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Indian Link

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EDITORIAL INDIAN LINK

A world power in decline

PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra EDITOR

Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR

Lena Peacock · Sheryl Dj,<it Ml:LBOURNE COORDINATOR

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INDIAN LINK

e are seeing a decline in American power, the controversial 84-year-old academic Noam Chomsky stated in the lf7'0Jhit1gto11 Post recently.

The rapidly changing siniation in Ukraine will be a limms test of America's inAuence on world affairs as it duels with its old foe, Russia. What plays out in the near fumre will have a significant bearing on world affairs, especially on an emerging economy like lndia.

The seeds of decline in the US might have been sprouting for a while now. Tbe '13-year war in Afghanistan and the bloody battles in Iraq have been financially costly and emorionaUy draining for tlie Americans. A lame duck President who is held back by the US Congress and halfway tl1rough his second term with. nothing more to prove, is not helping America's cause.

Two iucemational events in the recent pasc have also embarrassed the US. Its handling of the Syrian crisis was ineffecmal, with Russia negating any show of force which cl1e Americans exerted diplomatically after the gas attacks against civilians

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there. Furthermore, tl1e feeling globally is that America has been played with

by Iraq's promises of cooperation on nuclear advancement, in remrn for having tl1eir sanctions lifted. Israel and ocher countries have been vehement in dieir astonishment at American gullibility on this issue.

The US seemed impotem on the issue of Edward Snowden being granted asylum in Russia as \veil.

The latest Russian aggression in Ukraine has also received a soft response by tbe US, largely syrnbolic. The US has suspended preparations for a GS summic in Sochi. Some countries have recalled ambassadors. Britain said its ministers would stay away from the Paralympics m be held in Sochi. lt is doubtful if there will be any boots on the ground m defend parts of Ukraine 1mder cl:u:eat by Russia, a country d,at has spent billions under Putin to upgrade and modernise its forces that were dilapidated after the break-up of the Soviet Union. i\1feanwhile, Moscow's special units are now seen as equals on par with the best in the world.

For lndia, the stand-off between Russia and me US is alarming as is d1e perception of decline in American power.

With allied troops leaving Afghanistan this year, cliat part of die world can become increasingly volatile. While die militams have been held back by the

US-led forces in Afghanisran in the past, the easing of pressure increases the danger of insurgency spreading to India, especially Kashmir. TI1e close conneccion between China and Pakistan, and part of the Pakistani military's closeness to the Taliban, can also raise temperatures in cliat part of the world.

India will need all its diplomatic skills to balance its relationships with the US and Russia.

Anotlier factor of concern for lndia will be about which country can best assist with meeting its own energy needs in the funtte. The US has .recently fow1d vast reserves of oil and gas, and over the next 20 years will probably become largely self-sufficient. Their desire to fight any battles over energy issues will be limited. According to a report in lntemationtt! E11er;gy Outlook, by 2040 India and China will account for 34 percent of the projected total world energy consumption. A large pan will be sourced from the Middle East, and gas will be obtained from reserves in Russia. \Xfhich current superpower wiU be more powerful in meeting lodia's energy needs will be a significant factor in the minds of Indian diplomats when deciding on which side to favom in the. cmrent showdown.

Pawan Luth ra is the 2012 Parliament of NSW Multicultural Journalist of the Year.

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4 MARC!-1 2014

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INDIAOZ

nee Same-sex marriage is an issue that the Indian Australian community needs to discuss

he Indian Australian community seems to be split in opinion on the issue of same-se.." marriage.

While there is an acceptance of same-sex relationships, same-sex marriage still seems to draw out critics. There are however, more questions and answers happening within Indian Australian families, as children themselves are asking more questions. Top rated television shows such as Nlodem Fa111i(y, which openly depicts samesex marriage between two of its main characters, as well as news headlines and radio talk shows have brought this issue om in the open and the migrant Indian community can no longer ignore this topic. Indian Ll11k talks to members of the community to find out their views. "l feel a healthy dialogue with our children is in order to understand what their sexual preferences ate, learning about gay- marriage through reading, and attending events such as ones organised by Ttikone Australasia are important," says wen known Sydney radio personality Manbir Kohli, summing up the issue. "Al.ong with meeting and befriending people with sexuality tbat is different to our own deeply held values, will help us understand that gar relationships and gay marriage are normal and not a stigma that relatives back home, religious conservatives everywhere or caricamres in Bollywood would have 1.1s believe".

According co Wikipedia, same-sex marriage, is marriage between two people of the same biological sex and/ or gender identity. As of 19 August 2013, 15 countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, etherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Soucb Africa, Sweden, Uruguay) and pares of Mexico and the United Stares allow same-sex couples to marry.

The UK will allow for same-sex marriage from the end of this month and Scodand has legalised ir from October 2014.

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INDIAN LINK

In July 2009, the Delbi High Court rejected section 377 of the lndian penal code whjch was enacted by the British in 1861.

This code criminalises sexual activities "against the order of nature", including homosexual aces. This was challenged and this decision was reversed by d1e Supreme Court on December 11 , 20 13 to uphold section 377 of the Indian Penal code that criminalises same-sex marriage. lnteresti.ogly, o n the very same day, the High Court of Australia also upheld an appeal against an Australian Capital Territory ace of parliament that legalised same-sex marriages, which had come into operation on 7 r ovember in the same year. Passing judgment on ·12 December, tbe High Court unanimously struck the act down; the ceremonies d1at had t."lken p lace had therefore become void. But the court also confirmed that the federal parUament has the power m legislate for same-sex marriage.

Since then this issue often plays our i.o d1e main media, as polls show that there is rising support for legally recognising same-sex marriage across race, ethnicity, age, religion and political af.filiation.

Director of the Indian Film festival of Melbourne and

wen known personality Mim Bhowmick Lange is in full support of same-sex marriages. ''l am rotally for it," he says vehemently. "If two people love each other they should have the freedom ro decide what future d1ey want to have".

This is also reflected jn the views of 25-year-old Priyanka Das from Adelaide who has been living in Australia for two years now. " Initially when l m..igrated here, l was ta.ken aback by how open this discussion ,vas; but now that I bave setded here and seen how society interacts with each other, 1 wonder wbar's rbe b ig deal? If people are happy with each other, all the best ro them and may tbey find long ter1n happiness", she says.

Similar views are echoed by ctickec guru Kersi MeherHomji, but he draws the line at sa.me-se.x marriage. " Let me say at tbc outset that l am not a homophobe", says MeherHomji. '1 believe that some people are born homosexual and it is natural for them to have same-sex relations. However, I am not for same-sex marriage.

Call me an old.fashioned fuddyduddy, but to me marriage is between a woman and a man, wid1 procreation as its primary goal. I have no objection if a gay couple lives toged1er, have

sexual relations with eacb other and a.re faithful to one another. But 1 draw a line at same-sex marriage.

What would a priest or a marriage celebrant say at the ceremony, 'I pronounce you husband and husband / wife and wife?' I realise that we are now in the 21st century, but still it doesn't sound right to me", he avers. Retiree Krishan Kumar Pa.hwa .in Sydney is also not in favour of san1e-sex marriage. i'vlelbourne local politician Gautam Gupta has however, a more conciliatory approach.

Believ ing in unity in diversit:y, he says that freedom of choice js a fundameoral human right, and whether it be religion, political persuasion or sexual orientation, it is the freedom to choose for ourselves diat is paranmunt. " U ltimately how people choose to live their lives j5 a personal choice and it is this freedom that should be protected and promoted ," he states. "As a community, we should strive to be inclusive and suppo rtive of all forms of djversiry. It is fanrastic to see so many new initiatives that support tbe GLBTQI community and d1eir families", says Gupta.

While there is strong acceptance of the gay and lesbian choices by the Indian 1\ustralian community, as Kohli bas noted, there needs to be a strong dialogue with making our children aware

of these lifestyle choices.

Rajat Bahri from Sydney's Newtown says that it is quite common to meet same-sex parents at his children's local school. '1 am a student here and am comfortable with the lifestyle choices people have," says Bahri. "But m y nine year old came home d1e otber day and wanted to know why his friend had two mummies while he had one. We did have a discussion about the in1portaoce of love in the family, rather d1an genders", he says smiling.

Local Sydney lawyer Mahrukh Mnndul vocalises a d1ought which may be at d1e forefront of the minds of tbe local community. "lnclian Australia.us who have grown up wi tb chis double whammy of socio-religious beliefs and customs, rogether with d1e criminalisation of the relationships in India, are conflicted when confronted with the liberal attitudes in Australia," she says. "Their solution is tO ignore the issue, as long as tbeir children are straight, that's an that counts".

One suspects d1at as time marches on, there ,viii be more softening of d:i.is stance and more acceptance of samesex marriages.

MARCl-l 20 14 5

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MARCl-l 20 14 7

Three wins at 2014 Premier's Multicultural Media Awards

be Indian Link Media Group has woo yet another three awards at the 2014 Premier's l\ilulticulmral Media Awards held ar Doltone House in Sydney on 13 February, 2014. They took home the Best Print Report of tbe Year, --Sest Use of Online & Digital Media and Young Journalist of the Year: Ritam Mitra.

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The Sydney-based Indian media group was nominated in eight of the 12 categories. In one category, Best Prim Report, all three finalists came from lndia11 Link.

The awards were judged by an independent panel of academic and working media experts, with some categories varying from last year.

Pawan Luthra, CEO of Indian Link said he was proud of the ongoing recognition that the media group has received, from within the community as well as from the mainstream.

"To claim three awards yet again chis year, reveals nor only our dedication but also the high standards ,ve set ourselves," said

Luthra. "1 congratulate my rerun for their talent and their efforts".

After this awards night, Tndian Link has now become the most awarded multicultural media group in Australia.

The event was opened by NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, who said the groWTh of cbe State's mu.lticulmral media reflects NSW's status as one of the most nmlticultu.ral societies in tbe world.

'1 was impressed to see more than 110 entries were received for the l2 categories coveting print, radio, TV and oaline media in this year's awards, which are in their second year," said Premier O'Farrell. He also commenced on

the trend within the multirnlrural community which is seeing its media expand as compared to the mainstream where it is contracting.

The Pre1nier's Multiculmral.

Media Awards are one of the feamte events of Multiculmral March, a celebration of what the Seate call$ one of its greatest assets, its culmral diversity.

"Congratulations to fodiafl Link, with the fortnightly publication taking out Best Print Reporter, Pawan Luthra, Best Young Journalist, Ricam Mitra, and the category of Best Use of Online ru1d Digital Media," Minister for Citizenship and Communities Victor Dominello

said after bis moving speech.

"The awards proudly recognise the role multiculmral media plays in promoting I SW to audiences around the world," he furthered.

Dominello's speech in which he urged the gathered multiculmral media to put the spotlight on the wiacceptable treatment of girls ru1d women erupted imo a loud applause. He implored the nmlciculmral media gathered co continue tackle the " tough issues". "\'(/e would like to congratulate tl1e other media 9rganisations that won or were nominated on the night," Tndian Link Editor Rajni Anand Luthra said. "W/e also acknowledge the Government of NSW in providing a platform

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INDIAN LINK NOMINATIONS 2014 • • • • • • • • • • • • • •• •• •• • • • • • •• •• • •• • • • • • • • • • • •• •• • • • • • • • • • • •• •• • • • • • • • • •• • • •• • • • • • • • • •• • • BEST FEATURE OF THE YEAR

BEST PR INT PUBLICATION OF

PRINT REPORT

BEST ONLINE PUBLICATION

Autism - Usha R Arvind

THE YEAR - PERIODICALS

OF THE YEAR

OF THE YEAR

Bookwa/lahs BEST ARTICLE ON

COMMUN ITY TV OR

- Jyoti Shankar

BEST USE OF ONLINE

MULTICULTURALISM

COMMUNITY RADIO REPORT

Election Survey Results

& DIGITAL MEDIA

OFTHEYEAR

OF THE YEAR

- Pawan Luthra

It's an Honour -Australia Day

Q&A with Tony Abbott

Tony Abbot's India Plan

YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR

and Queen's Birthday Honours

- Pawan Luthra

- Pawan Luthra

RitamMitra

8 MARCI-I

2014

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such as [be Multicultural Media Awards to showcase our talents and efforts".

Pawan Luthra added, "At ludi,111 Link, we like to call ourselves 'observers of the trends in Australia's Indian community'.

Our clear grasp of issues in the community for 20 years now has earned us much respecr not only within the community but in the mainstream as well. W/e pride ourselves on our 9ualit:y of content, our design, as well as regularit)' of production. Our core team ()f 10 staff members, and some 70-odd contributors across the country, wo.r kvery hard to see tha't a 9uality publication goes out every fortnight, even as we struggle with the drastic upheaval that our industry L~ going through".

The company produces two fortnightly publications for its Sydney audience, and momhlies for Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

On the airwaves, it brings audiences together through lndian Link Radio. This was laund1cd I J years ago on a 'pay-radio' format for listeners in Sydney and lvfelbourne only but is now accessible 'row1d the world round the dock' via a downloadable smartphone app as well as online streaming. Online, the company's presence encompasses an imernctive website, fortnightly e-newslecters that reaches the ca rgeted audience directly, a busy Facebook page, and regular 'Twitter feeds.

The Indian Link .Media Group is no stranger to winning awards. just last year at the inaugural

INDIAN LINK

Premier's .Multiculnual l\1[edia Award 2013, lndia11 l.J11k also won three awards: Best News Report, Best Online Publication of die Year and Best Image of the Year. ln addition to th.is, flldian Link also cook out t\vo awards ar tl1e 20 I 3 Parliament of NSW Mulciculmral Media Awards, three awards at the 2012 Parliament of NSW Multicultural Media and the 2011 NS\V Premier's Harmony Award.

