2014-06 Sydney (1)

Meet Your Neighbours

recommended Greenway to nine other friends who have since bought into the new community.

"I did t he rcse-arch and Grt"cnway had the right budget with good house and land packages. 'Lhe ease of access to lhe M7 is good for me as l do a lo t of driving for work.

Prect loves shopping. !here will be some local shops in Greenway and acro&s the road at Sydney Business Park are major retailers llke Costco, Ikea and Bunnings.

''We like lhe location and lhe setting and are looking fon.,-ard 10 emcrtaining \\1th our friends~ said Sumit.

Watch the video inlerview with Surnit and Prcel at: http://greenwayliving.eom.au/news/updates.html

Close frie nds, Sandeep Bhardwai and Karuna Sham1a, selected Greenway because 1I has exccllcnt transport access and olfors an affordable lifestyle dose lo shopping.

"Many of our friends have young famili~ with small children, and li,•ing near our friends will mean our kids play and grow up together," said Sandecp.

Walch the video imervicw with Sandeep and Karuna at: http://greeowayliving.eom.a u/news/updates.htnil

Developers of Greenway, Legacy Property aim to deliver high quail(}' master-planned residcmial communities. Gree nway offers residems a bcuer war of living, within a beautiful local setting thal is connected to fami~•. friends, local places and work

Sandeep

Come and visil the sales centre located at 799 Richmond Road, Marsden Park lo chat abc,ut hmv you can make Grrenwayyour home and your conmmnity.

f-or more in fom1at ion call 1800

www.indianlink.com.au

Let the games begin

threat. Australia is o n e of the 32 teams com peting but the expectation s from the Socceroos are low.

Hope you are getting ready for some late nights. Four weeks of riveting football in the sporting spectacle th at is the 2014 FIFA World Cup are upon us, and the so-called g lobal football crises (G FC) will surely be forgotten as some marvellous athletes bring the attention back to the spo r t.

32 teams will fight it out to be crowned world champions, as a few billion people watch. Afte r contesting six games each in the lead u p, the two top reams will comest the finals on July 13th.

Host country Brazil is just as footballmad as India is cricket crazy : no doubt it has huge expeccatio n s of its own team But not if rhe 2010 winners Spain have anything to do with it. Meanwhile, though Argentina has some wonderful players, it i s nor the most popular team in the competition and most lovers of the game are hop ing, anyone but Argentina! Of course, the Englis h press will go feral if their lads do not bring home the cup, and Ge rmany is always a dangerous opponent. Asian and African ream s will be exciting but pose no serious

\Vhile the teams jos tle for tbe positions on the winning podium, the mess which surrounds the popular sports of football and cricket will be tempora rily fo rgotten Sports and corruption seem ro have a dangerous nexus. It is tempting by the decision makers, either as players or administrators, to manipulate event~ ro tl1eir advantage, as tl1e 9uantun1 o f monies in sport these days is staggeri ng.

Countries which win the mandate to host these events need to set up infrastrucmre i1wolving billions of d oll ars Besides national prestige, it gives the local politicians an international platform to be recognised.

What needs to be managed is the bidding process, as the football world 's governing body FIFA i s discovering after the allegations of corruption were levelled against the winning bid of Qacar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar overcame competitio n from Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to be named as 2022 hosts. But the bidding process has been hie by a series of corruption claims. While on o ne hand British tabloids have l ed the charge on tl1e.se allegations, FffA Presidem Sepp Blatter has accused them of racism and discrimination. It appears that a

fo rmer FIFJ\ Vice Pres ident, a Qarari, helped lobby and paid football officials around the world to secure the bid for his counrric But w hi le that might be uncomfortable for Qatar and for FIFA, it is not clear tl1at he, o r the bid, broke any of the governing body's b idding rul es.

FIFA executive co mmittee members were nor subject to the same restrictions p laced o n bid officials, while all b id ding nations used heads of scare a n d se ni or government figures co try ro win votes American lawyer l'vlicbae l Garcia is currently invo lved i.n an independent investigation into the b idding process and j5 due to deliver his report to FIFA after the World cup concludes.

\Vbar is clear is that the rule s have not been kep t up to date with the changes in rlie management of these sports. With b illi ons at stake, the poss ibility is tbere that a delegate's vo te could be in fluenced. While the global game te n ds to unite all, the clispariry amongst the nations and voting delegates i s such that temptations to favour a b i.cl can certainl y arise. Peshaps there need s to be a weighti n g given co delegates' vores, then committees on technical , economic and social merits of the bid can minimise any b ias. Diluting the power of a few can strengthe n the fumre of the game.

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SPIRITUAL

Sydney Jain Mandal

Sun mornings 9.30am-1 1.30am

Sydney Jain Manda! now conducts its activi ties fr o m new premi ses 7/15-17Tucks Road, Seven Hills. Come along and d o your own pooja , meditation and be part of the cen t re

Detai l s: Abha Jain 0432 248 79 1 or www sydneyjainmandal.com

Sri Karya Siddhi Hanuman Puja

Sat June 28 5.30pm onwards

With the blessings of Parama Pujya Sri Gan apat hy Sach chidananda Swamiji, Pontiff of Avadhoota Da t ta Peetham, Mysore, India, Datta Yoga Cen t re (Sydney) invites you to participa t e in Sri Karya Siddh i Hanuman Puja at Reg Byrne

Community Cen t re, corner of Darcy Road and Fyall Ave, Went worthville Mahaprasad will be served after the puja Free even t All are we l come. Please RSVP to dycsydney@gmai l.co m

Details: Vikas Mohta 0434 218 587 or Santosh Vanka 0412 677 670 or email: dycsydney@gmail.com

FUNDRAISER

Pri Kumar 's Charity Fashi on Show

Sat 14 June 2-5pm

(show st arts a t 2.30pm)

This show is to raise funds for the Leukaemia Fou n dation an d is a not-for-profit event. Enjoy special performances and have a great shopp in g experience. Venue is Pennan t Hills Community Cen t re, Corner of Yarra Road and Ramsay Road, Pennant Hills (in library b u ildi ng). Tickets $35.

Details and tickets 0422 497 926 or: prikumarcharityfashionshow@ gmail.com

Book drive

Ten stu dents of speech pathology from Fli nders University, Adelaide, will be travelling to India to provide voluntary speech therapy assistance to children and families l iving wit h disabil ity They are looking for dona t ions o f new o r preloved chi l dren's picture b ooks in good condition Any donations of I n dianthemed books (eg. Panchatantra Tales) wil l be extremel y u seful.

Details: Adam Caruana 04 30 923 856 or caru0043@flinders.ed u.a u

MISC

Yoga cla sses

Series of yoga classes for children, seniors and all others Nominal charges appl y for children; seniors' classes are free Across

various locations in Sydney at Wentworthville, Quakers Hill, Pennant Hill, Auburn Epping, Homebush and Ryde Organised by the Spirit of India's community devel opment in it i atives. Limited seats, admission on a first come, first served basis. Enrol by visiting www.spiritofindia org or emai l spiritofindia2002@yahoo com

Seniors: contactus@spiritofindia org

Detai ls: Suresh 0412 202 182, Raja 0402 789 109, Sudh i r 0409 600 117.

Settlement seminar for new migrants

Sun 1 S Jun e 11 am -1pm

Federation of Austral i an Indian Associations (FAIA) is organising t h i s free event, in association with Community Migrant Resource Centre (CMRC). To be held at Granville Town Hall, 10 Carlton Street, Granville, it will cover a range of topics relevant to new migrants Limited seats available.

Details: Neera Sri vastava 0415 807 520 or Swamy Narayan 0411236953.

SydneyS a khiS a ngam

Sun 2 2 June 11 am onwards

Annual women's event Sakhi Sangam will be held at the Croatian Club, Punchbowl.

Details: Nandini 0423 684 34 0, Sushma 0411 967 374 or Preeti 0402 034 959.

Essay writi ng compet ition Australian university and tertiary instituti on students are invited to participate in an essay-writing competition on the topic Bhagavad Gita as it is. Cash prize $10,000 Deadl i ne for essay is November 28 and essays must be 2,500 to 3,000 words

Details: Satya Armstrong enq ui ri es@bga sitisessay com .au or 02 8005 6140 or www bgasitisessay.com.au

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Developing a greater awareness of workplace culture and trends in the Australian labour market

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MasterChef's Indian pressure test

Vikas Khanna has a whirlwind trip of filming, eating locally and teaching his signature meal in Melb

Irecently had the honour of interviewing Michelin.

starred chef Vikas Khanna o n his trip to Melbourne as the guest chef of Australia's Chan n el Ten Maste,Cbef ser ie-s.

Ir was a whirlwind trip of only a few days for Khanna, jampacked w itl1 j\.JastetCbef filming, as well as a bit of tun. On tile show, Khanna lead a Pressure Test cooking challenge over 75 minutes, in which four concescanrs were required co cook a Kl1anna signamre Indian dish The dish bad co incorporate mune rous traditional elements tllac he h ad learnc g rowing up, as well as some modern western elements, which he typically adds to h is cuisi ne to day. These are e lements in sp ired from bis travels and life i n the US

The dish that viewers w ill see on this particular episode is 'rose tea smoked chicke n tik.ka 111asrlin' Of the fo ur contestant cooks that attempted this dish, the l east impressive one would have co leave tile Maste,Chef kitchen

Khanna's cooking journey began in h is original home town of A mritsar, Punjab. He was inte rested at an early age in food, so naturall y, his grandmother became his first teacher. She passed on to him the traditional art of his family's cuisine. Prom then, it wasn't long before he started to share h is love of cooking with otl1ers At di e age of 17 he started h is own catering business.

Today hi s accomplishments are nu1nerous and varied, and his recognition is wide.

Khanna is an accomplished chef, restaurateur, 6ln1maker, anchor, and televis ion p ersonality. His restauram based in New York , Junoon, is h igh ly regarded and has been Michelin scarred. Over time, his passion and drive have nor dissipated ac all. This passion appears to be fundamental co his success, because he stilt works very bard, and admits chat

12 JUNE (1) 2014

owning a restaurant is not easy even with all h is success

Ocher successes include catering for events at The \Vh.ite House in tile US and amhoring many books including The Spice Street and Modern Tndiar, C11isi11e.

Producing and filming tl1e series

Hofy Kitchen i s also on this list, where Khan na takes a look at tile role d1at food plays in om spiritual lives, festiv al s, traditions,

and how cooking food and s haring food can brin g peop le, and the world closer. His successes al so include becoming a television cbef and personality, scarring in Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitcbm, and with Mardia Stewart on her sh ow, and in hosting Maste,Chef lnclia, an d soon to be staring in Australia's current series of lvfastnChef, set to broadcast o n Monday June 23.

So his brief ,"Tisic co Melbourne

came to an end far too qu ickly. Bm he was shown many culin ary delights of Melbourne thanks to the hosts of Nlaste,Cbef, Gary, Matt and George. Klianna visited seven different restaurants each day, and rook i11 some of Melbourne's highlight~ which also incl u ded so me local Indian fare. Khanna saw how much more there is to exp lore in culinary MeJhourne, as well as the rest of it, so he is making sure h e visits again.

Khanna was like many Me lbourne Indians in char he

moved away from his famil y life in India, a life that he knew, and knew what to e."pect. Moving from chat ro a bustling multicultural city, New York, where his fumre was entirely u p to his own p lan.

I asked K h anna what advice he may have for fellow youn g Indians here in Melbourne iliac have come from the east to live now in the west as he did. \X!as he ever lonely, did h e srruggle w ith culmral differences , how did he gee hi s confidence? "New York i s a place whe re everyone is fro m everywhere else," he replied. "Ever yone is a self- starter and eve r yone i s m o\7ing and creating, and that is the cultme of the place There was n o o n e particularl y lonely, there is not that sense, what you do is, you just get snick inro it, into plans and into creating a life for your self too".

To see what dish Klrnn na has decided to share wid1 the Australian viewers, tune into Maste1Chef. And we will look forward to his cecum.

of identifying and advocating for the inf@structure, land- use planning business attraction and investment needed t o gain the best outcomes for the Liverpool community from the new airport. It is critical that we maximize the employment and commercial opportunities created by the strong growth Liverpool is currently experiencing and t hat we move forward with t his important initiative.

Council will be celebrating Refugee Week from 15 - 21 June with two unique events. 'Restoring Hope'is a Tree of Life theatre performance that takes you on a j ourney t hrough the eyes ofrefugee children, t o be held at t he Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre today, 10am-2pm. A 'Working effectively with people from refugee backgrounds't@ining event will also be hel d in t he Blue Gum Room on level 5 of the Liverpool City Council office, 170 George Street on Thursday, 19 June, 9am-2pm. Liverpool would not be t he strong multicultural community it is t oday without the contribution ofrefugees so I urge residents to attend both event s. For more informat ion please email s.bhana@liverpool.nsw.gov.au or phone 1300 36 2170. Bookings essent ial.

Sydney funny man Neel Ko/hatkar entertains audiences across Oz

• BY i JYOTI SHANKAR

Walkingalong Broadway a few days ago, I chanced upon a poster on a lamp- post with au Indian face.

Intrigued , I stopped to read and saw chat it was an ad fo r stan dup comedian Neel Kolhatkar's show at the Haro ld Park Hote l in G lebe. Now chis is an o ld chestnut - Indians don't have a sense of humour. We take ourselves too seriou sly and don't appreciate jokes against ourse lves. T his is certainly changi ng, the success of shows l ike The Great Indian Cometf)' Shmv and Comet!), Nights with Kapil. Indian stand- up comedians are however a rare breed. I felt I had to see Neel perform and soon one evening I was at tbe crowded pub with abou t a hund red oth ers laughing at the r ibald jokes and bold statements of th is 20-yearold. There were gui te a few race gags and pe rpetuation of stereotypes, so atroc ious that you couldn 't but laugh at the preposterousness which Neel puJJed through with his charm

It was a brave act and some of the braver audience members were obviously enjoying themselves be ing d1e burr of the jokes. A yoLmg man from 1v[ounr Druirt too k all me jibes at his s u burb a nd the generalisations about being from 'our west' in good humour, as did the o lder gentleman iu the front row: Neel had a way with all age groups and many of his fans were familiar wim his s tyl e of humour fro m his immensely popular YouTube ,ndeos His crowd interactions and confident stage presence were a mazing for such a ymmg m an ; some chinks of discomfort guickly covered up w ith yet another disarming statement o r wi secrack r eel i s described as a YouTub e sen sation ever since his dip Amtralia in 2 A!Ji11utes, ,vem viral. It collected over a mil.lion views w ithin three days of release. Specialising in imitations of accems and cultural representations, Neel u ses his observations of society and h is

surroundings very cleverly a nd delivers h is performance in an an1iable style. His comedic CV includes a nm at the prestigious New York Comedy Festival

last year, one- man show at the 20 12 Sydney Fringe Festival, perfo rm an ce at the GENeration comedY- in Melbourne and Sydney, 130,000+ YouTu be subscribers and 200,000+ Facebook fans.

Summarising his Indian links in hi s very Australian accent, Nee l said " In te rm s of my heritage, lam a third genera tion lndian; grand -d ad came to Australia in 1962 He was a statistic ian :Mum was t\vo when tl1ey moved. l was born here in 1994. The extent of my know ledge of Indian languages is limi ted to a few phrases of Hindi and Marathi".

