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Meet Your Neighbours W

ith everything you need al your doorstep, is it any wonder that Greenway is the popular choice for !hose wanting a connected and com•eniem lifcst1ie.

Greenwa), located at Mardsen Parle in Sydney's North West has din,ct access to the M7; and Schoficlds, Quakers Hill, Blacktmffl and the future Marsden Park I rain slalions are all but a few minules drive aw·ar

Best of all, major retail precincts, schools, religious centres and lhe future Sydney Business Park with retailers such as I KEA, Bu nnings and Oistco are only moments away.

Greemvay, a quality masterplanned community will include over 600 homes, a supermarket and specialty shops within a Neighbourhood Prednc1, a large Village Green, playground, half basketball court and BBQ area all linked together via cycle paths and beautiful natural landscaping.

After sun·eying some of the soon-to-bcresiden1s, ii is easy to see why people want to llve in one of the bestlocated new communities Greenway.

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

"I did the 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 lot 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 friends, Sandeep Bhardwai and Karuna Sham1a, selected Greenway because 1I has exccllcnt transport access and olfors an affordable lifestyle dose lo shopping.

Artist's Impression of Greenway's future park/ands /above) and streetscape /below}

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

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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.

Upgraders, Sumit Watia and Pree! Mehar, were one of the first lo purchase at Greenway. Sumit said he has

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EDITORIAL

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Let the games begin

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H

ope you are getting ready for some late nights. Four weeks of riveting football in the sporting spectacle that is the 2014 FIFA World Cup are upon us, and the so-called global football crises (G FC) will surely be forgotten as some marvellous athletes bring the attention back to the sport.

32 teams will fight it out to be crowned world champions, as a few billion people watch. After contesting six games each in the lead up, 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 expeccations 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 is nor the most popular team in the competition and most lovers of the game are hoping, anyone but Argentina!

Of course, the English press will go feral if their lads do not bring home the cup, and Germany is always a dangerous opponent. Asian and African reams will be exciting but pose no serious

threat. Australia is o ne of the 32 teams competing but the expectations from the Socceroos are low. \Vhile the teams jostle for tbe positions on the winning podium, the mess which surrounds the popular sports of football and cricket will be temporarily forgotten.

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 of monies in sport these days is staggering.

Countries which win the mandate to host these events need to set up infrastrucmre i1wolving billions of dollars. 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 is discovering after the allegations of corruption were levelled against the winning bid of Qacar for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar overcame competition 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 one hand British tabloids have led the charge on tl1e.se allegations, FffA Presidem Sepp Blatter has accused them of racism and discrimination. It appears that a

former FIFJ\ Vice President, a Qarari, helped lobby and paid football officials around the world to secure the bid for his counrric But w hile that might be uncomfortable for Qatar and for FIFA, it is not clear tl1at he, or the bid, broke any of the governing body's bidding rules.

FIFA executive committee members were nor subject to the same restrictions placed on bid officials, while all bidding nations used heads of scare and senior government figures co try ro win votes.

American lawyer l'vlicbael Garcia is currently involved i.n an independent investigation into the bidding process and j5 due to deliver his report to FIFA after the World cup concludes. \Vbar is clear is that the rules have not been kept up to date with the changes in rlie management of these sports. With billions at stake, the possibility is tbere that a delegate's vote could be influenced. While the global game tends to unite all, the clispariry amongst the nations and voting delegates is such that temptations to favour a bi.cl can certainly arise. Peshaps there needs to be a weighting given co delegates' vores, then committees on technical, economic and social merits of the bid can minimise any bias. Diluting the power of a few can strengthen the fumre of the game.

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WHA.T'SON SPIRITUAL Sydney Jain Mandal Sun mornings 9.30am-1 1.30am Sydney Jain Manda! now conducts its activities from new premises 7/15-17Tucks Road, Seven Hills.

Come along and do your own pooja, meditation and be part of the cen tre.

Details: Abha Jain 0432 248 791 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 Sachchidananda Swamiji, Pontiff of Avadhoota Datta Peetham, Mysore, India, Datta Yoga Cent re (Sydney) invites you to participate in Sri Karya Siddhi Hanuman Puja at Reg Byrne Community Centre, corner of Darcy Road and Fyall Ave, Went worthville.

Mahaprasad will be served after the puja. Free event .

All are welcome. 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 Fashion Show Sat 14 June 2-5pm

(show starts at 2.30pm) This show is to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation and is a not-for-profit event. Enjoy special performances and have a great shopping experience. Venue is Pennant Hills Community Cent re, Corner of Yarra Road and Ramsay Road, Pennant Hills (in library buildi ng). Tickets $35.

Details and tickets. 0422 497 926 or: prikumarcharityfashionshow@ gmail.com Book drive Ten students of speech pathology from Flinders University, Adelaide, will be travelling to India to provide voluntary speech therapy assistance to children and families living with disability. They are looking for donations of new or preloved children's picture books in good condition. Any donations of Indianthemed books (eg. Panchatantra Tales) will be extremely u seful.

Details: Adam Caruana 0430 923 856 or caru0043@flinders.edu.au

Settlement seminar for new migrants Sun 1 S June 11 am-1pm Federation of Australian Indian Associations (FAIA) is organising t his 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.

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Details: Nandini 0423 684 340, Sushma 0411 967 374 or Preeti 0402 034 959.

Essay writing competition Australian university and tertiary institution students are invited to participate in an essay-writing competition on the topic Bhagavad Gita as it is. Cash prize $10,000.

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MAINSTREAM

MasterChef's Indian pressure test Vikas Khanna has a whirlwind trip of filming, eating locally and teaching his signature meal in Melb

recently had the honour of interviewing Michelin. starred chef Vikas Khanna o n his trip to Melbourne as the guest chef of Australia's Channel Ten Maste,Cbef serie-s.

Ir was a whirlwind trip of only a few days for Khanna, jampacked witl1 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 munerous traditional elements tllac he had learnc g rowing up, as well as some modern western elements, which he typically adds to his cuisine today. These are elements inspired from bis travels and life in the US. The dish that viewers will see on this particular episode is 'rose tea smoked chicken tik.ka 111asrlin'. Of the four contestant cooks that attempted this dish, the least impressive one would have co leave tile Maste,Chef kitchen.

Khanna's cooking journey began in his original home town of A mritsar, Punjab. He was interested at an early age in food, so naturally, 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 his love of cooking with otl1ers. At di e age of 17 he started his own catering business.

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

Khanna is an accomplished chef, restaurateur, 6ln1maker, anchor, and television personality. His restauram based in New York, Junoon, is highly 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

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12 JUNE (1) 2014

owning a restaurant is not easy even with all his 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 is also on this list, where Khanna takes a look at tile role d1at food plays in om spiritual lives, festivals, traditions,

and how cooking food and sharing food can bring people, and the world closer. His successes also include becoming a television cbef and personality, scarring in Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares and Hell's Kitcbm, and with Mardia Stewart on her show, and in hosting Maste,Chef lnclia, and 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 quickly. Bm he was shown many culinary 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 included some local Indian fare.

Khanna saw how much more there is to explore in culinary MeJhourne, as well as the rest of it, so he is making sure he visits again.

Khanna was like many Melbourne Indians in char he

moved away from his family 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 up to his own plan.

I asked K hanna what advice he may have for fellow young 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 he srruggle with culmral differences, how did he gee his confidence? "New York is a place where everyone is from everywhere else," he replied.

"Ever yone is a self-starter and everyone is mo\7ing and creating, and that is the cultme of the place.

There was no one particularly lonely, there is not that sense, what you do is, you just get snick inro it, into plans and into creating a life for yourself 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.

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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 journey t hrough the eyes ofrefugee children, t o be held at the Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre today, 10am-2pm. A 'Working effectively with people from refugee backgrounds't@ining event will also be held 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.