This multi-media group just rn.ight have to buy a new shelf to display all of the awards won.

BEST USE OF ONLINE &DIGITAL MEDIA www.indianlink.com.au

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lways a step ahead, Indian Li11k has been on tile cutti.llg edge of technology since its bictl1. The sr:ylish website is now available across all platforms, including smartphones for 'news on the go' and links the latest news to their 24/7 digital radio station, and integrates their social media ompuL By creating a highly effective digital strategy, the Indian Link Media Gmup has been able to stay up-to-date with the latest digital trends. We don't just create content for users, we also engage and listen co tllem in order co continue our media group's innovative use o f tbe latest technology.

MARCl-l 2014 9

BEST PRINT REPORT OF THE YEAR :..:..-----------_-_-:_ = -~

dian-Austra\ians

The 2013 Federal Election: An Indian community poll awan Luthra's piece on the analysis of an lr,d;,m Link election survey, conducted in the lead up to the Jast federal elections, ,vas a clear and concise report on the issues which matter to the Indian community, and their perceptions of w hich political parry would best fulfil their needs. No doubt it helped the u ndecided voters in the community tO make

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their final electo ral decision.

"Our pre-election surveys are conducted o bjectively and provide valuable insig ht into the manner in which the community is thinking," Pawan said. "This is parLicuJarly important as l arge sections of our community's voters live in marginal seat areas. It turned o m, we were right on targ et. In fact, this was the third time i□ a row that our pre-election poll was right on target".

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COVERSTORY

-===~...._~ 2013SURVEY RESULTS

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YOUNG JOURNALIST OF THE YEAR: RlTAM MITRA

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;:u~:=~of the Year Ritam Mitra, is a perfect exan1ple of the mentoring that fodia11 I.ink. does for young writers.

"I definitel)' wasn't expecting to win, and it was. an honour simply co be shortlisted for the award," says Ricam of his award. "The other nominees were of very higb calibre".

Ricam was 17 when he first began to contribute to Tndia11 I.ink. Today, at 21, finishing a law degree at uni and working for a leading Sydney Jaw lirm. he is one of the most prolific write-rs on our team.

"Indian Link has given me a wide range o f opportunities, which I'm extremely gtateful for," says i\Lltra._Ritam's earliest writings were on youth issues and h is great passion sport, but his body of work now includes pieces on politics, science, technology, media, new media, governmeoc policy, assimilation, even on Indian traditions as he sees tbe.m through his Australia-taised eyes.

"The Young Jo urnalist award was the last award ptesenced on the night, and it was a new category - so there

10 MARCI-I 2014

was a fair bit of anticipation around it," recalls Mitra of the award night. " I'd spent most of the night enjoying the speeches, cultural performances, and celebrating the Indian Link team's win in rwo other categories, so l didn't dunk coo much abour the award, as I knew there were some very impressive nominees who deserved tbe honour. From the moment ill)' name was called up, everything became a bit of a blur. It was a big surprise and a very lnunbling n10menr.

"Bue it was a moment l'll never forget and an award l'U bold very dearly ro me".

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OUTING AN UGLY TRUTH

Manpreet Kaur Singh's enlightening and realistic report on domestic violence has won two prestigious awards. FARZANA AHMAD reports BS Radio Punjabi's Executive Producer Manpreet Kaur Singh added more feathers to her cap recently by clinching two awards in the 2014 NSW Premier's Mu..lticulrural Meclia .Awards held in Sydney.

Manpreet's multi-award winning fea tL1.re The Enet1Q' Within was recognised as che Best Raclio Report and Best Feature of the Year (any meclium) during tl1e ceremony.

The report whicl1 was first aired in December 20 l2, confronts the issue of domescic violence witliin the Australian Indian community. le is a compelling dissection of family abuse through the voices of the victims, the police, experts and tl1e court system, and it has struck a chord witl1 the community on many different le,,els.

"The docm:nentarywas commissioned b)' SBS in 2012", Manpreec cold T,,dian Link. '·It cook around four months of intensive investigative work to complete. During this rime we consulted with authorities, experts and victims in Melbourne and

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INDIAN LINK

Sydney to portray an honest picmre of domestic violence witll.io the Indian community in Australia. \'(/e presented seven stories by interviewing victims directly; of them, one couple and one victim are now deceased as a direct result of domestic violence".

The report aimed ro deternune whether Indian cu.Im.re and circumstances like arranged marriages and migracion make domestic violence unique in this community.

"We have asked the experts and tl1e victims, and now il is up to tl1e people to decide", she added.

Regarding tl1e reaction of the Indian community to this report, Manpreet said, "lt w·as an honest appraisal of questions everyone·asks. The response bas been strong and mostly positive where people have realised mar 1.hey have co stop being in denial and do something about iL But at the same time, there has been some negative reaction with people arguing that tl1e viccims are parcly to blame too. For tl1e wider community 1.h9ugh, the

documencary has been an eye opener".

Manpreet regards me docurnencary The Enmry fl?itbin as tl,e most clifficu..lt and complex story she's handled professionally.

She is deeply moved by me plight of victims of domestic violence in thelndian community and feels a need tO make a difference. She believes that although a lot is being done in this regard, it is not enough.

"There is a need for community organisations, government agencies and welfare groups m come together and work as a unit in understanding the intricacies of tl,e Indian culture and address family violence accordingly'', she averred.

"Cu.rre11tly in cases of domestic abuse, the government wants the police to be the first p9int of contact, but most Indian victims wiU not do that as it escalates tl1e issue to a poinr of no return. CulmraJ oriemacion is necessary to handle differenc cases appropriately and sensitively", she added.

After the resouncling success of

me Punjabi broadcast, Tbc En1111D1 Tl'/ithin was remade in Englis b and a.ired in August 2013. lt received the United Nations Association of Australia Media Award in the special category 'Increasing Awareness and Understanding o f Women's Rights and Issues' and was also a finalist for tl1e Walkley Award in the same year. Tb.is makes Manpteet tl1e first Indian-origin journalist in Australia to be nominated for the \Xi'alkleys. :Maopreet insisL~ tint though. it is gratifying co be recognised, she didn't make The Ti11et1!)' 11{/itbin to win awards. She maintains that she has done many stories on sensitive issues, and purity of intencion and compassion has been her strengtl1 in gert.ing the message oul. "l have utmost respect for every victim who spoke to us in making this documentary," she said. "\Xi'e can't imagine what the)' go through, so let's not waste their bravado and do something co bring about a change".

Even though sbe is best known in Austr.alia as a radio broadcaster, .Manpreet's contribution to ocher

branches o f journalism, in print, televisio n, raclio and online media, cannot be ignored. Bm radio is her medium of choice.

"To be honest it was the only medium tlrnt gave me a break when I came to Australia," she revealed. "The work we do is totally spontaneous and unscripted. People Jet us into meir homes where we have intimate conversations with tbem that are straight from the heart.

Peo ple open up more on radio as it prov ides the eJemenr of anonynucy. I wouldn't change anything abour it".

Her 2 1-year invo lvement with SBS has seen her g o from being a 'one-man show' to heading a team as Executive Producer of the Punjabi broadcast. The SBS Punjabi bro adcast went £tom being aired once a week to tive cirnes a week since lasr year.

For someone who has received considerable recognition, Manpteet is surprisingly down-toearch and friendJy. She has received many awards including me Media Award at Victoria's 2013 Multiculmra..l Awards for Excellence in December 2013, and the state's Individual Award for Media Excellence in 2011.

Manpreet is passionate about preserving the history of Indian arrivals in Australia and contributes articles co tl1e reputed website Sikhchic.com.

A significant highlight of her career has been fulfilling tbe last wishes of a Sikh hawker Pooran Singh who died in Australia in 194 7, and wanted his a.shes co be retutned to India and sprinkled in the river Ganges. l\1anpreet was inscrumencal in fulfilling d1is ,\clsh through Ltniting people from India, Australia and England in this goodwill mission. This story has now been commissioned by Educational SerYices Australia as an educational resotl.[ce for high school students in Australia.

MARCM 2014 11

SPECIALREPORT

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octorate 1emma Despite clearing registration, international medical graduates from India are struggling to find jobs

cores of international medical graduates are struggling to find suitable jobs in Australia, as the lengthy and complicated registration process continues to dampen their spirits. Many doc tors are forced to take up odd jobs to survive, while others simply give up and return to India.

Priya migrated to Syd11ey after her marriage in July 201 1, o n completing her NIBBS from Gujarat in India in 2010.

She spent cwo years preparing and cleared alJ of the three. registration examinations, namely tbe Australian Medical Council (AMC) 1foltiple Cho.ice Questions (i\llCQ) part 1, the AMC Clinical part II, and finally IELTS or OET (English rest), in ord er to qualify to practice and work in Australia.

Bur despite successfully completii1g all of these e--.am s, Priya has been applying for a job in d1e medical profession in every stare in Australia, with no positive results.

The irony is that she is now tutoring other aspirin g international medical students for d1e very same exam.

"T have applied everywhere in Australia Ltnder the Resident Medical O fficer campaign in June - July 2013, b uc only faced disappointment", rues Priya. "I'm in a Catch-22 situatio n because the AJ\,[C will o nly finalise my registration once I get a job offer letter from a hospitaJ. And d1e hospitals won't offer me a job due to my lack of experience. I've started to lose confidence over my decision to come here", she adds.

Priya personally would not encourage overseas trained doctors to come to Australia.

"I bave spent over $10,000 to co mplete my registration and I'm still struggli ng to find a job," says Priya wid1 a distinct sense of dejection. " I know of friends w ho came here after d1eir ~BS and have taken up jobs as security guards and taxi drivers, and are stiJI attempting co complete their registration. In m y opinion, Australia is no r d1e country for overseas trained doctors".

Som e lndian doctors just give up and leave, li ke Dr Snehal who also joined the Australiai1 Indian Medical Graduate Association

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12 MARCI-! 2014

Pru Goward, Minister for Family and Community Services with female doctors from the Indian community at an AIMGA event in Sydney

(AIM GA), to voice her concerns.

She returned to Mumbai after facing job rejections for several years, despite being a registered doctor here. Odiers Like Pakistantrained Nasir Mehmood Baig who arrived in 2005 and has a wife and four children to support, drives a taxi while navigating his way towards registration.

Feelin g their pain and understanding their disillusionment, the AIMGA has been actively lobbying for t he welfare of fodian and overseas trained doc tors for over three decades. The Associatio n has written several lerters to the Medical Board of Australia asking for more transparency on websites that explain the registration system. Imernarional st11dents end up paying a hefty financial registration fee and are caught unaware of the long drawn our process, wid1 no guarantee that they can work as a doctor in Australia. O n average it costs abour $ 15,000 to complete d1e registration, with n o guarantee of success. "] think international medical g raduates (DvIG) are suffering a lot, both financially and mentally, due to a lack of proper information abom the rules of medical registration, the waiting period between exarniiiatio ns, and the English examinations.

There is no explanation or reason, given apart from a 'pass' or 'fail' in the result", states Dr P Sawrikar, former President of AIMGA. "Crucial i nformation like clinica.1 experience of a

minimum of three years before students can apply for registration, is not mentioned anywhere in die website", be adds.

D epression is another big cause of concern, an endemic problem for lt\1Gs, when they fail to clear the examination s.

The g ap between theory and clinical examination is another big hindrance in the current registration process, w hich exacerbates the doctor's time o ut of clinical work. There are no explanations why some IMGs have co wait much longer than l 8 months to sit for t he clinical exam after cleating d1e d1eory part lt gets worse for those who fail in their first attem pt; in fact, tl1e waiting period for them cau stretch from 22 montl1s co three years!

Dr Aditi Punjawat, an overseas m edical graduate from a dental college in Pune, India came to Sydney three years ago. " \Vhen ] first came here, I was warned by p eop le about the lengthy process of demal licensing," she says. "The exams are extremely difficult and preparation ta kes a huge toll on your mental state.

It was very disheartening for me to fail on the firs t attempt, and I had to build up the courage to cry again. When I didn't clear the exam for the second time, I went into depression and my confidence levels were at an alltim e I.ow".

"There should be more clarity and transparency of the AMC examination. It should state clearly where the mistake was made,

which questions were incorrectly answered and what m istakes were made", D r Punjawat avers.

Despite being a qualified dentist, she continues to work as a dental assistant in a small family ntn dental clinic.

There is no denying that Australian trained doctors are preferred over overseas trained doctors for jobs, and many IMGs feel a sense of helplessness iu a situation where d1ey have passed the .Ai\i[C exam s and got d1eir certificate, but are unable co secure a job because o f a lack of Australian experien ce o r gen eral registration. They need guidance and support which d1e Overseas Medical Graduates Association (OMGA) in Melbourne hopes to provide.

However, the OMGA feels die L.\1Gs still don't come forward with t heir problems, nor do they consider approaching die Association, as they should.

"The OMGA is mote than w illing to help, guide and network ,vith t hese students who want to get registered in A ustralia", says Dr Geetha Venkatram, Presidenr OMGJ\ Victoria.

This Association of registered doctors lo b by on behalf of l.J.vJGs in Victoria, reviewing their concerns and problems. They wane more participation from international medical doctors in d1eir association. " \Y/e really wane to help swdents caking d1ese exams with training and workshops and even references, if needed", emphasised D r Vealq1tram. "Bur

peo ple are too scared to speak up and voice dieir problems. Thar mentality needs to change and ,ve need a united platform with good numbers; only then can we approach the Australian Medical Council to raise our issues".

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Art dealer Subhash Kapoor is taken to court for illegally selling the NGA a 900-year-old bronze Indian statue, reports LENA PEACOCK he NationaJ Gallery of Australia (NGA) in Canberra has taken ew Yock art dealer Subhash Kapoor to court over the purchase of an 11 '1' century bronze statue of Shiva as Lord of the Dance (Natarrga). The GA is seeking the return of the $5 million it paid for the statue, plus legal fees and other costs. This artwork was purchased from Kapoor in 2008 for $5 million by the NGA, but in 2006 it was stolen from a Sivan Temple in the J\riyalur District of Tamil Nadu in southern India.