He will u nd erstand s the identity issues of yo ung people from migrant families - being and feeling rocally Australian but being slotted as an Indian based on l ooks It does 11m bother him personallr but he says, '1c can be co n fusing and not entirely be neficial an d that's something I do try to explore a little b it in my performances. I don't try to focus on that a Im though. ] do a few L1dian jokes now and then and m y YouTube videos have a few character Aogs like the typical Indian father".

Carefu l about not wa n ting to be boxed as an Indian comedian and lim ited to doing Indian jokes and accents, Neel says he is more versed in talking abom his observations of Australian life an d cultu r e

So how did he launch into co m edy? He laughs when asked from whom he inh erited his fun n y bone. He discovered in his early teens that he had a knac k for comed y Hi s performance at Class Clowns, an annual search for Australia's funniest high s chool stud ent, gave him di e Winner of Class Clmvns 2009 crown Wi n ning this competition made Neel realise that stand-up comedy was someiliing be wanted co keep pursuing. He admits tha t he always w anted to be a performer, " It didn't matter whether it was film, stage, theatre or comed y, I just wanted to be an entertaine r"

He realises the power of tl1e lmeroet and Yo uTube for people of his ge neration and reaches o u t to his audience primarily

thro ug h this medium. He has had co defer h is studies of Economics at Sydney University as live shows and making YouTube videos for his comed y channel t al(eS up all of his time. After HSC, he took a gap year to travel co LA, New York, London and Monrreal, cryi ng out and learning mote from t he stan dup comedy circuits With his inci sive observations

- cultural groups, media, society, all prmTiding me foddereveryone cops i t in hi5 broad strokes of exaggerations and character portrayals. The style itsel f is energetic and in- your- face But love it or h ate it, cid1er way, eel puts together a memorab le performance as he recreates a comedic life from

societal obser vations Struck by tl1e e~tent of profanity, 1 ask him i f some may fi nd ic offen sive. Neel r eplies frankl y, " l understand i t can be s h ocking for some people. Youn g peop le do swea r a lot but what I do is an exagge ration.

Just depends o n th e ch arac ters I portray. I t's just whar I do, not w hat 1 condone". H e adm.its chat h e do es n 't swear as much in h.is personal Life Co ns iderate abou t the sensi b ilities o f some of his Ind.ia n Uncles and Aunties, he warns readers rhar some o f h is videos could be "off-pu t ting"!

LJ Hooker Bus iness

Hindu pontiff on Oz visit

Sugunendra Tirtha Swamiji meets members ofthe Indian as well as mainstream communities across the country

WhileNRls coday have ~ccess ~o an mcreasmg number of temples that employ priests from IncLia and offer an increasing array of religious practices, what is sorely missing is the absence of visits by Swamijis o r heads of religious institutions, a lso called M"tts.

In some Hindu sects it is believed that one should n ot travel across the oceans. W ith over 30 million NRis and many more millions visiting abroad regularly, this is practiced m o re in breach than in adherence. lt is still the case though that Swamijis from very old religious institutions rarely, if at all, go overseas

One Swamiji thought o therwise. He believed that his primary rni5sion in life is to go where the devotees are, irrespective of where they are in the world, and offer spiritual ad v ice and support. Amidst stiff opposi tion from fellow Swamijis and some in the community, he s tarted making regul ar overseas visits. This brave and far sighted Swami ji is Sri Sri Suguneclra Tirtha from Putcige Mu!t in Udupi, Karnataka.

Udupi is a famous temple city where Shri Macll1wacharya, the propo nent of Dva ita philosop hy, set up the Krishna Nf11tt in the 13th cenUtr)r. He handed over the administration co eight disciples with their own 111atha.r (monasteries) To this day, all the eight J\tfutts take charge of the worship and adm inistratio n of U dupi Kris hna temple for two years on rotation

Puctige 11N1tha is now headed by its 30th pontiff SS Sugm1endra Tirtha Swamiji. He is the President of the World Conference on Religion and Peace and heads over 35 religious and spicirual instirutions in India and abroad

In lioe with his belief that the whole world, not just India, is a holy land and chat devo tees, no matter w here they are, desen1e to be served, he bas set up tluee Krishna temp les in the USA and one in Canada.

Thanks to the valian t efforts of Sri Rag havendra Seva Samiti (SRSS) in Me lbourne,

SS Sugunendra Tirtha Swamiji visited Australia last year. This year he rnade bis second visit for over a month in MarchApcil and met devotees in Perch , Syru1ey, Canberra, Brisbane and Melbomne.

\Xlhal thrilled the devotees no end was that they go t to see and worship the 750-year-o ld Vithhala idol that has been handed over by Sci Madhwacharya and worshipped ever since at Pmtige M11tt. The Swamiji was accompanied by priests who brought the same religious fervour and atmosphere that one gets to see only in ancient Indian temples with their rencLition o f 111a11h<1s and veda patha11a. The cook that came with Swamij i

rounded up the experience witl1 the famous Udu p i cuisine. Another highlight of Sw am iji 's visit was his informal Q&A sessio ns where he replied to all the questions, especially from youngsters, with patience, affection and deep knowledge. He also met local Australians at many functions organised b y various educational institutions in b is honour. To the delig ht of SRSS, the organisers o f h is visit, tl1e Swamiji has decided to ser up a Krishna temple and Sri Raghavendrn Swam i 11ri11dt1vt11w in Melbourne in the near future. For mo re information about the mission and activities ofSRSS, v isit www.srss.org.au.

All photos: With Sanskrit Teaching School students and teachers, and visit ing Victorian Parliament in Melbourne

Novelist and coder Vikram Chandra spins a web ofprogrammer's yarn with fellow geek Adam Spencer at the Sydney Writers' Festival

My 1111iti1,g life and lf!J' life 111ith computers, in spite. of their differmces, seem mirrored, h11i1111ed. 130th al'e exp!omlions of pl'ocess, of the 1111.folding of co1111ectio11s. Both reward curiosity, dogf',ed patie11ce. A 11dper!Jt1ps it isjwt the double p resence that l cherish, of 011 and logic.

something and not entirely s ure yo u go t i t, programming i s very certain". O nc e you write a co d e you ge t "tha t lovely m oment when you run yo ur test and get feed b ack; the green tic k bur with prose you have no id ea," Chandra told Sp e ncer.

0~u:~t!:~a;ay in Sydney there was a m eeting between t he geeks a nd [he word sm ith s to hear th eir lead er Vikram Chandra espouse words of wisdo m. Fe llow ' nerd' (as stated on. his t-shirt) Adam Spencer was there co stir up tbe pot and make the awa rdw inning n ovelist a nd professi o nal c o m pu ter programmer choose a side: coder or craftsman?

The e\7e nt was 'Vik ram Chandra: Geek Sflblime,' and tbe space t:hat these two (usually) dispara te g r ou ps mer was Th e L o ft at Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay, at [he Syd ney Writer's Festival in late May.

C h a ndra 's latest n ovel Geek Sflbli111e (2014) looks a t the connection between these two seeming ly op po sed words, art vs technology In it Chandra questions w h ether code can ever be called beautiful, notes how San skri t is sim il ar to coding, a nd p o ntificates o ver why h e is drawn to both prose as well as co mputers

It's no t the first tirne tha t C ha ndra, born. in Ne,v Delh i in 1961 , has been a guest o f the Sydney Wri t ers' Festival, and this rime he shared his love of programm in g with Sydn eysiders C handra first impresse d th e literary world with h is deb ut novel Red Earth and Pouring Rain (1995); won the Co mm o n wealth \'.\i'riters' Prize with his second o ne , Love a11d Longing in B omhtry (1997) and then c o ntin ued co woo reviewers with Sac, ed Ga111es (2006).

And n ow th e re's Ch a ndra's first woi:k of non- fi ctio n , Geek .\"11hli111e, o r as it is pub lis hed i n India, 1'1irrored Mind: 1\t[;, Life i11 Letters and Code The woi:k is part memoir, part literary theory and part smdy of [ecbno logy And t he to ne, well, it's also quite d iffe rent fro m his previous works. He explores his two worlds in this n ovel, which is almost a sei:ies of essays He writes:

20 JUNE (1) 2014

So where d oes this geeky s id e come from, Spencer as ked the lndian author. Chandra explained that after he g raduated from the Univers ity o f CaJifo rnia he moved to New York, where he became obsessed wit h p laying with PCs.

Nor onl y di d be enjoy ir, he "lusted after" t:he m , a nd t heir " b ig hard discs," h e cheekily stated. He even went so far as to describe the App le II as the "sexiest computer," with its functionaJ elegance. An d so Chandra ,vas hooked.

According to Kirk11s Revic//ls (USA) Gerk S11blir11C is "an engaging exercise in inte rdisciplinary thou g ht, both el ega m and eloquent," wh ich is aJso how I wotLld describe the festival discussio n . C handra and Sp enc er h ad the entire audience's attention capmred throughout the talk Th e novel an d rb e talk both delved into di e hi stor y of coding, the stereotypes of geekdo m , linguistics, [be gender im b alance in S il icon Valley and more.

Chandra's latest novel came about during a pause while h e was writing his next piece of fiction after Sacred Games Instead of waiting for the i ssue. with bis work o f fiction to be resolved, he ende d up writing 20 or 30 pages of an essay on the ctLl tme of program m ers, and it grew from there.

Chandra de scribed tbe act of writing as "not p le asa nt," b ur for birn " programm.ing has worked as an escape from that".

"In computers I can complete ly lose m yse lf," said Cha ndra.

In prog r amm i ng, the computer is the game, but with writing, Chandra qu otes Robert Ha ss who sai d , "It's hell wri ting, bur it's h ell not w r iting. The onJy tolerab le. sta re is ju st having Wl"itten".

He went on to describe program m in g as having a d ifferent level of absorption

"After a day of literary wor k, whic h is ver y ambiguous , when you are always search ing for

With books, o n the other hand, C h a ndra believes that "after it c o mes o ut, it di sappears Th ere 's no thing certain about it"

In Geek Subli111e h e fur[he rs tbis idea:

1\tfctki11g softl/larr g,111e me 11 littlejolt 11fjqy each ti1J1e a piece of code worked the world jell atVt!_)\ vry botfy 11a11ished, ti111e receded y ou can s/0111 thispleas11re spoke intoJ'Oll r vines ag11i11 a11d again, and yo11 want 111ore, cmd 111ore and111ore.

Adam Spe ncer asked C h a ndra , " \Vh y is writing simple c ode so hard?"

" B ecause of the startli ng elegance o f the sim plicity of computers," replied C han dra "Yo u can ma ke logic gates ou t of even !ego bricks," bur is ver y difficult to wri te coding with n o bugs

"You can have moments ,vhere a sen[ence c rackles th rough" in fiction, whic h is beautifu.l , but with code the "clarity and expression o f code is beautiful," Chandra explained.

"Th e beauty in code," h e noted, comes from it being " c oncise, S[ructured and Lingui stically Aexibl e, and as such, many p rogrammers see their work as a creative practice, akin to c reati ng music or Literature".

"A line of code can be perfect, but prose can n ever be," Adam Spencer n oted o n die top ic.

T he re was a lso talk of th e " architectural elegance of machines" by both Chandra and Spencer, who yo u might kn ow from Trip le.], ABC Radio and T V programs sucl1 as The Sleek Geeks Cha ndra observed th at w hile. writing fiction, his "first draft wi ll lack archirecnuaJ co h e r ence and shapeliness," but that he has the same sel f-doub t when writin g and programming.

However, he cl aimed , programming is n ever painful like writing is W hile writing fiction, he

feels a "fracture tha t leaves raw edges exposed"

"AJl virtues one associates wi th writing can be applied to code," Chandra mentioned m Spencer, as he described t:he process o f both struggling d1rough code or words , and the ex act same rewriting process.

"So m e say hackers are the sam e as artist~ ,,

And yes, h e has the "same eureka moments in the middl e of tbe night with progra m ming and wi:iting fiction".

Proi:;ramming is a "weird, m acho, blokey enviro nm ent" these days said Cha n dra, despite programming's roots

b eing a female secretary's task

In te restingly, in the Sydney audience, the m a jority of those. who id entified themselves as being programmers were women

At t he end of t he talk, during Q&A time, a fe male audience m e m ber ech oed Cha ndra's own dilemma of the culmre o f scie nce and tbe arts, as she is a singe r as well as a voice scien tist. She asked Chan dra, " Do you think tbis book resolves tbis dilemma?" C h andra answered b y saying that t he l)ook was h is des ire to attempt to exp lain to his wi£e (Melanie) what he spends hi s time d oing

Anotl1er audie nce member who

describ ed herself as currently lh7 ing in Bombay, described Cha ndra's book s as "a kind of code, go ing back a nd forth"

Cha ndra agreed with this and furthered explained that his interest in a wheel-like stru cture with repetition " is common in south east Asia"

In h is c o ncl usion in Geek Sublillle C h andra wrj tes: A[y jictionprolifel'tltes doubles, ro11pli11g,; ,,lter egos, lqyer.r IJ)ithi11 lr9'en. "\Xlri ters and programmers ultimately do very different things, and tha t's pa r t of th e argument of the book," said Chandra.

"All language is potentially suggestive," Chandra believes With coding ambiguity can be disasu:ous, however, w ith pro.se i t can produce depth, or rasa (aesthetic pleasure). Chandra now codes as a hobby and is currently wor king on his n ext book, wh ich was tl1e one tl,ac was interrupted by writing Geek S11bli111e

" Should everyone be caug ht code?" Spencer asked Chandra.

Chandra replied, "Everyo ne s hould be provided t he opporrn ru ty and cools to p lay with code and explore, but n ot everyo n e has to actuall y code".

Fo r most write rs, compmer programs are merely tool s used to

mak e work easi er.

Chandra describes fiction as his vocation, bur coding as his obsession. He would rather code, but he describes not wri ting as not even an option. Without writing he becom es cran ky, so his "\Vife sends him off co write (fo r a whlle) So that answers Spe ncer's q uestion Chandra .is LLnable co cho ose just one, as they are both a part of him - one an obsess io n, a nd one essential.

Just as Cha ndra reaches a reconciliation between geek and literature, east and west, Iain Pears in !us review pub li shed in The Telegraph (UK) writes:

The effect qf code, Iike that of literal//re, goes bryond language to

,·econstmct comcio11s11ess itse!f Fom,a/ elegance in both is almost secondary: it exists, 110 doubt, and can be· analysed Cbandra pers11a.riveb1 mggests that the tme heaury lies in 111hat it does to m, al!mving rJCCPSS to the 111ifit!homah(y vast, tmd changing the world lt is la n guage chat b in ds the two togetlier; tlie language of computer cod ing and the language of prose. Chand ra seems to be master of botli A nd for Chandra co make both top ics inte resting at tlie Sydney Writer s' Festival i s another feat he quite capabl)' handles, wit!, a little help from Spencer

Young architect William Chan utilises his passion for the built environment to develop global communities

Youog architect William Chan demon strates how the sharing of kn owled ge can result i n the deve lopme n t of innovative solutions to global issues

'William, named o n e of A u stralia's Top I 00 Brightest Young Minds in 2010, recently recei ved tl1e 2014 Snid ent Prize for the Advan cement of Architecture from tl1e A ustralian Instimte of Arclurects.

His aclueveme n ts are spectacular for one so young Besides being a Future Green Leader for the Green Bui lding Council of A L1stralia, he is also a yo uth mentor for the Museum of Contemporary A r t in Sydner.

His passio n for socially and environmentally sustainable architectme has take n mis young A u stralian, origin ally from Hong Kong, around the g lobe assi sting communities in need.