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JUNE (1) 2014 13

COVERSTORY

Sydney funny man Neel Ko/hatkar entertains audiences across Oz ·•

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BY JYOTI

SHANKAR alkingalong 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 for standup comedian Neel Kolhatkar's show at the Harold Park Hotel in G lebe. Now chis is an o ld chestnut - Indians don't have a sense of humour. We take ourselves too seriously and don't appreciate jokes against ourselves. T his is certainly changi ng, the success of shows like 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 about a hund.red others laughing at the ribald jokes and bold statements of th.is 20-yearold. There were guite a few race gags and perpetuation of stereotypes, so atrocious 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 being d1e burr of the jokes. A yoLmg man from 1v[ounr Druirt took all me jibes at his suburb and the generalisations about being from 'our west' in good humour, as did the older gentleman iu the front row: Neel had a way with all age groups and many of his fans were familiar wim his s tyle of humour from his .immensely popular YouTube ,ndeos. His crowd interactions and confident stage presence were amazing for such a ymmg man; some chinks of discomfort guickly covered up with yet another disarming statement o r wisecrack. r eel is described as a YouTube sensation ever since his dip Amtralia in 2 A!Ji11utes, ,vem viral. It collected over a mil.lion views within three days of release. Specialising in imitations of accems and cultural representations, Neel uses his observations of society and h is

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14 JUNE (1) 2014

surroundings very cleverly and delivers his 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, performance at the GENeration comedY- in Melbourne and Sydney, 130,000+ YouTube subscribers and 200,000+ Facebook fans.

Summarising his Indian links in his very Australian accent, Neel said "In terms of my heritage, lam a third generation lndian; grand-d ad came to Australia in 1962. He was a statistician. :Mum was t\vo when tl1ey moved. l was born here in 1994. The extent of my knowledge of Indian languages is limited to a few phrases of Hindi and Marathi".

He will understand s the identity issues of young people from migrant families - being and feeling rocally Australian but being slotted as an Indian based on looks. It does 11m bother him personallr but he says, '1c can be confusing and not entirely beneficial and that's something I do try to explore a little bit in my performances. I don't try to focus on that a Im though. ] do a few L1dian jokes now and then and my YouTube videos have a few character Aogs like the typical Indian father".

Careful about not wanting to be boxed as an Indian comedian and limited to doing Indian jokes and accents, Neel says he is more versed in talking abom his observations of Australian life and culture.

So how did he launch into comedy? He laughs when asked from whom he inherited his funny bone. He discovered in his early teens that he had a knack for comedy. His performance at Class Clowns, an annual search for Australia's funniest high school stud ent, gave him die Winner of Class Clmvns 2009 crown. Win ning this competition made Neel realise that stand-up comedy was someiliing be wanted co keep pursuing. He admits that he always wanted to be a performer, "It didn't matter whether it was film, stage, theatre or comedy, I just wanted to be an entertainer" .

He realises the power of tl1e lmeroet and YouTube for people of his generation and reaches out to his audience primarily

through this medium. He has had co defer his studies of Economics at Sydney University as live shows and making YouTube videos for his comedy channel tal(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 the standup comedy circuits.

With his incisive observations

- cultural groups, media, society, all prmTiding me fodder everyone cops it in hi5 broad strokes of exaggerations and character portrayals. The style itself is energetic and in-your-face.

But love it or hate it, cid1er way, eel puts together a memorable performance as he recreates a comedic life from

societal observations.

Struck by tl1e e~tent of profanity, 1 ask him i f some may find ic offensive. Neel replies frankly, "l understand it can be shocking for some people.

Young people do swear a lot but what I do is an exaggeration.

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Just depends o n the characters I portray. I t's just whar I do, not what 1 condone". He adm.its chat he doesn't swear as much in h.is personal Life. Considerate about the sensibilities o f some of his Ind.ian Uncles and Aunties, he warns readers rhar some o f h is videos could be "off-putting"!

NATIONAL EDITION

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JUNE (1) 2014 17

AUSTRALIAWIDE

Hindu pontiff on Oz visit Sugunendra Tirtha Swamiji meets members ofthe Indian as well as mainstream communities across the country

W

hileNRls 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, also called M"tts.

In some Hindu sects it is believed that one should not travel across the oceans. With over 30 million NRis and many more millions visiting abroad regularly, this is practiced mo 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 advice and support.

Amidst stiff opposition from fellow Swamijis and some in the community, he started making regular overseas visits. This brave and far sighted Swamiji is Sri Sri Suguneclra Tirtha from Putcige Mu!t in Udupi, Karnataka.

Udupi is a famous temple city where Shri Macll1wacharya, the proponent of Dvaita philosophy, 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 administration of Udupi Krishna 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 where they are, desen1e to be served, he bas set up tluee Krishna temples in the USA and one in Canada.

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

18 JUNE (1) 2014

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

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 got to see and worship the 750-year-old 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 Swamiji

rounded up the experience witl1 the famous Udupi cuisine.

Another highlight of Sw·amiji's visit was his informal Q&A sessions 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 by various educational institutions in bis honour. To the delight of SRSS, the organisers o f his visit, tl1e Swamiji has decided to ser up a Krishna temple and Sri Raghavendrn Swami 11ri11dt1vt11w in Melbourne in the near future.

For more information about the mission and activities ofSRSS, visit www.srss.org.au.

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JUNE (1) 2014 19

SPECIALREPORT

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

0

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in Sydney there was a meeting between the geeks and [he word smiths to hear their lead er Vikram Chandra espouse words of wisdo m. Fellow 'nerd' (as stated on. his t-shirt) Adam Spencer was there co stir up tbe pot and make the awardwinning novelist and professional com puter programmer choose a side: coder or craftsman?

The e\7ent was 'Vikram Chandra: Geek Sflblime,' and tbe space t:hat these two (usually) dispara te g rou ps mer was The L o ft at Pier 2/3, Walsh Bay, at [he Sydney Writer's Festival in late May. Chandra's latest novel Geek Sflbli111e (2014) looks at the connection between these two seemingly opposed words, art vs technology. In it Chandra questions whether code can ever be called beautiful, notes how Sanskrit is similar to coding, and po ntificates over why he is drawn to both prose as well as computers.

It's not the first tirne that C handra, born. in Ne,v Delhi in 1961, has been a guest o f the Sydney Writers' Festival, and this rime he shared his love of programming with Sydneysiders.

Chandra first impressed the literary world with his debut novel Red Earth and Pouring Rain (1995); won the Commonwealth \'.\i'riters' Prize with his second one, Love a11d Longing in Bomhtry (1997) and then continued co woo reviewers with Sac,·ed Ga111es (2006).

And now there's Chandra's first woi:k of non- fictio n, Geek .\"11hli111e, o r as it is publis hed in India, 1'1irrored Mind: 1\t[;, Life i11 Letters and Code. The woi:k is part memoir, part literary theory and part smdy of [ecbnology. And the tone, well, it's also quite d ifferent fro m his previous works. He explores his two worlds in this novel, which is almost a sei:ies of essays. He writes:

20 JUNE (1) 2014

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 presence that l cherish, of 011 and logic.

So where d oes this geeky side come from, Spencer as ked the lndian author. Chandra explained that after he g.raduated from the University o f CaJifornia he moved to New York, where he became obsessed with playing with PCs. Nor only did be enjoy ir, he "lusted after" t:hem, and t heir " big hard discs," he cheekily stated. He even went so far as to describe the Apple II as the "sexiest computer," with its functionaJ elegance. And so Chandra ,vas hooked.

According to Kirk11s Revic//ls (USA) Gerk S11blir11C is "an engaging exercise in interdisciplinary thought, both elegam and eloquent," which is aJso how I wotLld describe the festival discussion. Chandra and Spencer had the entire audience's attention capmred throughout the talk. The novel and rbe talk both delved into die histor y of coding, the stereotypes of geekdom, linguistics, [be gender imbalance in Silicon Valley and more.

