Most of di e characters introduced teach the protagoni st, Karma, something. The transformation that Karma undergoes is tocal an d is sometimes a litde hard co believe. The ending was rathe r rushed , and not very clearl y dlOught out.

The narrative i s simple and me sto ry Rows easily The language d oes tend to get heavy and laboured in a few p la ces, especially when concepts are being explained. This might be a fault of the translation, as the original was written in Tarnil. The aud1or, Sangamithra

Amudha, is the founder and trustee of me Sanmarga Foundation, a Cbennai based organisation which teaches medi tative teclrniques. She hersel f has been practising Kriya medication fo r some years now and has been a counsellor for over 15 years, according to the

Victor S. La mba

The

If die book was meant to guid e peopl e d10 ugb dieLr life, then getting the main protagonist to abandon hi s wife and child m tl1e process, was not something I appreciated. Also, the reactions and behaviour of me wo m en in cbe book are rather one -sided and caricatured, d isappointing in a book written by a woman herself. If you are .looking for an easy

The story revolves around t he experiences of the central character Karma, his spiritual awaken ing

and journey through life

''introduction to me concept of kam,a, d1 is con.Id be the book for you. In describi ng a you ng boy's search for d1e trutl1, the boo k attempts co give people a way to l ook beyond their problems and find srrengtb \vithm t he m selves. A ll in all, iliis is a book that c o uld start you on a spir imal quest and help you look for die answers wimin yours elf.

''If the book was meant to guide people though their life, then getting the ma in protagonist to abandon his wife and ch ild in the process, was not something I appreciated

17,700kms and counting!

Ever since Galileo's discovery that the world was indeed round, people have dreamt of circumnavigating the g lobe. Over the centuries many suc h journeys have bee n made by land, sea and air, and each has irs unique features. Currentl y in Australia are thr ee young m en from India who have embarked on ao epic jow:ney to travel round the world by road. lt might seem an insane fantasy, b u t the Great lnclian \Xlodd Trip is well and truly on its way. The drive will cover a staggering 7Ll,U00km s oo roads across the g lobe that range fro m being smooth as silk to unpaved ones that will trn.ly test the driving s kills of rhese young men, and the 4x4 itself. The days a nd nights will unfold across the skies of 50 counu-ies and 6 continems, with our intrep id young men meeting and associacing with different peoples,

races, langu ages a nd foods Sure ly it takes a steely toughness to w1dertake such a project.

Tushar Agarwal, Sanjay Madan, Prasad and thei r trusted 4\,'vD fo rm the team of this wo rld trip. The stated motivation for the journ ey is a n attempt to challen ge the common man's definition of d1e NRI It's aa endeavour to see beyo n d the glitz associated wi th the concept of the NRJ. The ream intend ' to interact with such Indians settled the world over and find out how life is treating them'. Ulcin1ately they wish to ger an idea of how Rls are faring in their chosen lands. So why do I get the sneaking feeling that it is the lure o f an exciting adven nire with all the risks invo lved in doing so m e thing breathtakingly huge, that is the true motivation fo r this enormo u s journey? \Xlith such a ven ture full of challenges, it is e.'lsy to e nvisage the rush of adrena lin o n e might feel as one starts to wonder whether the project w ill succeed There can al so be the d esire to test oneself. \Xlill the bod)' and mind be able co endure the stre n uous schedule? Has the forward

planning accoumed for all the contingencies that might arise? To answer these questions can itself become a r eason for undertaking such a journey.

The obvious question i s - will the Great Indian World Trip succeed? Of course, one never predict the funire but it's very unlikely that o ur team will be the proverbial bunnies caught in the headliglus of a 4x4 The team's track record speaks fo r itself Previously they had d ri ven 12,000km from London to Dell1i in .51 days. T hey h ave been part of the Indian team at the ASEA India Car Rally 20 12, from Indones ia to India. One endearing achievement was the record- setti ng drive in the tiny Tata Nano to Khardung La Pass at 5600m on the highest motorab le road. There have been many other record - breaking drives high up in the Himalayan ranges including to Mt Kailash and Mansarovar Lake, and down on the plains.

