INDIAN LINK
PUBLISHE:R
Pawan Luthra
E:DITOR
Rajni Anand Luthra
ASSISTANT E:DITOR
Lena Peacock, Sheryl Dixit
ME:LBOURNE: COOORDINATOR
Preeti Jabbal
CONTRIBUTORS
well as to its contractua l company, Mind Blowing Films
ADVE:RTISING MANAGE:R
Vivek Trivedi 02 92621766
ADVE:RTISING ASSISTANT
Nitika Sondhi 02 9279 2004
DE:SIGN
Danielle Cairis
PROUD MEMBER OF : • )ill\,~=
Indian Link is a monthly newspaper published in tnglish. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to Indian Link Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2000 or GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001
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Bollywood is an integral part of the Indian DNA: lndians carry tbis 'gene' with them ro whichever part of the world they travel, and th.is is pas sed down from one generation to another.
A great leve!Je r, Bo!Jywood brings cogether people not only of different age groups, but also of different linguistic, social, cultural and educational backgrounds.
Melbourne's Indian commnuity is set ro bring in a ceiebration of a!J things Boll ywood shortly. The state of Vicroria has manage d co win the hearts of the local Indian community through their support of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. No ocher state has offered such support to their Indian c o mmunity.
Only in its du.rd year so far, the Film Festiv al has grown in stature by leaps and bounds. Tc has become one of the most anticipated events in the social calendar of Victoria 's Indian community. For this, credit needs ro go botb t o the politicians wid1 a vision as
As head of Mind Blowing Films, Mini Bhownuck Lange h as constantl y delivered ro the state o f V ictoria on this venrnre. The festival bas been ab le co bring in India's l ead acrors to Melbourne on a regular basis
A - list names such as Rani Mukherjee, Vidya Balan, Shahid Kapoor, Prii1aoka Chopra, Malaika Arora Khan etc have trekked down under to link both the s tate of Victoria and L1dia through B o llywood. Quality events such as d1e diru1er at the residence of one of Austrnlia's most prestigious families the Pratts, the interaction and invo lvement of high society witl1 Bollywood, and the public events sucb as th e dance competitions, short fi l m contests and master classes with film - makers have brougbt in the masses not only from w ithin the community bu t from d1e mainstream as well.
Like with most other e ndeavours, d1ere has been some debate of the value and people behind this veomre (ch e no -show of the iconic scar Amicabh Bachchan at last year's event was one such controvers y) However, the success of rhe past IFFM functions have vindicated the confidence whicb the
Victorian government has placed in Miru Bhowmick Lange and her Mind Blowing Films. While most detractors have had vested interests in g rabbing a headline, it seems d1at no o ne has yet been ab le to share ilieir vision of how an alternative can be established. Till another formula is found, one which is working ought to be appreciated
Thi s brings us to an interesting o b servation about Indian links in Victoria. What Victoria ha s done well, with t he efforts of well-meaning indi\7 idual s, is to b lo ck at least two hig h profile events in the calendars of d1e local Indian community The Victorian Festival of Lighrs at Federation Square (with its team headed by d1e dynamic and visionary ArLu1 Sharma) and the Indian Film Festival of l'v[elboutne executed by Mim Bh ownuck Lange have established a new quorum on successfuI public events in the Indian communi ry in Australia. The w ider lnd ia n communiry in Australia needs to appreciate these offerings and emulate them.
Of course, i f Vi ctoria ever tires of these co rnmuniry endeavours, other states (es pec ially NSW which is sadly b e reft of anyth ing subsrnntial Bollywood -based), could grab these great o pporcmuties co engage w ith local Indians who are bonded by all things Bo llywood.
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Grahak Cunningham, Vishma Mistry, Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Jyoti Shankar, Sukrit Sabhlok, Avi Chandiok, Roanna Gonsalve, Chitra Sudarshan, Minnal Khona, Dhanya Samuel, Nancy Jade Althea, Sanam Sharma
Amusical offering of Sri Chirunoy's peaceful and uplifting compositions performed by local and interstate singers and musicians was offe red at the '\Vorld Peace Dreamer' srame in the scented gardens of Sir James Jl,fachell Park in South Perth on Saturday March 15. The statue depicts Indian born Sri Ch.imnoy (1931- 2007) in a meditative pose and honours his efforts co foster g lobal peace. ''Peace means a flood of love in the world family:' he said. "Sci Chinmoy was most well known as an artist, musician, spiritual master and for offering meditations at the UN headquarters in New York for over 35 years to the s taff and delegates".
The pet:formances were part of a celebration o f the third anniversary of the sran1es inauguration and to honour Sri Chinmoy who arrived in the West from his homeland 50 years ago. The free event was attended by South Perth Mayor Sue
Doherty
"We are very, ve r y l uck y co have tbis sratue here in South Perth overlooking the city," Doherty commented. I often come and pass by here; it is a special place".
The bronze statue which stands J. 9m high, was sculpted by UK artist Kaivalya Tocpy. There are '\~orld Peace Dreamer' statues in Malta, Czech Republic, Goa, Bali and over a dozen other locations around the world. Perth spokesperson from the Sci Chinrnoy Centre in Perth, Prabuddba Nicol, who organised the event, said the statue aims co help spread the idea of Sci Chirunoy's message of peace. "[f
peop le can come to these public gardens and reflect o n the idea of peace in themselves then i t can_ spread to the world at large".
Other free events in Australia t his year celebrating Sri Chinrnoy's arrival in the west include a
touring art exhibition of his o riginal bird drawings and 50 free medicati o n classes to the public in various locations througho u t our major cities.
Grahak Cunningham
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ALW visit to the h istoncal Raheen Mansion in Kew in Mel bourne is about the whole experience. The Italianate style, heritage -listed building that belongs to billionaires Jean and A nthony Pratt, has a wealth of character. From the imposing gates and lush manicured lawns through to the ritzy decor and tastefuUy done interior, the mansion bas been the venue o f choice for many o f :tvfelbourne's high society parries. It was the perfect location to host a BoUywood themed par ry to celebrate the launch of the 2014 prog ram of the Indian Film Fesrival in Melbourne (IFFM).
Louise Asher, Minister for Innovario n, l\lliuis ter for Tourism and Major E~,ents, and l\{inister for Employment and Trade attended the dinner event in a beaurifully handcrafted smi presented to her b y festival director "tvliru Bhowmick Lange. Many other guests also made an efforr to spo rt fodian Boll ywood style dothiug and looked magnificent, thanks to all the colours and bling. Former Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu cut an imposing figure in his orange gold siU, k11rta teamed up unusually w ith a natty tie. Orange was also the d10ice for V idya Balan, BoUywood 's re igning actress, who was the gues t of honour at the event. The rest of the invitees comprised of a select group of festival spo nsors, supporters, organisers aud media representati ves
Ms Bhowm.ick Lange invited V idya Balan, braud ambassador of the festival to join her on stage ro announce the program. Gracious as ever, Ms Balan thanked the hosts for their hospitality and complimeuted Minister Asher and other guests oo their Indian attire, particuhdy Ted Baillieu who she claimed could be 'the Arnitabh Bachchan of Me lbourne'. ''Amitabh Bachcl1an will be here in :Melbo urne soon, perhaps we could make both o f you stand together to see who is taller", she said w ith characteristic chutzpah.
i\lfs Balan continued to share the va riou s highlights that festival attendees could look forward to, including details of the inaugural awards presentation scheduled to be held in May. She claimed that she had a love affair with Me lbourne that made her want to come back to visi t this 'wonderful city full of warm peopl e' again and again.
The entertainment for the night was in the form of some beautifully rendered songs by Austral ian actor Simon Gleason and bis wife actress atalic O'Donnell John Molloy, festival co- director,
offi cially thanked the guests for their contribution towards making this festival happen. \l{lhile l isting the main spons ors. John also took the opportunity to thank Visy and rl1e Prates for their generosity in hosting this event. He then went on to acknowledge all the lndian commilllity .leaders and the media sponsors for their ongoing support in promoting the festival. According to one of the great things about this festival is that both sides of rl1e politic s come to enjoy and celebrate the festival together w ith everyone. As the executive chairman of Visy, o ne of Australia's largest privately owned companies,
rAnthony Pratt is an avid supporter of the festival and is also on the advisor y board along with M iss Manika Jain, Consul General of India in Melbourne. The festival ad visory b oard also boasts names like Ronnie Screwala, founder of UTV group; Vikramjit Roy head of publicity at Sony Pictures E nte rtainment, lndi.a; actress Simi Garewal; aud Pamela Chopra, wife of iconic lilrn maker the l ate Yash Chopra. W ith over 40 fi lms on offer, several renowned festival guests iocludiog legendary actor Amitabh Bad1chan, an acco mpli shed jury and many festival favourites on offer, this year's IFF.l'-.f promises to be quire an exc itin g event. See yo u there!
Moviegoers and aspiring filmmakers will enjoy a range ofcinematic treats and activities during the film festival
The lndian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) is not only Vidya Balan's favourite event (as she herself ad.mies), over che last three years it has created much interest in the co1nmunicy as it has continued to evolve and grow The latest announcemenr of Amirabh Bachchan's participation has offe red another n ew dimension t o d1is festival tha t is likely to attract lovers of Indian cinema like never before According to Nlinister Louise Asher, "Victorians and all visitors to Melbourne are in for a treat of Indian fi lms this year. We have a stellar international guest list starring Bollywood screen legend Amirabh Bachd1an who will open the festival on May 1 It \\,ill be an honour tO ha,, e Amitabh Bachchan here, just a year after he opened the Cannes F ilm Festival with his The Great Gatsby co -scar Leonardo DiCaprio"
After the disappointment of lase year where Amitabh Bachd1an did not attend the festival despite being announced as a guest, the news of his expected arrival this year was received with predictable speculation. "Yes, Big B is definitely coining to the Festival in Mel bourne," confirmed a beaming V idya Balan, speal~ing at
INDIAN LINK
the formal launch of the festival recently Vidya ,vas in Melbourne at the IFFM, as the festival's brand ambassador. "He could not say 'no' to me as l p layed his mom in a film called Pa," she added jokingly.
"We now have confirmation from i\fr Bachchan's office," ass u red M itu Bhowmick Lange, the festival's director. " Having Vidya as our brand an1bassador has opened doors fo r us and her name and association with our festival makes it eas ier for us to gain access and get support," she added whil st introducing the 2014 festival program
Vid ya was at her charming, effervescent best at the morning tea and subsequent press launch chat was h eld ar the A l Z Investment Centre. The meclia seemed parti cularly interested in her marriage and pregn ancy as most of the questions at th e press launch bordered around her latest fihn Shadi ke Side tjfects, or sought to m ake comparisons with her marriage to UTV head
honcho Siddha rth Roy Kapoor(Managing Director of The Walt Disne y Company India) Media
savvy Vidya took all the questions in her sa·ide and answered chem with re.markable ease and qnick wit.
"No, I am not pregnant,"
emphasised Vidya for the record adding, "lam planning o n a two month break mainly co rejuvenate before 1 start promoting my next movie, Bobby Jasoos''. In response to how realistic she found Shadi ke Side Effects as a sto r y and how she ma n aged both her career and marriage Vi.dya said , "The movie Shadi Ke Side Effects seems to have fo und resonance with most people, even though I did not find any parallels in ilie story wirh my own m arriage". Vidya claimed to be equally passionate about her work and her reL'ltionship with her husband SRK. " \Ve lead very hectic lives so there is joy in doing little things with each od1er and in sharing things Like travelling and reading, among others. So I feel tl1a r we are stiU in the honeymoon phase of our relationship even t hough it has been over a year since we got married," said V id jra Extending a warm welco m e co those present at t b e press launch Vidya said, "Every year at the festival we like co push ilie enve lope further and tbi.s year we inte n d ro ho.tel an awa rd s ceremony w h ere we would like to acknowledge the special work of Indian filtn makers and Indian talenL On May 2 we will be ho ldin g a special awards ceremony at the Princess Theaue here and
you will be able to see many people from Indian c inema whose work you have enjoyed over the years". Vidya comi.nued tO express bet pleasure ac being invited to be the bra nd ambassador of the IFFM tl1ree yea rs in a ro", "Melbo u rne has always been wonderful co me and 1 feel very much at home when I vis it here for the festival every year. I am hoping to come bac.k ,vitb my husband soon, as I am sure he will also enjoy v isiting the city as much as I do," she said
Following Vidya's bt:ief address, the official program of tbe IFFM 2014 was distributed amongst th ose present. The program promises an exciting range of acti v ities and events between .May 1 - 1J that will celebrate the cliversicy and vibrancy of Indian cinema. This year's program includes festival favourites like t he Western llnion Shore Film Competition, Boll yw-ood Dance Competitio n to be judged b y
1falaika Arora Khan, mastercl asses ·with renowned Indian artists and a new section called New Voices that will feamre si.."< films from first tin1e filmmakers in l ndia. "The V ic torian Governmenr has funded and supported the IFFM as it wis hes to engage wi tl1 India at a cultural level , besides being friends in
terms of trad e and investment," said Minister Asher. "Tb.is understanding and appreciation of Indian culture will benefit the relationship between our two countries," she added.
Preeti JabbalIndian cinema's most awarded actress Vidya Balan was in cown recently to l atmch the lndian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFF.M) 2014.
'Vidya has made a stellar career and carved an enviable niche for herself _in tl1e Indian film industry.Just before returning to India co receive the prestigious Padmashri award, India's highest civilian honour on March 31, Vidya spoke to Indian Li11k in an exc lusive intervie,v.
Preeti Jabbal (PJ):
This is your foutth trip to Melbourne and the third as Brand Ambassador of IFFM. What has been different this time?