Chandra's latest novel came about during a pause while he was writing his next piece of fiction after Sacred Games. Instead of waiting for the issue. with bis work o f fiction to be resolved, he ended up writing 20 or 30 pages of an essay on the ctLltme of programmers, and it grew from there.

Chandra described tbe act of writing as "not pleasant," b ur for birn " pro.g ramm.ing has worked as an escape from that".

"In computers I can completely lose myself," said Chandra.

In programming, the computer is the game, but with writing, Chandra quotes Robert Hass who said, "It's hell writing, bur it's hell not writing. The onJy tolerable. stare is just having Wl"itten".

He went on to describe programming as having a different level of absorption.

"After a day of literary work, which is very ambiguous., when you are always searching for

something and not entirely sure you got it, programming is very certain". O nce you write a cod e you get "that lovely moment when you run your test and get feedback; the green tick ... bur with prose you have no idea," Chandra told Spencer.

With books, on the other hand, Chandra believes that "after it co mes o ut, it disappears. There's nothing certain about it".

In Geek Subli111e he fur[hers 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'Ollr vines ag11i11 a11d again, and yo11 want 111ore, cmd 111ore and111ore.

Adam Spencer asked Chandra, " \Vhy is writing simple code so hard?" " Because of the startling elegance o f the sim plicity of computers," replied C handra.

"You can make logic gates out of even !ego bricks," bur is very difficult to write coding with no bugs.

"You can have moments ,vhere a sen[ence crackles through" in fiction, which is beautifu.l, but with code the "clarity and expression o f code is beautiful," Chandra explained.

"The beauty in code," he noted, comes from it being "concise, S[ructured and Linguistically Aexible, and as such, many programmers see their work as a creative practice, akin to creating music or Literature".

"A line of code can be perfect, but prose can never be," Adam Spencer noted on die topic.

T here was also talk of the "architectural elegance of machines" by both Chandra and Spencer, who you might know from Triple.], ABC Radio and T V programs sucl1 as The Sleek Geeks.

Chandra observed that while. writing fiction, his "first draft will lack archirecnuaJ co herence and shapeliness," but that he has the same self-doubt when writing and programming.

However, he claimed, programming is never painful like writing is. While writing fiction, he

feels a "fracture that 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 exact same rewriting process.

"Some say hackers are the same as artist~,,.

And yes, he has the "same eureka moments in the middle of tbe night with program ming and wi:iting fiction".

Proi:;ramming is a "weird, macho, blokey environment" these days said Chandra, despite programming's roots being a female secretary's task.

Interestingly, in the Sydney audience, the majority of those. who identified themselves as being programmers were women.

At the end of t he talk, during Q&A time, a female audience member echoed Chandra's own dilemma of the culmre o f science and tbe arts, as she is a singer as well as a voice scien tist. She asked Chandra, " Do you think tbis book resolves tbis dilemma?" Chandra answered by saying that the l)ook was his desire to attempt to explain to his wi£e (Melanie) what he spends hi s time doing.

Anotl1er audience member who

www.ind ianlink.com.au

ij

described herself as currently lh ing in Bombay, described Chandra's books as "a kind of code, going back and forth".

Chandra agreed with this and furthered explained that his interest in a wheel-like structure with repetition "is common in south east Asia".

In his co nclusion in Geek Sublillle Chandra wrjtes: A[y jictionprolifel'tltes doubles, ro11pli11g,; ,,lter egos, lqyer.r IJ)ithi11 lr9'en. "\Xlriters and programmers ultimately do very different things, and that's part of the argument of the book," said Chandra.

"All language is potentially suggestive," Chandra believes.

With coding ambiguity can be disasu:ous, however, with pro.se it can produce depth, or rasa (aesthetic pleasure). Chandra now codes as a hobby and is currently working on his next book, which was tl1e one tl,ac was interrupted by writing Geek S11bli111e.

"Should everyone be caught code?" Spencer asked Chandra.

7

NATIONAL EDITION

Chandra replied, "Everyone should be provided the opporrnruty and cools to play with code and explore, but not everyone has to actually code".

For most writers, compmer programs are merely tools used to

make work easier.

Chandra describes fiction as his vocation, bur coding as his obsession. He would rather code, but he describes not writing as not even an option.

Without writing he becomes cran ky, so his "\Vife sends him off co write (for a whlle). So that answers Spencer's question.

Chandra .is LLnable co choose just one, as they are both a part of him - one an obsession, and one essential.

Just as Chandra reaches a reconciliation between geek and literature, east and west, Iain Pears in !us review published 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 language chat binds the two togetlier; tlie language of computer coding and the language of prose. Chand ra seems to be master of botli. A nd for Chandra co make both topics interesting at tlie Sydney Writers' Festival is another feat he quite capabl)' handles, wit!, a little help from Spencer.

JUNE (1) 2014 21

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PEOPLE

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

ouog architect William Chan demonstrates how the sharing of knowledge can result in the development of innovative solutions to global issues.

'William, named one of Australia's Top I 00 Brightest Young Minds in 2010, recently received tl1e 2014 Snident Prize for the Advancement of Architecture from tl1e A ustralian Instimte of Arclurects.

His acluevements are spectacular for one so young. Besides being a Future Green Leader for the Green Building Council of A L1stralia, he is also a youth mentor for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydner.

His passion for socially and environmentally sustainable architectme has taken mis young Australian, originally from Hong Kong, around the globe assisting communities in need.

William graduated from the University of Sydney with tl1e Convocation Medal from tl1e Faculty of Archltecture, D esign and Planning and received a faculty scho larsh ip to participate in an inter-disciplinary design program called G lobal Studio.

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

William's first experience was at D iepsloot, a slum in Johannesburg.

This project opened his eyes to how architecture could positively influence people and tl1eir livelihoods.

His continued involvement with G lobal Studio gave William the next opportunity to coordinate the program in Bhopal, India.

Here William was part of a team developing an urban renewal master plan with a p rocess of indepth community consultation. "\~orkingin Bhopal and visiting other places in India was an incredible and eye-opening experience for me," William said.

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

Y

NATIONAL EDITION

One to One Wall House at the Ven ice Bien nale

Global Studio students in Bhopal, India

world - Europe, 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 looked at the master plan of Bhopal. They studied tl1e new and old parts of Bhopal city, examining how the distinctive lslanuc side and Hindu sides worked together.

He found tl1e lustory of Bhopal fascinating. "lt was amazing to see how the city recovered following the Union Carbide disaster and seeing how it has impacted the community," he said.

As part of the process o f developing a master plan for Bhopal, his group went around the public spaces of the ciq; talking with residents to find out how and

why tl1ey enjoyed the space.

They partnered wid, the local university, Maulana Azad ational Institute of Technology (MA1 IT) who helped the overseas guests with interpreting, as well as research.

The highlight 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 draw on maps of Bhopal and put down their ideas," said \ Xi'illiam, t he memory of t he interactions still fresh in bis mind.

"We showcased different ideas to give me communiq, an idea of how a p ublic space 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 home?

William regrets tl1at tlus was unfortunately not the case.

"Attempting to change a city is a large scale project," admitted William.

They presenced tl1e plan to the local government bu t he said implementing it would be a long, hard process.

"At least we were able to initiate some discussion around how to make t he city better and ,ve involved the community .in th is pwcess. I feel it is so powerful if we actually speak to the people. They will tell you wbat they need, we just need to take d1e time to listen and find out the best solutions," he said hopefully.

Volunteering with World Vision and having worked in aid

and development, William met many people who bad previously traveJJed to India. "\~hen I was leaving, they warned me about how incredible and crazy India is. While 1 was over tl1ere l could undersmnd \vhy!''