False provenance papers were created by dealership Arr of the Past, prior co selling it to tbe l GA. The false supporting documents included a letter of provenance stating that the statue had been purchased b y a diplomat in India prior to l 971.

Kapoor is also facing charges in

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India over art smuggling allegations.

The NGA had previously bought 21 items through Kapoor's act dealership, which the Australian government has now asked the gallery to investigate.

These works were bought from Kapoor for A$1 1 million, ancl the deals were finalised berween 2002 and 2011.

"We are going to deal wid, the Indian high comn:i.ission with a view to pursuing d1e matter to a satisfactory outcome", said Australian Arts Ministe,r and Attorney-General George Brandis.

Repatriation is an issue that affects many artworks exported from India and it is hoped that dus case draws further attention to scolen works. "The trade in artefacts and antiquities is a minefield for public galleries, being littered with fakes and phoney provenances such as the one supplied wid, the Shiva Nataraj', writes Anstralian arc historian Jobn McDonald on his website. "The NGA's rapid acquisition of so many Indian pieces was a strange fad pursued with reckless abandon".

McDonald questions whed1er chis srame will " be the catalyst chat destroys d1e N GA's insularity and

creates a new relationship with the public". After all, the five metrehigh figure of Shiva su.rroLrnded by a ring of fire represents boch the destruction of the world.

Jason Felch, a repo.rter and the author of Chasing Aphrodite: the Huntfa,·Looted A ntiqNities in the fl7orld} lvfoset1111, says the gallery should have known better and did not do enough to find om if the stame's provenance records were genuine. "There was a credible amount o f evidence that a lot of the ancient act available for sale was coming with forged documents ancl bogus ownership histories to cover up die fact d1at they'd been recently stolen", he says. "In 2006-2007, when this object was being considered by the National Gallery, diere was an international controversy going on about museums acquiring ancient art". Felch also questions whether, after d1e OS authorities have seized $100 million of Kapoor's

art coU.e ction, there will '"be mone)' left over for die National Gallery to recoup?"

"Based o n information obtained ... the Shiva has lost its linancial value, and its clouded title and notoriety means that the work cannot be promoted as a key work of art in the gallery's Indian collection", court docun1enrs read.

And any attempts to sell the work are unlikely to occur because of the uncertainry surrounding its past, the documem also states.

NGA have confirmed that they have contacted the Indian government to "discuss avenues for restimtion" fo.r the stame; however, a spokesperson for the gallery said they were unable to comment o n die court case, as it is scill before die court. The spokesperson also declined to comment on how the federally funded gallery is paying for the court action.

INDIAN LINK: NEWS ON TME GO! OUR NEWLY D~SIGNED WEB,SITE IS NOW AVAILABLE ACROSS A RANGI; 01= PLATl='ORMS, INCLUDING SMART PHONES AND TABLETS •••

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MARCI-I 2014 15

ADVERTISEMENT

Free eye surgery camp to

help thousands Doctors from the US donate time to work at an eye camp sponsored by Science of Spirituality free eye surgery camp sponsored by the Science of Spirituality/Sm,van Ki.rpa.l Rnhao.i l',i[ission will screen over 1,000 people for surgery in 2014 at Ki.rpal Bagh, Kalyan Vihar in Delhi, under the direction of Sam Rajinder Singh Ji Maha.raj.

This first free eye surgery program of rhe yeai- was held on February 6 as part of the 27'" International Human Unity Conference, with Sam Rajinder Singh Ji Malia.raj presiding. Tbe dace was also the birch anniversary of Sant Kirpa1Singh Ji Maharaj (1894-1974), founder of the Human U nity Conferences.

Three prominent surgeons travelled to India from the United States to volunteer their skills.

"Jc is very grnti.fying to be able ro provide services like chis," said Dr Sumic Bhatia, one of the surgeons.

"Doctors in the local hospital operated alongside us, and in one

A

week we were able to help more than 500 people. Many people contributed. Companies donated supplies as did the hospitals in che United States where we are on staff". The three doctors, who cook time off from rbeir Chicago area practices, stayed at Kirpal Ashi-am in Dellii.

Since its inception in 2002, 11,000 eye patients have been treated, and those with cataracts are operated on free of charge.

The patients, who come from villages and small co,vns in orthern India, are very poor and mostly illiterate. The surgery provides free sight-saving operations co those not othen,vise able co afford them.

Sant Raj ind er Singh Ji Maha.raj, me current bead <) f die Science of Spiriruality/Sawan Kirpal Ruhani Mission was honoured wicli a request to be guest editor of the Times ofIndia Speaking Tree, an

8-page special edition, published on February 2 in Delhi. H is feamred article, Deali11g JJJith Stress and A ,(ger, gives readers practical tips for daily life and how medication can keep them calm and balanced.

The issue also indudes ocl1er articles focused on meditation.

For example, Dr Louis A. Ritz, professor of neurosurgery, U niversity of Florida, GainesviUe, explained how meditation can bring positive changes to the brain.

KLmwarjit Singh Duggal M.D. from the Chicago area in Illinois, detailed how medication can improve performance at work, in sports and in school, as well as reduces pain.

Th.is special Ti,11cs of ludia Speaki11g Tm edition reached millions of people and raised awareness of die value of medication on cl1e inner light and s0tmd, as taught by Sant Rajinder Singh J i Maharaj. Sant Rajinder Sing h J i is also President of the

Human Unity Conference and author of many best-selling books, such as Nleditatio11 as Nledication_for the S 011I, Spark ef the Divine, Inner a11d Ot1ter Peace through Meditatio11, and E11pou1e,i"11g l'ottr Soul through J\lleditatio11, all available through Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com in both print and Kindle eBook format.

He recently presided over the 27,1, Internacional Conference o n Human lnregration in Delhi, lndi_a earlier in February.

For more information, please visi-t: www.sos.org/auslausb·alia

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INDIADIARY

We'll miss the Maruti 800 Discontinuing manufacture of the car of the people will leave behind many memories, and a tinge of sadness

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'

BY

~ AVI CHANDIOK 'Papa, mere ktJ J"\1.amti khareed do na'.

'Ha heti, kal rhalenge'.

This conversation won't be happening anymore, as :tvfaruti Suzuki has taken rhe d ecision to stop producing the original, muchloved Maruti 800. Ir was cheap, affordable, the young loved it and the old felt in control driving k If it broke down, it was light enough to push along, and almost any workshop in the country conld r epair it. Ir was miserly with petrol and was known to carry a whole haraat, well almost!

'So what is co111t11011 betUJeen a Mamti and a haemorrhoidproblem?'

'E11e1yone gets it sooner or later.

The reality is that almost everyone did have a Marnti, and along the residential streets of Delhi it seemed as if their numbers grew overnight, like mushroom s in the dark. The Marnti see.med to be a part of the family and enough jokes were told

INDIAN LINK

about it to 6ll volumes.

Bur it was not always such lighthearred fun. Going back in hisrory we might recall the dour days of the stagnant Indian economy, inAuenced by the Soviet style 5-year plans when the only cars on the streets were the Fiat 1100 and the Hindustan Ambassador from Italy and England, respectively. These models, already thrown on to the scrap heaps in their countries of origin , were introduced into India in the 1950s and 60s and for decades, were the only vehicles to be seen dmgging around the streets. Surely, th.is discomaging state of affairs could not continue forever.

T he public was disenchanted.

The cars available were expensive, one had to join a wai ting list when placing an o rder, and then accept whatever colour of car that was offered. 1 ew cars were already o ut-dared, did not have pleasing designs, bad little character and were basic in the extreme. The public was being taken for a ride! Then along came the swashbuckling Sanjay Gandhi, son of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. This young man

had tal{en to tiol{ering with motor vehicles in his younger days and to consolidate h.is learning, he served an apprenticeship with Rolls Royce in England. He came back to India with a visio n of producing an ind igenously made car from scratch that would be affordable for the masses. The favourite son was soon given a licence to produce an automobile.

'The nam e 'l\faruti' was chosen and Gandhi set about making the automobile he had visualised.

Regrettably, his efforts ca.me ro naught as he underestimated the complexity involved in producing a road-worthy machine.

1n Mrs Gandhi's second term as PM she resurrected her son's idea wh.ich cleaclj' had a lot going for it, and set about maki ng ir a reality, in earnest. The rest is history!

1n 2012, the 10 millionth Maruti was sold. Of the series, about 2.8 million Maruti 800s were sold in all, and dus car has been exported to many coumries. Even the K athmandu taxi fleer is almost entirely made up of these cars.

The introduction of th e Maruti SOU was more than just another car from which to choose. Tr

was a b reath of fresh air. The colllltry was being released from the shackles of the Fiat and A mbassador. There was now a choice, a more modern, up-rodate design and engine. When a country is used ro carrying a family of fom on a scooter, the tiny 5-door hatchback felt more like a limousine. Ar a price of around two-thirds of diat of a Fiat, the demand for this car simply skyrocketed!

After using it for a few years, my aunt wanted to sell her "Nfaru ti 800. ''You can't do that, we'll have it", said her children. So the 800 went down the line from parents to children and onro friends. Like a pet, one just doesn't bave tl-ie heart ro get rid o f it.

But the time has co m e! 1vfaruti Suzuki announced that they are cliscontimt.ing production of their original Maruti 800. Maybe this should be a time of sadness in India. Now with a choice of almost 100 cars, the 800 has had its time and goes out quietly.

But surely it will be the one remembered, when many other models have faded from memory.

MARCI-I 2014 17

INDIAN NEWS was valued with a net worth of $5 billion.

Gates has copped tlie list for 15 of the last 20 years. With a net worili of $76 billion, up from $67 billion in 2013, tl1e technology guru moved up on the list by one sloe di.is year.

The Reliance industries chairman was followed among the. Indians by steel tycoon Lakshmj Mfrcal (No. 52) witl1 $ 16.7 billion in the second place and Wipro's Azim Premji (No. 61) wi th $15.3 billion in ilie third p lace.

Ocher fodiaos on me lisc were: Dilip Shanghvi (No.82) $12.8 billion, Shiv adar (l02) $11.1 billion, Kumar Birla (19 1) $7 billion, Sunil J\,Uttal & family (244), $5.7 billion,

An.ii Ambani $5 billion, Mkky Jagciani (281) $5 billion and Savitr.i Jindal & family (295) $4.9 billion.

Gares bear ou t telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu (2), who had maintained the number one spot for the past four consecutive years but lost $1 billion of his net worm, now valued at $72 billion, according co a Forbes media release.

An Indian woman dressed as Hindu Goddess Kali participates in a "Shivratri" procession in Allahabad, Thursday, Feb 27. "Shivaratri" is dedicated to the worship of Lord Shiva

India wants BIMSTEC to focus on five key areas India recently outlined five focus areas for the seven-nation BTh1STEC ro realise tlie full potenciaJ of tlie regional grouping o f 2.5 billion people with a combined output of $2.5 trillion.

"In today's inter-linked and interdependent world, commonalities between us provide oppornmities to enhance our cooperation", Foreign 1'1in.ister Salman Khurshid cold the ministerial meeclng ahead o f the summit in. ay Pyi Taw in Myanmar.

"BIMSTEC is privileged to have a full and active membership committed co its priorities", said the foreign minister, who is part o f the delegation accompanying Prin1e N1inister Manmohan Singh for tl1e summit in Myanmar capital.

The fore.ii,m minister highlighted five focus areas for BlMSTEC, die Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperntion comprifilllg Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal and Bhutan: • Providing connectivity for sea1nless movement between India's northeast, Myanmar and Thailand on one side and w:ith Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal o n tl1e other.

• Facilitating economic development as a strategic imperative and promoting technology and innovation, while providing better livelihood to the people of tl1e region.

• Addressing energy secm ity concerns blessed with ruitural resources wiili cooperation in the use of gas, hydropower, renewable energy sources and grid interconnections for mumal benefit.

• Working co address ilie security concerns of the difficult neighbourhood chat has a high incidence of terrorism and other transnalional crimes.

• E ncouraging people-to-people Links, which is by far tlie srrongesc link in bringing

18 MARCM 2014

rogeilier the culmral experiences of the seven councr.ies by promoting tourism and youtl1 exchanges, among otl1er facets.

Khu.rshid said India was keen to ruake this happen.

Corruption, Lokpal to be key poll issues: Google survey

Kashmir first state to get new child health program

Corruption and Lokpal are likely to be the. two decisive factors on which young people are going to vote in the Lok Sabha polls,

Jammu and Kashmir recently became the first state in India to lam1ch the Rashtriya Bal Swastl1ya Karyakaram (RBSK) Project Swasthya Slate.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and New and Renewable Energy 11iniscer Farooq .Abdullah inaugurated a 220-be.d super-speciality hospital in Jammu, besides launching me RBSK Project Swasthya Slate and the 102 referral service under the Nacional Rural Health Mission (NRH1\,f).

Congratulating tl1e people for getting iliis special health care institution, Azad said he \Vas optimistic about the s uccessful functioning of this prestigious centre w hich will play a key role in perking up medicate facilities in the state.

He. said tl1e focus was on extending optimum relief to the people and thus save diem from waiting for montl1s in ocher states for special health care services. "\Ve have not only given new dimensions m the health sector, bur all development fields have w itnessed a discernible change in tli e. past 4-5 years", he said.

He said one more medical college has been sanctioned for Rajouri discr.ict, tlierefore raising the mtal number of newly-sanctio ned medical colleges in the state to five.