Vidya Bal an (VB ): (La ughing) Th is year has been m y shortest trip co Jl,'1elbourne and mat'.5 different! But the main difference tl1 is year is that we are introducing competitive awards at the IF™, and we have a fabulous jur y who will decide on the winners.
W im each year we try to add a ne\v layer, and we are very excited about these upcoming awards Overall me IFFM will showcase about 40 films in 20 different lang uages, there will be so me fabulous master classes, a short lilm competition and a Bollywood dance competition.
T he Festival will host some very importam guests like Amirnbh Bachchan, Konkona Sen Sharma, Rakesh Omprakash Mehra, and SL1basini Maniracnam, among others. The IFFM 2014 promises to be full o f exciting activities and events.
PJ: There is a lot of excitement
in India as many actresses have joined the election fray like Kira.a Kher, Rakhi Sawant, Gui Panag, a mong others. What
10 APRIL 2014
is your opinion on the coexistence of films and politics in India?
YD: I tl1ink people leverage meir stardom b y entering poli tics, but 1 am not abom to join the fray. I believe that if there is ever going to be a time when 1 am ready to do more for tlie country than m ys el f, that is when l may emer politics; however, currently I do not
have a political beur of mind at all. M y contribution will be that of an average citizen as I am hoping to cast m y vote and help e lect me r ight representatives, and hopefully have some good leadership in tl1e counrcy.
PJ: In recent times lnclia has earned a bad name in Australia
on the issue of women safety, do you think this situation will 1ntprove?
\' B: Yes, mere have been lots of unfortunate incidents of violence against women and rapes in India, however it's not something tliat will change overnight; we will req Lute attitudinal changes and more
stringent law enforcement Fo.r women to feel safe in general, tl1ese two need to be ou.r main focus.
PJ: There have been sonu: recent con tcoversial issues on the 'No Pregnancy Clause' in the lnclian film industry. How do you feel about signing this clause?
VB1 I don't have a problem with it.
PJ: Don't you think this is an infringement on women's rights?
VB : 1 think it's unfair if you are in the middle o f a film tl1at d oes not require you co play a pregnant character, and i f 5rou get pregnant, it staHs the project. It's about commitment and l do not see how it is an i nfri ngement on women's rigb ts. \XTe a.re new age women and we lead our lives the way we want to, we are unapologetically professional. so l do not see any harm in signi ng a clause, if required. You need to plan rou life accordingly. In any case I do not want to be working when Tam pregnant as I am sure I would want co take it easy Most women like to be pampered at that time.
PJ: Traditionally in the Inclian film industry once an actress marries, she tends to get insignificant roles o r she simply fades away Has your experience been any cliffereat?
VB : B y God's grace I have even beccer opportunities than I had before Igor married. I am tnvolved in some ,,ery exciting projects and have a lot co look forward co. l'vfy marriage has 11or changed anythi ng fo r me. I am sute of my relationship with films, and people a re sure of my commitment to films. I feel things are changing ra~idly and tliankfolly within tlie i ndustr y, but I can only speak for myself, not for otl.1ers. Being an actor is a
non- negotiable part of me even if 1 was to take a break, and no matter what happens, I will always be passionate about acting.
PJ: Melbourne gir l P a llavi Sharda has done well in In dian films with out a go dfa t her, similar to you Can other peo p le also be assured that they too c an be successful b a sed o n merit in this in d ustry?
V B : Abso1utel)7 ! l was forn1.nate ro have God, my parents and m y family who have always supported me. Merit is the one and o n ly thing that goes a long
way cowards being successful. I strongly believe that mer it is nonnegotiable. That's the only thing chat takes you far. For exampl e, belongi ng co a star family can give you the initial opportunities, but beyond that you have to prove yorn own credentials 1 am Jiving proof of the fact that aU you need is merit.
As [ began to th.ink about ways ro fundraise and build awareness for a very important cause in March, l recal.led memories of how that one thing changed the story of my life and to this day, still plays on my rnind. This thing is called epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a neuro logical diso.rder of the brain funccion and rnkes the form of convulsive and non-convulsive seizures. A person diagnosed with epilepsy suffers from reoccurring seizures, for which no specific cure has yet been fowid. In fact, it is a family of different seizure types. It is like the unwelcome guest that n u:ns up unannounced at any time in a person's life. It doesn't look at age, gender o r lifestyle. Nothing can prevent it from coming into a person's life, and nor can they be warned. And just like that, i t came. into our lives - unwelcome and unexpected. Not once, but twice.
At bare ly nine years, the word 'epilepsy' had no meaning to me; I had no understanding of what i t was. AH I knew was my mum carried a little gold cylinder keychain, which had the green
first-aid cross primed on it, witliin which was a scroll of paper which read: 'I am Epileptic'. l encountered what epilepsy was for the first rime at home one afternoon; having returned early from school, my sister, who was pr obably only four or five at the rime, and myself were watching Neighho11n; while mum was vacuuming. Then the next minute she was oo the floor, she had had a seizure. My dad had cold me what ro do if this were to ever happen, but at that age how ,vas 1 to know the seriousness of \vhat he had said?
Too frig h ten ed to climb over her and call the ambuJance as I had been told, 1 remember switching off and unplugging die Hoover, taking her keys and telling my sister to stand at the front door as I wenr ro shop next door to ask for hdp.
Can yo u imagine how fcighteoiog it must be for a young child to see such a thing happen (0 their parent? Even to this day tlie visual of my mother lying on the floor, blood coming om the side of her mouth, caused from having severely b itten her rongue, with her eyes rolled to the back of her bead, as her body stiffened and shook as the seizure took control are srili freshly etched in my memory.
In the end, epilepsy took her life and she was only 36 She left behind three children, the )'oungest, my brother - had only just turned two.
Epilepsy soon returned to our
lives, and this time it was my younger sister, who was barely 10 This time epilepsy showed us how much power it had to change a person 's life, and nor just by destroying them. M y sisrer suffered from seizures almost every six months, and as the years went b y, it took over her life, rnking away everything she bad.
She was oo longer the cheeky, highly organised young girl who used to make sure 1 had her clothes ready for tlie next clay, and wouJdn't let me sleep lltltil I did. She was no longer the g irl that used ro call me 'Vish -a- n' instead of 'Vishmaben'. Her health had deteriorated, the se izures had affected her so much so chat she was no longer ab le to speak, walk , eat, see - in simp le words she was unab le to do anything! She too was rnken away from us, at only 16.
Epilepsy doesn't only affect the person suffering from the condition, but also the famil)' and friends of that person. It changes everyone's life, just as cancer does. No matter how long ago d1ings happen in our life, no matter how o ld we were, and no matter bow much we try to move on, there are certain snippets from our lives that leave their mark in our memories and bit by bit are pieced together, almost like making a short filma memoir of The life o/
Even today, visuals from the past p lay o n my mind, raising wiwanted questions such as, am I next? What
if it does happen to me? Is it passed on through generics? And is there a possibility of it being passed onto m y children?
But greater tl1an this, the one person who's life it changed, the one person that struggled a nd suffered but never complained, never gave up and still stood by and supported his famil y with strength, smiles and posi tivity - my father. A man that spent his nights in the hospital, and 12-hour days at work. A man who was not only a fadier, but also became a mother.
A man who became a best friend to his daughter, something a sister would normally be, and y et he never complained. Epilepsy is a life-ch anging disorder for everyone involved and not only die person directly affected b y it. Here are a few facts chat everyone should be aware o f:
• Epilepsy is the wodd's most common serious brain disorder.
• There are more peop le with epilepsy in the world tl1an there are with cerebral palsy, Parkinson's disease and motor neurone d isease combined.
• Anyone at anytime can be diagnosed with epilepsy.
• One in 10 people will have a seizure in their Ii fetime.
• 70% of people have their se izures well controlled by medicacion, however, for otliers it may hav e severel y disabling consequences.
• People living with un controlled
epilepsy may suffer from wide ranging phys ical, psychological and social issues; including disadvantages in obtaining an education / emplo yment and social isolation , to name a few.
• J\ccording to the Wodd Healtl1 Orgaoisarioo it is probab ly the most universally neglected condition, clue to lack of resources, social stigma and a low profile.
There are many, many more facts about epilepsy; however chis is tlie most important one: according to a number of researches, 'there are just as many, if not more, deaths from epilepsy than there are from breast cancer'. And yet epilepsy is underfunded and there are minimal efforts put into raising awar ene,~s of this serious d isorder.
If breast cancer can be given so much time, research, attention and funding, why can'r the sanie be given to ep ilepsy? Wby aren't more efforts being made to better and save the lives of those suffering from epilepsy?
Time and money should be invested into research of its cause, and in raising awareness of this con dicion. \VJe can make a difference and help individuals and families suffering from epilepsy by s upporting and donating to charities such as Epilepsy Australi a, and fundraising on Internacional Epilepsy Awareness Day, celebrated on !vbrch 26 annually, by simpl y wearing purple.
Forging a new identity for the relatively unknown Chinese Indian community has been an award-winning venture
hen former advertising professional turned social emrepreneur Kevin Bathman hunched Th e Ch11l{/ia11 Diaries, it was primarily to trace his roots and explore h is true identi ty Yet, today i[ has not onJ y become a much -needed forum for Ch indians worldwide, but also a compendi um of ethno logical e"--periences of this community.
Most of us are familiar with coinages like Indo-Chi n a, SinoIndian and Indian- Chinese, but what is Chindian? The term is relatively new and loosel y refers to families of mixed ethnicity who trace their an cestry to both China and India.
1n di e South East As ian melting pots of Singapore and Malaysia, the experience of growing up biracial is no[ uncommon, particularly in the last five decades. The experience however, has not been an easy one. Statistics tell us that u p to 2 % of Malaysians and Singaporeans ate Chindians. However, the Chindian
descendants are even m this day recognised in official records onl y by d1eir paternal lineage.
Raised i n Kuala Lumpur, Ch.indian Australian Badunan was born into one such famil y Back in die mono-racial era when marrying outside the caste, Jet alone conm1Lu1iry, was still taboo, his paternal grandfather, an Indian -Tamil from rural Thanjavur, fell in love wirll and married a Ch.inese-N yo nya \Xl hat followed was a difficul t journey of cross-c ul mral integration and an even more painful search for personal identi ty
It is this ethnological journey mat Th e Chi11diat1 Dia1ies so poign antly traces. \'Vhat scarted out as a Facebook page, e.xploring the many culmral strands of Batbman's extended famil y, e ventually reached out to Chindians all over me world.
A " deepl y personal side project" as Bad1111an calls it, the diar ies were the direct outcome of a weekend workshop with Performance 4A.
"Th e purpose of the workshop was co de lve into our stories, and it was bere chat I began the journe y of d iscovering m y own ancestry" , Bathman mid Jndirm Link ' ' When 1 was growing up, my dad often told us many stories of m y grandparents' struggles in coming
cog etlier", he exp lained. 'My grand father was nicknan1ed 'Hak KJ/(11' or 'Black Devil', and my grandmother was eventually disow ned when they married.
M y Granclmodicr Ang embraced ber husband's cnlmre by learning how to speak Tanill and cooking Indian cuisine. She mastered ir so well that she began cooking for her Indian neighbours. She even adopted an Indian name, Jeyah Ang. M y dad used to say he liked to see the puzz led lo ok on people's faces when they saw a Chin ese woman spea king Auently in Tamil. Because of tl1e challenges wim their own ml.ion, my paternal grandparents were open- minded and liberal in raising rneir children".
A ve r y private person, shar ing .inti.mace derails of bis fan1il y life was nor somed1ing Bamman bad originally intended to do But the p h otos obvio u sly stirred deep sentiments and brought bac k vivid memorie s of an era of innocence, wbere simp le things meant a lot.
'
'ReAecting on m y own ide n tity crises and cuJmra.l confusion when I was younger, I decided to embrace m y mixed heritage and decided to [ell the wor ld about it; by rllis I hope d1at it may help anomer young person wb o may be confused about me ir identity", he added.
In weaving his p ic torial, Bachman has chosen to paint ilie hards11ip as well me beautiful aspects of belonging to the Chind ian cuJrrn:e. "I mink people resonate with d1e brutal honesty dep ic ted in me stories and di e photos", he added Growing well beyond mose small origins, The Chi11di,111 Dimies has evo lved into an arts and community project char documents the stories of individuals and couples who identify themselves as C l1india.ns
''The ma.in intention is to collect stori es and photos d1at showcase a sub culture mat is often overlooked and rarel y ever wr itten about", he revealecL
By capturing these stories and photos, The Chi11dio11 Diaries hopes to act as a resource for future generations, and ensure they are never forgotten. The scories typically range fro m identity crises, cultural clashes, struggles and m isunderstandi n gs, to stori es of Jove and acceptance. "From m y own observations, most Chi.ndians experience an ide nti ty cr isis i n tl1eir lives as they have co straddle between the two distinctly d i fferent cul tures • Chinese and Indian", Badunan believe!"..
And b y sharing stories, he hopes there will be less isolation and prejudice from other people
on mixed children "T l1is in turn h elps young Chi.nd ian children to have a sen se of belonging and forms a unique identity, char i t is okay to have pa.rents from a diverse background" , he states.
An advocate of multicultural parrnerships, Bad1man staunchly believes rllat interracial marriages ate a solurion to end racism
According to Batlunan, most C11indians lean towards che Indian culture, because t h ere were 1nore Indian men marrying Chinese women in me 30s till the 90s.
"For families wi th an Ind ian father, it was common to see d1e dlildren follow the more dominan t paternal culture", h e exp lained
''In terms of d1e look, some C l1indians look Malay, but some m ay look more Ch inese or Indian. 1 have been told by Chin dians in omer parts of the world mac tl1ey ate often mistaken as Spanish, i\liexica.n, Latin American and
www.i n dia n link com.au
even Po lynesian", he added.