Besides Bhopal, he travelled co Mumbai, DeJh~ Agra, Varanasi and C handigarh. ''Chandigarh was a lughlight for me as it was designed by ilie famous arclutect Le Corbusier and it was interesting ro see how architecture and design changes tl1e ,vay people live. Here was a city which was completely planned and I noticed how different it was from ilie rest of India. People followed road r ules and respected me environment," he said.

This reiterated what William passionately believes - an architect can create an environment tl1at inRuences d1e way people live and behave, through design.

In 20"12 \'l: 'illiam also received a scholarship to participate in ilie International Exhibition at tl1e Venice Arcluteccure Biennale, the world's most prestigious architecnire festival.

Here he helped Anupama Kuocloo, an Indian arclutect now based in Brisbane, build a low impact house based on her o,vn home at Auroville in Pondicherry. '°I was captivated by Dr Kundoo's passion in sustainability and genui ne advocacy for social .inclusion within arclutecture, particularly how she re-interprets traditional design, materials and skills," said William.

His experiences in Bhopal and around the world, has given the young man direction for what he wants to aclueve in the funire.

JUNE (1) 2014 23

STAGE

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

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

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

The provision of live m usic 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 is 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 by the hugely talented Mohan A yyar on symhesiser. The absence of vocals did not seem to matter at all, with the music actually heightening the mood in this tale.

H

Vidya 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 give 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 pleasing ragas by 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 deceitful 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 playful 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 wit!, colour changes added to the beauty of tl1e presentation.

Brocbeuarevamra by Vidya was wonderfully 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 really 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. One shotlld be pleased to note that he is born and brought up in Sydney. The other musicians too did an admirable 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 should. The dances were so beautiful that the language of the lyrics seemed to be no barrier to the artiscic experience.

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

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STAGE

•

•

Acclaimed Indian danseuse Chitra Visweswaran tours Australia with her latest production

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

When it meets with chat divine handshake!

This is how Padmashree Chitra Visweswaran introduced her productionA,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 Sydney 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, with tl1e nuances of expression pushing the boundaries of the dance form. 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 wid1 a percussive Jhum;h1m/ iliroughout, as a perfect accompaniment to me celebratory dance.

Exploring d1e concept of the cosmic whole in the androgynous form of Ard.hanarees hwara / Ardhanaareeswari, the show was slowly bm surely on the take-off to great heights. In the brilliant portrayal 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

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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.

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 moves) 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 aesthetics, 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 Krishna. 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 enacting their feelings 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 very end, was just as evocative. As she sat at d1e centre of the stage cuddling an imaginary baby, there was an effortless efflux of eo10tions: she played with the little Krishna, demonstrated his lee!ttS (games) and sang him a lullaby. Even as l su·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 exorbitantly beautiful!

Flaw wise, asking to take a

break for dinner before even the show started was not somed1ing many an1ong the eager audience appreciated. A nd 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!

JUNE (1) 2014 2 5

MUSIC

tri ute

ore

Singer Aditi Gupta helps fecilitate a treasured icon on his 153rd birth anniversary my mind, 0 darling, iu this dark lonesome home) and the very well-

he 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

Aditi has a sound understancling of the chemistry of the lyrics and the nmes of RabincL:a Sangeec, and

occasion, folfilled the yearnings of those gathered to listen to some authentic Rabindra Sangeec in the

has the seasoned singer's uncanny ability to transmit feelings through her voice.

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 regularly on All India Raclio and on various Bengali TV channels. She has received many awards like the Dakshinee Puroshkar and Sunil

"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 in full detail, in order to bring out the best in themselves.

Eatlier in the evening d1ere was

Kumar Roy Smrici Pmoshkar.

The songs she chose for the evening were mostly popular ones

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 by Sanclip Bhattacharya and Barna.Li's renclition of Kunti and Karna's exchange of dialogues iu Mahabharar.a. Apparently Tagore

T

known P11ra110 sei diner katha bh11/bi ki re hai (How can you forget the good old clays, cleat}

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

re-worked on old 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, ·K arna and his 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 wo.d dwide, 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 vistas. A recent cliscovery for me has been d1e influence of !slam on the revered writer.

Apparently his private library conrainecl many writings by 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 ysticism. Like it or nor, even Tagore's critics do not deny that Tagore was a figure larger than Ii fe, o ne that continues to influence millions even today.

Uttam Mukherjee

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JUNE (1) 2014 27

•

INDIAN NEWS

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

Government offices on clean-up drive It reqLtired a new prime rn.iniscer to shake up Indi.a's notoriously slothful 'babudorn' (colloquial for bureaucracy) and clean up its shabby o ffices and workplaces.

The broom is out. The dust and cobwebs are being cleaned out and old files and broken furniture being disposed of. At most government buildings in the capital, every comer - many littered with used teacups and betel-leaf stains - are being thoroughly cleaned om in keeping with Prime :rvtinister Narendra Modi's directive to 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 and even decades are being thrown away. This was the scene at Shastri Bhavan, that ho uses some of the most important ministries and offices of the Government of India.

Top officials of each ministry are dealing with the cleauliness drive, something chat they failed to do in routine coLtrse all 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," the official added proudly. ln another difference, all o fficials 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 the reporting rime is 9 a.m. and the hours are till 6 p.m. officially,

28 JUNE (1) 2014

but most senior officials stay till 8 p.m." another o fficial added.

"On Saturdays too most of6cials are expected co report for duty if there is work. \Xlhile earlier no oue would come on Saturday, with tbe new government in place all senior 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 were the cleanest, were the offices of the Corporate Affairs Nlinistr), the 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 dingy corridors outside the offices of the top secretaries, the bathrooms srank, betel leaf and gutka stains marked the outsid e o f tl1e men's bath.rooms, and there were cobwebs 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 speed. ''The new government has emphasised on speed and cleanliness and quick disposal of files. So everything is moving fast.

Eadier, no tlung moved for months. No one seemed co work, or wam co work. Now ministers take d ecisions on files in a jiffy," said another official.

1n a welcome change, this JANS co rresponden t saw the cleaners sweeping the area behind where the g uards sit on the ground floor o f Shastri Bhavan - char was always dusty and dirty bur escaped notice of the top bureaucracy.

A senior official from the Prime Nlinisrer's Office is expected to and do an inspection of the cleanliness drive undertaken by the new government. The secretaries of every ministry have been

insa·ucred to keep everything near and clean for the i nspecciou.

"Our deparm1enr was cleaned two days ago, and heaps of files and o.ld furuiture was thrown away. Each department is doing it by turns. It is good to have everything so clean," said a woman official at Shastri Bhavan, declini ng to be 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 qualify for Leader of Opposition status in the Lok Sabha due co its low strength and hailed the leadership of Narendra Modi during the debate on the motion of thanks on the president's address.

The Congress retaliated by saying that the NDA government's agenda was a "copy" of its plans.

The BJP arrack was initiated in the Lo k Sabha by Rajiv Pracap Rudy and led in the Rajya Sabha by Finance l\1Ii.nister Arnn Jaitley.

Ri.1dy, wbo initiated the debate in the Lok Sabha, said cbe Congress had virtually been rednced to the scams of a regional party and did not have the 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 Opposition is involved in various selection processes such as that o f Lokpal and CBI director and if the government needs ro consult the opposition, whom sho uld it consult. "lt is a big crisis," he said.

He added the BJP-led government will take everyone along.

"The prime minister is a man widi a big heart. Bur if suggestions are of the nature

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

Leaders £ram AIADJ'.vlK, Biju Janata Dal and Tcinamool Congress spoke about tbeir triumph in states ruled by their pa.rties.

Rudy said the Congress, which had ruled die country for 55 years, now had 44 members in the Lo k Sabha while die BJ P which fielded less candidates than the Congress won 282 seats.

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

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

Rudy, who spoke about the distance covered and the number of rallies addressed by :Modi during the election campaign, faced frequent interruptions from opposition members, particularly those from the Trinamool.

He said Gujarat gave die counter Mal1atrna Gandhi and Sardar Patel. "This time, it has given a development man" .

