2014-07 Sydney (1)

CONTRIBUTORS

Preventing the radicalisation of our youth

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

the Mun1bai attacks and the Boston Mara[hon bomb ings are all examples of you th gone astray when [heir desire to believe is greater than their capacity to judge good from tbe bad.

Ne ,vs that up to I 50 Austt:alians 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 to cake steps to prevent forther raclicalisation of our youth.

The Federal Govern m ent has in the past set aside funds, such as up to $700,000 in 2013 for community progran1s, to tackle e.xtremism To an extent it seems to be working but it can be questioned if more can be done.

The challenge not only in volves what needs to be done with those of Australian origin who are currently involved in tl1ese jihadist activities, but tl1ere are a lso concerns of hmv to integrate them with society when they remrn ratl1er tl1an allow furtl1er proliferation of extremism in the coun try.

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

An insight in meeting tlus challenge is given by Shahram Akbarzadeh in his 2013 article ' Investing in Mentoring and Educational lniciatives: The Limits of DeRadicalis ation -Programrn.es in Australia,' which appeared in d1e Joumal rf lviwlitJJ

These experiences marginalise Australian Muslims and make iliem vulnerable to 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 crying to find their place between tl1e country of their parents' b irtl1 and mat of their own upbringing. T he s hare of Indian- born Muslims is 2.1 % according to the 201 1 Census and 5 6% for Pakistani- born :tvluslims.

From the comrnmtit:y point of v iew, it is important tl1at we address tl1ese i ssues so as to educate and franchise oLU· youth better.

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

As the youth go searching for answers, those 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 has 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 than jllst make token gestures. Businesses have ro step up the educational campaigns to convey d1e benefits of diversity.

In view of tlus, Attorney General George Brandis' intention co repe.'li section 18c of the Racial Discrimination A ct 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 otl1ers on racial grounds Any repeal of this act can send our society backwards

The Racial Discrimination Act helps create a fairer Australia for all, and stops individuals 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 yo utl1 in our migran t com1mmities could pose serious security concerns and so needs to be handJed sensitively.

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

BACHELOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

September 2014, January and September 2015 Intake

• A holistic course that encompasses academic knowledge, managerial skills, decision-making and global social skills

• Tri - city model (study in Singapore, Dubai and Sydney)

Experience diverse cultures and international business practices

Four year full-time study program

• Graduates receive an Australian degree

Endorsed by the CFA Ins titute

Two specialisations to choose from: Marketing and Finance

• Full tuition academic scholarships are available for talented students

For more information or for a on e -on-one tou r of our Sydney campus , please email admi ssions syd @ spjain org or call (02) 8970 6800

EXECUTIVE MBA

September 2014 Intake

• Pa rt-time accelerated program that can be completed in under two years

Industry relevant curriculum and cutting-edge electives

• Global academic staff Graduates receive an Australian degree Accredited by Association of MBAs

• Overseas study opportunities

• Emphasis on leadership and personal development

A life long network of distinguished global leaders and executives

Forbes Best I nternationa l Business Schoo l Rankings 2013

SPIRITUAL

Sydney Jain Mandal

Sun mornings 9.30am- l 1.30am

Sydney Jain Mandal now conducts its activities from new premises 7/15-17 Tucks Road, Seven Hills. Come along and do your own pooja, medi tation and be part ofthe centre.

Details: Abha Jain 0432 248 791 or visit www syd neyjainmandal.com

Onl ine enlightenment and stress management course

Free online course to help you soar from finite to infinite i n the Kingdom of Almighty God.

Det ails: www pmbigbang.org

Chinmaya Mission events

Sat 12 July Guru Poornima

celebrations 6 00pm to 8.00pm at Mount Colah (By registration)

2 - 3 August Youth weekend retreat

Why Guru? at Epping (By registration)

8-9 August Ladies' retreat

Glorie5 ofLord Gane5ha at Henley (By registration)

Sun 17 August Krishna Janmashtami

celebrations at Crestwood Community Centre, Baulkham Hills (free)

23 -24 August Adult retreat

Knowledge of the Self at Chittaway Bay, Central Coast (By registration)

Detai ls: www.sydney.chinmaya com.au

WHA.T'SON

FUNDRAISER

Book drive

Ten students of speech pathology from Flinders University, Adelaide, will be travelling to India to provide voluntary speech therapy assistance to children and families living with disability They are looking for donations of new or preloved children s picture books in good condition Any donations oflndianthemed books (eg. Panchatantra Tales) will be extremely useful.

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

MISC

Yoga classes

Series of yoga classes for children, seniors and all others. Nominal charges apply for children; seniors' classes are free. Across various locations in Sydney at Wentworthville, Quakers Hill, Pennant Hill, Auburn Epping, Homebush and Ryde. Organised by the Spirit of India's community development initiatives. Limited seats, admission on a first come, first served basis. Enrol by visiting www.spiritofindia.org or email: spiritofindia2002@yahoo.com.

Seniors: contactus@spiritofindia.org

Details: Suresh 0412 202 182,

Raja 0402 789 109, Sudhir 0409 600 117

Essay writing competition

Australian university and tertiary institution students are invited to participate in an essay-writing competition on the topic Bhagavad Gita as it is. Cash prize $10,000. Deadline for essay is 28 November and essays must be 2,500to 3,000 words.

Details: Satya Armstrong enquiries@ bgasitisessay.com.au or 02 8005 6140 or www.bgasitisessay.com.au

CIA blood donation drive

Fri 1 Aug, Fri 5 Sep, both 11.45am-3.00pm Council of Indian Australians Inc. is proudly teaming up with Australian Red Cross to assist with their ongoing blood donation drive. Blood donation is a very simple process and CIA urge you to consider giving blood. It only takes an hour out of your day and only 15-20 minutes of that is donating blood. One in three Australians will need blood in their lifeti me. The blood drive Is proudly supported by Promeance.

Details: www.cia.org.au

STAGE

Concert for a Gentleman:

GUIHANGTAR

Sun 20 July Guihangtar is a duo comprismg guitarist Le-Tuyen Nguyen and percussionist Salil Sad1dev. Their upcoming concert celebrates ANU School of Music Em/ Prof Larry Sitsky's 80th birthday. Glebe Town Hall, 2.00pm.

Details: Le-Tuyen Nguyen 0403 109 288

FILM

Indian Feast + Ticket special: The Lunchbox

Sat 2 Aug from 6pm lrrfan Khan stars in The Lunchbox, a sweet celebration of romance and foocl In Mumbai. A waywarcl lunchbox connects a housewife w ith an-office worker In the dusk of his l ife Before the film starts at 7pm, take part in a delicious Indian meal. Held as part of the Sydney Film Festival, in collaboration w ith t h e Travelling Film Festiva l at Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

Details: Call the Box Office: 02 98241121

For fu ll ca lendar of What's On listings (nation- wide) check out: www.indianlink.com.au

You can also submit your listing online

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Need for a new selective school in Ponds/Schofield area

The majority of the community living in Glenwood, Quakers Hill and surrounding areas are young families with kids. These parents aspire to give their kids the best education and selective school becomes their first option.

Currently most selective school kids from this area go to Girraween High School. According to Girraween High School's P&C Association, 47 kids go to Girraween High School just from Glenwood alone and 38 from neighbouring areas. The lack of reliable transport from Glenwood and surrounding areas to Girraween High School is a major headache for these parents.

These parents had a meeting with Michelle Rowland (G reenway MP) at Parklea Gurdwara on July 4, 2014 and requested her to provide suitable transport for kids from Glenwood and surrounding areas going to Girraween High School.

However, keeping in view the anticipated population growth in Ponds, Schofields and Riverstone areas, it would be highly desirable to open a selective schoo l in Glenwood, Quakers Hill or in new release areas which can cater to the needs of the community in the neighbourhood.

It will be highly appreciated if you could facilitate to high light this issue.

Dr Moninder Singh Quakers Hill NSW

Tackling the smoking problem in remote Australia

A public health activist and researcher in Arnhem Land takes up the fight against a deeply entrenched cultural practice

l<ishan With T/ Ganamb '"'my arr, 0 traditional Indigenous d oncer

Following World No Tobacco Day not so long ago, a documentary film was released earlier di.is mond1 thar explores the problem of smoking in a remote Aboriginal community.

Produced and directed b y .Kishan Kariippanon, a docror and public healili communications researcher who lives and works in the Nhulllnbuy in Arnhem Land, the film The Tobacco Sto1)' of Amhe111 Lmdlooks at the cultural ly entrenched practice of robacco use in this community

Smoking is tl1e leading preventable cause of ill health and dead1 among Indigenous Australians and contributes significantly to the gap in life expectancy. Previous efforrs to stop smoking have n o r been successful So Dr Kishan decided ro take a different tack.

Inspired by Tamil film diJ:ector Venkat Prabhu, Kishan has used the Tamil cinematic s tyle to shoot this do cWJ1eurary.

"I like the way tl1ey show emotion in Tamil movies," Kishan revealed to Indian U11k. " l want Aboriginal kids to watch m y film, absorb the srory and its lesson, and share it''.

He has a practical approach to tl1e smoki ng problem.

"Ir is ridiculous to expect people to guit when they have been smoking since they were children," Kishan explains. "Smoking is ingrained in their culture; tl1ey even have a tobacco dance at funerals. 1vl y sryle is to take baby steps in changing behaviour - don't smoke in front of grand-kids, don't ask children to pick cigarettes for you, and don't smoke in your house or your car where there are kids"

Kishan Kariippanon is currentl y researd1ing d1e interplay of social media and mobile phones amongst Yolngu (Aboriginal) youth, observing their use of Facebook and mobile phones, and how this could be used to p romote their wellbeing.

Arnhem Land is one of the few areas in Ausrralia where Aboriginals still live a traditional life.

So how did Kishao, a iYfalaysian

On location filming The Tobacco Story of Arnhem Land

with an Indian background, land in NhuJunbuy?

"I wo rked for tl1ree years at Darwin at the Centre for Disease Control, looking at sexual health and policies around young peop le. One ~1f my aims was to help make tl1e clinics mote yo ud1 - frienc1Jy. During this time I realised that there was a lot of social media use by Aboriginal kids in remote commu1uties. They do not have a TV or landline, bur they do whatever d1ey can to access Facebook and YouTube through their mobile phone s. I was intrigued and decided to research this for my PhD," Kishan says

Speaking at TEDx Darwin, Kisban argued char promoting health to Indigenous youth needed a serious redunk. Social media and mobile techno logy could be p u t to good use to accomplish dus, he suggested.

A doctor who heard Kisban's talk at TEDx invited bin, to be part of his scabies project in Arnhem Land.

Shortly thereafter, Kishru1 moved \vith his frunily from the relative comfort of city liJe in Dru.win to a tin-shed house in I hulunbuy.

The move was crucial to his being accepted b y the Aboriginal community

"They felt that tl1is guy must be serious, if he's decided tO move so dose tO us!" Kishan says with a laugh

He adds with a twinkle in his eye, "I used my cooking skills to entice tl1e elders. They loved m y clucken curry, rice and pappadumsl"

"Growing up in a multiculmral society like Malaysia, and having the rich heritage of India, certainly gave me an advantage as some

of tbe cultural protocols of the Aboriginal~ came namra1ly to me;' he continues.

Kisban's earnestness in understanding the Aboriginal culmre was evident and soon he had the trnst of the Yolngu people. He even started learning tl1eir language b y mi'ling witl1 the locals. The more he understood the people, the more he was struck by tbe simibricies of their culmre and language co chat of Asia.

"Specific Yolngu clans are distinctively sinular to South 1ndians," Kishan observed lt has been a long journey spanning continents and remoce comers for this intrepid man.

Volunteering in Siberia after bigb school in Malaysia , he stayed on to complete medical schoo l in Russia. Soon he was packing his bags for Tim or Leste, when d1e civil crisis broke in 2008, to vo1LUHeer as a doctor. Kisban's multi-lingual skill~ proved very useful and be had a bus y life at the clinic seeing 150 patients a day "Bm this was soon co change.

His keen observation skills helped uncover a human trafficking syndicate. \'vneD the number o f young girls who came to rest for HIV at tl1e clinic reached 26,

multicultural societY,

Kisban suspected that the girls were being trafficked. He took his hunch to die police. The perpetrators were caught and a massive .ring from Timor Leste co Cambodia to Damascus to tl1e Middle Ea st, was uncovered. Thru,ks to him the young girls were saved, but it was no longer safe for hin1 to remain in the country. Soon he was off co ivlelboume to do a M.ascers' degree in Public Health.

"And that was tl1e end o f my shore clitucal practice," l.augbs Kishru1, happily going wherever life has taken hin1.

Today, he is passionate abom Aboriginal affairs.

When asked if 'Clo sing d1e Gap', tl1e government program on reducing tl1e 17-year lifeexpectancy gap between Aboriginal Ausm1lia and other Australians has worked, Dr Kishan is emphatic that ir has.

"Only in d1e 1970s were Aboriginal peop le given citizensh ip rights. "Before that they came under the Flora and Fauna J\ct! This segregation and otl1er factors bave bad a long term effect OD d1e psyche of people. 'Closing the Gap' is definite.ly a good start. Tilings are slowly getting better. The difference in culture is definitely a barrier.

We need more participatory decis ion-making processes, a trans-cultural approad1 to sol utions," says Kishan, who now has a first-hand understanding of the issue. For more about Kis han Kariippuuon's film 71/lt' 711/,11,.,.1, ,\tori ,,; lmlr,111 L11ul, visit \.V\Vw iruwarj.com.au

aina!

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

• BY UTTAM MUKHERJEE

Sunday, 29 June wa.s a proud day for lnclia as badminton player 24-year-o ld Saina

Nehwal became the first non- Chinese p layer to win the women's singles cide a[ a Super Series in 2014, after defeacing Spain's Carolina Marin 21 - 18, 2'11 1 in 43 minutes.

The pair had me[ once before, and Saina also won in that instance. The first game of d1.e women's singl es finals had some semb lance of a fight beLween six- seed Saina and Carolina; the second game, however, was quite o n e sided Saina m oved around d1e court quickly and remrned d ifficult shots easily. Her younger opponenc, considered one of the feistiest players ou the c ircuit, had played well uncil d ie semi -finals, but struggled to ma[ch Saina.

In the first game, Carolina narrowed the gap time and again but Saina was ab le to e11.7J lo it her weaknesses to t he hilt, especially a round the net. Carolina did not help herself as she comm itted a service er ro r to gift an easy point to Saina This ruffled her con fidence and the rhythm of her serves. Carolina p layed some good strokes but they were neither co n sistent n or en ough co snatc h au advantage. Saina on the other band made few unforced errors and was ruthless in smash ing he r opponent.

For eve r y po int that Carolina won she le[ out a vicrorious shout, but Saina ,vas gene ra!Jy composed except fo r a couple of times when she pumped the air after winning a major point. After winning the championship, Saina let one a viccory cry and d1.rew her racquet

into the crowd. Except for the initial exuberance soon after her victor y, Saina remained quite calm and composed thereafter.

"T h is is one v ictory which answered all che doubts," Saina said. ''There were many who thought I could never win again. This is a very special triump h for me becau se l believed l could win very soon and it happened".

When asked how it felt to win the Australian Super Series, she said chat the victor y was quite unexpected and although she felt happy to have won, the feeling of winning had not yet sunk in. "Surely this was d1e biggest challenge because l had to prove that I still am one of the best p layers in t he wor ld," a confident Saina stated.

Her march to the finals was dramatic. Tn the quarter- finals, Saina had vanquished Japan's Eriko Hirose in straight sets: 2118 and 2 1-9. In the semi- finals, Saina p layed cautiously against the number one seed, \'{fang

Shixian from China Saina won the grue!Jing match 2 1- 19, 1621 and 2 l - 15 This was a major v ictory considering her opponent was

better ranked, and the stadium reverberated with loud cheering for Wang ShLx ian.