The team has also officiated in the most popu lar car rallies i n India including Desert Storm and the Formula 1 race. Who would bet against Tushar, Madan and Ptasad

completing their current world trip?

Often it is wise not to gee too carried away by one's own lifestyle and the high - 5s associated with it. The g lamour and adulation ch at comes w ith undertaking a drive round die world can easil y go to one's head. Those less fortunate and not in one's devared circle can often be fo rgotten and left behind. So it is very much to its credit that The Great lnd ian \Xlorld Trip has taken up the cause of the Guru Vishram Vrid h Ashram in Badarpur, Delhi. This ashram takes in the sick, the destitute, those with mental and physica l ailinents, and provides a place of safety and shelter for the elderly. These young men arc spreading awareness of the ashram, and providing a platform for the pub lic to make donations to it via the J\shraa1's website.

The drive has already passed d'U'ough Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, covring nearly 7,000km s. "The 17,700km drive across Australia is an attempt to create a Guinness World Record," confirmed Tusbar. Ar the time of goi.ng to press, the

trio was beading to Sydney. Late r they head to other coumries such as Tanzania and South Africa, which are home to wonderful wild l ife. Some coun tries being visited in clude those wid1 political tensions such as Kenya, Columbia and som e in Central America.

The route goes from Alaska in the very north, to the somhern-rnost tips of South America and Somh Africa. From Alaska and California i.n d1e west to Sydney, far away in the ease. So many hours to sit in tbe driving seat as the world goes by. So many chance events that may take place with the joy of the accomplishmen t as it unfolds.

In the near furore I expect to meet the rrio co learn more about their stories; but in the meantime, I wish our adventurers well. To quote from their webs ite V.'W\V. g reatindianwoddtrip com: "Roads No Roads. T he expedition must go on Th is can happen only when it's steered by men who believe in i r, powered by a machine char n ever lets them down an d backed by a mechanism that keeps the engine roaring and wheels rolfu1g. The Grear Ind ian World Trip is no e."ception".

A trio of enthusiastic young men undertake a staggering journey across the globe in a 4x4

one one

It's natural, cost effective and can be great for your skin and hair

dry and itchy. Honey cakes care of chat roo, and moistens the skin effective!y

Honey highlights

• Use honey as a deanser, hair mask or even as a face scrub.

• To cleanse your ski n wi th honey, first splash your face with water. Leave the hands wet and pour a fair amount of honey onto your palms. Apply all over your face like you would do witl1 your face wash. A lternative!); dil ute a little hon ey ,vith water and spread all over your face. Scrub in a circul ar motion for a few minutes and wash off. Only keep i.n mind tl1at because honey doesn't have any o il conten t, it is not useful to remove waterproof make up or sunsc reen.

h.ile many natural ingredients work as worthy skin and hair care aids to improve our looks, thei-e are none as versatile as honey From a scrub, ro a hair mask, to an astringent, you can use this extremely underestimated yet wonderful gift of namre to improve your skin and hair. for those who like going back to the most original form of everything, raw honey would be the nanual choice. However, it can be

thicker than the processed variety we see on our supermarket shelves. le does conc.'l.in more enzymes than processed honey, but it is also more expensive. Having said that, processed honey is equally good to use as it is cheaper, retains most of its goodness and is easier to apply.

Most people who know about skincare will promptly tell you that honey is a namral moismriser. It is a known fact tl1at Cleopatra, the original beauty queen, was an authority on skincare tream1ents, and she used to bathe i.n a concoction of milk and honey Leaving it on your skin like a mask for even ten minutes will make your skin feel fresher and plumped up. That is because honey is a humecrnnt, it abs o rbs the moisnue from the air and transfers it onto ymu skin. For best res ults, apply

honey on slightly damp ski.n and leave on for as long as you can This will soften the skin and hydrate it and if you do i t regularly, you will see the difference in a few days

Honey is also effective for sensitive skin as it is gentle, so if you have spent coo long at the beach and are sunburnt, apply honey on tl1e sensitive areas to sootl1e the skin instantly.

