2014-07 Brisbane

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Preventing the radicalisation of our youth

Mi110,it;1Ajfairs. He states here that scare sponsors hip of moderate Islam neglects tl1e broader context of Muslim experiences, which is marked by socio-economic under-privilege and political alienation

me Mumbai attacks and the Boston Marathon bomb ings are all examples of youth gone astray when their desire to believe is greater man meir capacity co judge good from tbe bad.

Ne ,vs that up to 150 Australians could be fighting in Syria and Iraq for the extreme radical militant group ISIS is indeed concerning for all Australians. The Australian government, law enforcement agencies and, more importantly, tl1e community need co cake steps to prevent forther raclicalisation of o ur youm.

The Federal Govern ment has in the past sec aside fun ds, such as up to $700,000 in 2013 for community progran1s, co tackle e.xtrem ism To an extent it seems robe working but it can be questioned if more can be done.

The challenge not only involves what needs to be done with those of Australian origin who are currently involved in tl1ese jih adist activities, but tl1ere are also concerns of hmv ro integrate them with society when they remrn ratl1er tl1an allow furtl1er proliferation of extremism in the country.

To combat such .radicalisation both Stace and Federal governments need to move decisively.

An insigh r in meeting iliis challenge is given by Shahram Akbarzadeh in his 2013 article 'Investing in Mentoring and Educational lnitiatives: The Limits of DeRadicalisation Programni.es in Australia,' which appeared in d1e Joumal rf lviwlitJJ

These experiences marginalise Australian Muslims and make die m vulnerable co extremist ideas This pattern is most evident an10ng the youth, whose sense of self is stiU in Aux, says Akbarzadeh Youtl1 in our communities are still trying to find their place between tl1e country of their parents' birtl1 and mat of their own upbringing. The share of Indian-born Muslims is 2.1 % according to the 201 1 Census and 5 6% for Pakistani-born :tvluslims

From me commmtit:y point of v iew, iLis important tl1at we address tl1ese i ssues so as to educate and franchise oLU· youth better.

\l(Thile Australia is home co them, their sense of identicy is still h)1)henated as they are referred co as Indian-Australians, Sri Lankan-Australians or Pakistani.Australians. To the educated classes, these distinctions can b ill[ w ith time. For tl1ose who may be from a Jess advantaged socioeconomic background however a nd are on d1e fringes of religious marginalisation from die mainstream, thtcre is more susceptibility to me pressures of the radicals within their society.

As the youth go searching for answers, tliose who can incite ratl1er than excite them about life should answer their questions

The 9 / 11 attacks, the London bombing,

Society needs to step in, and acceptance bas co be the keir. .Media, both social and traditional, has to be more accepting of d1e differences between peoples.

Political leaders need to aUow for more inclusiveness in tl1eir policy programs ratl1er t han jllst make token gestures. Businesses have to step up the educational campaigns to convey die benefits of diversity.

In. view of iliis, Attorney General George Brandis' intention to repe.'11 section 1 8c of die Racial Discrimination. Act 1975 is clearly wrong. 1t is the right of individuals from all walks of life to feel free and protected from unfair discrimination based on race The government needs to retain section l8c of the Act, which mal, es it unlawful for people to vilify otl1e rs on racial grounds Any repeal of iliis act can send our society backwards.

The Racial Discrimination Act helps create a fairer Australia for all, and stops i.nclividuals from offending, insulting, humiliating o r intimidating another person or a group of people, based upon race, colour or national or etlmic origin.

The problem of marginalised youtl1 in our migrant com1muuties could pose serious security concerns and so needs to be handJed sensitively.

Community acceptance and respect of eacb omer will be an important platform in this endeavour.

outa ainst

omest1c v10 ence

The community comes out to support vulnerable women

Interfaitb communities comprising Hindus, l\foslims and Sikhs

have come rogether in Queens land recently co spread awareness of domestic vio lence (DV) and its effects.

Coordinator of the DV awareness campaign , Ya.~nlill Khan, said the group wanted to take a proactive approach. "We wanted to own ~ome of the prob lems in the community for o nce a nd we wanted to cake on a leading role," she said. "Living in Australia, we wanted co show the women of our communities chat we are aware that this [domestic violence] is happening and we are d1ere for you"

The domestic v iolence awareness campaig n was officially la1md1ed in May at the Centre for Inter faith a nd Culrmal Dialogue at G ri ffith U niversity b y Tracy Davis, l\ linister for Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability services The initiative came about after Khan requested funding in t ovember 2013, and approached the local Sikh community to implement the campaign.

"Some of these women don't have the structural o r family support and they suffer in sile nce," Yasnlill Khan said, giving some insight as w why women often shy away from coming forward to talk about tl1ese issues.

The campaign is a series of four posters that have bee n sent across to gurudhwaras, mosques a nd temples across Queensland and also to commuuity groups that work with migrant women

"She may not have tl1e ability to gain access to support services or may be isolated in a new cow1rry. She may be married in to a respectable famil y and doesn't want the gossip or she may be new in the community and no-one knows who she is o r cares," Yasmin said

"Some women don't want their family broken up, they just wane the abuse to scnp. Unformnately d1ey may have grmvn up in a vio lent household and seen their mother experience violence, and

many believe that is rhei t lor in life. That's why it's important for men to stand up to other men who are perpetrators. Remember, d1ese women could be your sisrer, yo ur mother or yom daughter".

The only statistics collected abouc domestic vio lence are for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. There is no collation o f data on ethnicity or religion

"Social networking sires like Face. book and Twitter have helped us take thi s campaign forward, I have already got responses from people from different pares of the world," Yasmin Khan said.

The new domestic violence campaign has also paved the way for "a fumre communi ty support system for DV and other cotlll11mi.ity issues, di.is wmild be a first for Queensland, we are currently in talks for setting up of this support," Yasmin said.

Anyone interested in volunteering at t be new commun.iry centre, especially if you are a qualified counsellor or psychologist in Brisba.ne, please get in touch wid1 Yasni.in at yas1nin@eidfest.com.au.

'We'll welcome you as we bring tli.is community group togetber".

6)1,,b &i2:>F&.ST Sikll N lsh,.m .S.S b CiATib.N i NC Society Of Auicrallai

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Minister Tracy Davis and Yasmin Khan at the campaign launch

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Brisbane witnesses its first ever Festival of Chariots

Attached co the chariot were two thick ropes which were pulled by over a hundred people.

Its journey began from Queens Park winding thrm1gh d1e s treets and ending at King George Square.

people ran out of the shops, or stopped by the roadside on the Samrday morning m get a

good look.

A magnificent ha nd -drawn chariot was being pulled through the Br isbane CBD, with much fanfare and joy.

Tbe Festival of Chariots, the oldest and biggest street parade in the world was held for the first time in Br isbane this }"ear. It was organised by the International Society for Ki:ishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

"\Ve received permission from the Brisbane City Council to lockdown the CBD as the char iot passed through the streets," said Niti Sheth, festival organiser, speaking co fodian I.ink ac [<ing George Square.

Speciall y brought in from I ew Somh Wales, rue wooden chariot had a large red and yellow canopy decorated with swans, Aowers and Aags. It carried che deities of Jagannath, Baladev and Subhaclra.

Talking about the festival, Sheth said, "This festival da tes back to over 2000 years, originating in Jagannatha Puri on che east coast of lndi a. It is traditionally known as the Rat hyatra. le was taken to the US in 196 7 by the founder of the Hare Krishna movement, His D ivine Grace AC Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada The festival is now celebrated in over 200 cities across the world"

In India, thousands gad1er at the Jagannatha teruple to witness a massive royal chariot carrying the temple deities, pulled through d1e city streets (Those who saw the parade in Brisbane's CBD, will have no doubts now about the origin of the term 'juggernaut') lt is a privilege for Hindus to gee an opportun ity tO participate in the pulling.

In its Brisbane avatar, the free festival became a celebration of peace, harmony and joy, extended m a fun filled day at King George Square, whe re there was something for everyone. \lv'id1

dances and drama, vec\ic culture and Ayurveda stalls, henna, face painting and craft workshops for kids, gift shops, there was India in the air! The delicious vegetarian meal being served m no cost, was particularl y popular.

People from diverse cul tures thronged the venue co be a parr of this wonderful festival.

Tirene, an onlooker, found herself absorbed in che saridrapi n g de monstration "This festival is so colourful and it is all so welcoming," she to ld Jndia11 U11k.

Narada Ri s hi, an ISKCON devotee, said, "It is good to see

ancient culture being embraced in om modern times. It bas been such a successful turnout and the cro\vd has been so receptive".

Chef Ranchor Dasa, also of ISKCON, was passionate abom the vegetarian cuisine that was being so popular on the day.

" W/e are what we eat," he said with convi ction. "\'{le need to expose peop le to the delicio u s vegetarian cuisine and create opportunities for holistic vegetarian food"

He conducts week ly vegetarian cooki ng classes at the Govin da's Vegetarian Restaurant in Brisbane He shared a sweet recipe with us:

Blueberry Ha lva

Ingredients

I cup semolina

l cup sugar

2 cups water

-¼ cup bmter

1 cup b lueberries

Method

Roast the semolina with the butter. Boil the water and sugar. l\forge the syrup in roasted semolina. Stir in the blueberries. Cover for five minutes.

Just as Ranchor Dasa's generously- shared recipe is a modem twist to an o ld favourite, so coo i s the festival.

INNOVATION, C S E OF LEAIJE ft'.,;

BY USHA R ARVIND :-;.,

Dr Marlene Kanga finds great inspiration in the lace

Steve Jobs' prophetic words, ''The only way to do great wor.k is to love what you do".

Embracing this philosophy, d1e chemical engineer, who specialises in risk management and safety engineering, has scaled greac heights.

l11e lme of the land <lown l]J]de r proved too hard to resist

for cbe feisty Indian lnstirute of Technology graduate. It was Australia in the 1970s. The White Australia policy had finally been dismantled and the AntiDiscrimination Act had passed rluongh Parliament Armed with an engineering degree, hope and a never- say-never spirit. P une-born Kanga migrated to Australia with her husband Rusrom.

Despite a stellJlt academic career anti dedication to her profession, breaking into the workforce was not eas y. What proved even harder for Kanga was shattering wellentrenched stereotypes, particularly gender based ones.

Nor one to give up, the outspoken Kanga eventually

secured her first breakthrough, rising quickly up the corporate ladder, making many meaningful contributions along the way.

Inspired by her father's achievements as one of India's first engineers in Goa and :iYiaharashtra, a young Marlene was determined ro follow in his footsteps

She enrolled at me Indian Institute of Technology in .Mumbai, one of the p ioneering women co do so in a male dominated industry.

''l'vfy father bad a great deal of integrity. He also had a great sense of purpose in senring d1e commmucy," she said

It is this legacy that she has passionately carried forward \X7b.i.le

UNDERST DI J

For her services to medicine, tertiary education and Indian community

USHARARVIND

AlcohoJ -induced pancreatiris and pancreatic cancer, a highly aggressive form of cancer with high mortality to -inc idence ratio, have been the focus of Dr :Minoti Vivek Apte's research for neacly tluee decades no\v. Hirl1erco, pancreacic cancer has defied traditional tl1erapeuric approaches, spreading aggressively before v isible symptoms appear.

A professor in the Facuh:y of Medicine at University of New South Wales and rile lngbJltn lnstimte of Applied Medical Research and Director of the

Pancreatic Research Group, Dr Apte was the first in the wotld co isolate and characterise the pancrearic scellate cell (PSC), the key cell responsible for producing scar tissue in the pancreas. An internationally acknow ledged researcher in rl1e field of alcohol-i.nducecl pancreatic injury, sbe is particularly recognised as a pioneer in the field of pancreatic /ibrogenesis. More recently, her work has established rl1ar close cross -talk bet\veen srellate cells and cancer cells is responsible for rapid progression of pancreatic cancer These pioneering srudies, have helped put Australian pan creatic research on the world map.

Dr Apte has a very accive sen,ice record at Faculty, University and Discipline Jevds. She is a fouoding member of the Australasian Pancreatic Club and Asian Oceanic

D CPancreatic Association. As past chair of tbe Faculcy HJgher Degree Committee and as pose-graduate coordinator for tl1e South \Western Sydney C linical School, Dr Apre has mentored numerous medical and science smde nts.

"Nurturing talenc is a very important respons ibility to preserve the future of medicine and research in our country," Dr Apte acknowledged.

"Students need tl1e right stmctnre and guidance rl1r0t1gh their journey. As medicine becomes more evide nce- based, we have ro engender stro ng research skill s and critical rl1inking," she added. She also regularly engages with the research community worldwide through gastroencero logical forums. 1n recognicion of her significant contrib u tion, she was recently made a Fellow of the American

~IVERSITY AND A UNI RSHIP

her core expertise has been in oil, natural gas and chemical industries, Marlene Kanga has served on many boards, driving innovation and creative leadership. She bas actively campaigned for diversity in engineering, and espoused the migrant cause.

"l always think of myself as an engineer and consider the task at hand in terms of the teclmic.'ll aspects,'' Kanga said.

"Others may see me as a woman and i:nay challenge my ability co do die job on di.is basis. I usually easily challenge chem back because l know l am good at my job and l always do it verr well," she added.

The co - founder of iOmniscienc, a market leader in intelligent

NG~ITIS

Gastroenterological Association (AGA).

For her services to medicine, tertiary education and Indian community, Dr Apte has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OANI).

"It is a recognition, of not just my work bur m y whole team, particularly my snpervi:mrs

Professors Jeremy Wilson and Ron Pi.rola, who encouraged and allowed me d1e freedom ro explore different areas,"

Dr Apte told Inditm Link.

"More impommtly, iris also very bwnblingas I often wonder if ] have done enough to deserve this".

Dr Apte is particularly grateful to her husband Vivek for being her bedrock of support and to her Tushar for coping with bavingsucli a busy mum.

INDIAN LINK

For significant service to engineering, and as a role model

'

surveillance systems and video analytics, Kanga is also on the board of Sydney Water and has held many prestigious positions in her long and illustrious caree r

She has fearured in the Top JOO Engineers in Australia as well as the Top 100 Women of Influence in Australia.

''If you ace able co w01:k in the area you love, it will never be just a job, you will discover that it will be endlessly satisfying and you will make a contribution chat is beyond your greatest dreams," Kanga tokl fodiatl U11k.

"1 never set out to change die world. 1 had smne clear goals and just faced each problem as lit] came along, The cumulative impact,

looking back, has been amazing," she said.

A member of the Engineers Australia Council since 2007, in 2012 Kanga was Chair of the Lmovation Taskforce charged with promoting further advances in enginee ring. She was also Chair of the National Comm.itteefor Women in Engineering in 2008 and 2009.