Corning to Australia for the championship, her parents felt that sh e did not stand a chance of winning but could o n ly play her best. Saina lightheartedl y told the media that she would party all night to celebrate d1is surprise win.

Saina complained about d1e blisters on her feet that caused much agony t hroughout the tournament. Dming the semifinals she had co cake time out during the m atch as her feet had to be attended co by her physio She said that her feet h u rt as she wa lked from her hotel co the stadium! Saina thanked h e r p hys io profusely saying that without her help, and words of encouragement, s he would no[ have been able to p la y in th e finals. Bue wh ile she was on court destroying her opponent, no o ne realised that her feet were sore and in bandages!

Few in Australia discuss tbe game of badminton.

Bur leading up to the Scar Australian Open Badminton Super Series Champjonship, l was amused to hear my colleagues, who are cl.iehard rngby followers, cal.king about badminton Earlier in the week a leading Sydney newspaper had carried an arcicle on Lin Dan, the bad boy of badmincon, and Olympic bronze medallist, Saina, who were in town for the competition fro m 2 4- 29 June. The $750, 000 tournament in Australia was the eighth Super Series tour nament tbis year and hugely popular.

The Spore Centre in Sydney

Ol ympic Park drew a record crowd fo r the Superseries finals and unlike previous years, d1e capacity c rowd h ad a sizeable number of people of Indian o rigin. I was als o pleasantly surprised to see two larg e Indian flags prominentl y cLispla)1ed in the stands to c heer on Saina Nehwal in th e finals. This

atmosp here was in coucrast to the earlier qnalif)~llg rounds w h ere Saina was cheered lo u d ly b y just cwo very endrnsiastic supporters ! Ia d1e climax of the Australian Open Badm inton championship, the bad boy of badm inmn, Lln Dan won against Indonesia's Simon Santoso: 22-24, 2 1- 16, 21 -7(p icmred right) The first game was a see-saw battle where Simon upstaged the double O l ymp ic and five time world champion. But in tl1e next two sers Lin Dan proved to us wh y he is considered a great. lt was

the finest exhibition of strokes that one could hope to see.

I alwa)'S look forward to the men's double s as they are fast and furious. Although my favourite doubl es player, Kido from 1ndones ia , losr in t he semi -finals, I was mesmecised by the Korean pair, Yong DaeLeeand Yeon Seong Yoo who won comfortab ly 2 1 - 14, 21 - 18.

For the past three year s r have been attending the Australian Badminton Open, and this was cbe first year when China clid not dominate the finals. lt was good to see representation in the finals from many cmmtries across the world.

Here is some sp icy news that 1 came across - Saioa Nehwa l has just been named on the lnclian

FH]v[ 1 00 Sexiest Women's list. Ac number 85 Saina is ahead of Miley Cyrus and o nly five spots behind Be yonce on the list!

And which imernacional sportswoman has the most Facebook followers? 1f you thought it was o ne of the Williams sisters or Anna Kournikova you are wrong. ft is Saina Nehwall

~oBY &...'II'' RITAM MITRA

Ir's the fastest and one of the most brutal spores in the world The "ball" is frozen before play and frequentl y travels at over 160 km/h. The average professional p layer loses about three kilos d uring a game, while there's a 68 per cent chance tl1at they will lose at least one tooth during their career Dming a regular season at me top level, blows to the bead have resulted in up to 88 p la}rers missing 1697 games due to concuss ions. And did we mencion that it's all played on an unfo rgiving s urface rhat often exacerbates injuries?

Ice hockey may not be the most common spore in Australia, bur yo u should expect to see a lot more of it as the National Hockey League begins making its way onto television se ts around the country. Fot 14- year -old Mohak Issar, though , ice hockey has already been hjs biggest passion for half rus lifetime, and his recent selection in the NSW U nder - 15 Seate Ice Hockey team is only the latest in a string of exci ting ach ievements for th is talented ad1lete.

This month J\fohak will be competing in the Kurt DeFris lee Hockey Championships talcing place from July 9- 12 in Newcastle. He will be up against teams from all the Australian states Having already represented NSW in 2013, :tv[oha.k has taken the achievement in his stride - bm it does not mean be was any less thrilled abom making the final cut of 20 players, after raking pare in three separa re tryoncs.

" l was so excited. I r's a different, higher age group. I didn't diink I was going to make it and I was jumping with reli ef," Mohak said. "My friends and family we r e really happy for memy dad was so happy, it was all we could talk about for cbe next few days!"

Mohak bega n playing ice hocke y after attending a frunily friend's training session back in 2007. Asked by his fathe r, Puneet, whether he was interested

in caking up the sport, Mnhak had no hesitation in saying yes. Although he began plaring for fun, and only lacer began caking it more seriously, Mohak was always drawn to the nuances of the game.

"lt's a different kind of sport - not many sports a.re on ice. It's the fastest sport the wotld, and it gives me an adrenaline rnsh. Tc's very unique".

In 2013, Mohak competed in the 13'" International Friendship Games in Canada, where he played almost daily for two weeks agaimt teams such as Canada, Japan, Soud1 Korea, New Zealand and die U nited St.'ltes.

The NSW team p laced third in me competition, and it ignited Mohak's belief that he co uld p lay against bigger, stronger p layers at higher levels.

"Now tl1ac T' ve scatted playi ng

ice hockey witl1 contact (allowed between p layers), it's gotten a lot roug her. Now that I've built up in age groups, there's a lot more contact. The first ye ar 1 played contact, l was pretty scared, bm as die years progress, you get used co it and you don't get as scared".

It hasn't been an eas)' roadMobak trains at least s i x days a week, including sessions both on the ice and off the ice. B y waking up early each morning, Mohak is able to maintain his smilies m Brothers College, Blacktown, and improve hi s ice hockey skills.

"I get up in the m orning, generally ac around 5am, so it doesn't dash widi school. You should gee up ea.rly if you want to become an athlete - in the morning generally yo u're free, you can praccice and train maybe one hour everyday".

Along me way, Mohak bas had plenty of support from his comm itted father, as well as bis coach , Frankie, who trams with Mohak almost every morning.

Looking abead, 14-year-oJd Mohak, whose favourite NI-IL team is the Anaheim Ducks,

i s extremely amb itious and motivated.

" There are trials in October for the Under- ! Ss youth Australian team l'vfy goa.l is to get into that ream eimer tliis year or next year".

Tndian Link wishes Mohak the very best in the upcoming state champion shi ps.

IDespite the intense, and sometimes rough, nature of the game, one young athlete has taken to ice hockey like a duck to water

In sync with her dreams

Despite being the only Indian on the World Cup team, when it comes to synchronised swimming, Prateeti Sabhlok is no fish out of water

Ir's a sport that immediately brings to mind graceful swimmers performing intricate, rhythmk, complex dance and gymnastic moves co beautiful music, in the water. An extremely difficult sport, synchronised swimming requires superior swin:uning skills, flexibility, endurance, strengtb, extraordinary breath cona:ol, artistic inclin ations, precise timing and control of the body in water. And this is exactly what Prareeti Sabh lok has achieved as she a:a.ins hard w i th he r team to represent Australia at tl1e upcoming Synchro World Cup to be hosted i n Quebec Cit)~ Canada from 2-4 October, 2014

A spore where you find very few Indians, Prateeti has g iven us much to be proud about.

She has been the V ictoria State Jltnior Figure Charnpion fo r tbree years in a row - 2011, 20 12 and 2013. S h e is also the first Indian t o be awarded the Ros Keeble Achievement Award this year for the highest swimmer contribution to tl1e sport of synchronised swimming.

Prateeti has been regular ly participating in national level

competitions since 2007, and was also selec ted to be a member of the Australian Talent ID Squad in 2009

She was part of the team that represented Ausa-alia in the 2010 Oceania Championships in Samoa and also tl1e 20 1 I New Zealand Championships held in Hamilron, New Zealand. Her skill s and talents did n ot go unnoticed and she was one o f three Victorian girls (in a team of eight) selected to represent A u stralia at the Canad ian Open Championships held in May 2014, where her team brought honour to Australia by winning the silver medal in two categories - Team (Tech) and (Free) Routines.

A native of Delhi, Prateeti has been living in V icmria since the age of 6ve. She loved to swim a nd was introduced tO the fascinating world of synchronised swimming by her mother. "I fell in love with this beautiful sport and started tO train as a synchronised swimmer from the age of nine," she told Indian U11k. Prateeti mostly a·ains at the PLC Aquatic C lub, Burwood and sometimes al so at Vi ctoria University, Footscrar,

In preparation for the upcoming \Xforld Cup, Prateeti trains hard for eight to 10 hours, five to six times every week concentrating on fitness,

flexibility, swimming a nd syn chronised swimming skill work with her current coaches, Erika Leal-Ramirez and Dilini Narmada S h e does all this while pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Melbourne. " T h e training camps are in ten sive and are held interstate as all the girls training to compete at tl1e World Cup are from different parts of Australia an d must fly to one location, usually Canberra or Perth".

When asked if she faced any difficulties bei ng an Indian in this field, "I have only received support and enconragemenr from all cornets so far". She also mentioned duu though she is the o n ly L1dian, her other team members belong to diverse backgrounds which lends a multicul tural can1araderie to the whole team. Their prin1ary focus is t he ir love for che sport which shines through in every t erun

event they take part in.

Bue there is one difficul ty tl1at Prateeti encounters and that is lack of funding. Synchronised swimming hardly gets any kind of federal fL111cling or su p po.rt which leaves the swimmers to raise their own funds for travelling expenses, gear and training sess ions. Apart from -11.foadore, which provides training bathers for tl1e tea m , Prateeti and her team are unsponsored and sa-uggling to meet expenses. Most of her expe n ses hav e been paid out of her family's pocket and the remaining through fundraising programs. For th is reason, the team approached Sportaroo, an online fundraising website to try and raise money ro meet the cost of tl1eir training and make their

World Cup dream a realil:)'- The money raised through tl1e website will be distributed equally runongst the te am members.

Prateeci dreams of participating in the Olymp ics one day and that dream can become a reality wi th a .little bit of help from ail of us. Head over co htt:ps:/ /www.sportaroo.com/ synchrosiste rs and spare a few dollars to help this vivacious young git! achieve h er dreams and make us proud.

Rupinder Kaur is all set for Glasgow as part ofAustralia's wrestling team

BY RAJNI ANAND \ LUTHRA

With only days to go before tbe big event, Rup inder Kaur is concentrating hard on her training. For six days a week, i t's track and field in the day, and in the afternoon, club.

The 29- year-o ld wrestler is working hard indeed to make the most of cl1e opportunity she has won, a spot on the Australian national team for the upco.mii1.g Commonwealth Games at G lasgow.

"Sote,ja;tgte has game, ga1J1e gaflle ke bare 1nei11 soocbti rebti boon (All 1 think about in my waking hours and even in my sleep, is my game)" she tells Tndian Link bursting with enthus iasm. "Most nights, I even dream abour the game!"

In between training, she concentrates on her diet.

She's just finished dinner as Indian Li11k speaks to her, a hearty Punjab i meal of )lladi, plenty of

\7egetables, pa11eer, dal, yogurt and a massive bowl of frui t. As a vegetarian, she has to get the proteins in.

Plus, these days, she's crying co gain some weight.

As someone who has always played in cl1e 48 kg div ision, she was shod,ed w hen she weighed in at just over 49 kg before her seleccion. The gain in weight meant that she wou ld be placed at the next level, the 53 kg divis ion With exactly a week to go, Rupinder worked hard to lose the extra kilo, but ulcimate ly weighed in at 48.2 kg. She is now competing in tl1e 53 kg division.

"Actually, I'm eating bananas by the dozen these days," she says, laughing

Wrestlers ty p icall y lose weight to compete in a lower divis ion, but Rupinder feels she should he ok

"Koshisb to pmi hai, baaki Bbag1J1at1Jo kare (l'm trying my hardest, the rest I leave to God)," she says witl1 simplicity.

It's been an interesting journey for Rupinder. She arrived here some seven years ago as a hospi tality smdenr, fully determined to continue wrestling which she started in India at school.

"l did not know a t:bi.ng about wrestling .in A u stralia, but I was hell bent on finding out".

Seven months later, at a local Diwali fnnction, a famil y member introduced her co Kuldip Singh Bassi , founder and president of the United Wrestling Club in Melbourne. Rupinder was back on tl1e mac in no time. Before Jong, she was w inning championships such as die Ausu·alia Cup.

To compete at the international level thougb, she had to wait for her cicizensh ip to come thro ugh

"My o nl y regret in my wrestling career is that l left it so lare with my citizensh ip".

But now she is looking eagerly al1ead. At Glasgow, she will catm up witl1 her old mates from the Indian nacional team.

"I know most of the Indian team, yes," she reveals. ":tvfy c losest friend Navjyor Kaur will be tl1ere, competing in the 69 kg category. avjyor and l are bocl1 from Hari Ke Patao near Tarn Taran in Pnnjab. We used to ttain together in the o ld days".

Rupinder started her fight

career in judo as a Year 6 student, following her sister Parminder. In Year 12 she was asked to give wrestling a cry

"lniciall)' 1 felt a bit shy to put the costume on - with judo d1ere were no costume issues. :Mum was concerned about injuries But Dad told us both to stop being silly! As an army man he wanted his childre n to try as many new experiences as possible. My first performance came good, and 1 have never looked back".

So what's in the future?

"Well, tl1ere's talk about Rio already!" Rupinder says. "Bue whatever evenn1a.tes, l will be connected to wrestling all my life, that's for sure".

The young atlilete i s keen for he r ream to bring back as many medals as possible from Scotland.

"It will be a huge boost for tl1e sport in cl-us country. le is so little known. Plus we need more support, really. Currencly, I'm paying my mvn cl ub fees like all m y ocher team mates. In India, as a member of t:be national team, my training was free".

Rupinder follows fellowMelbour11ian Sandeep Kumar, another L1dian- origin wrestler, who represented Australia at the Beij ing O lympics.

Ob, and we can't let Rupinder go without asking an important q u estion: does she know the words to the Australian nacional anmem, just in case?

Pat comes the reply, "Ha,111/i, bilkul aata bt1i,ji (Yes of course!)"

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie! Oi, o i, oi !

fl-cvt JKwvtiage ~t,udro.n

~:

QUALIFIED EDUCATION AGENT COUNSELLOR REQUIRED

C Migration Centre Pty Ltd is one of the leadin g Student and Migration Consultancy fi rm in Sydney. With the increase and growth in the business we are hiring more staff

The Role

Migration Centre is currently seeking an enthu siastic and customer service driven Qualifi ed Education Agent Counsellor to assess prospective student application and consult them to provide the righ t pathway to study in Austral ia. You will need to asses overseas qu alifications, documents, to provide a hassle free admission process to the cl ients. The role will also involve developin g and maintaining relationships with key education providers, health cover provider and accommodation providers for students.

Must have:

2-3 years of experience as an Education Counsellor for Australian Education Providers.

Desirable:

• QEAC registration

• Demonstrated experience in providing high levels of customer service

• Demonstrated skill and experience in managing relationships

• Demonstrated ability to prioritise tasks and manage work through to comp letion with in tight deadlines

• Demonstrated skill and experience in understanding , interpreting and policies and procedures

• Demonstrated cultu ral understanding and sensitivity.

• Demonstrated computer skills including MS office and internet.

• Excell ent verba l, wr itten and interpersonal skills

A hockey great in town

Former captain Dilip Tirkey talks about the state of affairs in Indian hockey

_ BY p , FRANKEV ".- !, GERA.im·, , FERNANDES ' ,

As the Soccer World Cu p fever rages on, Adelaide's C lub India I nternatio n al SA Inc roped in s upport for the Socceroos &o m none other than o n e of Iadia's hoc key great~

Dil ip Ti rkey, former India hockey captai n , Padmashree awardee and Ra jya Sabha member, is currently in Adelaide, recuperating after undergoing ankle su rgery at Sporrs m ed SA, a premier spo r ts medicine institute.