Bathman's novel social initiative has gathered a lot of momentum, attracting wide-ranging p u blicity in A L1stralia, Malays ia and Singapore. The Chindi,m Diaries was a finalist at the prestigious 2014 NSW Premier's Multicultural Media Awards.
" The vision is to someday mm it into a performative piece, docw11entary or videos to put d1e stories o ut there", Bachman stared.
The Chindiall Diaries in terestingly is a one-man show, with eve r ything from submissions, tech s upporr, finance and publicity managed by INDIAN LINK
Bachman single- handedly.
"It's always a juggling act co keep the project alive, whilst working on your day job. It has consumed most of my free ti.me", he admits frankly "But I really do enjoy seeing chose phocos and helping others write their own stories. lt's a privilege to be able to listen and write d1e ir stories. I do have a very encomaging Ch in d ian community. When I embarked on this
project, I n ever realised chat I would be meeting other Chlndians li.ke m yself, let al one helping them co write their stories. In a way, getting to m y own story was the hardest, but the most rewarding part" , he admitted.
The enterprisi n g Bathman has also forayed into communication strategies for soc ial, humanitarian, culniral and environmental cause.5, through yet anorher initiativeCnalition of Nlischief.
A snapshot of comm ents from the initiative's Facebo ok page (facebook.corn/
TheC hindian D airics) :
"So grateful for this pro ject and love seeing pictures and reading peop le's sto ries! My husband (parent$ from Hong Kong) and I (parents from Chennai) we.re married five years ago and have two l ittle Cbindians of out own. I'm so happy to have this page to s how my girls that there are
ocher little girls and boys o m there just like them! Thank you!" Divya Balachandar Wong
" l loved looking at iliese p icmre.s. They are joyous, p layful, tende r and evocative. And so metin1es very stylish! Can't get enough o f cbe large shades, svelte saree,, cool hairdo's, beU- botroms and pleated pants," Sandepp Ray.
" l truly miss everything which existed from that era. The warm th, simplicity and ilie ability of nor bei ng t oo conscious when posing for p ictures, are quire rare nowadays," Raji Shurunu.
"This is the most unusual Facebook (page) I have found. So poignant and reminiscent. 1 an1 rea1Jy moved by ir. Thanks so much for s haring," Rushda Rajak.
" Love how two cul tures can b lend so beautifully. I t felt like one huge celebration. I wish much blessi ngs and love to the couple and tl1eir famil ies," Jacqueline Tegjeu.
Straight from Melbourne to the Rashtrapati Bhavan: Actress Vidya Ba/an receives the prestigious Pad ma Shri award, one of India 's highest civilian honours, from the President oflndia Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi on March 31, 2014.
A former senior Maharashtra cop, a breakaway member of the AAP and an activist working among Sikkimese people - these are among the 24 people who have formed new po litical oudits that will make their elecroral debut, albeit as '\mrecognised parti es", in the coming elections.
The 24 political parties, \Vith names as diverse as Hurn Sabki Parry, Rashttiya Vikalp Party, Apna Dal Uni ted Parry, Ex-Sainik Vikas Parry, Awa.mi Vikas Parry and eveo Free Thought Party, have been registered as U nrecognised Parties by the Election Commission for the April 7-May 12 L~1 k Sabha p o lls.
With e lectoral promises ranging fro m introducing digital currency to tackling corruption, and working for tbe downtrodden to increas ing participati o n of people in law making and administration processes, these new outfits have begun campaigning among voters across t he country
A leading news agency ttied co track these " new" political outfits - with many n o t even having webs ites - and was able co trace three.
The Awami Vikas Party was formed last year by Shamsher Wazir Khan, a former t-.lfaharashtra assistant commissioner of police. " ln order to work for uplift of tbe downtrodden sections of socie ty, there is no other option but to enter the poll fray," Khan said in a phone interview from Mumbai. The Mumbai -based parry is co ntesting for 22 Lok Sabha sears in Maharashtra and one in Uttar Prades h.
He said that though 85 percent of the people in the country come fro m t he Scheduled Castes and backward classes, they are always kept away from the mainstream o f society
"So wha t if our party is ne\v? The par ty's ideology and our work an1ong the people will help us win seats," said Khan, adding that he formed the political ourfo co work for d owntrodden sec tio ns of society, especially the mino rity communities, ro bcing them imo the mainstrean1
Llke his part}; the re are a staggeri ng 1,617 unrecognised outfits in the country so far waiting co ge t the poll panel's nod.
At the moment, the re are six national parties and 47 state partie s
According to a senior official of the Election Co mmission, " Registered uurecogni sed policical parcies are th e ones who neither come under sta re-based, nor national parties. Therefore, tbey are nor even eligible for a permanent par ty symbol during the e lections"
U nder the rules, these parties w ill be allotted symbols from a list of 87 'free symbo ls' only when they fulfil th e criteria of contesting 10 percent of rbe total seats in a st,'lte o r the co untry
Added the Election Co mmissio n offi cial: "If they win the Lo k Sabha elections, d1ey w ill represent the ir party in tl1e parliament. But tl,e parry will not be acknowledged as state -based or national"
They will then need to be engaged in political activities for a continuous period of fi ve years, an d bag six percent o f tl1e valid votes polled, with at least rbree members elected to a legislative a-ssembly and one to the L o k Sabha to ge t recognition from tl1 e poll panel.
Once recognised , the parties are eligible for allo 1ment of permanent symbols
Tbe only Delhi- based party to be registered among the 24 new outfits is the Garib Aadmi Party (GAP / Poor Man's Par ty), wbicl1 ha s fielded 50 candidates across rbe cow1try
The par ry was formed rwo m o mhs ago b y Shyam Bharti, a former Aam Aadm.i Party (AAP) member. Among his poll promises, Bharti has proposed replacing paper currency with digital currency to "aboli sh corrupti o n" and provirling ration cards and Aadhar cards to every poor individual in the coumry.
"Formatio n of Garib Aadmi Par ty was necessary as AAP, which initially clain1ed to work for poor people, has devia ted from its objectives," said B h arti, who is to file hi s n omination from Varanasi - from where BJP prime ministerial caudidate arendra Modi is contesting.
A H yderabad -based omfil, Mahajan Socialist Par ty, is focusing on ''injustice" to tbe Dalir Christians io southern India and is rargetcing its campaign among chem
ln eastern India, the Sikkim Liberation Party (SLP) is campaigning among the "original" Sikkimese communities in tl1 e nor t heastern state in a bid to include tl1em i n tbe development process.
"No ne of the p oli tical parti es fighting in tbe elections are serio us abom resolving the imporraor .issues relating co the development of Sikkim," said SLP president Duknath Nepal over the phone from Gangtok.
" Our party's aim is co develop Sik kim , and tl1e people of Sikk..in1 understand this ve ry well. So thi s rime we are confident of a win," said Nepal, a former social activist.
In their b id to bag as many votes, these new pol itical oudits a re focussing on speci.fic communities and raising issue s that concern them during campaign time But only time will tell whetl1er they will even o pen tl1eir accorn1t in this election
RUPESH DUTTA
C hildren cannot vote, they cannot make political demands and tl1erefore do nor have any say in electoral outcomes fa this the reason why, year after year, p o litical parties have been ignoring the needs of children in their poll promises?
This despite the face rbat children constitute over a diird of India's 1.2'l billion population. Children appear ro be tl1e m ost neglec ted segment in l ndia, wi th their rights being vastly ignored.
"l t is time t bat our manifes tos realise that we have an India with 4 40 million children below l8 years U nfortunately elections ate about parnpecing the electorate and children d o n or vo te. Bu r our p olitical parties need co remember rbat o ur electora te values the se children, politicians may no t" ,Jayakrnnar
C hristian., CEO of Wo rld Vision India, a grassroots organisatio n working for children, said recendy in New Delbi..
"Children cannot attend election rallies,
tweet or engage on social media Bur our children will vote witl1 their di sconten tm ent thro ug h rbeir parents and comm unities," h e added.
"If o ur finance 111iniscer is able to include child budgeting in the muon budget every year, why not in th e mruiifes tos," Jayakumru· as ked.
A n analysis o f the 2009 general eleccio n rnanifestos of p olitical parties by NGO Child Rig hts and You (CRY), reveals that the space received b y children's iss ues range from a mere fi ve percent to 14 percent across parries.
Th e Communist Par ty of India-Marxist and tbe DMK are at rbe lowest at 5 and 6 percent respectively w liile th e Nationalist Congress Parry (NCP ) scored t he h ighest at 14 perce nt
Pragya Vats, campaign manager ar Save the C hildren, ano ther NGO wo rking for children, told IANS: "Government5 have rare ly prioritised children, and fail to recognise that they have rights. lndi.a continues to hit the headlines for our staggel"ing s tati stic s o n all indicators relating to childre n's we ll-being
"For a country whi ch loses 1.4 million children w1der fi ve yea rs of age every year to death and disease and where eight million children still remain o ut o f school , tl1e wel fare of children i:arely finds a men tion in the campaign of a ny political parry:' she said.
Indi a has the largest child population in the world: Over 1 7 percent of the wo rld's child ren live in India.
Of tl1e 430 millio n children in the 0- 18 age-group, a b out 1 60 milli o n are belo,v t he age of six and abo u t 270 million are between 6 and 1 8, acco rding to tl1e 2011 census.
"Children constitute 40 percent or a third of India's popuL'ltion bm these statistics reflect that we as a nation are n ot doing enough for our children B y ignoring child1·en, we are nor o nly putting o ur present at peril but also ()Ur future," Vats maintain ed. She said issues conc erning children n1ust emerge high on the political agenda and translate int0 cornminnents.
In February, a delegation of children, under tl1e aegis of Chetna, an r GO working for street children, mer Congress leaders Mukul Wasnik and G. Moha n Gopal, b otl1 members of the manifes to drafting comniittee, ru1d presented a charter of demands. However, none of tbe d emands were included in rbe party rn,'lnifes co released Marcl126.
"We were surprised to see that the Congress manifesto did not mention a single tl1ing w hich these leaders prom ised," said Chetna di.rector Sanjay Gnpra " Th e parties should take the issues o f children se r iously," he added.
Recently, World Vis ion India released a manifesto for children which included the right to good health , heal th services in v illages and free and quality health services for all vuL1erable children in hospitals.
It also d emanded strict enforcemeor of laws against trafficking and child labo ur ru1d be tter o ppo rtunities for disabled chil dren Add ed Gupta, "Children are rbe fumre of this cow1try. They are potential vote rs and their issues also affect the adult electo rate. l e is high cin1e political parties tho u gh t a bout diem "
In a bid to isolate Russi a over its annexation of Crimea, d1e US says it is talking with Moscow's friends like lndia and China, but it has not yet asked them to impose any sanctions.
''\'v'ell, I don't think we're there yet Obviously, we've been consulting very closely with the Europeans about sanctions," Stace Department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters recently in Washington w hen asked if the US was going to seek Iran-oil like sanction from countries outside NATO.
" \~'e have been talking with otl1er countries tliplomatically, though," she said noting that in the recent Security Council vote, " it was significant that China, for example, abstained and did n o t vqte with Russia".
"So, we are actively working on the diplomatic side to iso late Russia and that means with countries lil,e China and India and others," she said. " Bue on tl1e o il part, we're just not there yet"
India has not directly criticised Moscqw though when Russian President Vladimir Putin called Prime :Minister Manmohan Singh lase week to explain the Russian position, Singh, according to the external affairs ministr y, "emphasised the consistent position India had on cl1e issues of unity and terri torial integrity of countries"
Manmohan Singh also "expressed hope tbat all sides would exercise restraint and work together constructively to find political and diplomatic solutions char protected the legitimate interests of all countries in the region and ensured long term peace and stability in Europe and beyond".
Back 1n \X/ashingto n , in response to question, Harf expressed ove r India abstaining fro m US-sponsored resolutio n against Sri Lanka ar the UN Human Rights Council (UN HRC) in Geneva.
"lt is disappointing to us that India abstained from voring on chis resolution when cbey voted yes for cl1e last C\VO years," s he said.
''\~e have made out disappoinrn1enr known to Indian officia ls Beyond that, I'd refer you to them in terms of how they voted," Harf said.
The US resol ution called for a probe into war crimes allegedly committed in cl1e final stages of the war against cl1e Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
Rejecting the resolution, India said it ignores the efforts at reconciliation being done b y Sri Lanka in cl1e predominantly Tamil norm, induding holding o f elections
India is expected to have its own satellite navigation system with tl1e launch of three more satellites before the end of cl1is year, said tl1e Indian space agency's chief in Chennai recently.
Indian Space Research Organisarion (ISRO) chairman K Radhakrishnan said that lndian communication satellite INSAT- 3E has been decommissioned a couple o f clays ago and the users are being migrated co otber satellites.
"We will be receiving the signals from our navigation satellite system by the end of mis year. We \Vill be lmmching three more navigatio nal satellites before the encl of tlus year," Radhakris hnan said over tbe phone from Bangalore.
INDIAN LINK
The ISRO will be lannching the s econd rrnvigational satellite badged Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System- lB (IRNSS - IB) .April 4 evening at 5.14 p.m.
The 1 ,432 kg satellite wiU be carried by Indian rocket Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV).
According to Radhakcishnan, tbougb the IRNSS is a seve n satellite system, it could be made operational with four satellites.
The cwo more navigarion satellites will be launched during the second half of 2014.
Prior to that, ISRO will be launching the French satellite SPOT-7 and four otl1er foreign satellites in a PSLV rocket and also test its heavier rocl<et - the Geosyncluonous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mark Ill version, said Rad.halmshnan.