Mo re d1an d1ree decades after immigrating to Australia, in 2013 Marlene Kanga became National Presidenr of Engineers f\ustralia, the peak advocacy body and professional membership forum for engineers. "Although 1 am goal oriented, becoming President of Engineers Australia was not one of my goals," Kanga admitted.

'M y aim in contributing to the iostimtion was to give back to d1e profession and to Australia. I was later encouraged by my peers in engineering to srand for election because d1ey tboughtl would do a good job".

Today Marlene Kanga i s a board member of Innovation Australia as well as Chair of the R&D Incentives Committee, spearheading cliange and advising the government on new initiativ es.

Due to her stams as an exceptional role model and for her services to engineering, Kanga wa,5 appointed a l\-lember of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours List

"This award is a great ~xample of the openness and generosity

CTICC

"Without your family behind you, it would be difficult co achieve yoar full porentia~" she reiterated. "After all, research and academia are nor 9 co 5 jobs. It is a job for life, which requires dedication and commiunent".

She also credits her parents, .her sister and brother-in-law and a very tight- knit group of friends for her successes

Dr Apte strayed inm pancreatic smdies quire by accident. An a lllllll1us of BJ Medical College in Poona wid1 an interesrin E T, she first accived in Australia on a dependem spouse visa in the eighties.

"My visa did not permit me co work, so l volunteered in the Hismpadiology depamnenr at Newcastle University. where my husband was pursuing his doctorate io Chemical

Engineering," s he recalled. She soon began researching alcoholism and liver disease, winning a Commomvealth scho larship for a Masters in Medical Science, and became one of the 1:irst graduates of the programme. She moved co Sydney and eventually found a job ar the Prince of Wales Hospital.

L1 1998, as patt of her PhD thesis tinder mentors Dr Wilson and Dr Pirola, Dr Apte developed her world - first metbod for srellare cell isolation.

"We were the Erst in the world to show that a specific cell type in die pancreas helped pancreatic cancers grow," explained Dr Apte. " lts unique feamre is the huge amount of scar tissue. \'<!e proved d1at cancer cells recruited normal pancreatic stelbte cells to help them grow and travel to distant

parts of the body. Our ultiniare aim is to develop new treatments diat target the cross talk between the cells in pancreatic cancer so as co interrupt tl1ese growthpromoting pathways".

The pancreas is a very significant organ in the body

Dr Apte cold Indian U11k.

1\Jong with insulin secretion, it produces crucial digestive enzymes. Before her research, nobody knew v;,hat die mechanisms behind scarring were. ·'Scar tissue is found in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer and plays ru.1 iniportam role in die progression of bod1 diseases," she explained. Indeed, patients widi chronic pancreacitis have a 15 fold higher risk of developing cancer d1an the normal population, according to Dr Apte.

Unfornu1ately, alcoholism is

of Australian society," she to ld l11dia11 Link. "When I came to this cmmrry, knowing no one at all and starting from scratch, 1 never anticipated that 1 would receive such recognition. I am both honoured and hwubled by this award. It shows d1at anyone can be a great engineer and make an effective contribution to Australia".

Having excelled in her calling, Marlene Kanga hopes to inspire man y new generations to take up the challenge.

"The world needs more engineers", she said. "lt is such a dynamic and creative pathway Young people need to understand the importance of science and technology in their lives from a very young age"

CER

now a major problem worldwide. "Drinking is no longer a stigma in Asian COLIJltcies," she lanienced. "Therefore, we have a responsibility ro prevent alcoholrelated disease through better education".

Not one to rest on her academic laurels, Dr Apce is heavily engaged in promoting 'Marathi culmre and arts through 1:,,L\Sl Her passion for classical dance and choreography has led to active invo lvement in event coordination and management, the highpoint being D11rgr1 Zali G{lfrri, a musical (dance- drama) wid1 120 participants.

Dr Apte has found time in her busy schedule co fir in meditation and dance classes as well. "I really enjoy diem." she confessed. ''Everyone needs a hobby, dance is n1ine".

. :.iNI ANAND LUTHRA

:..-.

Talk to RK Ram about his widespread community work, and he will tell you humbly tl1at he is bm carrying on a significant family legacy.

"My passion for service to migram comrnrn:uties can be traced back tO my grandfather, who moved .froll1 India to Bmma in the late 19'' century," Ram cells lndia11 Link. "He was clrawo towards helping

PUTTING STRUCTURES IN PLACE FOR SOCIAL ENTERPRISE

For service to the Indian community ofNSW initially and to the wider South Asian communities of NSW over past eleven years

other migrants, especially labourers from India, who h e taught to read and wri t e and learn bas ic matl1s.

The informal cbssroom be stared became a well -kno,vn higb school".

Like his grandfather, Ram saw many needs and i ssues with the migrant communities in Australia that required addressing.

"I was fortunate tO come in contact with like- minded people," Ram says

Together they undertook soci al we lfare activitie$ tl1at have gone on to make a difference.

After years of work, Ram is now in a position where he help~ directly by creating structures for social enterprise mat provide service where a need is identified. This led to the creation of SEVA (Social Em:repreneurial Vearures of Australian South Asians), well-known in Sydney's Indian

community for its social wo rk in d ifferent fields.

"lo the area of aged care, for instance, we at SEVA are looking at training community workers wbo can provide cul turally relevant homecare. For families with special needs childrea, we have come a long way with our carer support program Sahelis ro meet me challenge of soc.ial isol ation. Samarpan, an as~oc.iation d1at represents peop le witl1 disability was registered as an associacion in 2012 after starting off informally in 2002. In ilie field of domestic ,riolence, we want to set up a safehouse for victims, but are starting with drop-in centtes where sympametic e lders in ilie communi tr can lend an ear; we hope to ultimately have medical and legal counsellon;. For these and similar programs, we are

engaged in evid ence-based research activities in collaboration w ith universities".

Social inclusion is another particular passion with Ram, ignited after tbelndian students' crisis of 2009 - 10. Rhythms of Peace is a recent ptogran1 of which Ram is particularly proud. "\:(/e came up with the program to enhance cross-cultural understanding at ilie earliest possible stages. In coUaboration witl1 Lhe Islamic Council of NSW and .Arab Council Australia, the government fw1ded us to engage prima ry school children in crosscultural activities. ivfiddle Eastern and Soum Asian kids presented performances and organised food fescivals to enlighten their peers about their culture. These took p lace in me Parraniatta and Auburn districts and culminated in

a grand performa nce at Riverside Theatres on Harmony Day''.

Another similar program that Ram is excited about which i s in tbe pipeline is based on story- telling.

Ram came to d1is country in 1969 as a member of the first ever Indian trade delegation. He was back in 1970 to set up a regional office here to look after trade between lnclia and Austtalia, NZ and Fiji, and has stayed on since then. W/hi le his professional life was dedicated to ilie growth and enhancement of tl1e bilateral trade and other relationships between rhe two countries, his volw1tarism has been an enduring aspect of his personality. le is now coming to the fo re as the community grows large enough to be able to suppo r t the plans he has long envisioned, and is now seeing to fruition.

ROCK SOLID IN HIS SUPPORT FOR SENIORS, A TRUE GEM!

For significant service to the Indian community of Victoria, to aged welfare, and to education

' 1 BY , , PREETI JABBAL

Ftom humble beginnings to being recognised with an A 1\lf in the Queens Birthday honours list this year, D.t Prem Phakey AM and his wife Usha have a lot to celebrate. Thi s year was also a oillestone for tben.1 as it marked 50 years of living in Austtalia The recently announced prestigious honours list recognised Dr Phakey for significant service to the lndian community of Victoria, co aged wel fare, and to education.

Life has been a gem for Dr Ptem Phakey who arrived in Australia in 1964 to take up a three-year contract reaching assignment He was appointed as lecturer in Phrsics at ilie Monash University in L967 and promoted

to senio r lecturer in 19TI and later on to reader in Ph ysics till he left the Univers ity in J 994 He was also hono rary lecmrer for Gemmological Association of Aus tralia, Victorian Di,rision from 1968- 1988. His scientific research included minerals, ro cks of importance, shells, teeth, gemstones and diamonds He expresses gratitude to Professor Rachioger, late Profess or Street and Monash University for encouragement and support to carry out s cientific research.

" I am passionate about Indian diamonds and have recently given a series of l O talks on iliis subject," said Dr Phakey wbo continues to be engaged in academics well past his retirement. With an expertise in crystallo graphy, m icroscopy and optics, Dr Phakey has contributed various papers and articles on gemstones and Indian diamonds in community newspapers.

Renowned for his work in moon rocks and lunar dust (both American and Russian sao1p les) Dr Phakey held many academic appoiotrnems and fellowships at institutes like

U niversity of Californi a, Los Ang eles (U CLA) , University o f California Berkeley, University of Washing ton and \X/illian1 E vans Fel.lowship at U ni versity of Otago, New Zealand. Locally he held a fell o wship at Royal Children's Hos pital, Melbourne, seni o r fellowship at the School of Dental Science, U niversity of Melbourne and after retirement, senior fellowsh ip at Monash University Dr Phakey is well reg arded in the Indian community for his dedication and involvement in the welfare of the community He was the founding s ecretary and then vice president of the Punjabi C lub of Victoria in 1987- 199 l , vice president and public officer for Australian Indian Innovations Inc. (AIU) from 2003-2005 and trustee of cbe Australia India Charitable Trust.

Heis equally passionate abouc the wel fare of senior citizens as the founding chairperson of d1e Indian Senior C itizen's As sociation (ISCJ\) and current president since 2007.

"Tbe need and composition of our society has changed and it is important to make efforts to

av oid isolation and bored o m for se1:uo rs, especially chose wh o may rel y financiall y and emotionally o n their children," said Dr Phakey as he e.xplained ISCA's objectives.

"At ISCA we offer an env iro nment where seniors can sociali se, display their talents, be entertained and educated," claimed Dr Phakey, "We hold regular taJ ks on issues relevant to the senior communit); we hold classes that assist seniors to adapt tO new technology like iPads, mobile phones, and we bave dedicated seniors teaching yoga and clmir exercises to others. In terms of entertainment we have a day centre that holds weekl y sessions of various activities and we also ce lebrate multicultural festivals and events. Our membership is gro wing at a rapid rare we have a pool of kn owledge, ralenr and expertise wid.tlo our o rganisation' ' Dr PhaJce y went on to share his vision for ilie senior community

·•we have given the organisation a strong footing and taken it to a sustainable, stable position, however, it's now rime for the next generation ro get involved

a nd rake i r further," Dr Phakey expl ained. " M y dream is chat every senior benefit from an organisation li ke lSCA and w e should have more clay ce ntres, in n.10re areas around Victoria chat offer a structured, or open environment co facilitate seni o r care solutions and indepeadence".

Letters of congramlations are pouring in for Dr Phakey from all directions including commendation from tbe G o vernor of V ictoria Alex Chemov, Premier Denis r apthine, local u:uoi s ters and councillors. His famil y, comprising of WLfe Usha who is a retired reacher, son Vivek Phakey who is. an ophthalmologist and daughter ishi who is a dentis t, are proud of his achievements. " lt's good to be recognised with tl:u.s honour, howev er, as an academic I have had the opportunity to be rewarded in many od1er ways and all of diem are equally significant for me," answered Dr Phakey when asked about receiving the recognition. "This is tl1e icing on tbe cake, and as far as 1 am concerned there's still miles tO go before I sleep". www.indianlink.com.au

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unn1n the distance

A unique 24-hour race has an unusual aim: self-improvement

Sydn ey's Blacktown

Spo rts P ark hosted the annual Sri Chinmoy 12 a n d 24Hour Race on J une 14 and 15 and no, it is nor a car rally, it is a running race.

He ld aro un d a 400 - merre athletics crack, the ultra-runners in the main event start at 1 0arn on a Samrday and finish on 1 0am on Sw1day.

With competitors facing exh austion, bad weather, blisters, no prize money and cnnsidetable financial and time commitments ju st to partic ipate, you might we ll as k: why would someo n e do this? Well, it is all done in tbe name of 'self- tran scendence,' a te rm Indian running guru an d race founde r Sri C h inmoy used to describe going beyond o nes present capacities. Runners are encouraged to sec go als and compete witb themselves. To u y ha rd and dig deep The distances competitors cover and the personal go als they set, forces them to Q\7etcome hurdles like doubt and discomfort, and ar the e nd of the event tbey come out having achieved so m ething momentous

Spokesman for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team (SCMT), the volunteer group which conducts the Sydney 24- Hour event, Prachar Stege mann said , "When we c hallenge a n d improve ourselves, the wor.ld arow1d us improves with u s Each step the runners take, if iris done in t h e r igh r spirit, can add to the idea that each one of us can contribute to a bette r p lace".

The SCMT is one of the largest conductors of fitness events in the wor.ld. Run entirely b y volunteers, it w as found ed by Sri Chinmoy to promo te running to the public As a numer h imself, he encouraged people from all ages and bac kgrounds to work on their fitness to maintain a balance between tbeir inner and outer life.

"The inner file and tbe outer file must go rogether," he stared "The bod y i s like a te mple and the soul o r inner reality is like tbe s hrine in side the body- temple. If the t emple does n ot have a shrine, then we cannot appreciate t he tem ple Again, if we do not keep

the rem pie in good condition, then how can we take proper care of the shr ine?"

T h e Sydney 24- Hour, like all SCi'vIT events, a sks co m petitors to have a few moments' silence before the start g un to contemp late going deeper wit hin and to pe rh aps combine the activiry of running and meditation.

This year , every competitor got into the sp ir i t of Lrying their best. Some competed for the first rime, others attempted to remain cheerful despite injuries or difficulties, many set pers o nal bests and some re- wrote the record books

Pro ving that age is no b arrier, the o pen 24-HoLtr race was ta ken o u t by the sixry-one -year-o ld New Zeala ndet Bryan McCorkingdale, runnin g 223km in th e allotted 24 hours He won a clo se tussle fr om Wodonga atWete Kevin Muller (221 km).

T h e female champion was Meredith Quinlan who ran 2 15 km but i t was in t he 12-Hour that some of the m o st impressive res ults came, West Australian psych o logist

Bernadette Benson travelled die long di stance co Sydney and came inro the race with a mission to run fast and rake hom e so m e records In a gritty and focused performance she c overed a

remarkable 133 kilometres.

A m ongst man y others, she now holds Ope n Australian 12-hour, 24- honr, 100mile, and 200- km records "He r speech at the awards ceremony was memorab le," com111ented 24- Hour race director Martin Fryer.

"S he broug h t all the runne rs into her vi ctory, by explai ning h ow s he had watche d o d1ers going throug h their own rough rimes and drawing on the strength and courage d1ey all showed".

