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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 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.

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.

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!