In the debate in the Rajya Sabha, Jaitley said the burden on the new government would be higher as people have huge expectations from ic.

Taking a jibe at the Congress,Jaitley said they started believing their own propaganda.

"They (Congress) were believing their own propaganda. If you have done 90 percent of what has to be done, we have co do very Iittle". "(The) verdict agains r you (Congress) is not because people were angry about tl1e balancing 10 percent work, it is about the state you left the country in," Jaitley saicL He also said there was nothing like copyright 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 ou't have time-bound programmes. I request tl1e government to tell what they can show after one year or 100 days as against what they will do in "lO years. They are forgetting that the report card of ever y government 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 the previous UPA government.

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

Kharge's party colleague and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Gbulam Nabi Azad said the parry was prepared to play the role of a constructive opposition.

"The speech is a copied document, bur you could have hired someone with better command on English co change the language of the document," Azad said.

Meanwhile, officials said Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan wiU take a decision on granting Leader o f Opposition status co Kharge.

Women-centric proposals welcome, but implement them: Activists In the recent pasr, horror tales of rape, sexual assault and molesracion have plagued the coLtntry. At such a time, women, who have been shaken co the core, "welcome"

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ll

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 legislatures, 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 the hour:' said Ranjana Kumari, director, Centre for Social Research (CSR), 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 women. 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 tolerance" of violence against women, and said it was committed to providing 33 percent reservation to women in parliament and the state legislamres.

Addressing a joint session 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-year-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 helping them implement these programrnes," Raman told L\NS. However, N idhi Gupta, feels tbar unless there is greater understandiJ1g of social mindsets "which is the root cause of such atrocities againsL women," none of this can be seen as anything more than " lip service". "lt is critical to change the way people tbin.k,'' the 27-year-old Mumbai-based jou,nalist asserted.

The president 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 for saving the girl child and enabling her education. " It will structure a comprehensive scheme, incorporating best practices from stares in d1is regard".

Ruchira Gupta, founder and president of NGO ApneAap Women Worldwide, says that it is a "good step", but added diat women parliamentarians need to be educated to be females not just biologically, but also politically, and address the issue of inequality between tbe sexes.

"In the recent past, there have been \\'Omen leaders like Jvlamata Banerjee, Mayawati and J. Jayalalithaa, 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 told IANS. Gupta further questioned the purview of "zero rolerance" and said: " I want to know if they (government) will also include things like stalking and marital rape".

Ranjana Kumari, who hailed d1e comtnim1ent to ensure 33 percent reservation for women, expressed the hope diat parliament would soon pass the muchdelayed bill on this. The bill, which had

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•

INDIAN NEWS

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

been cleared by tbe Rajya 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, suggested 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 Commission to look after gender issues.

However, there are a few, like freelan ce writer Tanushree Bhasin who feel that such promises have been made in d1e past, and what matters is whether they are delivered.

"Several governmems in the past have expressed their desire 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 promises into action. For in essence, the Hiodutva ideology nms against women's empowerment and 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 hand, 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 every secror, and fast. Pushing back the slackness that had crept into the important strategic relationship over the last few years, the new Indian government signaled its keenness to "move fonvard as early as possible" ro boost ties with the US. The US too gave clear signals before India's general elections, which gave a thumping mandate to the Nareodra Modiled BJP, that it is "very keen co move forward and get the relationship back on track," said sources.

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

Biswal, who met Foreign Secretary Sujarha Singh, and other senior officials, including joint secretaries Vikram Doraiswami and Ajay Bisaria, 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 open to engage, and whatever areas that India is willing co move on they are okay with," the source added.

Bodi Prime i\ifjnisrer 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 US President Barack Obama for a bilateral summit in Washington in September. l\fodi has said in interviews during the election that individual incidents should nor be allowed to clou d bilateral relations referring ro the v isa ban on him by the US in the aftermath of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The boost ro bilateral ties also holds promise for the India-US Defence Dialogue, that had been stalled for the past two years, 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 the dialogue, too bas a new team in defence in place.

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

Besides, Sllshma Swaraj would be meeting her counterpart US Secretary of Stace John 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," well 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 in 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 new government.

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

"Enough ink and blood has been spilt on the issue. Bod, sides are finding ways to resolve the issues it threw up, and also d1at such incidenrs do not 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 on foreign policy re.mains only the pace and style would be d ifferent.

On the civil nuclear deal, an o fficial said that US nuclear power company Westinghouse has been given a formal letter of offer in December. The process to operationalise the deal L~ ''moving 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 and settled government... Everyone is looking to invest in stability in Afghanistan".

IANS

JUNE 0) 2014 29

FOOD

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

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 very 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 pm1ipmi 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 blender and pm them in a bowl. I got interrupted by tbe door bell and ran to let my 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 open my presents.

I realised I bad promised them my famous p,mipu,i so l went to the kitchen co get it. All I had to do was add the icy cold water co the ground mixture in the bowl which 1 quickly clid, decorated ic w ith boondi; and very confident of my special.icy, served it without tasting it. One b y one all my friends casted it and each one of them put their plates down with a very weird expression on their faces. The expression was an amalgam of confusion and pure clisgust! What on earth was going on? Why in the world were my 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

30 JUNE (1) 2014

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 my birthday!

There were presents for sme ... but was I going to give anything back to m y friends? No sir! I was going to starve my friends on my birthday! A pa.r ty they'd never forget. Surprise!

Sweet daughter -in-law

Nuzhat Rasheed l was newly married and v ery eager to please my 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 my culinary 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 cooking came so naturally to me I never folJowed recipes. i\liy clear 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 with the sumpruous spread. i\'1y in-Jaws arrived very punctually and after tl1e pleasamries were exchanged, 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 smiles that didn't exactly say "WOW" ! \Vhat were these sniiles about? 'i\'lhat on earth was going on? I was so busy serving everyone I hadn't casted tl1e food yet. :M aybe 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 one 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 use 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 because it tasted like goo! My kids clidn't have ir either; they hated it. I thought, rhe hell with this, 1'11 eat it m yself, but spat it out as soon as I tri.ed it. So 1 decided co just tluow it to the dog. The dog examined it from

all sides and looked at me like I was crazy serving bim a clish like that! Even the clog didn't eat my cooking!

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

Red hot chilli aloos

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

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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 chiUi powder in it before adding the potatoes. I put the oil 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 my cousin and l were watching. After a while m y cousin said, "I smeU 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 everywhere. I told my cousin to open the window and proceeded to put chilli powder in d1e oil.

As soon as I threw in the chilli, the oil Rared up into Rames! I screamed. .My cousin rushed 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 oil the Aames burst our of control and }ut the ceiling!

1 screamed hysterically.

My cousin, 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 scream.ing hystecicaUy and waving a very sharp butcher's knife in d1e air. My cousin saw the knife coming straight at him and to avoid being scabbed, he made a sharp turn right into the g lass dinning table which moved wit!, lus weight and jammed into the gyprock wall, putting a big dent in it!

He somehow managed to escape aU iliis drama and make it to ilie balcony door. The fire alarm was deafening. There was banging on tl,e front door and seconds later the concierge burst

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into the apar1ment. 1 just kept screaming unconrroliably throughout iliis fiasco.

The fire was finally put out. The pot had to be lefr outside overnight for it to cool down. My cousin was bleeding 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 kitchen ceiling, and of course my cousin had to pay for all the damage!

Oops! AJJ l was trying to do was make aloo ki st1bzi.

Eggsand chicks Veena Kumar It was a beautiful cloudy day and my whole fanilly demanded breakfast in bed. The boys all had a day off from school and my husband and I always SL'lttecl d1e clay late anywa)~ so I decided way I read to spoil everyone.