T har the Socceroos, aft er splen did performances against much better ranked teams, d id nor proi,>:ress into the round of 16, was a differen t story Club Lnclia lnternational SA Sports Secretary Shelvin Roswan, Entertai nment Secretary N ick Fernandes, Treasurer Steiling Silveira, executive comrni ttee member D u n stan A lbert Morais and others presented the official Socceroos jersey to the former lndian hockey captain. and wished him a speedy recovery.

Tirkey is the highest c app ed Indian. p layer at 412 internatio nal matches. He played in the fullback pos ition and was best known for his penalty corner hits as well as his defence, than.ks to his tigbr marking skills near tbe goal post. He was forced to retire from t be game prema turely d u e to a n k le problems. He rece n tly underwent surgery o n both an kles at Sportsmed , and i s cur rently recuperating h ere.

The forme r O l ym pian - Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and captain of the team in Athens in 2004Dilip Tirkey was known for h is stick skills throughout the wo rld. In March 20 12 he was elected unopposed to the Ra jya Sabha.

Considered th e world's best defe n der during hi s playi ng days, the for m er captain firmly believes lie will b e able to recover well from the an.kJe surgery and h is first priori ty w ill be to coach the Indian hockey tea m.

Always in the th ic k of the action w hile he represent ed the country, Tirkey rook time o ut to speak co fodi,m Link.

"1 still have a lot to offer t o the game that has g iven me so much in l ife," he said. "O nce 1 am fir to move about, 1 look forward to taking on the ro le of coach We need to groo m youngs ters, talented pla yer s and give them

exposure I want co coach them a nd share m y experience"

Tirkey, wh o made his debur in the 1ndira Gan d h i Go ld Cup in 1995, fee ls that bis vast experience and tough play o n th e field as a dependab le defender will be positive points that h e can share with u pc oming p layer s "In hockey, fast thinking and tackling the ball are rhe mos t impo:rtanl as p ects of the game," he emp hasised.

"A fter I s lowed down with my performance clue to the ankle injury, which resulted in a dow n slide in m y fimess, I took to imparti ng training to you ng tribal players in m y h o m e district o f Sunda rgarh in Otrisa," T i rl,ey revealed.

As a player, Tirkey considers India 's performance in tbe 2007 As ia Cup fi n als a s the def-in.ing m oment o f hi s 15-year-lo n g career. L1dia defeated a strong Korea ream.

At the rece ntly c o ncl ude d 2014 Hockey World Cup in the Ne therlands, whe re defen ding champion s Aus tralia wo n the tournament after defeating the hos t country 6-l in the finals, India lost to Austr alia, E ngland and Belgium and had a draw with Spain. Tirkey b elieves this was primaril y due to the in exper ience of young players

in perfo rming at the world competition level, a n d a failure to c o p e with this fast-paced nature of the g mue.

Witl1 rega rd to the Indian Hockey League, T irkey o bserved , ' 'This is the best t h ing to happen for ho ckey in our country. It will help s pot players and g ive t hem the des ired exposure, p lus of course tl1e oppornmi ty co brush shoulders with foreign players who a re participating in the league"

Still, h e added, more n eeds to be done to pop ulari se the ga me in the larger cities of the countr y Tirkey had a word of praise for current Ind ian men's hockey coach, Aus tralian Terry Walsh, for his strategies and mou ldi ng of t h e team. But he did say drnr ultimately it is ltp to tl1e players who need to d o their part on the field, which w1forn111ately did nor happen in the lase major world rournan1ent.

J\s a spor tsperso n in the Raj ya Sabha alongsid e cricket great Sachin T e nduJkar, Tirkey feel s his major respo n sibility in India's Parliamen t is to work for tl1e bettermen t of hockey as well as other sports Yet he is equally motivated m wru·d tl1e development of India's rural and ttibal areas, w ith educa ti o n as his primary objective

A convalescing Dilip Tirkey receives his Socceroos jersey from members of Adelaide's Club India International SA In c

Selective Written Assessment Test

Selective Written Assessment Test

Year 5 Students sitting the 2015 Selective High Schools Pl acement Test

Date

Sunday, 3 August 2014 (1 :30pm - 5:30pm)

Subjects Tested

Reading, Mathematics, General Ability & Writing

Venue

The Lounge, Allphones Arena, Sydney Olympic Park

Cost

$60 per student (non-refundable)

Closing Date

Sunday, 27 July 2014 * Up to 20 Scholarships to be WON * Free Online Practice Questions * Online Error Review with Hints * SWAT test papers follow the exact format of the actual Selective H i gh Schools Test the HIGHEST ever

The SWAT test is conducted in association with North Shore Coaching College The College is responsible for

Selective Schools Test NORTH SHO , RE Score of 296 06 * SWAT provides parents with an accurate and detailed assessment of students' abilities & likely results i n the actual test Coaching College

Sunday, 3 August 2014

Registration closes on Sunday, 27 July 2014 Book now by calling 9415 1860 or download the application form at www.north-shore.com.au

unn1n the distance

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

Syclney's Blacktown

Spores Park hosted the annual Sri Chinmov 12 and 24 -

Hour Race on June 14 and 15 and no, it is not a car rally, it is a nmning race

Held around a 400 -metre athletics track, tbe u ltra-runners in the ma in event sta rt at 10am on a Saturday and finish on 10am on Sund ay

Wid1 competitors facing exhau stion, bad weather, blisters, no prize money and considerable financial and rime commitments just to participate, you might weU ask: why would someone do this?

WeU , it is ail done in the name of 'self- transcendence,' a term Indian running guru and race founder Sri Chinmoy used to describe going beyond ones present capacities.

Runners are encouraged to set goals and compete with themselves. To try hard and dig deep The distances competitors cover and d1e personal goals they set, forces them to overco m e hurdles like doubt and discom fort, and at the end o f the evenL they come our having achieved something momentous.

Spokesman for the Sri Chinrnoy Marathon Team (SCMT), the voluntee r group which conducts d1e Sydney 24- Hour event, Prachar Stegemann said , "\Vhen we challenge and improve o urselves, the world around us improves wi d1 us. Each step the runn ers take, if it is done in the right spirit, can add to the idea that each one of us can contribute to a better place".

The SCMT is one of the largest conducrors of fimess events in the world. Run entirely by volunteers, it was founded by Sri Chinmoy to promote nmning to die public. As a runner himse lf, he encouraged people from all ages and background s to wo r k o n thei.r fitness to maintain a balance bet:\veen their inner a nd o uter life.

"The inner life and the outer life muse go together," he stated "The bod y is like a temp le and di e sou l or inner reality is like the shrin e inside the body- temple. If d1e temple does not have a shrin e, then we cannot apprecia te the temple. Again, if we do not keep

the temple in good condition, then how can we take proper care of the sh1·ine?"

The Sydney 24- Hour, like all SCMT event s, asks competitors to have a few moments' silence before the start gw1 co contemplate going deeper within and to pe r haps combine the activity of rnnning and meditation.

Th is yea r, every competitor got into d1e spirit of u·ying their best. Some competed for the first time, odiers attempted to remain cheerful despite injuries or difficulties, man y set personal bests and some re- wrote the record books.

Proving that age is no barrier, the open 24- Hour race was taken out by the sixty-one-year-old i ew Zealander Bryan McCorkingdale, running 223km in tbe aUotted 24 hours. He won a dose tussle from \Xiodonga athlete Kevin Muller (221km)

The female champion was Meredith Quinlan wh o ran 215 km but it was in the 12- Hour that some of the most impressive results came.

\.'\lest Australian psychologist Bernadette Benson ttaveUed the Jong distance to Sydney and came into the race w ith a mission to run fast and take home some re.cords. L1 a gritty and focused performance she covered a

remarkable 133 kilometres. Amongst many others, she now holds Open Au stralian 12-hour, 24-hour, 100mile, and 200 -km re.cords "Her speech at the awards ceremony was memorable," commented 24-Hour race director Marrin Fr yer.

"She brought all the runners into her victory, by expl aining how she had watched od1ers going through their o wn tough times and drawing on the strength an d courage they aU showed".

"Rtmners band toged1er to encourage each other;" mentions Bernadette on her blog. "Going past peop le, I'd get snippets of conversations where people were talking about their goals, their revised goals, and their chall enges, and getting support from others who, in fact, we te d1eir competition! What othe r kind of race is like th is?"

The event was certainly an inspiration to the many wellwishers, competitors and helpers who attended and it will all be

happening again in. 2015.

Runners at the start of the 24 -hour race

Bernadette Benson in the early morning

[A] Recommen ded driveaway pricing is applicable for Private, Bronze and Silver fleet customers, & primary producers on selected models purchased and delivered on or before 31 July 2014. Recommended driveaway price shown includes 12 months registration, 12 months compulsory th ird party insurance (CTP), a maximum dealer delivery charge and stamp duty. Excludes demonstrators. [B] Free accessory protection pack available on 2013 build Camry Petrol models only Pack contents include: carpet floor mats, bonnet protector, headlamp protectors, slimline weathershields and bootliner. Excludes Camry Hybrid and demonstrators. Vehicles must be purchased and delivered by 31st July 2014. Private, Bronze and Silver customers only.

Specialising in Primary and High School Tutoring

Speech pathology for kids in India

Flinders University students prepare for a volunteer trip to Himcha/ Pradesh

In September a group of ten srudents from Plinders Universic:y Bachelor of Speech Pathology program will be going co Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, on a volLmteer clinical p lacement for a period of three weeks.

Their will provide vo lllllteer speech pachology services and health education to children and cheir families living ,vich disability. Services will focus on improving the children's access to communication, using communication aids, educating carers and famil y, and enhanc ing social interaction skills.

Thescudents are in their 3rd and 4th years of the speech patho logy degree. The)' hope to give kids with speech disorders or delays, communication skills that wiU give them a voice they may not have at the moment. Their goal is to help teachers and care r s facilitate communication skiUs in the children. Services will be provided ac two centres for children with disability in Palampur, che Harmony Through Education Centre and the Rotary School for the Disabled.

This is the first time the volm1teer placement has been organised, and for the smdents, ic is che first time they are visiting India.

Adam Caruana, one of the students, is excited at the prospect of learning bow to work outside the conventional framework of speech pathology.

"I d o n't really know what to expect from India, though," he confessed, "oche r tban that it will be an assault on the senses!"

The group also plans to raise awareness in parents, famiJies, and the community about cLifferent ways to communicate, and also what speech pathology can do for children. This will give the kids greater access co their own fumre.

" W/e will also be encouraging good oral hygie ne and assisting the children in develop ing safe swallowing habits, to help prevent the development o f conditio n s

such as pneumonia tl1at are quite common for children with certain concLitions," Adam said.

Tl1e program requires participants to volunteer tl1eir time and cover all associated costs of the trip. 1n addition, smdents are required to anticipate, somce and develop any resources that may be required for speech patl1ology and educational purposes whilst in India Since there i s no speech therapist at the Centres, the students do not know what resomces are avaiJabl e there. They hope co use local resources or make aids with materials available.

Buc being there for only three weeks, ic is al l a challenge. There are bud get issues too

So tl1e students, off their own bats, have been seeking sponsorsbip to help enable them to deliver services to these children and famiJies in Pa lampu.r, inclndiug donations in. the following forms:

• Speech pathology resources

• General education resources, including books, educational coys and games

• Oral hygiene resources

• Healch resources , inclucLing awareness p oste r s

• Stationary, both to donate to the children and for the purpose of creating resources for th e children prior to departure

• l'v[o necary donations, to purchase any of th e above items/materials either in Australia or in IucLia, with an y remaining funds ro be donated to the centres

They have also negotiated with the airlines for allocation of extra luggage for the purpose of t ransporting resources. They are organising fundraise rs and trying to contact people and organisations for donations in cluding for che ir Book Drive

Adam says, "As we will only be in IncLia for chree weeks, it w:iU be unrealistic for us t o deliver intens ive speech and language inter vemion and expect dramatic improvemencin children's skills in such a smaU period of time. Instead, our aim is to prov ide the children with greater access to cotumuoicatiou - through verbal means, vis ual / picn1re boards, gestures,

''The students also plan to raise awareness in parents, families, and the community about different ways to communicate, and also what speech pathology can do for children

This will give the kids greater access to their own future

simple signs - any metl1od that helps eacl1 child to get their intentions across and be 'hea rd ' b y those around them".

Why books?

"Boo ks can play an extremely important role iu communication developmenc. They can be interactive and enjoyable for children , and help them to develop skills such as joint attention and n1rn taking that do not always come nanual ly. Books provide exposure to rich language, bur the reader can also choose to adapt sto ries based on the pictures if the language is too comp lex Lastly, cl1iJdren can learn important social skills th rough the stories that are read to them".

The IncLian Community RacLio in Adelaide is helping the group with the Book Drive, assisting them in collecting booksespeciaUy Indian books which che children and the ir families can relate to. It does not really matter which language the books are in, but books in HincLi would be an added advantage.

The smdent5 a lso hope to make contacts in India who may be

''Our aim is to provide the children with greater access to communication - through verbal means, visual/ picture boards, gestures, simple signs - any method that helps each chi ld to get their intentions across

able co purchase resources in the bigger cities and send to Palampur.

''So, as they set off on their big lndi an adventure, combining study with volunteer work and us ing tl1e skil.Is they have learned so far for the greater good, and we wonder what their expectations are, whether chere are any fears.

There seems co be a bit of trepidation since no one has done tl1is p lacement before and so t!1ey don't have any existing guidelines to go by. However, they are all quite excited (even witb the fact that they might only be eating daf and mti for 3 weeks!) and are sure i t wiJl b e a life-changing experience.

They will probably learn co improve their own communication skills, build up their awareness of Indian culture and will no doubt have a great time coo. Jndian Li"k w ishes them luck!

Ifyou have books or otber 1·esources to donate, callAdn.111 Cllr1Jn11a 011 0430 923 856 or email him at caru0043@ffoulers.edu.au

Volunteer Adam Caruana is collecting children's books to help with his work in India

A visionary philosophy

Sydney charity Vision 2020 is committed to transparency in its fund raising for the less fortunate

+

~T~U)f !AAtlm Of MOOAI.!.~ Rmaom C\\i\.ll!\Eij MALLI IYER

2020

BY

Syclneysiders have never shied away from lending a helping hand, be it for natural disasters, unforeseen emergencies or when people in distress do not kno,.,, who to tutn to for help. They have reached deep into their pockets and have lent a shoul der whenever they arc called upon to do so.

Foremost among the man)' notfor-profit organisatio n s is Vision 2020, which has an env iable track record. They have organised two charity fondraising events each )'Car since 2007, one an outdoor event, the other an indoor event usually held close to Diwali The organisers have successfully raised well over $130,000 to support over a d ozen projects in South Asia and East Africa.

A small group of committed people initiated Visi on 2020 on the eve of Maham1a Gandhi's birthday in 2002, and reso lved to make a difference to the lives of the Jess formnate in the developing world In the process they found ru1 additional dimension to the ir own lives by raising and funding projects that are a wortl, y cause. All projects funded by them so far have been iclen tilied and suggested by their members and friends. Their team bas carefully scrutinised every project and seen to it chat the funds are used as projected.

In a recent interview with founding member and, until recently, me Presidem of the organ isation, iVlr S. agarajan, he said the voluntary body aimed to have. membership open to anyone

who wants co sponsor or make a contribu tion to die betrermem of the community.

The Vis ion 2020 ream choose to m ake their activities complete])' transparent with me objective of ensuring 100 per cent of the charily proceeds go to the projects cbey sponsor Their treasurer explained the prohibitive administrative costs of so m e high profile organis ations were d isappointing members.