In case those of you with o il y skin think that honey is only good for people with dry skin, think again. Honey can be applied di.reedy onto pin1ples and acne as it contains antibacterial properties. It kills the bacteria and prevents the condition from spreading. Also, the creams we use to get rid of pimp les often leave d1e skin around the pimple

• To use as a mo ismriser, simply app ly all over face ru1d neck and leave on till you s h ower

• For your hair, mix a quarter cup of o live oil with half a cup of honey till they have blended well. Then apply all over your hair and leave on for hal f an hour. Wash and dry hair as you do normally.

• To make a face scrub, mix honey with a little granular brown sugar, add one spoon of lemon juice and a spoon of olive oil. Rub aU over yottr face and neck in a circular moti o n to slough off dead skin cells.

• You can also make a lip balm with honey, brown sugar and olive oil to relieve dry and chapped lips

So n o matter what skin or hair type you have, this easy and natural remedy can make you look as sweet as honey!

SEEKING GROOMS

but caste and religion no bar Available for Bengalaru based Hindu Assamese family seek Immediate contact on 0407 087 918. an educa t ed professional for their daughter. She is 28, 150cm, medium bu ilt, convent educated, PG ln Computer Applicat ion, employed In a MNC as a SAP professional. Li kes p hotography, cooking, singing, and travelling.

Please contact: pkbarah@gmail.com or sheekhaa_ba rah@yahoo.co.in

Fiji Indian male Hindu Australian citizen ln mid-forties Invites correspondence from single o r divorced In dian females (no kids), for marr iage and to settl e in Melbourne. If Int erested p lease contact on 0478 083 457 for further info.

Looking for a suitable Hindu (prefera bly Sindhi) Seeking bride for30-year-old Hindu Punjabi groom for my sister. She is 33, very beautiful, fair, Sindh i Luana, studied master's in gemology, flue nt in Eng lish, respects traditional values, lives i n India (w illin g to move to Austra lia). Please e m ai l: dharmmina@gmail.com (possibly with BH P)/or call 0430 714 739.

Parents seeking match for fair, slim Hin du Sindhi g ir l who i s 33 yea rs, 156cm working as lecturer at a leading university. Permanent resident of Australia w ith dual degree M.Com (Accounts and Finan ce) fond o f sports travelling and cooking. We are a tight knit, professional family. Please m ail proposal w ith education, job details and recent photo to : mohril 324@gma il. com or call 0406 608146.

SEEKING BRIDES

Matrimonial proposals are invited from single divorced or widowed Indian females and their families for a matu red Indi an male who is fu ll y est ablished and has A ustra lian citizenship. He has a permanent govern m ent j ob, and lives in Swan Hill, Victoria. Financially stabl e and complet ely independent, vegetarian and is of Hindu religion,

boy of 5 feet 8 inches, who has a Bachelor of Business in finance, and is a resident of New Zealand. Working with global FMGC in Auckland, earning 100k +NZD I per ann um, looking for educated, outgoing, professional girl In New Zealand or A u stra li a.

Seeking suitable match for Punjabi Khatri 33-year-old, 5'2"well qualified, fa ir slim, beautiful, family orlented girl. Currently working as an IT ana lyst in Sydney. Innocent divorce. Well settle d qualified professional, with suitable matrimony required. Caste no bar. Call 0413 820 305 or e m a il biodata with photo to: matrimonial4alliance@gmail.com

Seeking a bride for 30-year-o ld, 5'10~ based In Melbourne. ls a Al uwal ia Sikh (clean shaved) boy, well sett led, educated and is looking for a like w i se match. Plea se contact with full bio data and photos to:j ustdoitjaspal@yahoo.com