Azad said the union government bas given the nod to 75 new cancer instimtions in the country compared co only one such centre in tl1e last 65 years.

On the shortage of medical faculty jn the state, Azad asked the stare government co enhance the retirement age of doctors so

mac the healili secmr does n o r suffer for want of adequate staff.

search engine Google said recently in New Delhi.

J\frer a three-month smvey, Google concluded that tl1e Lok Sabha election s have evoked unprecedented interest among online users who want to kn ow abour the various issues io Auencing national politics.

"These. elections are tui.ique because for me first time, it's a clash o f personalities as much as it is about ideology and party affiliations. The battle lines are drawn primarily between Narendra Modi on tbe one hand and Rahul Gandhi on the other", the survey said.

"Tbese elections are also unigue because of the Lmprecedenced interest that's been generated online, the war for votes is being fought online as much as it's being fought on tl1e streets and in mainstream media".

The survey said ilie Adarsh Society scam follmved by tl1e coal scam and the 2G scam were among the highest number of online searches.

Mukesh Ambani richest Indian as Bill Gates returns to top Mukesh A mbani again emerged as t he richest among ten Indians in the Forbes annual list of a record 1,645 billionaires with an aggregate net worth of $6.41 trillion, up from $5.4 trillion la.st year.

Ambani, with a net worth of $18.6 billion was ranked 40th as i\'1 icrosoft founder Bill Gates was back on mp as the world's richest person o n Forbes' 28th annual ranking of the world's billionaires after a four-year hiatus. His younger brother An.ii 1\mbani

Spanish clothing retailer Amancio Ortega (best known for the Zara fashion chain) maintain ed his number 3 spot from 2013, but increased his net worth $7 billion for a total of $64 billjon, ahead o f \X'larren Buffett (No. 4) with a net worth of $58.2 billion.

While Google co-founder Sergey Brin (19) made ir into tl1e mp 20, tl1e biggest nee worth gain er was Face.book's Mark Zuckerberg (21), who more tl1an doubled his fortune from S 13.3 billion in 2013 to $28.5 billion.

The company's COO, Sheryl Sandberg (1,540), made the Ii st for tl1e first rime.

Thanks to tl1e tech boom and strong eguity markets, d1e US led wiili tl1e greatest munber of billionaires, witl1 492, foUowed by China with 152 and Russia ,viili 'I 11, Forbes said.

Regionally, Europe boasted the most billionaires omside of the US, with 468 billionaires, followed by Asia-Pacific wiili 444.

Now, Geographical Indication rights for'Tirupati laddu' Tirumala Tirnpati Devastl1anam (JTD), which runs tlie affairs of the richest Hindu temple, is enforcing Geogrnphical Indication (GI) r ights for its famous 'Tirupaci laddu'.

The Office of the Registrar of Patents, Trademarks and Geographical Indications, fodia has already awarded the statuR to Tirupati laddu, the fan1ed sweet given to million.<; of pilgrims as 'prasadan1' or sacred offering by Tirumala temple.

TTD had filed an application for GI to safeguard its ime.Uecmal property. The GI registration was facilitated by Confederation of Indian Industry's Andhra Pradesh Techno logy Development and Promotion Centre (APTDq, said a statement in H yderabad recently.

APTDC, ilirough its network partners, brought o ur the fact that a few entities from small time miscreants to large well known sweet outlets have been selling 'laddus' with names similar to 'Tirupati laddu'.

The JYladras High Court in D ecen1ber last year had restrained a sweet scall in Chennai from selling 'laddus' by using the brand name 'Tirupati ladclu'.

The 1TD bad argued that ~rirupati laddu' has its own sanctity as it is offered at tl1e feet of Lord Venketeshwara before being made available to devotees.

The ladd11, made £tom flour, sugar, ghee, oil, cardamom and dry fruits is sought after by those vis.icing the temple. The temple

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INDIAN NEWS .,, )>

authorities prepare around SO million 'laddus' every year.

ITD, \vhich last week approved an arumal budget of Rs.2,401 crore for 2014-15, has projected revenue of Rs.190 crore from sale of 'prasadarn'.

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Agreement si~ned to kickstart Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor Tbe i\1fabarasbcra government recently signed the state support agreement and shareholders' agreement for the first phase of the ambitious Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor which aims to create around 3.80 million jobs in the state.

The mega-infrastrucnLre project, whid1 will generate industrial output by Rs.20 lakh c.rore by 2042, will cover 26 percent of the state's population in eight districts - Thane, Raigad, Pune, Dhu!e, Nandurbar, Nashik, Ahmednagar and Aurangabad.

Giving details in Mumbai, Chief Minister P rirhviraj Chavan said tlrnt four major industrial clusters in engineering, food parks, textile, printing and construction will come up with provisions for regional-level roads, open spaces, public utilities, etc., wh ich have tl1e potential to make l\faharashtra a \VOrld leader in manufacn1ring.

Aimed to be developed in l:\vo phases, the mega-infrasmLcture project's first phase will. focus on development of the ShendreBidkin Industrial City and an exhibition-cumconvention centre in Autangabad, a MultiModal Logistics Park at Karmad and a water supplr scheme in Shendre.

The Shendre-Bidkin Industrial area will be spread over 84 square km of which 32 square km will be developed in Phase I with ilie projected industrial activities to create around 500,000 jobs and an investment of Rs.17,3 I9 crore.

In the second phase, Chavan said tl1at projects will include tl1e Dighi Port Industrial area, Dhule Mega lndusccial Park, Nash.ikSinnar-lgatpuri Investment Region and a Multi-Modal Logistics Park. "l\faharashtra's contribution would be in the form of providing laud for the projects with 51 percent stake, while the centre's contribution would be to the mne of Rs.3,000 c.rore for each of the township p rojects.

The rest will come from a tie-up with Japan International Cooperation Agenci', Chavan told media persons after the signing ceremony.

The state government and the DMIC Trnst have formed the joint venmre for developing all these projects over che next nearly iliree decades, envisaged m1der the National.

Manufacmring Policy-2013 which aims to enhance the share of manufacnu:i.ng seccor in DGP growth from 16 percent to 25 percent in a decade and create 100 million new jobs.

Besides DMIC, the central government has alteady aru1ouoced J\mritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor project with the Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor·as its backbone, the Cheonai-Bangalore Industrial Corridor and the Bangalore-Mw11bai Economic Corridor.

Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma and state Industry Minister Narayan Rane were also present ar the signing.

Everest climbers will be asked to bring down waste In a bid to clean Mt. Everest of waste accumulated over decades of d imb.ing, the Nepal government has introduced a new provision, effective as of d1e coming spring season, where every climber will have to bring down at least eight kg of garbage to base

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A worker fixes a light on one ofthe towers of a Taj Mahal replica in the India half of the 1TB International Travel Trade Fair in Berlin March 4. The 1TB is opens from March 5-9

camp while returning from the expedition, an official said recently in Kathmandu.

"Each clinlber will have to return with a miniumm of eighc kilograms of solid waste from the coming spring and everyone will have to abide by chis condition", Madhusudan Butlakoti, joint secretary in Nepal's tourism ministi-y, told Xinhua over phone.

Though the l epal government has always sought that climbers to the world's highest peak come down with some solid waste, this is the first rime the government has stipulated the minimum amount of waste it wants to be brought down.

The tourism ministry announced in the tl1ird week of February the setting up of a contact office at the base camp of Mr. Everest to ensure the safety of climbers.

The contact office will also have personnel of tbe Sagarmarba Pollution Co□ trol Comminee (SPCC).

"The mountaineer will have to hand over the waste he/she carries back from Everest to the SPCC", said Burlakoti adding that this would "not only help make the peak clean but also help to preserve tl1e glory of Nepal".

The SPCC will men dispose the disposable waste and bring the non-d isposable waste to Kathmandu and hand it over to the Kathmandu Metropolitan Office for further treatment.

Previous!)', climbers were asked to hand over disposable garbage at SPCC while carr)~ng non-disposable waste all the way to Kathmandu and give it to ilie Kathmandu Metropolitan Office.

Burlakoti said the campaign will be launched on a trial basis. "lf it succeeds, we will prepare a legislation to further the campaign and e..xpand it to o ther mow1taias", he said.

According to government statistics, aro1md 450 climbers from all over the world scale d1e world's highest peak every year.

Stakeholders said Mt. Everest still has some SO tonnes of waste, including used oxygen cylinders, ropes, bottles, ladders and clothes, among others, which have been piling up for the last more than 50 years.

Healthcare in India should be cost effective: Montek Healthcare in fodia should be cost effective and indi,~dual states should come up wiili innovative ideas to address this challenge, Planning Commission Depury Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said in New Delhi recently.

"Health actually is nor a centtal subject but a state subject. Only medical education is Llnder the central government", Ahluwalia said addressing a conference on the furore of healthcare in New Dellii.

As a country, India has to focus on what is the most cost effective way of getting results in the health sector, he said.

Ahluwalia contended tl1at the next decade can be the period when lndia manages to improve its health infrastrucrure.

According to Healili Secretary Luv Verma, India's total health expenditure is 3.7 percent of the GDP which is "woeful".

"The quality of healthcare services suffer as there are doctors who are not adequately trained", he said.

Pratl1ap C. Reddy, chairman of Apollo hospitals, hoped that the conference would ilirow some light on the needs of healthcare in India.

"Amazing progress has been made in healthcare over the last 30 years, yet barriers of accessibility, quality and cost persist", he said.

Educating the criminal mind: Tihar shows a way out Crinlinal behaviour can be changed by imparting education and towards this, New Delhi's Ti.bar Jail, one of the largest i.n Asia, is vigorously conducting a literacy campaign among its teeming inmates, 20 percent of whom are unlettered and a staggering 65 percent have not even studied rill Class 10.

Observing drnt the "lesser the literacy me more tl1e crin1e seems to be tbe trend," prison authorities are conducting various education programmes to raise the awareness level of its inmates and broadening their mental horizons away from tbefr criminal past.

"As per data compiled, the majority of the prison population (around 65 percent) has

education below Class 10, thus providing the linkage bel:\veen educational standard and criminality", an official of Ti.har Jail said recently in New Delhi.

The official added that the illiterate population of 20.68 percent would have been much higher but for tl1e jail's literacy programme.

Most of tl1e prisoners in the illiterate category are newcomers.

The prjson administration has sec up centers of the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) and Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to impart education to prisoners.

The official said tl1at adult education classes are being conducted in the 10 subjails in the prison that has 13,552 prisoners.

Among d1e convicts and under trials, the ma.'l:imum number are accused of rape and murder. Over 33 percent convicrs, and over 24 percent Lmder trials are in jail in murder charges, while over 13 percent of both categories are in jail for rape.

According to Tihar data, at the time of admission, more than 19 percent of the males and 36 percent o f females were illiterate, while 44 percent of males and 34 percem females have noc passed Class I 0.

However, around five percent of the males and six percent of the females are graduates while one and three percent in each category are postgraduates.

"The prison ad.ministrat.ion in 2013 started stenography courses and foreign language classes in French, Spanish and German, as well as in Hindi and English to build selfconfidence among the prison inmates", said Director General of Prisons Vimlaa Mehra.

The prison inmates are also being trained in hotel management in collaboration with tl1e tourism ministry.

Mehra said that campus placements are also being organised to provide job opportunities to the qualified inmates to help them earn a respectable livelihood and keep them away from crime after their release.

Jail officials also encourage irnnate.~ to participate in activities like poetry and essay writing to bring om their creativity, she said.

IANS

MARCI-I 2014 19

PHOTOGRAPHY

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BY PRAKASH

. ~ SUBBARAO

twas 5.45am and a bit cold when 1 arrived at Halebidu with my daughter Apoorva.

The sun was just breaking through the horizon, and I was excited to explo.re and phocograph the famous sculptures of Halebidu and Belur.

Halehid .is 16 kms from Hasan and approximately 200 kms from Bangalore by road.

As tbe sun sta.rted to cast its golden rays on the temple, the effect was surreal. The 12'h century sculptures sta.rted to come to life with a warm glow, as I srnrted to click away. I began at the ease-facing fa<;ade, shooting with the camera in my hand as l was informed that tripods/rnonopods should not be used as they may damage the floor. 1 also had no flash, so 1 bumped up the ISO, trusting d1e sensor of my camera.

When I visited the same location to phocograph it for the first rime about 20 years ago, it was with my mentor who knew the history of d,e temples as well as the best shooting angles and composirion. I still remembered the beauty of the sculptures and imagined the bard work that must have gone into producing such life from stone with ancient implements.

Halebidu temple was consu·ucted during die Hopala rimes, and was dedicated to Harshavardhan and his wife Sbantala by the famous architect Jakanachru:ya. The temple and sculprures are can ed in soapscone and date back to 1121.

AU the panels depict Hindu gods in various forms. There are various sculprures of shi!abct!ikas or dancing figures, which have been re-produced on canvas many times. The postures of the .rhilabalikas on swne are great subjects to be captmed on canvas or camera. The temple was never completed because of an attack from die north by Malik Kafur, a Mughal king. His army destroyed the beautiful sculpmres by disfiguring the idols.

While I focus on the panels to captllCe the iorricate details on the stone, my mind is shocked to see the drunage caused by religious intolerance! The andi bull carved out of monolithic stone was never completed due to repeated plunder. The beauty of Shiva> Arjuna, the depiccion of the Mahabharata battlefield,

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20 MARCM 2014

different avatars of Vishnu and Ganesha a.re beautiful beyond words!

As the sun rose, differem panels lit up, displaying the weather-beaten stone sculptures as ir bas been doing for cenruries.

Here and tl1ere a shafc of light penetrated the shadows and brought life to a panel. I enjoyed solitude in the company of those silen t sculptures and figllCes; this is hiscory you can touch and feel.

By 8.30am the sunlight was too ha.rsh for photography, and it was time to pack up and head for a cuppa at a nea.rby cafe.