" Runners band together to encourage each other," mentions Bernadette o n her blog "Going past peop le, I'd get snippets o f conversations where people were talkin g about thei r goals, their revised goals, and their challenges, and getting support from others who, in fact, were their competi ti o n! \Xfhat other kind of race is like this?"

The event was certainl y an inspira tion to the man y wellwis h ers, competitors and helpers who attended and it will all be

happeni ng agai n in 2015.

Runners at the start ofthe 24- hour race

Bernadette Ben son in the early morning

Add Aussie technolo y to Indian milk, stir wel

New collaborations are set to open up between Indian and Australia in the dairy industry

Ahigh -level 16 member lnclian dairy business del egation visited Australia this month to explore potential collaboration oppommities.

The delegation was l ed by Yes Bank, India's fourth largest private sector bank, and was supported by Austrade.

Ausa:ade bas recently signed a Mem orandt1m of Understanding witl1 Yes Bank's Food and Agribusiness Strategic Advisory & Research Group (FASAR) ro offer Australian experience ro improve the prodt1ctivity and exports of India's food and agricuJnu-al sector, inclu ding the dairy secror, as India addresses its food security concerns.

The delegacion, representing some of the la rgest dair y companies in India, roured Australian research institutes, farms and dairy companies to ll!1derstand technologies for possible use in In dia.

The I ndian delegacion was made up of ch ief operating officers of agri business concerns and NGOs, agri commodities experts, research scientists, veteri nary scientists and entrepreneurs in the dairy industty from across the cotmcry. They belonged to cooperative and private datry sector companies such as the International Food Policy Research Institute (lFPRJ), ITC Ltd, Gopaljee Dairy Foods, Deshpande Fopndation, Lakshya Foods, Rajkot Dair y of the J\.mul uoion Paras Dairy, Asad Farms and Kiaro Farms.

T r aveling ro Melbourne and Brisbane, delegates gained an insight into Australian dairy farming, process ing technology, waste management, breeding, and research and practice in generics

"I'm excited abour the possibilities in two particular aspects," Nitin Puri, speaking on behalf of the delegation, to ld Indian Link at the end of it all "These are farming procedures and genetics. There's a Inc of scope for us to learn

from Australia here, and there are significant possibilities for business collaborations as we ll ".

Puri is the head of FASAR, a divis ion of Yes Bank which focuses on consulting, advisory, pol.i cy and research i n food a nd agriculture, working in the multinational, Indian corporate, government and multilateral space.

"India is the largest producer and consumer of milk in the world at 140 million ronnes per day:' Puri said. "This means that while we are self- suf6c.ient in dairy, we are not really exporting. Australia on the other hand, produces one- tenth of what we produce, bur exports half of it, thanks to its expe r tise in processing and livesroc k development".

Another stark difference in tl,e Indian and the Australian industry is in farm size. "In Ind ia, tl,ere would be about t\vo to tlrree cows per farmer," Puri observed " Here, it is hundred ti m es that number.

A natural advantage is pasture areas filled w i th open grass We d o n't have tl1at, sadly; and because we have co make it up with consolidated feed, cost structures become involved. The yield size, currently ar 6- 7 litres per farmer per day, is scagnating. \'(/e are not following good practices to see a substantial increase. In AL1st1·alia, even though the number of farms have gone down i n recent times,

the herd s ize per farm bas gone up, tripled LO many cases, so the farms have sc al ed up rneLr operacions".

Unlike Australia which is very strong on value-added lo n ger shelf-life products su ch as cheese and specialised milk powders (it is the world's fourth largest exporter of processed dairy products), the lndian consumprion is in liquid milk only. But with an increase in health consciousness and Ii festyle in me expanding Indian middle class, this need for value- add i s growing, and so the domestic market will start seeing a shortage too.

India's Nationa l Dairy Development Board has forecast milk dernand to touch 180- 200 million ro nnes by the e nd of 2020.

Yet a National Dairy Pl an (NDP) drawn up in 2010 proposes ro neatly doub le India's milk production b y that time Fommately, stakeholders are eager ro bring in momentum ro see thjs through "Unlike otl1er areas of food production, dairy is far mo re evo lved in Lidia," Puri n oted "No doubt this is because of me inAuences of co -operatives such as Amnl Ln the I 960s, and more recently, the involvement of the private secto r Storage, for example, is at par witl1 global practices, as opposed to grains wbkb i s under gover nmen t control".

Changes have also been induced by factors like easy credit facilities and dairy friendly polic ies by tl1e government, so that dairy farming is less agrarian and more a professionally managed industry.

''We are currently on the lookout for initiatives to have a mar ketab le surplus in the nexr five to seven years".

A.nd this, he is su re, wtl.l come from herd genetics

"Genetics will be a g ame changer. \\:,' hat we've learnt in Australia t h is tr ip has bee n a revelation for us. I'm foreseeing that with Australian technology help ing us in farming method s and in genetics, we will be ab le to Lncrease our production substantially".

Australia showed off its dairy expertise and techno logy to India at tl,e Dair y Sh ow i n H yderabad earlier this year. Ir provided an engagement mode.I to conueCL witl, the Indian .industry using

the global PRETSS approach (o ffering expertise in polic y, research , equipment, technology, services and skills).

Here's to another white revolution in India, with a bit of help from Australia.

Adelaide architecture students take a study tour to India and Nepal

U1::;:~1t

architecmre studen ts have beate n the Feds to the punch. The ew Co lombo Plan (NC P) was roUed out by the Federal Government in 20 I4. Its objective is to "life knowledge of the lndo-Pacific in Australia a n d strengthen people- to - people and institutional relations". India was not even co be considered until the wider roll- out in 2015. lnteresti.ngly, the University of Adelaide's School of Architecture 14

decided to take the matter into their own hands b y setting om an India project. Their ' India Studio: Collaboration in Design' m iss ion ,vas designed with overall aim s remarkably in line with those of the NCP b ut on a narrower focus, and incl uded a visit by their architecture students to India.

M ore recentl y, a differen t group of students has visited Nepal as part of their course for a project to construct buildings for mothers' groups o n two different sites in the mountains north of Kathmandu.

The groups were led by Dr Am.it Srivastava, Lecturer in the School of Architecn1re. The India Studio project was developed in coJJ aborati.on witl1 Prof Rajat Ray of the Susbant Schoo l of Architecmre in Delhi. The

s mdents a lso had the o ppornmity to visit Agra, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh

The observations of the Adelaide students provide an interesting window o n meir peers in India and Indian architecture in general Smdeors with bo undless energy need to be kept occupied, so one of the aims of the India Smdio in Delhi was to work alo n gside local architecture s tudents on a design project based in Delhi The .idea here was to come up with designs for tl1e redevelopment of an o ld textile mill site in North Delhi

This stroke of gen.ius led to students getting to learn more abouc each otl1er Adela.ide smdent Jesse recalled, "S tudents atSushant were enthusiastic and pass ionately

opin.ionated. rt was eye-opening to see the way in wh.ich the)' interacted during smdio sessions, wi th great endrnsiasm and sometimes brutal honesty"

The visit to Chandigarh was one o f the h ighlights of the Indian trip. As is weU known, this northern city was created as part of first Prime i'Vuo.ister JawaharlaJ Nehru's grand vision for a modern lndia. Ir was a massive project especiaUy for its time and came to symbolise hope for d1e fumre a rchitecmraJ landscape of India.

Adelaide students Lana and Marguerite saw Le Corbus ier's Chandigarh as an exampl e of a large scale project created by the masters that exemplify modercistic tendencies d1at d.idn't disengage from di e human scale.

Daniel's reAection was somewhat different. "While planning a city can be incred.ibly im portant for d1e success and good - working of a city, it does n ot itself mean that the city is 'successful'," he noted. "1,Cuch of the quirky and culmtalJ)' rich elements we saw in the other Indian cities, were no t present in Chandigarh".

He added, " The most beautiful part of Chandigarh was the Rock Garden, where Indifill culnu:e, materials and a r tistry was on display"

The sn1dencs were also pleased to meet Nek Chand Saini, the creatnr of the famous Rock Garden.

It was not all work and no play. Any excuse will do to explore d1e Jantar Mantar in Delhi. The

srndents enjoyed clambering all over the structures Bui.It b y Mahataja Jai Singh of Jaipur, the site is a marvel of architectural and engineering design. J\1d10ugh it was built for the scienti fie pursuit of astronom}; it conjures np an image of almost being a p laything or a ' foll y' Other p laces of interest visited inc luded the Red Fort and Humayun's Tomb in Delhi.

Cities in Ind ia have typically developed organically over long periods of time. Beset with d1e problems of a developing country, urban planning tends to disp lay haphazard tendencies and this was reflected in die opinions of die smdents.

For instance, Jesse observed, "Many of die more recent developmenrs and newer buildings in d1e large ci ties often seemed disconnected and lacked a thor ough understanding or representation of die context".

Daniel on the other hand, ,vas impressed by the Akshardham Temple and the Lotus Temple in De lhi but felt chat the bu.iidings o f Gurgaon "were the uninspiring

soldiers standing co attention in rows co accommodate more pe.oplein chese indivi dual, but coo - familiar monoliths".

What stood out for Lana and Jvfarguerite were me "predominantly gated and often guarded" build ings, "creatin g Li ttle is lands of modernistic architecture where the chaos of Jndia seemed co panse".

Bur the plains of India were a l ong way from the cranguil setting in the moumains o f Nepal, which was die destination for the second group of architecture students from the U niversi ty of Adelaide. The project to assist in the construction of two mod1ers' group haUs was undertaken with th e NGOs Aussie.Action Abroad and Architecture Wichour Frontiers. The 23 smdents were split into two groups; one travelled to the Khudi So u th site and tl1e other to the T aal site The project was co use simple techniques with local materials and mainl y manual labour in the construction.

It was fascinating to hear the views of tl1ree students Scott, As h leigh and Char lotte on tl1eir experienc es in Nepal. Ash leigh mentioned that she ·'didn't know what to expect" and so felt quite. upset b y the culture shock. AU three were struck b y tl1e simplicity of d1e Nepalese people's lives and their generosity.

There is always a risk that such 'flying visits' can be just for self-gratification o f die visitors widi no re.al benefit for tl1e local population. But the responses dispelled tl1is n otio n.

Firstly, in this case, die money being spent did go cowards the benefit of the local community Secondly, it helped me relationship, even if sligh tl y, between Austral ia and Nepal.

In me b igger picture, what stands out as the most important benefit here, is

mat d1e visit by the students gave hope to che people chey met.

Finally, of course, is tl1e practical aspect in tl1ac the halls are now being used by mothers and rnn b y die local people d1emselves. The haUs will be a lasring memory to die contribution of a handful of Adelaide srudenrs t o the future lives of die Nepalese community.

Any v isit to Nepal is incomplete wid1our a diet of daal-hbat and a trek. So our two groups went on 5-day organised treks accompanied b y guides. The s tudems also visited the historic city of Bhaktipur which they fo tmd guite fascinating. They noted the Roman like influence in die construction in the wide use of bricks even on tbe roads.

The Nepal trip was brought co a close widi a flourish by means of an exhibition in i'Vlay. This transported tl1e colour, feel and atmosphere of d1e mountains and its people to Adelaide and showed glin1pses o f the work done by the students.

For d1e future, the School of Architecmre is very like ly to maintain its Links w ith the subcontinent. When asked if d1ey wouJd go back to India and Nepal, t he ove r-riding response was positive. Such visits help develop unigue bo nd s Somed1.ing of onesel f i s left behind: a mark, a memory or a moment, in exchange for someth ing taken, to be cherished or recalled in years to come.

aroos • m1r co ours

Vijay Koul's pie bounces into first place at the Canberra Times Autumn Photography Comp

~DHANYA SAMUEL '

oCanber raand

DKashm ir have any thing in co mm on? They do, according to CSIRO scientist, Vijay Koul who won the 1irst prize in the Ca11bQ1Ta

Ti111es Autumn Photography

Competition, 2014. Koul's w inning click, was p icked out from more than 400 entties, is a shot of a bunch of kangaroos grazing peacefully amidst the brea duaking ora nge and red hues of the spectacular Canberra au n1mn.

A native of Kashmir, Koul has been living in Australia with his family for the past 21 years. Re is a scientist working with the Bush Fire Research Grou p of CSIRO.

Koul said that cbe beauty and magnificence of the changing seasons of Canberra, especially the spring and autumn colours, were h ighly reminiscent of bi s homeland, Kashmir, which is often referred to as Paradise on Earth for its breathtaking beauty

This is the second time Koul bas entered th is photography co m petitio n. Last yea r, he cook part in the CaJJherm Times W'inrer Competition 2013; his picture was shore- listed to be pub lished bur did not win the title.

Photography has always been Koul's passion, but this interest took flight when he began work with CSlRO, as he regularlr capmres p hotographs of his experi m ents Even this winni ng picture was shot as he was finishing work in a nearby CSIRO lab

"I looked outs ide my window and saw tbe beautiful aun1mn sunset, ccees, kangaroos; luckily I had my camera wi th me, so jumped over the fence and clicked the shot," he said of hi s winning photo

And when he is n m working, he also enjoys shooting for weddings,

birthdays and community-related e\Tents for fr iends and family. A t the moment, Koul said tba t he is not thinking o f turning his passion in to a profession, due to work and famil y commitments, but he is keeping tl1e avenues open

Kou] shoots these captivating images using a Penta., with Sigma zoom lenses 18-200mm and 70300111111. He told Tndio11 Link tl1at he prefers not to use any photoedi ting soft\va.re and if he must, he uses the softwa re provided by P en tax He does not believe in fa nc y camera equipment, bu t rather in the creative eye when it comes to capturing beautifol shots.

"It is always best rouse automode cill one is confide n t before migrating to manual focus," is Koul's advice for photograp hy encbusias t s and wannabe professionals. lt is important co have an in -depth und erstanding of shutter speed and ap erture when using manual m ode He also mentioned ch at a good way of learning and broadening knowledge is co refer to good journals, books and magazines d edicated to photography. Digital Photograpqyfor D11111111ies and Digital II.R Camem ,mdPhotograph.rjor

Dum111ies by David. D. Bush a.re the t\vo books chat Kou! would suggest for novices with a pass ion for phorography.

For those into ttavel photography, Koul's advice would be to invest in a good camera, a couple of SD cards and spa.re batteries "Go ahead and click as many pictures as you like; you can always de lete the bad o n es," he explai ned. "And also remember the best tin1e for capturing good photographs is during tl1e magic or golden hom which is one hour after sunrise and one hour before sw1set"

He also points out the benefit of us ing a wide angle for capn1ring landscapes.

Re said that the scope and potential for growth in the field of nature imd travel photography is immense, as Australia has man y scenic location s and breathtaking namral beauty. He also mentioned that tl1e scope for event photographers is al so huge owing to the lal'ge Indian population bere.

