eac to erance

The gay rights debate continues in India after a devastating reversal by the Supreme Court

Gay rights parades have become annual events in India's major cities

you to cal.I these people criminals?"

Itwas a Facebook spat between t\vo young people I know, living in different parts of the world, that set me thinking. Do we have a riglu to judge what we don't understand and what is beyond our sense of normalcy? D o we bave to be intolerant? D o we have to voice our opinions and prejudices in social media? This wbole business of likes and dislikes? Are we so i.mo ourselves that we have stopped caring about things that real!)' matter?

The topic was homose:,,.,ialit:y. ·'Hats off to The f-lono mable Supreme CoLrrt of India. Homosexuality is illegal and a crime i.n India. I mean homosexuality is observed in 400 animal species but stilJ it is not a namral way of sexualJy exploring yourself. Our ancient \Ted Puraoas also don't alJow this. \X!e are proud o f our own rules and cultme," said a friend in India

''Are you seriously pro ud of this? was the reply from Australia. " ls it a personal injury oi: insult to you if a man and a man or a woman a nd a woman \Vant to be together? As citizens of India, these people have the same rights as you. \Vho are

10 JANUARY (1) 2014

The argument continued, ''Thanks for your opinion it is not my verdict but the verdict of Honourable Supreme Court Of India those are far more intelligent people than you and me who lay the rules for the whole country. 1,000 years ago irwas we who taught the world to be civilised and laid our own culnue. Indian culmre does not allow us to be homosexual. It is now vice versa we are now forgetting mu· own tradition and quickly adopting these westet:n Aaws."

De friending ended this argument but it set me chinking. How many of os th.ink a.long these lines?

U nder section 377 of the Indian Penal Code 1860, it is an offence for a person to vo luntarily have "carnal intercourse against rhe order of nature". It wasn't Ullti.l 2009, in the Naz Foundation case that Delhi High Court found Section 377 and other legal prohibitions against private, adult, consensual, and non-com1nercial same-sex conduct to be i.n direct violation of fundamental eights provided by the Indian Constitution This decision was welcomed by people a11 over t he world.

Though hardly 200 people have been convicted unde r this law in over 150 years, homosexuals in India, and there are an estimated 50 million, are often ha.rassed on this basis. On 11 December 2013, the

High Court decision was set aside by the Supreme Come of India. \Xlhile many in India welcomed this, like t he first young person in my story, on the basis that it upheld "Indian cuJrme," man y have been saddened by this retrograde seep Gay right activists believe chat this will lead to further alienation of LGBT pet:Sons (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) and cause a setback to AIDS prevention efforts. Naz Foundation who started the case d1at led tO the De.ll1i ruling, will be filing a petition for review of the SC decision.

Seeing one of my favourite authors, Vikram Seth, so incensed with the judgement that he consented to appear on the cove r of Tndio Tod,!)' looking dishevel.led and angry and ho lding a chalkboard that reads,"• OT A CRIMINAL. To n ot be able ro love d1e one you love is tO have your life wrenched away" is sad. Seth is a master of words a nd the heart-wrenching words in his essay on g ay rights move.

"Of al1 the cruelties d1at we a s human beings can v isit on one another, o ne o f d1e most cruel is to say: You may say you love each othet, but I do n or care," says Vikram Seth "No, you have nor harmed me, b u t I will harm you l will disown you, I will treat you with contempt, 1 will make you an o u teas re or a criminal, I \viii lock you up. l will break your legs, l will Ai.ng acid in your face, I wiU hang you from a crane, I will srone you to death. If the mob helps me, so much the better. If the law helps me, so much the better. If I can wrap myself in a Aag, so much the better. If I can drape religion aroun d m yse lf, so much die better. \X'.1hac makes li.fe bearable is love - to love, to be loved, and even after death o r parting - co know that you have loved and been loved To not be able co love the one you love is co have your life wrenched away. To do d1is to someone else is to murder thei.r soul " Can anyone who has loved and bee n loved, be so cruel as ro deny another human being their basic right co love? What harm does chis cause you, other than a perceived sense of damage to your so calJed morals? \Xlhe.n will society wake up w cbe bigger problems of li fe?

It is abso lutely wrong for a person co sexualJy abuse a child, domestic v iolence is w rong, the rape of our environment to enrich private coffers is wrong, mistreating d10se who wot:k for you is wrong. Lee us make some noise about these wrongs. There can be n o way tO justify these kind of wrongs but ho mose}.,1ality is no one's business. If you are born inclined in this way, who am l to chalJenge yorrr fee.lings ?