I left wid, a feeling o f not having captured the full beauty of Hale.bid which was imprinted inmy mind. \Xle then drove towards Belur, which carries the same signature of sculpting, to get more photographs.

• life

The 12th century Halebidu temple is a photographer's delight with its intricate and beautiful sculptures

our fi

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VIEWPOINT

An aberration of compassion Has Australia lost its sense of kindness for the plight ofdesperate refugees seeking a better life?

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. . BY

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YESHAJOSHI

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us rralia was the sixth country ro sign and ratify tl1e International Refugee Conven tion in 1954 under Liberal Primel'vliuisrer Robert Menzies.

Ou Jauuarr 22, 1954, Australia's representative co the Unired I ations said, "l am glad now ro offer further eviden ce of o ur compassionate concern witl1 this problem by formally stating our binding adh erence to convention which will elevate the standard of rreatm ent of refugees to the stai:I.L5 of international legal obligation".

Our national an them crafts a natio n of compassion and we proudly sing these lines, "For tl1ose who've co me acmss the seas we've bouadJess plains to share, with courage let us all combine co Ad vance Australia Fait".

These words are nor meaningless. Our governments in the past under former Liberal P rim e Minister Malcolm F raser acted on them b y opening ouibord ers on com passionate groun ds ro V ietnamese refugees who fled

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during tl1e Viemam War between the 1950s and 1970s, U nder PM Fraser's leadership, Australia saw an intake of about 200,000 migrants from Asian countries with nearly 56,000 Viemamese refugees settling in Australia. They all call Australia home, and have con tributed greatly to the advancen1ent of Australia as a nation.

We once understood mat com passio n was important. \'</e had policies based on humanitarian grounds. We had crue leadership.

But roclay; Australia's intake o f refugees is not in the hundreds of thousands, which compares poorly to UN figures showing Canada witb an intake of 170,000 refugees each year, or Germany where approximately 600,000 refugees are resettled.

Our immigration system is crippled, and detention centres are a place of cruelty and mental harm.

This mon m we beard the shocking news of a young Indian studen t who committed suicide in :M elbourne's Maribymong immigration deten tion. The 27-year-old lndian uruversiry student hung himself o n February 13; he had been detained by the Immigration D epar tment for overstaying beyond bis visa.

This follows the report of the

l\fanus l sland derention centre b reakout which saw Reza Barati, a 23-year-old asylum seeker from lran fatally shot, along with another 63 asylum seekers injured.

While our Immigration Nliuisrer is sketchy on tl1e in formation abom Manus Island, refugee advocates have argued tl1at mental health is a pressing issue in Australian detentio n cen tres. Yee, tliis is increasingly being ignored by our government The degradation of people's mental health is inevitable under a mandatory de tention policy mat locks up people's fumre for political gain. To put it simply, Australia has a harsh deterrence policy which supports indefi nite detention of men, women and children who seek refuge and asylum.

Brad Chilcott, Director of Welcome co Australia says, " For over a decade we've been told to suspect tl1ose arriving by boat of having malicious intent and being of devious d ,aracter. We've been encomaged to fear, to e.,clude and to accept sim ple cruelty as a solution to a complex problem.

This is slowly eroding our character as we've normalised this kind of behaviour as acceptable for our leaders. We've rewarded people wbo have dehumanised asylum seekers and promised us brutality

if we'd vote for them.

Australia can be, and is, a welco mi ng, kind an d generous nation. J see it wherever people turn tl1eir values into action, wherever a community is set free from fear, w herever people lift tl1eir eyes from their own situation and see the humanity in another.

This is the Australia that is possible".

Arguably, it isn't abom opening our borders to simply anyone seeking to settlein Australia; its about committing to our international obligations ro the Refugee Cotwention. It's abou t making sure we p rocess the fiJes of refugees and ensure char genuin e refugees have me right to settle and co n tribuce to die advancement o f Australia. .Moscin1portantly, it's abour compassion. Because for as long as we have wars, the p rosecution of innocents and gross inequality, we will always have desperate people willing ro do anything for a chance at a better life.

Mental illness is prevalent in our de tention cen tres. After aU, one can only im agine w hat die mental toll must be to have fled a wartorn country in search of a ho me chat is prom ised co be kind , caring and accepting; only to find the experience to be the e..,act opposite.

MARCM 2014 23

TRAVEL

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A trip from the country's southern tip to its capital is an adventure-filled rustic experience

hether iLwas my eyebrows that had been left unattended fo r several weeks or some other curiosity, the Lao woman seared on the bus beside me intently scrutinised my face for six hours, aU the while screwing up her nose suggestive of disapproval. The VIP bus prominently displayed on posters across the small city of Pakse had morphed into a local bus with hard seats which, when all were occupied, led to the production of plastic stools fo rming seats for passengers along the aisle. Periodically women vendors would board, squeezing themselves past, peddling the veritable mobile feast they were selling of bottled soft drinks, sliced tropical fruit, sticky rice and BBQ chicken pressed between bamboo sticks.

I never e.xpected that the journey from Pakse in southern Laos to Vientiane 685 kilometres north would take 10 hours as tl1e posters had indicated, so I broke the journey midway at Savannakher, a city on the Mekong and one of the major crossroads of south-east Asia, with traffic bound for Hanoi and Bangkok.

Here I met an elderly Frenchman riding his bicycle who directed me to my guestl, ouse, the website conveying somewhat enhanced images as tl,e interior had peeling paint and cl.tips from the ceiling collecting into a bucket. Savannakhet .is a sleepy, languid city with honey-coloured Frend, colonial villas, their crumbling facades showing their age. l gathered together market provisions of ra111b11ta11s, bananas and a baguette for the next day's journey and faced with a restaurant menu I was unable to decipher, settled oo a tasty bowl of French fries.

Next morning I set off by local bus with only two other passengers, a student and a young engineer who worked for an Australian company. Stopping for anyone who waved , the bus was

24 MARCI-I 2014

soon fully loaded with provisions so heavy, the axle broke. A rudimentary repair gor us going again, witb motorbikes, farm equipment and furniture strapped on top, bags of sand, luggage and briquettes underneath.

The scenery was flat, unlike the mountainous terrai11 of the north with fields of cice and corn and small villages. After an 11-bour bus rid e, I was relieved to arrive at tl1e delightfo.l :11ali Namphu Guesthouse and was shown to my room ove,rlooking a lush courtyard.

Vientiane, the capital of Laos is onJy beginning to awaken to rhe possibilities of tourism, and while it offers travellers much to see, tbe first place 1 always head for is the Joma Bakery for a delicious rye bread, cheese and salad sandwich, before strolling on the promenade alongside the Mekong, a place w here locals gather to exercise in the early evenings.

The next day I visited the \Xiat Sisaker, a temple d ating from 1818 with thousands of Buddha figures of silver, wood, and bronze, some from the 15'" cenmry, and minutely detailed murals.

Ir is the only Vientiane tem ple not destroyed by the Siamese when they invad ed Laos in l 828.

Opposite is another notable temple, Haw Pha Kaew, dating from 1565 that was badly damaged, later rebuilt and is now a muset1m for religious objects. Ancient Buddhas dating from the 6'" - 9'1' centur ies of scone and bronze line the temple exterior, bur sadly the renowned Emerald Buddha, now found in the royal com pound in Bangkok, was once housed here.

Nearby, the Presidential Palace is a vast flamboyant chateau used for ceremonial occasions that was built in 1925 for tile French Governor. t\ ciry ,vith no high- rise buildings, Vientiane is laid back, providing a pleasant lifestyle for its inhabitanrs including several iliousand international aid workers. Many cafes and restaurants have been established in recent years by expatriates.

Vientiane has wide tree-lined avenues and im posing French

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colonial architecmre interspersed with monuments, Chinese shop houses and sprinkled with gracious Buddhist temples. le is a city that is ideal for exploring on fooc.

The most striking example of the French presence is the Patuxai, or victory gate, a smaller version of the Arc de Triomphe.

Completed in 1969, it features distinctly Laotian ornamentation made from cement that American funds had earmarked for building a new airport. The French left o ther urban markers, including the Settha Palace Hotel built in cl1e 1930s as an administration building, that opened as a ln..,'Ury hotel in 1999; and Place Namphou, a large foUJ1tain encircled by European restaurants.

Lingering culttual inBuences include locally grown coffee and baguettes served by street vendors hi.led with pate, but adapted to suit wicl1 Lao style vegetables and dressings. The best restaurant for traditional Lao cuisine is Makphet, in a lovely old colonial

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building that provides training for disadvantaged youth.

While travellers head for the orderly Talat Sao Market with its embroidered silks in every form, locals head for Talat Klrna Din with fresh produce, clothing and mm1erous stalls for manicures and hair washing. There are also several high-end boutiques along Nokeo Kumman with fine hand woven silk scarves, silver jewellery and wooden carvings.

The most venerated location in Vientiane is Pha That Luang, a gold-coloured chedi with an elongated spire cl1at is said co contaLn a relic of the Buddha, and may date to 3BC. Ir was abo badly damaged, pillaged and abandoned for almost a centt1ry: Si.nee being restored, it is a pilgrimage site for Buddhists from across Asia.

Change is coming to Laos, but only incrementally compared with the turbo-charged pace of development beyond its borders i11 Thailand, Vietnam and China.

And while services and infrastructure are basic in most parts of the country, any hardship experienced by the traveller is duly compensated. The Mekong and it~ tributaries provLde life support for much of the country, and several days later as I crossed the Friendship Bridge into Thailand, I thought of the conversation I'd bad with John

while enj~1ying a delicious mango, banana and pineapple sbake. At 73, he had worked for 30 years for the United Nations undertaking assignments across Asia and Africa. Unintentionally he had decided that for him, Vientiane was now home. Melbourne is busy and bitterly cold in winter, be said, while here it is peaceful. And wid1 that, he hopped on his bicycle and slowly rode off into the night.

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GETT ING THERE Several airlines haveconnecting flights from Australia to Vientiane, including Thai Airways International and Air Asia.

GETTI NG ARO UND The city centre iscompact and eminentlywalkable. for the adventurous, Grasshopper Adventures offers escorted cycling trips of Laos lwww.grasshopperadventures.com). Travel ling by public bus is challenging.

WHERE TO STAY The Mali Namphu Guesthouse iHharming; clean, centrally located and moderately priced. Request adeluxe roomticing the courtyard lwww.malinamphu.com). The luxurious Senha Palace Hotel has spacious suites and a club-like ambience (www.senhapalace.com).

WHERE TO EAT Many cafesand restaurants have b~nestablished in recent years, many by t'l<patriates, including.Joma that has gll'atsoups, salads and sandwiches. Coffee shops offer fll'ewi-fi, with Common Grounds Cafe and Bakery one of the best. Makpetserves flavourful traditional l;Jo cuisine in lovely surrounds.

WHERE TO SHOP Saobanworkswithtradit ional artisans to pll'serveand promote village crafts under fair trade principleslsaobaocrafts.com). Be careful when choosing silk such asatlalatSao Market, to ensure it is ~lkand hand-woven.

INS ID ER'S Tl P English is not widely spoken. Avisa is required for entry into Laos.

W: www.laoembassy.net E: laoemb@bigpond.net.au

MARCM 2014 25

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DOWNLOADS

26 MARCI-I 2014

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me

6 wardrobe essentials will keep you looking

trendy and warm as we bid adieu to summer

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BY KALYANI WAKHARE

!though it hardly felt anytbing like aunnnn when going ro press, I couldn't belp bur feel excited doing some research on this season's b ig trends and sourcing good ideas on which to spend your dollars.

Here are some of the best pieces chat v;,ilJ take you th.tough this autumn and winter in style and best of aU, you can choose to 'save' or 'spend' on your favourite ones.

Chambray (sha111-b-r'!Y) shirt: The 'casual' classification of denim is fast changing and even moving into tbe so-called 'sophisticated' style of dressing.

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Chambray most certainly Ets the bill for a 'sophisticated' style. Well, chambray is essentiaUy a fabric that looks .like denim and feels like linen, quite handy for a comfy shirt, right? It is cosy, versatile and easy to pair with a pencil skirt, coloured denim pants, knitted leggings or worn as a jacket over a striped dress. I'm sure you are beginning to imagine and sryle some of these. looks in your head already! Chambray is available in a variety of dark and light denin1 tones, so consider buying a wash that will compliment your skin tone or contrast with your reguht blue denim jeans for a 'double denim' look without making a fashion fa11xpas!

Save with Krnarr ($ 17) or spend

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wirh Sussan ($80).

The warm coloured jacket: \'\!hat's autumn \,,itbour a warm coloured outfit! Don't we aU just gravitate towards brown, mustard, orange and shades of red and pink? Well, d1e good news is that shades o f red are right on trend, including the area of make up coo. I like to imerpret thjs trend by selecting a burgundy or orange smact cut blazer, and wearing ic over an aU black base.

I know you're thinking, whatever happened to d1e perfect Ertle black blazer? If you like co stick to convention d1en go ahead and wear your black jacket over a red pnlo neck, by all means. I just like co quirk things np a bit!

Save wirb Forcast boyfriend orange blazer ($41) or spend with Witchery's relaxed fir coral jadm (S JO0).

Cashmere jumper: oching gets classier than cashmere. It ranks higher in the dollar \7alue., bur a black or grey piece will be a long-term invesrmenc. Cashmere will provide the perfect base for a beautiful statement neckpiece for an evening out, or a bright printed scarf for a weekend look. The soft wool knit will keep yon warm and die. natural fibre will lase longer and keep looking fresh.

Save with Woo.lovers online buy (2 for $67) or spend with DVF at Net a p orter ($385).

