2014-09 Brisbane

The time to act is now

building up a state. The ca lJ has gone out to doctors, engineers and others to join ISIS in a non- fighting rol e.

0ver the past few months, the world has seen the rapid rise of extremist Islami c group ISIS as it has capnued terri tory for itself in north - east Iraq the si ze of V ictoria. Exp loiting a three - year civil war in Syr ia, and the disenfranchisement of the Sunni popu lation in Ira q , the group ca lling itsel f the Isl amic State of Iraq and S yria bas carved our a si zeab le sancmary from which to enlarge its activities.

To be.Ip in its expansion plans, the militant organ isation has a wa r chest wh ich is funded from illegal oil sales, arms running and ransom payments for hostages, and its estimated income grows by over a million do ll ars a day.

It is believed that it has over I 0,000 6ghters, a number of chem fore ign nationals from US, UK and Australia. le is now believed to be in Phase Two of its expansion, wanting to bri ng in administrators who can work on

This has co stop. If the recent videos of the p u b li c beheadings of two American jo urna lists are any indication of the brutali ty of chis regime, they simply have no place in our modern soc iety. These are barbaric actions which have been rorn1d ly condemned b y world leaders, but this needs co be followed up by action.

The United States has been spL1rred to ac t by the pub li c outcry over i ts initial lack of action. Austra lia has stepped in co s t art the initia l efforts. One suspects chat pose the NATO meeting over the next few clays, and ,vith the installation of the new government in Iraq, there w ill be strong i nternational action and intervention to minim ise the threats posed b y ISIS.

However, what is important is chat the actions against the terrorist group not be restricted onl y co a handful of NATO countries; other countries which srrongly condemn ISIS and what it stands for, also need co step up. Countri es with sizeable Muslim populations s u ch as Indones ia and Ma la ysi a need to take a position on chis.

If there are an esdma ted 1.6 billion Muslims around the world, they cannot allow thei r re ligion to be hijacked by 10,000 fundamentalists. The y need to raise the ir own voi ce.

The ISIS fundamentalists have shown strong capability in using social media to push their messages, including the editing and footage of the beheading o f the innocent hostage s. Thei r recruitment of foreign fi g h ters is also believed to have been through social media To counter this, perhaps moderate Islam needs co use these very channels of new med ia, and show its own strength in the condemnation of ISIS. While their governments fight the grou n d battles, everyday c itizens need co use the ir options to educate tbe community on the insanity of th is organisation. Moderate Islam ic leaders need ro flood the airwaves of the traditional med ia of pr int, rad io and televis ion, and ensu re the ir feelings and thoughts on this topic are beard, read and seen by as man y peop le as possibl e. The se xiness and m yths genera t ed by the Ishmic State of Iraq and Syria need to be s hown for what they are - a group of individuals using religion ro perpetuate barbaric acts aga inst other human beings.

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Building a safer Victoria

Corrections Victoria launches a major recruitment campaign for prison officers from multicultural backgrounds

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• DHANYA SAMUEL

Amajor recruitment initiative, 'Find the Potential Wihtin' was launched by Corrections V ictor ia recently to engage more tlrnn 750 prison officers and community corrections officers from multiculmral and di verse backgroun ds.

Victoria prides itself on having a good correctional system, but is on the threshold of a major expans ion to build an exceptional sys tem and thereby make the state the safest in tl1e country. This new recruitment campaign, \Vhich was launched in late June , encourages people of cul turally and linguiscicaUy d iverse backgrounds to come and work together to build a safer Victoria.

Corrections Victoria Commissioner, Jan Shuard, s aid chat this recruim1enc campaign wiU positively affect tl1e organ isation as it helps to bring together a diverse breadth of ins igh t and Life experience. It i s hoped th is wiU enab le the prison workp lace co become more perceptive and open in its tmderst,mding of the community.

This campaign offers excellent employment opportunities and posicive working conditions in a compassionate and su pportive environmenL There are a lot of myths and preconceived nocions among the public when ic comes to prisons and correctional facilities Ms Sim ard hopes that this recmitment campaign will enabl e the commo n man co unde rstand and appreciate the positive, engaging and rehabilitative nan.ire of Corrections V iccor ia.

The prison officers and community corrections officers p lay a vital role in safeguarding ilie community. " These officers can contribme positive ly co the criminal justice system of Victoria tl1ereby ensuring safety and security for all sectio ns of the commmiity a like," ~fs Simard said.

Commissioner Jan Shuard stressed the fact that the r acionale behind iliis recr uitment drive is an expansion of Victoria's prison systems, and is noc related to any specifi c crimes or cr ime trends, raciaJ or culmra l. The need of the hour is a berrer and more positive pri son environment a lo ng with providing more opportunities co tbe large Vicrorian community.

So, what do you need to become a prison officer? A good command over tl1e English l anguage, excellent comrnurucacion and interperso nal skills and an inherent ability to relate and work wi th people belonging to diverse backgrounds

Corrections Victoria is loo king out for a broad range of candidates from mulcid.isciplinary educational and work backgroun ds. This is a w ay of transferr:ing your existing skills a nd experiences to a more pos icive, challenging and enrichin g work environment.

No pre-requisite training is req Liired for candidates to apply for these roles. All the necessary professional training and development, access to employee assistance programmes and recreation facilities will be provided after candidate selection.

Co r rections

Vic toria promotes gender equal.icy and pri des on havi ng a workforce that provides equal opportunities and a safe working environment for both males and females.

To find 011t more about the benefits ef becol!li11g ct p,ison l!!Jicer or co1111111111i!)• co1Tections l!!ficc,; visit correctio11gob.r 11ic.gov.c111

Brisbane celebrated Indian Independence Day with flair and style

Above: Minister for Aboriginal and Torre s Strait I slander and Multicultural Affairs Glen Elmes; Brisbane Lord Mayor Graham Quirk; Honorary Consul of India for Queensland, Arehano Singh; and other important guests

Dresssed in traditional Indian attire, be it kmtas, lehengt1s or saris, Indian origin people bustled through Roma Street tra in station, or made a dash from their cars, to make it on time for the ce lebrations of India's 68rl1 Independence Day The India Day Fair, organised by rl1e Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) on 10 August at the Roma Street Parklands, was an opportunity to reminisce and savour all things Indian from morning until late evening Celebrations were kickstarted with a parade of various associations representing their states and cultures of India o n a warm Sunday morning. T h ere were the Kasbmir.i Pandits, Tamil, Punjab, Goan, Maharashtra Mandal, Kannada Sangha, Telugu to name a few and, for the first time, representat ives from the newly fo rm ed state o f Telengana.

Australian and Indian di gnitaries attended the Fa.ir, including Lord Mayor Graham Quirk, Glen Elmes, Jvlin ister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and

Multicul tural Affairs and Archana Singh, Honorary Consul of lndia for Queensland. The Australian and Indian flags \Vere hoisted by Glen Elmes and Archana Singh res pectivel y, which was followed b y the national anthems of each of t he countries' to mark their respect for one another.

Honorar y Consul of India for Queensland, Archana Singh paid tribute to 1.4 milli.on British Indians who lost their lives during Wor ld War I. She continued, "India's commrnury ensures dive rsi ty, and today we celebrate India and her contributions".

Keeping true to the spirit of the Indian culture, Lord Mayor Graham Quirk was dressed in a knrta. Speaking at the o pening ce remony of the India Da y fa.ir, h e emphasised his fo ndnes s for the lndian comm uni ty and cul ture.

Echoin g similnr sentiments, Glen Elmes said, "There is a spirit of fi.m, eJ{travaganza, saris and colours. I look forward to coming to all. the future (Indian) even ts.

Thank you for t oday's inv ite".

As d1e crowd h t m1med along to rl1e familiar a.mes of Vt111de Niatra m and AJIB J11ere Jl'atat1 ke logo11, which were s ung beautiful1y, a few were teary eyed as they were rran spo rred back to Indian soil

Foll.owing the ope1ung ceremony, different age groups, both ymmg and old, showcased their singing and dancing

talent and enthus iasm from all corners of lndi'l. Traditional Bharathnatyan1, Ptmjab folklore, a nd Bo llywood performances kept rl1e crowd enrl1ra1led. There was non-stop cheering and dancing.

" Today is a great combination of ancient Indian rici1 culmre leaping in a modern age democracy," Anthony Lin , Direcror of the Ethnic CommLUUties C~mncil of Que ensl and , to ld Tndia11 Li11k at d1e India Day Fa.ir.

Indian food is synonymo u s with a ny Indian event, and tlus Fair was no excep ti on. Stalls of different cLiisines were lined up with finge r licking curries and rice, ci1aat, autl1entic So uth 1ndian delicacies and a stall. w ith interesting tangy and sweet Indian Aavoured juicesAaa111 Ra,, 1111/i, Jamun, K,1ebha aa111 a nd als o Ayurvedic stalls.

A sple ndid display o f fireworks at dLisk concluded the ]ndia Day Fair celebrations, and left us all eagerly awaiting next year's fair.

Major General

Vikram Madan is quick to couuter any claims that he is in a "bat tle" or "light" with Anzac authorities

As a hardcore army man, he knows better than to use s uch te rm s. So how would be describe bis ongoing 'engagement' w ith the South Australian Anzac Day Committee?

'1t's a humble request, really," he says with Gandhian simplici ty. "A request to allow lnc:Lian vetera n s to participate iu tl1e annual Auzac Day parade, ill tl1e light of our huge contributions in born World Wars in general, and at Gallipoli in particular".

To Australians, Anzac Day is a highly significant day in their calendar. The Anzac spirit is part of their psyche and d1ey treasure it dearly, not easily sharing i t with those who don't have a valid or strong claim. This i s understandab le, and tndeed, this is the way a proud community should upho ld its trac:Litional values. Perhaps it is in this light that the South Australian Anzac Day Com mittee decided co decline a request from the SA Indian Defence C lub co join the Anza c Day march at this year's parade, or at next year's 100'" anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign.

And yer, Jvfadan's cause i s o n e that will bring due recognition to his fellow wa rriors and respect

for the thousands of soldiers who fought bes id e Australian Diggers at Gallipoli, and even paid the ultimate sacrifice. Such reco!,>nition, Madan points out, wi ll eventual ly flmv on to strengthen the bonds between lndia and Australia at d1e national level, and at the local level, help the growing Indian community to be seeu as part of Team Australia

It seems that those who opposed d1e Club's request have suggested chat the Indian veterans should march in the 'ne.,r of kin' category, despite the fact that they are ex -servicemen with proud records of soldiering under their belt, a nd of being allies of Austral ian fo rces in both World Wars.