William grad uated from t he Univers ity of Syd ney with tl1e Convocatio n Medal from tl1e Faculty of Archl tec ture, D esign and Planning and received a faculty sch o larsh ip to participate in a n inter-disciplin ary design program called G lobal Studio.

Global Studio is an action research program witl1 students, academics and professio nals from all over tl1e wor ld that use a participatory design process to facilimte projects.

W illiam 's first expe rien ce was at D iepsloot, a slum in Johannesburg. This project opened his eyes to how arc h ite cture could positively influence p eop le a nd tl1eir livelihoods.

His continued involvement with G lobal Studio gave William the n ext opportuni ty to coordinate the program in Bhopal, India

Here William was part of a team d eveloping an urban ren ewal master plan with a p rocess of ind epth community consultation.

"\~orkingin Bhopal and visiting other places in India was an incredible and eye-opening experien ce for me," William said

The inter- discip linary project that William was part of had six di fferent groups working in tl1e Bhopal slrn11s. Students and pro fessionals from arorn1d the

world - Europ e, USA and Asia from the areas o f architecture, business and Jaw, worked in designoriented projects o r researchoriented projects, covering different aspects

William's group loo ked at th e master p lan of Bhopal. They studied tl1e n ew a nd old p arts of Bhopal city, examining how th e distinctive lslanuc side and H ind u sides worked together.

One to One Wall House at the Ven ice Bien nale

why tl1ey enjoyed the space.

They partnered wid, the local university, Maulana Azad ational Institute of Techno logy (MA1 IT) who hel ped the overseas guests with interpreting, as well as research

The high lig ht of t he whole process was irs culmination in a festival called IV'e are 13bopal, which encomaged people who live in Bhopal ro share their .ideas for the city.

"We held a community consultation , asking children and adults to d raw o n m aps of Bhopal an d put down their id eas," said \ Xi'illiam, t he memory of t he interactions still fres h in bis mind.

"We showcased different id eas to give me communiq, a n idea of how a p ublic sp ace could change. We did .illustrations and computer renders to show the 'before ' and 'after' of possibilities, so that they could start talking and discuss tl1ese ideas".

So did the project get im plemented after the overseas visitors returned hom e?

William regrets tl1at tlu s was unfortunately not the case.

"Attempting t o change a city is a l arge scale project," admi t ted William.

They presenced tl1e p lan to the local government bu t he said imp lementing it would be a long, hard process.

He found tl1e lustory of Bhopal fascinating.

"lt was amazing to see how the city recovered following the Unio n Carb ide disaster and seeing how it has impacted the community," he said.

As part of the process o f develop ing a master p lan for Bhopal, his group went around t he public spaces of the c iq; talking with residents to find out how a nd

"At least we were able to initiate som e discussio n around how to make t he city better and ,ve in volved the community .in th is pwcess. I fee l i t is so powerful if we actually sp eak to th e people They will tell yo u wbat they need, we just need to ta ke d1e ti m e to listen and find out the best solutions," h e said hopefully.

Vol unteering wi th World Vision and having worked in aid

and development, William met many p eople who bad previous ly traveJJed to India.

"\~hen I was leaving, they warned me ab out how incredible and crazy India is While 1 was over tl1ere l could undersmnd \vhy!' '

Besides Bhopal, he travelled co Mumbai, DeJh~ Agra, Varana si and C handigarh.

''Chandigarh was a lu ghlight for me as i t was designed by ilie famous arclutect Le Co rbusier and it was interesting ro see how architecture and d esign changes tl1e ,vay people live. Here was a city which was completely planned and I n oticed how different it was from ilie r est of India. People followed road r ul es and respected me environment," he said.

This reiterated what William p a ssionately believes - an architect can create an environment tl1at inRu ences d1e way people live and behave, through d es ign.

In 20"12 \'l:'illiam also received a scholars hip to participate in ilie In ternational Exhibition at tl1e Venice Arcluteccure Biennale, the worl d's m ost p restigious architecnire festival.

Here he helped Anupama Kuocloo, an Indian arclutect now based in Brisbane, build a low impact house b ased on her o,vn home at Auroville in Pondicherry.

'°I was captivated by Dr Kund oo's passion in sustainability and genui ne advocacy for social .inclusion within arclu tecture, particularly how she re-interpre ts tradition al design, mate rials and skills," said William.

His experiences in Bhopal and around the world, h as given the young man directio n for wha t h e wants to aclueve in the funire

Global Studio students in Bhopal, India

Hamsa Venkat's Bharatanatyam troupe prove yet again that they live to dance

Hamsa Venkat has done it agai n Having successfully infused the classical Indian dance scene in Syd ney with new ventures, freshness and enthus iasm , her latest production Pra11t1 was another breath of fresh air.

A bouquet of dance items contributing to the theme of pmna, or li fe force, three of Harnsa's students Vidya GokuJ, Priya Murali and Govind Pillai performed in this presentation.

The provisi on of live m u sic formed another attractive feature, with Krishna Ramarathinam (vocal), Pa!Javan l agendran (mridangam) , Narayanan Ramakr.islmana (violin) and Harnsa Venkat (nattLNanagam).

There was great clra.rna in the item Aba!Ja Moksb,1, based on the well- known story of Ahalya who is turned imo stone by her husband, the sage Gauthama, angry at her dalliance with Lord lndrn. It i s left for Rama to place a foot on the stone that is Ahalya, and bring her back to ber form. Dancer

V idya Gokul\ interpretation of Ahalya was simply astounding, especially as it was performed to instrumental music only, provided b y the hugely talented Mohan

A yyar on symhes iser. The absence of vocal s did not seem to matter at all, with the m u sic actually heightening the mood in this tale.

V idya particularly excelled in tbe moments depicting the wrath of Gauthama and the joy of Aha.lya as she regained her physical form.

The Krishna leela Jr1gtll1111oba11a11e Klis/ma was a total treat to the audience. This celebrated kriti in Kannada speaks of the three great episodes, the Lord begging Bali co g ive him three "feet" of land and thus grant him moksha; Tv,/i11ga Mardbana by r<.rishna and the deceitful play of chess by Duryodha.na with Dharamaraya, and O_ra.upadi's vastraharana and Krishna's intervencion to give her Akshaya Vasana. Each of these episodes is symbolic and holds

deep significance. Lyrics presented in p leasing ragas b y Krishna, nattuvanga by Harnsa, and the clever mix of nritya and abhinaya by all the three dancers elevated the experience. There was a quick show of Dashavatara as well In the Bali episode, Ortdu padava bho0111jya 111e/001i, ond11 padadi gaganavttt1aled11 made for fantastic abhinaya. Following this, Govind gave a pleasing portrayal of Kalinga Mardhana. In the dece itful chess episode, we saw a good interplay of light , bringing out the expression on the faces of dancers

Confluence of tbe ieevathma and the paramathma became the theme for Joo/athi &dha presented

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by Vidya and Govind. Radha and Ki:ishna are eternal lovers; there is no end to their p layful activi cy. \X1e saw some beamiful poses of Radha and Krishna in this item. The Abhinaya brought out the love theme effectively. The swing action enacted and light display w it!, colour changes added to the beauty of tl1e presentation.

Brocbeuarevamra by Vidya was wonderfull y expressive, especially for the line Seetabapathc, 11apai 11eekahbi111ana11m leda? ln the following item Shakti Swaroopam (D111ge Durge) , roudra was oozing om of every movement of Govind. Indeed, one fek, ·'Durge is reall y blood thirsty".

Music is an essential parr of dance. Tn tllis re.speer Krishna

Ramaratl1inam proved that he is a mature singer for dance. His range and modulation were both very effective. On e shotlld be pleased to note that he is born and brought up in Sydney The other musicians too did an admirab le job.

What was important was that the performance took the audience away from the Sydney surroundings to some hnJerspace, one of divitliry, a,s arc always s hould. The dances were so beautiful that the language of the lyric s seemed to be no barrier to the artiscic experi ence.

The staging raised fonds for orchwest Disability Services, and was supported by V i swa Hindu Parishad, Sewa Internacional and Sydney Veda Patashala.

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Acclaimed Indian danseuse Chitra Visweswaran tours Australia with her latest production

male counterpart portrayed tl1e various moods of a ferocious Shiva. le is unusual co see a male and a female dancer pottraing mis androgynous form o f the lord: yet their perfectly co-ordinated moves successfully conveyed tl1e feel of Ltn.ison , of one single entity.

(experience) become an a11ubh11ti (a unique realisation where one gains new uoderstanding)?

When it meets with chat divine handshake!

This is how Padmashree Chi tra V isweswaran introduced her production A,111/Jhuti, which was staged as part of the annual Soorya Festival held in Sydney in early J1me. And in every sense of the word, it was uuly a divine experience!

Initially commissioned for the Opera de Lille, France, in 2011, the Syd ney tour of the show was eagerly awaited by fans of classical dance and music.

Beautifully crafted in tbe traditional Margam fom1at of Bharatnatyam, che production was an effortless blend of Auidity of motion, wi th tl1e nuances of expression pushing the boundaries of the dance fo rm The concept of the divine experience was beautifully illustrated wid1 excellent execucion, co-ordination, mellifluous music and to top it all, power- packed performances from six talented dancers.

Appropriately introduced by rl1e legendary dancer herself, each segment of d1e show carried a soul of its own. The first segment was an myali (an offering) to the Hindu trinity, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - d1e Creator, me Preserver the Destroyer respectively It constinited a combination of ttdt1v11s (basic steps of Bharatnatyam) and rhythms. The music, a mixture of mgps, sounded vibrant w id1 a percuss ive Jhum;h1m/ iliroughout, as a perfect accompaniment to me celebratory dance.

Exploring d1e concept of the cosmic whole in the androgynous for m of Ard.hanarees hwara / Ardhanaareeswari, the show was slowly bm s urely on the take-off to great heights In the brilliant por traya l of the two halves Sakti and Siva d1at constitute the archetypal 'whole ' , the dancers were so synchronous that they perfectly complimented one anod1er. The female partner stayed beautifully calm and collected, whereas ber

The d1.i rd and central piece of traditional B haraU1atyam performances, called the Padt1Vanw111, incorporates tl1e essemial elements of mitta (i:hythrnic, abstract dance mo ves) and 111-itlzya (band gestures and facial expressions) And here, the legendary Chiera Visweswaran had crafted a segment that illustrated the nine moods of Indian aesth etics, the Navrasas, with reference to die Goddess Shakti. The music that accompanied was captivating, gorgeously composed by violin maestero Lalgudi Sri G Jayaraman, set in Ragamalika and Adi Talam.

The next segment was exu-acted from P1u·andaradasa's kritis, and this particular portion addressed Vishnu in d1e form of Krishna, the flute playing avatar. The dancers asgopis (rnilkrnaids) passionately enacted ilieir individual association with the young Krishn a. The ecstati.cgopinvere lost between the feelings of fondness

towards a child and affection towards a lover. As they stood i.o a group jointly en acting their feeli ngs for Krishna, they created one of the most memorable moments of the sho,v, perfectly blending me sensibilities of stagecraft and lighting to create a dynamic posel

The "lullaby" by the legendary dancer herstlf; at the ver y end, was ju st as evocative. As she sat at d1e centre of the stage cuddling an imaginary baby, there was an effortless efflux of eo10tions: she p layed with the little Krishna, demonstrated his lee!ttS (games) and sang him a lullaby. Even as l s u·uggled to rake my eyes off her, I was distracted by a young mtu11

wiping her tears of joy; a telling comment on me sheer power of die talent on stage. lt was a defining moment indeed, when d1e show moved from being extraordinary to exorbita ntly beautiful!

Flaw wise, asking to take a

break for dinner before even the show s tarted was not somed1ing many an1ong the eager audience appreciated. A n d tl1e speeches before the show seemed to have lost that beauty

of crispness. These mi.nor issues not:wiilistanding, it was truly an amibhuti: a unique experience indeed!

tri ute ore

Singer Aditi Gupta helps fecilitate a treasured icon on his 153rd birth anniversary

The Bengali Association of NSW (BANS\X') celebrnted Rabindranath Tagore's 153"' birth anniversary (9 May 1861) recently at tl1e Pennant Hills Commun.icy Hall.

The renowned Acliti Gupta of Kolkata, d1e artist invited for tl1e occasion, folfilled the yea rnings of those gathered to listen to some authentic Rabindra Sangeec in the traditional sty.le.

Aditi has been exposed to Tagore's works since childhood.

Lltde did bee mother, wbo senr her to Daksginee, a noted R.'lbindra Sangeet instin1tein Kolkata, know that Adi ti would go such a long way in chis particular field. She performs regul arly on All India Raclio and on various Bengali TV channels. She has received many awards like the Dakshinee Puroshkar and Sunil Kumar Roy Smrici Pmoshkar. The songs she chose for the evening were mostly popular ones such as O-aa111ar desher 111aali (0 my native soil, I bow my head to you in deep obeisance); Bhalohashi, hhr1/obmhi (I love, I love), Sokhi aandhm ek.ela ghart' 111011711a11e na from Shapmochan (I fail to content

my mind, 0 darling, iu this dark lonesome home) and the very wellknown P11ra110 sei diner katha bh11/bi ki re hai (How can you forget the good o ld clays, cleat} Aditi has a sound understancling of the chemistry of the lyrics and the nmes of RabincL:a Sangeec, and has the seasoned singer's uncanny ability to transmit feelings through her vo ice.

"I am truly indebted to my Guru, the renowned Shri Rano Guha Thakurara, who inspired me to immerse myself into the wtirld of Tago re's music," Acliti said later.

Acliti's word of advice to others interested in Rabindra Sangeec, was to engage with the arr form extensively and learn the various facets of it i n full detail, in order to bring out the best in themselves.

Eatlier in the evening d1ere was a .fine clisplay of talents from local artists, including very yo=g singers and dancers who stole the hearts o f the audience with their enthusiasm and performances I was particularly impressed b y Sanclip Bhattacharya and Barna.Li 's renclition of Kunti and Karna's exchange of dialogues iu Mahabharar.a. Apparently Tagore

re- worked on o ld stories from the J'vlahabhomta and &om Buddhist lore so mat they resonate in modern times. The dialogues form a dran1acic encounter between a fostered son, Karna and h i s long- lost birthmod1er Kunri, set against tl1e backdrop of the preparations for the great war between the rivals, tl1e Pandavas and the Kauravas.

For Bengalis woddwide, R.'lbindranath Tagore remains a treasured icon who will continue to inspire every aspect of their lives for generations. My o ,vn personal e.xperience is d1ar reading and rereading Ta.gore often opens up new v istas A recent cliscovery for me has been d1e influence of !slam on the revered writer. Apparently his private library conrainecl many writings b y Rumi, Sadi, Zami and Hafiz. In fact, some allege that a few of his poems in the well - known Gitmyali contain traces of Islamic spiritualism and m ys ticism. Like it or nor, even Tagore's critics do not deny that Tago re was a figure larger than Ii fe, o n e that continues to influence millions even today. Uttam Mukherjee

AnsunSujoe, 13 (left), andSrirom Hothwor, 14, are named 2014co- champions of the National

Government offices on clean-up drive

It reqLtired a new prime rn.iniscer to shake up India's notoriously slothful 'babudorn' (colloquial for bureau cracy) and clean up its shabby o ffices and workplaces

The broom is ou t. The dust and cobwebs are being clea ned out and old files and broken furniture being disposed of. At most government buildings in the capital, every comer - many littered wi th used teacups and betel-leaf stains - are being thoroughly cleaned om in keeping w ith Prime :rvtinister Narendra Modi's directive t o maintain strict cleanliness and hygiene.