Dark deniut: OriginaUy worn by workers and synonymous with teenagers not so long ago, denim has come a long way. A well- fitted pair o f jeans is a highly desirable piece; it's amazing co see the range of products available, and rbat's just in regular blue denim! Light wash, mid wash, dark wash, straight, boot cut, super skinny, curve Aattering and so on.

There are so many options which can b e good, but a bit confusing at rbe same ti.me. So let's simplify.

The trend this season is ankle grazing, slim fit jeans in a relatively dark wash but then again, rbis is definitely not the 'be aU and end all'. So go for a wider leg if chat is more flattering, but get the hem right and preferably pick ,t darker colour. Work the look with your chambray shirt, black cai;hrnere

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jumper or a warm co.loured sweater and leopard print flats for a sleek aummn outfit.

Save with Target's every day jeans ($10) or spend with Sussan slim dark wash jeans ($90).

Something with that 'ed,,,ay' detail: So wbat is tl1is 'edgy something'? Pardon my vagr1eness, but 1 am ar a loss for using a better word! l'm referring to the 'leather and .leopard' kind of detailing. You probably have noticed plenty of fu.1Lx leather detailed tee shirrs or leggings, skins with side panels, and leopard print clutches or snakeskin trimmed bags. lf you were tempted to pick up one of these l'd suggest you do, because d1at is 'edgy derailing' and ir certainly is a stylish trend this ~eason.

Save with Sussan 'Olivia' leopard detail pouch ($40) or spend with ·M.a.i:cs 'Pebble Victoria' smaU satchel bag (St 89).

Ankle boots: This one is a pre.tty quick and easy to understand trend, and rm sure many of you have great ankle boors from previous seasons that will be coming om of the closer soon. Well, you certainly should save be.re if you already have good boo ts, as there is reaUy no rig µt or wrong. Bur if you're looking for a great pair, go for my suggestion suede, suede and suede! J can't

''

The trend this season is ankle grazing, slim fit jeans in a relatively dark wash but then again, this is definitely not the 'be all and end all'

''

ger enough of this classy material, but leather or faux leather is good enough LOO and for those of who love tbeir UGGs, bring chem on as well!

Save with therapy suede ankle boots ($50) or spend witb Country road suede ankle boots ($199).

MARCI-I 2014 27

HOLi

9) Holi song Oye hoye pyar ho gaya

ha t canisay about Holi that hasn't already been said?

What can I say about anything really, that hasn't already been said?

A little, but I shall try.

As a child, I loved Holi. So many crazy memories, tl1e sweet smelling gulaaf, the cool water on a warrn, SUDn)' day and weirdly enough, the hysterical running like my life depended on id 1 remember begging random lcids at school co "please, please throw gll!aal on me!" while also supplying them with my owngularil and pichkari.

I'm sure a lot of us cLid these hilarious, mental thi.ngs when we were young, but as we grow older, we mess it up. We gradually become very lazy about many things, but festivals in particular.

We feel we have 'grown- up' and therefore have grown out of these silly games we used co play as kids. I guess a lot of us become more comfortable just watching the kids have a b.last, and make mental notes of which corners we will have to clean, and how long it might take.

Lame, I know!

So, all my fellow 'grown-ups' out there, if you think you've outgrown the giggling over funny faces and running behind friends with a squirt gun; if you thinJ, you're too old for spending a night filling hundreds of water balloons o r jumping io a pool filled with a rainbow o f colours; T insist, think again! There might just be a few more Holis left in you.

Here are the cop ten songs on my Holi list to get you in the mood for some guloal funl

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1O) Do me a favour, let's play Holi When the sexy Akshay Kumar calls you to play Holi in the voice of Anu Malik, is there really a choice but to say yes?

This song from IV'ctqt is the perfect number to get you off your bum and start talcing HoLi fun a Little more seriously.

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Holi ,vale din /;11//et da Si!ent"er hai !ah kya, Ni main todke tadke, Lightan te chct!aan bhi km leyo Teti go1igal utle dos kehda nmg !alJJa Tere beli di hr,i zid Tere_yaar di hai zid H oli !ere 11aal 111a11t11va.

Yes, those are the lyrics co your ne.xt favourite Holi song.

You're welcome!

8) lkJunoon This song from Zindagi 11a milegi dobt11"{J is the chemical free HoLi for the sensitive skin lcids! Hundreds of happy strangers oo the streets armed with tomatoes io Spain celebrating a festival so close to our hearts witl1 just as rnucl1 madness. This song also reminds us that oo matter who we are, where we were born or what languages we speak, we're all really not that different!

7) Eygori-

Delhi Heights Another recent number that's been added to tbe list of happy Holl songs bas some great advice coo. Keep it fun, don't be shy and throw some colour around! After all, "Aqj k.e di11 1110.sti no pm11jil'

6) Holi ke din dil Hali kab hai? Kah Hai holi? Kah!?

Hohohehehahaha.

Yeah, no Holi list in di e past, present or future is ever going co be legit till tl1is epic musical from Sholqy is on it!

5) Ek ladki ne mujhpe This upbeat Holi song combined with the jhintak Govinda moves takes your dancing e.xperience to another level. This one is for all the desi tap0ties out there!

3) Lahu mu lag gaya This song from .. . Ram Leela .is without a doubt, one of the sexiest BoJJywood numbers ever to be made. A couple in love, just a handful of g11l0t1! and so mucl1 magic. This one is for all. the lovers om there. Don't you dare sit tbrougb th is!

4) Holi re This is tl1e perfect song for a boys versus girls dance off at Holi! The dashing Aami r Khan and charming Rani Mukhrjee puJJ tliis off with maximrn11 111asti and minimum effort.

2) Rang barse This song makes me blush, there's almost no need for g11la111'. Two ex-lovers singing about their romance right under the noses of rneir currem spouses, 111ah! This song truly

encapsulates the wild abandonmem of Holi.

Plus it's the most amazing Holi number, ever!

1) Balam Pichkari Thank you gods of divine tunes for bestowing u s with this sprightly, zingy 11umber!

How apt for a shy and introverted Naina tO let go and have fun, just in time for Holi. This song from ) eh .f01111mi Hr1i Diivani has been on all our party playlists since it was released, and now we finally get to dance to it on the day of bho11g and pitckt11is.

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FOOD

• • DEBBIE FERNS believes the festival of colour can be even more enticing with sweet pichkaris and savoury kanji l

·•

.,,:,

oLi is one of India's most resplendent festivals that owes it origins to a variety of legends that vary from state to state. Some celebrate the onset of spring, others burn the effigy of the evil HoLika with enth usiasm; however, the one co1nmon element of the festiva.l is the joyousness and enthusiasm with which it is celebrated. People prepare for days, loading up on colo ured powders of every hue, and children deLigh tin iilling water balloons ro bombard unsuspecting passer-byes.

On the clay itself, adding to the gaiety of r.he sometimes riotous celebration, there are a few special preparations char are traditionally associated with HoLi. Like tha11dai, a cooLing drink usually made. of purified water, sugar, seeds of watermelon and muskmelon, almonds, lotus seem seeds, cashew nut, cardamom, s,imif (aniseed), rose-flower, white pepper and saffron. [cs ingredients combine to ensure a good deal of energy for the fun to follow. For the conservative crowd, char is!

But the more popular version, undoubtedly so, is when bha11g is added co this concoction. A mere

H

spoonful of hha11g mixed with milk, ice and cream and added co thcmdai can create a delightful air of extrovertism.

Holi is synonymous with hbang, an essential and accepted part of the celebrations. The buds and leaves of the cannabis plant are squashed and ground to a paste to create bhang, and when added to the thandai, it transforms into a potent, yet nutritious and refreshing drink.

Bhang can also be used in the preparation of certain sweets like hahva or added ro savoury pak,qras or vada.s. Bhang is traditionally associated with Lord Shiva, w ho has been awarded rhe honour of d iscovering the intoxicating properties of the plant.

Because it is illegal to use, possess, grow or sell cannabis in Ausrralia, people celebrating HoLi here ,vill have to enjoy tl,e rather sanitised \ ersion of tha11dai.

But Jet that not dampen yom ceJebrations. And wbile you're at it, ro get into the rrue mood of the festiva~ here are a couple of recipes ro help you hit chat I-Ioli high!

7

. ................... .

Kesar aur aam ki pichkari 2 very ripe mangos

--· '

.

10 strands saffron 300gm ricotta cheese 2 leaves of gelatine 100ml cream Pinch of salt 65g confectioner's sugar lO score-bought cannoLi shells Pistachio nuts, mango puree, strawberry puree for the garnish.

Cut the mango inro small cubes and set aside. Soak the saffron in warm cream and keep aside. Add soaked gelatine leaves i11 warm cream. Mix the ricotta cheese, salt and confectioner's sugar together, and fold in the mango cubes and saffron cream. Let it sec for two bours in refrigerator.

Fill the cannoli shells with the mango mixmre.

To present, d rizzle with some pureed fresh mango, strawberry and garnish with pistachio.

. ................... .

Carrot kanji 650gm black carrots, peeled (use regular carrots if you cannot find black carrots) 2 medium beets, peeled 2Itr water 100g brown mustard seeds, coarsely ground

Sprigs o f mint (optional) Cut the carrots and beers into thin sticks and blanch in hoc water for two minutes.

Let tl1em cool in the same water.

Add grot1nd mustard seeds and salt to caste.

Leave in the st1n for three to four days, until the ground mustard seeds rise to the top and the colour of the Liquid turns bright red from its original dark mauve.

For a d ash of colour and Aavour, add a sprig of mint.

Bod:, recipes courtesy of Ai1dy Chauhan, Sip & Bite Cafe in Cante,-bury.

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30 MARCM 2014

com.au

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From fruit to colour to poop, some festivals are simply a celebration of having a messy good time, writes FARZANA AHMAD o you remember mucking around with friends when you were little? Do you wish those water tights, paint skirmishes and mud wrangles could go on beyond childhood? Well, in some cultures they do, and are celebrated as traditions by some societies. There are annual festivals dedicated to fooling around. It's no joke! The order of the day is pandemonium, and people are encouraged to throw care into the air and let loose, en masse.

Don't bel ieve it? Here is a list of the world's top 10 muck around festivals, that bring back the memories of good times!

D

10. Songkran (Water festival) - Thailand Thailand celebrates New Year with the world's largest water tight - the Songkran Water Festival. Attracting a crowd of more than 100,000, it is a spectacle to behold. Combatants carrying water guns, water balloons and cannons patrol the streets. Water is hurled freely, drenching everyone including the police. The festival promotes the symbolic purity of water to cleanse the soul on New Year. An organised public soak! Pretty cool, eh?

9. La Raimo (Grape throwing festival) - Spain To celebrate the end of the grape harvest, Spaniards make purple rain by pelting each other with grapes. Every year, tonnes of grapes are hauled by trucks and dumped in the midst of waiting throngs, prompting a grape throwing frenzy. The festival originated in 1930 when the people were left with loads of bad grapes unfit for wine making. Not knowing what else to do, they started launching the surplus stock at each other and a beautiful, but messy tradition was born.

8. Cheese rolling festival - England Rolling with the cheese is actually what this annual tumble down Cooper's Hill near Gloucester in England, really is. Every year on the Spring Bank Holiday, people from all over the world gather on Cooper's Hill to kick off a tradition. A large round Double Gloucester cheese is rolled down the hill and people race after it. Falling, tumbling and crashing into each other to win. The first person to cross the finish line claims the grand prize - the cheese. Totally worth breaking a few bones for, don't you think?

7. Sindur jatra (Vermillion powder festival) - Nepal In the village ofThimi near Kathmandu, people celebrate the advent of spring and the Nepalese New Year by dousing each other in orange powder. The cold night turns warm as ceremonial torches are lit to welcome the spring season. Deities in wooden temple structures are carried through the streets.

Then the fun begins, vermilion dye is showered over the deities, friends and neighbours as a token of good wishes, honour and respect.

6. La Tomatina (Tomato festival) - Spain Held on the last Wednesday of August near Valencia in Spain, La Tomatina is the world's biggest food fight. Every year, thousands head to Spain to enjoy the tomato festival. More than one hundred metric tonnes of over-ripe tomatoes are hurled around, crushed underfoot and squished to a mush. Scenes of people covered in

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tomato juice, wading through streets resembling rivers of tom ato puree are common.

5. lvrea Carnevale (Battle of oranges) - Italy Many centuries ago a city tyrant tried to have his way with a young girl in lvrea in Italy; instead she cut his head off and the whole town celebrated with a battle of oranges. Go figure that one out! Every year since, Italians commemorate the fortunate demise of this tyrant by staging a battle of oranges. People join one of the nine teams divided into two groups - the orange 'throwers' and the 'thrown-at'.

This is the largest food fight in Italy, with prizes awarded for bravery and accuracy.

4. Els Enfarinats (Flour and egg throwing festival) - Spain Kicking off on April Fool's Day in lbi, Spain, this is really a massive flour tight, painting the whole town white in its wake. In a unique twist, if you beat the city council with your barrage of flour and eggs, you win the power to make rules for a day. The rules are implemented strictly and disobedience is punished with tines, with the proceeds going to charity.

3. Boryeong (Mud festival) - South Korea You can't get muckier than this! Held in Boryeong near Seoul in South Korea, the mud festival attracts more than a million people every year. Tonnes of slimy, grey mud is dug up from mud flats and dumped on the town beaches for revellers to wallow in. The festival started in 1998 and features mud based activities like the human mud pyramid, mud massage courses and mud-slinging competitions.

2. Holi (Festival of colour) • India And then there is Holi, the Indian festival of colour. The country comes together as one big happy family to smear colourful dyes on each other, splash colour everywhere, dance under sprinklers and have parties. The atmosphere is of carefree abandon as bhang is consumed and differences are forgotten. On the eve of Holi, large bonfires are lit to mark the burning of the demon Holika.