The 'next of kiu' suggestion must surely rankle w ith Vikram Madan, who gave 41 years of his l ife to the Indian Army. In his career he saw action in the Bangladesh war, in Sri Lanka, a nd d u ring the insurgency operations in lnc:Lia 's north -east. He served 11 years in high altin1de postings including Kargil at the IndiaPakistan bord er, and commanded a Di v is.ion in Punjab/J &K, fighting militancy. He was d ecorated twice b y the President of India (2000 and 2006), with

the Vishisht Seva Medal, a decoration awarded to recogni se ·'distinguished service o f an exceptional order".

" The J\rmy life is the only life I have known, ever since m y teens".

All he wants iu his retirement now is co be able to pay an Anzac tribute to his forebears, ill the land that he now calls home.

Indian veterans in NS\'{~ Victoria and \YlA have for a few years now marched in d1e annual Anzac Day parades as allied renirned servicemen. In Sydney, Inc:Lian participation was welcomed by the RSL ill 2007, and fo r the past two years, there have been not one, but two contingents marching (Sikh Regiments and lnc:Lian Defence Force s). At die Perth parade, three Indian conttngents cook part d1is year (l,'1/A Sikh Band, Sikh Ex -Serv icemen and Indian Ex -Servi cemen's Association)

The Melbourne parade has a small Indian participation too

The SA lnc:Lian Defence Club, made up of 15 former lnc:Lian officers who have migrated and settled in the state, seeks th e same privilege and honour.

" There are many lndian people living in SA and they too want to sh ow their commitment to d1e Anzac Day trac:Lition," says Vikram Madan. "Of course we don't want to

take anything away from the Australian or New Zealand forces, even though our cas u alties we re considerably more than New Zealand's".

Th ere is a sentimental inrerest as well, l\.fadan r eveals. The Gurkha Regiments fought ar Gallipoli, and Madan himself has se rved with tl1e Gurkhas. As Commandant of the 58 Gmkha Training Centre at Shillong in India's nortl1 -east - where a g iant portrait of him still stands in the Officers' Mess - Madan identifies himself very closely with the Gurkha cause.

A history lesson

It is a little- known fact that undivided Inclia was the largest contributor to the war effort among all British colonies a hundred ye ars ago. It sent over 620,000 combatants and 470,000 non-combatants overseas between August 19 14 and December 1915.

Gurkha and Sikh soldiers formed die majority of tl1e Inc:Lian mi.i ts rhat fought w ith the Brirish Armed Forces ill World Wat I in Egypt (1914- 15), France ( 19'1415), Mesopotamia (1918) a nd Gallipoli (19 15); and in World War II in Burma (1942-45), Malaya (1942-45) a nd in Lib ya ( 1941).

Thousands made the ultimate sacrifice (at Gallipoli al one, reports of d1e number of Indian

dead \7 ary from 1400 to 1600); aud m any took home the cheri shed Vicmcia Cross.

If C,allipoli was one of rbe most disastrous campai1,ms in British militar y history, it also had some unbelievable victories thanks co the Gurkhas, after whom a feature in Turkey is still named to this clay. Shedding light on the campaigu, Robert Rhodes James wri tes i n Gallipoli (1965) :

011 the night of Mt!Y 12'"- 13'", there h"d been " bri!lirml ext1111ple of 111ht1f could be done with effective coordit111fion hetiveen the Nav rmid the Amo' 1vhen the G11rkht1s capt11red a hettvib' entrenched pro111ontory 1vhich dofllinated Y Beach and Spur IVith tmiserTalbot a11d destrq;·er Wolveri ne in close support, the llldi,111s stormed and captured the position, henceforth k11o)l)t1 as Gurkha Bluff1vith rel"tive!J tri/lwl cttmalties.

(The Indians were observed d1eu b y d1e young Captain W J Slim, who would go on to become the 13th Governor General of Australia He wrote as Fie ld .Marshall many years later, "[At Gallipoli) I was so struck by [rl, e Indians'] bearing in one of die most desperate battles in history that 1 resolved, should tl1e opporruni ty come , to try to serve witl1 t h em. Four years later i t came, and I spent man y of the happiest and, from a military point of v iew, the most valuab le years

Indian army veterans in South Australia lobby to march with the Anzacs. L.P. AYER and RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA report

A poign ant passage in the 1945 book Martitil fodia by F. YeatsBrown reveals the heroi sm of the 14'" Sikh Battalion at Gallipoli : T,, tbe highest sense of the 1Pord, extrnm gallantry has bem sho11m lo• this jiFJe battalion In spite of these tre111C11do11s losses, there was 110! a sign ef wave1ing all dcq. Not cm inch ef groundgained JJJas gi1,e11 up and 110I a Ji11gle stragg/er caJ11e back The e11dr ef thf mm!J's trenches leading into the raviFJe 111e1·e joHnd to be blocked with thf bodies of Sikhs and ef the cnmg who dies fighting at close q11a,ters, and the glacis slope wc,s thickb, dotted with the bodies ef these fine soldier-s all !Jing oFJ thei1)i1ces as thry fell in their stearfy ad,,ance 011 the e11et19. The histo,:y ef the Sikhs qfords 11tm!)' instances ef thfir value as soldie1-s, /mt it lite!)' be sqft91 asse,ted that 11othi11gfl11er than the gri111 Palo11r and slfa4)1discipline displqyed l!J them on the 4'1 ],me has ever bm, done V' the soldiers ef the Khalsa. Their devotion to du()• and their Jp!endid !qyaf!)• to their orders and to their leaden l/lc1ke a record their natioH sho11/d look back 11po11 with p,ide for mm!J generations.

The SA authorities, currently reviewing tl1eir dec ision, musr surely be acquainting themselves o f tl1ese and other aspec [s of the Indian involvem ent at Gallipoli. Perhaps they ·will also listen to historian Peter Stanley, who has described their ruling as "outrageous"

According co Prof. Stanley's research, "India had i ts 29' " Infantr y Brigade there and they SLLffe red casualtie s equally as bad as tl1e Anzacs".

He adds, "1ndfan troops not only landed w ith the A n zacs at Gallipoli but were a crucial parr o f the supply lines at Anzac Cove whe re they made sure food and water was kept up to the Australian troops".

Prof. Stanley is set to release h.is book on the ro le of Indian soldiers at Gallipoli shortly.

Meanwhile, his research collaborator at tl1e U niversity of Technology Sydney, Burcu Cervik Compiegne, is also planning an event entitled "Gallipoli Alternatives", to focus o n alternative stories on tl1e 'i,'{lh.iteAustralian vers ion

Sup~ort from the public

Major Ge neral Madan himse lf will not refer co the Anzac refusal as a "snub", bur Adelaide's only daily, The Adve1tiser, did the talking for him on Wednesday 27 August when it ran the large bold headline A11zac JHarch S1111b The front page news report said, "SA Indian community has been snubbed by AJ1zac Day o rganisers who will not allow repre;;entatives to march in honour of 15,000 of their countrymen who served alongside Diggers ac Galli poli".

Backing its front page stor y, The Adve11i.ren.vrore in its edi torial:

"There are many groups, nationalities and ethnic imerests which all hope to be part of the Anzac tradi tion, none witl1 m ore valid a claim than the Indian ex-servicemen who have made A d elaide h ome Ir is important to recognise that Australian and New Zealand troops were n ot a lone at Gallipoli and failure to do

th.is would be incong ruous w ith the Anzac spirit irself". lt concluded " t he re is nothing that would suggest the inclusion of such a brave and loyal all y would do anything but enhance our Anzac :March".

Letters from readers flooded in the days following, la rgely in support.

Read er Matl1ew Swan wrote, " The fighting component of Anzac comprised 23 infa n try battaUons, 15 from Australia, 5 India and 3 New Zeala nd Of 50'10 Indians who served 1926 died and 3863 wounded. NZ and Australia bad a larger co n tingent and their killed were 2714 and 7594 respectively". He concluded, "This anomaly sho uld be corrected and the contrib ution of the Indian troops acknowledged". Estelle Mo rgan w rote, " It is about time the organisers wo ke up as co who was friend an d w ho was foe"

Peter Trapp said, '1f you exclude the Indian compo n ent, then you also exclude the Americans, the Free French, th e Greek and the Dutch I am surp rised the lndian forces have not been represented previously as several other Commonwealth nations".

In his long letter reader Denni s Coleman wrote '1f 1 5,000 servicemen from India's 29' " lnfantty either fought alongside Australia n Diggers or were a crucial part of tl1e supply line this would imply a strong case for them Allow them to prouclly join the l 00"' anniversary. "

Among the dissenters, o ne wri t er sai d, "Should tlus occur I

suggest, respectfully, t he renaming of Anzac to Ainzac

AU else considered it wiJJ at lease sound reminiscent o f the Australian Twan g"

In a similar vein, \Xl:E Denny wrote tbat no foreign servicemen who served ooly in foreig n wars nor involving J\ustralia were allowed in the march and "why shou ld chis group be different." These m en were given the opportunity in tl1e " next of kin" section (i n 2011) b ut had refused. " The ir refusal suggests to me th at this is more about thdr egos tl1an commemorating d1eir forefathers "

In contrast, the Vietnam Veterans Association h as g iven its full backing to the Indian veterans' c laims. Its pres ident Jviichael Benyk said, "I can't understand i f you are o n the allied side in WW 1 and II w hy you can't march \Xlhen we came from Vietnam, the RSL didn't want to have anything to d o with us and didn't classify the Vietnam War as a war either".

\1(/icb so m u ch public support from the press and tl1e public, it is not surprising that the RSL is reported co be h aving a revie"r.

Maj -Gen. Vikran1 Madan s ays his grou p will app ly again and is hopeful the ban will be lifted for t he 100"' anniversary next year Fuelling hi s hope i s the indication from RSL State President Brig adier T im Hanna who said he had sympathy for di e Indian cause and another applicati on would be con si dered.

1n lus mo st interestin g letter to the paper, Ken Madigan of

Pt. Pirie narrated the well -known story of an Australian stretcher beare r John Simpson, who, having lost contact witb his uuit, attached himself ro tl1e lndiaJ1 contingent. In tl1e next 24 days he rescued htmdreds o f wounded Diggers on his d o nke y's back until he was s hot. Ken concluded, "The Indian s called him ''Bal1adur', bravest of tl1e brave. [ believe Simpson would expect cha t his Indian comrades should be among those honoured on the cen tena r y of Anzac Landing"

Vikram Grewal of Sydney, w h o was instrumental in getting an Indian contingent accepted in the Sydney parade and who has been participating since 2007, tells a simila r story. An Australian veteran he met recounted to him the story of bow he acrua ll y tracked down the descendants of a Sikh soldier he had fought with in World War 1, such was the impact di e lndian had had on him. Do we sense peace breaki n g our? Here's co seeing our veterans in Adelaide mar ching alongside the Diggers n ext year, like they do at Sydney, at Melbomne and at Per th.