TA n QTPR~DICTIONS !=OR ~-"--1,,1"""~ L.....>,~ K

By NANCY JADE ALTMEA

ARIES March 21 - April 19

The cards are indicating that this month you will be in a very decadent mood, and relationships need to be handled with care. Work and career looks very promising, but keep a fine balance between both and do take care of your emotional wellbeing. There will be some exciting news about a new project or plan. You will be worried about someone in the family, but things will be fine by mid January.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

The cards are indicating that as the year comes to a close, you seem to be feeling a little agitated and stressed. You will be looking to sorting things out with regards to relationships and work. Make sure you visit the doctor if you feel something is not right. There will be some good news from abroad, about a matter relating to property or business.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

This month the cards are showing that you will be l ooking at making some important financial decisions. When signing documents it is important to make sure you read the fine print thoroughly. You need to make sure you keep exercising and eating healthy foods. You will be looking at taking up a new hobby or interest, and this will be very important as you have not been spending enough time with yourself.

CANCER June 21 - July 20

The cards are indicating that you are feeling romantic , and waht to feel loved and share your life with someone special. There seems to be excellent news with regard to work, and promotion or recognition is on the cards. Financially, there will be a good chance of money coming your way. A new look and wardrobe will be on your mind, and you have decided to drop a few kilos.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

The cards are indicating a time of getting papers in order with regards to property and taxes Those of you in search of love will have some interesting liaisons with members of the opposite sex, where flirtation will turn into passion. Those who are married will reach a balance in your relationship and will continue to keep calm , while keeping the situation static. Look after your back and have some massages.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

There is a fantastic month ahead, of fee l ing very settled and sexy. You will be feeling good about yourself, charged up and will bring in new ideas for increasing your income. You will decide to spend quality time with loved ones in the comfort of your own home. Life seems to be balanced and fun right now and you will enjoy being at home.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

The cards are showing that the beginning of the month will bring up strong feelings of love and passion. You will want to make things more exciting and fun in your life. Avoid ·, conflicting and heated situations as much as possible. There Is an indication that you may end up saying a lot of things you will bitterly regret You are missing a family member.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

The cards are indicating that this month it will be as though you are taking two steps forward and four back. You will be feeling full of energy towards the middle of the month, and dates and encounters will lead to some special people coming into your life. These in turn can lead to long -term liaisons. You have been in a lot of difficult situations with work pressure and financial burdens, but all will be okay.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

The cards are indicating a time of trying to make things work in a more harmonious manner with your partner. There will be a time of strain after December 25 when you will feel pressure in your relationship once again. You wil l be keeping your eye on your investments and looking to stabilise your life. You may be looking for another job.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

The cards are indicating that this month will be one of romance and flirtations. A glance will lead to much more, so be prepared. There will be some interesting parties and social events that you will be attending. Work will be of prime concern and you will be looking at ways to bring in more money. You will be meeting some interesting people who will further your chances of success.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18

This month the cards are indicating a time of feeling a little restless, and wanting to travel and spend time with friends. J You are feeling very tired as you have been working hard all year rou n d. Life will be a little unpredictable with some , upsets in relationships. You will need to take some important decisions with regards to land and property. An elderly member is not too well.

PISCES f=eb 19 - March 20

The cards are indicating a time of feeling more inclined towards spirituality and meditation this month. You may find that you are interested in someone and an affair may start. Take time to assess your situation as you will be totally driven by your heart this month. There will be some upset w ith a male child, but just keep an eye on things.

I-IOWNOTTO MAKE A ROM-COM

GORI TERE PYAAR MEIN

STARRING: Kareena Kapoor, Shradha

Kapoor, lmran Khan

DIRECTOR: Puneet Malhotra

1rlrlr:,z-:,z

II

ou remind me of Shabana Azmi;' guffaws our don'tgive -a-damn hero to the social activist heroine.

In the first-half they clash over id/is, ideologies and idle chatter Mismatched as they are, and we are reminded twice that she is older, Kareena Kapoor-Khan and Im ran Khan trudge along cutely till mid-point after which the narrative shuffles noisily into a village in Gujarat where it all falls apart.