Koul is curre ntly in the process

of p roducing a photographic book capturing the spe ctacular scenery of the spring and autumn seasons of Canberra. A project very close to hi.s heart, be says this book will be h is dedication co

Canberra and to i ts breathtaking natural beauty during these seasons.

To i nteract wicb Koul and catch a glimpse of his amazing work; ,risic www.fa.cebook com/vkoul

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For more information or for a one-on-one tour of our Sydney campus, please email admissions.syd@spjain.org or call (02) 8970 6800.

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The Vatican announces its cricket team: From left, Deepak Anto from India, captain Anthony Currerfrom England, and Ajeesh George, Davidson Jestus and Pratheesh Thomas are part ofthe St Peter's cricket team, made up largely of Indian and Sri Lankan priests, deacons and seminarians studying in Rome. The new team is going on its first tour in September, playing an Anglican squad at the Kent County Cricket Club and the royal household's XI at Windsor. The "Light of Faith Tour " aims to forge greater ties between the Catholic and Anglican churches, which split in 1534 after English King Henry VIII was refused a marriage annulment

Government claims that Indians in captivity in Iraq are safe

According to [be government, Indians held captive by suspected Sunni militants in the Iraq town of Mosul are unharmed - even as efforts continue to secure their release from their abducrors in the vio lence- hit Gulf country.

External affairs ministry spokesperson

Syed Akbaruddin told reporrers that efforts were bei ng made to m ove lndiam out con Aict zones in Iraq,

He said the government's information flow has improved and is enabling more efficient channels of information transmission.

"O n tl1e diplomatic front, o ur efforts are conlinuing both in Iraq and out~ide. Our initiatives are gaining impems. We are proceeding systematically and carefully Various doors are opening now; tl1ese are primarily in Iraq ar various levels, all of which are significant," he said.

Akbaruddin claimed tl1ere were about l 20 Indians in conflict zones in Iraq and 17 had moved ouL

"Seventeen L1dians have been removed from tl1e conflict zone. \'(/e are working to ensure th at resr of the Indian nationals in conflict zones are moved out of there,'' he said

Asked if there was real danger of the 39 abducted Indians being used as a shield , he claimed there was "no safety in captivity"

"'~/e are every day trying co obtain information, corroborate informatiorr and confirm information. Based on that, I can confirm they remain Lmharmed as of now," Akbaruddin stated.

Ir is understood tl1at Inrua i s in touch wirh countries in the region like Saudi Arabia to urge them to assist in freeing tl1e captives.

The Indians, w h o belong mostly to Punjab and Harya na, were worki n g in Mosul as construction workers, drivers or sanitary workers. Suspec ted militants of the Islamic State o f Iraq and the Levanr (ISIL), \vl10 have overnm large parts of northern Irnq and ralken over Mosul and Tikrit, abducted the wo r kers arow1d a week ago

Acco rding to Akbaruddin, the 46 Indian nurses in Tikrit are also safe. He sa id the safety and secu1:ity of Indians in Iraq .remained a matter of priority for the government.

"\Ve have received 120 requests in Baghdad and 300 at our control room in New Delhi for assistance of various types," he said. Some of tl1e requests may, however, be duplication, he added.

Akbaruddin said there were more than 10,000 Indians in 1raq and the remrn of chose not in the conflict zones would be on n ormal contractual terms. He claimed there were 12 major companies where Indians were working and me company with ilie largest presence of Indians, around 2,500, was in Najaf. Several Indians wanted to return and tl1e lndian governmem is also in touch witl1 the companies that bad sent them to Iraq to work

On reports of d1e death of an Indian, he said tl1ere was no infmmation from d1e concerned company about the possibili ty of an L1dian worker in southern lraq who may have succum bed to a heart attack

"\Vhen I checked tl1ar up, tl1ey (the Indian mission] hadn't yet got confirmation from me concerned compan y It is possible tl1at the compan y is completing tl1eir procedures at their end befo re d1ey come to us Bur should this unformnate event have taken place, we will assist the return of the mortal remains of tl1ar lndian national in accordance with the standard

procedure," Akbaruddin said.

Officials stared tl1ar requests for assistance from lnruan nationals in Iraq were being constantly addressed. The lnclian mission will h elp me wo r kers co obtain passports ro retutn, as the employers would have taken their passports away under the Iraqi labour laws.

The ' Phoren' dream results in Iraq misery

l'romised a good life in rich havens like Dubai, Kuwait and Jordan, hordes of gullible you tl1 from Punjab and Haryana have been manipulated by trave l agents and in country associates to work in m iserable conditions in conAict- rorn Iraq.

Witl1 tl1e number of people stnck in l raq due the recent sectarian flare-up, rising to nearly 700, tl1e o ld sto ry of failed "phoren (foreign) dreams" and lost big bucks is bei n g retold

"Many youth are promised jobs in Dubai , Kuwait and Jordan but tl1ey are taken by t he travel agents to Iraq instead. Once tl1e you th reach tl1ere, they do nor have the option of returning. le is a mi se rable trap. Tbe youd1 spend fakhs of rupees of hard earned money or sell land to go abroad, and end up in a Life of hell," said Paramjit Singh, who renu:ned from Iraq after working there for over two years.

Bhagwant Mann, the Aam Aadmi Parry (AAP ) Lok Sabha member from Sangrnr, has taken to social media and set up a helpline to reach our to youths stranded in Iraq and also help connect tl1em co [heir families in Punjab.

He said the actual number of people from Ptmjab stuck in Iraq could be much higher than 700.

" Though 1 don't have tl1e actual figure,

I am to ld tl1ar up to 4,000 Indians, mostly l'unjabis, are stuck in Iraq," Mann said

"Jvfajority of the youth are taken ro Dubai, Jordan and Kuwait and then sold off [0 companies in Iraq," he added.

The Punjab government has alreadr submitted a list of 5 1 4 people from Punjab who are stranded in lraq.

Go ing abroad is a common fad among youtl1s from Punjab, especially in the Doaba region. (the area between Sutlej and Beas rivers) comprising the district~ of Jalandhar, Hoshiaipur, Shahr and Kapurthala.

"Rural youtl1s and also mose from smaller towns just want to go abroad by any means. Ther see no future and employment for memselves in Punjab. Despite big promises, the Pw1jab government does little for mem The levels of frustration are high," said Samain Singh, a Jalandhar-based travel agent.

The unscrupu lous travel agents rake advantage of th is situation and exploit such youth. They swindle them of lakhs of rupees and dump them in cmmtries like Iraq," be said.

According to reports, militants have taken hostage 40 Indians, mostl y Punjabis, in Iraq's Mosul town. Their fate is unknown since they were abducted The families of the men snic k in Iraq, who are mostly poor or lower m iddle class, say mey can only hope for the return of their loved o n es

"We don't have the resources or money to ger tl1em back. We want our boys back," said Baldev Singh , a relative of o n e of tl1e youths held hostage in Iraq.

The story of and two others, who we re taken hostage in Iraq nearly a decade ago, is still fresh in the minds of people but that has hardly d eterred youth s from riski ng everyth ing ro go co M idd le Eastern countries such as Iraq.

The family of Antaryami, who live in a village in Himachal PraJesh's U na district, adjoining l'unjab's Hoshiarpur district, wants ro keep away from d1e media glare ar rl1is time, when the hostage crisis is being repeated wi t h otl1er youths from Punjab.

Ancaryami him self drives a truck and has nor worked on foreign shores si nce.

India launches five foreign satellites, Modi wants one for SAARC

India placed in orbit five foreign satellites on June 30, prompting a cal.I from Prime Mini ste r arendra Modi ro develop a SAARC satellite to be " dedicated to our neighbourhood as a gift fro m India".

''Truly, dus is a global endorsement of India's space capabilities," said Modi, who app.lauded as the Polar Satelli te Launch Vehicle-C23 - 44.4 metres tall and weighing 230 tonnes - tore into rhe sky wirl1 orange Rames fiercel y burning at its tail

The rocket, which rook off at 9.52 a.m , was tl1e first space mission after Modi's National Democratic Alliance (NOA) government rook o ffice.

The five satellites - one each from France, Germany and Singapore and rwo from Canada - were launched under commercial arrangements that ISRO's commercial arm Antri.J, Corp en tered into witl1 the respective foreign agencies

The 20- minute launch mi ssio n turned out to be a grand success

"Today, I ask our space communi ty to take up the challenge of developing a SAA RC satelli te that we can dedicated ro our neighbourhood, as a gift from lndia," 1vfodi said after wimessing me space mission.

"i\ sarellire that provides a full range of applications and services to all our neighbours l also ask you to enlarge the footprint of our sacellire-based navigation system to cover aU of South Asia," he said.

The rocket's main l uggage was the 714-kg French earth observation sateUite SPOT-7.

Piggybacking on it were four smaU satellites: 14-kg AlSAT of Germany; NL57 .1 (CAN -X4) and NLS7.2 (CA -XS) from Canada (each weighing 15 kg); and the 7 -kg VELOX-l of Singapore.

Around 18 minutes into the 8jgbt, che rocket first ejected its heaviest luggageSPOT-7.

lndia had launched another French satellite SPOT-6 in 2012. The latest in the SPOT family of satellites is SPOT-7.

The ejection. of SPOT-7 was followed by AISAT (Germany), NLS7.l, NLS7.2 (Canada) and VELOX- 1 (Singapore). Modi sa id, "We have placed five satellites inro their orbits 660 km above the Earth. lndia's advanced space programme puts her in an elite globa l group of 5-6 countries. This is one domain in which we are at the international cutting edge. A domain in which we have pushed beyond mediocrity to achieve eJtceUence. We have launched satellites of advanced nations. PSLV itself has launched 67 satellites; of which 40 have been foreign satellites, coming from 19 countries. Even today's satellites are all from developed nations - France, Canada, Germany and S ingapore"

He added chat inspired by the vision of former prime minister Aral Bihari Vajpayee, "we have sent a mission to the moon".

"Another is on its way to Mars as we speak 'vi/e have also developed our own satellitebased navigation system l am told this will be fully deployed by 2015".

Starting &om 1999, India bas launched 35 foreign satellites till date using its PSLV rocket. The successful launch of five satellites l\fonday takes the tally to 40.

India bewin its space journey in 1975 with the .launch of Aryabhatra using a Russian rocket. It has completed over 100 space mi~sioos including missions ro moon and mars

Indian scientists tap into geoinformatics for mapping natural hazards

Uttarakhand is yet to recover from the massive rain -triggered Aoods that left thousands dead last )7ear and exposed the gaps in disaster management strategies. Now Indian scientists have devised sophisticated satellite- based and computer-centric technologies to map potential natural hazards to aid in disaster mitigation.

Geoinformatic tools (the application of technology to geographi cal sciences) such as remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) were successfully pm to use by researchers at the Jadavpur Universiry's School of Oceanograpby bere to scientifically analyse and prepare zonation maps of Bihar.

The proceclw:e, which can be extendecl to the entire coLmtry, was used to map earthquakes, Roods and droughts and an emerging environmental pbeuomenonurban heat islands

"This study reveals rhe actual zonarion of different natural hazards on the basis of which the policy makers can formulate future p lans. It can be a pathway for making such efforts for every ind ividual state ru1d then compiled together as a country report,

Tuhi n Ghosh, joint director of Jadavpur U niversity's School of Oceanographic Studies, told !ANS.

"le can be charted for various climate zones too," be added.

The report, citied 1 atural Hazard Zonation of Bi har (India) Using Geoiuformarics: A Schen1atic Approach' , can be read in Springer's Briefs in the Earth Sciences' series of publications.

Though previous attempts were made for similar studies, Ghosh contended the report compiled by him and researcher Anirban Mukopadhyay is the first to put all the dataof intensity and distribution of hazards - on a common p latfo r m, chat is, GIS

GIS is a computer system that integrates, stores and analyses geographical data for informed decision-making, while remote sensing, with the help of open source (free ly available) satellite data and sensors, can help one identify, locate and measure objects without coming in direct contact with them.

In addition, these systems save time, are cost-effective and need less human resources when compared to physical surveys for b ig areas, for examp le, while developing statewide reports, said Ghosh.

Lauding the project, environmentalist

P. K. Joshi, who bas expertise in RS and G rs, said d1e information gleaned from a blend of such zonation data, witl1 inpurs from governmental agencies (like the Indian Jvleteorological Department) ru1d nongovernmental agencies can be conveyed directly tO the people through ceU phones that are nowadays geoinformatics-enabled.

Though geoinformatics encompass all the analysis done by Thill, there is a definite edge in mapping hazards,Joshi said.

'Ir can help in retrieval and integration of many more biophysical parameters and prov ide more robust geo-staristi cal analysis.

"Integration of other socio-economic data sets is much easier and powerful in a G rs environment: which can directly feed the policy and decision makers," Joshi, head and professor, Department of Natural Resources at New DeUli's The Energy and Resources Jnstinite (TERI) UniversiLy, told JANS

'1c could guide iu rescue efforts in d isasters of huge proportions, like Urtarakhand," be added.

lo addition, GIS is a "hand y cool" for administrators to comprehend the spatial dimension of hazards, according to Chru1dan Ghosh, professor and head, Geo Hazards, at New Delhi's National institute of Disas ter Management (NIDJ\1)

And if tl1ese maps, in. scaled-down and detailed versions, are made available to disa:ict administrators, they can facilitate easy identification of roads and landmarks while planning for rescue operations, Chru1dan Ghosh reckoned.

"From such studies, what is needed cbe most i s the preparation of 'live inundation map' or 'computer anin1ation of virtual flood situation using rainfall and water flowing from adjoi1ling water bodies',"

Chandan Ghosh said, adding ir could enable officials to visualise a near-real situation of Roods and help in marking danger and safe zones.

.At rhe heart of the matter and for large-scale polic y making, there is a pressing need for a change in mindsets and accepting and adopting new vistas for efficient: disaster management.

" Continuous study, analysis, formulation and updating of hazard. zonation can

The Rani- ki- Vav (Queen's) stepwe/1, on the banks of the Saraswati River in western Pata n, some 120 kms from Ahmedabad, has been granted UNESCO World Heritage status

maxinlise d1e preparedness strategy and minimise the cost and effort therein. Also, awareness and capacity-building regarding potential namral hazards in every level of stakeholder in the governance, society and industry are iu1portant," said Tub.in Gbosh.

SRK conferred France's highest honour

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius conferred his country's llighest awardKnight of the Legion of Honour - on Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan in recognition of llis ourstancling contribution to cultural divers ity across tl1e world.

The function was held at the Taj Mahal Palace boceJ in Mumbai on 1 July.