IndianArmed Forces veterans in Adelaide who wish to be part of Vikram Madan's campaign may contact him on 0431194 854 or on vikram.madan@hotmailcom

Above: Indian soldiers mark the 100th anniversary of the sta rt of WWI at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at India Gate in New Delhi on 4 August, 2074. Right: Major-General (retired) Vikram Madan of my life in the Regiment''. He se r ved wi th the 6"' and 7'" Gurkha Rifles in India)

Indian links at Sydney's

2007: The Sikhs make a debut

The Sydney Anzac Day parade bad its fuse Indian participation in 2007, when a small Sikh group marched as part of the contingent called British Commonwealth Forces, made up of a number of other nationalities Earlier, the Sikh Council of Australia and the Sikh Scout Group got in touch with Anzac House and RSL Headquarters \\11th a request to be allowed to march. They established a case by putting forward accounts from history of the Sikh participation in Gallipoli gathe red from various sources. The evidence was compeUing, and the authorities were convinced. It was an emotional experience for all involved. Vickram Garewal, executive member of the Sikh Council revealed, "One of our senior members ended up rather teary - he said he had neve r imagined that he would wear his medals with pride ever again, let alone march in the city streets to the adulation of the crowds".

Since then the Anzac Sikhs have only gone from strength to strength, prompting the Nepali and Indian contingents m also follow suit.

2008: Marching to their own tune

The next year in 2008, their numbers bad increased to 36 and they marched as a separate contingent all on their own, under a Sikh Regiments banner.

The turbans made them look different from others, and they received encouraging remarks, overwhelming app lause and were very well received by the onl ookers, who cheered and waved Aags at them.

Chris Perrin, then the secretary of the New South \Xia.Jes RSL specially congramlated the Sikh Aoat.

"I am glad that you were able to march on Anzac Day and that Sikhs were received so well by the crowd of on.lookers, despite inclement weather. From my part, l thought the Sikhs were one of

the better "mrned our" miits/ associations marching in that part of the parade. I look forward ro assisting you once again in arrangi n g your participation in the 2009 Anzac Day march, and the conduct of a Wreath Laying Ceremony," he said

2009: The Y.OUng ones jo in in, ana bring the music ln 2009, eighteen -year-old Shubhdeep Singh Bhangu was part of the 30-strong Sikh contingent. He proudly carried the Australian Aag, resplendent in his RAAF uniform A first-year cadet trairung co become an armaments engineer, Shubhdeep told India11 Link then, "l've been wanting ro march i n the parade ever since I heard there would be a Sikh presence".

An added attraction was the professional bagp ipe band that accompanied the Indian contingent. Dasmesh Band, the la.rgesc private Indian band, second only co those of the Indian Army, were specially flown out

for the event. With their turbaned gee-up, their "Sikh take on the Scottish tradition" won hearcs wherever they went. Ar the end of the parade, they got into au i.mprompmj11galhr111di Garn session) with a Scottish band, as people stopped o n the streets to watch. At the end , as Dasmesh played HapP.)• Bi1thdny for an elderly wheelchair bow1d passer- by, she openly cried tears of joy

2010 : A symbo l of goodwi ll and kin ship

A critical rime for the Indian community as the students' crisis was p laying out, the Indian contingent at the Anzac Day parade, resplendem in dark b lue turbans and suits, wid1 medals shining on cheir chests, was cheered on endmsiastically by on.lookers. It gen erated much goodwill and brought in a sense of un.icy and kinship.

2011: Community highl ight

By 20 1 1, word had spread

within the commwli cy. The Sikh Regi ments contingent now boasted more ser v ing members of the Australian Armed Forces, and even more ex-servicemen, many of who were less mobil e and had to have transport organised for them. The .Indian community came om to support.

2012: W ider acceptance

ln 20 12, the Anzac Day parade's Indian contingent was covered gushingly on TV, bringing the Regi ments' participation to a larger mainstream audience.

2013: One more

In 2013, a second lndian contingent won approval to participate in the parade. Ten veterans from the L1dian r avy and Army marched under the 'Indian Defence Forces' banner

2014: Hundred years

T llis year, i n a special 1\nzac Day parade to make the start of the l 00- yea r celebrations,

die Indian contingents were rubbing shoulders yet again with mainstream veterans.

·'Anzac Day is a reminder of che debt of gracirude that we owe as a nation, to those who are currently sen7 ing and to those who have served in the past," Ajmer Singh Gill, President of the Sikh Council of Australia, told Indian Link

·'As we marched past the Cenotaph with our heads down in revere nce, we could imagine, the pain and s uffering of chose who laid thei r lives so that we could Jive free, and the sounds of tlie bullets from the gw1s in their hands and the no ise of the battle in tlie distance".

Usha Arvind, Sheryl Dixit and Rajni Anand Luthra

Communi

An inspirational Ipswich man is rewarded for his kind spirit

Despite having racial abuse directed at him and his farn.ilv, and having his restaurant vandalised b y armed robbers in recent months, Rajesh Sharma moves through life with a smile on his face.

A fearless, compassionate man, and a constant giver co society, Rajesh Shmrna was the recipient of the i\tliniscer's Award for Community Harmony at 1.he Premier's Cultural Diversic:y Awards held recently in Brisbane. These awards, spread over 14 categories, recognise the valuable contributions of Quee.nslanders who strive for a harmonious and inclus ive society. Rajesh received the award from i\t1inister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and l'vfulticulmral Affairs GlenELnes.

" This recognition is a great pat on the back from Queensland. \Yhat a great honour to be acknowledged in tlus way," Rajesh co ld Indian U11k.

Rajesh has been living in die city of Ipswich for over a decade and is the owner of Indian 1v[ehfil lndian restaurants and ocher businesses.

Over tl1e years Rajesh has raised money for various charities. He does this b y organising events during Diwali that gather people from across multicultural communities co corne rogether, eat and celebrate, all for a good cause.

As part of the Harmony Cricket Challenge, Rajesh and his teammates went to play a cricket series in Hirnachal Pradesh in January 2014, and now a reciprocal Indian team will come to play in Brisbane in January 20 15. Rajesh also provides assistance to Indianorigin students in whatever way he can.

"Harmony is all about living in peace and respecting each other's culture and values," Ra jesh says.

Continuing co live in Ipswich even after hurtful events, Rajesh is keen to spread a spirit of brotherhood within the local community.

Hailing from Hin1achal Pradesh, Tasneem Zavery

Above: Ipswich restaurateur Rojesh Sharma at the Premier 's Cultural Diversity Awards

MAINSTREAM

A newly launched museum in Victoria is the embodiment of Indian heritage in Australia

0n die eve of India's 68d1 Independence Day, Melbourne's Musewn India threw open its doors

Proud!)' d isplayed in side are a collection of artwo r ks from India including photographs, paintings, sctt.lptures, engravings, lithographs, chromolithographs, coins a nd stamps dating as far back as 400 BC. T his includes a smnni ng statue which is one of die best sculptures of Ganesha T have ever seen.

Sim ated in die heart of Melbourne's Little India Precinct in Dandenong, Museum India is set to add ro t he nmlticulturalism in d1e Most Liveable C ity in the Wo rld.

For the Australian Indian community, dus museum, die first of its kind outs ide of India, marks an allegiance to preserve die ricb historical legacy of our ancient land, and share it with d1ose ln our adopted land.

The massive collection is in large part the work of Jvfelbourne-based Dr Dinesh Parekh and lus wife Dr Krishna Parekh Art collectors for more than SO years, tl1e Parekhs are well-known in art circles in the ciry.

Dr Parekh is inde ed a collector par exrrao rdinaire. A reti red psychiatrist w ith an extremely interesting and motivating career profile, an avid phorographer and collector, bis passion for photography starred in his early teens and continued well after earning hi s medi cal degrees. The Parekh family collection has been displayed at several interna tional exrubitions.

Tbe massive museum coUection, held currently under d1eir family trust, h as been generously loaned to Museum lndia to be preserved for the fmure generations

On die occasion of the latmch , Dr Parekh, a srrong pillar of die Indian commwii cy in Victoria, was characteristically hwi1ble

·'Museum L1dia is a wiique and distinctive venture, one of its kind in die wo rld, buil t with dedication, support and generosit y of many," he said.

Accompanied b y d1e melodious strains of [he rlhol, 11arlaswam111 and 111ridt111ga111 p laying in die background, l\foseum Lndia was join tly inaugurated by Matdiew Guy (Minister for M ulciculmral Affairs, Citizenship and P lanning), Manika Jain (Consul General of India Melbourne), Jim Memeri (Mayor of Greater Dandenong)

14 SEPTEMBER 2014

and John Pandazopoulos (Member for D andenong).

A Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria project, d1e museum has been an idea tli at came about many years ago.

President of FIAV, Mr Vasan Srinivasan said at the laun ch diat the concept of M useum India first entered his niiod a few yea rs ago He envis io ned a standing testimony to die legacy and he ritage of cbe vast lndian commu1ury in Australia. After mondis of toil, along \vid1 die conjoined and collaborative efforts of many, his vision has finall y become a reality

"It was d1e support, passion, dedication and gen erosity of Dr D inesh Parekh and his fanuly which h as given us the oppo rtwiity to comprehend, app reciate and preserve the hi sto rical legacy of Motlier Tndia, here in V ictoria, Australia," Mr Srinivasan said.

In her address, Ms Manika Jain applauded che efforts of Dr Parekli , whose priva te coUection holds more t han 11,000 artefacts pertaining to Indian hiscory.

Matthew Guy, a long smnding patron o f FIAV, said mat the inauguration of mis Museum is a momentous occasio n, and applauded d1e efforts of all mose who worked so hard to make it a reality. Mayor Memeti said mat d1e Museum was a befitting addition to the L ittle India precinct for promoting me mulriculrural camaraderie of the City of Greater Dandenong.

Chiera Sudarshan, an academic

and Indian Link wri ter with a great knowledge of Indian arts, said after the launch, "T ho se who h ave been fotmnate en ough to have viewed b its of the Parekhs' collection earlie r at the Hindu CuJmral Centre in the Shiva Vishnu temple in Carnun Downs, which houses a permanent exhibition of exquisite photographs, paintings a nd lithographs pert.'lining to Hindu m ythology, will be delighted at this display at FlAV's premises The display has been wondetfull}' put toged1er b y die Parekhs memseh·es and is a testament to dieir grea t caste, aesthetic sense and connoisseurshi p".