You know a film is going wrong when the lead pair just don' t seem made for each other, not because that's the way their roles are written, but because the actors playing the characters seem to belong to two different planets

Someday producer Karan Johar can tell us why he decided to cast the incandescent Kareena Kapoor with lmran Khan. Not just in one but two of his productions within one year, both about a chirpy gregarious chick and a moneyed inhibited guy.

While researchers and theorists await results on what this Khan and Kapoor are doing together there is this film going by the archaic and utterly uninspiring title of Gori Tere Pyaar Mein.

He is commitment-phobic. She is a social activist. Rather, a loud caricature of a socia l activist. What Shabana Azmi would have been if her speeches were written by Karan Johar.

Kareena is dressed for the part and seems to make all the right moves. But why do we get the feeling she cares as much for the upkeep of the village and its gobar population as she did for the political degeneration of apna bharat mahaan in Satyagraha?

Kareena carries the face of a woman who would rather be anywhere than where this vapid script puts her. A pity, since her eyes and beauty can launch a thousand ships. In this film they can't even launch a leaky paper boat. This is the film where everything in sight sinks. The viewer's heart, to begin with. What strikes you repeatedly is the sheer nullity of the story She loves to be passionate about everything to do with the downtrodden He couldn't care less about female foeticide, child molestation, elevator rape, or whatever her next anti - exploitationjehad may be.

Come to think of it, Kareena's missionary zeal could have been the stuff rib -tickling satires are made of.

Tragically director Pu nit Malhotra seems dead serious about his heroine's activism Rather than becoming the bemused bystander alongside the hero (who looks like the goofy Sunil Dutt in Khandaan and Padosan), the script elects to go with the heroine's solemn selfrighteousness So we are supposed to watch Kareena's righteous indignation with a straight face.

We end up laughing at all the wrong cues. The timing goes horribly awry as

the film progresses The sanctimonious heroine's attempts to be funny and committed at the same time reminds you of a restaurant that serves kebabs and pastas at the cost of one meal.

This is a film that had the potential for being genuinely funny and warm It also has the very lovely Shradha Kapoor trying hard to keep her inherent grace intact in a script that manoeuvres through a string of antics based on cultural and economic disparity. It squanders the satirical potential in trying to be cleverer than the audience There is a prominently pickled preinterval moment where Im ran Khan's under-committed character is mockurged by his kith and kin to run away from his marriage mandap

Our hero Sree Ram (a k.a Sridevi, for some secretly funny reason) takes the

mock-ritua l seriously and flees out of the marriage. That, you see the problem. That moment becomes symptomatic of all the wrong turns that the script takes i n trying to be funny, savvy, sassy and smart.

Moments that are meant to be bitingly urbane and tongue- in-cheek end up being as flat as pancakes cooked for breakfast served in the evening. A bridge built in an impoverished village meant to be symbolic of the lead pair's differing priorities, becomes a feeble attempt at profundity in a film that cannot avoid shallowness.

But all is well at the end. The film's love- birds live happily ever after Wish the same were true of the fate of rom-com in Bollywood SUBHASH K. JHA

INDIAN LINK RADIO CONNECTING YOU TO Tl-IE ORLD

FOR IPI-IONE , IPAD AND ANDROID

PALLAVI SET FOR TAMIL DEBUT

Besharam girl and our very own Pallavi Sharda has been roped in by filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon for his yet untitled Tamil romantic drama. The film also features Silambarasan aka Simbu. "I wanted a heroine who could give us bulk dates and I know for a fact that all the established actresses are extremely busy, and therefore, I roped in Pallavi. Moreover, when I met her, I liked her confidence and eventually signed her on," Menon said recently

Pallavi, who had earlier starred in films such as My Name is Khan and Dus Tola, has already shot for nearly two weeks for the film , which was launched recently and is expected to be completed by February 2014.