"There are different moments in life d1at make you feel d1at you are on the rigbr crack and ch is is one such moment. I am truly humbled to receive this honour," said Shah Rukh, thanking French President Francois HoUande and Foreign Minister Fabius for finding him "firring for d1is honour".

"l am a part of the Indian film fraternity and it makes me feel proud. to be recognised for die field l am most passionate abom This honour has furtl1er motivated to take Indian cinema to d1e next level of acceptance, love and g lory. And thank you France for being so l oving and appreciative of Indian films, it's extremely encouraging," he said.

Created. in 1802 by Napo leon Bonaparte, the Legion of Honour is the llighest award given by rhe France for ourstru1ding service ro tl1e country, regardless of tl1e nationality of d1e recipients.

Northeast to have air ambulances soon

Patients from difficult- to-access locations in the landlocked northeastern s tares can heave a sigh of relief, a s a Guwahati -based hospital is plru11ling to launch air ambulance services ro ferr y patients from across the region.

The Guwahati Neurological Research Centre (GNRC) unveiled a plan to launch air ambulance and medical outread1 programme using helicopters to remore areas of all d1e eight northeastern state - Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, "iv[rulipur, ]\,fizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Sil<lci.m.

"Doctors from GNRC will be ferried to difficult-to -access locati o ns across the 1·egion and provide doorstep medical support to the people," said neurologist Noma! Chandra Borah of GNR.C Hospitals Led.

Once started, the air ambulance service will be the first of its kind in d1e region. GNRC was founded by Borah iu 1985. lt was the first super specialty heald1care cena·e in nord1east India and presently operates three hospitals offering over 500 beds.

The hospital serves people of Assam, the other northeastern states as well as the neighboring southeast Asian countries of l epal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myruu·uar.

Boral1 said GNRC was recently chosen by the World Bank ro receive a grant of $150,000

"We intend co set up 10 more hospita ls in the region and beyond, witl1in the next five years," he said. IANS

aina!

India's Saina Nehwa/ takes the women's singles title at the 2014 Star Australian Badminton Open

• BY UTTAM MUKHERJEE

Few in Australia discuss the game of badmi n con Bur last week, at work, I was amused to hear my colleagues, who are diehard rugby followers, t,tlking about Lin Dan.

A leading Sydney newspaper carried an a.rticl e on the bad boy of badminton, L in Dan, and O lympic bronze medal list, Indian badm.imon player, 24-yearold Saina Nehwal, who were in town for the Star Australian Open Badminton Super Ser.ies Championship being held from 24 to 29 June 2014. The $750,000 tournament in Australia was the eighth Super Series rournament this year and hugely popul ar.

The Sport Centre in Sydney

Ol ymp ic Park drew a record crmvd for the Superseries finals

Unlike previous years, the capac ity crowd had a s izeable number of people of Indian origin. 1 was also p leasantly surprised ro see two large lndian Aags prominently displayed in the stands. This was no co-incidence; it was because India's Saina Nehwal had reached the finals of tl1e Star Australian Open Badminton. Th.is atmosphere was in contrast to the earlier qualifying rounds where Saina was cheered loucUy b y just rwo very entlrnsiastic supporters!

Sunday,June 29 was a proud day for India as Saina Neh wal became tl1e first non -Chinese p layer to win the women's singles title at a Super Series in 20 14, after defeating Spain's Carolina Marin 21 - 18, 2111 in 43 minutes.

The pair had met once before, and Sa.ina won in that instance T he lirst game of the women's singles finals had some semblance of a fight becween six -seed Saina

and Carofu1a; the second gan1e qL1ite one sided Saina moved around the court quickly and returned difficul t shots easily. Her younger opponent, considered as one of che feistiest p.l aye rs on the circuit, bad played well until tlie sern.i-finals, but struggled to match Saina.

In the first game, Carolina narrowed tl1e gap time and again but Saina was able co exploit he r weaknesses to rue hilt, especially around the net. Carolina cl.id nor help herself as she commi tted a service error to g ift an easy point co Saina. This ruffled her confidence and the rhythm of her serves. Carolina played some good strokes but they were neither co n sistent nor enough co snatch an advantage. Saina on the other hand made few w1forced errors and was ruthless in smashing her opponent.

For every point that Carolina won she let our a victorious shout, but Saina was generaJly composed except for a coup le o f times when she pumped the ai.r after winning a major point. After winning th e championship, Saina let out a victory cr y and tl1rew her racquet imo

the crowd. Except for the initial exuberance soon after her victory, Sai n a remained quite calm and composed thereafter.

Saina's march co tl1e finals was dramatic. In me semi-finals, she had played cautiously against the number one seed, Wang Shixian from China. Sa.ina won the gruelling match 21 - 19, 16 -21 an d 21 - 15. This was a majo r viccory fo r Saina considering chat her o ppo n ent was better tanked and tlie stadium reverberated with loud chee r ing fo r Wang Sh.ixian. In the q uarterfinals , Saina had vanquished Japan's Eriko H irose in straight sets: 21 - 18 and 21 -9.

Corning to Australia for the championship, her parents felt tl1ac she did nor stand a chance of winning but could only play her best. Saina light- heartedly told tl1e media tlrnt she would party a1l night to celebrate this surprise Wlll.

"Tb.is is one vicrory which answered all the doubts," Saina said. " There we re rnan y who thought I

could never Wlll aga.in.

This is a very special triumph for me because I believed I could win very soon and it happened"

\Xi'hen asked how it felt co win the A u stralian Super Series, she said that the victory was quite nne..,1Jected and altl1ough she felt happ y to have won, the feeling of winning had not yet sunk in "Surely this was the b iggest challenge because I had to prove that l still am o ne of the best players in the world," a confident Saina stared.

Saina complained about the blisters on her feet that caused much agony tl1roughouc the tournament. Duri n g the semifinals she had ro take time out dltting the match as he.r feet had to be attended to by her physio. She said that her feet hurt as she walked from her hotel ro the stadium! Saina thanked her physio

profusely saying that w itl1om her help, and words of encouragement, she would not have been ab le to play in the finals. But while she was on court destroying her opponent, no o ne realised that her feet were sore and in bandages!

1n me climax of the championship, the bad boy of badm.incon, Lin Dan won against Indonesia's Simon Santoso:

2 2 -24, 21 - 16, 21 - 7 (pictured opposite page below right). The first game was a see-saw battle where Simon upstaged the double O l ympic and five time world champion. Bu t in the next two secs

Lin Dan proved to us why he is cons idered a great. l r was the finesr exhibition o f strokes thar o ne could hope ro see.

I always look forward to rhe men's d oubles as d1ey are fast and furious. Ald1ougb mT favour ite doubles p layer, Kido from Indonesia, lost in tbe semi- finals, I was mesmerised bi1 the Korean pa ir, Yong Dae Lee and Yeon Seong Yoo who won comfortably 2 1- 14, 21 - 18.

For die past three years T have attending die Austra lian Badminton Open, and dtls was d1e first year when China did not domi nate rhe finals It was good t0 see representation in d1e finals from many countries across die world.

Here is so m e spicy news d1at I

INDIAN LINK

came across - which international sporrswoman has the most Facebook followers? lf you thought it was of the Williams sisters or Anna Kournikova you are wrong. Ir is Saina Neh waJ!

United we stand, divided we...

Why the decision to welcome Telegana as India's 29th state is wrong

International Seat Sale!

F~ to INDIA

from

Return fare including taxes

My homeland has been divided yet again on 2"d June 2014, India witnessed the formation of its 29 d, stare, Telangana.

I be lieve in a

democratic, secular and tolerant India and hence, 1 be lieve rbe decis ion to form this new state is entirely wro ng; socially, economically, politically and democratically.

Socially, a conunon dissent (amongst man y others) voiced b y the citizens of Tehmgaoa who aspired for a n ew state is diat linguistically, they spoke different languages .&om the other regions of 1\ndhra Pradesh. Exarnp le,"i\tfy Telugu accent has always been ridiculed by those

Slgnup

need to pump in to uplift the majotity of Telangana is colossal a nd ro the tune of several billions. lt is a task that might not be easy to achieve in spite of getting Hyderabad which practically functions like a satellite city. And o n the other hand, are the cost and resources required fo r setting up a new government and related governmental agencies and administrative offices. The truth is that the elected government does not h ave a clear blue print to address any of the critical issues facing Telangana today

Politicall y, the r iots and struggles for a new state began

''Democratically, as we get closer to completing 68 years of independence, it is a saddening thought that we still follow the'divide and rule' policy of the British Raj which destroyed our land

from other parts as I speak a different version of the language". Our country was divided along linguistic lines at the time of state formation postIndependence, bur within a state, every village or district speaks w ith a different style or accent even today and all of us have at some point ridiculed or been ridiculed for our accent or language But does this qualify for d1e d emand of a n ew sta te, a new division?

Economically, the citizens of Telaogana celebrate as if the battle has been won. But the real battle is yet to begin! The new government is faced wi th the mammoth cask of the economics of running a new state. J\ principal reason cited fo r needing a new s tate was d1e fact that m ost regions of Telangana were economically backward and not given

the due attention b y the former Andhra Pi:adesh government. With a total l and area of 1 14,000 sq km and a population ove r 35 mill.ion, the only prized asset Telangana can boast of is Hyderabad, rbe technolog y hub of India which che new government believes conrrib u te treme ndo u sly

in the early 1960s Initially, it was a publ ic outCI'.)' against the lan d lords of undi vided Andhra who exp lo i ted d1e farmers a nd ot11e r workii1g class of the Telangana regi ons It didn't take long for the politic ians to discover that this sense of injustice in the minds of the public was a good wa)' to gain votes. Soon t11e publi c disdain became a po li tical outcry. The Telangana Ra shtra Samithi (f'RS) formed in 2001 as a result of this and the party chose to form an alliance w ith the Congress (which held the

''stronghold at that rime) in the hopes of a new statehood. But the Congress party had no such inclinations and h unger stri kes, riots and social unrest became d1e o rd er of d1e d ay. \Xlheu me date for the 2014 general. el ections was set and the Congress party realised that it could be wiped om from powe r, the decis ion for the new state of Telangana was pushed in a lase minute attempt to gain a couple of votes from the region A petty political rn.iscalculatioo which cost the party dearly in t11e general e lections.

Democratically, as we get closer ro comp leting 68 years of independence, it i s a saddening thought that we still follow t11e

to cut ourselves up on the basis of language and regional differences;

we need less corrupt leaders who would

'''divide and rule' policy o f the British Raj which destroyed our lan d We did nor need a se parate state; we needed a sensitive govermnem to understand the real p light of the peop le We did not need to cut ourselves up on the basis of language and rei,>ional differences; we need less corrupt leaders who will direct funds in the right manner to promote growth and development. And above all, dir ect funds in the

We did not need

to t11e development of the new state Though

right manner to promote growth and development

''We shmtld hm7 e learnt

we need to exercise tolerance, a sense of unity and brotherhood, a trait in such short supply among Indians back home and around che g lobe the city of Hyderabad has t be eco n omic po tential to bring out of its financial and developmental

from our past mis cakes, the glaringl y obv ious ones like Jharkhaod. 1t is going to be a lonely road doom, it is important to realise t1, at the r est of me sta te remains backward with poor infrastructure, far m ing or irrigation facilities

Water is another issue on which the two divided states will continue to lock heads with each o ther. On one hand, the revenue and resources that the new government ,vill

for Te langana and Seernaodhra, but here's to hoping the new leaders c an deliver the promises m ade. As well a s hoping d1at t11e new government doe s not di,1i de and cut up India again in to Gorkhaland, Bodoland and Vidarbha for petty p olitical interests.

A Melbourne-based engineer develop s an app that lists Hindu temples in 50 differe nt countries

Temple Details

Driving Directions

Face book/Twitter

or cbe devout Hindu, god is everywhere and in ever y being. He is omniscienc, omnipotent and omnipresent.

Most of us, nevertheless, also find strength and so lace in a peaceful darsha11 at temples. Today, no matter which corner of the world the globecrotting Hindu finds him or herself in, there is bound to be a Hindu temple, offering the right spiri tual direction.

Through d1e innumerable resources of the Wo rld Wide Web and d1e innovation of Indian Australia Hari Iyer, finding god is now eas ier than ever

Leveraging on the very latest in mobile technology, Iyer has come up with a novel web and m obile phone application to service the needs of the Hindu community.

Mapping over 2,000 temples in 50 major countries outs ide I ndi a, Iyer recently launched his free Hindu temples direccory, WW\\,allhindutemples.com, and app for iOS on www HinduTemplesApp.com

downloadable through App Store.

The temples app is a comprehensive directory a nd is particularly bandy for getting directions, opening hours, contact details and services offered The information can also be saved offline to d1eir device.

The highly interactive app is particularly unique in its Wiki-s tyle customer interface that allows users to network, collaborate, leave feedback and provide useful advice for other temple-goers. Users can also update infor mation and include photos.

" Every other religion except Hinduism 11as apps and directories as well as lots of infom1acion

Temples

online about their places o f worship," I yer told Indian U11k.

"While so many Hindus have carved a niche for themselves in in formation technology, we don't have many resources online"

The idea for the app arose when Hari and his wife Samrid h a turned up ar a local Sydner temple, only to find it closed

" I subsequently tried tO find their opening hours and realised there was nor much information available," Iyer said

"Their web.sire was down as well and even when it was restored it lacked adequate content in a mobile friendly website This i s the case for most temple websites ".

It was the frustration of nor having access to basic information d1at inspired Iyer to a-eate hi s app, with d1e intention of making temple visits easier for everyone.

" I decided ro create a directory whose main purpose is instant access to basic logistical information Wherever d1ey are in

Contact Details

[ Opening Hours]

Share Details

Save Favorites Offline

d1e world, the tern-savv y devotee can use the app to locate a Hindu temple near di em," explained ] yer.

As a l:)1Jica1 "Tam-bram" (Tamil Brahmin) the Mumbai-born Iyer was a frequent -visitor of lorn] temples. His marriage to Samrid ha also st:rengrhened his spiritual foundations as she not o nly brought a firm religious grounding back into his life but also actively encouraged him to create d1e directory.

The industrial engineer, whose e.xper tise is sales and consulting, invested all his spare rime in to d1is unique project. A year in the making, it initially began as an Australian temples directory and blog, expanding steadily to include many more countries.

"Ir did ta ke a lot of coordination, bringing together work from different locations with data analyst s in Noida, app developer in Europe and graphic designers in Kolkata 1 had a lor of support from family, since a

Sri Venkateswara Temple SVT S

star reviews.