1. Moose Dropping Festival - Alaska You must play the cards you are dealt with, and that's what t he Alaskans do. They have dedicated a festival to their official state animal's poop. Alaskan town Talkeetna celebrates the annual Moose Dropping Festival by literally dropping moose poop on targets from hot air balloons. You stand to win big bucks ifthe droppings land on you. Wait! It gets better. Craftsmen sell jewellery made out of moose droppings on the day. Dung necklace and earrings anyone?

MARCI-I 2014 31

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ARIES March 21 - April 19 This month you will feel enthusiastic and full of energy towards new projects. This is a great new cycle for you and mid March wlll see a time when you will feel your energy is at a peak. Relationships will feel more settled and you will also feel more secure and stable. Take care this month not to speak too harshly as you will be misunderstood and feel irritated.

You will be thinking about going to the gym.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 This month sees a time when you will feel determined to make more of an effort with everything around you. You will feel at ease and this will enable you to meet new people and make new friends, who will be of great benefit to you in the future. Try not to feel that you are not worthy of love, as the cards are indicating a time of confusion around intimate relationships.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20 This month is showing you in many positive situations, both in your personal and professional relationships. There ls a strong Indication that you will feel very confident and at peace with motivation to carry out many of your dreams. Work will go through some major changes this month and you will be looking at new opportunities or indeed promotion in your present company. You will be planning a holiday.

CANCER June 21 - July 20 This month shows a great time to push forward with plans to either purchase a property or land in another country. Your professional life will be a little stressful. With regard to your love life, the cards are indicating a time of more patience and support. Your partner may not be feeling very well. Look after your finances, as you will feel tempted to buy things you do not need.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22 This month you will be feeling very confused and will need to determine how to deal with a certain person. Your work is busy and you will be looking at new projects further from home. The health of a younger member of your family will cause you some concern. The relationship area of your life will be going through some ups and downs, but you will keep things amicable.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

··

This month shows a time of re-vamping your whole life. You will be looking at new ways to increase your income, with an idea for a small business. There will also be a new phase in your relationship area. You may need to take care of your health mid month, as you will be pushing yourself too hard. You may have some house guests over. You may be thinking of chahging your car.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22 This month the cards are showing that you will be planning to sort out your personal papers. There are some important investments that you need to look into. Work will be slow. Your relationship area will be a bit strained, as you will be feeling a bit restless this month.

There is an indication that you need to start a new hobby to remain de-stressed.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21 This month is indicating a new phase in your love life. If you are single there is a new love being indicated. This month sees you thinking of starting a new project that has been a dream of yours for some time. You will be planning this for the future. There are some small health issues that you need to take care of. Your family may be trying to give you advice on a property matter.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21 This month you will be asked to perform some extra duties at work, and there wlll be a lot of pressure and long days. You may be planning for a new addition to your family. There will be some stressful situations with a close neighbour who may be taken ill. The cards are showing a time to avoid making promises that you will not be able to keep. Your partner may be overly emotional this month.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19 This month sees you pushing forward with plans and keeping the momentum going. You have been stuck in a rut for too long. There will not be any time or energy for superficial relationships and will take time out for yourself to reassess and evaluate your future. You will have the support of your family and friends to keep you going, but you wantto remain a little isolated to think things through.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18 This month you will be putting new ideas forward at work. There may be some colleagues who will try and hamper your plans and progress.

The cards are showing a good time to make plans for a family holiday.

There will be some stress with children at this time, but nothing to worry about, as things will be resolved. A great time to start a new regime to keep fit.

PISCES f=eb 19 - March 20 This month you will be will be feeling very motivated to push forward with plans to get a new business off the ground. You will also be working, but this will be a way to make extra money. Your relationships will be going through some transformations. A time not to overdo things as you will find you will be totally exhausted. Make sure you take time out to relax.

ELEGIAC EXCURSION INTO KNOW-MAN'S LAND HIGHWAY STARRING: Randeep Hooda, Alia Bhatt DIRECTOR: lmtiaz Ali

****s}

eing in the world this enchanting film inhabits is like being in the state of a waking dream.

The world is fatally flawed. But it's also beautiful in spite of the deep flaws, or maybe because of them? lmtiaz Ali's new intriguing work takes us into the heartland of India, much in the same way thatJab We Met and to a lesser extent Rockstar did. lmtiaz loves his India. With all its gigantic contradictions, anomalies and aberrations.

And Veera, the arresting protagonist of Highway, is an anomaly herself.

Alia's performance nails Veer a with a persuasiveness that belies her two-film old history. Veera is a girl ridden with complexities and contradictions. Wealthy and spoilt, in a superbly staged highway drama, she is kidnapped on the eve of her wedding by a hood, played by Hooda with his habitual clenched intensity.

The rest of the narrative is pretty much in character with what we expect in a film that constructs its wistful fable out of the harsh reality of the ailment known as the Stockholm Syndrome. Going by the book of"How To Fall In Love With Your Kidnapper': Veera promptly falls for her scowling kidnapper whose associates (played effectively) conveniently fall off the plot's radar to leave the lovers alone.

WhetherVeera genuinely feels a love or whether that love is born out of defiant rejection of the life of I uxury and affluence, we will never know.

As played majestically by Alia, Veera

34 MARCI-I 2014

appears to be a bundle of snarled contradictions, some compelling, others purely annoying.

At times we feel she is doing what she is doing and behaving in that gratingly headstrong manner only to get even with the Iife that she wants to leave behind.

Highway is riddled with ironies, not necessarily intentional. Veera falls in love with Mahabir's angst-laden past, but is aware she has no future ahead with him. A responsible director can't be accused of glorifying a life of crime. Hence in the end, the entire premise of the love story, constructed with painstaking intensity, falls apart all of a sudden, leaving us with a sense of emptied-out expectations.

But the journey, while it lasts, is exhilarating and even inspiring. No Bollywood fi lmmaker shoots the Indian heartland with the aesthetic affection of lmtiaz Ali. On this occasion, he has cinematographer A nil Mehta capture the sand and the snow, the angst and the ecstasy in enrapturing welters. Mehta is the magician behind the film's textured feel.

No other actress could have played Veera with such infectious passion as Alia, who breathes fire and life into every moment of her screen time. Luckily, she is there almost across the entire length and breadth of the narrative imbuing the canvas with tender glory and slender strength.

A lot of the film's blemishes -for example, the predictability of the plot and the rather strained attempts to introduce

an element of grim social realism, are covered up by the sheer spontaneity of the main performance.

Matching Alia's fearless portrayal is the director who steals up into her darkest secrets and then allows the character to smell the air's freedom in a world where the stench of decadence is a given. You can't escape corruption and violation except when thrown together with someone who is as violated as you are.

This is what Veera's tale ofroad romance seems to say.

In some vital ways, Highway resembles Gyan Correa's Gujarati masterpiece The Good Road. One sequence where the kidnap victim helps her kidnappers escape detection by the police at a checkpoint on the highway is almost interchangeable in the two films.

In Correa'sfilm you could empathise with the child protagonist's growing attachment to the truckers. In Highway, it's really hard to be one with the wayward Veera's heart.

Randeep Hooda is in fine, if somewhat typecast, shape. Though his accent is distracted from his performance, the character's pain made itself apparent through its mawkish mother-fixated

past-history.

It's tough, if not impossible to make a politically correct film about a rich girl fal ling in love with her kidnapper. To a very large extent, Highway manages to travel a credible road, letting the sleeping dogs lie by simply believing in Veera's truth (for whatever it may be worth).

Admirably, lmtiaz Ali is not afraid of silences. The sound design by Resul Pookutty is rich in the sounds of nature. The bubble of the brook, the chirp of a b ird, the groan of a tired soul and breaking of a heart, are all tangible. A special mention must be made of the texture of incidental noises on the soundtrack and the quality of the folk songs that play in the background as Veera and her kid napper traverse a spectrum of cultures in search of... what??? We really don't know!

At the end, we are left with a deeply dissatisfying film whose very incompleteness lends a sense of beauty to the narrative.

SUBHASH K. JHA

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LOOKING INTO A MARRIAGE, WITI-I A SMILE SHAADI KE SIDE EFFECTS STARRING: Vidya Balan, Farhan Akhtar, Vir Das and Purab Kohli DIRECTOR: Saket Chaudhary

****<;{

hen I do something wrong, I say sorry to my wife. When my wife does something wrong... I say sorry to my wife''. One of the gems that flows out of Farhan Akhtar's mouth while addressing the oldest question on the gender equation, what does a woman really want in a marriage?

Could it be the same things as a man?

Maybe the route taken by the two individuals is different?

Director Saket Chaudhary raises some pertinent questions on the fake roadsigns that could lead to an aborted marriage. Not all of the winking homilies work.

But the film holds together primarily because of the intelligent writing and the sharp and crisp way the two main actors

W

interpret the parts of the two individuals in a marriage that has a lot going for it.

That includes a baby girl who arrives just in time to get this seven-year delayed sequel trotting on the right road.

Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan look compatible together and give delectably nuanced performances without looking over-rehearsed, and looking so 'married' on screen. They come together as a couple that desperately wishes to make the marriage work.

The script is written entirely from the male point of view, and Farhan's voiceover is a reminder of which side of marriage the script is on.

The film opens with a sequence where the pair plays a tantalising game in a crowded pub to kindle some additional romance into their togetherness. There is a freshness in the way Farhan and Vidya approach this sequence and their roles.

There's a kind of lived-in familiarity with the world of the married couple, and yet played at a detached dispassionate pitch.

The second-half deliberately forfeits the blithe spirit in pursuit of a more penetrating perspective on marital

woes. Even when the film loses a lightness of touch, it nonetheless remains even-pitched, preferring understatement to hysteria, thanks to the two principal actors.

Vidya looks great, radiant and expectant as a pregnant woman in the initial scenes; she glides into the zone of paranoid motherhood with plenty of panache.

Farhan is every inch the harried husband here, partly man and partly boy, he's looking for a boys' night out without feeling guilty about leaving the wife home with the baby.

Shaadi Ke Side Effects is a cute nugget of a film that tries to be wispy and witty, without getting unnecessarily polemical on the subject of urban marriages.

A warm, funny, thought-provoking take on the man-woman equation, director Saket Chaudhary gets it bang on. The chemistry between Farhan and Vidya crackles and hisses with tantalising tension. Brittle and yet supple, the lead pair's chemistry irons out the film's uneven edges. I wish the peripheral characters were written and played better.

Purab Kohi as the nosy neighbour and

Vir Das as the boorish manifestation of Farhan's character's bachelor fantasies, offer interesting possibilities but stop short of being a support system in this drama of marital discontent.

Nope. You can't take your eyes off Farhan and Vidya. They look evenly matched and entirely yummy in their yin and yang yearnings.

You do wonder why the script takes them to Australia. But then marriage does make people do strange things, right?

SUBHASH KJHA

SCARILY YOURS, TRULY DARR@THEMALL STARRING: Jimmy Shergill, Nushrat Bharucha, Arif Zakaria DIRECTOR: Pawan Kripalani

****~

tis easy to dismiss all films of the horror genre as surplus spook, more amusing and annoying than scary.

Once in a while there comes a clutterbreaker among the harvest of scare fests that descend on us annually in batches of boo-startle.

Darr@The Mall is done with less stress on savagery than the genre favours.

Though the head count does multiply alarmingly as the story progresses, we are pulled into the supernatural mayhem more by intelligent forces than grisly gimmicks. The characters get into the bloody mess without swimming in a tide of hysterical terror.

The film is set in an eerily emptied-out mall where various supernatural shapes come and go at will leaving behind a harvest of unfinished business from a past trespass, to be dealt with in the present. In a sense, this film is more about guilt and the conscience than horror in the highlands.

The narrative moves at an even pace, quickly eliminating characters so that we zero in on the evil core of the malaise

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without losing time or momentum.

There are some smartly done setpieces of terror in the narrative meant to get the audiences riveted to the edge of their seats. A death in a skating rink is shot with austere anxiety. Director Pawan Kripalani who earlier made the excessively gruesome horror film Ragini MMS goes easy on the gore, focusing rather on building the story up to a rather moving finale where the mystery of the mauling the mall is unravelled.

Admirably Kripalani's direction seldom sinks into excessive gimmickry. The sound design harnesses incidental sounds of startled screams, muffled cries and distant childish laughter mingling to create a feeling of fatal foreboding.

The cast shares the plot's fear factor without using the panic element to aggravate the terror. Most of the sequences are scary without visual props.

This is unusual for the horror genre and enough reason to pay a visit. The performances move fluently through the horrific hinterland. And the large spaces and swanky interiors afforded by the mall are used effectively to generate a sense of heightened anxiety.

The ever-competent Jimmy Shergill holds the proceedings together in ways that become apparent as the plot progresses. The rest of the cast is not bad either.

Darr@The Mallis one of the more polished products of the much-abused horror genre. This one tends to hold itself back from the excesses associated with the genre. No over-saturated soundtrack, no creaking doors, and most surprising of all - no busty women running down

long dark corridors.

When was the last time we saw terror pumped without cleavage?

The moaning glory is held up without cheap props. And that in itself is reason enough to applaud this fi lm.

SUBHASH KJHA

MARCM 2014 35

Films, friendships and Nargis Fakhri

CELEBRITY RIGI-ITS! ctor-filmmaker Aamir Khan, who is geared up for the new season of his social issues-related TV show Satyamev Jayate 2, says he wants to continue to take the right advantages of being a celebrity, who is so loved by his fans. "If a celebrity does some work, there is more attention. But the audience is very sharp, they understand everything. Whatever goodwill I have earned over the years, I'll (always) take the right advantage of it. I hope many more celebrities do it... the more the better'; said Aamir recently.