Looks like Melbourne girl Pallavi is ready to take on not just Bollywood, but the Indian film industry!

Kar isma and her cause

Actress Karisma Kapoor, who is choosy about her performances, actually bent the rules for Our Girl Our Pride, an initiative to empower the girl child. She said it's also a 'tribute to a ll the ladies'from her family

"It was a fabulous day and I strongly be lieve in the cause. I generally don't perform. I am quite choosy about it, but today I performed and paid tribute to all the Kapoor ladies, including (late grandmother) Geeta Bali, (aunt) Neetu Singh, and my mom Babita and sister Kareena supporting the cause," said Karisma, known for her powerpacked performances in Fiza and Zubeidaa. The actress performed as part of a unique programming initiative of NDTV, which in association with Vedanta and campaign ambassador and actress Priyanka Chopra, dedicated Dec 1 to honour the country s girls on its network channels with a live telecast from 10am. The campaign's aim is to create awareness about issues related to the girl child and fight for her rights.

Karisma who is also a mother, says her life completely changed after the birth of her daughter Samaira. "My life has become more beautiful after giving birth to a daughter It's great to have a daughter;' she said and added, "I am blessed to have a daughter and a son''.

Other participants in the initiative included actress Kajol, and tennis Grand Slam champion Sania Mirza, among others.

Isn' t it great to see Bollywood's belles getting into the groove to support India's girl children? Good on you Karisma!

Love is lost on Deepika

Deepika Padukone is riding high on a string of successful movies, is certainly not keen on wasting time on a romantic relationship.

"I don' t think I am ready for a relationship at the moment. I don't think my career has anything to do with my relationship. It's just that I am in a happy space right now and not ready to be in a relationship," said the 27-year-old actress.

Deepika, who had a roaring relationsh i p with actor Ranbir Kapoor in the past, said, "I think igniting the spark means keeping the romance alive in your relationship by doing the unexpected. Surprise your partner in pleasant ways, something that he or she wouldn't anticipate".

"Nowadays, couples tend to take each other for granted because they feel they know each other inside out which results in loss of spark and enthusiasm in the relation. The second most important thing is to not lose yourself Take care of yourself, your space and only then

DEEPIK.A PADUK.ONE

will you be able to take care of your relationship '.

Meanwhile Deepika is basking in the success of her latest release Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-lee/a. Her fluid and energy-packed dance i n the Nagada sang dhol song from the movie has been widely appreciated but she doubts if she can recreate the grandeur of the number in other performance forums sans the film's director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She says the song's popularity was the "least expected of the lot''.

On the Bollywood front, she has completed Homi Adajania's English language film Finding Fanny, which shou ld release soon. "I am also doing Happy New Year with Abh i shek Bachchan and Shah Rukh, all fun boys to work with. I am also looking forward to start lmtiaz's film with Ranbir,"said Deepika, whose flight of fame seems to be reaching new heights

So is there any chance of a holiday sometime soon? "I am sure I can squeeze in some family time, it's always welcome;' said the 27-year-old.

Well , we hope 20 14 is a hit for this young, talented actress

Kareena goes crazy!

In what will be a completely different avatar, Kareena Kapoor-Khan will be reinvented in Dev Benegal's fi lm Bombay Samurai. Post- marriage, she seemed to flounder in her choices with a halfhearted crusader's role in Prakash Jha's Satyagraha and the totally inane social activist's role in Gori Tere Pyaar Mein. With Bombay Samurai, Kareena fina ll y seems to have got her post-marriage formula right.

According to sources, the film is "a crazy zany rollicking rollercoaster ride with amazing twists and turns There are seven to eight pivotal characters. But Kareena and Farhan (Akhtar) pres i de

KAREENA KAPOOR

over the show They play a couple like no other seen before in our films . They are wacky and unpredictable The two actors will have a ball p laying their outgoing zestfu l characters;' the source added Both Kareena and Farhan were keen to work with one another " I' ve seen Kareena's work She i s consistently excellent. I was keen to work w ith her Dev's film gives us a chance to try something different:' said Farhan And of course, Kareena expressed the highest admiration for Farhan, "I admire Farhan for being multi-talented. Which other director has done so well as an actor?