This even got reflected in the President's address to parliament as an expression of government policy.

Heaps of old files, dusty and broken furniture - which had been left lying untended co for years a nd even decadesare being thrown away This was the scene at Shastri Bhavan, that h o uses some of the most important ministries a n d offices of the Government of India.

Top offic ials of each ministry are dealing wi th the cleauliness drive, something chat they failed to do in routine coLtrse a ll these years "\Y/e are disposing off all die o ld and broken furniture, all the o ld files," a senior official cold TANS, declining to be named.

"We are inspecting the rooms, the corridors, and even the toilets to ensure everything is clean," th e official added proudly ln another difference, all o fficial s report on the d ot at 9 a .m., a far cry from the unusal unpuncruality of government bab11.r (cler ks).

"Earlier, officials would come as they wanted 11 a.m ., 11.30 a.m., nobody was there co bother. Now t he reporting rime is 9 a.m. and the hours are till 6 p.m. officially, 28 JUNE (1) 2014

but most seni or offici al s stay till 8 p.m." another o fficial added.

"O n Saturdays too most of6cials are expected co report for duty if there is work. \Xlhile earlier no oue would come o n Saturday, with tbe new gove rnm ent in place all senio r officials are coming for work on Saturdays too. They work tiU 6 p.m. mostly on Saturdays," an official said.

Earlier, in Shastri Bhavan among the deparcments that we re the cleanest, were the offices of the Corporate Affairs Nlinistr), th e External Affairs M:inistry and the Information and Brpadcasting ministry. The others mostly looked unkempt. Cracked and uneven floor tiles l.ined the dark and ding y co r ridors outside the offices of t h e top secretaries, the bathrooms srank, betel leaf and gutka stain s marked the outsid e o f tl1e men's bath.rooms, and there were cobweb s in the corners of every common lobby on each floor, which was treated like no one's department, and hence, no one 's responsibility

Now char is changing, and changing ar top spee d.

''The new government has em phasised on speed and cleanliness and quick disposal of files. So everything is moving fast. Eadier, no tlung m oved for months. No o n e seemed co wo r k, or wam co wo r k Now ministe rs take d ecisions on files in a jiffy," said another official.

1n a welco m e change, this JANS co rresponden t saw the clean ers sweeping the ar ea behind where the g uards sit on the ground floor o f Shastri Bhavan - char was a lways dusty and d irty bur escaped notice of the top bureaucracy

A senior official from the Prime Nlinisrer's Office is expec ted to and do an in spection of the cleanli ness drive unde r taken by the new government. The secretaries of every ministry have been

insa·ucred to keep everythin g near and clean for the i n specciou.

" Our deparm1enr was cleaned two days ago, and heaps of files and o.ld furuiture was thrown away Each departme nt is doing it b y turns. It is good to have everything so clean ," said a woman official at Shastri Bhavan, declini ng to b e named BJP taunts Congress over reduced numbers,

Congress says NDA's agenda its copy

The BJP has taunted the Congress m1er not being able co quali fy for Leader of Opposition status in the Lok Sabha due co its low strength and hailed the leadership of N arendra Modi during the debate on the motion of thanks o n the president's address.

Th e Congr ess retaliated by saying that the NDA government's agen da was a "copy" of its plans.

The BJP arrack was initiated in the Lo k Sabha b y Rajiv Pracap Rudy an d led i n the Rajya Sabha by Finance l\1Ii.nister Arnn Jaitley.

Ri.1d y, wbo in itiated the debate in the Lok Sabha, said cbe Congress had virtually been rednced t o the scams of a regional party and did not have t he numbers to automaticallr qualify for tl1e post of Leader of Opposition

''\Ve respect regional parties but never expected that a national parry would be reduced to a regional party," he said.

He said the Leader of Opposi tion is involved in various selection processes such as that o f Lokpal and CBI director and if the gove r nment needs ro consult the opposi tion, whom sh o uld it consult. " lt is a big crisis," he said.

He added the BJP-led government will take everyone along

" The prime mini ster is a man w idi a b ig heart. Bur if suggestio n s are of the nature

in which the co1mtry has been run in tl1e last 65 years, we w ill not accept ir," be said

Leaders £ram AIADJ'.vlK, Biju Janata Dal and Tcinamoo l Congress spoke abo ut tbeir triumph in states ruled by t h eir pa.rties.

Rudy said the Congress , which had ruled die countr y for 55 years, now had 44 members in the L o k Sabha while di e BJ P which fielded less candidates than the Congress won 282 seats.

Rudy heaped praises on Modi in his speec h for scripting the BJP's 1mprecedemed victory in the election and described him as di e party's furure.

He said the best way to predict the future was to invent it. "BJP workers have invented Naren dra i'v[odi and that i s our futme".

Rudy, who spoke about t h e distance covered and the number of rallies addressed by :Modi during the e lection campaign, fac ed frequent interruptions from opposition m embers, particul arl y those from the Trinamool.

He said Gujarat gave die counter Mal1atrna Gandhi and Sardar Patel. "This time, it ha s g iven a development man"

In t h e debate in the Rajya Sab h a, Jaitley said the burden on the new govern ment would be higher as peopl e have huge expectations from ic.

Taking a jibe at the Congress,Jaitley said they started believing their own propaganda " They (Congre ss) were believing their own propaga nda If you h ave done 90 percent of what has to be done, we have co do very Ii ttle".

"(Th e) verdict agains r you (Congress) is not because people were angry about tl1e balancing 10 pe rcent wo r k, it is abou t the state you left the country in," Jaitley saicL

He also said there was nothing like cop yright o f ideas and Indian democracy was now evolving Leader o f Congress in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the government should put a time limit to the promises made in President Pranab Mukherjee's address o n 9 June

"You d o u't have time-b ound programmes I request tl1e government to tell wh at they can show a fter one year or 100 days as against what they will do in "lO years. The y are forgetting that the report card of ever y govern m ent comes after five years," he said.

He said rnany of tl1e schernes and promises made in tl1e president's address had already been introduced by t h e previous UPA government.

He said if tbe BJP could go co 282 from two seats (in 1984) , the Co n gress could again cross 400

Kharge's party colleague and Leader of Opposi tion in Rajya Sab h a Gbulam Nabi Azad said the parry was prepared to play t he ro le of a constructive oppos ition

"The speech is a copied document, bur you cou ld have hired someone wi th better command on English co chan ge the la nguage of the document," Azad said.

Meanwhile, officials said Lok Sab h a Speaker Sumitra Mahajan wiU take a decision on gran ting Leader o f Opposition status co Kharge.

Women-centric proposals welcome, but implement them: Activists

In the recent pasr, horror tales of rap e, sexual a ssault and molesracion have plagued the coLtn try. At such a time, women, who have been shaken co the core, "welcome"

Spelling Bee in the US

government proposals like "zero toletance" for violence against women, a mass campaign for saving the girl child and enabling her education, and a commitmenL providing 33 percent reservation to them in parliament and state l egislatures, albeit with skepticism.

Young women and activists, however, assert that all these promises will only make sense if they are implemented.

"They are the need of t h e hour:' said Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research (CS R), a GO working for the empowerment of women and girls

"We tend co think that where laws are in place, there is less possibility of violence against wome n However, such is not the case. Almost 90 percent of women still feel unsafe in our country and we should have stringent laws and an implementing machinery in place ro reduce violence against women," she added.

The government has declared its "zero to lerance" of vi o lence against women, and said it was committed to providing 33 percent reservation to women in pa rliament and the state legislamres.

Addressing a joint sess ion of parliament, President Pranab Mukherjee said that the Narendra i\ilodi government will strengthen the criminal justice system to provide for effective implementation o f laws in tackling crimes against women.

Twenty-six-ye ar-old Pooja Raman, a lawyer, said that it is high- tio1e such promises see the light of day.

"It is about time promises become more than just assurances and l am convinced that the new government will fulfi Uirs promises. But, we as the public should also play a proactive role to hel ping them implement these programrnes," Raman to ld L\NS

However, N idhi Gupta, feels tbar unless there is greater understandiJ1g of social mindsets "which is the root cause of such atrocities agai nsL women," none of this can be seen as anything more than " lip service".

"lt is critical to change t he way peopl e tbin.k,'' the 27 -year-ol d Mumbai-based jou,nalist asserted.

The pres ident also said that the government is committed to Beti Bachao - lleti Padhao (Save the Girl Child, Teach the Girl Child), and will latmch a mass campaign fo r saving the girl child and enabling her education It will structure a comprehens ive scheme, incorporating best practices from stares in d1is regard"

Ruch ira Gupta, founder and president of NGO ApneAap Women Worldwide, says that it is a "good step", but added diat women parliamen tarians need to be educated to be fem ales not just biologically, but a lso po li tically, and address the issue of inequality between tbe sexes

"In the recent past, there have been \\'Omen leaders like Jvlamata Banerjee, Mayawati and J. Jayala lithaa, but they have nor done anything on rhe issue of rape. Ir is ro be seen what the nexr generation of women leaders do," Gupta tol d IANS

Gupta further questioned the purview of "zero ro lerance" and said: " I want to know if they (govern m ent) will also include things like stalking and marital rape".

Ranjana Kumar i, who hailed d1e comtnim1ent to ensu re 33 percent reservation for women, expressed the hope diat parliament wou ld soo n pass the muchdelayed bill on this The bill, which had

been cleared by tbe Raj ya Sabha, lapsed a,~ the 15th Lok Sabha could not clear iL It will now have to be reintroduced.

Ranjana Kumari, who is also d1e chairperson of \'(lomenPowerConnect (\XTPC), a coalition of nearly 1,400 women's o rganisations and individuals, s uggested a few appoinm1ents which will strengthen women's agencies io India.

'These include a strong woman Lokpal, a \\'Oman commissioner in the human rights commission, a strong and fearless chairperson to head rhe National Commission for Women (NC\XI) to protect and ford1et the cause of women in India and also a permanent woman member in the Planning Comm ission to look after gender issues.

However, there are a few, like freela n ce writer Tanush ree Bhasin who fee l that such promi ses have been made in d1e past, and what matters is whether they are delivered.

" Sev eral governmems in the past have expressed their d esire to pass the women's reservation bill bur have failed to do so. It remains to be seen if this BJP government, which is committed ro an ideology of patriarchal Hindutva, does acmally translate its prom ises into action. For in essence, the Hiodutva ideology nm s against women's empowerment an d equality," Bhasin told IANS.

Agreed Nirya Sharma, a student, who said that it is "unfortunate" th.ar women face such heinous crimes.

"Violence against women is a matter of grave concern. The recent cases of rape in Uttar Pradesh reflect the condition of women in our country. O n the one h and, we say that women are al1ead of men in almost every field, on the orber you need programmes to safeguard d1eir integrity," Sharma, 18, said.

India- US ties to see high momentum over next few months

The signals from both India and the US

are loud and clear - engagement in eve ry secror, and fast. Pushing back the slackness that had crept into the important strategic relationship over the last few years, the new Indian govern m ent signaled its keenness to "move fonvard as early as possible" ro boost ties w ith the U S.

The US too gave c lear signals before India's general elections, which gave a thumping mandate to the Nareodra Modiled BJP, that it is "very keen co move fo rward and get the relationship back on track," said sources.

As part of establishing contact, the US pointspetso o for South and Central Asia, Nisha Biswal, was in India and on Monday met sen io r Indian officials.

Biswal, who met Foreign Secretary Sujarha Singh, and other senior officials, including joint secretaries V ikram Doraiswami and Ajay B isaria, conveyed d1at the "US is extremely keen to engage with d1e new government of lndia, and will be guided by tbe pace and direction the new government takes All doors are o pen to engage, and whatever areas that India is willing co move on they are okay with," the source added.

Bodi Prime i\ifj ni srer Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj "made ir dear" that they want to move forward o n the relationship "as early as possible". Modi has also accepted an invite from U S President Barack Obama for a bilateral summit in Washington in September

l\fodi has said in interviews during the election that indi vidual incidents should nor be allowed to clo u d bilateral re lationsreferring ro the v isa ban on him by the US in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The boost ro bilate ral ties also holds promise for the India-US Defence Dialogue, that had been stalled for the past two ye ars, to be held again. India is also keen to restart the defence dialogue, especially now with a new government wid1 a new defence minister. The US, which will

host t he dialogue, too bas a new team in defence i n place

India would be along wiili the US in d1e Trilateral w ith Japan on June 23-24 in ew Delhi.

Besides, Sllshma Swaraj would be m eeting her counterpart US Secretary of Stace Joh n Kerry in the US for the bilateral Strategic D ialogue. " The nein: three mombs would see pretty high pace of momentum in Tnd o -US ties," wel l informed sources said.

The Modi government has indicated that it wants ro push trade and economic partnership with the US and "get the energy back i n to the relationship".

The US is keen to increase bilateral trade from around $100 billion to $500 billion. However decisions on clearance of projects and capacity would have to wait rill the budget of the n ew government.

The Devyani Khobragade incident, which led to a stand- off in relations, i s being sorted our through "low key dialogues".

"Enough ink and blood has been sp il t on the issue. Bod, sides are finding ways to resolve the issues it threw up, and also d1at su ch incidenrs do no t recur, said one of the sources, not wishing to be identified because of the sensitivity of the issues.

Sushma Swaraj has made clear that the national policy o n foreign policy re.mainsonly the pace and style would be d ifferent.

On the civil nuclear deal, an o fficial said that US nuclear power co m pany Westinghouse has been given a formal letter of offer in December. The process to operatio nalise the deal L~ ''mov ing forward in small packages," the source said, adding that India's civil nuclear liability law "is still an issue".

Both sides are on the same page on Afghanistan as " no one wants ro see the remrn of extremism We want stability an d se ttled government Eve r yone is looking to invest in stability in Afghanistan".

Indian artist MF Husain's works Modes of Transport (right) and Hindu Triad (left) on displa y at London's Victoria and Albert Museum. The M . F. Husain: Master of Modern Indian Painting exhibition is on until July 27,2014.

Green leafy vegetables are good for you (whichever way you eat t hem!)

Mamta Lalwani

This happened quite a while ago, back in L1dia, during my college days. J was in my furn ! year and ver y close co graduating so f decided to invite some college friends over for lunch to celebta[e my binhday. l'vfy sister-in-law offered to cook palak paneer and I thought I would whip up my famous pm1i pmi co serve as an appetiser

I felt quite good having opted for the easier of the two dishes to make. The "puris" were ready made, I onJy needed co prepare the pa11i so I came bad, earlier than usual from college and set about doing my smff. I cook ouc all the ingreclients, whizzed them through the b lender and pm them in a bowl. I got interrupted b y tbe door be ll and ran to let m y friends in.

Everyone wished me "Happy Birthday" and had brought presenrsl l got really flustered and excited. All thoughts of the p,mi pmi got shoved ro the background, as I started ripping ope n my presents.

I realised I bad promised them my famous p mi pu,i so l went to the kitchen co get it A l l I had to do was add the icy co ld water co the ground mixture in the bow l which 1 quickly clid, decorated ic w ith boondi; and ver y confident of my special.icy, served it without tasting it. One b y one all m y friends casted it and each one of them put their p lates down with a very weird express ion on their faces. The expression was an amalgam of confusion and pure clisgust! What on earth was going on? Wh y in the world were m y friends acting like I had fed them rat poisoa?