Vision 2020 is registered witl1 the Department of G -aming and R acing as an approved charity for fundraising. To ensw·e that they comply with all me reqniremems of a vo lu ntary body, they have appointed an ind ependent auditor who certifies the accounts and works on a voluntary basis like all other members of the team.

The o rganisation is also committed to ensu.ring that all its activicies are free &om any form of discrimination It is free to transcend geographical boundaries Projects chosen for sponso rship are for those definitely in need of help, and the recip ients must be willing co hel p with eva.luacion of how

they use the funds until project completion.

lt goes without saying that tl,e a cti vities of Vis ion 2020 have gained momentum in che community as tl1ey have an 'open door' policy to new participants, and t hey welcome suggestions from members as long as d1e)' fall in line wi d, the unwritten charter of helpi ng the needy.

Charity work is priniarily based on reason not emotion.

Since Indian origin peop le are the dominant group runong the members, i t is namral that most of the pro jects funded by Vision 2020 are based in India, almough they have also supported die Sahara Children'.s home in Nepal and have extended their assistance to Somalian D isaster Relief wim a contribution of $7200 through the UNHCR Somalia Relief Appeal.

Among the causes that V ision 2020 bas supported are aged care homes, o rphanages and instirucions for the destitute They have also ensured good health care is provided for chil dren with muscular dystrophy and children witl1 cerebral palsy, autism, brain damage or

och er mental impairments. It was a policy decision made by Vis io n 2020 to fund one-off infrastructure projects where the organisation could see tangible results and monitor the quality of the project outcome.

Wheelc hairs, elecu:iciry generators, disabled- friendly veh icles, building ramps, toilet blocks, cl ass rooms, and hostel buildings are some examples of solid, sustainable projects tliat t hey have funded so far.

lt is unsurprising tbat their most recent endeavour was a sterling effort; a "Vis io n Vhlk" in May at Parramatra P ark aimed ro raise $16,000 cowards construction of an eye care vision centre to be underta ken by Nav Bharat Jagriti Ke ndra in Chouparan Block in rural Bihar (details avail able at www.nbjk org).

There were abour l 70 entliusiastic participan ts and judging by the response, it was another featl1e r in the cap of Vision 2020 whose members and supporters have been involved in charity work for some years now.

Visio n 2020 have also created a new opening for people with

a charitable slant. They have introduced a 'Gift Voucher Scheme' whereby willing donors are ab le to buy the vouchers in various denominations from $10 to $ 100. There are several social invitations that specifically suggest charitable donations ro substitute gifts at weddi ngs, anniversaries, birmdays and other spec ial events.

Given the great wor k of V ision 2020, tl1is would seem co be a m ost appropriate alternativ e.

For details v.i sic their webs ite: www vision2020 org.au.

1\\:

Austral.

·-SUPPOrted by Australian Indians.

Vision 2020 donated $15000 to Guru Vishram Vriddh Ashram, New Delhi, in 2011

A picture of perfection

It's an enchanting debut performance at Bharathi Sriram's arrangetram

and presentation, whil e strictly adhering to the traditional format, c learly hallmarks of a mature artiste.

•

BY \ USHAR. .~ ARVIND ...:~

Imroducing her niece and shis&J,a Bbarathi Sriram, Guru Hamsa Venkat noted that, like the graceful

waves in the ocean, when the cmgam (physical self) ascends the ara11ga111 (stage) , every danseuse seeks to attain antara11ga111 (inner self).

Dem onstrating maturity, prowess and devotio n , Bharathi's ,11rcmgetrm11 (debut) at Gillian lvloore Auditorium marked a new pinnacle in her artistic journey, experiencing its many nuances in the pro cess.

"The journey has been phys ically and mentall y exhil arating and I encourage my peers to tmdertake it," she said.

" The bard work, commitment and passion cannot be encompassed in a better way than to perform in front o f a sea of audience

\Vhose eyes are focussed on you Leading up to the performance, I co Ltld not even d i fferentiate m y nervo u sness from excitement be.cause 1 was looking forward co it with so much joy and pleasure".

" Knowing that I was able. to dance a three - hour repertoire again and again without getting exhausted in the pre.ceding weeks, had just made me realise. how far l bad come from day one of m y lesson w ith my Guru when I was panting just after the Aila,ipul" she added.

Rather than mere ly showcasing technical maste r y, the subcle production focussed as much on thematic content as de livery

Bharathi looked a picture of perfection with her tasteful makeup and costume selection. The experience both for the artiste and her audience therefore was pure bliss

Saptha: The Po111er of Seven was the unifying the m e for the evening and Bharathi de.lved into all aspects of this ausp icious Hindu concept, laden wicl1 complex symbolism - from the seven colours of the rainbow; seven notes of m u sic , seven sacred matrimonial steps around cl1e fire, to the metaph ysical concepts of rebirth, selfrealisation and yogic power.

Exploring hmdalini and seve n chakms, or energy bubs, Bharathi's innovative. rendering of the Alaripp11 (the auspiciou s opening of every arra11getra1J1) set the tone for the evening. What followed was the visua l splendour of the jathis1JJam111 in raagam Ra1ga1rimaala with mus ic for the piece especially composed b y Sydney mus icologist Mohan Ayyar.

Bharathi chose to represent the vibrant colours of the rainbow through portrayal of Lord Indra's dh,11111sh, interspersing energetic movem ents with sculpturesque posnues.

The smry of Rama , th e seventh avatai·of Lord Vishnu, formed the centrepiece (vanwm) of the evening's performance as Bharathi lovingly portrayed the various moods of the powerful epic through the classi c Bhaai/C!)'ami Raghutvma,11. This demanding piece clearly showed off her technical master y, effectivelr rep rod ucing a range of

em otions from arrogance of Ravana to Rama's humili ty, cl1e vile machinati ons of Ktmi to the utter humiliation of Soorpanakba, and the despondenc y of Sita's captivity to the boundless energy of Hanuman. Particularly captivating was the s111c91a11,vm'tl scene, evenmaJly reaching crescendo with pattabhi.shek.11111. The accompanying music prov ided the perfect backdrop. Sydney audiences have come ro expect nothing bur d1e best from Samskciti School of Dance. and the artistes delivered yet again o n high expectations Krishna Ramarathinam, debutante Devika Krishnamurthy and Hamsa Venkat transported the audience to the re al m of surreal with their vo cal renditions, as Balaji Jaganathan (vio lin) , i\fohan Ayyar (syncl1esiser) and PaUav arajan Nagen dran (mrudangam) provided expert instrumental support. Equally flawless was Bharnthi 's behind - the -scenes support team, with sound and lighting effects adding depth and dimens ion to the performance.

The saptha tha11da11t1111, a dedication to Nataraja, the

Bair Loss Control &

undispured God of dance, demonstrated energetic movements contra5ted by statuesque poses.

If Ananda KQothandina was an explosion of creative ene rgy, the Sapthapadi allowed Bbarathi co di.splay her emotive repertoire cliro ugh an elaborate delineation of love - from longing of the maiden to promise of holy matrimony

1n a special dedication to her paternal grandfather RM Sundaran1, Bharathi exp lored the seven notes of music through a colourful portrayal o f the sto ry of Vel Murugan and his conquest of Surapadrna1L

As always, robust footwork

and v ibrant energy marked the thil!t11w, the concluding piece of an am11getra111, with Bharatbi effo r dessly exploring the complex themes of saptba janma (Hindu cycle of birth and death), a:anscend ing phrsical and evenrualJy becomi ng one with d,e Suprem e Being.

Finding inner bliss or antamnga111 die capable danseuse paid ber obeisance (llla11gala1J1) ro her lvlata. Pitha, G11r11, Deiva111 through the i\ifarathi hymn Omkr11v S!/Jampa Tuza Na,110 As the. curtains can1e down one last time on a me.morable per formance, the audience clearl y we n t home exhilarated and uplifted b y this exper ience of a11taranga111.

All dolled up and ready to canter

Indian artist Ajay Sharma rides his majestic steed into Sydney's art scene

The horse has interesting symbolism m art. Ir is a symbol of energy, of a drivi n g force that carries you through life. Ir also represents freedom of expression, especially as the instinctive wi ld and tamed aspeccs of personality are baLwced. As such, the horse is a petlect medi um for Indian artist Ajay Sharma's work.

In a recent Sydney exhib ition The Speed of Life, he uses a series of horses to lament the loss of traclitions and family v alues, and an increasing dis connect with namre, as a result o f modernisation and globalisation.

In Fa111i!y, we see a brilliant blue horse ar a gallop, with a giant Rajasthani w11brella in the backgrow1d. There are intricate patterns painted in gold on the horse, but look closel y and yo u' ll

find the front half subtly different from the back half. Th e back of the horse is embellished in great detail, whereas even the go ld seems a bit dull on the front o f the horse.

" The back half represeucs tradition, and tl1e front half, modernity," Sharma explained to J11dia11 Lit1k. "The horse stands for today's youth in India They have strong roots in tradition but want to gallop ahead with the new ways o f tbe world. Notice the hooves in tbe &onr are differently coloured coo".

And ilie umbrella?

" Thar's the shelter iliac the family will always provide".

Ajay Sha r ma, India's leading miniamrist, was in Sydney recently, invited b y the Sydneybased AirSpace Projects, to present an exhibition and a workshop o n 1:n.iniarure painting

The exhib ition was held at MarrickviUe and opened by Rosana Tyle r, Depmy Mayor of Marrickville and Pawan Lutl1ra, CEO of Indian Link.

1vfost Indian h o mes have some samples of Indian miniature art

on their walls, even here in Australia, whether of 1\foghal life or of ilie eternal lovers Radha and Kri shna. Ajay Sharma's work is a modern take on a centuries-o ld tradition.

India 's miniature art originated hundreds of year s ago and evol-ved tbroug h Persian, Islamic, Mughal, Rajput, even British, inAuences. Today it has survived to tel1 its own tale as an amalgam of alJ of these inAuences. Yet, as Sharma has proved, it can still be an independent and innovative art form mar can be used to cast a contemporary look on life.

.Ln a career spanning some 40 ye ars, Ajay has devoted himself to conserving and perpemating mis age-old practice. He heads a stu dio of artists and students in Jaipur, India, launched in 1984, where all aspects of the arr form, including compos ition, drawing, conser vation, copy work, and tl1e research and preparation of pigments, are practiced.

During his Sydney visit, Sharma shared some fascinating stories

about his art, such as the process in which he creates the 111asli paper on which the works are made. He also d escribed how, in ilie eady days, he made hls own paimbrushes by physicalJy ouching the squirrels co extract ilie fine hair from tl1eir tails, and how he creates his particular b lend of smoky b lack, b y us in g soot. All otl1er colours and materials are a lso produced in tl1e traditional way, using locally so urced supplies.

Sharma has been instrumental in taking me Rajasthani style of miniature a.rt to some of me world's leading art instirutions, in the form of botl1 exhibitions and workshops.

l\,fany non -ludian artists have now taken up me art form. These include Scottish artist Olivia Fraser, who collaborates with Sharma on a regular basis.

There's an interesting story here:

Olivia Fraser's ancestor James Fraser worked on many Indian miniatllres himself in tl1e early 1800s. Tbey lay forgotten, in a trunk somewhere in Scotland, till 1979 when tl1e facnily discovered them. Today as the 'Frase r Album', they are considered a valuab le collection of Indian a.rt char depict Life in ilie Mughal era.

Ajay Sharma's own work is a

comment on contemporary India: the psychosocial implications of rampant and unsustainable modernisation in a society that is grappling witl1 the notion of tradition versus modernisation.

Ajay Sharma with AirSpace Projects' Sally Clarke and Brenda Factor, Indian Link CEO Pawan Luthra, and Marrickville Deputy Mayor Rosana Tyler

Juggernaut marvel: Devotees throng temple chariots during the nine- day chariot festival of Rath Yat ra in Puri, on July 8 , 2014. The three idols ofHindu god Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra are taken out in a grand procession in specially made chariots pulled by thousands of devotees during the festival.

Tech , commerce to power Indian Ra ilways in future

Bullec trains are sec to become a reality in L1clia with the first service between Mumbai and Ahmedabad as Prime :Minister Narendra Modi's gove rnment soughc co run Indian Railways - one of che world's largest - like a " commercial enter prise buc serve like a wel fare o rganisation".

ln the Railway Budge t presented to parliament o n 8 July, Railway ~1inister D.V Sadananda Gowda unvei.l ed man y new measu.res to make Indian Rail\vays, whicb runs about 20,000 trains and ferries 23 million passengers daily, a modern, efficienc and commercially viable utilicy.

He presented proposals, subject to parliamentary approval, for in troduction of 58 new trains, paperless office in five years, d.igita.l reservatio n charts, wi-fi in select stations and trains, wake -u p call for passengers, separace fre igh t terminals, office- on- w heels for b u siness travellers, more money for cleanliness and safety, food c our cs at stations, eirpansion of rail tourism and better c o nn ectivity in

hilly areas and north-eastern states.

He also promised a ruamond quadril at eral project o f high - speed rail connectivity between rhe four metros.

He said some id.emilied statio ns will be developed Like modern airports.

Hav ing already hiked passenger fares by 14.2 percent and the freight carriage charges by 6.5 percenc, which is expected to fetch addition al revenu e of R s.8,000 crore, Gowda focused on ways ro earn from ocher sources, such as allowing foreign equity in areas e.xcl uding operations, as also publicprivate parr.nerships.

Details, he s aid , woul d be worked out.

Rs.500 ,000 crore ($83 b illion) will be required ove r rhe next 10 years to f Lmd the modemisation p la ns of the network, as against the actual spend of Rs.18,400 crore in the past 10 years, but noted char freight and passenger fare bi.kes alone could n o r fetch such large r equirements.

Gowda also mad e i t c leat rhar commercial viab ilicy cannot be sidestepped

"An organisation of chis magnitude vested wi th varied responsibilities, is expected to

earn like a commercial enterprise but serve Like a welfare organisation. These two objec tives ate like the lwo rail s o f rhe railway track, which travel together but never meet," he sai d in his hourlong speech

Prime Minister Modi was quick to react.

" The Rai lway Budget keeps in mind the develop ment of India. We can see rhe great use of technology also," he tweeted, adding: "This budget stre ngthens instimtional mechani sm. Ir focuses on tra nsparency and integrity"

India Inc. larg ely welcomed the budget, s a ying it i s reform oriemed and o pens up vas t opport:1.mi ties for the p u blicprivate partnership in a whole gamut of areas, including cleanliness, upkeep of ma jor stations like the airports, and IT infrastructu.re. The industry b odies also lauded the governme nt's promise of encouraging domestic as well as foreign investment in rhe sector.

f-lmvever, the stock markets reacted negatively with benchmark Sensex p lunging by nearly two percent. Railway-related

stocks tumbled o n lower than e.xpecred increase in plan outl,'ll~ Texmaco Rail & E ngineering slumped by 20 percent. wfost o ther scrips fell at least five per.cent.

Gowda pegged the total p lanned outlay fo r fiscal 2014- 1 5 at R s 65,445 crore, wh ich i s just 1.8 percent higher than Rs.64,305 crore announced by his predecessor in the interim b u dger pr esented in February.

Ranked among the world's top five, the Indian railroad network ferries 23 million. peop le and 2 65 million ton n es of goods daily, or 1.1 billion ton n es annuall)', from 7,172 stations on 12,617 passen ger and 7,421 freight era.ins over m ore than 64,000 route km.

With a netwo rk stretching from Baramulla in Janunu and Kashmir in the foothills of t be 1-iirnalayas to the southern tip of Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, tl1e Lidian Railwa ys is also among the largest employers wirh ao estimated 1.4 million people on i ts rolls.