The actor clearly didn't want to reveal much on the topics that he will touch upon in the second season of the immensely popular TV show, saying, "All I can say is that all our topics are very important and all the topics are such that which you will feel that this is important and timely, and it is important to think about this''.

And typically, Aamir did deliver with the very first episode in Satyamev Jayate 2.

'Heart stirring' and a 'real hero'was how viewers lauded the episode that focused upon the issue of rape in the country. The much-awaited talk show, with the tagline 'Jin he desh ki fikr hai' (those who care for the country), recently aired and host Aamir once again struck the right chord. The show received around 12 lakh missed calls in two hours from people who want to join the fight against rape.

Titled Fighting rape, the first episode began with the narration of the December 16 Delhi gang rape case, in which a 23-year-old physiotherapy intern was brutally gang raped i n a bus.

With some more cases of acid attack, rape and molestation, Aamir then shared the statistics of rape cases in India and on changes to legislation involving rape.

Aamir also interviewed Urmila Singh Bharti, a Dal it from Madhya Pradesh, as well as Suzette Jordan, who discarded the anonymity of being known as the 'Park Street rape victim' to fight for justice. The two rape survivors narrated their respective horrifying tales and fight for justice.

Its heartening that a Bollywood celebrity like Aamir Khan should take up social issues and try to make a difference. So if he wants to use his celebrity 'rights' for a ood cause, go right ahead, Aamir!

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36 MARCI-I 2014

US-born actress Nargis Fakhri is still learning the ropes of making it big in Bollywood, where she observes that people are "best friends" with a person t ill they have work.

"I've learnt a lot about the ways of Mumbai's entertainment industry. But not enough yet The one thing that I've sadly realized is when people are working with you, they are your best friends. Once a film is over the friendship is also over. This is a painful process for someone who thinks friendships are for a lifetime'; she rued.

So does she truly feel at home after three years in Bollywood? "I am still a fish out of water. I don't understand a lot of things here. I am still trying to find my way around this place, trying to 'belong'. Like I am told that if you are working in Bollywood, you have to use accessories like wigs, false eyelashes and lots of make-up. So I do that although I am totally anti-accessory'; said Nargis candidly.

But does she really need to do what everyone else does? "You do! If you don't, everyone will accuse you of being difficult'; stated the actress vehemently.

"It's very tough to create a balance between what I am comfortable with and what people expect from me. If I have to survive, I've to try to be a conformist'; she added.

There are still lots ofthings that the young actress doesn't understand. "What hurts the most is that people here are so friendly when they are working with you and then they become like strangers'; she reiterates. "For someone like me who is very picky about friends, that's very painful. But a friend told me, 'You got schooled, not fooled!' You feel stupid when you are conned by people. But eventually you come out wiser. I never want to get bitter about experiences, no matter how bad'; said Nargis.

The actress had a brief respite from a hectic schedule when her mother visited in January, for the first time since Nargis moved to Mumbai. So did she have to hide the boyfriends and beer bottles?

"Not at all. I talk about everything under the sun with my mom. I am a lot like my mom. We're very close. I take care of her financially and emotionally. She is my best friend. We talk about drugs, alcohol, and sex'; laughed the actress. And people even wrote that Nargis was living in with Shahid Kapoor, she claimed, enjoying the joke!

So is Nargis still partying hard and fast?

"I am not doing much of anything else either right now except working. So it's a depressing life for me'; she retorted tartly.

The Rocks tar actress has been appreciated for her role in Madras Cafe which got good reviews, and Nargis now looking forward to the release of Main Tera Hero. She got along famously with co-stars Ileana D'Cruz and Varun Dhawan, so let's hope that they don't become

strangers once the film releases. Now Nargis looks forward to Shaukeen, which is in the pipeline.

Here's wishing the young actress a promising career and lots of'real' friends in Bollywood.

Suneil's a sensitive son No films, no commitments, and not even the excitement of his daughter Aathiya's film debut - Suniel Shetty has put aside his work and priorities for the sake of his father, who is unwell.

To make sure his dad is comfortable, Suniel has even converted an entire wing of his home in South Mumbai into an ICU. "I haven't had a proper night's sleep for three months now. It's a very mixed kind of feeling for me. On the one hand my daughter Aathiya is getting ready for her film career. On the other hand my father is very unwell'; said Suniel. Aathiya has left to shoot for her debut film Hero with Sooraj Pancholi in Manali.

"The excitement of Aathiya's debut is sadly diminished. At the moment we're all focusing on looking after my father'; he added.

His father's frail health is the reason why Suniel was away from the Celebrity Cricket League matches. The actor is also aghast about the stories that he had an on-field fracas with Ahab Shivdasani.

"How can I 'come to blows' wit h anyone, least of all a guy as sweet and gentle as Aftab? It is very embarrassing to read such stories, specially at a time when I am going through a personal crisis. Right now nothing is more important to me than my father's health'; he said.

Suniel has been turning down movie offers as well. "There will be many opportunities for work later. The time spent with my father now is much more vital and valuable;' he said.

He is not the least perturbed about his daughter's shooting schedules outside Mumbai. "I know she's in completely safe hands. Salman Khan's production crew is like family to us. They look after both Aathiya and Sooraj like their own children,"he said.

Kudos to Suneil for being such a caring son!

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SONAM KAPOOR

suNIEL sHETTY

RAJNIKANTH

swimsuit. I said my body is lean, and it is thin on the waist...so let's just show that.

If you see the shot...unlike the shots in fi lms like Dhoom or Race, the cameras are not panned on the body. It's a normal shot where I am wearing a swimsuit and jump into the pool'; she added. Directed

by Nupur Asthana, Bewakoofiyaan also features Ayushmann Khurrana.

You can bet Sonam in swimwear should be a sight worth seeing!

Sona m's bikini doesn't faze daddy Anil Kapoor doesn't cease to surprise, and the latest is his reaction to his daughter Sonam appearing in a bikini for the film Bewakoofiyaan. Because he didn't react! While many eyebrows were raised at the daring bikini shot, Anil Kapoor was unfazed. "He knew about that (the bikini shot)! My dad is an artist and he is very open-minded ... actually he was the one who encouraged me to become an actress. He didn't say anything, he just said the film will get a good opening", said Son am recently.

The tall actress, who was once on the heavier side on the weighing scale, says she didn't have to go through much stress and strain to look fit enough for a bikini scene. "I didn't have to work hard because I am playing a regular girl in the film'; she said.

While there has been a lot of talk on whether Sonam has been able to pull off the two-piece garment, she says she always knew about the scene and she was comfortable with it. "When I signed the film, it was my idea. I was briefed that there is a pool and I have to wear

Rajnikanth an awkward romantic!

Southern superstar Rajnikanth has decimated villians, shaken his booty and romanced lasses on the big screen for decades. But for some reason, his daughter Soundarya Rajnikanth, who has directed him in the forthcoming Tamil period-drama Kochadaiiyaan, said that he was not at ease while shooting romantic scenes with his co-star Deepika Padukone.

"I guess it was because I was around and calling action and cut, dad felt very awkward to shoot some romantic scenes,"said Soundarya who would love to direct her father again. "God willing if I get an opportunity, I would love to direct

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Alia Bhatt or Jennifer Lopez in Christian Dior Share your views with us on our Facebook page / lndianlinkAustralia •

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dad again. I feel blessed to have directed him. I would be really happy to work with him again;'Soundarya said recently.

Also starring Jackie Shroff, Aadi Pinisetty, Shobana and R. Sarath Kumar, Kochadaiiyaan has music by double Oscar-winning composer A.R Rahman and is due for release in April.

But the task of having his daughter direct him in romancing a heroine young enough to be his daughter is one that even the stalwart Rajnikanth would find daunting. Frankly, it boggles my mind! So Soundarya, don't keep your hopes up...

Lucky Madhuri Artists often talk about the hardships they have had to face in finding their first big break in filmdom, but 1990s diva Madhuri Dixit says she never had to struggle and the offer came to her doorstep in 1984 with Abodh. "I have never struggled for anything in my life because I never thought I will be an actress. The film just walked up to my house w ith Abodh. We met them (the makers), then my family decided that I will do just one fi lm'; reminisced Madhuri, added that her family used to run away from movies.

But destiny had stardom in store for the young actress and she continued to grace the big screen; however it was the 1998 release of Tezaab that catapulted her into the big league and there was no looking back for her afterwards.

"The struggle was to prove myself, to do my best. I am thankful to whatever I have got in my life, but one thing which is always at the back of my mind, is my dance academy which I would love to see growing'; said the actress whose comeback after a decade of motherhood has been an exhilarating one as she won plaudits for her performance in Dedh /shqiya.

Much awaited is Madhuri's next release Gulaab Gang, which will see the actress acting alongside contemporary actress Juhi Chawla. Set to release soon, the film draws its inspiration from the real life vigilante group 'Gulabi Gang; which operates in the Bundelkhand area of Uttar Pradesh under the tutelage of Sampat Pal. Not a dhak-dhak role for Madhuri, but there's no doubt that she will do it full justice.

e

MARCM 2014 37

BACKCHAT

Epic battle of an election Mythological characters from a bygone era plot modern poll strategies

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BY AYER

he vast 111aida11 in front of the Hasthinaplll:i palace was packed with protesters brandishing placards, demanding a change of government. Inside, the 100-strong ministry was .in an emergency session. After a 12-year regime without any opposition, the rulers seemed to have lose their way and the only choice left tO them was to call for an election. But having come to power outside an electoral path, they had no idea of how ro face and win an election.

So they called in all cbe wise men in the kingdom - Dhrona, Bishma, Vidura, el al. ""Brothers... oops... colleagues, this is a turning poincin our life", said Dhuryodhana, "and we need every ounce of counsel and cash to fighr this bact.lc. The public seems co favour our opposition, the Pandavas, even though they were in

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38 MARCI-I 2014

Duchathan, being the second in command, was the first to venture with a thought. "\Xie need to announce some major programmes like 'gmibi hatao' or 'panch see!", he said.

Dhury: Are you out of your mind? Never utter 'p,111ch', it may be mistakenly attributed to the Pandavas. Uncle Sakuni, you are a genius. Machiavelli marvels at you and Kissinger keenly follows you on Facebook. Any clever ideas?

Sakw1i: What about another mess game?

Dhw-y: That's old hat! Who plays chess when the internet has tons of gambling games!

Kaurav3: 1 have been playing those games and am good at rl1em.

Bring it on!

Kaurnv4: I could do a better job too, as l have been watching on my laptop those movies where it is routine to disrobe...

Dhw-y: Sorry! Who wears saree.r in our country now when Bollywood babes <la.re tO bare all, with Poonam Pandey and Sunny

Leone omstripping chem a.ll? Uncle Sakuni, please come up with a super con job?

Sakuni: We open a casino and offer free offers to the Pandavas: Nowadays, the Crown is cbe place to lose one's crown.

Dhrona: 1 am afraid you can't escape democracic routes any longer. Otherwise people may resort to Arab spring-like demos.

Bishma: For an election you need a pa.rty wid1 a popular name.

Kaurav5: Like 'A am aadmi' we can call ours 'A alll Kaumv ek sot/ or 'AK100' for short!

Vidw-a: That sounds like an updated model AK47; no voter will bire the bullet.

Bishma: Next we need catchy slogans like 'Kevin 07' or 'Scop che boats'.

Dhw-y: How about ' Kauravs for corruption hatao'.

Bishma: Um ... We need to think up better ones. Next to catchy slogans, you need cash, a lor of it.

Kaurav6: Bue rhe gqja11a is empry.

We are running a big deficit.

Kama too has lost his lot in GFC, including his earrings!

Sakuni: \X:'e must form a fundra.isiog committee. I have a few e:,.,.-perts in mind - Mayawati, ]'vfaulyam, Lallu Prasad, Pawar and

the super schemers from the Sourl1 - Karunanidh.i, A Raja and the Marans. Of course, there are a lot mote from every corner and we can form several regional committees .. .

Dhury: (Admiringly) Uncle Sak·u.ni, you are amazing. Go ahead with your plan. \):l hat next?

Dhrona: \'\le need co allocate constituencies for yonr clan of 100.

Kaw:av7: I dou'r ,vane a 'yadapa' one. Krishna will corner all their vores!

Dbury: As part of the campaign, we may go on a 100 'rathyatnl co let people know we are not faceless men.

Kaw-av5: Advani had done that. It was a fizzer. To be more modern we should go in a £leer of JOO Nanos ...

Bishma: That's a no-no.

Ta-ta to that idea!

Vidura: We may not win a majority. We need to form alliances with minor parries like Janata Dal, Bajrang Dal, etc.

Bishma: With so many 'dais' we may end up with a 'kichidi' government.

Dhury: Talking about kichidi, it's rime for a lunch break. Let's meet again after that.

Around rhe san1e rime, the main opposition group, the Pandavas,

were in session ar their hideout.

Yuthisbtra: 'Change,' rliat's what people want. See how Oban1a used that one word like a magic bullet. We know people are on our side. All that we 11eed is to run a campaign of 'dhar111a.' That is our Modi's operandi.

Arjun: I need a lot of my posters on every tree so folks won't confuse me with Arjun Singh.

Bhim.: M y 'gatha' can be our party's symbol to show chat we will crush all corruption.

Sahadev: How about the bull as a symbol? During the exile, I acted as a cowherd and it worked well.

Nakul: It was once the Congress party's symbol. The way that mob is faring right now, it won't be bullish.

Kdshna: I bet on the horse.

U m ... I mean the horses pulling Arjuna's chariot as I narrate t he 'Gita'. That image is in everyone's mind and will ca.rry you over the line.

The Pandavas nodded in unison and loudly chanted, ']a; K1isb11a!

'Wice ofyou to drink ofGod even in y om· sleep. But do you need to shout so loudly?" asked my unfe elbowing me 11.nd breaking up my d ream.

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