I quickly tasted it myself and wished I were dead!

My sister- in-law who was makingpalak pa11eer had ground the pcilak and some 11111salas in

a s imil.ar bowl co 11:i.ine. I had accidentally served that with the go!gappas and she in tbe mean time had come into the kitchen aad pm my pani p11ri mixmre in rbe palak paneen The outcome was two really bizarre dishes! " Palak Puri" and "Pani Paneer"! Basically there was nothing to eat on m y birthday!

There were presents for sme but was I going to give an ything back to m y fr iends? No sir! I was going to starve my friends on my b irthday ! A pa rty they'd never forget. Surprise!

Sweet daughte r -in-law

Nuzhat Rasheed

l was newly married and v ery eager to please m y in -laws In those clays there we.re huge expectations from daughters -inlaw, especially in the first couple of years of marriage.

I had onJy been married a few days and m y in-laws were coming over for tl1eir very first meal at our place, which meant they were going to taste my cooking for the very first time. I am a very good cook, conlidant of m y culinar y skill.s, but on tliis occasion was nervous nevertl1eless because it was my in-laws l had to impress.

I had decided to go the extra mile and prepare a huge feast. Since cooki ng came so naturally to me I never folJowed recipes.

i\liy cl ear mot!1er bad caught me all tl1e tricks aad I had made her proud. I used my instincts when it came co adding in 111tJsalas. After a full day of laborious cooking

1 was very pleased w ith the sumpruous spread.

i\'1y in-Jaws arrived very punctuall y and after tl1e pleasamries we re exch anged, clinner was served. A very strange eirpression came over their faces the moment they tasted the food. They all seemed to be exchanging glances and smil es that d idn't exactly say

"WOW" ! \Vhat were these snii les about? 'i\'lhat on earth was going on? I was so busy serving everyone I hadn't casted tl1e food yet. :Maybe it was time to do so.

1 quickly puc some food on my plate and into my mouth. \X!hy did everything taste like dessert? Oh my God! 1 had pm sugar in. the food instead of salt!

Nothing goes to waste here!

Ru Duff

I was cooking a chicken soup o n e night, along witl1 some fried chicken, as an appetiser before the mam course.

When the chicken was fried I realised there was some unused corn Aour lying around. I thought it would be a tenible waste to

throw it away, so 1 decided co u se it in the soup The excess corn Aour in the soup completely destroyed it, rendering the main course inedible to all and sundry !

My husband tried to eat it on account of the fact that be was starving. However, it was an exercise in futility becau se it tasted like goo! My kids clidn't have ir either; they hated it. I thought, rhe hell with t h is, 1'11 eat it m yse lf, but spat it out as soon as I tri.ed it. So

1 dec id ed co just tluow it to the dog. The dog examined it fro m

all side s and l ooked at me like I was crazy serving bim a clish like that! Even the clog d idn't eat m y cooking!

To salvage a little bit of corn flour, 1 had destroyed the famil y 's entire meal and wasted two chickens!

Red hot chilli aloos UzmaBeg

I was visiting my cousin in London an d decided co try m y culinary skills on hirn. He was a bachelor and a very bad cook so I had a great chance of looking

From fires to crimes against the taste buds, our readers share their stories about all things disastrous in the kitchen

really good in front of the really bad.

I decided to make aloo ki sabzi (curried potatoes). It was d1e simplest recipe and wouJd be easy, or so I d1ought!

The family cook back home had said to heat up the oil and put red chiU i powder in it before adding the potatoes. I put the o il in the pot to heat and settled in from of the TV to cm the potatoes and got completely absorbed in tbe television show that m y cousin and l were watching. After a while m y cousin said, "I sme U sometlung burning in the kitd1en" Oh dear! I bad completely forgotten about ilie project 1 had commenced!

l ran to the kitchen. The oil was burning hot and there was smoke everywh ere. I told my cousin to o pen the window and proceeded to put chilli powder in d1e oil

As soon as I threw in the chilli, the oil Rared up in to Rames! I screamed .My cousin rush ed into the kitchen. He was horrified to see the Aames and grabbed tl1e burning pot and shoved it under d1e tap in the sink. As soon as the water hit the o il the Aames burst our of control an d }ut the ceiling! 1 screamed hysterically

My cous in , realising that the apartment was going co be on fire pretty soon, grabbed the Aaming pot and made a mad dash for d1e balcony Meanwhile I was sc ream.ing hystecicaUy and waving a ve ry sharp butcher's knife i n d1e air. My cousin saw the knife coming straight at him a nd to avoid being scabbed, he made a s harp turn rig h t into the g lass dinning table which moved wi t! lus weight and jammed into the gyprock wall, putting a big dent in i t!

He somehow managed to escape a U iliis drama and make it to ilie balcon y door. The fire a larm was deafening. There was banging on tl,e front door and seconds la ter the concierge burst

into t he apa r 1ment. 1 just kept screaming unconrroliabl y throughout iliis fiasco. The fire was finally p ut out. The pot had to be lefr outs id e overnight for it to coo l down. My cousin was b leeding from having h it the glass cable's corner while trying to avoid being stabbed by m e. The landlord had to be informed about the big dear in the dioning room wall and the black kitch en ceiling, and of course my cousin had to pay for all the damage!

Oops! AJJ l was trying to do was m a ke aloo ki st1bzi.

Egg sa nd chick s Veena

Kumar

It was a beautiful cloudy day a nd my whole fanill y demanded breakfast in bed. The boys all had a day off from school and m y husband and I always SL'lttecl d1e cla y late anywa)~ so I decided to spoil everyone. They all wanted au English style b reakfast with th e works; eggs, baked beaus a nd roast Buc unlike ilie English, they wanted their eggs boiled. With at least two eggs per person it came to ten eggs in all so 1 dec ided ro boil the entire case Qf a d9ze n eggs

As soon as I put t he eggs qn the phone rang.

way I read

I read recipes tne same · \ oet to · science f1ct1on. the end and I think.

Mrs Sharma's son was in love with aJ,ori and she was devastated, an d of course 9 o'clock in the

morning was t he best rime to bring it up. I got completely engrossed in me sqap opera tha t

was Nus Sharma, The Son and His Gori. Kind of W<e The Lion, Tbe IVitch, t111d The lf:1/ardrobe! Goss ip had a scrange way of g iving imm ense satisfaction to all participants Th e eggs were comp letely out of focus bf now

and d1e screams for breakfast iliac came from up stairs were totally muffled. The only thing chat was crystal clear was th e gori dragon who was about ro enter Mrs Sharma's Li fe

The loud wail of the fire alarm made me jump our of my skin and brought the rest of t he reside nts of the house come iliunclering downstairs. THE EGGS!!! Oh Ill )' Goel! wlrs Sharma had to be stopped or the fire engines would be parking outside pretty soon! Tbe eggs no lo nger existed! They had boiled t hem selves to dead,; all the water was gone and die eggs were omv on the ceiling! Instead of breakfast in bed I h ad given my fanuly a special treat with breakfast on the ceil ing !

Ch eck ou t o ur Pinte res t board for more food fails: www.pinterest com/ indianlink/food-fails/

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OPINION India, sports underachievers

Signs are that the sport scene in India is just beginning to take on a new look

I

and target more funds to those most likely to s ucceed This is easier said rJi an done, unfortunatel y The second m ain and overriding problem in many Indian sports is the shambolic, dy sfunctional administration Greed, bureaucracy and rbe ch ance to shop in Oxford Street or the Champs -Elysees take over So what's rhe answer?

Words cann ot describe the humiliation many in India would have fdt as the world saw Shiva Kesbava.n, Nacleem Igbal and Himanshu Thakur walk as independenr O lympic p ar tic ipan ts behind rJ1e International Olympic Committee (lOC) flag at the Sochi 2014 winter Olympics instead of the Indian a·i•

''There isn't a shadow of doubt

best cricketers wan ting to be part of chis extravaganza, thus lifting standards all around What must not that without government interferen ce sport can prosper in private hands

be forgotten is that it is a move away from government into private hands chat is causing chis lifi: in standards. i\fore recently, si nce the IMG group and Reliance have got behind foorbali

ln 1983 l nd ia, with Kapil Dev 's memorable explo it~, wo n the Cricket World Cup. This lit the Aame fo r rJie cricket- crazy country that India is n ow. A major r eason for thi s was the tough, private-enterpr ise Jed BCCl that ensured rhe greatest rewards for rhe p layers, the spore and everyone concerned. Since then the IPL has followed with the colour. This is becnuse the Indian Olympic A ssociation (IOA) had been suspended b y the JOC due to interference b y rh e Indian governmen t in the autonomy of the national O lympic committee. As it happens, Shiva Keshavan l:inished a disappointing 37 om of 39 competitors in the singles luge competition So how should we react?

India bas been a perennial under• performer at the Olympic Games for many year s Th e London 2012 Olympics were, in fact, the most successful ever for 1ndia but rJ1e two silver and four bronze medals was a very modest haul i ndeed fo r a country the size of India. L1 contrast, Chi na with a GDP per capita four times that of India had a medal c.-illy of 1 4 with 88 medals in ali. So where are we going wrong?

There was a golden era in hockey, lasting w1cil around 1980, when lndia was o n top of d1e world Now we are ran ked l 0 "' from a li s t of some 7 1 participating cotmtries. And in football , which is passionately followed in a few pockets around India, we langui s h at an inglorious 152 out of 207 parti cipating counties. So how can this be. le would be too easy to criticise S hiva Keshavan and our otl1er athletes for poor performances. \Ve migh t even say the)' lack s kills,

don 't train bard enough, are not committed and just don' t possess the winning in stinct. Bur s u ch criticism would be tmcharitab le in di e extrem e l believe these young men and wom en are to be co ngratulated in following thei r passion. They have competed for their country, given their best and clese1·ve o ur tl1anks. Undoubtedl>7, rJiey would have preferred better resu.l ts.

''there has been a 70°/., in crease in TV audiences since 2010 Manchester U nited , Liverpool and otbet top foorbali tean1s are now widely known throug hout the country and the standard of foorbali is .sec to improve dramatically There isn't a shadow of doubt t hat without government inrerference spore can prosper in priv ate hands. So what bas happened?

Unfo rtunatd y, what should h ave been the best model for di e governan ce of sport has lost its gloss B C CJ bas seen beads r o ll and is an entity tl1ar is feared, with a lot of power bur with litde credibility And IPL franchi ses have been in1ploding for a variety of reasons. The saying that absolute power corrupts absolu tdy is not without foundatio n. U ntil controls are p laced on power hungry i.nstitutions tbe roller-coaster that is Indian sport will continue. So wha t's d1e latest?

Actor Abh ishek Bachchan has just purchased the Jaipur franchise of the IPL s1:yle pro Kahbll(/i team. In a recent World

Cup, 30 countries participated

Our cric keting superstars are also starting to shake up the (overall) sport scene We have legend Sachin Tendulkar

''and L i dia's men's and wom en's teains came top \Ve can on ly hope that kabbadi will feature in the O lympi cs i.n d1e near future.

Our cricketin g superstars are also starting to shal,e up the sports scene \Ve have legend Sachin Tendulkar turning into a sport impresario. He has recenrJ y purchased tbe Ko chi franchise for footbaU of die Indian Super League (ISL) and also a s hare turning into a sports impresario in the Mum bai based tennis franchi se of rhe lnrernational Tennis Premier League Not Have they really been hdped in their endeavm1rs? So what can we do for rJ1em ?

T here are basically two areas t hat ho ld our athletes bad t. FirsrJy, tl1e funding India s pent close to $1 Om on 83 adiletes ($120,000 per athlete) for the London 20 12 Olym pic Games. This contrasts with Australia's funding of $310m for41 0 athletes ($750 ,000 pe r athlete) A lower ft.mding per athl ete, eveojf all else i s egual, eq uate s to lower result~. Theo retically, on e way to overcome chis is to reduce the contingent of atluetes

to be outdone, Sourav (Dada) Ganguly, di e recent fiery lndian cricket captain, has bought a share of the Kolkata franchise of d1e ISL.

A s hake up i s definitel y trucing place in Indian sports Will in terest in cricket start to wane and football increase in populari ty ? \\'lilJ rJ1e new sports leagues be able to govern themselves without falling over? \Xiill all this rnb off on future Olympians? These are exciting times indeed for sport in India.

Two new A380 services cal I for double the celebration.

For the first time. Singapore Airlines will launch A380 services to lwo destinalions on the same day. With Lwo new flights that take you direct\), to Delhi and Mumbai, getting to India's business and cultural cenlres has never been easier.

The managers of my office put up a sign saying: "Keep the door close". Do they mean "c losed," or do they want me to take tbe door off its hinges and keep it close to me eve rywhere I go? Given their ratio nality l evels, both are equally possib le.

In rny previous office, management put up a sign on the ja nitor's office: "Cleaner room". I glanced i nside. Ttwas cleaner thao my room. Bue aren'r they all?

Some people get really upset abouc writing errors. A man angered by a mi sspelled sign outside a US government office tried ro blow up the building with a ha nd -held bomb, a news report said last year. That's crazy: You need a tr uck bomb.

Internet users freque n tly abuse me with the phrase "Yom stupid ". I usually reply: "Yeah but at least 1 can spell you're".

This annoyed one correspondent recently in to writing back: "Yom a idiot''. I replied: "Yeah but at least I can spell an". He replied: "The ir's different ways of spelling stuff moreon". I replied: "Yeah but at least 1 can spell there's and moron". He hasn't replied, no doubt becau se he is busy p reparing a truck bomb to drive around to my office.

But frankly, it's time co hold a funeral senrice for the wo rd "yo u 're". It went on my

endangered list in 2007, when a US technology firm launched a majo r ad campaign w ith a rwoword phrase: "Your on" When you have a mass ive b udget and just two words to hanclle, you 'd think you'd get both of tl1em right, but n o. The same country saw d1e launch of an inn called the Your Welc ome Inn, which suggests that three word s is WAY too mucl1.

By 2009, "your" was rep lacing "you're" in about more than 50 pe rcent of internet exchanges f monitored, and today "your" bas rrilm1ph ed almost completely. Modern dictionaries are governed by tlie "descriptive not proscriptive" pri nciple, which m eans "your" will soon appear as a legitimate alternative for "you 're".

A fune ral should also be h eld for the phrase "eve r y day". \Vhen you write this as two words, it mea ns " all the days". \Vhen you write it as o n e word, it means "mun d ane". So pop star Elvis Costello's hit song EverJ'dC()'

I lf:71ite tbe Book means "i'vfw1da ne

I Write the Book" The Coca-Co.la Company's slogan for Dasaoi bottled water describes it as a mundane drink, ,vhich is bang on target. One of the top songs su ng in churches today is called Eve(ydqy which says all you need ro know about modern Christian music

As for punctuatioll, the saddest lost apostrophe of recent times must be the one in me photo

a reader seat to me, showing a schoo l in India owned by a certain Anu Shar ma The signmaker dropped the al l-im portant apostrop he and thus the sign says ANUS ENGLISH ACADEMY Sad bur true. I once had an oolioe dispme with someone w h o told me: "Theirs nothing wrong wi tli my Brian" I congratula ted her o n her Brian's health.