S h ifting m finances, Gowda pegged the total receipts at Rs.1 64,374 crore and tl1e total expenditure at R s.1,49,176 crore while

ex pecting a 4 9 percent gro,vtb in freight and a small growth in passenge r traffi c mis fiscal. He p rojected an operating ratio, or di e a mou n t spent to earn o n e rupee, at 92 5 paise - o n e paisa more d1an i n 2013- 14.

"The fodian Railways will impr ove sys t em capabilities in e- ticketing ro support 7,200 tickets p e r minute as against 2,000 tickets and all ow 120,000 simultaneous u sers at any po in t," die ministe r said, adding th at coin-operated vending machines will also be launch ed

As regards d1e high-speed pro jects, the minister said Indian Railways would require more than R s 900,000 crore ($150 billion) to complete the golden q mtdrilateral network and abou t Rs.60,000 crore ($100 billion ) for introducing one b ullet train alone.

" It is the wish and dream o f every Indian d1at lndia runs a b ullet train as ea rl y as possible M adam Sp eaker, India n Railways is on its way to fulfil that l o ng cherished d.rean1. We propose bullet trains by starting o ff with an. afready ide n tified MumbaiAhmeda bad sector, where a number o f srudies have b een done," Gowda said.

Modi, in his election speeches, had ta lked about introducing bullet trains, after seeing d1em run in Japan a nd Chi na, if h e came to power.

The fuse dedicated bullet ttain project will be launched on th e Murnbai -Ahrned abad route for which many feasibility sn1dies have conducted. He added that od1er proposed ro u tes for th e n ew bullet train servic es inc lu d e Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Chandigarh, Mysore- BangaloreC h ennai, Mum bai-Go a and HyderabadSecu n derabad.

Gowda also listed four new ways t0 m c,bilise tesomces foreign equiLy, m o re public- private partne rships, commercial fnnds augmeatation by staterun railway firms and extending t ax h olidays for long gestatio n projects

W ith a poor crack record o n safe ty, the railway budget also proposed a m ulti-pro nged ap proach co make train journey safe, secure and comfortable for passenge rs, with more thrust on passenger amenities, cleanliness and effici ent statio n management.

ln a report presented in 201 2, an ofhcial commi ttee c ha ired by noted scientist i\ nil Kakodkar had p ut the number of railrelated deaths at 15,000 p eopl e p e r annum. "No civilized soc ie ty can accept such a massacre on their r a il way system," the report said.

Where is ' Breaking News' ? Modi government tightens grip on information

Among d1e sub tl e changes associated widi Primdvfinister Narendra Modi's government are those dealing with the m edia. Nowhere has it affected a n ewshungry media'.s working mo re than in die way news sources from t he governm ent have completely dried up and resulted in shri n ki ng of the culture of inte rmittent Breaking ews on televis ion.

Earlie r, during the UPA governme n t, Breaking l ews u sed to be the daily stapl e of news television chat u sed to rnrive in 'breaki n g' news from and a b out die government all through the day, some accurate, some not so accurate - and mostl y sensational.

But d1at is history. \'{Tim ministers and top officials b eing evide n tly instructed by the all- powerful Prime i'vfinister's Office (PMO) tO clamp up a nd not engage o r en tertain die media unnecessarily, it has result ed in a virn1al n ews d1·ought for 24x7 m edia, particularly television and soci al m edia diat in a sense used tO di rive on it and derive t he ir revenue -ge n erating eyeballs.

There have been innnm herab le in stances during the pre vio u s U PA governmen t • esp ecially in its dying years - w hen information had "Leaked" from official m eetings like those of the cabinet - chaired by n o ne o d1er ma n the prim e mini ster - a nd made it straight to d1e " Breaking E ews" on TV channe ls

Even differences am ong ministers duri ng cabinet meetings chaired by m en prime minister l\fanmohao Sin gh had many a times become ' 'breaking news" w ithin hours.

But d1i s is not happening anymore, at least for n ow

W idi Modi focusing on building an "ac countable" system mar will curb the culture of sensational journalism , orde rs have been g iven to give d1e media onl y one ver sio n - d1e official one, sources in d1e know cold !:ANS

Eve n dioug h it is too early to comment on a Li erle over a o ne - m o nm o ld BJP government's working style, die rel uctance

amongst its ministers to talk to me media i s seen by many members o f the fourdi estate as a " m edia g ag".

But officials dismiss di.is notion, althoug h no one is willing co come on record.

"W hat has changed in d1is n ew governme n t is that everyone, including t h e secretaries, are accountable to dieir seniors. So u nlike previous government where m any sec retaries would leak out information to the news channels, this governm en t believes more in officially communicating with the m edia," one source to ld IANS.

"A cl ear message has also been g iven. d1at one can he p uUed up if somer11ing appears on televis io n or in d1e p rim media which has not b een ofhcially communicated.

"A.lso, officials have been cold that d1ey are n ow answerable to me prime minister because d1e barriers between him and o d1er offici als have been reduced," one official, w h o strictly did not wa nt to be id entified, sai d.

The reference was to the m eeting b erween Modi and the 77 secretary-leve l bu re aucrats on June 5. T he official line about d1e m eeting was that Modi had asked d1e sec retaries to make me government "peop le frie ndly"

"It is felt drnt d1is breaking news culture syndrom e is extremel y h ar mful and can lead to m isleading information This government wants to make sure that n odling o f tllis so.rt h appen s," another source mid IJ\NS, while seekin g assurance tha t h e was not ide ntified.

"Iu d1e absence of a ny acco untability, m edia ch anne ls h ad man y intern al sources and mere was a kind of a fight to break die n ews first," said the so urc e, who is familiar wid1 official commu1lications.

"There is no doubt this gove rnment i s to taJ.ly different fro m me previous o n e in dlis r egard and rllis fact is n ot going d own well wi th the rnecLia:' me source said.

Adding to the media woes is the fact mat the nlioisters are r eluc tan t co tal k t0 reporters. Many ministe rs have privatel y to ld journali sts they kn ew as oppositio n leaders that they have been " instructed" to keep quiet and not give unnecessary bytes or inte rviews, without "clearance fro m the top".

O n e se ni or journali st, w h o tried to get a wri tten answers from External Affairs Minister Sus hm a Swaraj was, after th ree weeks, cold by her aide "to forger die interview fo r die cin1e being as it is not going to happen " He did not el aborate.

The soutces said one reason could be tliat these ministers - most o f them are handling a m in istry for the first time - are rakin g rneir time co settle in and understand issues b efore t hey talk about them.

"This ti m e aro und 70 -80 percent minis ter s are n ew. They are taking tim e ro understand the issues and what thei r IO0-day's plan will be They d o n't wane tb get into any Lt011ecessary controversy," anodier official added.

"So, till d1en, w ha tever tbey have co communicate is being o ffi cially done e ither d1rough the PIB (Press I nformation Bureau) or T witter This i s also ano r11er reason for less bre aking news a s everyon e is getting tl1e news at me sam e time," h e c o ncl uded.

India successfully tests BrahMos supersonic cruise missile

lndia successfully test- fired me BrahMos superso1lic cruise missile from a d efence

base in Odisha o n 8 July It bas a range o f 290 km and can carry a conventional warhead of up to 300 kg

The missile was launched from d1e Integrated Test Ran ge in Chandipur in Balasore distric t in Orissa

"The test was successful lt was a land version o f BrahMos. It was done with a torn.I indigenou s airfram e," 1VLVK.V: Prasad, clirector of die test range, told JANS

The n.lissi.le, developed by the lnd o - R uss ian jointvenmre Brahl\fos Aerospace, has a to p speed of Mach 2 8, which is about three ti m es faster tl1an me US subsonic Tomahawk cruise mis sile. Thi s makes Brahl\fos o ne of the fastest crui se miss iles in d1e world The nlissile can be lmmc h ed from submarines, s hip s and aircraft. Sea and grou nd lau nched ver sions o f the missile have been successfull y tested and put in to service widi d 1e army and d1e navy.

Indian- American doctors organi se free medical check- up

T h e American Association o f Physician s of India n Origin (AAPI, one o f the largest eth1lic orga1lisations in die US representing some 100,000 Indian -American doctors, organised its annual comm uni ty health fair in San Amonio, T exas, at die conclusion of its 32nd annual c o nvention d1er e

Hundreds of home less people lined up Sunday morning to avail themsel ves of a unique o pportu1li ty for free medical clieck up offered by MecLi cal Missions and Community Service Committee of AAPI at their doo r steps, according to an AA PI release.

T he fair was in keep ing with AAPI's ttacLitio n of offering free medical se rvices to the lo cal population of d1e city where die annual convention is held.

The health fair organised at "Haven for Hope," a homeless sh elter in San. AntoLlio D own town , "offered vital signs measurement, b lood tests for total cholesrrol , HDL, sugar and n oninvasive haemoglob in an d co n sultati o n wid1 primary care and va rious availabl e specialists"

These included imernists, paediatricians, pulmo n ologists, aroJogi scs, obstetrician s and gynaeco logists, a n aestliesiologisrs and padiologists, according tO Dr N i tin Sh ah, a n A,\ PI leade r and organiser of die clinic.

"O n ce agai n, these AA.Pl members have shown d1ei.r dedicatio n by conducting the free commrnlicy health fair, so well o rganized by the host city of San Antonio," said Dr. Ravi Jahagirdar, Pres ident of AAP I.

The AAPI delegates prov ided diese ser v ic es free of cost helping our at every level of die cl inic.

" Ttwas a pric eless experience to serve t h ese many real needy people jn a short period of tin1e with li.nlired resources and manpower," said Dr. Nick Shroff, chairman of AAPI's charitable fow1datio n.

IANS

The Univers ity of Adelaide's architecture stud ents have beaten the Feds tO the punch. The New Colombo Plan (NCP) \Vas ro ll ed our by the Federal Government in 2014 Its objective is to "lift knowledge of the IndoPacific in Australia and strengthen people-to- peop le and institutional relations". India was not even to be considered until th e wider rollout in 2015. lnterestingly, the University of Adelaide's School of Archite cture

decided to ta ke che matter into their own hands by setting our an India project. Their ' India Studio: Collaboration in Design' m iss ion ,vas designed with ove rall aim s remarkably in line with those of the NCP bur with a narrower focus, and incl uded a visit by their architecmre students to India.

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

The groups were led by Dr Am.it Srivastava, lecturer in tl1e School o f Arc h itecture. The India Studio project was developed in collaboration with Professor Rajat Ray of the Su sham Schoo l of Architecmre in Delh i The

s tu dents a lso had the o ppornmity to visit Agra, Ahmedabad and Chandigarh.

The observations of the Adelaide students provide an interesting wind ow into the Lives of their peers in India, and Indian architecture in general. Smdeors with bo m1dJess energy need to be kept occupied, so o n e of the aims of the India Studio in D elhi was to work alo n gside local architecture s tudents on a design project based in De lhi The idea here was to come up with designs fo r tl1e redevelopment of an o ld textile mill site in North Delhi

This stroke of genius led to s tu dents getting to learn more abouc each otl1er

Adelaide smdent Jesse recalled, "S tudents atSushant were enthusiastic and pass ionately

opinion ated. rt was eye-opening to see the way in which the)' interacted during scndio sessions, wi th great endrnsiasm and sometimes btutal honesty"

The visit to C h andigarh was one o f the h ighlights of the Indian trip As i s well known, this northern city was created as part of first Prime i'Vuo.ister J awaharlaJ Nehru's grand vision for a m odern lndia. Ir was a massive project especially for its time a nd came to symbolise hope for d1e future a rchitectural landscape of India.

Adelaide students Lana and M a rguerite saw Le Corbus ier's Chandigarh as an exampl e of a large- scale project created b y the masters that exempliEes modern.iscic tendencies withouc disengaging from the human scale.

Daniel's reAection was somewhat different. "While plaruiing a city ca n be i ncredibl y important for tl1e 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 culmtall)' rich elements we saw in the ocher Indian cities, were no t present in Chandigarh".

H e added, " The most beautiful part of C h andigarh w a s the Rock Garden, where Indi-an culnu:e, materials and a r tistry was on d ispl ay"

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

It was not all work a nd no p lay. Any excuse wiJJ do to explore the Jantar Man.tar in Delhi. The

Adelaide architecture students take a study tour to India and Nepal

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 t heir experienc es in Nepal. Ash leigh mentioned that she ·'didn't

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 di e two groups went on five-day organised treks accompanied b y guides. The s tudems also visited the histo ric city of Bhaktipur which d1ey fo tmd guite fascinating. They noted the Roman -like inAuence in die construction tluough die wide use of bricks even on d1e roads.

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 d1e most important benefit here, is

The Nepal trip was b rought co a close widi a flourish, b y 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 maimain 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.

Get Better at Negotiations ! ! ! !

ART OF NEGOTIATIONS

A Professional 1-day Training Course for people who want to

Get favourable outcomes in any negotiationsbusiness or personal

Recognise different negotiation styles and adopt to the situation to get better results

Learn how to handle dead-lock situations in tough negotiations

This course covers principles of negotiation techniques with practice sessions to hone the skills using practical examples and case studies.

Course Details

Venue: Mercure Sydney Parramatta, 106, Hassall Street, Rose Hill, NSW 2142

Time: Sunday, 3 rd August 2014 from 8:30 AM -5:00 PM

Cost: $ 295 per person (Incl GST) (Lunch Provided)

For more info: Contact 0413 236 032 or visit : www.maargconsultancy.com.au

OPINION

Prevailing over saffron traditionalists

As PM, Narendra Modi has to date showed that his vision for India is a forward-thinking one, writes AMULYA GANGULI

The Hindut:va fundamentalists may be slo,vly realising tbat the Bharatiya Janata Party's victory is unlikel y to help their cause as much as they would have liked.

For inst,wce, any sense of elation which they felt when Naren dra Modi said during the election cam paign chat the Bangladeshi infi ltrators would h ave to pack their bags and leave on the day the results were ann ou nced, must have diss ipated b y now.

appears to keep a close tab on events far and near, is clearly aware t hat neither an egregious disp lay of cousenratism nor an uncalled - for trip at the tax- payers' expe n se will enhance its image of purposefnlness.

It is aware diat an economic program, which highlights me capitalis tic agenda represented by g littering malls and multiplexes, cannot be implem ented in an atmosphere where woruen have to be careful of not offending ulcra-ordiodox seutimems.

It isn 't only the good neighbourly relations which New Delhi wants to establish with Dhaka which muse

''Development is more than mere economic growth. It is not on ly

What these overtures emphasise is die primacy of development on Modi's agenda, calling for eschewing any possibility of tens ion in die South Asian region. Since th.is may not be feasible where China and Pakistan are concerned, New Dellii

a matter of roads and bridges - and bullet trains which seem to hold a special fascination for Modi - but also reducing all manner of controversies to the minimum since they may queer the pitch for investment

chauvinism and the Congress-led Maharashtra government's ban on bar girls in Mumbai. His view was tbac a city aspiring to be the financial capital of India cannot allow "parochial and jingoistic statements and misconceived intentions that belong to moral

policing"

This very point was stressed by former finance minister P. Chidambaram in rue con teirt of the Shiv Sena's Maracha have disheartened th e saffron camp b u t also the suggestion for v isa - free entry for Bangladeshis below the age of 13 and above 65 years, which has been opposed by Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi.

Despite the caution, the Chavan government is bent on banning dance bars co please d1e conservatives.

Bue by openly disapproving of such sections in die saffron ranks, Modi has shown an assertiveness which is not common among lndian politicians \Vho tend to cake the line of least resistance, is appacendy keen co establish benign ties at lease w ith Dhaka, ignoci.ng the earlier imputations b y rue Rashtri ya Swayan1sevek Sangh (RSS)-Jed Sangh Parivar that the illegal immi grants not only intended to tilt d1e demographic balance in India in favour of .Muslims but also act as "s leeper cells" associated wid1 terrorists.