The IR NSS- 1 B satellite with a design life span of 10 years will be part of the sevensatellite Indian regional navigational system. The first navigational satellite IRNSS- lA was launched in July 2013.
The navigario nal syste m, deve loped by India, is designed to provide accurate position information service to users witl1in the country and up to 1,500 km from the nation's boundary line.
The system is similar to the global positioning system of che US, Glonass of Russia, Galileo of Europe, China's Beidou or the Japanese Quasi Zenid1 Satellite System.
The system will be used for terrestrial, aerial and marine navigation, disaster management, vehicle cracking and fleet management, integration with mobile phones, mapping and geodetic data capture and others
While the ISRO is silent on cl1e navigation sys tem's strategic application, it is clear tbat the TRNSS will be used for defence purposes as well
According co the !SRO, the IRNSS- IB has been realised within seven months of the launch of the IRNSS - 1.A.
Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC)SHAR director M.YS.Prasad said: ''Even if a navigarion system has more than four satellites, cbe fu1.al precise data is picked from four sacelli res"
Meanwhile Indian space agency officials are getting ready for the 58 and half hour launch countdown slated to begin April 2 around 6.45 a.m.
"Nor mally 53 hour countdown is sufficient But we have decided to an extended countdow n so cliac some break rime could be given for the officials," Prasad said.
On the issue of 1NSAT- 3E satellite, Radhakrish.nan said the .satellite was launched in 2 003 and its life span has come to an end.
"Users are being migrated to ocl1er satellites," he said.
Three Indians and four persons of Indian origin have received cl1e 2013 World of Difference Awards' from US-based The International Alliance for Women (TIA\'v) for tbei.r work for women's empowerment.
The 100 winners in different categories were prese nted d1e awards b y TIAW president Lisa Kaiser Hickey at a ceremony in Washington recently.
Abbay Khandagle, a Pune Uiuversity professor of Zoology, has been recognised as "a champion for women's empowerment for tbe past 20 years"
He " has been teaching and designing
courses for girl students who come from the rura l and hilly areas to make chem financially independent," according to the citario n.
"As a m=ber of Board of Studies, he bas been instrumental in framing a curriculum d1at increases women's employability".
Aysha Rau, who founded The Little Theatre Trust in 1991 in Chennai to raise funds for her outreach programmes, has been given cl1e award for a "Non -Profit/ NGO".
"For cl1e last 18 yea.rs, s he has scripted and produced musicals and shows. Her outreach programmes include theatre workshops and spoken E nglish classes for 200 underprivileged children on a weekly basis," the citation said.
Achyuta Samanca, founder of The Kalinga Jnstitute of Social Sciences KISS) io Odisha, has been recognised as a "Champion, Women's Economic E mpowerment".
Starting with a smaU sc hool in l 993 for tbe indigenous peoples in the region, KISS "has grown into the largest residenrial institute in the world for C\venty thousand tribal children providing education, food, accommodarion, clothing and health faciliries absolutely free".
Among cl1e Indian-ot:igin winners is Tamita Krul-Taneja from the Netherlands, who has been recognised for entrepreneurship.
Krul-Taneja has sec up her own business, New Yardsticks, " which assesses and improves existing social-develo pment programmes that help marginalised women and develops new programmes".
"S he is also involved in
WORK +SH ELTER, an organisation clrnc provides fair- trade work for desritute women, some of whom also need a safe space to live" in ew Delhi.
Mumbai -born Perv in Todiwala, cofonnder and patron of Cafe Spice Namaste, has been recognised for entrepreneurship in Britain.
"She is a rarity as the ' quiet' hal f of one of the most dynamic and successful partnerslups in d1e UK's male-dominated $3 billion Asian cui.sine industry," tbe citation said.
She is alsC> "a staunch supporter of women's business organisatio ns, including City \"(/omen's Network, Women in Marketing and TJAW".
Vijayawada- born Padmasree Warrior, Ci sco 's cl,ief technology and strategy o fficer, from the US bas been recognised in the corporate category.
"\Xfaa:ior shares her knowledge as a mentor and coach, particularly in tl1e science, technology, engineering and math area (ST EtvQ, and has used her prominence to support otber women foUowing in her wake".
Originally from Guyana, NarineDae Sookram has been recognised as a "cban1pion, women's economic empowerment" for h is work in Canada.
Spending hi s own cin1e and money "Soo kram is dedicated to coaching women in business to give tl1em the skills tbey need to be economically independent," according toTIAW.
t ANS
A Tarun Tahiliani creation during the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week in New Delhi, March 26, 2014.0n my recent visit to Kochi, Kerala, I was p leasantly surprised to see an Australian in the newspapers and in what is a rarity with most news these days, i t was heart- watmingly good news. " Daniel revisits Biennale to give a soothing touch" said tl1e Deccan Chro11icle. "Artist wields the brush for a cause" said The Hilldu. They were speaking about Daniel ConneU, an Australian artist based in Adelaide who was in Kerala as pa r t of the Kochi Biennale Fo1mdatioa's Arts and Meclicine project.
Amidst the ever-nois y din of
Kochi, heading ro a quiet s pot in a coffee shop, Daniel spo ke to Tndia11 Link in a phone interview. This was his fourth visit to the city. Wall portraits from his work at lnclia's first Biennale in December 2012 are stiU visible in the city. Daniel \Vas in the news for the wrong reasons that year when his portrait of tea seller Ach.lrn wa s vandalised. "One year on however, the drawing is scill visible and I was warmly received back b y the people of tl1e area", stares Daniel. " It turned out that the event was a turning p oint for the Biennale. Ini tia.l.l y peo ple felc chat ho.lcling such an art event was a waste of pub li c money bm public opinion changed after the attack There was an overwhelming support of m y work, generating sympathetic publicity for the Biennale. Thi s incident only proved what I always suspected - tl1at art cements the
ties between human beings and that is frs ultimate objective'', he add5 with emphasis.
Since 1500, the port city of Koehl (fo rmerly Cochin) was rul ed by the Portuguese, Dmch and the British. Danie l found the area of Fore Kochi in particular, a melting pot of cu lrures and densel y populated w i th different communities such as Ioclians of various religious backgrou nds and cultures. There are Hindus, Muslims and Christians of various denom.inations ,Jews, as well as A frican s and Europeans - a perfect p lace to provide him with a lot of inspiration. " Here I am outside of m y comfort zone, looking at different people in a different world", says Danie l.
"J am interested in the act of making portraits and how making portraits creates a sense of dignity and sacredness around the subjects. le d oes not matter tl1at 1 am n ot Indian. The act of giving someone attention for an hour o r
so has the effect of breaking barriers and cultural clifferences".
Daniel likes the face dmc wi ch portrain1re, tJ1e subject shares an
equal spa ce wid1 the artist He experiments with drawing portraits in a variety of situations.
''When I drew portraits of cancer patients, ic clid not matter d1at Twas Indian o r n ot. The r itual of drawing and payi ng fuU attention to the person g ives pe o ple an op portuni ty for reAecti o n time goes beyond culmtal differences", o b serves Daniel. The Arts and Medicine projec t is about offering peo pl e opportunities for reAection. In a merucaJ situation, where the phys ical body is being treated, norma.lly there are n o frameworks or strucru.res to give people rhe chance co attend ro the spiritual
or emotional issues that arise. Daniel found that the act of drawing a pom:air offer s patients and their families, oppormniries for a wider discussion to emerge, other than pain and pain management which happens to be the prominent subject in a hospital s ituation.
Language has n ot been a barrier to Daniel's work. There has been a n ove1whelmi ng demand fo r his arr. He drew rwenty portraits in the 6rst l:\vo days ac the E rn akularn Gen e ral Hospital, later averaging about ten a day. His subjects have been fishermen, bus- drivers, tea sellers, rickshaw drivers and people from many
He patientl y draws tl1ern all and was amused when the person he drew tl1e previous day earnestly described himself as a coo.lie. "It js such a colonial term", laughs D aniel. Whatever their occupatio n s, be feels char at tl1e hospital, ther all are cemrestage. They are the ones being cared fo.r.
Daniel is at home w ith a ll tl1ese people in spite of not b e ing ab le to speak their language.
He has, at ti.mes, questioned the value of bis work but tl1e paliiative care doctors have given him overwhelming positive feedback. Art gives rhe patients something different co m pared to so lace offered by religion or formal counselling, th e y fel t.
Daniel sadly acids, "Dying is terri fying and though I don't focus o n i t or discuss thjs aspect
wim t h e subjects or their families, jc js the elephant in the room. This is acknowledged witl1our words".
Th e portra its are now displa}'ed in an exhib ition at the hospi tal and have been a huge success.
Working on tliis pro ject has g iven Daniel an idea about doing a similar project j11 Australia when he remrns to continue research for h is PHD thesis on 'Portraimre and Socia l Responsibility'. He says that it will be interesting to portray and contrast how peop le respo nd to portraiture in India a nd Austra.lia He i s also interested in the Inman diaspora in Australia stradd.ling two cultures, and is worki ng witl1 the Sikh and Malayali communities.
The tenets of Sikhism particularly attract Daniel.
Refer ring to Guru Tegh Bahadur, he says, "The ninth guru sacrific ed his l ife for the Hindu community In the process of fighting for our own identities in today's world, tl1is aspect of fighting for otl1er communities is 110\V lost. 1 want to keep that candle burning tl1rough my art" He is against overrating
art f01: art's sake. "The connection between people is more important and tlu s leads to more resilient and stro nger societies Ultimacely th is is w h at 1 am trying to achieve", says Daniel. "Art is a tap on the shoulder asking us to remember our relationships and t he importance of connections", he adds philosophkaUy.
However, art is oor what Daniel always rue!. He was part of a venrure fo r homeless people for 18 years, and involved with advocacy for human rights. Feeling drained, jaded and cyn ical, Daniel says that I ndia provided t he change he needed.
Why India? " 1'.faybe a past life exper ience", he jokes. He fi nd s lndia "very anarchic and compeUing" and life is never ordered or controlled as in Australia His experi en ces have varied from " infuriating and exhausting" to "rusarming and Joyfi.tl". "On the who le, irresistibl e and very intoxicating", he laughs!
Daniel is grateful for the opportunity lndia has g iven hlm to reinvem himself as an a r tist and m ellow down. He feels he can now use art in his activism in a more gentle \vay, in bringing about change.
New solutions need to be sought to eradicate terrorism, as a/Qaeda grows stronger in North Africa and the Middle East
0n March 11, I attended a l ecture by Ajit D oval held at t he Universi ty of Me lbourne's Australia India Institute. D oval spoke on ' The ChaUenges of G lobal Terrorism' , a topic on which he is eminently qualified to speak, given his past role as director of India's Central InteUigence Bureau.
Assuming one believes the official stor y about the May 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden by the Ameri can military, it would be tempting to think that we are entering an era of safety and that groups such as alQaeda are on the brink of being defeated
However according to Doval , such a vi ew is the opposite of the truth. To the contrary, it is time to brace ourselves for a world that i s 111ore unsafe than the world which existed pri0r to the attacks o f September 11, 2001.
There are several reasons for Doval's pessimistic outlook. First, there a re rl1e tens of thousands in l orch Africa and the 1v1idd le East who suppon al- Qaeda
Doval and o ther iurelligence chiefs appear ro have forgotten one of the fundamental ru les of solving crimes - the in1portance of establishing a m otive Io order to ensure the '\'far on Terrorism' is more s u ccessful than rhe '\'<'ar on Drugs' or the '\Xfar on Crime', that is, in order for it ro lead ro a definite outco me rather rl1an continuing o n indefinitely for anorber 1 00 years, i t is in1perative that the underlying reasons for terrorism be addressed.
There i s a wealth of research largelr igno red b y the heads of the major intelligence agencies that directly addresses the question of how best to prevent individuals f-rom turning to terr~)rism in rl1e first place. Most of this scholarship is by individuals with significant experience in cou n ter- terrorism and policing.
lvlichael Sche u er - a former head of the CIA's Bin Laden unit - argues that Is lamic terrorists are ange red by America's support fo r corrupt and tyrannical Muslim governmen ts, western troops on the Arabian Peninsula, western support for Israd, American pressure on Arab energy producers to keep oi l prices low, the occupation
''First, there are the tens of thousands
in North Africa and the Middle East who and its objectives The organisation has become stronger and its reach now extends further. A l- Qaeda now operates as an almost g lobal organisation, despite the efforts of rbe American Central Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of
Investigation and equivalent agencies in the United Kingdom and Austra lia
of Iraq and Afghanistan, and the support for Russia, India, an d Chi n a against tl1eir Musl im mili tants. ln other words, I slamic terror groups are not all irrational religious fanatics. They have rational objectives that capitalise o n rl1e pub lic resentment caused by western meddling in the internal
support al-Qaeda and its objectives. The organisation has become stronger and its reach now extends further affairs of Arab nations Such meddling has led to many atrocities against residents who are then inspired ro sup port insurgent groups. Scandals relating ro the Abu Gharaib
The American-led war in Afghanistan against al- Qaeda's leadership has hurt the o rganisation, yet Doval is worried about what will happen o nce Western forces have withdrawn from the Middle Ease.
"\X'e t hought the antidote (to global terrorism) was cutting off their finances and the people's support, but it turns om the antidote w as really denying rl1em sanctuaries," he stated in bi s leca.u:e. " They have had sanctuaries in Pakistan in the past. ow if they ge t a Ta liban -influenced gover nment in Afghani5tan rl1e y could get sanctuaries in Afghanistan again and the situation could be ver y serio us".