The event also witnessed d1e presence of man y d ignita.ries and VIPs including Luke Donnellan (Seate Member for Narre \Varren r o rth and Shadow Minister for Roads, Road Safety and die TAC); Simon Wilson , General Manager, Precinc t U rban Renewal at Places Victoria; Professor Amitabh Mattoo, CEO and Director, Australia India Institute; Chin Tan, Chairperson of Victorian Multiculmral Commission and Chidambaram Srinivasan, Member of the Victorian Multicultural Comnussion. The Indian APL team was also present at tl1e event and so was Rahul Roy, yester year Bollywood actor of Amhiq11i fame.

Museum India is a collaborative effort from Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, CIA.A, FIAV, me Indian High Com.mission, Australia India Institute, State and local governments, City of Greater

Dandenong and die Imperial College of Australia.

This museum will be a treasure house of knowledge for sn1dencs, researchers, tourists and anyo ne interested in tli e story of Indian civilisation and heritage. Curr ently, less d1an fi ve per cent of die collection is disp layed due to lack of space and facilities, but efforts will continue, ove r die years, to identify and build a larger museum wbicl1 can eventually display the collection in it~ entirety

As Dr Parekh rightly said, "No museum can be built in a dar !" le is a journ ey, over me ages, diat will stand witness to the h istory, rrad ition and culture of a majestic and ancient civilisation called India.

Museum In dia

61-63 Foster Street and 2 R obinson Street, Dandenong 'fllesdaySaturday: 11 .00am4. 00pm Sunday: by appointment only

For furth er details, conta ct 1800 FlAV 00 {1800 3428 00)

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ewor est res ower

Perth locals help create a new Guinness World Record in honour of Indian spiritual leader Sri Chinmoy

Anew record for the World's Longest Fresh Flower Garland was sec on a sunn y afternoon in Queens, New York recently. The record was inspired by Ash 1jrn Furman, holder of 206 current Guinness Records, and over 200 meditation students of Sri Chinmoy from 35 countries, including Australia and India, aiming to honour Sri Chiomoy's 50 years of work for world peace.

The garland, which consisted of 185, 000 carnations of various colours, was 7.87 kilometres long. It surpassed the previous record of a 5km garland which was sec b y a team in India just four

RLD'S L oNGES RLAND

In Honour of Sri Chinmoy's 50 Yea rs of Servi ce to Worl d Peace

months after Asbrita had broken the record with a 3.2 km garland in 20 11. The first record of a 2.5 km garland was seL by a group in Tahiti.

Perth locals Anubha Baird and HascakamaJa Diaz attended the record attempt and helped make the garland.

"The atmosphere was really divine," Anubha said. "Everyone was woi-king together with a feel.ing of self-g iv ing and it was reall y inspiring".

"It was nice being part of a world record," 1-lastakarnala said "Sri Chinmoy felt individuals'

hearts are like a Aower chat can offer its fragrance to the world for its improvement, so it was nice to work w ith such a big garland".

Ashrira Furman worked for tliree months with Aower farms in Soutl1 America and gatl1ered a ream from all over the world to p lan tbe assemb ly of tbe garland.

The 180,000 carnations were Aown from the high pl ateau of Bogota Savannah io Colombia co Miam i airport and tl1en were transported in a truck co a refrigerated warehouse near

John F. Kennedy A.irporc, where Ashrita's helpers picked them up.

Furman and his team worked on the field from 7am until 2pm to c reate the longest garland in the world His assi stants made one metre flower strings, each consisting of about 20 carnations, which were put into boxes The boxes were carri ed to different locations on the field where the ends of che strings of flowers were graduall)' connected together.

The attempt was inspired by Sri Chitull O)', a renowned peace visionary, who founded the Oneness -Home Peace Run, the world's largest torch relay for peace. Sri Chinmoy loved flowers and the purit)' they represented.

"Because of your heart's gratitude-leaf, you are divi nely good," he once poetically uttered.

"Because of your life's s1u-renderAower, you are supremely perfect''

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India offers red carpet, not red tape: Modi in Japan

Prime i\foiister Narendra Modi hard sold India co Japanese investors, saying that his country offers only a red carpet and nor red tap e, while dubbing his 6ve-day trip to J apan in lace August-e arly September as "very successful".

"I've come to assure you there is no red tape but o nly red carper that awaits you in India," he said while delivering the keynote address in a seminar at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, co - hosted by Japan External Trade Organi sation Gecro).

Modi said India was also the only p lace where the Japanese .in dustry would pl easan tly find a.I.I the th ree 'Ds'democracy; demography and demand.

"I have come here to assure yo u tl1at if you have to look an ywhere outs ide Japan, you do not need to look here or there," he said. "We particularly want to e ncomage and invite small and medium enterpri ses, as also small-scale industries".

The prime minister said India now has a government that is wo r king o n development and wams to step up manufacmring. He said he wished for India what he himself e.xperienced when h e was young when he did not have to think twice if a product said "Made in Japan".

According to the organisers, as many as 4,000 people had evinced intere st in anending the event at a ve n ue that could accommodate only 2,000.

Lacer, s peaking at a reception hosted by th e Japan- lndia Association and che JapanIndia Parliamentary Friendship League , the prime minister said India and Japan were now working as "spe cial strategi c and g lobal" partners.

Mod.i s uggested expanding links between people's representatives by creating a Young Parliamentary Associatio n and a Women 's Parliamentary Association.

Tbe pr ime minister said there was an un written spiritual counectioo b et,veen the two countries, adding chat t here was

growing interest among tl1e Japanese to learn Hindi and yoga

Ea rlier, inaugurating a Vivekananda Cultural Centre in the Japanese capita.I, he cold the India community that had gathe red for the event that lnd.ia and Japan's friendship wou ld d etermine the course of the 21st century.

"There is no do u bt that the 2 1sr century belongs co Asia. But India and Japan's friendship w ill determine bow ir will actually look like," Mocli sai d. "The state and direction of the 2 1st cen tury will depend on the direction in wh ich Japan and India try to take the world"

There are around 23,000 Indians in Japan.

Terniing his J apan v isit as "ver y successful", Modi said it was fo r the 6rsr rime that the word trillion was in news.

"So far we would hear o n ly abour millions and billions Now we are hearing about a·ill.ions," ivfodi s aid, hinting at Japan's offer of investme n t of 3.5 trillion ye n (Rs.2 03 trillion) co India in the next h\'e years

Modi also vis ited rhe University of the Sacr ed Heart where he said that India was committed ro peace and d1is cornm.ianem has "significance far above any international treaties or processes".

"Commitment to peace and nonv iolence is ingrained in the D A of the lnd.ian soci ety This commianent co peace t hat was in trinsic to Ind ia n society, has significance far above any internation al treaties ot processes," Modi said while responding to a question on how lndia could enhance the confidence of the internatio n al community as a non -1 PT (Non- Proliferation Treacy) state.

The PM also called o n Japanese Emperor Akihico and presented him with a copy of che Gita.

Modi also kicked off a new initiative on trai ning for Japanese yourh started by Tata Consultancy Services (fCS) at i ts various facilities in India, asking them to remrn to Japan as India's an1bassadors

''You are going as employees of TCS

Bur I want you to come back to Japan as ambassadors of India," Modi cold the first batch of 48 trainees who wi ll proceed co India to undergo training for six- eight weeks ar v arious TCS offices.

Whe n Modi a r rived in Kyoto o n the first leg of hi s J apan ,-risir, the J apanese Prime Minister Prime Minister Sh iJ1 zo Abe came down co Japan's former cap.i tal to personally receive his Indian counterpart.

The two leaders signed the To kyo Declaration in which they pledged to advance peace, stability and prosperity in As ia and rhe world , and elevate the IndiaJapan relationsh ip to a spec ial strategic and global partnership

Unveil plan to clean Ganga, court tells government

The Supreme Court has asked the govern m e n t not ro give a bureaucratic an swer abo ut its p lan co clean up the Ganga and instead unvei l a stage -b y- stage timeline for effective mo11itoring.

" D o n 't g ive us a v ision plan, an artist's view. Ir may rake 200 years to implem ent," said a benc h of Justice T.S. Thakur and Justice R. Banumathi.

"Can you indicate the stages through which this p lan has to move and the time invo lved in each stage?" asked Justice Thakur as Solicitor Genera.I Ranjit Kumar starred reading from a 29-page affidavit starting with the 1985 first Ganga Action Pl an.

The court wanted to be enlightened by "so meone wh o has a comprehensive view of how Ganga would be made pollution free, niny-gritry of the plan, and how the milestones can be achi eved".

The 2,525- km long Ganga, which origin ates in t he T-Lima.layas, i s considered the holiest of r ivers by Hindus.

Telling Kumar char th e government had g iven a "very bmeaucratic answer" to i ts query, the court said ir wanted co know how much will be achieved in the five years this goverun1ent will be in office.

During the last hearing Aug 13, the court had sought the status report on t he government's action plan to clean tbe Ganga alon g w ith a roadmap.

T he court had also sought a report on what t he government was doing to clean the river fro m Gangoa·i up ro Haridwar in d1e Ii rst phase.

Justice Thakur observed: "But for na nue, it (Ganga) would have been worse Ir is nature that i s doing a lot of t he cleaning"

T he courc told the solicitor genera.I if polluting industries needed co be relocated, t he cour t could ass ist the govern m ent with legal process

1,000- year - old monastery

to have Buddhist studies centre

Tabo, an ancient seat of Buddhi st religi o n and culture in p.icmre sq ue Spiti Vall ey in Him achal Pradesh in n orthern India, will now have an inter national learning centre.

Baudh Darshan, which will help preserve t he ancienc sear of Buddhist smdies, will be set up ar Tabo with a funding o f R s.45 crore by the ce n tral government. Founded in 996 AD, Tabo, known for a more than 1,000 -year -o ld cave Buddhist monastery, is located at an altitude of 3,050 metres and 375 km from Shim.l a. le is al so called d1e 'Ajanta of th e Hin1alayas'.

Cb.ief Minister Virbhadra Singh, who took up the issue witl1 former prime mini ster Manmohan Si n gh, said d1e proposed centre would help preserve and expand Buddhists smdies He said around 30 acres of land at Mohal Dhaang Chummi has been approved for the centre. Necessary clearances from the sta te forest department are expected to follow.

" Th e lan d will soon be tran sferred to the rniion ministry of culmre for building d1e in stitute. The entire project cost of Rs.45 crore w iU be borne by the lndian government," Virb had ra Singh to ld JANS. ''The institute will attract n ot only sc ho la rs from India bur from ac ross the globe".

Indian devotees immerse an idol of elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesha in a specially made artificial pond after worshiping it during the Ganesh Chaturti festival in Ahmadabad, 2 Sept 2014. Traditionally the idols are immersed in natural water bodies.

Protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, Tabo is one of the largest monastic complexes in India, with several caves and contemporary structures.