The Farhan-Kareena film starts after Kareena 's annual holiday in Switzerland in December where she sneaks off without fail every year, to enjoy her annual Christmas- New Year holiday in Switzerland with husband Saif Ali Khan. So get ready to see Kareena in crazy, zany mode!

KARISMA KAPOOR

Priyanka on her perfect partner

" My partner should be a male version of me;' said actress Priyanka Chopra when asked recently on what she was lo oking for in a prospective life partner.

The actress admits that she has a long list of benchmarks, so watch out boys, this lady i sn't going to be easy to please " I have a very long list and very high standards. He has to be a gentleman, he has to be intelligent, someone I respect and funny, not stupid funny but witty funny, charming;' the 31-year-old said recent ly

Priyanka added that it does not matter whether he is an actor or not, but she " would never respect a guy who is not an achiever''.

Let's wish Priyanka luck in finding her Mr Me!

Bachchan at his best Megastar Amitabh Bachchan d e livered the Penguin Annual Lecture 2013 podium, much to the joy of an eclectic

WI-IO WORE IT BETTER?

PRIY ANKA CHOPRA

audience of almost a thousand, and left them more star- struck as he spoke about empowering the country's women, Indian cinema, poetry and more

The 7 1-year-old, looking handsome in a black formal suit presented the lecture at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Del hi.

He touch ed upon his memories of his father, the late legendary poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, whose birth anniversary was on Nov 27. "A decade without him;' sighed Amitabh as he shared some of his conversations with his father dur ing the lecture

Releases roundup

The Bollywood filmmaking scene is buzzing currently, with anticipation for some and disappointment for others. FilmmakerTigmanshu Dhulia 's much anticipated Bullett Raja didn't quite shatter the box office as many expected, but it did reasonably well by earning about Rsl 3 crore in just two days after its release Wonder if that made Dhu lia happy or sad?

The film starring Saif Ali Khan and Sonakshi Sinha is based in a small town in Uttar Pradesh, and has been described as a feast of guns, grime, and g lory

R Rajkumar starring Shahid Kapoor and again, Sonakshi Sinha will release soon, and sources say that it's a very impressive crime thriller Being a Prabhudheva film, there i s a lot of hope from the film, as he has a reputation for solid box office hits.

T he Aamir Khan-starrer action th r iller Dhoom 3 wi ll hit screens on December 20, and will see Aamir in a negative role. This is another sure-hit film , say pundits, what with Aamir's renowned Midas touch

Director-produce r Anubhav Sinha is gearing up for the release of his Madhuri Dixit-starrer production Gulaab Gang, about the women vigilante group Sinha has directed Shah Rukh Khan - starrer superhero film Ra.One and multi -starrer Dus, so this may be his next hit. Gulaab Gang is directed by Soumik Sen and will see Madhuri as the protagonist, wh i le Juhi Chawla will be seen as the antagonist.

Cobie Smulders or Sushmita Sen in Nina Ricci?

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So that's what Bollywood has in store for its fans, watch this space for more movie masala

resents

Christmas is a time to be generous, so here is a leisurely list of gifts fit for po/lies, princes and PMs

However, a red truck, apart from being a colour mismatch with his philosophy, is not a toy befitting the Lodge

:' P. BY LP AVER

Idon't know about other Stare capital ciries, bur in Adelaide we are reminded of Christmas approaching as early as the first week of November when one of the city's biggest pageant rolls down irs main thoroughfares. lr is eid1er to be lp d1e locals plan ilieir shopping strategy in advance, or for retailers to raid our credit cards sooner than others.