What is evident from chis turn of events is diat development has aspects other d1an mere econ omic growth. It is not only a matter of roads and bridges - and bullet trains which seem to ho ld a special fascination for 1fodi - but also red ucing all manner of controvers ies co the minimum since they

especially where conservative sensibilities are concerned.

However, by sid elining some of the key preferences of the Hindutva camp on matters of religion such as the Ram temple, or o n d1e social scene such as women's dresses, the government has underlined its wish to follow a new course, which is markedly different from what used to characterise the BJP and di e RSS in the 1990s when tlie traditionalists held sway The primary objective now is on containing price rise and reviving the

economy.

''There is little doubt d1ar

may quee r the pitch for invesanent

The government's exhortations, therefore, to i cs supporters to be careful in

An economic program, which highlights the capitalistic agenda

tli e present scene will be disappointing for any group in the Sangh Parivar whicli believes that there will be a r eturn to the '90s, such as when Ashok Singhal of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said that only Jvfodi can save India from "total d1eir comments on the social scene are in sync with its desire for a b u siness-friendly

represented by glittering malls and multiplexes, cannot be implemented in environment. An y him of an atmosphere where misogyny, or an attempt women have to be atwhac has been called a careful of not offending psycho -analytic explana tion ultra-orthodox for crimes against wom en, are to be avoided.

I slamisation".

sentiments

Hence the speed wi th which a Goa minister retracted his clisapproval

''of e,.._tracting user charges from the public are criticised by his political opponents

Modi can be said, therefore, to have prevailed against d1e traditionalists His trtmip card is eco nomic revival. If the growth rates go up and the re is hope that the emplo yment si tu ati on will improve, his acceptability will be even wider than at present even if his "bitter medicines" in the shape of women wearing sho r t dresses in pubs or b ikinis on the beach A few days earlier, in die sam e state , a proposal to send a team of legislators co Brazil ostensibly co learn abou t the handling of W'odd Cup matches was nipped i n tbe bud.

The keen-eyed Modi government, which

Bue outside d1e field of economics, 1'1odi's main achievement may well be the taming of the saffron extre rnists.

Greenway brings a healthy lifestyle to your doorstep

At Greenway we want you to get the most out of your life. That means spending less time in the car and more time in your new home with your family and friends. Not only do you have the ease of access to get to the place you want to go, you have the best of daily living and the outdoors right at your doorstep.

Living at Greenway feels like you're away from it all. With 3.2 hectares of open space and surrounding regional parklands, Greenway is still so dose to all aspects of urban life

From the moment you walk out of your home, you are surrounded by h ealthy living options and the natural elements. Whether you are connecting to major arterial roads or public transport to get to work and play; looking to get outdoors for exercise; picking up some groceries, meeting friends for a coffee; playing in the park with the kids or decorating your new home: this is all part of Greenway Living.

At Greenway, so many lifestyle options are within walking distance of home. Getting in the car for a few minutes will take you far with direct access to places like Bunnings, IKEA, Costco, Blacktown, major roads like the M7 and public transport.

It's all the little things that make living at Greenway so special and the Village Green is where you' ll discover the best of the outdoors. It's the perfect place for you, your family and friends to get t ogether while your kids have fun in the great outdoors. The Village Green includes a BBQ area, kids playground, half basketball court and a huge kick about area for soccer, cricket or touch footy. These are joined by cycle ways, walking paths and a magnificent pedestrian bridge. The bridge is your link from home to the park to local retail shopping via a beautiful nature corridor.

Within Greenway's neighbourhood shopping centre you'll find everything from a supermarket to great coffee. It's a short, easy walk from your new home - or simply drop by on your way back from work.

We all have busy lives; Greenway is all about bringing the lifestyle to you; so you can spend more time with your family and friends.

Developers of Greenway, Legacy Property, aim to deliver high quality master-planned residential communities. Greenway offers residents a better way ofliving, within a beaut iful local setting that is connected to family, friends, local places and work.

Come and visit at the sales centre located at 799 Richmond Road, Marsden Park to chat about how you can make Greenway your home and your collllllunity.

For more information call 1800 11O227 or visit www.greenwayliving.com.au

Ar tist~ impression of Greenway~ future parklands (above} and neighbourhood shopping centre (below)

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:

/r1 , ~~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

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

AAMS REGISTRATION RENEWED FOR 5 YEARS WITH INCREASED CAPACITY

Meet

With the la unch of National Disability Insurance Scheme (DisabilityCare Australia) in Australia , many avenues have opened up for a successful career in Disability. AAMS is Pioneer CAICOS approve d RTO d elivering Diploma

to International students. Come and join us to make a career in disability.

10n or a cause

A selfless Sydney teen finds a unique way to raise funds for the Leukaemia Foundation

A14-year-old with a passion for fashion, planning and executing a flawless show to raise money for rhe Leukaemia Foundation, certainly grabs everyone's atten tion!

I felt fortunate co attend Pri Kumar's Charity Fashion show, held recend y at the Pennant Hills Community Centre, and make a smaU contribution to this noble cause. Ir was an event that was planned and executed with great precision

To wake up one day with what you think is a brilliant idea is not uncommon for a 14-yearold, but to actually see ir come to fruition invol ves effort, planning and sacrifice roo. That is exactly what Pri Kumar d id when she was struck with the idea of organis ing a charity fashion event.

Pei was attracted ro fash ion from a young age, and using her entrepreneurial skiUs she has even designed and published her own fashion magazine in the past. She managed to sell a few of these fo.r $5 each. This gave her even more conviction cl1ar she could put together a fashion event for a good cause and make it a success

After a good couple of moncl1s of research, planning and getting her team of models, makeup artist.~ and impressive performers rogeme r, Pri did indeed make the event as close ro a professio n al fashion show as she could.

Her excited teenage friends did a great job of walking the catwalk with style and attitude.

All d1e models were only between 13- 15 years of age bur as an audience you cou ld hardly tell! It was interesting ro see a mixmre of girls with va ried heights and cultural backgrounds, which only made the event richer.

Three rounds of themed outfits were on show an d they were c reatively put together to say rbe least! The clothes we re certainly born trendy and wearable, and had a great vibe. The last round showcased outfits by Studio Ten, a local boutique char selJs celebrity• inspired outfits ar an affordable pcice. Studio Ten were generous in sponsoring the last segrnenr and

the outfits were much appreciated. Some of d1e od1er sponsors did a great job mo, and Pri made i t a poim ro mank cl,em abundantly for their s u pport. She networked and roped in all the relevant people in a way mat is really commendabl e for a teenager. Pri was also extreme ly gratefol to her parents for cl1eir unconditional support an d expressed an emotional 'thank you' at the end of the event.

The show boasted all the elements of a professional event management production • rafAe prizes, designer goodies on sale, impromptu light- hearted stories and well-schedul ed performances

The event began on time and was well managed in terms of timing. The venue had been set up well, and decorated with lively picmtes mat to ld the stor)7 of bow the event came about. The turnout

was encouragi ng and Pci could easily take pride in cl1ar fact that she managed to raise a decent amount ro donate.

lr was good to see anomer teenage r who bas done herse lf pro u d wicl, fundraising, come and narrate her story and spread awareness about leLikaemia. It was easy ro reU tl1ar Pri bad the

backing of nor just her famil y and friends but also her teachers, acquaintances and all assoc iated with her mrough chis journey

The willingness this young generarion showed, to do something for tbe underprivileged and less fortunate people of society, was inspiring.

Healthy eating on a budget

Contrary to popular belief, healthy foods are not always expensive

If you have a famiJy to feed, balancing your monthly grocery bud get can sometimes be a challenge. W ith the price of food soaring and healthy foods seeming to be even more expensive, it can be a month ly str uggle to eat balanced meals w ithin the means. Bur sometimes careful p lanning does help you to save money. Here are some tips.

Plan your g rocery list

Plan your meals a week ahead and then prepare your shopping list. The fewer trips you make to the supermarket, d1e less like ly you are to be rem p ted to buy e." tta smff. AJso try to organise your shopping Jisr according ro the aisles in your local grocery store to avoid unnecessary moving around the aisles, wasting time and buying unnecessary t hings.

Avoid shopping on an empty stomach. Eat well before you shop. This prevents you from buying foods not on your list just because you're hungry.

Be supermarket savvy and watch out for specials. Look at the latest catalogues before making your sh opping list.

Use coupons i f you have some. But, avoid buying LUl.Oecessat-y items just because you have a coupon or it is on spec ial.

Try to shop alone and leave d1e kids at home if they are o ld enough, or there is someone to take care of them. Shopping alone reduces unnecessary purchasing.

Generic brands

Buy generic brands or local score b rands for foods like rice, pasta, eggs, milk, cottage cheese and frozen fruits and veggies. They are just like brand nam e foods once you get used to the rnste, but they'JJ save you heaps of money. Try nor be taken in by the fancy packaging as this m ight cost you more money, and some of the foods in plain packing might be better.

Shop smart

Buy in- season fruits and vegetab les Food grown in- season tastes better and is cheaper.

Also compare prices of frozen or canned fruits an d veggies as sometimes these are cheape r and are a c9nvenient alternative when yo u 're short on time. They are just as nutritious as the fresh variety, so be sure to keep some on hand in t he freezer.

Co mpare prices of simil ar products by comparing the Lrnit prices. The unit price will tell you how mud1 an item costs pe r

100 grams or per p iece or litre, which helps to better compare simiJar products.

Seafood doesn't have to be expensive. Try buying canned mna, sal m on, or sardinesthey store well and are a low cost option.

Substitute ingrediems and u se lentils and beans as a source of protein as these are l ess expens ive d1an meat.

Buy b lock cheese and g rate i t yourself.

Eggs are affordable, and versatile and can be used in any meal.

Contrary to popul ar belief, healthy foods are not always e.'l:pens ive. A bowl of oats for breakfast will cost you less than a muesli bar full of sugar, or a muffin.

Try and buy low Gl carbohydrates, even if these are sometimes a b i t expensive, as these fill you Ltp and you stay fuller for longer These might n irn out to be cheaper than processed foods and you end up eati n g small er portions

Bulk buy and cook

Buy in bulk especiaJJ y when t here are promotions and specials

Foods like pasta, rice and oats are easy to stock as these do nor spoil quickly. If they're o n sale, buy as much as you can afford and score.

To lower meat costs, buy the fami ly-sized o r value pack and

make srnal l packs and freeze wh at you don't use.

You can cook extra serves and freeze these in co small batc hes. This can save you a lot of money and time when you need to have meals in a lmrry and prevent you fro m spending money on takeaways.

Limit takeaways and pre-packaged foods

Although takeaway food or ready meals can be convenient, d1ere's no doubt that home cooking is the cheaper option - p lus i t's usua lly healthier tbo

Preparing and ta king your food with you is much d1eaper t han buying from school canteens or shops.

Limit junk foods

Try to limit junk foods a nd drinks to spe cial occasio n s an d small amounts.

Drink water instead of juice or s,veetened drinks, it's free and has no kilojoules.

Buy all the basic foods such as breads, dafry, fruit, vegetabl es, cereals and meats first before considering snack foods, lollies, sweetened drinks or otber treats, which he lps to keep your trolley full of healthy foods.

If you would really like to have treat foods, buy the smallest amount thatwilJ satisfy you.

Maintain a kitchen garden

1'1aintain a small kitchen garden o r , if you have space, i n your backyard, an d grow some vegetables. This saves you money and adds fres hn ess a nd flavour to your meals.

You can also grow some herbs and veggies in containers or small pots on your balcony or terrace.

With a litde planning and awareness we can save a lot of money as well as enjoy a healthy diet.

Rishi Desai of Masterchef 2013 fame launches his first book

..,

BY RAJNIANAND LUTHRA

Scallop bhel, anyone?

How abouca tandoori spiced mna tatak.i? Or a hulianna risotto if you're vegetarian? And for dessert, would you like a chai brulee or a mango panna cotta?

This fantas y menu that combines Indiarr with non-Indian, sounds like a ,vork of imagination. Sort of like die cuisine in Harry Potter's world - yo u !mow, butter beer, pumpkin ju.ice, con- tongue toffee, acid pops and cauldron cakes.

r ew- age chef Rishi Desa.i's work could well be called a work of .imaginatio~ and it does involve a b it of magic along with cooking skill!

Of course you'll find that name familiar, especially if you're a Masterchef tragic. Participating in tbe 2013 series, he endeared himself to viewers, as well as the cast, n ot only wich hi s food, but also bis good looks, his sense of humour, and some may say, his philosophical attitude to it all.

\Xlhen he left the show, d1ere was talk of a cookbook. Rish.i's 1'1odem Indian is now our, and is che most unusual Indian cookbook you'll ever find, with its fascinating fusion elements

Vegetab le sliders with okra chips. Coconut m ilk poached salmon. Kul fi with apple crumble. As yo u leaf through the book, Rish.i's recipes make you wonder, why did J not th ink of d1at?

Tal king ro Indian Link, Rish.i clarifies mat his food is "not fusion".

"lc's essentially lndian," he states emphatically. " There are n o new Aavours ft's just di at che techni ques are different, and modern".

And so Rish.i presems t"baal in lettuce cups, and ' nachofies' pappadums by serving them w ith a d ip How's that for simple innovation?

"I'm a true patriot," Rishi laughs. "Indian food is so ve rsatile, you don't need to

MO ERN ' ' n * Rishi Desai

''"The coconut milk salmon is my take on fish curry and rice, but it is by far the most adventurous dish I have ever attempted

The salmon is poached on a low temperature of 43 degrees. To serve, I sit it in a bowl of spiced coconut veloute, and add a dollop of caramelised onion puree on top. Wild puffed rice makes up the garnish"

Rishi Desai

confine i t. Why nor try modifyi ng it co sui t the ti.mes?"

1--lis pani p11ri is a case in point. It's the classiest way possible of serving tbis delectable street food favour ite (go grab a copy for dera ils).

In h is own recipes, Risni brings in tex ture, which Indian food typicall y l acks. So hispalakpamer becomes a tiny slab of paneer, with a carried spinach puree on cop, served on baguette crisps. Great as an enrree!

''As well, I think, we tend to hide our proteins," he notes. "I make sure mey come out".

His b11!i111111a, similarly, is much more d1an the rraclitional tamarind rice. It is prepared w ith arborio

rice and vegetab le stock, and tbough the chee se is kept out to stick to me traditional, it ends up with a lot more texnue.

The nove lty factor in Rish.i's work increases as be tackles main meals. Steak and lamb cutlets are served wid1 purees made from smo ked eggplant, cauliflower, or caramelised onions, and in one case, even ,vith a 111ethi-tt111tter-m11lai sauce. Rabbit is given an Indian treacmem with root vege tables. Duck breas t.is served on a bed of mushy kah dal. Turke y is cooked into a karma. S ev and chi11da find themselves in garnish.

ln desserts, Ri sh.i's particular versio n of g11/abjt11111111 is an absol ute must- try. In a unique

presentation , he serves it up not as balls but as di scs, accompanied with ora nge marmalade, vanilla ice cream and pistachio praline.

Which, of aU his preparations, is Rish.i 's mvn personal favourite?

He shares with us here his butter quail recipe.

" l t is inspired by die famous blltter chicken. I made it o n me show for my inimuuicy pin, and Gary, who we know is a big fan of Indian food, loved it".

The Kohlapuri goat curry (from his hometown) is anodier favourite, even though hi s version is a compete re- in ventio n of tbe o ld.

Rishi is also partial co his coconut milk salmon. "Tt's m y take

''on fis h cmry and rice, but it .is by far die m ost adven turous dish 1 have ever attempted. The salmon i s poached a low temperature of 43 degrees To serve, l sit it in a bowl o f spiced coconm veloure, and add a dollop of caramelised on.ion puree on top. Wild puffed rice makes up me garnish" , No d o u bt presentation of the food is param ount for chis crca ti,Te cook

"Our curries may taste gre.at, bur often tliey don't look appetising Food should be pre sented beautifully so diat you fee l like eating i t right away! You shou.Jd enjoy food witl1 all your senses!"