It attracts d1ousands of scholars and researchers from all over the world. le is d1e second most visited tourist place in the Buddhist circui t in lndia after Bodh G;iya, the birthplace of Buddhism where Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment over 2,500 years ago.

Spiti Valley, where d1e Tabo monastery is located, is a co ld desert dotted by tiny helmets spread over the Himalayan peaks. It adjo ins Tibet. A century ago, Rudyard Kipling in his nove l Kim described Spiri as "a world within a world" and a "place where god lives". Things have harclly changed there.

Not access ib le by road throughout the year, the Spiri Valley remains cm off from the worl d for more than four months a year due to heavy snowfall. 1t reopens once the snow starts thawing after mid-Api:il

Perched at 3 ,370 metres, Dhankar, 24 km from Kaza, the headquarters of Spici., and some 320 km from Shinua, is another repository of the ancient Buddhist culmre. It was once the castle of Spiti's ruler - d1e Nono.

Another centuries- old Buddhist shrine, the Key monastery, is located 12 km from Kaza and at an altitude of 4,116 m. The monastery has rare collections of thangkhas, or Tibetan paintings, and ancient mus ical instruments like rnuupets, cymbals and drums. lrs library bolds the manuscripts of the Tangyur texts.

Geu, a village on the lndo-Tibetan border in the Spiti Valley, is known for a 550-year-old mummified body of a monk. The mw11my was found by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) after an earthquake tha t h ie the region in 1975. It was discovered from one of die eight stupas. Even the teeth, nails and hair on the skull are intact.

Tiberan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama often says in his addresses that more than 1,000 years ago Buddhism was introduced to Tibet from India. Buddhism became rooted in Tibet from the seventh co the 11th century, thus deepl y inAuencing Tibetan worldview.

There 's a cattle, donkey or some livestock for every 2nd Indian

lndia has the largest livestock population in die world so much so tliat mere is almost one such farm animal for every second Indian, as per the latest Census released by the Ministry of Agriculture, the 19d, in the series.

India's total livestock population comprising cattle, buffalo, sheep, goat, pigs, yaks, ponies, horses, mules, donkeys, camels and mithun was 512 million in 2012 - a margina l decrease of around 3.33 percent over the previous Livestock Census of 2007

For the record, India's human population is estimated at 1.2 billion.

A P lanning Commission report says livestock in India is distributed over more than l 00 million households in approximately 600,000 villages, with Indian farmers stocking even little known animals like } ' ak and midiun in the seemingly insignificam backya rd.

The country, a few years ago, was ranked first in cattle and buffalo population, second in respect of goat and d1ird in respect of sheep. ln face, the country is said to have 57 percent of die wodd's buffalo and 16 percent of the global cattle population.

Despite the drnp at the national level, some states saw an increase in livestock

It increased substantially b y 15.36 percent in Gujarat, 14 percent in Uttar Pradesh , 10.7

percent in Assam , 9.6 percent in PLmjab, 8.6 percent in B ihar, 7.9 percent in Sikkim, 7.4 percent in l\,feghalaya and 4.3 percent in Chhattisgarh (4.34 percent)

"The number of milch animals (both in- milk and dry), cows and buffaloes, has increased from 111.09 million to 118.59 million an increase of 6.75 percent," said die Census report.

Interestingl y, the exotic, crossbred milch cartle increased from 14.4 million to 19.42 million, up 34.78 percent, while for indigenous milch cattle, die i ncrease was rather nominal at U.17 percent at 48.1 million.

"Livestock contributes 25 percent of gross value-added in the agriculture sector and provides self- emplo yment to about 21 million peop le ," says ongo ing 12th Five Year Plan document.

1n face, die contribution of livestock to the countr y's gross domestic product is also significant at armmd 5 percent.

Heart harvested in Bangalore, transplanted in Chennai

A 37 -year-old dead woman's heart, harvested in a Bangalore hospital, now beats in a man after it was Aown to Chennai for a live transp lant in a record rime on 3 Sept mis year.

"Tbe operation has been successful, as a team of eight cardiologists raced against time to transplant tl, e live heart into our patient within four hours," Fortis Malar Hospi tal director Harish told reporters in Chennai

The day- long dramatic development m1fo lded at the private - run BGS mu lrispecialC)' hospital in Bangalore when its doctors harvested the heart from rbe woman who died in early hours of 3 Sept due to brain injury in a road accident.

The heart was rushed in an ambul ance to die Bangalore airport, covering 45 km in a record 40 minutes and Aown in a special Air India aircraft to Fortis in Chennai.

"As a harvested heart has to be transplanted &om a do n or co a receiver with in six hours, we a re grateful co d1e traffic police in Bangalore and Chennai for creating a green corridor berween the two hospitals through airports and bringing it (bean) for the operation in rime," Harisb said.

Fortis Aew a team of its doctors to Bangalore earlier in the clay to collect di e woman's heart after her family consented to donate the organ and rush back to save the life of its patient.

"\.'{Then we got a call from Fortis earlier in die day for a cadaver heart to save a patient in its hospital, we took the belp of local traffic p~Jlice to clear die way for d1e ambulance car rying the heart in a special box to reach the city airport in rime for the Aighr to Chennai ," BGS Hospital vice president N.K. Veokataramana told lANS in Bangalore.

In Cheru1ai, rbe heart was rushed to Porris in Adyar suburb in 10 minutes after a 35- minute Aight through a green corridor its cit)' traffic police facilitated through d1e 12- km route.

A human heart can be preserved for up to six hours witl, he lp of a solution for transplanration to save the life of a needy patient.

" Though ttansp~Jrtation of o rgans d1rough green corrido rs for transplant wid1in the golden hour is common in developed countries, I d1ink this is the first time we were able ro do it w ith the help of cit)' police and cooperation of citizens here and in Chennai," Venkacaramana said.

A donor's heart can extend can save the life of its receiver for about 20 years if transplantation is successful.

Classes begin in Nalanda University- after over 800 years

Classes open ed on l Sept this year at d1e Nalaoda Universil:)1 , an ancient international cenu·e for learning in B ihar, after a break of over 800 years w ith 15 students, its vice chancellor said.

"We have formally started the academic session of Nalanda UciversiC)' Monday morning in tl,e International Convention Centre at the Buddhist pilgrim town of Rajgir," Vice Chancellor Gopa Sabhrawal told lA S. Rajgir is about 100 km from Patna.

Sabhrawal said the ancient Nalanda UniversiC)' functioned from 413 AD - 1193 AD.

Classes for d1e Schoo l of Historical Sciences and the School of Environment and Eco logy have started for tl,e first session 2014- 15.

She said tl1ere was an introduction sess ion fqr students as ,veil as faculty membe rs as it was the fuse day of tl1e c lasses, revived after over eight centuries.

"We have comp leted tbe first s tep cowards a big mission for revival of anciem Nalanda university. Now more hard work has to be done for it," she said.

Sabhrawal said that die launch of rbe academic session of the univers ity was a low ke y affair because the formal inauguration would take place in mid-September after forrnal opening b y external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, who will be chief guest, and

university will also im,ite ambassadors of die East As ian countries.

She said that riU now 15 students have been enrolled in d1e university and more will be enrolled in coming days as the process of their application scrutin y and interview is still on.

"\'(/e strongly hope that more foreign students wiU join the mliv ers iC)• because our tlu:ust is research along witl, study," Sabhrawal said.

She said the univ ersity has attracted over 1,000 applications from armmd the world.

Univers iC)• Dean Anjana Sharma said eight faculty members have joined the university so far and many more would join this month and in October.

Sharma said Upinder Kaur, daughter of former prime minister Manmobau Singh , will be a visiting faculty at die university. Kaur is teaching histor y at Delhi UniversiC)'

The nniversicy will come up in Rajgir, 12 km from where the anc ient Nala.nda University stood till the l 2tb century, when it was razed by an invading Turkish army.

The formal inauguration is expected in 1nid-September, Sabhrawal said.

The full y-residential U11iversi ty, to be completed b y 2020, will eventually have seven school s, all for post-graduate and doctoral students, offering courses in science, philosophy and spirituality , and social sc iences. IANS

A creation by Indian jewellery designers Kaabia and Sasha Grewal of Outhouse Jewellery, featured during the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/ Festive 2014 in Mumbai, 20August 2014.

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Adelaide photographer PARMINDER JIM SINGH captures the stunning beauty of our nearest neighbour

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Seat Sale!

F~ to INDIA

Rising complexity across the board

Online learning is the future- so don' t get left behind

Have you ever known h ow much you n eed co know tha c you do n't yec know?

Mose p eo p le have op inio n s (me too!) and they take them for granted, bm as soon

The Jase rim e I wr ote about ouline !earning was in J uJy 201 1. LuckiJ)' for m e, seve ral of my p redictio n s guic kl)' came cr u e I said

that o n line educa tion courses would be free an d s up p or ted b y pub li c interests in philanch rop)~ governments and b ig corporations; peer groups would help scu dents co learn online bette r; and o n line learni n g is the futu re of learni n g. T h ese ideas have n ow b een fou n d to be crue b)' no n e other th an the Di.recto r of R esear ch a t Google, Peter N orvig. He st arted wi th the obvious assumption t hac o ne -ro-o n e learning faceto - face was perh aps th e bes t method, bm soo n found, thro ugh h i s and hi s colleagu es' detailed experiments with online learning, chat uJcimatel)'

as you questio n the m o n facts thac led them to char op in io n you find they have little kn owledge, ve r y ofte n wron g facts and even tl, e w r ong un derstand ing Facts are now easily ac cessible th.rough searc hes o n t he i n tern et, so learnin g ro find facts co n tinuo usly, correc tly and vetti ng them appropciacely, is c entral to fo rming opinio n s This is just o n e r ea so n for life long o nline

ed u cation

My worst fears are imagined when 1 m eet board members and directors of many leading, and even currin g- ed ge o rganisations, and find that n ot o nly do tl1ey lack facts, they shu n co mp lexity, ar e afraid of i t and in mrn are afraid to form the solid op inio n s necessary for th eir businesses to s t rategi se and su c ceed As soon as you talk of even simple t h ings, they fee l overwhelmed by tl1eir ign o r an ce I there was noc a huge diffe re n ce between machine (onli n e) learning (with peer assisted n e t work~ and more) compared w ith face- co- face learn i ng

am routinely to ld, "\'\Th at you say is too complex, simplify it" As o n e of the best sim p li.fiers of com p lex things (as my friends know m e), I fi nd tl1at man y W h ere J got ic wrong was tha t ch e pee r to p eer grou p s I speculated about ctid not pro liferate o n social m edia like Fa cebook (t he)' still m ay), bm for now smde n t pee r groups have a few other sites as listed by Norvig. I can only be deligh ted by aJJ t hese!