Wake up people, open your mind and your hearts. r o one deserves co be trea red this way

"YOUR VISA PROBLEM IS NOT A PROBLEM TO US"

Australia & New Zealand Visas

"Satisfaction Guaranteed", "No refusalto date"

We are a well known expe rt in the following areas:

• Skilled, State Sponsored, Overse as Student R esid ence (Use overseas qualifications), Business Migration, Work Permit (TR/457) , Regional (RSMS) & Employer (ENS)(PR)

• Illegal Spouses of Austr alia ns now a pply for PR

• Tribunal Reviews, Bridging Visas, Work Rights

• Co ntributory Pa r ent & Resi d ent Return Visas

• Spouse, De-facto visas, Student visas, Citizenship

Contact : Arun Garg Mobile : 0414 845 428

MARN97/ 94416 LlANZ 200903067 MIA721 ABN42081817692

71 Hawkesbury R oad West111ead NSW 2145

Opposite Oakes View Shopping Centre

Phone: ( 02) 98911475 Fax : (02) 9635 9790

Ema il: a u slead@tpg.com.a u & arun@aus lead.com

F or directions, please visit MAP at www.auslead.com

Thinkin9 of becomin9 a doclo,?

Umat Tuition

BY A CURRENT MEDICAL STUDENT

Contact Yash on 0425 298848

The UMAT test happens halfway through the year. Avoid having to make a decision between studying for the UMAT or studying for the HSC and trials For the optimum outcome, make the most of the opportunity now during the holidays!

FEW VACANCIES left for School holiday classes of PERSONALISED TUITION FOR UMAT 2014 & HSC ENGLISH

(over 95% of our Engl i sh Advanced students have scored above 90 for their HSC Mark)

2 nd Pair of Glasses FREE

Spend $129 on your l st pair and receive SV glasses FREE

Prices per pair from

• BIFOCALS $50

Date : 31st January, 1st & 2nd February 2014

Time : 9 am to 7 pm Venue : O.E S Hall, 23,Railway Street, {Adjacent to police station) Wentworthville NSW 2145

Indian Link's guide to Sydney's Indian restaurants, grocery stores, places of worship, charity organisations and events

I~---BY • ~I RAJNI ANAND

LUTH RA

d~c~:rt:1: drivers, gas station attendants, IT guys, international students, Parramat ta res idents and the nerdy kid s at you r chi.ldren's school who manage to do well at sport as well as public speaking jt1i Hos.

But, how well do you know Sydney's Indian commmli ty? lo rrus feature we introduce aspects of the Indian community to our non- Indian read ers and Indians new to Sydney, hoping to answer sim ple questions that we are often as ked at the Indian Link office, such as wh e re can I b uy a parricu.lar spice in Syd ney, o r w here can I book a Bollywood act for my upc01ning event.

Restaurants

'So w luch are your to p five lndiau restaurants in Sydney?" Mose Indian readers have pro bably been asked th is q u estion a few hundred rimes Here's a list o f eateri es that are popular w ith the Indian community.

The stalwarts for so me years have been regular culprits A bbi's at Concord, Manjit's at BaLmtin, Ni1giri's at St Leonard's, Maya at Surry Hills ,md Zaaffraan at Darling Harbour But iu the last two yea r s, new k id o n the block U rban Tadka at Terrey Hills has splashed o n to the scene with a ba ng, witmi ng not o n ly fans witlun the Indian community bur

12 JANUARY (1) 2014 also iudustry awards. j\[eanwbile, Thousand Spices at Homebush, Bijolias at Seaforth and Mantra and Dragon House lndoChi n ese at Ryde continu e o n steadil y with their band of regi.1lars. In specific pockets of the communi ty, .Maharaja's Raveli at Quakers Hill, Castle T aj in Castle Hill a od Ind ian Fusion at Pennant Hills are popular wirh locals

In tl1e Parramatta area, Ki ngs Indian and the new Anj appar Cherti1iad are d oing we ll. Fo r Hartis Park, try H yderabad House, Billu's and Taj, and the new Durga Paan and Falooda H o use for its Indian style ic e creams

Many of these restamants have function rooms if yo u want co o rganise an even t o r party. Some venues su ch as Nilgiris o r U rban Tadka will orga nise high -class corporate o r private events with aJ1 the trimmings, bu t for the I ndi an community, Man jit's Co ncord Function Ce ntre is t he go- to place for Iarge -scale evems such as weddings

Indian grocery stores

Well worth a v isit i f you haven't ventured i n to one of Syd ney's man y 'spice s hops' \':'hat could you bu y? Tr y t he Basrnati rice: heaps ch eape r, and much better quality, than yo ur usual supe rm arket v ariety. Tbe wide range of Indian breads in the freezer sectio ns could be interestiug Give pa11eer a tr)~ Indian cottage cheese, which you could pm in your salads, pan fry like haloum i o r cook into a curry. Pappadums are a g reat snack if you are gluten- sensitive: give t hem a whirl in the nlicrowave, or better still, roas t wi th to ngs over an opeo Aa m e. If you've cooked Indian before, yo u will love the variety in lentils on offer, and yo u could p ick up a bu nch of fresh curry leaves for a tentl1 of the p rice at Hards Farm. How abou t som e 111itht1i (desse rts?) Try the Nanak or Haldi Ram brand mJmtilt,i from the freezer section - finger-licking good. A nd on yo ur ·way out, don't forget to pick up a free copy of d1e latest Tudian Link issue.