I read recipes tne same They all wanted au · \ oet to · science f1ct1on. ~ English style breakfast the end and I think. with the works; eggs, baked beaus and roast •Well, that's not" Buc unlike ilie English, going to happen. they wanted their eggs boiled. With at least two eggs per person it came to ten eggs in all so 1 decided ro boil the entire your~ cards case Qf a d9zen eggs.

As soon as I put the was Nus Sharma, The Son eggs qn the phone rang.

Mrs Sharma's son was in love and His Gori. Kind of W<e The with aJ,ori and she was devastated, Lion, Tbe IVitch, t111d The lf:1/ardrobe!

Gossip had a scrange way of and of course 9 o'clock in the morning was the best rime to giving immense satisfaction to bring it up. I got completely all participants. The eggs were engrossed in me sqap opera tha t completely 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 the gori dragon who was about ro enter Mrs Sharma's Life.

The loud wail of the fire alarm made me jump our of my skin and brought the rest of the residents 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 themselves to dead,; all the water was gone and die eggs were omv on the ceiling! Instead of breakfast in bed I had given my fanuly a special treat with breakfast on the ceiling!

Check out our Pinterest board for more food fails: www.pinterest.com/ indianlink/food-fails/

JUNE (1) 2014 31

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OPINION

India, sports underachievers

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The second main and over~ riding problem in many Indian sports is the I , .

4 BY shambolic, dysfunctional administration. .

K~ AVI CHANDIOK ,.. / "}J Greed, bureaucracy and rbe chance to shop in Oxford Street or the Champs-Elysees take ords cannot describe the over. So what's rhe answer? ln 1983 l ndia, with Kapil Dev's humiliation many in India would have fdt as the world memorable exploit~, won the Cricket World saw Shiva Kesbava.n, Nacleem Igbal and Cup. This lit the Aame for rJie cricket-crazy Himanshu Thakur walk as independenr country that India is now. A major reason for O lympic participants behind this was the tough, private-enterprise rJ1e International Olympic Jed BCCl that ensured rhe greatest Committee (lOC) flag at the rewards for rhe players, the spore Sochi 2014 winter Olympics and everyone concerned. Since then the IPL has followed with the instead of the Indian a·i• There isn't a best cricketers wan ting to be part colour. This is becnuse the shadow of doubt of chis extravaganza, thus lifting Indian Olympic Association (IOA) had been suspended by that without standards all around. What must not the JOC due to interference be forgotten is that it is a move away government from government into private hands by rhe Indian governmen t in interference the autonomy of the national sport can prosper chat is causing chis lifi: in standards.

O lympic committee. As it i\fore recently, since the IMG group in private hands and Reliance have got behind foorbali happens, Shiva Keshavan there has been a 70°/., increase in TV l:inished a disappointing 37 om of 39 competitors in the audiences since 2010 . Manchester singles luge competition. So U nited , Liverpool and otbet top how should we react? foorbali tean1s are now widely known India bas been a perennial under• throughout the country and the standard performer at the Olympic Games for many of foorbali is .sec to improve dramatically.

There isn't a shadow of doubt that without years. The London 2012 Olympics were, in government inrerference spore can prosper in fact, the most successful ever for 1ndia but rJ1e two silver and four bronze medals was private hands. So what bas happened? a very modest haul i ndeed for a country Unfortunatdy, what should have been the the size of India. L1 contrast, China with a best model for die governance of sport has GDP per capita four times that of India had lost its gloss. BCCJ bas seen beads roll and is a medal c.-illy of 14 with 88 medals in ali. So an entity tl1ar is feared, with a lot of power where are we going wrong? bur with litde credibility. And IPL franchises There was a golden era in hockey, lasting have been in1ploding for a variety of reasons. w1cil around 1980, when lndia was o n top The saying that absolute power corrupts of d1e world. Now we are ran ked l 0"' from a absolu tdy is not without foundation. Until list of some 7 1 participating cotmtries. And controls are placed on power hungry in football, which is passionately followed in i.nstitutions tbe roller-coaster that is Indian a few pockets around India, we languish at sport will continue. So what's d1e latest? an inglorious 152 out of 207 participating Actor Abhishek Bachchan has just counties. So how can this be. purchased the Jaipur franchise of the IPL s1:yle pro Kahbll(/i team. In a recent World le would be too easy to criticise Shiva Keshavan and our otl1er athletes Cup, 30 countries participated for poor performances. \Ve and Lidia's men's and wom en's teains came top. \Ve can only might even say the)' lack skills, don't train bard enough, are hope that kabbadi will feature in Our cricketing the O lympics i.n d1e near future. not committed and just don't superstars are also Our cricketing superstars are possess the winning instinct.

Bur such criticism would be starting to shake also starting to shal,e up the tmcharitable in die extreme. l up the (overall) sports scene. \Ve have legend believe these young men and sport scene. We Sachin Tendulkar turning into a women are to be congratulated have legend sport impresario. He has recenrJy in following their passion. They purchased tbe Kochi franchise Sachin Tendulkar have competed for their country, for footbaU of die Indian Super turning into a given their best and clese1·ve o ur League (ISL) and also a share sports impresario tl1anks. Undoubtedl>7, rJiey would in the ·M umbai based tennis have preferred better resu.lts. franchise of rhe lnrernational Have they really been hdped in Tennis Premier League. Not to be outdone, Sourav (Dada) their endeavm1rs? So what can we do for rJ1em?

Ganguly, die recent fiery lndian cricket captain, has bought a share of the T here are, basically, two areas t hat hold our athletes bad t. FirsrJy, tl1e funding. India Kolkata franchise of d1e ISL. A shake up is definitely trucing place spent close to $1 Om on 83 adiletes ($120,000 per athlete) for the London 2012 Olympic in Indian sports. Will in terest in cricket Games. This contrasts with Australia's start to wane and football increase in popularity? \\'lilJ rJ1e new sports leagues funding of $310m for410 athletes ($750,000 per athlete). A lower ft.mding per athlete, be able to govern themselves without eveojf all else i s egual, equates to lower falling over? \Xiill all this rnb off on future result~. Theoretically, on e way to overcome Olympians? These are exciting times indeed chis is to reduce the contingent of atluetes for sport in India.

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he managers of my office put up a sign saying: "Keep the door close". Do they mean "closed," or do they want me to take tbe door off its hinges and keep it close to me everywhere I go? Given their ratio nality levels, both are equally possible.

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

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

Internet users frequently abuse me with the phrase "Yom stupid".

I usually reply: "Yeah but at least 1 can spell you're".

This annoyed one correspondent recently into writing back: "Yom a idiot''. I replied: "Yeah but at least I can spell an". He replied: "Their'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 because 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 word "you're". It went on my

T

endangered list in 2007, when a US technology firm launched a majo r ad campaign with a rwoword phrase: "Your on". When you have a massive budget 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 Welcome Inn, which suggests that three word s is WAY too mucl1.

By 2009, "your" was replacing "you're" in about more than 50 percent of internet exchanges f monitored, and today "your" bas rrilm1phed almost completely.

Modern dictionaries are governed by tlie "descriptive not proscriptive" principle, which means "your" will soon appear as a legitimate alternative for "you're".

A funeral should also be held for the phrase "every day". \Vhen you write this as two words, it means "all the days". \Vhen you write it as o ne word, it means "mundane". So pop star Elvis Costello's hit song EverJ'dC()' I lf:71itetbe Book means "i'vfw1dane 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 sung 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 school in India owned by a certain Anu Shar ma. The signmaker dropped the all-im portant apostrophe and thus the sign says ANUS ENGLISH ACADEMY Sad bur true.

I once had an oolioe dispme with someone who told me: "Theirs nothing wrong witli my Brian". I congratulated her o n her Brian's health.