J\s the new Modi govern ment pu shes online education in India, I am in seven th h eave n India's ed u cation prob lem i s h uge and o nline education is a god send Quota syste m s are n oc a solution to India's pro bl em s, bur online education , fo r aJJ w h o wane it, is. Bm

m o re o n that some o t her ti m e Fo r no,v, I wan e to focus o n why o nlin e educ atio n is a mus t fo r eve r yon e around the wo rl d thro ug h out t heir

The success of onli ne education shou ld not be measured by how many students took and cleared an exam, but rather by how each person achieved the obj ective they set for t hemselves with in their learni ng framework

lives Yo u sort of know i t, a nd su spect it's crue, but scill you have doubts an d hence chis s piel:

''board m e m bers do not und erstand eve n the basics

''Supp ose )'OU are in in surance and do n 't kn ow what 1 n jury Bio m echani cs' m ea n s! Or yo u are a programm er acq uirin g a software start- up an d do n ot know w h at 'Parsi n g' m eans Or an aca demic and you do n 't kn ow what 'declension' d oes to languages! God help you! O nli n e education can!

As Peter Norvig n otes, tl1e success of onli n e educati o n should n ot be measured by how many srudencs coo k and cleared an exam, or wi th w h at c redit, but rather by bow e ach person a chieved the objective c.bey set fo r iliemse.lves within their learning framework. As to t h e b oard members,

''l have bad n ews. L ife is no t sim ple anymo re and you n eed to brace com plexity or exit tl1e boards and sp are your organisatio ns more failures!

''Facts are now easily accessible through searches on the internet, so learning to find facts continuously, correctly and vetting t hem appropriately, is centra l to forming opin ions

Bhaskaracharya and his Leelavati

On the 900th birth anniversary of India's foremost medieval mathematician, Dr Chakravarti Madhusudana reflects on the life and achievements of Bhaskaracharya

A:~ne~~~~1djan mathematician/ astronomers, probably the greates t were Aryabhata (5th Century CE), Varahamibira (505 - 587 CE), Brahmagupta (598670 CE), .Malm rirac harya (c 800 - 870 CE) and Bhaskaracharya, also k n own as Bhaskara 11 ( 1114 - 1185 CE).

There were, of course, several other omscancling ma the m aticians such as Aryab hata II, Bhaskara I, Sridharac harya, P rithudakswa1ni who flourished during th is perio d.

This year marks the 900th birth an niversary of Bhaskaracharya. The special event will. be commemorated with seve ral acaderujc conferences across India. Ir is therefore a fitting rime to reflect u p o n t h e Life and remarkable a chievements of this great Indian.

We know that Bhaskara was born in l 114 AD, because he says so him sel f in 'Gola dhyaya' whjch is a part of h is work

Siddhanta Shirovumi:

"l was born in 1036 of the Sh aka era. I wro t e the Siddhanta Shiro111ani whe n I was tlurty- six yea r s o ld".

Since the Shaka era is believed co h ave scarred from 78 A D , we can calculate that h e was b o rn in 1114 AD. Bhaskara's wo r k Siddhanta Shiiwmmi co n sists of four pa rts :

1 Leelavati - a treatise on arithmetic, geometry and the so lution of i n deter minate equations

2 Bijt1grmita - a treatise on algebra

3. Gmhaganita - mathematics of planets or asu·onomy

4 Golad&Jc!)'tl - mathematics of sp heres

Bhas k ara goes o n to say that bis father was the emin ent schola r Maheswara, a Brahmin of Shandilya go tra. He also indkates that he was born in a place called V ij jal avida near the Sahyadri Moun tains

Bhas k ara's Lee!t111ati, comprising most of the ma [hematical techn iques needed for eve r y day transactions and beyo nd, is o n e of the most popular m athematical textbooks eve r written fr was in use over the lengtl1 and b read th of ln d ia for 700 years until the British system of education was int roduced.

Leelavatiwas wr itten in 1150, before tl1e days of printing, w he n the m aterial and eq ui p m ent required for makfog permanent wr itten reco rd s were not abund ant. Therefore, Li ke al m osr a ll of the scientific

INDIAN LINK

an d p hilosophical works written in Sanskrit, Lee/avr1ti is also composed in ve r se form so that pupil s could memorise the rules wi thout the need co refer ro writte n texts

The verses were afao nec ess arily co nci se and needed exp la n atory commentaries, such as the 'Bud dh ivilasinj' by Ga n esba o r 'Lee lavti Vivaranam ' by Mah.idhara to understand them

The first fordgn la nguage tra n slatio n is [houghr to have been by A b u] Faizi Qlrother of Akbar's viz ier, Abu! Faz!) who r end e red the Leelavari into P ersian in 1587. The fi r st two EngLish trans lations of the Leelavati appeared in 1816 The authors wer e Henry T ho ma s Colebrooke, based in Ca lc utta , and John Taylor, based in Bombay. Both of them worked fo r [he East India Company - Cole b rooke was a high -ranking civil servant a nd Taylor was a medical doctor withj n the army.

Some of tl1e problems in Leelawtfi are addressed co a young maiden o f that same nam e. T lus fact has led co tl1e fol.lowing fanc iful sto r y.

The sto r y i s tl1at Bhaskara wrote tbe Lee lavari in orde r to conso le h i s distraught daughter. l t may be n(lted that other prob lem ques ti ons in L ee/a11t1ti a re ad dressed m a mathematicia n , a merchant and o tl1ers. Ir may also be noted that n either Bhaskara nor a ny of his conuuentacors mention this epi sod e. 1t onl y appears in the n anslari on by J\b uJ Faizi.

•Bhaskara had a daug hter n amed Lee lavati According to h er horoscope, she woul d remain unmar r ied and chil clJ ess unJess her weddi n g took p lace at a precise time on a particular, ausp ic ious day. In order to ensure th a t this moment was not mi ssed, Bhas k ara construc t ed a device where a cup w ith a s mall hol e was placed i n a vessel of water. The water would slowly enter the cup and, at the precise moment in question, the cup would sink to [he botto m of the vessel (see figure)

Leelavati, out of cur iosi ty and unbeknownst co her fa[her, peered in to the d evice and, as she rud so, a pearl from one of her ornam ents feU i nto the cup, b lockjng the hole.

Con sequently, [he auspicious m oment passed without m e cup sin king and the wedding could not be performed.

The Leel1111ati cons ists of 277 verses of ru les and exam p les The mrun coments are:

• Basic operations of arithmetic including finding square roots and cube roo ts, fractions, and the effect of cip he r

• The rul e of three, rul e of five and so on

• Bartering, b u ying and selling

• Permutations and comb inatio n s

• Prog r essions and series

• Geometric al. operations

• Solutions co indeterminate equatio n s

The qu es tio n s in Leelt111ati are kn own for rneir variety, storylike prob lems and the ch allenge they offer ro students.

In 181 6, when Coleb r oo ke published his transl ation of the works of Bhaskara and Brahmagupta, ir was generally believed tha t progress in Indian mathematics came to a standsriJJ after the rime of Bhaskara O n e

reaso n g iven for tl1is was that the 12th century w imessed the stare of subjugation of lndj an s by fore ign invaders and mosr of Inrua wa s in a stare of turmoil

H oweve r, in 1835, C.M. Whish published a paper in the Transactions f the Royal Asiatic Socie91that proved that d evelopments in Mathematics had continued unabated in Kera.la, a region that was the least affected by the invaders. One of the lat e r Kerala m athematicians was Madbava (1340 - 1425 AD) of Sangamagrama (present day Ir inj alaku da) who had developed power series expr essions for 7! and for the sin e function some three hundred years before Leibrutz and Newto n

There were several other Kerala m athematicians of note in the post-medieval period B ue that i s an e n tirel y dj ffe r enr story.

SOME EXAMPLE PROBLEMS FROM THE LEELAVATI

Atraveller, engaged In apilgrimage, gave half (ln) his money at Prayaaga; two-ninths (1/9) of the remainder at Kaashi (Benares);aquarter (1/4) of the residue in payment ofraxeson the road; six-tenths (6/10) d what was left at Gaya; there remained.sixty-three (63) Nishkas (gold coins) with which he returned home. Tell me the amount of his original stock d money, if you have learned the method of reduction offractions of residues.

HERE THE RULE IS: Divide the product oft he denominators minus the numerators by the product dthedenominators;and by the quciient obtained, divide the product dthe known quantity multlpfled by the iliSumed. Thus:

Let 1be the number iliSumed.

Subtract the numerators from the denominators; thus:

2-1 =1; ~2= 7;4-1 =3; 10-6=4

Product rl denominators minus the numerators= 1x7x3x4 = 84, and

Product of the original denominators= 2x9x4x 10= 720.

Dividing the first product by the second, we get84 /720, = 7/60.

Produa d the known quantity by the assumed = 63 x1 =63

Therefore, his original stock d money= 63 / (7/60) =540.

The interestedreader may verify the result by v.orking out the problem from first principles.

) Asnake's hole isat the foot ofa pillar of nine cubits height, and a peacoclt is pe!Ching on itssummit. Seeing a snake, ata distanced thrice the pillar, gliding towards his hole, he pounces obliquely upon him. Say qukkly at how many cubits from the snake's hole do they meet, both proceeding an equal distance7

Ruie:Thesquare[of the height] of the pillar ls divided by the distance dthesnake from his hoie;the quotient is to be subtracted from that distance. The meeting of the snake and the peacock is, from the snake's hole, half the remainder, incubits.

Referring to the figure, a = [e - (c 2/e)]/2 =[27-9 2/27]/2 =12

c 9;u+d e Z.7;b rJ ! Answe r: o 121

d

It's a tough world out there in the desi dating

enough? Good enough? Talented enough? Rel igious enough?

Recently, I searched on the L1rerner for 'single happ y' The search engine remrned over a million hi ts in 0.29 seconds. I am hesitant to add to the impressive array of material already om there, but this article is not only meant co be informative, but also reassuring, especfally from a Bengali/Indian poim of view. Everything I have read so far on this subject seems either very Bridget Jones or very l'vfargarec Atwood, when l am living proof chat you can be eitl1er, or both , or neither, on any given day.

So for the one or two people who haven't heard my mother's huge sigh of re lief reverberacing around the globe, I got married on d1e 22nd of March 2014 After 10 active years of dism issing proposals, arguing with my mother, looking for love, being clesponclent, being angry, being lost and finall y being resigned to being single I gave up. l gave up thinking that my single status is something that I could change.

1 gave up thinking d1ac I was in charge of m y destiny a nd I truly left ic to God.