With our two children having grown out of the 'can -we- have-a peek' stage, we now need to ponder over presents for only our two grandchiklten. Lucky, in a sort of way. So with some shopping time spared, I indulged in a w him sical exercise of what would be on the wish- list of those who appear, at the Aick of a button, on the slim screen in our lounge rooms around dinnertime. Who else can you think of fuse, other than the captain of our ship

for th e next d1ree yea rs? Initially ir seemed so easy to cboose something for this acrion man who can sprint, swin1 and surf. Ir may be tokenistic to buy a bike or boogie board since he will have a stack of the m. Having proven his skill in purring out bush fires, a fire truck may be a fitting present. In hi s current position he will be called upo n to puc our scrub fires wimin his party ranks or on ilie national and international arenas. However, a red truck, apart from being a colour mismatch with his philosophy, is n ot a toy befitting me Lodge.

On second tboughrs, h e may be happy ro get a coupl e of leaky (ab)boats built at some Jakarta backyard. H is plans ro buy every rickety raft from Indonesia having been torpedoed by his Bambang buddy, a couple of rusty boats will be a welcome present ro be proud ly berd1ed at me Kirribilli waterfront. The Opposition leader may even dip into his ParLiamentary aUowance to gift one U boar to taunt him on some policy u - turns.

o bloke in his \Vildesr dream will be eager to receive a letter

from bis mother-in- law. Bur not this gu y, whose mother-in-law is d1e Q u een's rep io Oz. Short in name but not in stature, be would dear ly love to get one inviting him to form d1e goverrunent. Bur such an invite may take another three ye ar s or more in the coming. He may not receive one at all if he gets d1e same treatment be mered out to hi s previous leaders. Until d1e Still shines on his patch, me best gift for him will be a hank of solar panels so that he may not receive or be caJJed electricity bill Zip. A n1etre- long zip is the ideal presem for the one who delivered a 22- minute speech, sounding like a victor after badly losing me electoral race, to shut b is trap. lt will best complemen t d1e ' will mis guy ever stop' badge earned in a TV debate. Firringly be ended his last Parliamentary speech wid1, 'gotta zip!' Rudderless, once again

For our own Ade laide girl, who once beld court in Canberra, a seat on the State's High Court may be a long- term drean1. The grey wig rhat goes with mat job will he lp ro cover her 'ranga' hair. In rhe meantime, a ser of shatp

knives for tbe kitchen bench at J's $2million seaside mansion wiU do, since me one she used earlier did not finish d1e job and d1e v ictim came back, only brieA y though! More d1an anyone above, d1e person who deserves a good gift from Santa is a pensioner- prince wbo Lives nqt far from me Old Man's North Pole. Having recendy reached the pension age of 65 without d oing a da)?S work for which he was destined at birth, this (bonny prince) C harlie has now gai ned the dubious honour o f being me longest waiting heir ro the d1.rone. A replica throne dropped t hrough the chimne y at his pal.ace Claren ce House will be Santa's gift o f the year for this new grandfather, before hi s grandson stakes his claim. A crown, even an im itarion one, will b e a bonus.

Ador ning his crown wim n othing but a blue turban, the soft-spoke n Sardar who presides over a billion people c ould do with some other colour for a change. Bur what colour? Wid1 ilie elec tio n battle soon to begin, white may be see n as a sign of surrender and b la ck a sure sign

A metre- long zip is the ideal present for the one who delivered a 22-minute speech, sounding like a victor after bad ly losing the electoral race, to shut his trap

of mourning, anticipating a loss of me race So stickin g wim blue will be the Man's preferred cboice, banking on his reserved temperament.

Mo(d)ivated stro ngly to become the next prime minister, this Gujarati generalissi m o will serde for nothing but the Delhi 'd11d1al, while a certain mother will be wishing drnt her son gets it as sort o f famil y's bin l1rjghr.

Oops, I have indulged in d 1is fanciful exercise for too Jong lt is rime to tl1ink of Chrissie p ressies for m y gra ndkids. Gotta zip!

Season's greetings to aJ1 readers A loving fanuly is d1e best present anyone can w ish for.