Consw11er feedback has also been overwhelmingly positive Peak Hindu orgai1isations like VHP, Hindu Council of 1\usrralia and Overseas Friends of BJP Australia have offered their support, but Iyer hopes to expand d1e app's r each even further.

h ttp;//www svtsydney org/ secretary@svtsydney org I Treasurer

https://ww w facebaok com/SVT. Sy. _

ht tps:1/t witter.com/ svtsydnsyo,g

•61 2 4 294 -9233, +61 2•429'1-3224

Opei,ing Hours, Weekdays: Bani-1

lot of my personal time and money has gone into bringing it to current stage," Iyer explained.

Each of the temples had to be individually mapped on Google maps as well as data sourced and cleaned, to ensure accuracy for users. The App itsel f had been in development for over fo ur months and was extensively tested to ensure comparibilit:y with all iOS devices and scree n sizes

'Tu spite of d1e best of our efforts, this sore of information is dynamic," he added.

"Ope11ing hours change, temples often start small and d1en move on to bigger, permanent locations, phone numbers change and contact details also vary. So I'd call upon users co report an.y changes that they notice so it can be updated tO benefit me whole community"

J\Jrhough the project itself was self- funded, in order to cover tl1e cost of sustaini ng it on App Srore, d1e app has been priced at $2.49 and has aL-eady received many five

"There is scill work needed to spread the word espec iaU y in countries like UK, US and Can ada," he reiterated.

"Mapping temples all over d1e world is such a massive project that no one can possibly do it all by hin1selt~ but if everyone had to only look after one o.r two temples in their loc.'11 area to keep d1em updated and correct that's easily doable and ,vill benefit the enti re community''.

Iye r is also keen for temple managers to claim ownership of their listing and manage it iliemselves. The site also allows temples to upload any local events o r festivals to help them get more visib ili ty ai11ongst devotees.

In me future, lyer also hopes to connect wi th temples in India. "TI1at will be a mai11111oth project and we are trying to .find local organisarions there that we can work with. Conservatively speaking there would be at least l0,000 large temples in India chat we'd like to include in the directary," he stated.

Spurred by die demand, he has already begun work on d1e Android version. To reacl1 a wider audience, ilie app will be free.

"As I will soon be mapping Indian temples, I do not wish to pur it a behind pay wall," lrer indicated. ' 'I also don't want to run ads, as it will corrnpt the spiritual experience. Instead I plan to hold a fundraiser d1rough Indiegogo, where people can contribute whatever they wish towards app development cost".

Find out ll/Ore cit: https:/ / )l)IJJ)V. indiegogo.co,11/ prqjetts/gluhal-hi11d11ta11ples-direito1y-help-creatc-a11-a11,nomeji-t:e-m1droid-app•1to-ads

Check out this list of fascinating books that paint a picture of Delhi through the ages .. ... ..... ... ...... .. .. .. .... .. ...... .. ..... .

such as Noida, and the city 's push furtl1er i nto what were once rural Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. There, modern gated colllmtmities jostle for space among erstwhile and urrenc villages, in a nev erending search for new laud for 'deve lopments ' tliat are shorn of an y character or i ngenuity Arvind J\diga, writing i n his novel White Tige1· (2008) , said Gurgaon was built b y tbe rich and had ".no parks, lawn s or playgrounds - it was just buildings, shopping malls, hotels and more buildings. There was a pavement outside, but char was for the poor to Live o n" Rana Dasgupta, anotl1er novelist who made Delh i hjs home i.n 2000 when he moved tliere from Britain, bas recently written a book on his adoptive city called Capital:

r /1 , ~~ITRA

• ~ , SUOARSHAN

Thomas Metcalfe, while working as the Governor General's Agent at the 1mperial Court of the Mughal Emperor, senr his daughter the 'Delhi Book' in 18 44, which was au album of 120 paintings of the ciry b y Indian artists .!Vfetcalfe wrote his own descriptive text alongside the paintings, and the album remained in the family for almost 150 years before being added co the British Library collection. Ever si nce, Delhi has prompted h istorians, novelists, academics and travel writers, to pm pen to paper ;md capture tbe el u sive spir it and soul of the city. There is the definitive work of Delhi-at- the -time-of-the-Mutiny by Mahmood Farooqi (2010) called Brsieged: Voicesfro111 De/bi 1857 whereby au author, historian and raconrem captures the pall 24 JULY 2014

diat fell over the rebel govemmenc of Bahadur Shah Zafar in Delhi, around whom the sepoys rallied and marched against the British in Shahjahanabad. Farooqi laborious ly trans lated Urdu documents from the time of the Mutiny in the National Arch ives to evoke the mood of that seminal momem in Delhi's hjstory.

Two other books N e 111 Delhi: Making of a Capital, by Malvika Singh and Rudrangshu Mukherjee (2009) aod Delhi Metrapolitan by Ranjaoa Sengupta (2007) trace die evol ution and emergence of the modern city from the time the British moved the capital to Delhi in 2011 : from the new city that Lutyens planned, to the colonies that came up to absorb the in Aux of refugees at the time of partition, to the new metropolis of 16 million people that it is today.

Two works of fiction T!11ilight in Delhi by Ahmed Ali ( 1940) and Delhi by Khushwant Singh (1990) paint vastly different images of the city tl1rough tli cir protagon ists. Ali's novel chronicles the disintegration of a Delhi family d1at traced its lineage to

one of die city 's sultanates \'>;Then tl,e patriarch of the family visits the 191 1 Durbar, he grieves when he sees the d escendants of the exiled Bahadur Shah Zafar begging in the streets. Si.ngh's p r otagonist inimitably describes Delhi as the "mistress to which he returns whe n he h as had his fill of whoring in foreign lands".

Two od1er books can be said to be predominantly about Delhi at the time of the Emergency. They are Salmart Rushdie's Mid11ight's Children (1981) and Emma Tado's U11settli11g Memories (2003). Rushdie riles against tl1e excesses of tbe Eme rgency in his novel; so does Taro, but as an anthropologist who uncovers files of t he Munici pal Corporation in Delhi tl1at in volve the fo t:ced sterilisation of the poor.

Then tliere is the book about Delhi for expatriates by Dave Prager ti tl ed Delinous Delhi (20 l3). Prager and his wife moved co Delhi from New York His was a love -hate relationshi p w ith t he c ity before he found a balance between the best and worst thei r new home had to offer. Prager strucnu·es his book as a guide for

ocher expatriates, with chapters on food, shopping, workplace culture and transportation. It especially highlights Delhi's traffic, ab out which Prager seetl,es. Howe,1er, the book is more than just a howto guide. It i~ an appealing memoir, as P rager is a solid storyteller, and the book is an enjoyable tour through the ciry. Highly recommended for anyone wishing to travel to the cicy.

Dalrrmple's Ci-()1 of Djinns (1993) remains one of the most popular bo o ks on the city eve r written. H i s Delhi is the city of multiple empires an d kingdoms, sh aped b y mon ey, food, art and Jiterature. 1fore recent!)\ San1

Miller published D elhi: Adventures in a M egacit) , which is almost entirely h.is view of the place as a wal king city: th.rough manh o les, obstacles and speeding traffic, through Naida a nd G urgaon and the most absurd sights.

This brings us to a recently published book ca ll ed Ud1a11 V ill11ge1; wrinen by Vandana Vasudevan (2013) on the recent urban expansion that has led co tl1e growth of satellite towns

A Portrait of Tiven!J First Cet1t11ry Delhi (2014) le i s a brilliant and compelling book that examin es th e growth of Delh i since die countr y embraced free market principles i.n 1991. He writes with the elegance of a novelist and the incisiveness o f a chronicler, and argues cl1at g lobalisation has been catastrophic for cap itaJism. The nexus between politicians an d developers has only fuelled corruption and the market economy has curtailed the rights o f the poor. It bas ruptured d1e delicate fabric that held the city together since Partition when over one million Hindu and Sikh refugees poured into the ciry A ciLy that once fuelled the ambitions and hopes of millions of peopl e, now serves only the rich. Dasgupta concludes, rather sombrely, chat for tl1is reason, De lhi will never be a city like any in the West.

''

Khushwat Singh's protagonist inimitably describes Delhi as the"mistress to which he returns when he has had his fill of whoring in foreign lands"

The human condition • 1n

We might be robots, but robots have feelings too. SALMA SHAH

Anew collection of short fiction by Australian and Indian writers, On!)• Con11oct is a rich and rewarding compilation that focuses on the ubiquity of teclmo.logy in our lives However, i nstead of tec h nol ogy being the key aspect, the stories are based on the different ways in which technology enhances human behavio=

Eac.11 story h ighlights how human desires, emotions and i nstincts are transcendent throl)gh time, but are also shaped by techno logies that allow them to manifest in newer, more creative ways

The intelligent editing compiles a co Uection of diverse stories that create an overall narrative. The reader is moved forward throqgh each tale by a rich palette of human emotions and actions without ever gerting a sense of sameness between the srories.

A Sojtwa,-e Sonata and Sneba, 25 expose a new way of the ritual of coupling In the past, potential couples would meet and for m relationships usuaU y through re latives or friends ow, the use of email and texts, and indeed, snoop ing software, allow indiv iduals to pursue this already comp licated game on their own.

Sneha, 25 demo n strates the perverse nature of the use of teclmology, and how when placed i n the hands of someone with extensive technical expertise, can result in sinister behaviour.

However, despite the subtle Ltndertones of da nger, the reader stiU antici pates a safe ending.

S11eha, 25 brings to life what many readers fear about technology At tbe end of this story, the author cleverl y shows that while there may be reluctance or fear when p laying the mating game online, technol ogy can be just another way to fast track one's dating objectives.

A S eft1/Jare Su11ata, also a love story of sorts, i s compelling , not because of the age- o ld narrative of boy- meets-girl, girl-contrivessimation- to -be- with- boy, but because of d1e particul arly provocative and snappy dialogue bet:ween characters.

INDIAN LINK

Tbe author's clever use of code switching heightens interest in the verbal interpl ay between the two friends, and potential lovers.

T he reader is left wici1

Ii tde choice but to be fasc inated and highly entertained by these two brilliant characte r s

If A Seftware Sonata seduced with its prose, then Ann Kumar's Tillo Womm delighted with .its descriptiveness

The story d ep icts the thoughts and emotions of two women, who are d1e same, but yet so different. Both women, abandoned by their husbands, are travelling alone while deali ng with the grief of their shattered lives.

The narrarive conveys interest in the outsider. \'l:1 hile Malaci only sees the foreigner Doroth y for her exotic appearance, and is interested in knowing more about her mainly to assuage her curiosit y, others on the same bus see the sameness of ci1e two.

Yet again, the language inte r p lay between cha racters offers a tapestry of delights for the disce r ning reader, who will undoubtecliy recognise and appreciate vernacular an d the use of idiom.

The language techniques emphasise the depdi of the characters and offer readers an insight into post-colonial thinking, where people are read y co judge foreigners based on what ci1ey see on televis ion, bur fail to see how foreigners are no different from di e m selves.

Then ci1ere are tbe two stories that, despite offering common themes of procreation, differ markedly in the story told.

R Wid U Soon by Meenakshi

Bharat tells of tbe quiet desperation of a husband who, due to a series of evenrs, is unab le to be with his wife for the birth of d1eir first c.l1ild This tale flows swi fciy and the reader senses the palpable release of emotions almost at the same time that the new father does FinaU)~when he sees a picture of hi s son for the first ti.me, he lets hi s emotions flow freel)r.

In contrast, in F1iendi11g and

reviews a newly released collection of short stories

Trmding b y Roanna Gonsalves, we meet a husband who is more interested in living his life through social media and technology, even as his yo ung wife is unab le to carry a baby tO term.

Likewise, in each story, tbe characters become real and de,,elo p depth, not just because of what ci1ey say or do, bllt also ci1rough their inrernctions with technology It is in these inte ractions diat we see human frailties and strengths that are identifiable to the reade r.

There are some who say that techno logy has changed u s. However, it is arguable, as seen in each story of dus delightfully ente r taining read , that the human condition has not changed at all. \Vie still love and ye arn and feel those same emotions we have always felt. What has changed

rt f'ict\on ShO about iecnno\o9Y and Us l f O~ t,.ustral°la and the 1nd'1a!\ · 8 nt 51.1bt:Oflt\(\

is die forum with which we can express each of chose human foibles We stiU love, bm we declare it using a new medium. W/e still betray those whom we seek to control, using the most efficient means available. And even if ,ve are separated by distance, the connectedness enabled b y technology does n ot overcome the tyranny of separation.

011!J Co1111ect is a dioroughly enjoyable read This book will offer technology and social media addicts a respite from technology, and will allow such readers hopefully, to see some of themselves in each of the characters. \Y/hen th.is happens, one hopes that self aware readers w ill see die constraints of living their lives ,vithin the cec.lmo logy, rather d1an d1e teclmology enabli ng the file they could be.living

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

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

Critically-acclaimed writer, professor of mathematics at a US university, nominee on th e ]\fan Booker and even sho r tlisted for the Fa uJ.kner awards, Manil Suri is now also the w iru1er of a Bad Sex Award Suri's taboo- busting book The City of Devi, his third , i s an apoc aln)tic thriller se t in Mumbai The famous, or .infamous, de pending o n how you look at it, sex scen e comes fro m an u n usual lo,,e rr.ia ngle in cl ud.i ng the n arrator Sarita , h er husband a nd a young gay Musli m man. Suri m anage d co woo me judges w im the passage: S11rely supernovas explode that instant, somewhere, in some gal.axy. The h11t vanishes, and with it the sea and the sands - only Karim's body, locked with mine, 1·emaim. 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 couJd rh.is sexual explosion through time, sp ace a nd co n sciousness, involving all of tl1e ch aracters of the book, n ot win?

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

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

Aniruddha Bahal's 2003 es p ionage thriller B1111ker 13 (Faber & Faber), also went on to w in tl1e Literary Re11ie1v's Bad Sex Award for i ts take on. sex, drugs and corruption in th e Indian army. A part of the winning section o f the novel is:

She picks 11p " Bugatti's 1110111e11tt1111.

Yo1t JI/{//// her 1J1ore t1t a Vo lkswagen's steatfy trot. Sq11eeze the lllileage out oj yo11rgallon of gas. But she's eating 11p the road with all rylif!dm h!t1zi11g

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bunker 13

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As Sarah Crown in The GHardia11 writes, " Maybe it's me, but l find d1e concentration on phys ical sensation, a whole lot sexier than an y amount of thrusting, grabbing or grinding". Sbe also notes that "as someone wbo works hard to get it right in my own novels, I'm very aware of just how difficult it is to depict well," and wanes to know where the good sex awards are? Perhaps writing from lndia, a country thar is foil of co n tradictions abour attitudes towards sex ha s even more of a c hallenge.

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

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

And if you are wondering why Fif!Jr

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

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

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

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

It 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.