This is eas ier said cban done. I know because for the past two or three years I had been SAYING that I had 'given up' and that ' God knew best', bur deep clown I didn't uuly believe it. Deep down J was scill scramb ling ro control my relation ships and, whether or not anyone else saw, 1 was scill desperately hoping chat I could do something to change d1e course of rny fate

The start of the beginning

The moment you are born a Bengali/Desi child, your parents begin to worry The y worry as you grow up, d1ey worry as you start school, they worry ,vhen you get to uni versi L-y but none of tbat compares to the worry di.at begins when the fuse person casually mentions co them, 'She's all grown up now! She'll be getting married soon' There goes a peaceful night's sleep for the parents of a Bengali girl. From now uncil the clay she says 'I accept', every waking moment is haunted by: What will happen to my daughter? Who will marry her? ls she educated enough? Pretty

It isn't long before dus worry, and sometimes frustration, finds its way, displaced or cl.ii.·ecdy, tO tbe child in question. And chat, m y dears, is when a girl TRULY becomes a woman. Ir's not when yo ur body changes, it's noc when yo u begin to notice or like boys, but it's when yoll stare realising that you parents cannot sleep because the)' a re so worried about yo u. And that brings with it Guilt. LOTS of guilt.

The beginning

Two things happen at dus point.

1. The very se lect lucky few women on ch is planet find their Prince Charnung (o r meir Prince Charming finds d1em) and they can happil y dispel dleir pa.rents' anxiety and ,vork towards their happily ever after. If that's yo u, pat yo urself on the back. Good job ow go away. Because for the rest of us your life is just as dreamlike and just as elllsive as Jasmine and Aladdin or Elizabeth and Mr Darcy. We don't hate you \Xie ARE genuinely happ y for you Bue seriously don't tell lls your Life is hard ever again because what we go through, chat you a re spared, is much harder.

2. The rest of us are primped, primed and positioned to within an inch of our lives as we are dragged to da1wts. i\ny remotely nice picmre of us is tacked to a bio data, whic h is a restune for marriage purposes, listing your Life history, bobbies tbat s how what a good girl yo u are (gardening and kriirting anyo ne?), your famil y tree and their respective occupacions to show you come from good lineage. And the worst part of all of this is chat every single family friend i s n ow eligible to ask yo u,

'When are you getting married?'

People will delight in pro jecting yo ur life for the next five years, including who you will marry and where yo u will live. More often than not these rununations from an overactive in1agination become firm fast rum o urs doing a marathon around your respective social circle, so che next time you are ou t you have to start every sentence wid1, ' o I am not

getting married. Where did yo u hear that?'

If dus is you, in the latter situation, please s it down wim some chocolate and give yourself a hug. You will need it. This is only the beginning of a process which will defi ne your womanhood. It will thrust you into the reality of soc ial circles, it will enlighten you, quite harshly at tin1es, to who your real friends are, and it will reach you how to deal wid1 unwa.nced attention, grief, guilt and depression. Bue know, through all your turbulent emotions, that your parencs are doing chis out of their love for you A Desi parent bas no otbe r avenue of showing you how much mey care. Trying to find you someone who will l ove yo u anywhere near as much as they

do is their so le ambicion in d1is elaborate and sometimes painful process. So strap yourse lf in, d1icken your skin and buckle up for the ride. It gees harder before it gets easier.

The process

Typically by the time. the first serious proposal char your parents consider comes around, yo u are around 18. Just beginning uni, jusr getting over chat first high school crush, and there are too many firsts going on in life that you a.re still crying to figure our for you to deal with the idea of marriage and d1e n o tion of 'forever'. But this first proposal will sec the tone for tl1e countless od1ers you will deal with. Because it will be the precedent on wh ich yow· parents and you interact on this subject.

Typ ically this co n versa ti on is rnotber-claughter domain, and it is a conversation so e lectricall y charged it has very real potential co quickly disintegrate into a shouting match. Your mod1er will see th.is 'boy' co b e a 'great match' and 'exactly what we are looking for for you'. She will be astounded by cbe fact that you ,vill say, 'J am not ready' and '1 don't even know !urn' and you might ger the ' in my day' story. My advice to you : shut up

Your mum or dad is not interested in what yo u have co say, so save yo ur breath. They are here. to advocate and advertise their IDEA of what d1ey dunk is best for you. So just let them. This is

important. Because i t shows them chat you respect them, under stand d1em and value d1eir opinion. In doing chi s you set the tone for fun1re co nversations so that when YOU wane to be heard, respected and understood - they will do so (hopefully). Wid1 d1is first conversation out o f the way, jus t keep quiet and wait. Because the first proposal will come and go and so will a fair few otl1ers before THAT ONE D UDE comes along and you need to be ready for d1is one.

That one dude

Every s ing le person that has gone th.rough d1e arranged marriage process has encountered what J call tl1e 'That one dude' phenomena He is that one person that makes you question every single argument yo u ever put to your parents. He is d1e one person that makes you want co give up because i t's just too hard to keep fighting This may have n othing to do wid1 the guy himself or the proposal, and everything to do with the time at which chis phenomena occt1rs in your life

Nevertheless 'tl1at one dude' will come along. He is tbe 'perfect' potential on paper. He is tall (or so his bio-data says) , fair and handsome (.refer to the 'best of I 00' picture d1a t his mum sent with the bio data), and has a great job (doccor, lawyer, accoumant, engineer). So yo u agree to meet him in person and d1e meeting might happen at a dt1w11t, gad1ering or over coffee by yo urselves or in a group.

It won't take you long (30

seconds) before you reali se you have ZERO chemistry with this guy and he is BORING you co death. I need to clarify here that this has NOTHING to do with the guy (if you are THAT guy reading this you are REALLY nice. And sweet but just not the right fit) It's just something is missing and you sense ir right away. So you go home and when your mum asks you how it went you say 'it was ok' because it was. He wasn't rude or smel.l.y or stupid He was a perfectl y nice guy. And so tl1e internal struggle begins. Because by now your about 23- 25 and the pressure is really o n. Your friends are getting married, you're going to weddi.ngs every other weekend and there is always weddi ng talk goin g on in the house, and your parents have already gone through a cycle of potential hope, frustra tion and tl1en despair. This is when you are at your most vulnerab le.

It is when yo u open Facebook and t he plethora of wedding pictures that affront you is assaulting. Ir is when you have conversations wim your mum th at sotmd like Simo n Cowell judging a contestant: 'You gained a fair bit of weight. You have crooked teeth. I really d t ink this is the best you can do. l am sayi n g this because I love you ' It is when this whole process coi:nes ver y close to breaking you. When you lie awa ke. at night and mink, is this re.ally the best I

ca n do? Maybe it is. Maybe those butterflies aren't meant to Hutter in m y sto mach after all, I mean h e's a nice. guy, sure he bores me. but h e can provide for m e. So what if we have n othing in common? He's got a good job. So what if he has no interest in asking me about myself? He comes from a good family. So what if he never asks me for my opinion? Marrying him will make my parents h appy. And all mar grult tl1ar's been building up inside you th roughout this process of tug of war wi tli your parents will come to a head and you will be very, very tempted ro g ive up. Don't. I r epeat. DO NOT GIVE IN.

Yo11 are so 11111cb 1110r-e thatJ'0lf perceive J'O!lrself to be. !'011 are ivorth SO much 11Jore than)'Ott think and)'OIi deseme so 11111ch fllore tha11J'0II cot!ld possib!J imagine. DO NOT SELL YOURSELF SHORT. If you want chocolate cake tlieo bold out for chocolate cake dammit! No m atter h ow good vanilla cake. i s it will n ever be chocolate cake and yo u will never be satisfied. You might be ab le to fake i t for a day, a week, a month, a year, but eventually your parents will. see tl1at you are not satisfied and tl1ey wiU n ot be h appy. If you feel like giving in for yo ur pa.rems - it won't work. Listen to your parents when they talk ro you about him. But be polite and Ii.rm in your refusal. Use that thick skin you built up earlier, and th e guidelines of open conversation yon established earlier, to maintain your position of th anks, bur no thanks. I want chocolate cake and I w ill wait. For my Chocolate Cake

The emotions

This who le process can last from anywhere from a ye ar co a decade. It can happen to a girl or a g uy It can happen to a Bengali or nonBengali. lt can happen whether you are rich o r poor. And so there i s no one way of handling your emotions excep t me 011e catdi.nal rule you must never forget: Love )'Ourself. 1 knO\\, As lam e, corny and cliched as it sound s this process, m ore than any other process in life (so far anyway), will make you feel like crap So many times alon g me way family and friend s inten tionally or o tl1erwise wiU make you feel lll1 loved, unwanted, and undervalue d Passing

comments from p eople you do not know wi ll sting N ights will be spent crying and sleep will evade you. Be strong. Be the one voic e in your head that is cons istently l oving to deflect die barrage of n egativiry from otl1ers. Because you ARE amaz ing and you ARE gorgeou s and you ARE wonhy and \7 ery soo n a person WILL come a.long that will see that and be wordiy of you.

There is a reason that it doesn't happen automatically. The process of choos ing your life partner is hard BECAUSE it is so inextricabl y linked to the direction your forever will take. You need to ger tl1rough a stage of angst and despair and pain and hur t to come om stronger and witl1 more self-belief so you can choose with confidence your life partner and life path

Find friends that love you a n d understand yo u for who you are and not who diey want yo u to be. And laug h with mem. Laugh the kind of laughte r that wi.11 mal{e you realise tl1ar it doesn't matter if you are single and who knows it.

W hat matters in life i s having die right peo ple arou nd you to keep you on a path that takes you to your destination.

Thedesi way

W hen I told a friend at \vork about the arranged marriage process through which 1 met rn y husband, I expected some sort of remark. \~hat I didn't expect was her tone of wistfulness She actually wished that she had parents and an extended social network that could facilitate ar ranged meet- ups because 'rneeting a good man in rown i s im possible' Through that conversation 1 realised that no matter how frustrating the network of ' aunties ' can get, they actually provide a n invaluable service of vetting men and women and forming connections char would be o therwise impossible. For h er, the process to m eet so meone was at work, the gym, a parry, a bar and go o n at least three to five dates (think e n dless excruciating decisions on c lothes, hair make up, venue, shoes, nor to mention tl1e expense!) before she knew even half of what was provided in a bioda. ta.

So, as m uch as 1 made fun of the aunties in m y spiel above, I am

grateful for the vetting and 'Aow of in fo rmati on' mey provide. Just can we stick ro the facts ple ase?

\Vhile the arranged marriage p rocess definitely works, there a.re defin ite!)' a few improvements tha t can be m ade:

1. Aw1ties, reduce the cattiness. You were all young once, you wem mrnugh a similar phase. Have some compassio n. Don't kick a girl w h en she's d own. D on't keep asking her when she's going to get married. TrusL me. \Xlhen she does you will know. You are p art of a net:wo r k much stronger than Facebook.