Despi te spending b illi ons of doUars and sacri ficing hundreds of rl1ousands of lives, experts such as Doval adm it that anti - terrorism efforts have not led to ste llar results. Yet Do val does not appear co offer any solutions apart from doing more of the same. He wants tlte US to b e harsher on Pakistan for harbouring terror ists; for there to be greater international cooperatio n ; and for intelligence capab ility ro be significantly enhanced. Bur these are all attempts at tinkering with a system that needs raclica l root-and-b r anch reform.
,,prison, torture, rapes b y American and Britis h soldiers, and collateral damage caused by drone strikes are just the tip of an iceberg rime goes back to America's overthrow of the democratically appo inted leader of Iran in 1953 It is practical concerns such as these that have allowed al- Qaeda to thrive.
Scheuer's thes is is supported b y Robert Pape of the Univers ity of Chicago. Based on an analysis of 315 suicide attacks between 1980 ro 2003, Pape finds "Ii ttle connection between s uicide terr~)rism and l slamic fundamentalism, o r any one o f the world's religions Ra rl1er, what nearly all suicide terrorist attack s have in common is a specific secular and strategic goal: to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from territory that the terrorists consider to be rl1eir homeland". This 'logic' of suicide terrorism applies just as weU in Sri Lanka as it does in rbe US, Saudi Arabia or L:aq
In rl1e long term, lasting gains against terrorism will require all nations to truly understand their enemy. From this understanding will arise a strategy for reducing the support that groups such as al- Qaeda obtain from rl1e public in A rab nations. This can be done wiiliout appeasing terrorists, giving up legitimate strategic targets or compromising natio nal security.
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''But Pakistan also has an 'unofficial' nationa l bird; and yes, it is a falcon - a Shaheen falcon
0ften the b irth of a c ountry cau be a lon g and painful process, as was Indi a's th at stretched over a hundred yea rs
It can also be ver y v io lent as in the creation of Bangl adesh. O ne thing common to all countries is that as soon as they are formed, they m ust have a national Rag and anth em. These become a symbo l of national identiry and uni ty, and provide a rallying point for the people of d1ac nation. What is interesting and often overl oo ked is that, for so m e curious reason, all cow1tries also have a national bird. I e's almost as if having a n ation al bird is a necessary condition tO becoming an independent nation, and a must- have sym bol of
sovereignty For instance, we know chat t he emu is the national bird o f A u stralia.
Cotmtcies of south Asia a re no exception in h avi n g b irds as part of d1ei.r national symbols. Not surprisingly, d1e topograph y of a country's landmass will be a maj or determining factor on the types of bird s to be found in that country.
A collntr y such as India ha s a ve r y wide variety of features rangi ng from high mountains, plain s, deserts and coastal ranges So one would nanu-ally expect to find a large vaiiety of birds in India
Bangladesh o n the other h an d i s l ow- lyi ng, marshy and domin ated by die delras of great r iver syscems Th e variety of birds there includes a lru·ge proportion of birds chat r ely on wa t er systems.
But t he bird that is chosen as the national bird of Bangladesh i s the oriental magp ie -robin lvfainJy black with some white markings a nd the tail like a rob in's tail, they are not large. The most notable feamre is cbe ir clear, p retty so n g
which they sing w hen perched on a branch.
Bearing in mind the histo rical associatio n of falconry w ith the great Mog hu.J emperors, T had expected to find chat cbe national bird of P akistan would be a falcon. A common theme in .Moghul miniature pai11tings is th at of a falconer in d1e presence of an emp ero r. Yet, the national b ird of Pakistan is, in fact, tbe Chukar partridge These grmm d - hugging birds live by foraging in bushes and undergrowth, and the co lours of their feathers provide perfect camouAage against prey
Bllt Pakistan also has an 'u n o ffici al' national b ird; and yes, it is a falcon - a Shaheen falcon. ] ts main feamres are the sharp, beady eyes and the typically hooked beak B lack head and matching feathers just go co confirm the n o -nonsense character to be expected fro m a falcon.
Tbe national bird of Sri Lanka i s t he Sr i Lanka junglefowl.
This beautifu l bird w ith strik in g co.lours is n ative to the country. Proud as the proL1desc cockerel , this bird has magnificent shiny purp le -black tail feathers that a re perfectly po ised. A red comb wi th a yellow centre is o n its head, and ics mane and bod y plllmage ranges from golden to orange red. It's easy to see this bird as the master of its Hock. In keepi ng w ith the natural order for survival in birds, the female is a dull brown grey giving it th e perfect camouAage for nesting while the ma le as protector, in all its co.lours, is easily v isib le to prospective enemies.
The Lln b elievably colourful Himalayan monal or danphe is the national b ird of Nepal. The colours on chis bird make it look unreal I saw chem in Nepal at ar ottud 3,700m just b efore dusk, w h ich is the time th ese shy birds come oul After a tiring 9 -b our trek, just a look at. these multi -co loured birds was a ve ry welcome sight. I was thrilled and q ui ce privileged to h ave see n chem.
in their natural h abi tat of low bushes an d grasses, and on freshly ploughed fields
We all know that the peacock is tl1e national bird o f India. Easily one of the grandest and most m ajestic of b irds, the peacock has been an inspiration in song, dance, design and the fine arts. This bird h as even been m entioned in d1e Bible in relation to the Queen of Sheba. Connery houses and palaces in all of E urope regularly h ad peacocks on tl1eir estates. This bird was the inspiration for the sensational Peacock Th rone built for Emperor Shah Jahan
The peacock's large size gives it presence and its shimmering fan of tail feathe rs i s a sight to behold and wonde r at.
The 9uestion chat remains is ,vhy countries need co have a bird as a symbol of their national sovereignty ? Bird s skip, they h op, they are always al ert and beautifully groomed; d1ey never have a feather out of place. At a whim, they can fly high into tl1e sky T h ey seem so free. \V/e see their freedom Man's greatest desire is co be free To have a bird as a national symb ol g ives people a sense of hope and freedom, and tl1at is so m ething to be cherished by all of us.
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went to Oxford, practiced la,v; was awarded the Padma Bhusban in 1974, and controversially supported the E merge ncy. However, he remrned the Padma Bhusban in 1984 in protest against 'Operation Bluestar' where thousands o f inn o cent Sikhs were killed during and after the siege of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. He was a Rajya Sabha Member at that time, from 1980 to 1986 He was also co.nsulcing editor of the newly established Pe11g11in India, and along with David Davidar, set up the foundations of what would become a powerhouse for contemporary Indian writing. He was awarded tl1e Padma Vibhushan in 2007.
t hose who more than others craved forgiveness for having lied, stolen, fornicated and made illicit money"
.,tI BY ROANNA GONSALVESMysonJadyn went missing in .Mumbai
last year. We were at the Tata Literature Live Festival 2013 at the r ational Centre for the Performing Arts and we had lost each other in the fllda, so to speak. After looking for him in various comers of the building, I found him seated on a sofa near tables laden \vith books, his focus trnwavering from the book he was reading. U pon closer inspection , I realised it \Vas Khusbwant Singh's Big Fat Jok<! Book. An acquaintance who noticed what was going on raised his eyebrows to suggest drnt Khushwant Singh's jokes were not exactly suitable for a ten year old. When l asked Jad)' t1 what he liked about it, he said with trademark h o nesty, "It has many rude words in idn
It is for tl1e rude words, four-
lettered and fearlessly multi - lette red, re.11 and symbolic, that I ,-vill remember Khushwaat Singh. The 'son of a gun' i s dead. And with h im an era has ended too. In the contemporary popular imagination , the nan1e of Khnshwanc Singh conjures up the image of 'the sul tan of sleaze'. To be fair, one could be forgiven for thinking li ke this ab out a man who has writeen much that is sexist, much that treats women merely as objects of lust. But it will be a monumental shame if be is only remembered as a ' celebrated lecher', as die late Dhiren Bhagat cheekily called bim in a pre-obituary of Khushwanc Singh written in 1983.
In our contemporary rimes of paid news scandals erupting everywhere, the passing of Khusbwant Singh marks the encl of a more principled age in the med ia.
As the founder-editor of Yqjana, edicor of the l//11strated lP'fekg ef lndia, chief editor of New Delhi, and edicor of the Hi11dt1stan Times, he was irreverent and made no bones about bis views, saying he used "no condom on bis pea". He was born 99 years ago in Hadali village in what is now Pakistani Ptmj ab He
ln his masterful two volume History of the Sikhs, Singh pres en ts a social, religious and political history of the landscape, and Sikh communities o f Punjab. Apart from being meticulously researched, the works are fuU of love for the geographies of Punjab, the poetry o f Guru Nanak, the music of kirla11. Yet these two volum es are far from hagiographies of the Khalsa Singh minces no words in cl1ronicling the 'holocaust' of Sikhs in I 984, and the b lood on tl1e hands of all sides of the political spectrum. 1-Iis novel Train to Pakisttm introduced a generation of readers to d1 e scories of the Western partition of India, and to rbe sorrow of Partition lireratute, more broadly. H is co lumn With Jvlafice To1vards One and All in the T-findwfa11 Til!les was widely read for its irreverence and humour. It is this irreverence and the courage to say as be pleased without fear o r favour, aka, the 'rude words', that is an inspiration co us.
Singb's work o n religion and agnosticism are like roucbsrones for our age, especially in a communally charged lndia juse before tl1e ge neral elections later this year.
ln h is essay The Nefdford Neu, Religion - Without a God, he says, "On rare occasi on s whe n I visited ag11md1JJara of a temple, J made it a point to watch people making obeisance before the Granth Sahib (the holy book of the Sikhs) or their favourite God. Those who cook the longest cin1e co rub their noses on d1e grotu1d were usually
If you scratch below tl1e surface of his reputatio n as a dirty old man, you will find a who loved women., beginning witb bis grandmother. In the title story of his collection of short stor ies, The Portrait ef a Latfy, he paints a render picture of his grandmother who raised him: " her face was a crisscross of wrinkles running from everywhere to everywhere. No, we were certain she bad always been as we bad known her O ld, so terribly o ld chat she could nor have grown older, and had stayed at the same age for twenty years. She could never have been pretty; but she was always beautiful " Death was o fte n splashed across bis work. In his tongue-in-cheek story Porth11mo11s he imagi nes his own funeral and decides to die, "just for the fun of it," expecting his numerou s friends and wellwishers to grieve pub licly and long for their dearly departed friend. However, bi s tiny ob ituary notice appears at the bottom of page three in the newspaper, and only a few people mrn up to condole w i th his w i fe. B y the time the hearse nears tl1e cremation grounds, there is no o ne witl1- him on bis final journey, except t he driver, and ''even he seemed to be oblivious of tl1e enormity of the soul whose decayed mansio n be was transporcing on irs last voyage". Thankfully, this is not so in real life. In Australia, he will be remembered by those who have read him, and by those who have beard of bis larger-than-life personality. Ha.rwinderj it Singh, a prominent memb er of th e Sikh community in Brisbane says, " He had a knack of seeing, appreciating and writing about th e simplicity of God and religion. He would speal, up against bad praccices and 'man made' rituals, and habi L~"
Traditional and social media are abuzz witl1 tributes to Khusbwam Singh, from former subordinates gushing about the ir boss, to prominent media personalities acknowledging a great debt. However, n o n e can com e close co the epitaph he wrote for himself:
In his masterful two volume History of the Sikhs, Singh presents a social, religious and political history of the landscape, and Sikh communities of Punjab
Singh minces no words in chronicling the'holocaust' of Sikhs in 1984, and the blood on the hands of all sides of the political spectrum
Here lies 011e who spared neither 111a1111orGod
!Waste not)'Ottr tea,,· 011 hi111, he was t1 sod 117riti,l!: nasty thi11g.r he regarded as g-eatj,m
Thank the Lord he is dead, this son ef a gun.
''Vale Khusbwanc Singh! Tbank you for the rude words.
namesake of Imran Khan the cricketer, not d1e po li tician. There's also Wasirn, Javed, Benazir, Zia, Zulfikkar, Navaz Sharif and Yabya, among a colourful array o f characters. \Y,/e see t he v1oha!I" mrough Tmran's musings from jail and one can't hel p loving Vanity Bagh d1e way he does. The authot uses tl1e right teno r of optimism and resignation; clack, but wry humour that we are lull ed into thinking th is is a 's lice of life' - of families, neighbours and the community.
January and February
seem co have been the season for literary festiva ls everywhere -
Chennai's The Hi11dt1 Literature for Life festival was held over three days between J anuary 13- l S. This was followed by the now famous and estab lished Jaipur Literature Fe.rtiua/held b etween January 17 -24, which has at its helm ce lebrity writers Namita Gokhale and William Dalr ymple. The list of authors who attend this festival every year must be the envy of li t fests everywhere. The l....L1hore Literrdt11'B Festival, the most INDIAN LINK
g lamo rous in Pakistan, was held between February 2124, was attended by Vikram Seth, Mira t air, J\mit Chaudhari and a host of other well - known aud1ors from arnund d1e world.
The 2014 Perth 117,iters' Festival and the recentl y concluded Adelaide IPiiten' Festival were attended by aud10rs Jaspreet Singh and Jeet Thayil. Jeet Thayil's book Narcopolis was reviewed in this column a couple of years ago.
Heli1tt11 is a novel by Jaspreet Singh, which has as its backdrop the anti- Sikh riots of 1984. \Vhen his business trip to Iceland en route co Delhi is prplonged by a vo lcanic eruption , scien tist Raj Kumar begins to obsess; the killing of his former professor in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, the day after Indira Gandhi's assassination; the whereabouts of the
An ees Salim
professor's widow; the troubling ro le his father may have played. in the killings, haunt h im.