10. Paul Varghese, USA

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

9. Dan Na inan, 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.

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 Parksand 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 i llustrious. Mumbai born Mandvi has appeared in numerous films and television shows including Merchant-I vory'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.

5. Lilly Singh (Superwoman), Canada

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

4. Mindy Ka ling, USA

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 Outstanding Comedy Series as a producer of The Office five times in a row. In 2011 her witty memoir Is everyone hanging out without me? And other concerns was well received by critics.

3. Sanjeev Bhaskar, UK

As the host of the The Kumars 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 films including Anita and Me and The Guru. He was recognised as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy by The Observer in 2003.

2 . Arj Barker, USA

This American stand -up comedian and actor of Indian European descent admits he loves Australia, and partially lives here where his biggest fan base is. Arjan Singh started his career as a comedian in 1989 and adopted the stage name - Arj Bar ker. 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 comedian in 1989. His achievements include winning a Gemini Award in 2008, appearances at var i ous 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 and cu ltures including Indian society.

Add a tropical touch to your next sweet or savoury meal

Sweer and s harp aren't usually wo rds used to describe a piece of fruit. Especially whe n tro p ical is th rown inro the mix. Bue tliat's exactly what pass ion frui t are, and they're th e perfect add icio n to meals m wmcer.

"Weight is the most imp ortant fea ture in choosing passio n fruit," Tina McP he rso n, an A u stralian passi on fruit growe r, says. "C hoose a fmit that feels rath e r heavy for its size. "It doesn't matter whether the fruit's skin i s wrinkly as this is n ot an i ndicator of ri peness"

Rich in ancioxidants including vitamin s A a n d C, potassiu m and dietary fibre (and low in calories), tl1ey'te great alongs ide pork, praw n s, chucked inro a smoothie or dessert.

MOROCCAN GLAZED BBQ PRAWNS

Semes4

Fur the ma,inade/glaze:

6 passionfruir

1/2 bu n ch coriander (roots and seems)

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp mild paprika powder

1 rsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cinamm on

½ tsp ground ginge r powder

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

Chilli powder, to ras re

Salt and pepp er

Fm · the rel)Jaini11g dish:

24 peeled, d eveined, raw prawns, tails on

16 b amboo skewers

2 passionfruit

1/2 bu nch coriander (leaves, from above)

Green salad and crusty bread , to serve

Remove passion frui t p ulp and phi.ce in a bowl, m icrowave fo r 30 seconds o n high, t he n

INDIAN LINK

strain through a fine sieve Reserve tl1e jui ce and disc ard the seeds (o pcional)

TborougbJ y wash c or iander and pick leaves, set aside for decoracion. Chop the stems and roots and place in a mortar and pestle alon g witl1 some sal t. Grind to a paste, then m.ix in olive o il, all tl1e spices, and passionfrui t juice.

P l ace marinate and prawns in a bowl and mix tboroughJy to coat. Allow to marinate for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, soak skewers i n som e cold water for at lease 30 minmes to prevent burning

Using two bamboo skewers at a rime, thread three prawn s o n to

PASSIONFRUIT, WHITE CHOCOLATE AND CASHEW CHEESE-FAKE

Serves 4

Base:

';'., cup (11Og) raw almo n ds

'I• cup (50g) pistachios

1 cup (90g) desiccated c o conut

8 Medijool dates, (170g pitted)

l vanilla bean, seeds only

3 tbsp of passionfruir seeds only

Pinch of sale

Cheesecake:

440g cas h ews, soaked over nighc

250g lemon and lime juice

250g h o ney, raw hon ey o r agave

270g extra vi rgin coconut o il

2 vanilla beans, seeds onl)r

½ tsp of salt

1 tb.5p of lime zest

1 tbsp o f lemon zesc

juice and seeds. Zest and jui ce me lemons and limes, sec aside.

Llne the base of a 26cm spring for m cake tin with baking paper

To m ake the b ase p lace, almonds, p istach ios, desiccated coco nut, dates, vanilla, passio n frui t seeds, and s al t in a food processor

Process w1til the mixture r esem b les a fine crumb and comes together when pressed. Place crumb into me cake tin and press down evenly to form t he base. Chill in freezer. Melt the c~1eonur o il in the m icrowave at 10 second bursts until i t becomes a liquid.

To ma ke cheesecake layer, p lace drained soal(ed cashews, lemon and lime juice, honey, vanill a, salt, melted coconut oil an d zest i nto me food processor. Blend Lmtil very sm ooth and well combined P our half the mixture into the cake tin and tap to level out the filling Place in freezer to sec for o n e hour.

each of tl1e s kewers so mar the prawns are semi straight and sir snug ly r.ogether. Keep remaining marinade and mix in the pa ssionfruit and a li ttle extra olive o il if you need ro .loosen ic - this will b e the gl aze

Heat BBQ to a medium beat and place prawns on grill, bas re co n stantly witl1 the passionfruir g laze, nuning every so often, and cook until the prawns are just cooked ilirough (you will see when they change. colour)

Serve hot, garnished witl1 coriander leaves and a side of crusty bread and green salad.

1¾ cup passionfruir seedless pulp, (Approx six passionfruir), reserve seed s fo r base

Garnish:

200g block of good quality

w hite chocolate, shaved (option al fo r lactose free)

2 small passionfruir, halved and placed o n cop

1 tbsp o f lime zest

1 tbsp o f lemon zest

Soak cashews overnight in water, or pour boiling water over c ashews and soak for two hours. Remove passionfruit pulp and place in a bowl, micrQ\vave for 30 seconds o n high, t hen strain through a fine sieve. R eserve the

lo the meantime b lend the oilier half of filling with passion fruit pulp uncil well combined. Then pour over chilled first layer, and set in freeze r for ar least two h ours Prepare. the garnish, us ing a vege table peeler shave w hite chocolate into ribbons. Cut pass ionfrui r into halves.

When cake is set, remove from freezer, and with a wooden skewer release the edges of the cake before removing it. Scatter shaved w h it e chocolate and zests around the centet of the cake and top with bal,Ted passionfruit. Enjoy frozen or chilled.

All recipes and photos:

Sammy and Bella Jakubiak (My Kitchen Rules 2011 winners) for Pa.ssi01fmitAush-alia WllJw.passio,,jruitattstralia. org. au

SEEKING GROOMS

Looking for a Punjabi boy for our daughter who is 29 years, 5'7: slim, very beautiful and worki ng i n finance sector in CBD. We have been settled in Sydney for past 40 years. Elder daughter is happily married i n Syd ney. looking for a professi onal Sydney-based boy for our younger daughter who is close to Indian culture. Please emai l details with photo: ozin d i an 11 @gmail.com

Seeking suitable match for 37-year-old Hindu girl, charted account, never married, w th Indian family values and well-tuned to western values. Please email with particulars: rkn l 263@gmai l.com

Fair and young looking Hindu lady, 55, Australian citizen, 5 ·2: d i vorced, veg, inv i tes correspondence from a su i table match. He should ideally be aged between 5Q-60 and a non-smoker. Please contact 0449 6 23 316 or ema i l: radiance88@live.com

Looking for an intelligent. handsome, Punjabi/ H indu boy for my younger daughter 28 years old, 5'7: sl i m , fa ir, beautiful, work in g n insurance in dustry w i th finance background, on high i ncome. We have been settled in Sydney for past 35 years. My elder daughter is happily marri ed here in Sydney. Please respond with your details and photo to: 24adverti se r@gmail.com

Looking for a groom in search for a bride born and brought up i n Adela ide, Australia, currently worki ng as a r eg i stered nurse at the Royal Adela de Hospi tal. If interested please feel free to contact any t me e ither by email or mobi le. Phone:0422 385 033 or email: interestl989 @yahoo.com.au

SEEKING BRIDES

Well-settled family in Australia inv ites alliance for their only son a smart, 3 1-year-old, 5'9"tall Punjab boy, workin g in a pri vate sector hold ng senior pos t ion. Contact 0401 666 184 or ema i part culars and recent photo to: tan i a.kumar@rocketma l.com

Seeking suitable match for the re -marriage of a 1978-born Punjabi Brahm in boy, 5'9~ He i san i ssueless, well-settled Australi an citizen, workin g as professional for a corpor ate based n Sydney Caste no bar. Please emai l parti culars w th photographs to: replymeonline@gmail.com or contact 0424 752 328.

Alliance invited for well educated, never-married, 5'9: 1975 born Si kh Khatri boy. Look ng for compati ble Sikh g ir from Australi a.

Early marriage. Phone 0422 8 12 939 or emai l:jas_ghai0l @hotmai l.com

Alliance invited for Sikh, divorced, 38-year-old boy 5'10", CAD-CAM Eng neer, Australian citizen. Parents well settled i n India. Sister Australian citizen well settled i n Syd ney.

Ema il: amanpv@yahoo.com.au

Kamboj Sikh boy, '82 born, 5'8'well settled, PR, own house i n V ic, iv i ng with Austral i an ci t izen brother w i th h i s fami ly, look ing for Kamboj sl im , well-educated g irl, already in Australia or com ing to Australia on her own v isa (study).

Phone: 0497 784 783, emai l : simarjot99@icloud.com

Seeking

TA n QTPR~DICTIONS !=OR JU LY K

By NANCY JADE ALTMEA

ARIES March 21 - April 19

July will be a time of some confusion and high energy. You will feel happy one minute and low the next. There are a lot of changes coming up, and it is time to hang on to all your dreams. The cards are indicating a time to take stock of what you really want right now. Around mid month your love life should feel a bit more balanced. Take time out for yourself and try to meditate.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

July will be a great month for making progress and you will feel your confidence rising. On the work front you will feel a lot more settled. Things seem to be moving in the right direction after a time full of delays. Travel is indicated and also moving to a new home, or selling a property. There may be good news in terms of a marriage or the birth of a child in the family. Time to celebrate.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

A wonderful month for a new romance or making a love interest stronger. This Is a great time to live the llfe you really want. The cards are indicating that you will be looking to the future and making decisions about your work, and also where you want to live. There is an indication that you will be getting an increase In finances. Take care not to get involved in petty arguments. People will try to test your patience.

CANCER June 21 - July 20

This month you will want to spend more time with your family. There will be some matters that you need to deal with at home, which have needed your attention for a while. An older member of your family may be suffering with some health issues, they need to take it easy. You will be making plans to take a holiday and relax. But you will need to stay focused this month; do not get drawn into temptations.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

This month you will feel a little upset as there may be some memories of the past haunting you. You may be under stress at work. You will feel a little stuck in a relationship. All you need is some time away together to talk to each other and decide what you want to do. You will be considering a new exercise regime and also a new eating plan. Keep yourself grounded -try walking on grass barefeet!

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

This month you will be anxious about your assets and you will make plans to look into more investments or moving your investments around. You will have some problems sleeping, as you will be worrying a lot. The welfare of a younger male member of your family will be a concern. He may not be in very good spirits. Check how he ·· is doing at school. Any legal matters around you will be sorted out In your favour.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

This month you will need to take care of additional expenses that come up at home. There will be some tension between family members. You will need to act as the mediator. Things will ease by mid month. There will be some exciting news which will make everyone happy. Make sure that you do not overwork this month as your energy levels will be depleted with everything going on. There will be some news of visitors arriving.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

This month will be a busy and exciting month for you. Chances are, you will make plans for your future. Some magical changes are taking place around you. You will be embarking on a new chapter in your romantic life leading to a commitment. You will feet content and balanced. There will be some stress with a work colleague that needs to be handled very carefully. Your stomach may be sensitive so be careful of what you eat.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

You will be undecided about a business plan to start alongside your full time Job. You will also be looking at purchasing a house, and will be making enquiries as to where you would like to invest. You are also looking to move to another city, as you want to spread your wings with work and there may be a promotion offered to you. A past back issue may start again so take medical advice. You are planning a surprise for your partner.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

This month will be filled with fire and ice. One day you will be sizzling with heat and excitement for everything around you. The next you will be thinking that you are just not getting anywhere. A new business plan will bear fruits of your hard labour. Financially you will be feeling more secure and content. Work will cause you minor stresses but you will handle everything as you do In a calm manner. Keep an eye on your diet.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18

This month is a very eventful and busy month. You will be making plans to go on holiday with the family and there are also some major changes with your work life. You will be increasing your ptivate work and seeing more clients. The cards are indicating growth and recognition. You may even be thinking of writing a ' book and putting ideas down on paper. Keep your paperwork upto-date as there will be some bills lying around unpaid.

PISCES f=eb 19 - March 20

This month the love angels are working around you to keep you and your loved one in harmony. There has been a bit of stress around your relationship. If single you have a strong chance of meeting someone very interesting by mid-month. You will probably think of teaching or lecturing at a local institute. You could also be looking at purchasing a new car. A change of wardrobe would do you the world of good this month.

HUMSHAKALS

STARRI NG: Saif Ali Khan, Ram Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh, Bipasha Basu, Tamnannah Bhatia, Esha Gupta

DIRECTOR: Sajid Khan

Tammanah Bhatia makes so many faces in every frame you wonder if she's auditioning for a film against cocaine addiction while pretending to be in a comedy about three sets of identical characters wackily whopping it up.

Bipasha Basu who plays one of the female misleads sorry, leads, in this comedy of ghastly errors, has gone on record to say she was extremely disturbed by the end-result of this film

So, to be honest, are we. And the end that Bipasha talks about seems to take forever to reach as we watch three grown-up ostensibly evolved actors lapse into a collective state of incurable retardation

Humshaka/s seems to be designed for the mentally challenged. Even they would cringe at the way the two protagonists Ashok and Kumar (Ashok Kumar, gedddit?) are depicted. Moronic and misconceived, the duo seems to

revel in crass mediocrity.

As inmates in a mental asylum in London (no less), Saif Ali Khan and Riteish Deshmukh raise the ante for lunacy to a point where sanity begins to seem l ike a state of mind invented to make us believe there is a world, a relatively sane one, outside what comic filmmakers in Bollywood consider to be funny

To be fair, Sajid Khan's new brainwave replete with triple roles for its three male leads, plus a drag act each in the second half which is genuinely funny is as obnoxious in treatment as the slapstick comedies of Rohit Shetty or Anees Bazmi.

I suspect the actors had a wha l e of a time shooting the scenes. And Sajid Khan must have enjoyed writi ng the comedy of mistaken identity especial l y when the look-a l ikes keep multiplying as the plot progresses But the growth is unstructured. It's l ike supplementary food being air- dropped to famine victims The basic food items are missing What do you do with add - ons?

The comedy, ha ha, moves with the screechy stealth of a choir boys singing

'

I-IUM

SI-IOCK-ALLS

j I

Yo Yo Honey Singh's numbers when the h ead priest is on vacation

Every member of the cast (and crew ) seem to be in a vacation mood. Many of the gags stretch themselves out l anguorous l y as though the director commanded the camera to roll and then went off to sleep.