B u t, dear reader, l et's face facts. T propose that we, t h e last few people on earth to still use "you're" shoul d have a Save The Apostrophe meeting in a hote l or conference centre. But PLEASE, not at the Your Welcome Inn What's the one grammar erro1· t ha t gets your goat? Let us know on our Faceb ook p age I lndianLinkAustral ia

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A!though they come from the land of Karna Surra, I ndians are n ow gammga repmariou at the dreaded Bad Sex in Fiction A,,mrd for passages of pleasure gone wrong The award's .latest rec ipient, for the year 2013, is Mani! Suri, who took the gong, o r rather the climax, with his sub atom.ic bisexual orgy The City of Devi (Bloomsbury). Aniruddha Bahal's B11llker 13 cameio a [lmmber o ne.in 2003 , a n d there have been many, many other nominees includ.ing bigwigs Salman Ru shdie and J\ru nd hati Roy

For those not familiar with Literary Revieuls annual antiaward, it was establis h ed in l 993 by Rhoda Koenig and Aubero n \'v'augh and aims "to draw atte n tion co the c rud e, badly written, ofte n perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discomage it". Lad y D iana, P rincess of Wales even prese n ted tbe award one year.

Critically-acdairned writer, professor of mathematics at a US university, nominee on th e ]\fan Booker and even sho r tlisted for the Fa uJ.kner awards, Manil Suri is now also the w iru1er of a Bad Sex Award Suri's taboo- busting book The City of Devi, his third , i s an apoc aln)ti c thriller se t in Mumbai The famous, or .infamous, de pending o n how you look at it, sex scen e comes fro m an u n usual lo,,e rr.ia ngle in cl udi ng the n arrator Sarita , h er husband a nd a young gay Musli m man. Suri m anage d co woo me judges w ith the passage: S11rely supernovas explode that instant, somewhere, in some gal.axy. The h11t vanishes, and with it the sea and the sands - only Karun's body, locked with mine, 1·emains. We streak like superheroes past suns and solAr systems, we dive through shoals ofq11arks and atomic nuclei In celebration of our breakthrough fourth star, statisticians the world over rtjoice. How could rh.is sexual explosion through time, sp ace a nd co n sciousness, involving all of tl1e ch aracters of the book, n ot win?

Indian writings ofpleasurable things between the pages win Bad Sex Awards for all the wrong reasons

Suri was n ot present to accept the award for his super charged work. Instead, n ovelist Joan Colfa1s presented it to his p u blisher Bloomsbury, who accepted it o n his behalf in London. During the acceptance speec h the sex sce nes in the n ovel were described as "unfette r ed, quirky, beautiful, tragic and wildly experime n taJ".

Aniruddha Balla.l's 2003

es p ionage thriller B1111ker 13 (Faber & Faber), also went on to w in tl1e Literary Re11ie1v's Bad Sex Award for i ts take on. sex, drugs and corruption in th e Indian army.

A part of me winning section o f me novel is:

She picks 11p " Bugatti's 1110111e11tt1111.

Yott JI/{//// her 1J1ore t1t a Vo lkswagen's steatfy trot. Sq11eeze the lllileage out oj yo11rgallon of gas. But she's eating 11p the road with all rylif!dm h!t1zi11g

Cars and sex seem to b e a ,vinniog combination in Bahal's novel, even if it does make one wo n der w h at type of a Volkswagen h e wanted? Perhaps a slow and steady kombi va n ?

Babat even decided to publish a tongue -in- cheek piece on o u tloo kinindia com regarding h is expectation s on winning the pr.ize:

My soitrce also told me that he had it on good a11thority that the winner ofthe award some years back was trailed by five beautiful and luscious women to the hotelfrom the evening's venue and taught many things by them during the course ofthe night They might have taken pity on the w riter's sex writing and wanted to enrich his experience so that he could in future do full j11stice to the subject ofsex in his works

It was also suggested that siJ1ge r Sting, w h o presented Bahal the award, would catch up wim him late r w ith " fi ve cantric sex goddesses and a b u cket of grease". Surely such a night could not possibly be topped for a writer i n n eed of imp r oving their w ritte n. sex scenes, for in spi ration alone?

Th is comment raises an eyebrow at what the sex lives of these writers who w in tl1e Bad Sex Award are really like. Bairn! comically answers this by say ing in his p iece:

Some duffers have also started walking up to me these days and

Bunker 13

asking whether my real life sex was as interesting as nry writing. 17-Je women 1 have taken aside andjotted their phone numbers down to give them some detailed answers 1be men have had their nuts reconfigured.

A lthough Bahal happily accepted t he mvarcl as a " r ebellious ges nue" for bis saucy writing, du e to h.is belief that there is too m uch censorship o f writing in India, he was also a tad peeved , as, "lots of other wri ters in India moughc m y book had great sex writing".

Following on from Suri's credenti als , it seems that critical acclain1 of the writer is no guarantee chat me sex passages they write will be any good Amo ng noteworthy winners are John Updike, Hilary Mancel,Joh n Mortimer and Kingsley Amis. A nd keeping up me lnclian tradition, we have none otl1er than Salman Ru shdie in Shali1J1ar the Clown Qo n athan Cape) nominated in 2005:

"'Let's, you know, ca1·ess each other in five pl.aces and kiss in seven ways and make out in nine positions, but let's not get cmried away".

ln reply, Boonyi pulled her phiran and shirt offover her head and stood before him naked except for the little pot offire hanging low, below her belly, heating further what was already hot

''Don't you treat me like a child, " she said in a throaty voice that proved ,-he had been unsparing in her dmg abuse

Sht1!i111ar the Clown was nominated for t he prize , despite winnin g the 2005 Vodafone Crossword Book Award and b eing a finalist at the 2005 Whitbread Boo k Awards.

Keeping Ru shdie company in the 2005 shortlist was Tarun Tejpal, currentl y in jail for sexuallr harassing a young journalist who worked at his magazine Tehelk11 T ej p al was nominated for his novel The Alche111y of De:ri,·e (Picador):

We began to climb peaks and foll offthem We did old things in new ways. And new things in old ways Any body part could be joined to any body part. And it would result in 11 masterpiece

A few years earlier, another of India's Booker Prize win n ers

Arundhaci Roy found herself nominated for her highly celebrated work The God of .lfllall Tbi11gs, for ideas such as "nucbrown breasts (th at would n't support a toochbrnsh)," alon g with "haunc hes (that could support a whole array of toothbrushes)". l remember blushing up a storm when I bad to read these passages ouc to my English lie class at uni. Wby oh why had I chosen those quotes for my speech?!

Other nominees have included Siddhant Dhanvanr Shangvi (2004) for his book The Lt,st Song of D11sk (Weidenfeld & N icolson); the Pakistani writer Nadeem Aslam (also 2004) for Maps far Lost Lo1,ers (Faber & Faber); Hari Kunzru (2002) for The b11jmssionisl (Hamish Hamilton), and Nee l Mukherjee (2010) for A Life Apa,1 (Constable).

Certainly no one can say that w r iting a sex scene is an easy task, whid1 is why so many authors, Lldian or o therwise, shy away from writing one altogether, especially with the threat of winrung this award Indian or otherwise. Writing about sex in a non-crude, non -redundant way is one of d1e hardest things to do. How much information should the author give? Or not give?

As Sarah Crown in The GHardia11 writes, " Maybe it's me, but l find d1e concentration on phys ical sensation, a whole lot sexier than an y amount of thrusting, grabbing or grinding".

Sbe also notes that "as someone wbo works hard to get it right in my own novels, I'm very aware of just how difficult it is to depict well," and wanes to know where the good sex awards are? Perhaps writing from lndia, a country thar is foil of co n tradictions abour attitudes towards sex ha s even more of a c hallenge.

A survey conducred by Men's Health in 2013 found mat Indian men are the least sexuall y active among their counterparts. Noc only are Indian men having Jess sex, tbe education system refuses

to even teach children about sex. Nirmalya Dutta on The Health Site asks, "Is our refosal to talk abour sex o r pretend it doesn't exist breeding potential predators who never realise that sex is meant to be an enjoyable experience between two consenting adults?" He concludes, "\Y/e keep on having to remind people about this but t he so-called Indian culture they keep on h:uping on about isn't even Indian, it's the remnant of 19th cenrury Victorian morality and there's noming Indian about it". Is it these attitudes chat are resulting in bad sex writing? Or maybe it's just a happy (ending) coi ncidence chat many of the win.oers and nominees are Indian writers?

And if you are wondering why Fif!Jr Shades of G,·ry bas yet to win d1e dubious honour of winning, d1e award is not for pornographic or expressly erotic Literamre. So mere goes an y mentions of the narrator's "inner goddess doing d1e lambada". Such a shame

From Roy's rood1hrushes, to Tejpal's peaks, Rushdie's awkward teenagers, Bahal's steady VW's and Suri's supernovas, Indian writers sure know how to impress tbe Bad Se,--c Award judges. Here's to me cmde, to the badly written, and co me redundam passages d1at lnclian authors have written, we salute you for giving it a red hot go in a tricky fie ld of crumpled bed sheets and underwear on the floor.

Who "vill win tbe 2014 title? And which lndian writer will find themselves on the s hore-list?

Tweet @indian link @Lit_ Review #BadSex what book you think should win this year's prize

Meet

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When Lord Shiva beckons

The Himalayan trek to Lake Mansarovar and Mt Kai/ash becomes a pilgrimage for RAJIV SHUKLA

The restless mind \Vants to go everywhere but when it reaches tl1e pinnacle of destinations, it rests in peace and tra n quillity.

This is what I experienced when I travelled to tbe

H imalayas, Mr. Kailash and Lake M,rnsarovar in particuJar.

As a devout Hindu, I feel I am one of the few lucky ones who got the call from tbe Lord h imself to visit him ac his abode, at the very top of the wo cld.

Whac a journey it became for the body, mind and soul.

We started from Nepal, a land which is a heaven in its m:vn r ight.

Srock in tl1e midst of mountains and valleys, Nepal provides the best of natlue anyo ne can ask for.

Part of the journey had me seeing th is beau ti fu1 land like never before. The most memorab le was a 90- minme

Aight to the top of the world where we witnessed fast-hand the glory of Mc.

Eve rest.

Crossing the border inco Tibet was a breeze. The paperwork, handled immaculately, helped us cross into China with out any hassles. Once across, we were put in a Land Cruiser, four in one plus a sherpa, and we started our pilgrimage to wbac turned one to be tbe best journey of my life.

The bordering cities of Kodari (Nepal) and Zhangmu (fiber) compete with each otl1er for namral beauty. As best as l could tell, boili came ouc as winners! Eve r y kilometre or two, we encountered a waterfall; seen through me greenery, each one was a fantastic spectacle.

The road travelled through water and lush mountainsides. Occasionally, cascading water from a waterfall brushed ilie roof of ilie car, sending shivers down the spine just from tbe ecstasy.

Our first night stop, Like aU subsequent night scops, was quite p leasant, given the humble arrangements availab le Of the few stops throughout me journey, this had running tap water and western style toilets. This stop is

meant for the body to acclimatise for che high al titudes in the next couple of weeks, witl1 th in air and less than normal oxygen. A bic of climbing on th i s day gave us a feel of what to expect.

The tour guides were exceptional in their care. Every morning, one of the sher pas would go through the group ensuring that everyone was in good heal th and that all had taken t he popular 'altitude pill'. The food on tbe tri p was simp le buc healthy, as well as rascy. Bottled water was provided throughout the journey.

Even i f you are nor a photographer, a camera becomes yom best friend, such is tl1e beauty of mis p lace and the who.le tour in general.

To reach Lake Mansarovar you across the plains of Tibet high on the mountains at more man 3,000 metres. Tbe roads snaking through tl1e landscape simp ly take your breatb away, and there is always a

sn owy peak in VJSJOil You cross many lakes and rivers and then comes the best of all, tl1e m o utl1 of the r iver Brahmaputra.

As you stand on the innumerable sand dunes i n front of the rivermouth, you are m esmerised by tl1e sheer beauty of nature.

Lake Mansarovar itself is an overwhelming sight. Por me personally, it was a spiritual expe rience like never before: the stillness and quiet were overpowe ring, and after a while 1 felt my eyes and heart welt up. Gazing at the wonder around me made me forget the troubles of my wo rldly existe nce.

The 80 km circumference of t he Jake was completed by bus, stoppi ng at a perfect location for water immers ion and prayers The night was spent on tl1e banks of ilie Jake in a hun1bl e setting, performing;1ag11as and offering praye rs to the wonder that is namre.

lf weather permits, a first Look of Mt Kailash can be had here.

The main pilgrimage iliat begius bere, is not fo r weak hearted. We started from YamDwar for the

pa1ikra111a (circumnavigation) of Mt. Kailash, walking anywhe re between 12 to 22 k m s a day fo r the next fom days. But for tl1e devom such as me, tl1e thougbt of reaching the Lord's abode was insp iring and kept me going This divine walk enabled us to sight the mount from all follt directions, seeing all of the Lord's four faces. We could almost vis ualise him si tting in meditation!

During this wa lk, we climbed mountains and ascended into valleys; we crossed screams and covered Aat p lains; we walked on rocks and we walked in the snow We just kept wa lking, rain or shine.

The first v iews of Gauri Ku nd , Kuber Kund, Astapad, Hanuman Tekri and Nandi peaks wne all joyous moments, bur sighting :Mc. Kailash was cn.1l y exhila.racing. The whole area i s a naniral temple. Just like in a temple setting, we saw Hanuman on the side, Naodi in the front and then Lord Shiva himself W/e gazed upon the heavenly sight just like the Saptrisbis did, and accually got to offer prayers at the very same spot as mey did , before tliey attained moksha.

The night spent at the foot of Mc. Kailash was magical. I gaped in awe as me rays of the setting sun fell on Mr. Kailash, curning it into go ld. La ter, mooo.lighc would turn it silver. lt would be back to bright gold again me next morning at sunrise.

The first ray of the sun is the moment to watch for, as it transforms the s leeping Mr. Kailash inco a waking giant. Tbe

snow -clad tip of Mt. Kai.lash mros from milk1• white to golden yellow, offe ring the Hindus down below a sight of the llimtra (Shiva's third eye) You laugh and cry at the san1e time, such are tbe emotions chat engulf you at chis wondrous sight.

How I wi shed tin1e would stand still!

I felt a similar upliftment and trans for m ation at tl1e next part of me journey, as we starred the climb to the Saptarisbi caves. Breatluess and speechless, tlie sight of the caves also left me sim il arl y awed and dumbstruck The journey back is the same. The ver y same emotions came over me, and I wished I did not have to leave Ta fa ct, I w ished I could return again and again.

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It takes a stroke of genius to be abl e to state the obvious in a manner that i s side splitting ly funny Take this one liner for instance, ' I started out with nothing and I still have most of it,' or' I can handle pain until it hurts'.

Michael Caine once said, "I enjoy making people laugh The trick is to tell them jokes against yourself If you praise yourself, your stories aren't funny''.

To be able to laugh at yourself requires courage and confidence and Indians have mastered this art of making people laugh They are achieving great success in the field of comedy doing just that and much more Here is our round-up of Indian origin comedians making a splash on the globa l entertainment scene

10. Paul Varghese, USA

This Indian American comedian resides in Dallas and has often been dubbed the funniest stand-up comic in Dallas His acts revolve around his observations on being an Indian. He has performed in the Just For Laughs festival in Canada, Last Comic Standing and the HBO comedy festival.