And d1at's whe re che unmistakable Heston Blu.111end1al link comes in. \\(forking wim him on Masterchifhas left an i ndelible mark on Ri shi. Check out his preparation 'Vegetable Garden', a fanc y version of crudities and dip - it's an edible.garden diorama,

w ww.in d ia n li nk.co m. au

Taking care of business

New resources are available for members of the Indian small business community

At a receridy held breakfast information seminar sessiori ar the Hotel Novotel, P arramatta, members o f the lndian small b usi n ess commmti ty were updated about the range of new servi ces available to assist tbem in their business developm ent.

A joint Governmeor initiative of the SW Mul ticultural Business Advisory Panel, NSW Trade and fovestment and rhe Office

o f the SW Small Business Commission er, the session was designed to affirm rhe l SW G ove r nment's commim1enr ro e ngagement with the Indian business community.

A key aim of rhe sentin.'l.rs was to g ive business owners knowledge about d1e r esources and too ls available to them, to belp make i t easier for the Indian community to do business in NSW.

The Office of the NSW Small Business Commi ssioner o u tlined how t heir staff can assist small business owne rs wiili resolving commercial leas ing dispures, and presented Small Biz Connect, a subsidised advisory service.

Small Biz Co nnect i s designed tO join mvn ers with el\l)erien ced local business advisors to help wiili different aspect of business including how to establish , run and grow a b usiness and how to get inro exporting

The Office of the NSW Sm all Business Commiss ioner is also develo ping a range o f multilingual resources and updated the small business owners about the tailored services designed to assist Indian comm u ni ty businesses.

"Doing more for nmlticulmral small business is a key priority for the Offi ce of d1e NSW

Small Business Commission ei:," Commiss ioner R obyn Hobbs

OA.J.v(, said. "A significant prop ortion of small b u si n esses rhat we sup port have business own ers who were born overseas and don't have English as rheir first language The success of these mul ticultural businesses is very important to us and we have specialised programs and resources available to hel p them."

Th e session included an add ress by Jvl.r Sunjay Sudhir, the Con sul General of India in Sydney, as

International Migration Centre

Contact

Left to right: Nihal Gupta (NSW Multicultural Business Advisory Panel), Robyn Hobbs OAM ( NSW Small Business Commissioner), Andrew Stoner (NSW Deputy Premier), John Barilaro (Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business), Dr Geoff Lee (Member for Parramatta ).

well as by local MP, Dr G eoff Lee, Member for Pa.rran1atta. The eve n t was particularly televan t for lo cal Indian businesse s in the Parramarta area.

The even t was also attended by NSW Deputy Premier and Jviinister for Small Business

A ndrew Srone r J\fr Stoner said the

State's multicultural communities had a long tradition of running small businesses in NSW ' 'The entreprenew:ial sp irit is stro ng in o ur diverse communities and the NSW Government is committed to supporting th at and help in g small bu sinesses to grow and flourish," M r Sterner said.

Attendees were also invited to provide feedback on specific bu siness issues. Th ere was a sh ort Q&A interactive sessio n focussed on the best way for the government to provide re levant info rm atio n on programs and services to rhe India n business community i n NSW

Nav IDurge I rndian Ishop

SPEND $50* in one transaction Get 5% off SPEND $100* in one transaction Get 10% off •condition.s app y: offerexdudes purchases of rice, cooking oli and phone card5

We keep most of the famous brands • Plenty of parking Phone:0

• Employer nomination (ENS) & Regional s ponsored (RSMS) visa s

• Onshore and off shore visas.

• skilled - independent and Au stra lian sponsored visas

• Independent and sponsored visas for Regional areas

• Student visas and graduate skil l e d visa

• Fiance' , partner and other Family visa applications

• Business Skill - Temporary, Provisional & permanent visas

• Bridging vi sas

• Applications for Review and Appeals Tribunals

Prisons are p l aces of oppression, hopelessness and negative vibes. Throw in century- old buildings (many with cemeteries), tales of torture, hangings and executions, and you have a perfect place for ghosts to hang out Meet the spooks lurking in the top ten haunted prisons of Australia

10.

Maitland Gaol, NSW

Situated 160 km north of Sydney, Maitland Gaol was the longest running prison in Austra lia when it closed in 1998 Apparently, an inmate indulging in the dark arts was once incarcerated here After forming a pact with the devil , he committed suicide The guard who cleaned up the mess was later found dead in his bathroom with his wrist slashed. A message scrawled in his blood said that he had to kill himself in order to contain the satanic forces The cell, with occult graffiti on the walls, remains padlocked to this day. Visitors have seen the ghost of an inmate rocking back and forth in one of the cells. Eerie presences have been felt and sounds of men whispering have been reported.

9.

Old Hobart Gaol, Tasmania

There are many stories of ghostly activity associated with this gaol which was used to hold male convicts during the 1800s and 1900s A dense feeling of oppression hangs in the air - as does a noose over a bloodstained executi on platform The horror of the place, steeped in torture and death, is there for anyone to experience during tours organised by the National Trust of Australia which now ma n ages the p l ace.

8.

Fannie Bay Gaol, NT

This was the main gaol of Darwin for almost a century. Built in 1882, it has its fair share of other worldly presences Prisoners reported hearing sad moans coming from empty cells, and doors opened and slammed at times when there were no guards around. The gaol ceased operation in 1979 and is now a museum depicting the social histories of the Northern Terr itory Visitors have reportedly felt an invisible hand glide over the steel bars and heard sounds of a body being dragged along one of the corridors

7.

Boggo Road Gaol , Queensland

Brisbane Gaol or Boggo Road Gaol is famous for its underground solitary confinement cells known as the 'Black Hole'. It is a heritage listed prison that opened in 1883 and closed in 1989. The gaol is said to be haunted by the tormented sou l of an old prison guard who was brutally murdered by two inmates At night he can be seen walking along the fence outside the cell b lock with a bunch of keys rattling against his side

6. Fremantle Prison, WA

Paranormal activity, strange sensations, and weird noises have been reported by visitors to this prison which was built by convicts in 1855 It was a place of incarceration for locally-sentenced prisoners and many were executed for murder and rape The facility ceased operation in 1991 and is now a public museum managed by the government of Western Australia Some women have experienced a warm pressure, like a cloud of steam enve loping them, as they toured a cel l once occupied by a sexual offender

5.

Old Wentworth Gaol, NSW

Completed in 1881, this was the first Austral ian-designed gaol, planned by colonial architect James Barnett. Visitors claim to have heard ghostly voices and a photograph taken during a tour shows an unexplained white haze which seems to be an apparition of two figures The gaol closed down in 1927 and was used as extra classroom space for Wentworth Central School until 1963 It is now a popular tourist attraction

4.

Old Melbourne Gaol, Victoria

The ghost of Elizabeth Scott, the first woman to be executed at the prison, is believed to still haunt the Old Melbourne Gaol. Paranormal sightings and strange voices have been heard near the cells and a monstrous, ghostly figure has been recorded hovering in doorways This gaol opened in 1845 and continued to operate unti l 1924 One of its most notorious inmates was bushranger Ned Ke l ly. The gaol is now a museum housing prison memorabilia

3.

Pentridge Prison, Vic

Built in 1850 in Coburg, this was one of Australia's most notorious prisons until it closed in 1997. Records show 44 bodies were buried in the prison in an upright position so that they may never rest Maybe these are the restless spirits that still

haunt the place. Prison staff have repo rted seeing a strange fog that resembles a woman's silhouette, and one of the guards recently saw the fog while patrolling His dog shrank bac k in fright and refuses to go there anymore Parts of the prison are being converted into residentia l apartments

2. Adelaide Gaol, SA

In operation from 1841 to 1988, this was the first permanent gaol of South Australia. This is not its only distinction, however, as it is apparently quite a popular stomping ground for spirits of bodies l ong departed. A young girl has been sighted walking and dissolving through the wall of the guard tower, while the ghost of a man has been seen strolling along the upper walkway

Visitors have reported feeling overwhel ming sadness in the rooms used by executioners. Unexplained lights and noises are also part of the Adelaide Gaol haunting

1. Darlinghurst Gaol, Sydney NSW

East Sydney Technical Co ll ege ofTAFE was once Darlinghurst Gaol and Sydneysiders know it is haunted. The gaol closed down in 1914 and the building was handed over to the Department of Education in 1921 The hauntings began soon after Paranormal activity has often been seen in a classroom and two other rooms where prisoners were kept before execution Lights come on and doors sl am of thei r own acco rd The ghost of an Asian lady lingers - apparently looking for her husband who was a prisoner at the gao l. A teacher claims to have seen the head of a ghost without a body in the toilet and a ghost is said to have followed another teacher home from TAFE.

. . . . .. MATRIMONIALS

...

SEEKING GROOMS

Looking for a Punjabi boy for ou r daughter who i s 29 years, s'7: sl im , very beaut iful and working n finance sector i n CBD. We have been settled in Sydney for past 40 years. Elder daughter is happily married in Sydney. Looki ng for a professional Sydney-based boy fo r ou r younger daughter who i s close to Indian cultu re.

Please emai l details with photo : o zi ndian 11 @gmai l.com

Seeking suitable match for 37-year-old Hindu girl, char ted account, neve r married, with Indian fam ily values and well-tuned to western values. Please ema i l with particula rs: rkn 1263@gmail.com

Fair a nd young looking Hindu lady, 55, Australian citizen, 5'2~ d ivorced , veg, invites co rrespondence from a su itable match. He should Ideally be aged between SQ--60 and a non-smoker. Please contact 0449 623 316 o r ema i l: radiance88@l ive.com

Looking for an intelligent, ha nd some, Punjabi/ H indu boy for my younger daughter 28 yea r s old, 57~ slim, fa i r, beautiful, work ing i n i nsurance i ndustry w ith finance background, on hig h income. We have been settled i n Sydney for pa st 3 5 years. My elder daughter i s happily marri ed here i n Sydney. Please respond with your details and photo to: 24adverti ser@gmail.com

Looking for a groom in search for a bride born and brought up in Adela ide Australia, currently working as a reg iste red n urse at the Royal Adela i de Hospital. If interested please feel free to contact any t ime e i ther by ema l o r mobi le. Phone: 0422 385 033 or ema i l: interestl 989@y ahoo.com.au

SEEKI N G BRIDES

Well- settled fa mily in Australia i nv ites alliance fo r their on l y son, a smart, 31 -year-o ld, 5'9" tall Punjabi boy, working i n a private sector holdi ng sen ior posi t ion Contact 0401 666 184 or ema i l particulars and recent photo to: t ani a.ku mar@rocketma il.com

Seeking suitab le match for the re-ma rriage of a 1978-born Pu njabi Brahm i n boy, 5 9" He i s an issuel ess, well-settled Australian cit izen, working as professional fo r a cor porate based in Sydney Caste no bar Please emai l part cular s with photog raphs to: replymeonl i ne@gmail.com o r contact0424 75 2 328.

Alliance invited for we ll educated, never-ma rried, 5 9: 1975 born Si kh Khatri boy. Looki ng for compatible Si kh g i rl from Austra li a. Ea rly marriage Phone 0422 812 939 o r emai l: j as_ghai0 l @hot ma il.com

Alliance invited for Sikh, divorced, 38-year-old boy 5 '1 0~ CAD-CAM Engineer Austral ian citizen. Pa rents well settled i n India. Sister Austral i an ci t izen well settled i n Sydney.

Ema i l: amanpv@yahoo com au

Kamboj Sikh boy, '82 born, 5'8'we ll settled, PR, own house i n Vi c, l iving with Australian cit zen brother with h s family, look i ng for Kamboj slim , well-educated g irl, al ready in Austral ia o r com ing to Australia on her own v isa (study)

Phone: 0497 784 783, email: si marjot99@icloud.com

Seeking suitable match for '82-born Punjabi Brahmin boy 5 '9~ well-settled Au stral ian cit iz en working in Globa l Ban k Sydney. Caste no bar. Please contact 0426 202 9 44 o r emai l part icular s i nclud i ng photograph to kvsa us@gmail.com

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 wi l l 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 feel 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 wil l 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 private 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.

BIRYANl-l=LAVOURED I-IYDERABADI DELIGI-IT

BOBBY JASOOS

STARRING: Vidya Balan, Ali Fazal, Ki ran Kumar and Rajendra Gupta

DIRECTOR: Samar Shaikh

As a detective comedydrama Bobby Jasoos is filled with furtive delights and the ambivalent aromas of a city (and a heroine) that never sleeps.

If the truth be told, and it's the truth that our endearing Hyderabadi Nancy Drew is drawn to, there are two heroes in Bobby Jasoos. One, of course, is Vidya Balan. But the other more surprising hero is the city of Hyderabad. You can almost feel the unrehearsed jostle of a city always in a celebratory mood, the colours and gaiety, and yes, the biryani.

Oh yes, there is a whole mouthwatering section devoted to biryani where our lady snoop takes her extended family hand-in-hand on an eating expedition.

So may I add another hero, cinematographer Vishal Sinha to the ravishing roster of achievers in this film about an under-achieving girl trying to impress her father into finally giving her some desperately-needed attention and affection.

Vishal captures the bustle, jostle, aromas and attitudes of Hyderabad with the same affection of a non -tourist as he did when he shoot Raanjhanaa and /ssaq in Varanasi. You can almost touch the city's skyline and then willingly dive right into our heroine's over-whelmed heart as it searches for all sorts of clues for what humans do to and in a city mired in mystery and intrigue.

Debutant director Samar Shaikh is as proficient in bringing us the city's endearing as well as unspeakable transgressions, as he is in showing Bilkis, alias Bobby 's home life.

In no time at all we know every member ofVidya's filmy family. That they are played by some superb actors, notablyTanve Azmi (as a busybody match-maker) and Rajendra Gupta (Vidya's father), is just such a stroke of luck here

Bobby Jasoos has the kind of bouncy effervescent energy that somehow eludes today's cinema.

With her impeccable comic timing, faultless dialogue delivery (the Hyderabadi was last spoken with such effortless seductiveness by Shabana

Azmi in Ankur and Mandi) and eyes that not only speak volumes, they chant reams of poetry on the hurt and healing process of existence, Vidya just nails her goofy free-spirited character.

This is her best performance to date. Yes, even better than Kahaani and certainly far superior to the over-rated over-sensationalised The Dirty Picture. In the title role she sparkles, shines and shimmers providing us with more proof of her versatility.

The mystery that surrounds Bobby's cryptic client Kiran Kumar's assignments for missing persons provides a kind of conspicuous backdrop to Bobby's free-wheeling relationship with the world at large.

It's also good to see commercial Hindi cinema acknowledging the father-child relationship.

Bobby Jasoos also left me with one of the most heartwarming r omances

i n recent times. Bobby/Bilkis's brittle rel ationship with a te l evision journalist Tssavur (Ali Fazal) grows in the plot with nurtured niftiness. Not for a minute does the relationship appear unreal or manipulated

There is this wonderful episode in a narrow lane between Bobby and Tassavur where they discover their true feelings for one another.

This is the kind of romantic writing that cinema today sorely m isses. And when was the last time we heard the santoor playing in the background in a romantic sequence? Slow clap for Shantanu Moitra's thoughtful and dreamy background music.

That Vidya is partnered on screen by the striking Ali just gives a dizzying spin to the narrati ve. Though the film belongs to Vidya, Ali makes his own space and owns his part with pride and confidence. Make no mistake - he is star material, probably Vidya's most

confident co-star to date.

Bobby Jasoos works so well because it creates a unique yet relatable world for its female hero without making her seem supervulnerable (like Kangana Ranaut in Queen) or super-confident (like Shabana Azmi i n her best roles).