T'a11i()• Bflgh (Picador India, 2013) by Anees Salim won Th e Hindu Prize for Best Fiction in 2013, announced at The Hi ndu 's Lltem!111-e far Life write rs ' festival in Chennai It is the tale of a young man, lmran Jabbari and his friends, who, partly o u t of boredom and partly inspired by their local 1.egend and aging Don , Abu Hathim, decide to form a 'gang' to emulate him. This ragtag group does n' t really do much b y way of big-time crime, until one day when the ir are hired to despatch some scolen scooters to different parts of d1e city. Nai've as they are, t hey think dus is their big break, and agree to do it. Only after bombs go off in all the locations where they packed d1eir scoote r s, d o d1ey realise they have been conned and inadvertently involv ed in a terrorist act.
Sentenced for 14 years, Imran i s assigned to the bookmaking section of d1e prison, where each time he opens a book and stares at its blank pages, the memories of Vanity Bagh come alive and we are led gently tl1rough the notuncommon lives of the vzohallds inhabitants.
lmran Jabbari is t he so n of the local /,nam, and like everyone else in the 111ohallc1, be was named after d1e successful, rich and famous of Paldstao lmran is therefo r e, the
It i s an extremely readable book , written wim wry, understated, self- deprecating humour, which will resonate well with Australians
However, what I fonnd unsettling was the entire Nfuslim community in Va11ity Bagh identiiied with Paldstan, and that tl1e only 'other' was Me hend.i, a nearby suburb which is represented as a rnonolitluc, unvarie;gated Hinduextremist neighbourhood. The only idiom of interaction between the (o nly) two gmups is along a binar)' divid e, and of tense confrontation and perennial distrust teetering on cornm Ltnal riot; there was simply no od1er form of inter- d.igi tation, eve n of d1e commonplace everyday life. This may have served the author's narrative, bm such r eductionism, eve n for d1e purposes of s torytelling, seemed too simplistic and unrepresentative to me.
However convenient tl1is is for a storyline, such reductionism, and one -dimensional narrative is a li ttle disquieting. This was rny only real grouse witl1 d1e novel. i\nees Salim is an advertising professional in K o chi ,vh o bas w ritte n four nove ls and is working on his 6ftb. V a11i()1 Bagh i s bis second novel. Others on The Hindu Book Prize s hortlis t included Manu Joseph (The T!licit T---ftlppiness qf Other People), Manjul Bajaj (Another Mcm'I Wife tmd Other S to,ies), Sonora Jba (Fm-eign) and Amandeep Sandhu (Rolf of Ho11our)
The author uses the right tenor of optimism and resignation; dark, but wry humour that we are lu lled into thinking this is a 'slice of life' - of fami lies, neighbours and the community
The only idiom of interaction between the (only) two groups is along a binary divide, and of tense confrontation and perennial distrust teetering on communal riot
The world 's biggest democracy will go co elections soon, co choose a governn1en c for its billion p lus citizens, for the next five years. The voting process will start on April 7 and its r esults will n oc be announced w1til mid - Mar Such is the enormity of this process. Righc now India stands at political crossroads Perhaps, the most po li tically fragile India 1 have eve r known. VuL1erab le, edgy and unsure. Politically, that is. There are th e two craditional political g ian ts heading this nation in a face-off. The once- mighty and che party currentl y in charge over the last d ecad e, the Indian Nation al Congress (lNC). And tl1e Bharatiya J anata Party (BJP), that is furiously kn ocking on the doors of power in these upcoming elec ti ons
The BJP is iu this position of slight comfo rt goi ng into these elections mainly because of me overwhelming grudges held b y people againsc tl1e Congr ess parry over meir rnle for me last d e cad e, rather tl1an any evident merics of tbe BJP itse l f.
P eop le are seeking a change, aod chat sen timent is daorn clear! You do not have to be a political analyst to feel thac.
Alleged corruption scams, and l mean, mega corruption scams
Massive ones! Perceived inability to lead from me front and address these scams. The rising cost of li-\~ng And a 'puppet' of a Pr im e 11inister a re some of the major ailments haunting t he Congress Party. And mese may eventually spell their fall from grace soo n.
More recently, a chird dimension has bee n added ro mis political paradigm in India. A very serious third dimension. This is a political parry in its infancy, but riding on a massive wave of citizen goodwill.
A quasi- revolution in itself. It's called the Aam J\adm.i Party (/\AP )
Headed by a maverick, an activist, or as someli ke to caU him, an anarchi st, Arvind Kejriwal.
Love him or loame him , tl1e fac e remains time h im and his Party are serious contenders in these upcoming electio n s. If nor to wi n a majoricy a nd form a governmem
tl1emselves, b u t certainl y co cause enough collateral damage to dent the chances o f botb the BJP and Congress ro grab a c lear majoricy. And both parties feel threatened by tl1 is la st m inute wildcard enrry .i.mo lndian. politics They are deeply threaten ed. And they have themselves to blame for their predican1enr.
Now here is m y rake o n what all of this means for the people of India. No matter which way p eople voce in the upcoming elections, my view is that lndia will end up w itl1 a 'sub- sta ndard ' regime. And a severely substa ndard o n e at chat.
l n a recent incerview o n national TV, tl1e second in command of the Congress Party demonstrated h is lack of substance, charisma and leadership to tbe entire woi:ld. His naivety and inaptitude for tl1e top job was on display in full sple n dour during this incer view.
'\'<Tomen empowermem' is a g r eat concept and has grea c engagement potential, but only if yo u mink ic tl1rough and not use it as a tag p h rase (20-plus times) wimout any rational thou g h t on national televisio n. Perhaps it was s uggested to Mr Gandhi by his media advisor. \'{feU, it backfired, and rightly so. A Congress victory is highly unlikely, it seems However, if by a m iracle tl1e Con gress does win, a gove rnment under Rahul Gandhi or any other
leader for time matter, will spell yet anoth e r five years of naive experimen tation, sub- standard leadership, la c k of accountability and n o real cl1ange from me status quo.
The BJP have fielded Mr Modi as ilieir tru mp card. His sta ke to tl1e top job is being touted as the great economic transformatio n of his home stare of Gujarat, and a chord he seems to have struck wim the Indian youth, allegedly. Also haunting 1\fr Mod i is his pasc. The rio t s, tl1e b loodshed, the carnage. The courts may have p rovided hi m a clean chit, bur those communal taints linger o n, vividly Add chat to che already relig ious ly p olarised image of the BJP, tl1ey are bo1md to leave some serious doubts in tl1e minds of 'secu lar' citizens. The BJP is m ost likely to sweep the elections if yo u go by rnedia reports. But a sbi ft from che Congress ro BJP will merely mean a s hift in religious and political ideologies There is no real benefit for th e ordinar y ci tizen.
Then comes tl1e AAP. The dar k h orse, t he wild card. They tasted power in Delhi for aLuost a month And tl1ey now crave the nation. They claim to cl1ange it all. Free me nation from corruption. Provide subsidised utilities Encl corruption in India. l or l ee corrupt politicians wi n. And that's pretty much what chey are all about, free
the nation from corruption. I agree it has to happen. But to form a government and run it for five years wi thout n o real po.lic y or vis io n outlined on a n , major federal matters other t h an corruption is inadequate in m)' opinion. Kejriwal may be a wellmeaning person in his own right, but personally I have some serious do ubts abom h is capability and intem over time. I will be happy to be proven wrong, bur he has noc got my tic k (n or t hat it matters). Yer.
India needs a change, a significant change. lt needs respon sible and accountab le gove rnance. It needs a progressive, secular and ente rprisi n g lot of politicians. Ones who will address intrinsic matters w hile keeping pace with the rest of tl1e world. However, as pessimistic as it may sound, none of che current parties fighting for power in the forth coming election s will offer the balanced aod progress ive government that India needs a c tl1is momem They will all offer a government that is half-baked and inadequace India will not achieve the change it so badly needs The Congress and BJP are stuck in their craditional ban te r with little regard for che intellige nce of t h e voters The AAP on tl1e other hand is the lone alternative for people to turn to An untried alternative with noc much to offer than verbal bravado, for n ow
How often have you boughc the perfect dress onl y to be confused abouc che right s hade of lipstick or e yeshadow to wear wich ic? Or yo u have wanted co wear that b lue eyeshadow, bur don't know which dress would highlight it best? \X/orry not, here are some suggestions to pick the right shades for the perfect dress.
It is something we have all experienced at some time or another. Even the ubiquitous little black dress can prove a challenge at times if the makeup doesn't comp lement our skin tone. So in keeping with the trends this season, here are some tips for choosing the right shade of eyeshadow, blush and lipstick ro march your audit.
The underlining factor to keep in mind at aU times no matter what che r.rend or the co low- of your outfit may be, is that tl1e shade of cosmetic you d1oose should suit your skin tone. Jf that doesn't match, no matter what you wear, the look won't be right.
When nude is best
\'Vhen you wear a fiery colour like red or orange, the actention natw-ally shifts to the outfit. And if it is a killer dress thac enhances your best assets, make sure your makeup doesn't overpower it in any way. Stick to shades of nude and you won't go wrong. Wear nude lipstick or gloss, use brown or grey eyeliner, and apply a hint of blush from rhe copper tone family. Even if you don't apply blush and liner and just go w ith nude lipstick, you will have cracked ic because your dress will do all the talking for you.
Muted metallics are all the rage right now and wearing jewel cones, dulled out versions of copper, bronze, shimmering gre ys and greens, among others, is in. Buc you could go really wrong if you don't check these colours on you r face. Whether it is an evening gown or a nibe top and a skirt, if there is glitter and glimmer in your outfit, the trick is to keep the shine off yom face. First, use a
matte finish foundation preferably in powder form, and without any hint of a shine in it. Then use face powder that has a matte finish and do the same witb tbe blush. Give the eyeshadow a miss because most of them come in glittering shades, and just go with mascara and liner in a neutn1 shade. Use a matte finish Lipstick in a bright shade of red or pink, depending on whac co lour suits you and what shade of dress you are wearing.
If you are wearing a dress in a shade of b lue or green that is uot metallic in tone, nor is it very bright like the fire colours mentioned above, then the
makeup can be in a similar shade, o n ly for the eyes. So, if your dress is a midnight blue, a shade of aqua, green or even purple, you can go to cown with your eye makeup for obvious reasons
Firstly, yo u get some gorgeous shades of eyeshadow in b lues, greens, aqua and purp le, even with a hint of a shine co chem. Since your dress has no bling or glitter, you can bring in char element wirl1 your eyeshadow. Only o:y and choose a shade that comp lements your dress and skin tone. lf you are wearing a belt, ensure the colours don't clash lf you feel it is too mucl1, just go with eyeliner in a complementar y shade and a couch
of lipstick in pale pink or peach.
The pastel on tbe lips, the glitter on the eye and a monochromatic colour for rl1e dress wiU give you an elegant l ook rliat is als o stunning.
At most Indian weddings, wearing an outfit with lots of gold on it is de tig11eur and you can't escape it. So whetbet ic i s a cocktail dress or a /ehenga choli that is dominated b y golden Imes, you must know whac co wear on your face so that the overall look is c lassy. If your outfic is in a duU gold or has antique gold embroidery on it, you are halfway thete already, because yow- ensemble is subcle and not
''The underlining factor to keep in mind at all times no matter what the trend or the colour of your outfit may be, is that the shade of cosmetics you choose should suit your skin tone
Muted metallics are all the rage right now and weari ng jewel tones, dulled out versions of copper, bronze, shimmering greys and greens, among others, is in
''''loud. To keep the mal,eup classy too, go with a colour from cbe peach/ orange family l\fost lnclian skins can carry off orange lipstid< and if you add a touch o f nude to it, you get a lovel y shade of peach y onrnge that is underscared. lf you can carr y off a bright orange, even better. But if your Lipstick is a bright orange, don't let rl1e eyeshadow be the same shade, and go easy on the blush. Take a shade of nude eyeshadow and a hinc of a blush in a peachy colour to let the Lipstick and dress do all the ta lking.
With these simple tips, you can achiev e a snmning look cbat will certainly have heads turning.
The practice of making jams is an ancient one, dating back as early as the 16'" centur y There is a lot of hi srorical debate about the origin of this process, but i t i s believed to bave started in the i\fiddJe East, where cane sugar grows naturall y: Sugar was first discovered in Asia, but there i s no documented evidenc e of jamm aki n g from this region. It was the Arab traders who introduced jams to European society and since then, the popul arity of this sweet preserve has risen tQ become the multi -billion dollar m arket chat it is today:
It is believed that the idea behind making a jam or a n y fruit preserve began with a r e al need to preserve food. Befor e the ad vent of refrigeration, this was a key m ethod to keep fruit and s<:> m e vege tab les from spoiling.
What is a jam? As per the culinary d efini ti o n , a jam is prepared b y usi ng the pulp and juice of a whole frui t (crushed or chopped) which is then h eated with water and sugar This pmcess releases peccin, which gives the jam i ts je lly-like consistency, and the h igh co ncentracion of sugar acts as the preservative. These days, artifi c ial pectin is added to jams to boosr its commercial value whicb detracts the natural taste and sweetness of the fruit, making it unhealthy for our bod y in the long run.
Jam s were considered to be a royal delicacy in early E uropean society an d were ofte n prepared Ltsing di e choicest of fruit grown in d1e royal garden or orchards Today, it ha s become the co mm on man's food and you can find so man y different varieties of jams on our supermarket aisles made widi almost every kind or combination of fruit.
Chilli jam - smmds quite retro, doesn't ir? And probab ly th e last ingredient that we might iliink of using to make a jam. Though this may sound quite contemporary and a m odern twist to traditional fruit jam, it is not so. Ch illi jam is actually a traditional preparation of Soudi Africa, especially from the Cape Town region.