9. Dan Nainan, USA

Dan Nainan is half Indian, half Japanese and usually bases his stand -up comedy performances on his persona l ethnic experiences He is an American comedian with a mission, in 2007 Nainan opened the Bethesda Comedy Club i n Washington DC with the aim of promoting clean comedy His book How to become a full time stand-up comedian was published in 2012 Nainan has performed in countries all over the world including Australia, UAE, India and Ireland

8 . Aziz Ansari , USA

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Aziz Ansari is one of the most prolific writers and performers on the comedy scene in recent years Born in America to Indian parents, Aziz started his career as a stand -up comedian in 2000 He went on to create and star in MTV's critically acclaimed comedy show Human Giant. He is well known for his rol e as Tom Haverford in NBC's Parks and Recreation Aziz rel eased his first CD/DVD on Come d y Central in 2010 and continues to tour as a stand-up comedian

7. Meera Syal, UK

Married to comedian Sanjeev Bhaskar since 2005, theirs is a match made in comedy heaven. Hail ing from a Punjabi Indian background Meera Syal is a well-known British comedian, actor, singer, producer and writer who sent the audience into stiches with her performance as hubby Sanjeev's grandmother in The Kumars at No. 42 She was awarded the MBE in 1997, has written two novels, as well as numerous scripts and screenplays

6. Aasif Mandvi, USA

He may be best known for his performances on Comedy Central 's The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, but Aasif Mandvi's career as an actor, comedian and writer is much more i llustrious Mumbai born Mandvi has appeared in numerous films and television shows incl u d ing Merchant-Ivory's Mystic Masseur, Sex and the City, Law and Order and Miami Vice, to name just a few He even has an Obie award under his belt for his hil arious play Sakina's Restaurant, which looks at the Indian American immigrant experience.

5. Lilly Singh (Superwoman), Canada

With three mill ion subscribers to her YouTube channe l Lilly Singh, aka Superwoman, i s an internet star on the r i se. Her vlogs, skits and standup acts present comica l takes on various everyday issues Born to Punjabi parents this 25 -year-old Canadian entertainer remains true and proud of her Indi an roots. In her work she aims to showcase Indian culture and characters inspired by her Punjabi heritage

4. Mindy Kaling, USA

Identified as 'One of the 100 most influential peopl e in the world' by Time magazine, Mindy Kal ing is often referred to as the new queen of comedy in America She is best known as Kelly Kapoor on NBC's sitcom The Office. Born to Indian parents the talented actor, comedian, writer, producer and director has been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstan ding Comedy Series as a producer of The Office five times in a row In 2011 her w itty memoir Is everyone hanging out without me? And other concerns was well received by critics

3. Sanjeev Bhaskar, UK

As the host of the The Ku mars at No. 42, Sanjeev Bhaskar's is a face recogn ised universall y The British Indian comedian, actor and broadcaster was awarded an O B E for his services to drama in 2005 He has starred in BBC Two comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and i n British fi l ms incl udi ng Anita and Me and The Guru. He was recognised as one of the 50funniest acts in British comedy by The Observer in 2003.

2 . Arj Barker, USA

This American stand - up comedian and actor of In d ian European descent admits he loves Australia, and partially lives here where h is b i ggest fan base is Arjan Singh started his career as a comed i an i n 1989 and adopted the stage name - Arj Barker He appea rs frequent ly in Australian comedy festivals, has performed in Thank God you' re here and hosted Comedy Central presents twice. His other cl aim to fame is his stand-up comedy inspired web series Arj and Poopy about himself and an animated cat.

1. Russell Peters, Canada

Russe l l Peters was born in Toronto with an Anglo Indian ancestry and started his journey as a come<;lian i n 1989 His achievements i nclu<;le w i nning a Gemini Award in 2008, appearances at various comedy festivals like Just For Laughs and David Frost Comedy Festival Special and talk shows on BBCTV. His qui ck wit and improvisation ski ll s have made his shows sell out in many countries around the world Russell is known for keeping his audience engaged with his humorous observations of different races an<;I cultures i ncluding Indian society

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TA n QTPR~DICTIONS != OR JUNE K

By NANCY JADE ALTMEA

ARIES March 21 - April 19

This month will be a time when you need to consider your job options. You may be feeling restless In your current position, or In life. The indication here is to bring some stability to your environment. You will feel like travelling and will be making plans to do so towards the end of the year. Your relationship will be a little stressful, as your partner may be demanding. Take time out for yourself.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

This month will be a time of sorting out a lot of issues. Do not push away any problems and instead, deal with them. There are many changes coming up for you. It is time to decide where you are going. You may be looking to move to another city or making plans to buy a property There will be some misunderstandings with close relations. Keep cool and make sure you do not become too demanding

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

You need to keep calm this month, as you may be feeling irritated and agitated. Things are not going how you want. This will make you lose you r temper with loved ones Relax as much as you can, as you may find some interruption in your sleep patterns There is an indication that you will be feeling a little stressed out with your job. It is advisable to incorporate more exercise into your routine

CANCER June 21 - July 20

This month you are going to be very pleased with your success. June is going to prove to be a month of individual ity and standi ng aloof from the crowd. Your victory in things dose to your heart will not be a minute too late There is a strong indication here too that you will be looking for some business opportunities. Your energy levels will be high and you will be feeling a sense of true achievement.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

This month will be a time of making decisions regarding your financial situati on. Your home/work balance needs to be sorted out. You will be looking at spending time with younger members of the family, as you have not always been around. You will also be thinking of ways to stay content with your partner. Your days of straying may be coming to an end. Your focus will be on increasing your finances and venturing to new areas of work.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

This month will be a time of new magical meetings with people of influence. You will be making more investments and putting money away This is a time of reassessing what you have. You will be keeping an eye on your diet, as you have a high intolerance to certain foods. You may be feeling low on energy

·· and your optimism may be at a low. Get lots of fresh air with regular walks.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

This month you will be feeling a little bit under the weather. You may also be thinking of meeting up with old friends. There will be some exciting news about the possibility of your involvement in a small business. There is an indication that you may be having a problem with your knees and back. Take time out and relax as there will be some news from abroad that will make you feel good.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

This month will be a time for travel and you will also find yourself very busy at work. You will need to take care of your finances, as there will be some extravagant purch ases being made this month Your intuition will be quite strong this month. You will have some interest in meditation, which will heighten your feelings There will be a neighbour who may need some advice

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

This month will be a time for reassessing your career and where you really want to be. There is a desire to make your dreams possible You will be looking at purchasing a new car. There will be some nagging health issues of an elderly person. Take some time out to re assess your financial situation, as you will be planning some investments. You are not always good at saving.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

This month wi l l be a time to keep a very calm disposition and practice patience Work will be a challenge, but you wil l find a way to keep yourself motivated. It is advised that you try and avoid confrontations with family and colleagues. Take some time out to look after your health and make plans to start a new exercise regime. There will be some discussions about a new business and plans to travel.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18

This will be a time when you will be feeling very overloaded with work. You wfll not have a lot of time for yourself, so you need to make sure that you take t i me out to relax. Your immunity Will also be low, so you wil l need to keep yourself away from people with infections. Make time to visit old friends and ' relatives. You have not been making much time for anyone lately. Stay calm.

PISCES f=eb 19 - March 20

This month wi ll be one of great accomplishment for you. You have been working very hard lately, and you are about to be rewarded with the satisfaction of knowing your dreams are about to be realised. You will be feeling very good this month with the presence of an exciting partner, where you have the energy of your younger self. Start using imagery in your mediation to get what you want in life It is time to start healing old wounds.

A MEART-WARMING MUG ACROSS TME BORDER

FILMISTAAN

STARRIN G: Sharib Hashmi, lnnamulhaq

WRITER-DIRECTOR: Nitin Kakkar **** <).?

There is an utterly moving sequence towards the end of this lovely parable on cross-border amity where Sunny (Sharib Hashmi), who has strayed into Pakistan, confesses to Aftaab (lnnamulhaq) that he is obsessed with Bollywood and wants to be a hero, though he knows he doesn't have it in him

"Mera asli hero toh tu hi ha/;' Aftaab tells Sunny sincerely.

For me, that moment sums up the mood of this little-big film Made on a shoestring budget by fringe talent, the film shows us that true heroes can be found in the most unexpected places.

Try this hamlet in the back of the beyond in Pakistan where our Bollywood struggler is locked up by militants who actually wanted to kidnap Americans for errm negotiations.

And look what they dragged in!

Filmistaan would have been an outrageously funny film were it not for the profoundly moving underbelly that it showcases with such fluency and spontaneity. The film could have become a gallery of cliches about lndoPak harmony. A sort of Veer-Zara turned into a Veru and Zara-uddin who become friends in Pakistani soil while guns boom all around them.

Sachindra Vats edits the scenes down to the minimum when required. But generally he lets the characters develop naturally, even ifthe process takes some time. The film is shot in authentic

locations by cinematographer Subhransu Das who brings to the table an enticing aura of believability.

The dialogues written by the fi l m's lead Sharib Hashmi never become top - heavy with message-mongering, nor does the going get excessively verbose as it did in the recent cross-border film Kya Di/Ii Kya Lahore.

It's astonishing how director Nitin Kakkar averts all the corny cliches of brotherhood across the barbed wire. By simply using Bollywood as the binding factor between the two countries, Kakkar emerges with a plot that is high on emotions and low on tripe and homilies.

The two actors who play the Indian and Pakistani do the rest. So effortlessly do they express the oneness of a cultural kinship that we are left looking at two individuals who are united by a shared interest. Sharib Hashmi and lnnamulhaq are driven by their sense of absolute abandon that comes only to artistes who have nothing to lose except their anonymity. They are phenomenally in character, not slipping up even once in their interactive zone.

Bollywood does the rest. There is a longish homage to Sooraj Barjatya's Maine Pyar Kiya where we see the whole Pakistani village glued to a community television set watching the Salman Khan and Bhagyashree love story. Here, as in many sim i lar scenes showing mutual Bol lywood-inspired solidarity between the two warring nations,

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Kakkar constructs a case for cross-border friendship without tripping over in an emotional slush

My favourite sequence shows the captured Indian protagonist sitting in solitude in a darkened room when the sound of Reshma's song Ve main chori chori wafts in. Sunny joins in with Lata Mangeshkar's Yaara sili sili which is the Indian avatar of the same tune.

An entire thesis can be written in the way the film utilises Bollywood songs as the sounds of two cultures peering anxiously but affectionately at one another.

The storytelling never pounds out a pro-Pakistani message merely to try to tilt the socio-political ba lance between the two countries.

Filmistaan is neither for or against either country. It's blissfully proBollywood So what happens when a struggling assistant director from I ndia bonds with a CD pirate of Boll ywood films in Pakistan? We find out with the same thrill of discovery that the d i rector feels as he lets the two protagonists sort out their differences.

This quirky charmer from firsttime director Kakkar is fresh in vision and enchanting in execution. The only happy outcome of the cross-border divide is a heartwarming film such as this. As we often say about the Wag ah border, this you gotta see.

SUBHASH K. JHA

AN ODE TO TME CITY'S INVISIBLE POPULACE

CI TYLIGHTS

STARRING: Rajkummar Rao, Pratilekha, Manav Kaul DIRECTOR: Hansal Mehta

The city sucks. Sucks in the uninitiated, swallows up the innocent wholesale, diminishes the ego If you happen to be one of the multitude of faceless migrants, you are in for a really gruelling time.

Citylights is Hansal Mehta's ode to the invisible people, those people populating the pavements we often see from our moving cars. Mehta zooms in on the life of one such family- with such intensity and passion that we can not come out of their world even when their lives become unbearably hurtful.

As Deepak Singh (Rajkumar Rao), his wife Rakhi (Patralekha) and little daughter relocate from their small universe in Rajasthan to Mumbai, we watch in numbed silence their initiation into the world of disillusionment and heartbreak.

Mehta's camera captures the happy family's world come apart at the seams. The brutal cruelty of the concrete jungle leaves us flummoxed and frozen. The plot as it thickens in the second half, doesn't allow any elbow room for

distractions. The protagonist's journey into the heart of darkness is immediate, and irreversible. What Mehta does is to show us the fatality and finality of lives thrust into the bowels of the city. Not that Mumbai is shown to be entirely lacking in kindness and compassion. Deepak and his wife encounter good people too. It's not the people who are callous. It's the daily grind that makes them self-centred and uncaring.

Mehta's ode to the remorseless city is suffused in a lived-in pain. Only an artiste who has suffered the first-hand humiliation of rejection and compromise could do the sequence such as the one where Rakhi auditions for a bar girl's job. Mehta furbishes such stark moments with an astute and rigorous honesty.

In that scene, Pratilekha strips herself of dignity. She's a revelation. But then so is the actor (Vinod Rawat) who plays the bar owner. If she epitomizes the exploitative underbelly of the city, he too is a victim of a system that thrives on exploitation.

Moving completely away from the original material (Sean Ellis' Metro Manila), Hansal Mehta constructs a vertiginous spiral of desolation and dejection. And yet if there's so much cruelty happening all around to the people who know no better life than the one that the city doles out to them,

there are also bursts of empathy from the most unexpected places.

The arrival of the character played by the very accomplished actor Manav Kaul signals the "th riller" movement of the plot. Miraculously Mehta never loses grip of the film's exacerbated emotional quotient. He charts the migrant family's craggy path to doom and destruction with a fatal inevitability. The film uses natural sounds and incidental images from everyday life to imbue visceral vividness and vitality.

A remarkable equilibrium runs through the moral fibre of the film. Ritesh Shah's sensitive script doesn't look for vil lains to make his protagonists look sympathetic.

Mehta could have avoided the wall-towall songs in the background. Though the music is evocative, it tends to overplay its welcome. This film doesn't need to depend on adornments for effect.

Rao's stark performance seems like no performance at all. Just l ike the city that swallows the impoverished migrant, he c;lisappears into his character, much

like Bal raj Sahni in Bimal Roy's Do Bigha Zameen, the classic tale of the homeless migrant to which Mehta's haunting saga of the indignity of poverty owes emotional allegiance. Patralekha with her haunted eyes and evocative pain-lashed voice i s the find of the year.

Citylights will remain with me for a long time. Gripping, glorious and unforgettable, it is a shattering, life-changing experience.

S UBHA SH K.J HA

AKSMAY KUMAR'S ACTION-PACKED MOLIDAY

HOLIDAY:A

SOLDIER IS NEV E R

O F F DUTY

STARRING: Govinda, Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Freddy Daruwala

DIRECTOR: A.R. Murugadoss * ** ;rc)I

Now here is a film that has all the trappings of a sup erlative masala entertainer, plus a thought provoking message on the uneasy relationship between the army and civilians.

Army man Virat Bakshi (Akshay Kumar, in top form) who is home for a vacation uses the time to fall in love with an arranged match and also save Mumbai from a sleeper cell terrorist attack, which threatens to plunder the city.

He is a busy man. So is director A.R. Murugadoss. They are both on the same mission. While Akshay saves the city, his director rescues the masala film from the blemishes of blandness that it has acquired lately.

Just how Murugadoss manages to mix the dark theme of terrorism with a

palatable mainstream cinematic platter served with dollops of pickles and papad is a marvel.

Having Akshay at the helm helps. He is a man ofthe streets and yet capable of looking completely convincing as a larger than life hero.

Murugadoss has some absolutely unflinching support from his writers and technicians, all out to create that increasingly elusive cinematic entity, the perfect entertainer.