Saif and Riteish vac il late between being spoofy and spiffy with some help from Ram Kapoor who gets to play two characters, one of them suffering from what the medical experts on board for this specialized comedy refer to as "OCD Level 3''.

Riteish, a regular in Sajid Khan's cinema with titles beginning with "H': makes a better impression than Saifwho tries hard to show us he's in the fun nobrainer mood Saif is clearly out of his depths i ndulging in the sl apstick lu nacy of a world that has no l ogic except to create a chaotic humour out of a stockpile of mistaken identities

Oh, there are three ladi es in the sh ow who wriggle and pout whenever the p l ot is in doubt (which, as you can tell from the nature of the material, is very often) Even the opposite -sexiness is handled more engagingly in the hands and chests of the three heroes wooing their own doubles i n voluptuous drag Wh i le Saifwoos Riteish in drag and v i ce versa, bizarrely Ram Kapoor woo es himself in drag to create a kind of auto-eroticism that has no bearing on the fi lm's predominant

mood of sexual innocence

AREEL UNDER Tl-IE FARCE "ft)

To shock us, there are lots of gay jokes popping up when you least expect them to, as though the director wants to remind us that political incorrectness is not only about mistaken identities but a lso about identity crises

Don't even try to make sense of the world that Sajid Khan bui l ds. Th e sand cast l e of goofiness can at any time be washed away by the high t ide. The director doesn't really care

Sajid Khan takes potshots at himself and his sister Far ah Khan by showing Himmatwala and Tees Maar Khan as part of torture curriculum in the mental asylum Don't be surprised if the DVD of Humshaka/s shows up in Humshakals 2 as a torture device

In one ofthe rare genuinel y funny sequences, Saif and Riteish try to impress Ram Kapoor by pulling off the tablecloth from a table tilled with food, promising as they do, that nothi ng w i ll spi ll.

Of course all the food comes crashing down But does the fear of fa l ling ever hold back the broad comedy of ill manners which Bollywood thinks is funny?

Wish we had as much fun watching this fi l m as the team seems to have had maki ng it Saif is shown to be a bad stand - up comedian The film never outgrows its hero's character 's cravi ng to make people l augh.

SUBHASH K JHA

KICKING UP A STORM

Salman Khan's song Jumme ki raat, released recently as a teaser to his upcoming film Kick, has gone viral. Released appropriately on a Fri day (jumma), the video shows a hunky Sallu romancing a ravishing Jacqueline Fernandes It seems to have done its job, which was to whet the appetite of Salman fans across the diaspora eager ly waiting for the Eid re lease of the fi l m.

The song sung by Mika and Palak Mucchal is composed by Himesh Reshammiya. Of course you can't help noticing the similarity to that other famous jumma number, Big Band Kimi Katkar'sJumma chumma de de from Hum (1991).

Salman himself agrees the similarities are there "I love Jumma chumma; every time it p l ays on TV I watch the whole number!"

But his number is filmed differently, he hastens to add.

Regardless, the song has definitely kicked up a storm, with near ly 8 million views on YouTube for the film's trailer by the next morning We wait to see if it trans l ates to bums on seats, come Ei d. A recent SRK-Kareena Kapoor pre -release of a song went similarly viral, but alas, did nothing for the film when it was eventually released.

Expectations from Sa lman and Kick are huge, especially since Salman's last release Jai Ho under-performed at the box office

Pretty Preity in Ness mess

Preity Zinta's allegat ion of molestation against her fo rmer beau and business partner Ness Wadia has not got much reaction from the film fraternity. Many like directorTanuja Chand r a feel it's better to wait for the legal process to move forward and "avoid playing judge and jury ourselves;'while Moon Moon Sen feels"it is entirely their business''.

Chandra, who directed Preity in author -backed film Sangharsh, says, " I imagine she must have thought a great deal about it and hasn't done this on an impulse Like all women i n the country she has every right to approach authorities if she feels her individua l space has been violated We must wait for the legal process to move forward and avoid playing judge and jury ourselves''.

The outspoken Pooja Bedi has decided to sit on the fence

She says:"Neither Ness nor Preity come across as a liar. Both are such lovely people. So it is just very unfortunate that it's all turning out the way it is Having said this I feel it is for the courts to pass a verdict, not us ''.

Neetu Chandra feels the matter is personal. However, she also fee l s Preity is not the kind to raise a hue and cry unnecessarily.

"As far as I know, she is a no-nonsense person and leads her life with dignity. A break-up is never p l easant Both the partners have to be very careful about preserving each other's self-respect in public after the break-up, for the sake of what they shared in the past''.

Preity lodged a written complaint againstWadi a with the Marine Drive police station on June 12. She accused Wadi a, her former beau who co-owns the IPL team Kings XI Punjab with her, of grabbing her hand and abusing her during a cricket match in Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on May 30. Wadia has denied the al l egations, term ing them "totally false and baseless''. H is fri ends have suggested that Preity is jealous because Ness has moved on and is now in a new relationship

Actress -parliamentarian Moon Moon Sen feels the two should sit and ta lk it out, even though she says she admires Preity's courage here.

"Maybe there's a history of abuse and now it has erupted in a public place to embarrass both of them. Surely the two can sit down and sort it out. No matter how we look at it, it is entirely their business''.

Movie guru Shailendra Singh finds the

incident unfortunate

"It's unfortunate that a girlfriendboyfriend fight has national import ance. There are far more serious matters awaiting the nation's attention".

The battle of t he newbies

Fresh -faced Armaan Ja in will soon make his acting debut w i th fello w newcomer Deeksha Seth and first-time director Arif Ali, in LekarHum DeewanaDil

The number of fresh faces continues to ri se in Bollywood and Armaan Jain wishes them alI the best of Iuck or so he says

"There are a lot of youngsters, around l0to lS, ofmy age group doing the same genre of films;' he states

" I believe in healthy competition I hope we all work hard and have healthy competition Hopefull y, people accept my first film first an d we al l grow together''. Yes you l ike healthy competit i on, we get it. but do we believe it?

Jai n has worked with two former assistant directors Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan, who are now successfu l actors, and says that he bonded with them while assisting filmmaker Karan Johar on My Name Is Khan.

"I was an intern, joini ng towards the end of the schedu le I gotto spend a l ittle bit of time with Sidharth and Va run during shooting schedule It was great bond i ng with them,"says Armaan

While he feels he is too young to explore the filmmaking part of the industry, he is not against it.

"When I started assisting, I wasn't aware of how films are made, what happens. Once I got involved with technica ls, I started making short fi lms. I used to try and get my hands i nto editing I directed a short fi Im to understand the craft practica ll y al so My ma in concentration is to get this film r ight and act for now.

Definitely at some point of t ime, I wou ld love to direct a film I love editing as well;' adds the forme r intern, assistant, editor and wannabe director.

Armaan is the cousin of actor Ranbir Kapoor, and has also shown interest in RK Films, the banner establi shed by his late

PREITY ZINTA

late grandfather and actor-filmmaker Raj Kapoor.

"At some point, if my uncles or Ranbir do [revive the banner] and if they want to involve me in some way, I would be honoured to do so If someth ing comes up, then definitely,"says Armaan Lekar Hum Deewana Oil will release on July 4.

Lost in translation

Ukranian ballroom dance expert Maksim Chmerkovskiy is visiting India to be the first internationa l judge of reality TV show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, the Indi an version of Dancing with the Stars.

However, it seems that the housewarming was not so warm with reports claiming Maksim is already unhappy as a judge on the show as he cannot speak or follow Hindi.

Maksim was quick to deny the reports "That's not true. I am having a blast And that report is bull - ;' he refutes.

"I came to India to embrace a new language and culture This is a once-ina- lifetime opportunity for me And I am enjoying every moment of it''.

Sounds legit. But he still can t understand a word of what the contestants and fellow judges say, with his own statements ticker -translated on screen

ARMAAN JAIN

Luckily, with a bit of help (and by that, we mean an entire production team), the ballroom prodigy battles on " I had hoped that the production team would understand there would be d ifficulties And everyone is helping out I sit between Madhuri Dixit and Karan Johar They're constantly telling me what 's going on It helps that the show is taped and doesn't go on air live So, they stop the shooting and explain what's going on The experience I am getting her e is not something you get in a classroom;'he affirms

At least something is going his way, with Maksim claiming that Bollywood contestants have a lot more respect for the judges on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa than on Dancing with the Stars.

First step to being a better judge on Indian TV: Hindi lessons!

The key to a healthy relationship: Breaking box office records

Movie star Akshay Kumar's latest film Holiday -A Soldier Is Never OffDuty has minted Rs 102 62 crores in three weeks at the domestic box office and producer Vipu l Shah could not be happier

The Shah -Kumar partnersh i p has once again struck gold with this fi lm adding to thei r co ll ection of hits incl uding Aankhen,

MAKSIM CHMERKOV S KI Y

Waqt - Race Against Time, Namastey London and Singh Is King.

However every relationship has its rough patches, fo r examp le the Action Replay fiasco.

"It has been a fantastic journey with Akshay;· Shah said, when talking about his partnership w ith the superstar.

" Holiday is our sixth fi lm together and four out of five films were successful. What is very i mportant is that all films got a lot of credibility from the audience''.

Holiday i s about terrorism in which director A R. Murugadoss focuses on sleeper cells and how quietly they merge into their target society before unl eashing havoc.

The thrilling drama featured a new style of action directed by renowned British stuntman Greg Powell, known for his work in Hollywood's super hit franchises such as Harr y Potter anc;t James Bond

The filmmaker said the successes have helped them in w inning a "good reputation''.

"My relationship with Akshay has reached that stage where we constantly want to do better wor k together It has become stronger by the day;' said Shah We sincerely hope you've been buyi ng him flowers But we wonder, who pays for dinner?

No more Bipasha : Vashu Bhagnani

Producer Vashu Bhagnani is so upset with Bipasha Basu, one of the female leads in his just released Humshakals, that he has decided not to work with her agai n

Directed by Sajid Khan, Humshakals, which also features Riteish Deshmukh, Saif Ali Khan, Ram Kapoor, Esha Gupta and Tammannaah Bhatia, hit the theatres in mid-June

The dusky beauty, who was m i ssing from all the promotional events of the film, stated that she was dissati sfied with the end resu lt of her role i n the fi lm

Bhagnani says that he never misled her about her role

"I asked Sajid myself to cast Bipasha," Vashu says. "She is a lovely lady But I don't know what her probl em i s It's not like we told her something and del ivered something else''.

Share your views with us on our Facebook page /

Is the feisty Bipasha too much of an alpha-woman fo r Bollywood's misogynist ways?

Seniors nearing seventy set the new scenario

Itis d1e year 2035 AD aod Australia is now a Republic.

With the era of

entidement weU and uuly over, the country is fuJJ to the brim w ith pollies retired on the public purse.

A chosen few are e lected every three years by mug punters fet:vend y hoping to be governed better, rather than be b itterly clisappointed.

\'{lidi d1e o ld age pens ion pushed further to seventy, d i e national scen e has taken o n a new loo k

The car parks at Geelong's Ford and Adelaide's Holden factories, that were once crammed with employees' cars, are now fuU of die ir gophers

The average age of assembly line workers is well past m id60s Wi th trem bling hands, diey continue to assemb le wheelchairs made from im p orted parts, for d1e mom1tiog aged population.

Some o f the wo r kers d1emselves are in wheelch airs wid1 the.i r carers srancfu1g behind them to take them to the next task on the conveyor be lt.

With d1e golden o ldies s till glued to d1eir jobs, there i s growing youth unemploym ent. So the government decides ro imp lement the carers corps.

Friday farewells are the favourite moments for d 10se mrning seventy. Those who are a few years in side d 1ar milestone w ish to grow older soon so they can pass diro ugh the pearly gates to pe n sion paradise.

Since purchasing power has shifted to the elderly emp loyed, retailers and boutigues have trained their sights on them. Advertising gurus are the barome ters of emerging tre nds. They now scouc nursing homes

Our mode.I worker! He worked t i II his last breath!

for models w ith fur rowed foreheads and crow's feet fo r fashion magazines and TV commercials. The \Vead1er g irl loo ks weU and uuly weathered.

The 'old is go ld' wave has seen new acro n yms coined.

Like DOME (Don't O\1erlook Matured Experience) of the 90s, DOSE (Don't Over look Senior Employees) is in vogue.

OWL5 (Old Worke rs Love Servin g) represent mainly whitecollar workers and profess io n als like lawyers and doc tors who get better with age and experience

Pressure groups like SWAP (Senior Workers Awaiting Pension) and WOW (Worn Out Workers) vow co gain early entry to the pension portal s

To p lease them, the Industries l'vlinister, on remrn from an Indian

s cu dy cour, tells them how hard peopl e work in India

He cites d1e examples of A m itabh Bachchan and R ajnikanth, who even after turning one hundred, are still working as heroes in Bollywood, dancing with girl s and fighting with chugs

L1 order co ramp up e m p loyment while als o facing an election, Prim e Minister Gavin R eed orders w heelchair ramps and disabled toilets fo r every house, whether the resident is an infant or infirm.

L1 the rush to fix new flush ing S)'S tems, some shonky o perators e m p loy inexperie nced youth and as a resul t houses get flooded. A disaster that can be likened to the p ink batt fires two decades ago.

The Opposi tion leader Sony

Ascot promises to bring the boats back, die orange ones u sed years ago to return d1e refugees, since smart Sum atran smugglers now use them to sh ip refugees safely to our shores at a much h igher pric e.

With an eye on voces from fringe groups, 'green graru1y' R osa Hanson -Old r olls her b ig, bead y eyes, while she opens basket weavi ng communes to up -skill the unemployed.

Edu cation is now the n ation's primary expor t earner Primary studen ts from Shanghai and South Korea stream into our sc hoo ls co escape their tiger mums and cough maths lessons, prefer ring the easy

Aussie option

After mo st of d1e min erals shipped out, the mines are a mega mirage. A portly coal magnate and politician plans to start

With the old age Rension Rushed further. to seven!}', the national scene has tal<en a new loo!<

Queens land Mlrage- type reso rts by filling die empty open-cur mines w ith sea water for tourists to swim and surf.

Some twenty years earlier, the editor of the April 2014 i ssue of Tndia11 I.ink, ad v ised young Indian migrants who came in their mousands to plan their financial future ca refuUy since t h eir chance of getting a pension is likened to lndia winning t he Soccer World C u p, His words have become so prophetic.

Those same young m igrants, skilled in IT and engi n eering, are now in the ir sixties, working as hard as ever plying their o ld (cleaning) carts in s hopping ma.Us and aged care homes. ft is 2035. The golden age of Oz has dawned.