INDIAN LINK
When you hear die word 'chilli,' all you can chink of is fiery hotness burning your tongue
But chilli jam is a revelation, a burs t of Aavours fo r those who have never e,xp eriencecl it before A jam which trul;• captures the real flavour and texture of chilli, wi d1out i cs fier y heat.
Bo th tbe red and g reen varieties can be used to prepare ili is jam, di ough the red one gives a more delectable appearance w hen made into a jam. It is imp orca n t that you u se o nl y the b ig chilli varieties, since these have relatively less heat. The smaller o n es usually pack a punch and can land
8 big, r ipe red ch illies, sliced or chopped fi n e 2 shalJots; sliced or chopped fine ½ cup brown s ugar; aci d more for extra sweetness
A p in ch of salt
2 cups of water
you in some serious 'hot' trouble!
Pick out ripe, yet firm chillies to make this jam. Th e pith and seeds n eed not be rem oved as this im parts just the right amount of heat, making this jam a spicy sweet o ne But i f you are a little wary or doubtful abour the beat quotient., men rake off die pitb and seeds Yo u could e ither slice the chillies into reaU y thin juliennes or finely chop chem up - the differen ce is o n ly in d1e appearance of the end product.
Here 's how rou make chi s quirky South African jam.
Add aU the ingredients ro a pan and bring to boil Reduce h eat and cook till the sugary wate r begins co thicke n and fo rm s a syrup coating the chillies and s hallots. Cool and stor e in an aircighr cornainer. Can be refrigera ted for up to a month
Traditionall y, d1e chilli jam is served as an accompaniment to grilled meats or fried fish. But it i s a wonderful accompartimenr to many lndian s tarters like potato tikki.r, vegetable cutl ets, p11koras and other sn acks. It is amaz ing when spread inside a grilled cheese sandwich; a s,veeter spin to the Indian chilli cheese roast!
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The cards indicate that that this month you will not be bored. You have a lot of things going on which will be very exciting, and you will be feeling passionate and motivated. The presence of the Fool card shows that you are ready for anything. Be carefu I not to overdo anything that may cause you to have small accidents and annoyances. Watch your temper and make sure you pay attention to loved ones and matters on the home front
The cards indicate a time when you will be feeling stressed out with relationships, and you will be thinking about how to make things more comfortable. Your partner may be suffering from health issues, with the appearance of the Moon card. There may be fear about some situations. Work will be challenging, but you will be gaining recognition and respect. There will be some Interesting meetings with old friends and you may even bump into someone from the past.
You will need to strap yourself in tight this month. However, you will be feeling totally loved, and feelings of sensuality and attraction for someone will dominate your thoughts In mid-month. Work will give you the results you require, with a possibility of promotion and recognition for your efforts. You may decide to book a holiday and be amongst nature and water. You may also look at changing your car or accommodation. You will be feeling very adventurous.
This month you may be looking at getting married, with the appearance of the Empress Card. There will be some beautiful moments when you decide to propose to your lover. You will be feeling love and contentment. However, it is very important to take care of any excesses. Keep up the physical activity to keep yourself calm and balanced and in good health. There may be a female member of the family who may be unwell, have tests carried out.
This month you will be feeling distressed about a relationship you have lost There wiU be some memories of a past love and how you could not get things sorted out. With the appearance of the Three of Swords, you ate feeling rather disappointed. Work will help take yout mind off issues, but frustrations may heighten so take it easy with people around you. Your health needs to be taken care of, with aches and pains in your body.
This month you will be feeling very happy, and sociable. There will be a lot of invitations and events that you will attend. The appearance of the Tower means that you will want to start meditation and keep yourself grounded, as it's going to be very busy. Life at home is also a little strained, as you need to keep a balance. Your partner may be feeling ·· ignored and wanting attention. Your relationship may go through some tests.
This month you need to be careful not to be over-sentimental with situations and circumstances. You will be drawn Into some discussions and family inddents. You will be taking time to exercise mote and wil l be walking and looking after your health. There will be issues at home with building problems that will need attention. Some family members will be coming to visit you. The 3 of Pentacles shows that you are doing well financially, and feeling at ease.
This month you will be in a very flirtatious mood, your desire for fun and adventure will keep you available for love and romance. If in a relationsh i p, you will need to make sure you take your partner on some romantic trips. You will be feeling happy and bal.anced. There will be some colleagues at work who will be making life a little difficult for you, so make sure you keep calm and watch how you speak to them.
This month you are feeling very restless and may wander to find new and exciting opportunities and adventures. You have a lot of ideas and dreams to travel extensively, and ideas about pastures anew. The appearance of the Ace of Wands shows that you are now on the road to making many changes and decisions about your life. You will be looking at trying to relocate from where you are currently living. An increase in finances is indicated here.
This month is all about new opportunities and meeting new people. Single Capr icorns will be meeting new partners with whom they will find a romantic connection, and will pursue a new journey together. There will be many offers from the opposite sex. You will concentrate on work and making many new p lans and decisions about business. You will concentrate on your family and children. With the appearance of the Lovers, it wlll be a great month ahead.
This month you will be feeling very excited and full of energy. There will be some people of the opposite sex who may be trying to get your attention. You will need to be very strong and resist the temptation, especially if you are married. Work will be busy and will require your full attention. You will be looking at a new property to purchase or may be planning to invest in another l and. Your fam i ly will need your help.
This month your love life will be very important to you. You will be feeling full of energy and excited, as you will finally find the courage to move your relationship to another level. You have the Ace of Cups, wh ich is a great card for relationships. Your health will be a lot better and you will be feeling less stressed and able to handle any situation that may come up. Work will be busy and demanding, so be prepared.
STARRING: Sugandha Ram, Karan, Saritha and Karuna
DIRECTOR: Santosh Sivan
War stories are challenging to narrate without being controversial. But cinematographer-filmmaker Santosh Sivan has crushed that notion to pulp with his film lnam, a war-drama which explores the lives of a group of orphans during the Sri Lankan civil war.
Without taking sides and not provoking political sentiments, Sivan tells an emotionally arresting tale of human barbarism, hope and survival. Even with a documentary style narrative, mostly slow, lnam tugs at your heartstrings and presents the story from two different perspectives.
Rajni (Sugandha Ram), a lone survivor of the Sri Lankan civil war, shares her harrowing story of survival to an interrogating officer (voice by Arvind Swamy). We are taken back in time and introduced to a group of orphans between age groups five and
20, homeless, living under the care of 'Tsunami akka: played by Saritha. From then on, the story takes us through the lives of these characters, their struggle for survival, moments of joy and a lot more. What happens to these characters during the course of the war?This becomes the crux of the story.
From celebrating human spirit to capturing the worst bomb exp losions, lnam tests human endurance on battleground. The wi llingness to survive is stronger than the fear of death. This philosophy is reinstated throughout the film, which is built around an array of anecdotes that take place in the orphanage
While the story is told to us through Rajni's past, Sivan also wants us to see his work through the eyes of Karan, a special child, who plays the role of Nandan to perfection.
Through Rajni's story, he shows us exactly how inn ocent lives are lost in a war, children are orphaned, and young girls are molested Through Nandan's story, we see that even in warfare, there's room for optimism, care and affection. For instance, in a scene where bombs are being air-dropped and everybody
h is aimless ramble.
STARRING: Pulkit Samrat, Bilal Amrohi, Anupam Kher and Sara Jane Dias
DIRECTOR: Umesh Bist ~ 'r-,,_'r):f
ucki ly, this is not an official remake of Kundan Shah's classicJaane Bhi Do Yaaron. If it was, the makers of the original could have sued for defamation.
0 Teri borrows the concept of two bumbling, very unprofessional professionals who chance upon a scam from Kundan Shah's film and turn it into an extended Santa-Banta joke It was Naseeruddin Shah and Ravi Baswani i n the original. It is Pulkit Samrat and Bilal Amrohi in this remake, designed to give ulcers to a civilisation doped on the hope that cinema can shake the corrupt through satire
0 Teri is like a stretched-out political joke where the raconteur forgot the punchline and is hoping he would rediscover it in the process ofundertaking
Samrat and Amrohi are given lines that sound like bulk SMS messages. They try to enjoy the banter. But, poor freshers, they can't really savour the unpalatable. If television anchoring was meant to be as brainless as shown in this film, then our tainted politicians would safely find alternative employment.
And really, Sarah Jane Dias doing a Bhakti Bharve from Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron? That is funnier than anything this film has to offer.
Anupam Kher doing Pankaj Kapoor's role from Kundan Shah's original, is cast as a Suresh Kal madi kind of brazenly corrupt politician who cannot be amusing unless given some kind of a humour platform beyond the ordinary rites of laughter.
Tragically, the intended satire is so frumpy and baggy that it collapses under its own weight.
is runn ing for cover, Nandan takes the effort to save a turtle. He befriends a human skull and calls it'Mr.
Frien d ; builds a strange relationship with it and even saves Rajni from her molester towards the end of the film.
lnam is backed by wonderful performances by an almost unfami l iar cast. From Sugandha to Karan to Saritha, Sivan has extracted raw performances from everybody. And the reas on the actors are believabl e in their respective roles is because they are unfamiliar.
The rea l star ofthe film undoubtedly is Karan, who entertains at regular intervals with his innocent mischief He carries the film on his shoulders and you root for him more than you root for others.
Sivan's striking cinematography makes even remorse moments in the middle of a war-zone, a visual splendour to gaze at. One particular shot that stands out in the entire film is when we see a group of foreigners leaving Sri Lanka in a hurry with a polythene bag full of fish with a dead one floating inside.
You understand this particular shot little later when in another scene, people
pass through hundreds of unattended bodies in search of cover during the war because nobody has the time to even bury these bodies.
Vishal Chandrasekhar's music helps you connect with the film on an emotional level. Even though there are three songs included merely to give the fi l m a commercial touch, it's h is background score that draws your attention lnam, coming straight from the heart of Santosh Sivan, deserves to be accepted, embraced and celebrated.
HARICHARAN PUDIPEDDI
Debutant director Umesh Bist would have done wel l to study Kundan Shah's cult classic for its contoured, sly comicality. Bist attacks the material with wolfish relish, making a hash of the politica l satire, much in the way that the Kai ma dis of politics are
doing of our nation.
Save yourself the agony of watching this masala-mix version of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron. Just watch the ori ginal again.
SUBHASH KJHASTARRING: Jackky Bhagnani, Neha Sharma, Farooque Sheikh
DIR ECTOR: Syed Ahmed Afzal
ou have to hand it to this film for making an effort to be'headlineish' without toppling over with the temperament of topicality. This is a genre never really cracked in Hindi cinema. A political drama about a young foreign-educated NRI who is forced to take over his country's reigns after his prime minister father's sudden death.
Unlike Prakash Jha's Raajneeti, Youngistaan doesn't take itself too seriously. There is no attempt here to mythicise or demonise the politicians.
Think Rajiv Gandhi. Think Rahul.. Jackky Bhagnani plays an amalgamation of many political dreams. Never mind if some of them turn into nightmares in real life (think Arvind Kejriwal). Cinema is about hope and redemption In a nation hurtling towards damnation, the
thought of some political wisdom, clarity and far-sightedness in this season of the election, is eminentl y welcomed. Young Bhagnani brings a temperance and sensitivity to his character. Wisely, the narrative never takes itself so seriously as to careen over under the weight of its conscientiousness
There is a sense of mischief underlining the very powerful message about the young shouldering the governance of the country without resorting to the stereotypical moral ity and dress code of neta-giri in Hindustan.
Jackky's Abhimanyu Kaul is the need of the hour. He is young, enterprising and modern in thought and ready to take on the political humbug headlong. He is also a considerate, generous boyfriend trying to make his somewhatoverbearing sometime-annoying lifemate understand the complexities ofthe responsibility suddenly thrust upon him.
In this season of the Lok Sabha election, Younglstaan raises pertinent questions on the quality of leadership in our country. While it gets its
STARRING: Sunny Deol, Harman Baweja, Ayesha Khanna, Prashant Narayanan, Aditya Chopra
DIRECTOR: SanamjitTalwar
apa preaches to his little boy, "Be Gandhian''. Boy turns the other cheek to a bully in school. Bully slaps our young hero again. Boy visits neighbourhood gangster Tony Mota and asks for a solution.
"Hit him back;'says Mota Tony, and instantly endears himself to the child-hero who grows up to be Harman Baweja.
Quite a stroke of luck for the burdened script. Harman brings to the narrative a residue of angst that serves the plot well. He plays a gangster who suffers constantly.
So, for that matter, do we, though for different reasons.
Debutant director SanamjitTalwar unnecessarily complicates the gangster flick with layer after layer of characterisation. Sinister characters, desperately in need to bathe, keep popping up and popping off for no other
reason except to remind us that the Mumbai's underworld has not changed much from the time when Ram Gopa l Varma madeSatya.
But while in Satya we genuinely cared for the sanguinary characters, here in Dishkiyaoon, we are too tired of the trigger-happy marauders to care whether they live or die.
The menacing characters all look like carryovers from Varma's Satya and Company trying hard to shield their jadedness with a swagger which only helps to accentuate their frozen renewability.
The characters' hands remain soaked in the same blood as Satya, no matter how hard the script tries to cover their bloodied track with streaks of cosmetic conceit. Try as it might, the narration's worn-out edges stick out of the sleeklydesigned format.
The film is stylishly packaged with some ear-catching background music (Amar Mohile) and cinematography (Axel Fischer) that fuses colour and black-andwhite in a hide 'n' seek with time.
Sad to say the impressive co l our scheme lacks clarity, consistence and
political fundas right, the plot also accommodates the central romantic conflict into its structure.
Every character, big or small, is effectively cast. Jackky as the prime ministeria l candidate, conveys a who le lot of sincerity in his performance His scenes with his dead father (Boman Irani) are emotionally resplendent. They play off well against the stark, sometime funny and outrageous reality of Indian politics.