Not that Holiday is not without its flaws. Sonakshi Sinha's role and presence in the plot can at best be termed as comic relief. She is less diva, more Mehmood. It is interesting to see how the director weaves the romantic element into what is predominantly a rugged man-to-man confrontation between a soldier on leave and a superintelligent terrorist, who is seen to work out not from a dingy warehouse, but a normal home teeming with the scents and images of domestic harmony.

The irony of terror in the climate of normalcy is chilling. And it's a master stroke to cast the unknown Freddy Daruwala as the terrorist mastermind.

Freddy looks and behaves like a hi-tech

executive in a multinational rather than a diabolic terrorist. It's in the flashes of arrogant megalomania or his chilling cold-blooded laughter that we see the devilish man behind the white co l lar mask.

Freddy is quite the discovery of the year. As is the tradition in Good Versus Evil sagas, Akshay and Fred dy don't come face-to-face until the finale, in a climactic one-to-one fight.

Govinda, as Akshay's dumb superior is completely out of place. You wish Govinda and Sonakshi's annoying characters would be expelled from the storytelling by some computergenerated magic.

The ever dependable Sumeet Raghavan as Akshay's pal and colleague in counter-terrorism is able to make a much better place for himself. But it's the Akshay-Freddy conflict that keeps you riveted.

The anxious narrative is nourished by some spot-on background music which punctuates the heart-stopping action.

Akshay's character's basic argument that terrorism can only be countered when the counter-terrorists are as fearless about losing their lives as the

terrorists, is put forward with such gusto and conviction, we really can't argue with the p l ot premise.

The last farewell song, an ode to the dedication and sacrifices of Indian soldiers, will leave you moist eyed.

The potent Akshay-Vipul Shah team is back with its most lethal entertainter to date.

S UBHASH K. JHA

BLAST FROM Tl-IE PAST

0n the first death anniversary of her father Ashok Chopra, actress Priyanka Chopra announced that a street on Yari Road close to her home, has been renamed 'Lieutenant Colonel Dr. Ashok Chopra Marg '.

Her father lost his battle with cancer last year. She was extremely close to him, even sporting a tattoo with the words, 'Da ddy's Li'I Girl' on her forearm.

No doubt she is wishing her father was there beside her currently, given the trouble she is facing from her former boyfriend Aseem Merchant and former secretary Prakash Jaju.

Apparently, Merchant is all set to launch his new project 67 Days, a biopic of Jaju. Priyanka had an infamous fallout with her former secretary over finances. And though she may have sent a legal notice to Aseem against the venture, he is hell bent on going ahead.

Aseem, whose production company Limelight Motion Pictures Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. will produce the film, says he has no intention of backing out under legal duress. "We don't succumb to such pressure tactics. We are going ahead with the project. We've replied to her legal notice;'he said.

Prakash Jaju, whose account will be the crux of the film, said, "I' ve sold the rights of my biopic to Limelight, a company that's represented by Aseem Merchant and filmmaker Vikram Razdan. They say they're going ahead with the project''. Beyond that, Jaju is tight-lipped.

Hmm, wonder what little known secrets about PeeCee will be revealed in the film

Better prepared for that elusive bounty:

Abhay Deol

Abhay Deol is not one to give up. He has just announced his latest venture Bounty Hunters, which he is producing as well as acting in.

This follows closel y the debacle that was the producer-actor's last venture One By Two, starring real life love Preeti Desai.

The Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara actor says one failed venture can't deter him from trying out new things in future

"Nothing is a mistake in life," he says. "I believe that people learn more from their'misses'than from their'hits'. It's all a learning experience. One By Two has not put me off the process of production You can't quit. Why wouldn't you want to produce other films especially after learning so much from your first production venture? You're better equipped now for your second project''.

If reports are to be believed, he has joined hands with a Britain-based production house to co-produce the film.

Active in Hindi filmdom since his debut in 2005 with Socha Na Tha, the 38-year-old has faced the camera to play various kinds of roles i n fi l ms like Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., Ek Cha/is Ki Last Local, Manorama Six Feet Under, Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!, Dev.D, Raanjhana and Chakravyuh.

Let's see if the Deol magic rubs off on the nerdy cousin this time round

Cinema icons gather for Dilip Saab

The stage glittered as Hindi cinema icons like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra and Aamir Khan, along with veteran actress Saira Banu and author Udaya Tara Nayar, l aunched thespian Dilip Kumar's longawaited autobiography The Substance and The Shadow at Mumbai in early June.

Held at Grand Hyatt in Santa Cruz the red carpet of the event saw celebrities from the old and gold age as well as new generation walk in for the momentous night.

From Zeenat Aman, Danny Denzongpa, Farida Jalal, and Vyjayanthimala to Subhash Ghai, Ayan Mukerji, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rajkumar Hirani, Madhuri Dixit and Priyanka Chopra attended the gal a.

Legendary singer Lata Mangeshkar, who was slated to sing at the event, couldn't make it.

Dilip Kumar's wife Saira Banu, who looked resplendent in green, was

overwhelmed to see the fraternity's participation in the event, which saw Karan Johar as a host. She hoped the book is appreciated. "You wil l read something that you have not read before about Dili p Saab;' she claimed.

Born Muhammad Yusuf Khan, the actor entered filmdom with the 1944 release Jwar Bhata, and thereafter dedicated six decades of his life working in much appreciated films like Mela, Naya Daur, Devdas, Madhumati and Mughal-E-Azam. His autobiography chronicles the 91-year-old's life from his days as a child to present - the ups and downs in his life, his family, career, wife and more, as told by him to Nayar, who is a close family friend.

Kapil 's dilemma:

His comedy show must go on Kapil Sharma is a man caught in a conflict. On the one hand, he is gearing up for his big screen debut in Yash Raj Films' Bank Chor and on the other, his plans to reduce his workload by half on television have reportedly fa ll en through.

According to a source, channel Col ors, which is behind Kapil's hugely successful Comedy Nights With Kapil has refused to turn the show into a once-a-week affair

The source said:"lt was Kapil's plan to do the show once a week instead of twice during the shooting schedule of Bank Chor. But considering Kapil's and the show's popularity, the channel has decided not to reduce the show's weekly frequency''.

The channel's decision has put Kapil in a quandary. How does he take time off to shoot for the film?

"Initially, I had planned to do the show once a week during the shooting of my film. But the channel has rejected the idea. They are not rea dy to li sten to my rona-dhona (emotional drama):'

The idea of shooting surplus episodes has also fallen through.

Kapil says he is looking for a way out.

AS HUTOSH GOWARIKAR

"Luckily for me, my film's shooting is delayed by a few months because the rest of the casting is not complete But sooner or later, I'll have to face this problem. Maybe get a clone created and cal l the show Hum Aapke Hain Clone," he quipped.

And now, a documentary

onlagaan

Actor- producer Aamir Khan released a documentary titled Chafe Cha lo on the journey of his film Lagaan recently "For me, this film is now l ike a family album;' Aamir said at the launch "I can even watch it 20 years down the line and enjoy it. I am so glad even the nation can watch it w ith us now''. The doco has already won a national award for best documentary.

Directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar, Lagaan featured Aamir Khan and Gracy Singh in the lead and was India's official entry to the Oscars in 2001. In 2010, the film was ranked No. 55 in Empire magazine's "100 Best Films of World Cinema''. In 2011, it was listed in

DILIP KUMAR

Time magazine's special "The All-TIME 25 Best Sports Movies''.

Now who in Australia will bring this documentary film to our shores Kai hai??

History buff: Ashutosh

Gowarike r

Ashutosh Gowariker is a history freak, for sure. He brought us some substantial history lessons in Lagaan, Jodha Akbar, Khele Hum Jee Jaan Se Now he is ready to roll the cameras for Mohenjo Daro, set way way back in time, in the Indus Valley civilisation He says he's loving the challenge of goi n g "further back in time" with each project.

Ashutosh said he was motivated to take on the project sim pl y because so little is known about the period."The challenge of recreating lives about which little is known appeals to me. There is very little knowledge on how people lived, what they ate, how they felt Whatever information is available on the era is minor and superficial. That lack of information about the period troubled

WJ-10 WORE IT BETTER?

KA PIL SHARMA

me on a subconscious level. I decided whenever I get a story to tell that can be located in those times, I'd grab the opportunity".

The story featuring Hrithik Roshan is fictional. But the period is real.

"I find it fascinating to rec reate another period It is challenging to visit different cultures and eras in the past. Luckily, I have actors and technicians who believe in my vision. The journey starts with me But I need many others to accompany me to get to the chosen destination''.

The film goes on the floors in three months

Big B readies for battle

Indian cinema's largest icon is going sma l l. By that we mean, he's getting back to TV. If you've seen pies of h im looking old and grey and haggard, it's him in costume for his latest venture Yudh. Yudh is set to go on air in July on Sony Enterta inment Channel. The show is based on a man's struggle with his collapsing health, as he battles business rivals and complicated family equations. The series marks Big B's entry into a fiction space on TV, after having p reviously hosted the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepti for umpteen seasons The show, which also stars Kay Kay Menon, is directed by Anurag Kashyap

And lastly

Kristin Chenoweth or Aishwarya Rai in Roberto Cavalli

Share your views with us on our Facebook page /lndianlinkAustralia

So Hrithik Roshan is trying hard to keep the fami l y feel continu i ng even as wife Susanne upped and l eft. He's taken the kiddies Hrehaan and Hri dhan to Disneyland And whi l e we may have had Punjabi rap for sometime now, Haryanvi rap is coming up too! Look out for it in upcoming Arshad Warsi starrer Guddu Rangee/a It may be a smallbudget fringe film, but Nitin Kakkar's National Award winning Filmistaan seems to be going rock steady at the box office Apart from winning the best feature film i n Hindi title at the 60th National Film Awards 2012, it also got a special jury mention at the 2012 Busan International Fil m Festival and The Silver Crow Pheasant Award for best debut film at the International Film Festival of Kerala. Definitely worth a watch, especially as mainstream figures like Big Band Vidhu Vi nod Chopra have given it the thumbs up

It's a 'Modi'fied India

where a thousand lotuses bloom

the best comedy movies to roll out of Ho ll ywood. Waiting for the call m eant for me to come dirough, I decid ed to listen in on the conversation.

Ir was Satmday, May 17, a round six in [he morning. Being an autumn day, it was still quite dark.

"Namo j'\Tarqya11a" l woke up uttering this si m ple two -worded devotional line: I bow to tbe Ahnfgh!J. lt is a chjjdhood habit 1 have carried into my adult yea rs L ike most Indians, I h ave a habit of seeing or saying something godly first d1 ing in the m orning so that the rest of the day goes well.

As l rolled out of d1e bed, the phone rang. U nusual in our househo ld. 1 quickl y grabbed me handset and shuffled to d1e next room so that m y wi fe's beaucy sleep was not disturbed. She loves her early morning sleep. Me, l am just di e opposite. Having married in d1e pre- internet a nd matrimonial website clays, we had no opportunity ro discuss such compatibilit)' issues.

"J'Ja111t1.rte. NaMo wa nts to talk to you," the voice on me omer end of the line said.

OMG! l couldn't believe m y ears. Having urrered '11aJ110' only a few seconds back, t he good Lord (Na rayana) had chosen to talk to me. How blessed, I tho ught, for one who is o n ly moderate ly religious to have such a SCToke of fortune.

"Ayerj i, t h is is Narendra l'vfodi," a familiar voice came on the phone. "] learn that you o ccasi o n ally write for Tndia11 Lillk. Thro ugh your column, I wish to convey to my feliow Indians, my p lans fo r the deve lopment of our nation and seek their contribution. I know there is a growing Gujarati com m unity our d1ere in Austral ia".

\'{,'b.ile my elation eased somewhat on realising that ir was die 'nal/lo' of human kind and not tbe celestial, I was still thrilled d1ar Modiji had chosen co give me his first inter view while stalwarts like Tony Jones and Laurie Oakes wai ted in queue.

"You've made m y day; Sir," 1 said with humilicy. "Please go ahead"

I grabbed a n otepad and pencil and was all set

Next minute diere was some sratic on the line and I began to hear some cross talk. Cross on the Indian telephone, i t see med, had not changed a bit since the d ays of Nlt: Indit1, o ne of

Faint voice in the distance: l'laren

bhai, I would like d1e job

o f

Modi: Lal

Kishanji, I can ha rdly hear you

Please speak u p.

LKAdvani: That is what l am after. I want to be die

Speaker

NM: Advani ji, in your advanci n g years, won't i t be difficul t for yo u co conCTol cbe House? TI1e

Opposition always indulges in cat calls, walk- outs and dhamas We did mar too wlille in Opposition.

LK: No problems there, there is hardly an Op p osi tion d1is time.

RaGa (Rahul Gandl:ti) was not even in tune wid1 tbe masses during the campaign What Sonia says is Greek and, certainly, Latin co most. Thin k I can manage.

NM: J have already pencilled you in for the prestigio us post of Aged Care Minister

Modi 's tru sted secretary Jiten

P atel (interrupting hastily) : Nawaz Sharif is calling from Islamabad.

NS: Sa/av, alek11t71, Modi saah

Than k you for your invitation for your inauguration. l di ink I will make it to your parry. See, I'm concerned that if I leave the counCTy the army may not Jet m e back in. Tbey may fo!Jow m y example and do what I did to .Mu shy as he flew back from his visi t co Sri Lanka Anyway, dekhi )f!Yegi I've ma de my mind up. My team's already saying Di/Ii cha/o!

Jiten : Sir, Bangla beg11111 .Mam ta didi i s on me line.

NM: The last time she was the Railways Minister, she took die (train) toys and went home hal f way in the game. What is she signalling now? She can't derail me anyway. Tell her I'll call back soon.

Jiten: S ir, Amma from Chenna i! She's decided co suppon yo u.

NM: Didn't she pulJ the rug under Ataljj's feet last time and lee the Gandhi mob in fo r die next ten years? An)'\vay put her through Jayalalith a: Va11ttkkt1v1 Modij i. We have decin1ated t he godless gang of Kamna and !:tis corrupt cohorts. Wirh 37 of us we can

stand sol idly behind yo u. Cao you offer

NM: Sure, an invitation for my inauguration.

Click 1/)el/t the pbone at the Chennai end.

NM: Jiten, only Mayawaci has n 't called yet. With her poor showing she has become 'i\liouna wati'. During the campaign, I di o ught she would prove the e lephant in the r oom Thank god she is a jumbo failure. Before me results were an nounced I was co ncerned I would need die co -operation of these three reg ional qL1eens Imagine being forced t o listen to rhe dictates of three women.

Just one Sonia was enough to undo di e good Sardar. Bidding her orders, the poor guy became Man 111a1111 Stngh.

At th.is point, my dear wife entered the room.

"\Xi'bat has co m e of you, ho lding d1e phone for ten minutes and not saying a word?" she chastised me.

Powerless co admit the loss o f an exclusive interview w idi the lead er of the world's largest democracy, I answered sheepishly, "Some telemarketer co s eD some cheap power".

'' Modi: Mayawati hasn't called yet. With her poor showing she has become 'Mouna wati: During the campaign, I thought she would prove the elephant in the room Thank god she is a jumbo failure. I was afraid I would need the co -operation of the three regional queens, Didi, Amma and Maya . Imagine being forced to listen to the dictates ofthree women. Just one Sonia was enough to undo the good Sardar. Bidding her orders, the poor guy became Man maun Singh.

Nawaz Sharif: Salam alekum, Modi saab. Thank you for your invitation for your inauguration I think I will make it to your party See, I'm concerned that if I leave the country the army may not let me back i n

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