But, dear reader, let's face facts. T propose that we, the last few people on earth to still use "you're" should have a Save The Apostrophe meeting in a hotel or conference centre. But PLEASE, not at the Your Welcome Inn. What's the one grammar erro1· that gets your goat? Let us know on our Facebook page I lndianLinkAustralia

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

!though they come from the land of Karna Surra, I ndians are now gammga repmariou at the dreaded Bad Sex in Fiction A,,mrd for passages of pleasure gone wrong. The award's .latest recipient, for the year 2013, is Mani! Suri, who took the gong, o r rather the climax, with his subatom.ic bisexual orgy The City of Devi (Bloomsbury).

Aniruddha Bahal's B11llker 13 cameio a[lmmber o ne.in 2003, and there have been many, many other nominees includ.ing bigwigs Salman Rushdie and J\rundhati Roy. For those not familiar with Literary Revieuls annual antiaward, it was established in l 993

by Rhoda Koenig and Auberon \'v'augh and aims "to draw atten tion co the crude, badly written, often perfunctory use of redundant passages of sexual description in the modern novel, and to discomage it". Lad y D iana, Princess of Wales even presented tbe award one year.

Critically-acdairned writer, professor of mathematics at a US university, nominee on the ]\fan Booker and even shortlisted for the FauJ.kner awards, Manil Suri is now also the wiru1er of a Bad Sex Award. Suri's taboo-busting book The City of Devi, his third, is an apocaln)tic thriller set in Mumbai.

The famous, or .infamous, depending o n how you look at it, sex scene comes from an unusual lo,,e rr.iangle includi ng the narrator Sarita, her husband and a young gay Muslim man. Suri managed co woo me judges with 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, space and consciousness, involving all of tl1e characters of the book, not win?

A

40 JUNE (1) 2014

Suri was not present to accept the award for his super charged work. Instead, novelist Joan Colfa1s presented it to his publisher Bloomsbury, who accepted it o n his behalf in London. During the acceptance speech the sex scenes in the novel were described as "unfettered, quirky, beautiful, tragic and wildly experimentaJ".

Aniruddha Balla.l's 2003 espionage thriller B1111ker 13 (Faber & Faber), also went on to win tl1e Literary Re11ie1v's Bad Sex Award for i ts take on. sex, drugs and corruption in the 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 Volkswagen's steatfy trot. Sq11eeze the 1/lt✓Xillllllll lllileage out oj_yo11rgallon of gas.

But she's eating 11p the road with all rylif!dm h!t1zi11g.

Cars and sex seem to be a ,vinniog combination in Bahal's novel, even if it does make one wonder what type of a Volkswagen he wanted? Perhaps a slow and steady kombi van?

Babat even decided to publish a tongue-in-cheek piece on outloo kinindia.com regarding his expectations 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 writer'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 siJ1ger Sting, who presented Bahal the award, would catch up wim him later with "five cantric sex goddesses and a bucket of grease". Surely such a night could not possibly be topped for a writer i n need of improving their written. sex scenes, for inspiration alone?

This comment raises an eyebrow at what the sex lives of these writers who win tl1e Bad Sex Award are really like. Bairn! comically answers this by saying in his piece: 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 the mvarcl as a "rebellious gesnue" for bis saucy writing, due to h.is belief that there is too much censorship o f writing in India, he was also a tad peeved, as, "lots of other writers in India moughc my book had great sex writing".

Following on from Suri's credentials, it seems that critical acclain1 of the writer is no guarantee chat me se.x passages they write will be any good.

Among noteworthy winners are John Updike, Hilary Mancel,John Mortimer and Kingsley Amis. And keeping up me lnclian tradition, we have none otl1er than Salman Rushdie in Shali1J1ar the Clown Qonathan 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 the prize, despite winning the 2005 Vodafone Crossword Book Award and being a finalist at the 2005 Whitbread Book Awards.

Keeping Rushdie company in the 2005 shortlist was Tarun Tejpal, currently in jail for sexuallr harassing a young journalist who worked at his magazine Tehelk11. Tejpal 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 winners

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0

0 Arundhaci Roy found herself nominated for her highly celebrated work The God of .lfllall Tbi11gs, for ideas such as "nucbrown breasts (that would n't support a toochbrnsh)," along with "haunches (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 Neel Mukherjee (2010) for A Life Apa,1 (Constable).

Certainly no one can say that writing 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 physical sensation, a whole lot sexier than any 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 contradictions abour attitudes towards sex has even more of a challenge.

A survey conducred by Men's Health in 2013 found mat Indian men are the least sexually 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 or 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) coincidence 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 any 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 field of crumpled bed sheets and underwear on the floor.

Who "vill win tbe 2014 title?

And which lndian writer will find themselves on the shore-list?

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

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JUNE (1) 2014 41

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TRAVEL

When Lord Shiva beckons The Himalayan trek to Lake Mansarovar and Mt Kai/ash becomes a pilgrimage for RAJIV SHUKLA he restless mind \Vants to go everywhere but when it reaches tl1e pinnacle of destinations, it rests in peace and tranquillity.

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 himself 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 right.

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 this beau ti fu1 land like never before. The most memorable was a 90-minme Aight to the top of the world where we witnessed fast-hand the glory of Mc. Everest.

Crossing the border inco Tibet was a breeze. The paperwork, handled immaculately, helped us cross into China without 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!

Every 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 pleasant, given the humble arrangements available. Of the few stops throughout me journey, this had running tap water and western style toilets. This stop is

T

44 JUNE (1) 2014

snowy peak in VJSJOil.

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

The tour guides were exceptional in their care. Every morning, one of the sherpas would go through the group ensuring that everyone was in good health and that all had taken the popular 'altitude pill'. The food on tbe trip was simple buc healthy, as well as rascy. Bottled water was provided throughout the journey.

Even if you are nor a photographer, a camera becomes yom best friend, such is tl1e beauty of mis place 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 simply take your breatb away, and there is always a

You cross many lakes and rivers and then comes the best of all, tl1e mo utl1 of the river Brahmaputra.

As you stand on the innumerable sand dunes in front of the rivermouth, you are mesmerised by tl1e sheer beauty of nature.

Lake Mansarovar itself is an overwhelming sight. Por me personally, it was a spiritual experience like never before: the stillness and quiet were overpowering, 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 worldly existence.

The 80 km circumference of the Jake was completed by bus, stopping at a perfect location for water immersion and prayers.

The night was spent on tl1e banks of ilie Jake in a hun1ble setting, performing;1ag11as and offering prayers 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 for weak hearted. We started from YamDwar for the

pa1ikra111a (circumnavigation) of Mt. Kailash, walking anywhere between 12 to 22 kms a day for the next fom days. But for tl1e devom such as me, tl1e thougbt of reaching the Lord's abode was inspiring 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 visualise him sitting in meditation!

During this walk, we climbed mountains and ascended into valleys; we crossed screams and covered Aat plains; we walked on rocks and we walked in the snow. We just kept walking, rain or shine.

The first v iews of Gauri Kund, Kuber Kund, Astapad, Hanuman Tekri and Nandi peaks wne all joyous moments, bur sighting :Mc. Kailash was cn.1ly exhila.racing. The whole area is 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 gold. Later, 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 sleeping Mr. Kailash inco a waking giant. Tbe

snow-clad tip of Mt. Kai.lash mros from milk1• white to golden yellow, offering 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 wished tin1e would stand still!

I felt a similar upliftment and trans formation 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 ilarly 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 fact, I wished I could return again and again.

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5. Lilly Singh (Superwoman), Canada

t takes a stroke of genius to be able to state the obvious in a manner that is side splittingly 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 global entertainment scene.

I

With three million subscribers to her YouTube channel Lilly Singh, aka Superwoman, is an internet star on the rise. Her vlogs, skits and standup acts present comical takes on various everyday issues. Born to Punjabi parents this 25-year-old Canadian entertainer remains true and proud of her Indian roots. In her work she aims to showcase Indian culture and characters inspired by her Punjabi heritage.

10. Paul Varghese, USA

4. Mindy Kaling, 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.

Identified as 'One of the 100 most influential people in the world' by Time magazine, Mindy Kaling 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.