Neha Sharma as his untameable girlfriend plays her character with intelligence and grace. This girl deserves more than what Hindi cinema has so far offered her. But it is the Farooque Sheikh as Bhagnani's quietly efficient personal
assistant who brings a tw i nkle - eyed wisdom to the table.
The film tel l s us it's okay to have dynastic rule as long as the job gets done. It al so te ll s us that there's no need to get hysterical if our prime minister is in a live-in relationship. It may not be cool for a prime minister to get his girlfriend pregnant at a time when he has a responsibility towards the nation, but if it happens, there's no need to get righteous and holierthan-thou.
And, importantly, that politics need not be a drab colourless vocation. It can be a bastion for the young.
SUBHASH K JHAlogic. Much like the film which rambles on about the relationship between crime and comeuppance but doesn't offer us one reason to believe that these characters deserve our attention.
What redeems the film's inherently fagged-out storytelling are the actors Prashant Narayanan as Harman's mentor, Sumeet Nijhawan as a crime lord who doesn't use a gun and specially Anand Tiwari as a hot-headed goon, turn in implosive performances that ignite the frames when the director is taken up with intensifying the layering process
Sunny Deol's Haryanvi accent is as
distracti ng as Harman's moustache.
But the young actor has returned to the screen with the language of languidity lending an aura of urgent doom to the goings-on. Newcomer Ayesha Khanna has a brief but effective part as the guitar-playing musician who wonders if she and the world around her wou l d ever be compatible.
End of the film, we are faced with the same dilemma. While we warm up to the film's performances and its intelligent take on gangsterism, the constant barrage of slaying and screaming leave us cold.
SUBHASH K.JHA
It was an unmagical m o ment for stars Aamir Khan, Ajay Devgn and Sonakshi
Sinha as they were winners of the Golden Kela Awards (Indian Razzies) held recently The sixth annual Awar d s honoured the wo rst actors of 20 13. Aamir won an award for his performance in Dhoom 3, while Ajay carried away accolades for Himmatwala which was also named the worst film, and Sonakshi was cited for R. Rajkumar An impr essive l ist indeed!
"In Bollywood today, the box office figures have no correlation to the quality ofthe film Our sincerest hope is that 10 years down the line, the figures wi ll be forgotten, whi le the'Kelas'they got are remembered," said Anant Singh, creative head, Go lden Kela Award s
The honour for the worst actor in supporting role went to Aditya Roy Kapoor for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Deepika Padukone, Jacqueline Fernandes and Amisha Patel jointly won the worst supporting actor (female) for Race 2
As part of the special awards, Deepika also won the Dara Singh award for the worst accent for Chennai Express
The Kel a for the worst director went to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Goliyon Ki Raas Lee/a Ram Leela
The Baawra Ho Gaya Hai Ke award went to Aam i rfor Dhoom 3
"Aamir Khan once said that he loves the Kela Awards, because all other awards are rigged Wonder what he has to say about us now," quipped Singh Dhoom 3 also shared the Ra One Award for Worst Premise with Krrish 3. Voters chose Party all night from Boss as most irritating song. But a ll was not lost. The Anti- Kela awards honoured some ofBoll ywood's good efforts like Saheb Biwi aur Gangster Returns, Go Goa Gone, The Lunchbox and Shahid
Nice to see a touch of creative reality in Bollywood!
It pains veteran actr ess Waheeda Rehman to talk about her 'soul sister' Nanda in the past tense She says she will always remember her friend of 55 years as a 'thoughtful, caring and loyal ' person, who loved to cook and never l et'an iota of professional insecur ity' come in the way of their unique friendship
Nanda died on March 25 in Mumbai aged 75, fo ll ow ing a heart attack The vete r an actress led a reclus i ve life except for meeting her close friends
Waheeda recalled her last meeting with Nanda, when they had lunch and coffee together.
"We were friends for 55 years, from the time when we worked together in Vijay Anand's Kala Bazaar After marriage, friends, specially women friends, tend to drift away as they've their husband and chi l d r en to look after But Nanda and I remained close fri ends even after my marri age;' she added.
Waheeda shared that she and Nanda were very different individual s.
"Quite a study in contrasts, and yet we were very close friends. Or maybe we were close friends because we were so different so we found t h ose personality traits lacking in ourselves within each other': explained Waheeda
Waheeda , 77, says people used to wonder how two leading actresses could be so friendly
"There was not an iota of professiona l insecurity between us Both of us believed in destiny and that whatever wo rk was meant to come o ur way, wou ld come. We were both very secure about our careers': expl ained Waheeda
"Nanda and I never discussed work. Our work never came into our friendship We were b oth down-toearth and very Indian We didn't quite fit into the glamorous image on screen We both attempted glamorous roles, but we realised it's better to do roles close to our personalities': she added.
"She was an introvert Basi cally she was a loner. She was ner vous of crowds I am a l ittle more outgoing But l i ke I said, we were like-minded peop l e We shared the same va l ues She went suddenly She deserved a l ot more than she got': said Waheeda
RIP, Nanda , may you live forever in the anna l s of Bollywood!
She's a newcomer to Tinseltown and speaks with an accent, but Evelyn Sharma's half-Indian and half- German l ineage has given her an edge in the Hindi film industry which has warmed up to foreigners over the past few years She says being a 'foreigner'in Boll ywood has been a boon for her
Over the years, the g l obally popu l ar Indian film industry has opened up
to ta lented fo reign beauties w ith open arms Cases in point are Katrina Kaif (Br itain), Jacquel ine Fernandez (Sri Lanka), Nargis Fakhri (US), Elena Kazan (Russia -born German), Elli Avram (Sweden), Lauren Gottl ieb (US), Hazel Keech (Br it ain) and Kristina Akheeva (Russia)
"It's been a positive (to be a foreigner in Bollywood). It is up to the directors - ifthey dress me up i n western, I can carry off the look well, and I can also carry the tradit i ona l look in Indian wear for an Indian character'; said Evelyn enthusiastically
In fact, this flexibi li ty has opened more doors for the 23 -year-old , who turned to acting after a stint in modelling for Britain-based brands. She was born to a Punjabi father and German mother, but her dad died earl y Coming to India three years ago helped Evelyn discover a l ove for chat, parantha, biryani and 'drama'. Evelyn hasn't been in the industry that long, her first bit role being in From Sydney With Love in 2012, but she has p l ayed a mix of desi and videshi parts since Her role as a sexy, glamorous beauty without brains in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani led to a role in the forthcoming Main Tera Hero
And in the pipeline i s Bhaiyyaji Superhit, in which Evelyn says she p l ays a cute, traditiona l, very desi girl -w ith an accent! She is brushing up on her Hindi as well , and has discovered yoga
Well Evel yn, here's wish i ng you success in Bollywood, accent and al l!
He has been wearing grease paint for over three decades and actor- producer Sunny Deal describes his journey as an actor as 'satisfying'. The 57 - year- old began his journey with Betaab in 1983 and over the past 3 1 years, he has worked i n about 90 films Sharing his experience, Sunny acknowledges that "acting is a very satisfyi ng profession ''.
"As an actor you get an opportunity to portray different characters and experience d ifferent things Acting is the best thing that happened to me As far as a producer's job is concerned, it i s to
keep the team happy;' said the actor, who recently featured in Dishkiyaoon, a gangster drama.
The film is actress Shilpa Shetty's maiden producti on venture and Sunny clarifies that he did the film because of its story. And although the actor is best recognised as the 'action hero' with the 'dhai kilo ka haath; Sunny says these are merely tags, which he can do nothing about.
"My persona has become such because of the films, but I am not like that in rea l life;' said the soft-spoken hero. "I don't like tags like action hero and 'dhai kilo ka haath: but we (actors) can't do anything. The characters that I had portrayed were strong, so maybe because of that (I have been given these tags)': he added.
But regardless of whether he's in a gangster or action-packed flick, Sunny sure lends his presence and personality to the big screen. Here's wishing him box office success with Dishkiyaoon!
Salman snippets
Salman Khan has covered almost the entire genre of Bollywood films, from drama to action to comedy. But what
his impressive repertoire seems to be lacking is a movie inspired by sport. And now the actor is keen to rectify this situation.
"I wou l d like to produce a film based on sports,"Salman said recently, at the music launch of sports-based film Khwaabb. "I have played almost all kinds of sports. I have done swimming, have played football. I even used to play cri cket;' he said, adding that "sports should be encouraged " in the nation. Salman, 48, lamented how due to lack of encouragement and facilities, sportspersons in the country are sometimes unable to deliver their best, and then face the wrath of their countrymen.
"Khwaabb showcases the life of two athletes their struggles, ambitions and aspirations, and stars Navdip Si ngh, Simer Motiani, Rishi Miglani and Nafisa Ali. When you watch such films, you realise that there are no facilities for training and without these, how will our sportspersons perform better?"he asked rhetorically.
"And when they (sportspersons) do not perform in the Olympics, then we cr iticise them and say ' You didn't
win even a single medal'. There i s no encouragement," he lamented.
Salman i s also keen that small films should be given fair release. His own movies often mint over Rs.100 crore at the Bollywood box office, but the actor feels that small-budget films deserve as much fair visibility in theatres as big budget entertainers, as they too involve money and passion. "People make small films with a lot of passion, they put their own money in it and ifthese films are not supported, then they would never see the day of light and hence, lot of money is lost'; Salman added.
The actor has earlier supported fi l ms like Chillar Party and National Award winning film Filmistaan. Well, Salman's certainly making dreams come true by supporting small quality films like Khwaabb. Good on him!
Buzz about the Bhatts
Actress Alia Bhatt, who has filmed some intimate scenes with Arjun Kapoor for her new movie 2 States, says she is an actor on screen and not anybody's daughter. Asked how her pa r ents reacted to her intimate scenes, Alia said, "Have you seen my father 's films? I am an actor on screen and not anybody's daughter. And anyway, I don't think my dad has any problem with it''.
As daughter of film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, Alia certainly knows her dad! The talented young actress plays a Tamil girl in the film, and says her character is very mature
"Ananya is much more mature She is very intell i gent after all, she is an MBA. I relate to the character. She can do anything for the people she l oves '; explains Al ia
Meanwhile Daddy, a film by her father Mahesh Bhatt is being adapted to a play by theatre and television actor lmran Zahid. The highly-acclaimed Daddy saw big sis Pooja debut on the big screen in 1989. Zahid has already created a play from Bhatt's compelling film Arth, but Daddy will be a tougher proposition to adapt.
" lmran Zahid is on a high after tast ing the success of Arth The Play. Daddy is a tough screenplay to adapt as a stage play. But lmran has the resolve to h it the bull's eye'; says Mahesh.
Let's hope the play is as successful as the film.
It's an unequal contest when one opponent has the stronger serve, and rightly so!
volley itself, but here I am dishing out another low speed second serve straight to her strong forehand.
"So you took out the garbage b ins and men checked your Facebook updates! Flicked through tl1e TV cl1annel s while seated on the sofa! Cursed and uttered opinions about the political chaos in lnd.ia!" was her account of my evening And an accurate o n e coo! A voice in my head urged me to shm up and keep a check on my stupid utterances She was making sense and I was fast numi.ng out of responses, bang on, 'excuses'.
Score: 15-40. Gome Point.
By mis stage l am well aware of my deficiencies. I am no match to tl1e skill , commitment and workload of my opponent. And rightfully sol So I plan to retreat. Withdraw myself from the bou t mat I shouldn't have initiated in me first place Bur the game point was yet to be scored
After a hectic day at work, running after our little boy and his dad as well occasionally, and getting thin gs organised in the kitchen in the evening, my w ife u sually tries to s neak in a few quiet
moments. Jl.iloments of peace, on her own. Fiddling with he r phone, watchin g something on TV of her own choic e, reading a book, or sirring silently by herself and catching h e r breath. She caUs it her 'me time' for tl1e day. Her space to regain her 'sanity' as she sometimes puts it to me, when I try and be a 'typical man' crying to in trude on tliose moments.
r often p rotest tint I 'deserve' some 'me tin1e' too. Caution, be mindful of the liberal use of the word 'deserve' wi th your wife, iL
can lead to a very complicated argument of its own, if m ishandled. A cliscussion that you can not win, ever!
So yes, I often stake my claim to 'me rune' as well. After all, Thad worked ha.rd all day. 1n my office, rbat is. "I have worked hard too Same hours, same effo r t!" she says, as she serves a strong forehand volley tight pa.st my backhand.
Sco1·e: 15-AII
I scamper fo r a quick response in indignant defence. "I came home before you and bad tea ready fo r
us," I say, valiantly stating my case. Here's tl1e response I am rightfully served "l picked up our boy from school. Did the gro ceries on my way home (wirb the kid hanging off one knee), filled up the car ta nk," she retorts. Now mat.is a 250kmph ace right through me centre of rhe court. I do not even a ttempt to return serve.
Score: 15-30.
''1 took o u t the garbage b ins," l respond yet again, a bit sheepishly this rune. I know I s h ould have conceded me gam e at th e previous
As I tried co rush out of the door having conced ed my shortcomings, I heard a final power- packed volley launcl1ed at me. I deserved i tl "\'v'h.i.le you were b u sy po n dering o ver world matters on me TV and if you failed to n otice, I did me dishes, m ade sure the kid was fed, made the beds for the night, o rganised m yself for the next day, sorted out the lam1dry, and put up ,,;, ith the ta n trums of the b oy," were her parting words. 1 did nor have a response as l hu r ried towards the door, making for a quick exit. I would n ot have attempted to respond even if I had half a response ro that She had been the better player and deserved her ' me tin1e\
Gc1111e. S et lv[atch
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