Places of worship

A number of Hindu temples dot the city of Syd ne y, all built strictly to architectural guidelines listed in the ancient Hindu scriptures.

Sri Mandir (286 Cumberland Rd, Aubutn) is Australia's oldest Hindu temple, b u ilt in 1977. It caters to the spiriruaJ needs of Hindus from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

Completed in 1985, the Sri Venkateswara Temple (Temple Rd, Helensburgh) is dedicated to Lord

Venkateswara, one of the forms of Lord Vishnu (the Preserver of the Universe).

The Murugan Temple at 217 Great Western Hig hway, Mays Hill, is dedicated to Lord Mmugan, the Hindu God of war and vic to r y popular with the Tamil s.

The Mukti Gupteshwar Temple at 203 Eagleview Rel, Minto, is dedicated co Lord Shiva (the Destroyer of the U niverse). Built cave-style, it was consecrated on 1 4 Feb 1999 when certain planets aligned in a fashion described in the epic Rt1tJJ'!}a11t1 a n arrangement that reportedl y occurs once every hundred years

The temple houses an auspicious symbol relating co Lord Shiva, warer from the five ocean s and from 8 1 rivers from across the wor ld, and two million handw1:itte n notes from devotees Rig hr next door at 201 Eagleview R d, is another templ e worth v isi ti ng, th e Sh ri Shiv Mandir.

The BAPS Swaminarayan Temple (40 Ebu1or St, Rosehill) and ISKCON Temple (180 Falcon St, No.rtb Sydney) are two ocher popular temples.

Sydney's Sik.h community worships at Sikh temples known as Gurudwaras (literally, 'gateway to the guru') The temp les house the hol y book of the Sikhs, the Gum Gm11th Snbib, and large dining h alls where de,7 otees ear Langor, the food of the Lord.

The Gurudwaras in Sydn ey are at Revesby (14-22 The Ri ver Rd), Turramtu:ta (81 Kissing Point Rd), Glenwood (8 Meurants Lane) and Penrith (15-27 Blaikie Rd, Jamiesoncown).

Charity organisations

A number of not- for- profit organisation s both w ithi n the lndian community and in the wider mainstream are working h ard to raise funds for charitable purp oses in India Check o ut rh e ,vork of 1-India A Ltstralia (ww\\d-indiaprojecr.org.au), who save d estitute children from the streets of Rajasthan and provide and care for them, helping chem to break out of the poverty cycle through education and vocational training at the Jhag Children's Village, located about 45 min utes south -west of Jaipur.

The Ekal movement (ww\"ekal.org.au) r aises funds fo r and trains primary school teachers wbo are sent out to remote and tribal regions of India. In sin gle- teacher schools, these professionals teach 30-40 children i n the agegroup 5-14. The free ~chooling is centred not only around basi c alphabetic and numeric know ledge, but also bealch and hygiene, a n d ethical v alues Ekal Australia is cur ren tl y spo n so ri ng 350 such schools, ever since its inception in 2004.

Equally laudable are tl1e efforts of V is io n2020 (www.visio n 2020. org.au) and tbe 40K Foundation (www.40k.com.au), to help the needy in India.

Cultural / Social

So you wam co book a Bollywood ace for yotu: n ext fund -raiser. Try Ramona Lobo's Sirens Dance Group (www.siren sdance com. au) who will enligh t en ro ur guests about the not-so-subtle nuances of Bollywood da nc ing and h ave them screwin g in that Light- bul b like experts.

Fo r a touch of authe n tic bhangra, you can't go past Platimun Inclian E ntertainment (www: platinurn indianen certa.in menc.com. au). Their dr ums will continue to reve rberate inside your rib cage lo ng after the e~1em is over.

One of Bollywood's leading choreographers, Shiamak Davar has chapters of his dance company in major c ities of the world Shiamak Dava.r Sydney (W\V\\,s hiamakdavar.com au) may have opened only recen tly, but th ey've already wo n the heart of the city's lndian c ommun ity.

And i f you want to understand che lyr ics o f that Bollywood number, or just wan t to learn how to say Hello in our language, or what Jui Ho! really me ans, you'll want Hindi lesso n s. Give Mala l'vfehta a call at tl1e lndo -Australia n Bal Bharatiya School (www:iabbvh indiscbool.com). Hello Na mas te!