9. Dan Nainan, USA Dan Nainan is half Indian, half Japanese and usually bases his stand-up comedy performances on his personal ethnic experiences. He is an American comedian with a mission, in 2007 Nainan opened the Bethesda Comedy Club in 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.

3. Sanjeev Bhaskar, UK As the host of the The Ku mars at No. 42, Sanjeev Bhaskar's is a face recognised universally. 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 in British fi lms including Anita and Me and The Guru. He was recognised as one of the 50funniest acts in British comedy by The Observer in 2003.

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 role as Tom Haverford in NBC's Parks and Recreation. Aziz released his first CD/DVD on Comedy 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. Hailing 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 illustrious. Mumbai born Mandvi has appeared in numerous films and television shows including 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 hilarious play Sakina's Restaurant, which looks at the Indian American immigrant experience.

48 JUNE (1) 2014

2. Arj Barker, USA This American stand-up comedian and actor of In dian European descent admits he loves Australia, and partially lives here where h is biggest fan base is. Arjan Singh started his career as a comedian in 1989 and adopted the stage name - Arj Barker. He appears frequently in Australian comedy festivals, has performed in Thank God you're here and hosted Comedy Central presents twice. His other claim to fame is his stand-up comedy inspired web series Arj and Poopy about himself and an animated cat.

1. Russell Peters, Canada Russell Peters was born in Toronto with an Anglo Indian ancestry and started his journey as a come<;lian in 1989. His achievements inclu<;le winning 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 quick wit and improvisation skills 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 including Indian society.

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Q TPR~DICTIONS !=OR JUNE

ARIES March 21 - April 19

By NANCY JADE ALTMEA

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

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 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 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

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

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 your 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 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 you are going to be very pleased with your success.

June is going to prove to be a month of individuality and standing 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 situation. 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.

This month will be a time to keep a very calm disposition and practice patience. Work will be a challenge, but you will 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 time out to relax. Your immunity Will also be low, so you will 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 will 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 STARRING: Sharib Hashmi, lnnamulhaq WRITER-DIRECTOR: Nitin Kakkar

****<).?

here 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

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

The dialogues written by the fi lm'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 similar scenes showing mutual Bollywood-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 balance 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 India bonds with a CD pirate of Bollywood films in Pakistan? We find out with the same thrill of discovery that the director 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

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AN ODE TO TME CITY'S INVISIBLE POPULACE CITYLIGHTS STARRING: Rajkummar Rao, Pratilekha, Manav Kaul DIRECTOR: Hansal Mehta

*** ;rc)I

he 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

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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 "thriller" 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 like 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 is 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.

SUBHASH K.JHA

AKSMAY KUMAR'S ACTION-PACKED MOLIDAY HOLIDAY:A SOLDIER IS NEVER OFF DUTY STARRING: Govinda, Akshay Kumar, Sonakshi Sinha and Freddy Daruwala DIRECTOR: A.R. Murugadoss

* ** ;rc)I ow 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

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NATIONAL EDIT ION

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 collar mask.

Freddy is quite the discovery of the year. As is the tradition in Good Versus Evil sagas, Akshay and Freddy 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 plot 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.

SUBHASH K. JHA

JUNE (1) 2014 53

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 closely 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 in films 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

BLAST FROM Tl-IE PAST n 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, 'Daddy'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 ....

0

54 JUNE (1) 2014

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, launched 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 gala.

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 will read something that you have not read before about Dilip 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 llen through.

According to a source, channel Colors, 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 ready to listen 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.

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KAPIL SHARMA ASHUTOSH GOWARIKAR

DILIP KUMAR

"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 call the show Hum Aapke Hain ...Clone," he quipped.

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??

And now, a documentary

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 going "further back in time" with each project.

Ashutosh said he was motivated to take on the project simply 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

History buff: Ashutosh Gowariker

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 like 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 with 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

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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 recreate 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 small.

By that we mean, he's getting back to TV. If you've seen pies of him 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 Entertainment 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. ..

So Hrithik Roshan is trying hard to keep the family feel continuing even as wife Susanne upped and left. He's taken the kiddies Hrehaan and Hridhan to Disneyland .. .. And while 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 in Hindi title at the 60th National Film Awards 2012, it also got a special jury mention at the 2012 Busan International Film 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...

JUNE 0) 2014 55

BACKCHAT

It's a'Modi'fied India • • •

.. . where a thousand lotuses bloom

r was Satmday, May 17, around six in [he morning.

Being an autumn day, it was still quite dark.

"Namo j'\Tarqya11a". l woke up uttering this sim ple two-worded devotional line: I bow to tbe Ahnfgh!J. lt is a chjjdhood habit 1 have carried into my adult years. Like most Indians, I have a habit of seeing or saying something godly first d1ing in the morning so that the rest of the day goes well.

As l rolled out of d1e bed, the phone rang. U nusual in our household. 1 quickly grabbed me handset and shuffled to d1e next room so that my 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 and matrimonial website clays, we had no opportunity ro discuss such compatibilit)' issues.

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

OMG! l couldn't believe my ears. Having urrered '11aJ110' only a few seconds back, the good Lord (Narayana) had chosen to talk to me. How blessed, I thought, for one who is o nly moderate ly religious to have such a SCToke of fortune.

"Ayerji, this is Narendra l'vfodi," a familiar voice came on the phone. "] learn that you occasio nally write for Tndia11 Lillk.

Through your column, I wish to convey to my feliow Indians, my plans for the development of our nation and seek their contribution.

I know there is a growing Gujarati community our d1ere in Australia". \'{,'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 interview while stalwarts like Tony Jones and Laurie Oakes waited in queue.

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

I grabbed a notepad and pencil and was all set.

Next minute diere was some sratic on the line and I began to hear some cross talk. Cross li□es on the Indian telephone, it seemed, had not changed a bit since the days of Nlt: Indit1, o ne of

I

56 JUNE (1) 2014

the best comedy movies to roll out of Hollywood.

Waiting for the call meant for me to come dirough, I decided to listen in on the conversation.

Faint voice in the distance: l'laren bhai, I would like d1e job o f...

Modi: Lal Kishanji, I can hardly hear you.

Please speak up.

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

NM: Advaniji, in your advancing years, won't it be difficult for you 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 Opposition 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. Think I can manage.

NM: J have already pencilled you in for the prestigious post of Aged Care Minister.

Modi's trusted secretary Jiten Patel (interrupting hastily): Nawaz Sharif is calling from Islamabad.

NS: Sa/av, alek11t71, Modi saah.

Thank you for your invitation for your inauguration. l diink 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 my example and do what I did to .Mushy as he flew back from his visit co Sri Lanka. Anyway, dekhi )f!Yegi.. . I've made my mind up. My team's already saying Di/Ii cha/o!

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

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

Jiten: Si.r, Amma from Chennai!

She's decided co suppon you.

NM: Didn't she pulJ the rug under Ataljj's feet last time and lee the Gandhi mob in for die next ten years? An)'\vay put her through.

Jayalalitha: Va11ttkkt1v1 Modiji.

We have decin1ated the godless gang of Kamna and !:tis corrupt cohorts. Wirh 37 of us we can

''

0

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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.

''

stand solidly behind you. Cao you offer...

NM: Sure, an invitation for my inauguration.

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

NM: Jiten, only Mayawaci hasn't called yet. With her poor showing she has become 'i\liouna wati'.

During the campaign, I dio ught she would prove the elephant in the room. 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 regional qL1eens.

Imagine being forced to listen to rhe dictates of three women.

Just one Sonia was enough to undo die 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 come of you, holding d1e phone for ten minutes and not saying a word?" she chastised me.

Powerless co admit the loss o f an exclusive interview widi the leader of the world's largest democracy, I answered sheepishly, "Some telemarketer... wa□cs co seD some cheap power".

''

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 in

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