Bilkis/Bobby in her salwarkameez, sneakers and various super disguises, is a fearless bundle of bumbl ing energy Her infectious gusto and i r resistiblejoiedevivre envelope this biryan i-flavoured Hyderbadi delight of a film.

Like Vidya's multiple disguises, the film's ability to surprise never flags. If Bobby/Bilkis revels in a sense of adventure the narration doesn't lag behind.

You can find flaws here. But you won't hold them against the film. That's a guarantee SUBHASH K. JHA

DEEPLY FLAWED, FATALLY SELF-DEFEATING

EK VILLAIN

STARRING: Siddharth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor, Riteish Deshmukh

DIRECTOR: Moh it Suri 1r'Jr:;z-;;r){

Siddharth simmers and scorches onscreen with his implosive one-man-against-the-world act. As a loner on a rampage after the love of his life is killed, he brings to the table a certain intensity which unfortunately, in this case, can only go this far and no further.

We are looking at a film that is deeply flawed and fatally self-defeating. Much was expected from the director after Aashiqui 2. Alas, Suri chooses to wallow in unnecessary and at times prolonged brutality rather than focus on the tender love story between the seething brute and the bubbly babe.

Not that there is anything new to offer in the love story. The silent indignant loner and the gregarious chirpy girl next door haven't we seen Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri take those two characters to the acme of perfection in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Milt?

Ek Villain is Mili over-heaped with a maelstrom of mayhem, mostly uncalledfor and sometimes atrociously out of place. The action sometimes borders on

the utterly ludicrous. This isn't the first time the director has seemed to enjoy visualising the exploits of a sadistic serial killer. In Murder 2 as well, the gruesome killings of the serial offender were recorded with an embarrassing backhanded relish.

The killer in Ek Villain is a henpecked husband moonlighting as a guy who believes if life screws you, use a screwdriver to screw other people's lives.

Providentially, this incoherent serial killer is played by Riteish Deshmukh who interprets the character with more cogency than it demands.

Suri diminishes the brutality by offsetting it with the love story between the criminally-inclined introvert (Siddharth) and the sunshine girl (Shraddha) who insists on telling unfunny jokes. Shraddha's eyes speak volumes So unfortunately does her mouth in this film. How I wish our cinema would stop equating volubility with vivacity.

More regrettable are the plot's mood swings. In spite of the tragic overtones, the love story never quite acquires the wings that you'd expect of a romance between two such good-looking people. In spite of some beautifully enacted moments of fragile passion between the lead pair, it al l comes undone in the second-half when Siddharth and Riteish

do a farcical faceoff replete with the most atrocious dialogue and scenes that make them look like two school boys fighting over who's larger.

The sinister often makes way for the silly, especially when musician Remo Fernandes shows up as a gangster replete with an accent that is as hard to identify. Even more bizarre is Kamaal R Khan playing what looks a jerk with knee -jerk relish However, Shaad Randhawa displays a powerful screen presence as the policeman.

There are many lapses of continuity in the storytelling, al l trying to pass off as a stylish non-linear love story told backwards. One of the turning points in the story, when Siddharth's character befriends his wife's killer's little son in a church , is such a wi l dly improbable shot in the dark, you wonder what the director was thinking!

ELOPE AT YOUR OWN RISK

LEKAR HUM DE EWANA O I L

STARRING: Armaan Jain, Deeksha Seth

DI RECTOR: Arif Ali

1rlrlc'A"::

Iow It's that old boy-meets-girl thing again. But with a twist. But wait! You know that thing about how the boy and girl don't know about their true feelings until a series of misadventures verifies what we know all along? The couple that we see squabbling on screen, is made for each other.

Sigh!

The newcomers in new director Arif Ali's film go the whole hog - pouncing on one another, showering abuses and physical blows in the middle of the Chattisgarh jungles with Maoists for company.

Now where did the Naxals come into the picture, you may well ask. There is even a catchy A.R. Rahman item song in the Naxal jungle where our debutant hero (never short of attention -grabbing gimmicks) shakes a leg with a bombshell singing about Naxals and all. Really, now. Do we need to dumb

down serious political issues in order to get to make a valid point about youngsters today who don't think twice before breaking a lifelong commitment and who seem to believe life is one nonstop rave party?

Debutant director Arif Ali's take on young love sets itself apart from the norm by showing the young couple as being truly annoying in their selfabsorption. The two debutant actors play the roles of best-buddies-turnedsquabbling-lovers with great relish.

Deeksha Seth, who plays a Shetty from Karnataka with a brood of cackling, complaining women and men swarming her household, is photogenic and endearing. Armaan Jain is quite the chip off the old Kapoor block. When he emotes, he resembles his uncle Rajiv Kapoor. When he dances, he draws fond recollections of Shammi Kapoor. With his unnaturally red lips and bushy eyebrows, this Kapoor inheritor takes a bit oftime to come close to the audience.

But we eventually settle down to watching his character make a fool of himself, fa lling in and out of love as if matters ofthe heart were video games. There is much in the narrative that's

trite and done to death. But there is also an inner conviction to the storytelling. The characters are familiar yet interesting.

The director never sides with the misguided young couple . Instead, the plot bursts their bubbl e and we watch them squirm in mutual embarrassment as they go from being buddies to bad-ass adversaries.

There's quite a lot of his brother lmtiaz Ali in this film's director Arif, especially the penchant to take a Bharatdarshan while telling a story Lekar Hum Deewana Di/ doesn't hesitate in letting the young protagonists make a foo l of themselves as they mock all good sense with their chaotic behaviour.

It's a world which seems strangely at war with Hindi cinema conventions even as the narrative gladly and warmly embraces the oldest formula of letti ng two friends discover a mutual meeting ground in the midst of fierce war of the

The film finally falls apart like the shattered pieces of a broken heart. We expect so much and get so little. That's life.

SU BHAS H K.J HA

ego. But ultimately, it is a satisfying blithe and breezy sl ice-of-life experience with dialogues and scenes that ring true most of the time.

The film marks the confident debut of its lead pair and di rector Their time starts now.

S UBHASH K. JHA

MOVE OVER SELFIES, IT'S SKETCI-IIES FOR SRK!

It 's a fun way to engage with his fans And he has more than 8 million of them on Twitter.

We're talking about Shah Rukh Khan's recent Twitter obsession. You see, he s set his fans a bit of homework: to make a sketch of him and send it in He has been putting them up for open scrutiny, duly numbered, and with a l ine of analysis or appreciation

It's turned into SRK's very own art exhibition where the art is, er, all about him There are some fascinating near-professional portraits by obviously experienced painters, some stick drawings by little kids, some comic- book style art, even a hastily created line drawing (made on the back of a notebook page probably on a bus ride)

Some re-create his film posters, some are painstakingly painted versions of his official portraits, and some are pure imaginative works

But the world 's second-richest actor loves them all!

So minimalist yet so close to likeness. One can do so much with lines when used with passion, he commented on one particu l ar portrait.

On another one: Looks like I'll have to work out a lot more on the waist the kamar looks a bit kamra like. But very nice, thanx.

And on one that looks nothing like him, he still had the grace to say: Is this me??!! How did you know I look like this when I wake up!!!

And the gentleman that he is, he remembers to thank each fan for their work.

Looking at all these sketches, he tweeted, I have to declare Selnes are passe. I think it's 'Sketchies' for me from now on.

1 million YouTube views for Sunny Leone's new numbe r Bollywood 'Baby Doll' Sunny Leone s new song Pink lips i s turning out to be a chartbuster. Her fluid moves in the number have al ready managed to attract over one million views on YouTube ever since it was re l eased on July 2.

The song is composed by Meet Brothers and cho r eographed by Uma-Gaiti.

The cho reographers were under pressure to deliver something bigger and better than Baby doll, Sunny's previous hit number. The new song is a promotional track for the movie Hate Story 2, which releases July 18.

The Vivek Agnihotri directed film stars newcomers Jay Bhanushali and Surveen Chawla. The makers of the film are claiming currently that it is not an erotic thrill er. Which means in Bollywoodspeak, that it is one, so come al ong to the theatres to see it!

far not been proper ly articulated;' she said. " I am happy and relieved that they think my rendition does justice to their sacred teachings''.

The process was time -taking but for the 84- year-o ld, it i s never too late to l earn.

" It wasn't easy, I can tell you that," \ Lata confessed. "But getting the pronunciation and diction absolute ly ri ght has al ways been important for me Early in my career, I had got myself Sanskrit and Urdu teachers who would come to my recordings at studios to sit and teach me the languages during the breaks''.

"Years later when I recorded the Bhagavad Gita for my brother, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, I hired another Sanskrit teacher to make sure that I got the nuances correct;' she added

Lata feels it's very i mportant to be 100 per cent co r rect in articulating re li gious and spir itua l thoughts

"Centuries of thoughts go into these teachings One can't be careless with relig ious sentiments I am happy to learn languages through my singing and to polish up my diction. Every artiste remains a student al l their life I am no exception," she said.

Great work, Lataji. Hope the young divas in the industry take a leaf from your book

lftaar hug for SRK, Sa l ma n makes head l i n es

The two leadi ng Khans of Bo ll ywoodShah Rukh and Salman - hugged each other with warmth as they came face to face at an iftaar party in Mumbai on 6 July

The date i s important, because this is such momentous news

Lata

Mangeshka r t re a ds the Jain path

Record i ng an album of bhajans and chants for the Jain communit y, Lata Mangeshkar had to get herself a linguistic teacher to guide her through all the traditional stuff

Lata says doing album was a specia l challenge

"The Jain community felt that their religious teachings and mantras have so

All is finally well wit h the worl d, as Shah Rukh and Salman have made up after years of bitterness! Nobel Peace Prize for the person who held the party that got the two great Khans together! ! Now India can go back to solving its minor prob lems - peace with Pakistan, economic development, eradicating h u nger and poverty stopping violence against women

We wish the press in India would cool it on the Great Khan Thaw. It was just a

LATA MANGE S HKAR

bit of lftaar goodwill. Which happened last year as well, and will no doubt happen next year too

What say we leave the Khans alone but not before we try a Caption Contest on the right of this page!

I'm here to stay : Sidharth Malhotra

His success ratio is impressive. Modelturned-actor Sidharth Malhotra, who is currently riding high on Ek Villain, which has minted Rs 77.20 crore in its opening week, is confident he will play a long innings in filmdom

The 29- year-old was criticised for his inability to dance, or to emote well in his debut film Student of the Year, despite the fact that it passed off with flying colours at the box office, so he has a reason to believe that

Sidharth feel s that with Ek Villain, he has successfully converted the nonbelievers to be lievers and that he can't be easi l y written off.

"It was a first experience, this kind of box office success," Sid said recently "I feel like I've reached out to more people with this film than I ever had; so that's exciting. Now, I feel that I am hereto stay Others are also saying I deserve this place''.

He added, "It's satisfying to see that I took risks two years ago by choosing a genre and a character like this which

PRIY ANKA CHOPRA

is so different from what I've done before, and that's paying off It could've gone wrong. It's very satisfying as an actor to try something new and see that the audience is liking it"

The actor played romantic roles in his first two films

So far, the Delhi boy has had three releases, of which Hasee Toh Phasee is the only film that underperformed

Tell him he's won a lot of fans, thanks to his six-foot- plus good looks, and he'll challenge you.

"We are not just standing and posing, are we? Looks are part and parcel of our job no doubt, but to go beyond looks was also a challenge to me:' said the actor, who wants to keep reinventing himself.

Sidharth said his latest film "is also an endeavour to turn all the non-believers into believers".

"People who didn't see the craft or who weren't convinced about my craft, Ek Villain is the best answer I could give them;• he said "The film has opened up a new genre of films and scripts for me. I'm considering a remake of an English film called Warrior. After that is BhaveshJoshi. I'm not good for love stories alone, you know, there's also thriller and action!"

Akshay lip-syncs to female voice

If men dressing in woman's garb wasn't a trend enough already in Bollywood,

WJ-10 WORE IT BETTER?

5IDHARTH MALHOTRA

here's Akshay Kumar trying out something new - he lip-syncs to a female voice in the song Johnny Johnny for the film It's Entertainment.

The song is the first to be released from the album of the film wh ich marks the directorial debut of writers Farhad-Sajid.

Akshay tries to get laughs with l ines such as Maine pi nahiii haanji main pee/a digayi.

Wonder whether the song will catch on.

On the decision to make playback singer Priya sing for Akshay, the director duo sa id, "Our song is light- hearted, and everyone is in in high spirits and i n a party mood. In a smal l subtle way, we are showing our support for women's empowerment''.

What the ?

It's Entertainment wi ll hit the screens

Aug 8

Poor Priyanka

There are some things Boll ywood actresses should never do. Like get on Big Brother UK (right, Shilpa Shetty?) or do an AMA on Reddit. AMA stands for Ask Me Anything, but of cou rse you knew that! Anyway, Priyanka Chopra agrees to do this, right, and thinks it will be a breeze just like winning Miss World or acting with SRK or singing with Pitbull. Poor darling, she had no idea what she let herself in for when she pressed 'enter' after typing "It's your chance to 'Ask Me Anything' on AMA reddit! Are you ready? Let's do this''.

The barrage of questions that came up included queries about her upcoming Mary Korn biopic, but also whether she's had work done on her face, whether she uses auto -tuning in her songs, and what's with her accent?

To that last one, she answered, she went to school in the US. The questioner came up with, "Wow, you went to schoo l?"To her credit, she shot back, "Wow, you always been a hater?'; and then stopped answering the questions which came on thick and fast about whether her dad was a pedophile, and why was a road named after him when there were other deserving people.

"I'll eat my hat if she answers that one;' came one comment

"I'll even watch her next movie if she answers," said another guy.

Ileana d'Cruz or Olga Kurylenko in Christian Dior?

Share your views with us on our Facebook page /lndianlinkAustralia

Which prompted the comment, "No need to go to extremes now!"

Now what we want to know is, when's Aishwaya Rai going to do an AMAthere's a couple of curly ones we want to throw h er way

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.

TAJ INDIAN SWEETS AND RESTAURANT PRESENTS

73 WIGRAM STREET, HARRIS PARK PH. 9633 1991

THE lARGEST VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT IN AUSTRALIA

Enjoy delicacies from Mumbai, Gujarat, Chennai, Punjab, Indian-Chinese and Italian

Special Buffets.. Eat as ,nuch as you can//

Tuesday Night South Indian Buffet

Wednesday Night Punjabi Buffet

Thursday Night Modi ji ke ghar se.. Gujarati Buffet

Friday Night Jain & Swaminarayan Buffet

Egg/ess Cakes, Pastries and a large variety of Taj Sweets available

For Party and Catering enquiries email: ramesh@tajindianrestaurant.com.au or call on 0410632546

A bowl of Kellogg 's cereal and a glass of milk can prov ide up to 30% of young kids' daily iron and calcium needs*.

Iron ci Calcium help support growing brains ci growing bones.

MASTER OF BUSINESS

(INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING SYSTEMS)

Victoria University is one of the world's leading institutions in ERP systems (SAP) education as recognised by industry, SAP and academia.

"The Ma sters Program is un ique in the world "(SAP) "Graduates have the skills that industry want" Diversiti (recruitment company)

One of the most comprehensive cu r ricu lums in the world, combining information systems wi th knowledge1 competencies and processes in the field of ERP.

Learn the latest SAP solutions d irectly from SAP mentors

Learn from a leader in Business Ana lytics, with strong research and education in Business Intelligence and Supply Chain Management.

Professiona l accreditation w ith the Australian Computer Society (ACS)

Undertake SAP Consultant Certification on completion of pre-requisi tes

With strong demand from industry and guaranteed internsh ips after successfu lly completi ng the course, this specialised course w i ll open up a world of job opportunities.

SAP DIRECTLY EMPLOYS MORE THAN 10,000 PEOPLE IN ASIA PACIFIC AND HAS CUSTOMERS FROM 2S+ INDUSTRY SEGMENTS.