She'll have you nodding your bead sideways in n o time.

Speaki ng of Bollywood, we know you've seen Bride and Ptefudice, Bend It Uk.e Bcrkha1J1, Nlonsoon IPedding and Slumdog l\,/illionnaire. But Sydney's very own Bollywood exp en Anupam Sharm a will tell yo u, these are not really BolJywood films, they are merely posi11g as Bollywood films!

B ollywood films are those that are made in Bollywood, er, Mu mbai, and have an impossibl)' impossible srory th at will make you laugh aild cry and despair an d feel hopeful all in one hour, do that very sam e circle again in the second hour, a n d again in the final. tlurd! Get out there tight n ow and see Dhoo111 3 at your closest Hoyts cinema o r better still, on IMAX - tl1e lat est BoJJywood thriller might still be on as we go co print, inching closer to that record Rs 600 crore mark (A$ 108,480,000) in o n e montlL

Afrer Dhoo111 3 (starting n o less than three of Bollywood's biggest stars, m ove over Brad Pitt), yo u could probably settle down in your living room and see your very own city Sydney as it appears in Bollywood. Grab copies of the made-in- Sydney B ollywood films Cbak De lndia an d Di/ Chahta Hai. ( [here a re plemy of others, but mos t of them tanked at tl1e box office so we won 't bother listing them here). Di! Chahta H"i (T'hc Hem'/ Desires) ,vas made in 2001 : reports are tl1ar the fil m made Sydn ey look so coo l and sexy tliat the student c ommunity began ar riving here in d1·oves soon after.

BoUywood music, anyo n e? Tty Indian Llnk Radio, Australia's o nly 24-7 Hindi radio station easily accessible on the n er at WW\v.indianlink com.au or d ownloadable as an app for your s ma rtph one

Worth waiting for in 2014

Whether you're an lndophile or not you ll find something of interest in this list of events from the Indian community's annual social calendar. Come join us as we talk about Gandhi or smear coloured powder on each other, or Jig ht a Iamp to mark our new year. and try out your light- bulb moves on the dance floor.

GANDHI ORATION

THUR30JAN

The Gandhi Oration is delivered each year by a person whose life s work exemplifies the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. Previous speakers have included Patrick Dodson and Michael Kirby. The 2014Oration will be delivered by Mr Thomas Keneally AO, the internationally acclaimed Australian author, at the Leighton Hall, (John Niland Scientia Buildin g), UNSW Kensington campus at 5.30pm.Details www.a l umni.unsw.edu.au/gandhi

HOU MAHOTSAV

FR I - SUN 21 - 23 MARCH

Holi is India's spring festival of colours otherwise known as the annual 'muck- up day ' fur Hi ndus. Revellers smear coloured powder on each other s faces, or throw them at each other in gay abandon. This feel good fest ival, a mega party in which the main element is to have fun is a celebration of equality, a celebration of life itself.

The Sydney- based Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan organises this fest ival annually at Darling Harbour, marking 11 years in 2014.

W EEKEND OF CARNATIC MU SI C

QUEE N 'S BI RT HDAY

WEEKEND, JUNE

The best- known names in t he thriving classical music circuit In southern India travel to Sydney In June each year to entertain local fans. Organised by the Swaralaya Fine Arts Society the 3- day event features vocal as well instrumental presentations.

SYDNEY SAKHI SANGAM

JUNE, DATE TBA

Some 900 women, dressed to the nines kick up their beautiful heels at th i s annual women-only event Organised by socialites Nandini Thadani and Sushma Ah l uwalia, Sakhi Sangam (Hindi for'Girlfriends Gather'), is a ' mustdo-at- least- once' kind of event , if you re a woman in Sydney s Indian community! Today it attracts women of all backgrounds who beg, borrow or buy those OTT Indian outfits and accessories for this day- long do.

I A

AUSTRALIA IND

FRIENDSHIP FAIR DATETBA

Held annually in August to mark India's Independence Day this day- long fair at the Sydney Olympic Park feat ures cultural performances and multiple food st alls. Organised by Unit ed Indian Associations (Inc.), the event also attracts many federal and state level politicians who come out t o greet t he Indian commun i ty.

DEEPAVALI FAIR

DAT E T BA

Another annual event that sees the gathering of'the clan : this day- long event marks the fest ival ofDeepavali or Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. Organised by the Hindu Council of Australia in OctNov, t he event features cultural performances, food stalls and a fireworks display at dusk.

Diwali is also celebrated at Martin Place in the CBD, and the exterior of the NSW Parliament House is decorated in lights to mark Hinduism's most sign ificant festiva l.