2 Parents, pl ease be nicer. You ar e the people who love us the m ost in this world Your every wo rd is taken very seriously whether we show i t or not. \When yo u say things like we a.re not good enough even mough you may not have meant i t - it hurts Be our s upport system instead of our critic.

3 Everyone e lse, tone d own the gossip. This process is ha.rd enough as it is witl1out having to contend with the endless ' he said, she said'. If something is happening, let it happen. If someone wants to know what yon think tl1ey will ask you. Ot herwise. Jus t wait and watch.

What it all boils down to

Have faith not only in God, but in YOU who God created. Have faith in your ability Yourself.

Your belie( Your feelings Have confidence to act on them. Don't compare yourself wit h the g irl who married her high schoo l sweemeart. Don't see her as havi ng more tlian you Instead see w h at you can share witl1 her. Deve lop the sk.i.U of sharing because marriage is about sh aring p arrs of you to make a who le.

Don't look for perfection L o one is perfect. Look for someone who is a good person. So meone who respects you. Someone who has ambitions and has a purpose in life.

This process doesn't al ways end in mar r iage. Or even a happ y marriage. Nothing is guaranteed No one knows what is in store fo r us But if you learn the lessons of patie n ce, respect and love, it will put you in good s tead ro tackle any situation life tlirows at youno matter what your marital status.

M.R. NARAYAN SWAMY reviews a new book that explores Sri Lanka's continuing turmoil

0utrighr war may have ended i n Sri Lanka bur an unbroken arc of violence stretching from the confUcr has enveloped the is land nation.

President Mabinda Rajapaksa and his brothers preside, "over the peace in much the same way they had presided over the war, with arrogance and power", says journalist ru:id author of This Divided Island: Sto1ies fro111 the S,i Lankan War, Samanth Subramanian, in what is undoubtedly one of the ii.nest books ro come our in post-LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) Sri Lanka.

Samam:h spent months in Sri Lanka after the Tamil Tigers were wiped out in 2009. He travelled extensively and met innumerable people affected one way or the other by the war, including Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims He encountered those who waged the war and t hose who were its victims.

"Anger still ripped through the island. The state sri.lJ pummeled its society to submit before its powers Sri Lanka had forgotten any other way to live".

This i s a powerful book Ir is a strong indictment against those who preside over S ri Lanka today, seemingly willing to li,7e in harmony with the Tamils bm unable or Lmwilling to control the militarise Sinhalese nationalism that cares nothing for Tan1ils or even l',,[uslim s.

lt doesn't matter that these two communities were themselves the greatest victims of the LTIE's multiple acts of terror. The fact that d1ey are not Sinhalese is what matters. This does not mean d1at all Sinhalese are happy with the Rajapaksas; indeed, many Sinhalese journalists and rights

activists have fled abroad or ' disappeared' after voicing dissent.

Sarnanth v isited an army-built war museum in the fo rm er Tiger zone, the heart of Tamil coun try, that had s ignboa rds only in English and Sinhalese!

"Even as the government gloried in winning a war chat bro ught Tamils back imo its fold, it held chem ar arm's length H ow cou ld any Tamil - even a Tamil

who believed full y ia the no tion of a whole Sri La.nlrn - not chafe at being doub ly excluded from dus muse um, first by physical barriers and then b y the barriers of lan guage?"

ln the new Sri Lanka, says Samanth, demolition i s a v ital too l of narioo. building. Everything nor to the liking of the victorious Sinhalese is clone away wim including constitutional reforms,

LTIE cemeteries, its leader V. Prabhakaran's family home in Jaffna, a Hindu 11111ft attached to a :Murugao temple in Batticaloa, even graves of Sufi saints who preached peace.

At the same rime, everything is being re- engineered to fit the new mindset.

"The image of d1e president; road signs and road shrines; the past itself. The very landscape o f the c o untry was being altered , as if Sri Lanka could be tra n sfor med into its intended future".

Samanth speaks about new Buddhist st11pas coming up in warshattered towns: "Their splendid milky finish in sore contrast to the ruin around them".

Some Buddha statues sit just outside the wall s of sprawling arm y camps in Sri Lanka's north and east, the former war theatre making " it difficult to tell who was watching over whom".

Like most Sri Lanka watchers, Samanth has no sympathy for d1e n ow vanquis hed Tigers. As he weaves in and weaves out of the LITE story along the gripping narrative , the author is clear that the same Tamils who o nce believed in the Tigers later developed fear and revul s ion for the rebel s

"The hisrory of the Tigers struggle for Eelam is less a succession of political manoeuvres than a parade of slaughter".

He documents the cruelty Prabhakaran and bis men heaped o n their own commU1uty: the way they abducted young Tamil boys and girls without merc y to fight a war d1ey waged , how Tiger leaders chose to surrender to secLtricy forces after making others bite d1e cyanide capsule, and h ow Tamils were killed simply because they did not agree

w holly with the LTTE.

The book is a cold-blooded surgery of a Sri Lanka that was expected to reconcile with itself afte r a quarter century of etlu_uc strife, but bas n ot

"Sri Lanka was a country pretending that it had been su ddenly scrubbed clean of vio lence. But it wasn't, o f cot1rse B y so me fundamental law governing the conservation of violence, it was now erupting outs.ide the battlefield, in strange and unpredictable ways".

Anyone inte rested in Sri Lanka, its past, present and future, must read this book.

''This is a powerful book It is a strong indictment against those who preside over Sri Lanka today, seemingly willing to live in harmony with the Tamils but unable or unwilling to control the militarist Sinhalese nationalism that cares nothing for Tamils or even Muslims

e taste o Austra ia

Exploring the unique flavours ofAussie cuisine

Vegemite

Traditionally, Australian food was established from either indigenous or colonial roots. Over the ye ars migranrs bave all added their own fla vours creating a fus ion fare. As such, Australia has now developed some iconic foods embod ying a distinctly Australian taste. If you haven't tried any of the foods below, in the true sense o f the Aussie sp irit, why not give the rn a go?

Lamingtons

Lamingtons are often called the l ational Cairn of Australia

This square-shaped sponge cake is coated in a la)rer of chocolate icing and desiccated coconut, se r ved witl1 a layer of strawberry jam or cream in between two halves. r ational Lamington Day in Australi a was last celebrated on 21 July 200 6

Pavlova

Both Australia a nd New Zealand claim to bave created this dessert, prod uced in honour of Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova, who roured Australia in the 1920s. Pavlo,Ta is a popular meringuebased dessert with a crisp cruse and a soft, light inside. It's often decorated with whipped cream and fresh fruit such as strawberries and Kiwi fruit.

ANZAC biscuits

These are associated with the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) that was established during \'(lor ld War I. So ldiers w ho were away from borne received these biscuits from their wives and families. Made nsing flour, sugar, des iccated coconut, rolled oa rs, butter, golden syrup, boiling water, and baking soda, these biscuits did not get spoiled en ronte and were able co keep for a longer time.

Damper

Also called soda bread, this i conic Australian food was d1e stap le o f road workers and trave ller s who needed to cover long distances over long periods of time with only basic provisions like flour and sugar. This is a traditional bread from Australia made without using ye ast. A perfect carnping food item, tbe traditional way of baking damper is to use tbe coals of a campfire. The basic ingredients used for th is soda bread are flour, water, and a pinch of salt, before baking.

Vegemite is a dark brown savory spread often used on toast or crackers. Ir was invented in 1922 by Dr Cytil Callisterin in l\folbourne, Victoria It is basically made from a byproduct of beer brewing, yeast extract. It bas a smooth but sticky texrure and is slightly bitter ro tasre and therefore might be roo strong for sorne people, but it grows on yo u.

Vegemite 0 11 toast is a popular Australian breakfast.

SAO Biscuits

Fou nded as a charity biscuit, packages used to be handed out by Salvation Army Officers, hence the name SAO. They are ligh ctextured square bi!;cui ts mad e by rolling dough into thin sheets, then cutting it into squares. SAOs are often eaten as a tl1in crispy sandwich with copp ings such as butter, vegemite, or cheese.

Hamburger with 'the lot'

Mostly hamburgers are associated with Americans, but Aussies have their own way of preparing a hamburger too. It i s nor yo ur traditional hamburger, but is actually 'a lot', as comes with all tbe trimmings including fried eggs, bacon, cl1eese, beetroot, pineapp le, tomato, lettuce, onions and tomato sauce. It is quite popular in pubs and takeaway shops, especially after a daf ar

the beach, and is quite a satisfying meal.

Meat Pie

Meat pies are generally enjoyed all over tl1e world, but

A ustralians especially love their meat pies

There is an annual Grear

A ussie P ie comest celebrated to attract vario u s pie makers. The prize is given to tl1ose pie maker s who meet die required standards of quali ty. An Australian meat p ie contains minced meat with gravy. It can als o be served witl1 onions, mushroom, peas, or cheese. It is a great takeaway sn ack as well as a must on every sporting event menu.

Pie Floater

The pie floater is unique ro areas of South Australia. A pie floater i s

Chiko Roll

This Australian food icon was in spired by Ch inese spring rolls an d invented by Frank McEnroe. The deep - fried snack contains beef, celery, cabbage, barley, carrot, o nion , green beans and spices rolled up in a rube of flour, egg, and dough. Chiko rolls are generally eaten on me go and served at local fish and chip shops.

Cherry Ripe

actuall y a meat pie that is inverted and placed in a thick green pea soup. Ir is tl1en covered with tomato sauce along wid1 salt and pepper to taste. Generally, pie floaters are ava iJ able late in the evening from caravan s parked along the streets This is mainly seen i n the suburbs of Adelaide. The I ational Tru st of Australia gave the pie Aoater the status of a South Australian Heritage icon in the year 2003.

Australian confectioner Mac Robertson's introduced Cherry Ripe to the Australian market in 1924. ln fact, Cherry Ripe is the oldest choco late bar in Australia The Cherry Ripe consist.s of coconut and cherries smothered in Cadbury's O ld Gold dark chocolate.

Fish &Chips

After a sunn y afternoon by the beach, man y Aussies love to eat fresh fisb served witl1 l emon, salr a nd pepper, wrapped, co takeaway, in new sp aper. Battered and fried with chips, or pan fried wim o il and served with mashed pot.ato and salad, this is a favourite food for many Australians.

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Around the wor ld an estimated 154,080 people die every day. That's 6,420 lives lost every hour and a staggering 107 souls traversing the Highway to Heaven every minute (Whoa! Imagine the traffic congestion!) Peopl e die all the time and for all sorts of reasons disease, accidents, natural causes Though the memory of the deceased is cherished for a long time, the cause of death is sooner forgotten, but some people 's final farewell leaves the world talk ing for years. See if your eyebrows shoot up at this list of top ten bizarre ways peopl e have died

10. Revenge of the bird

In 1926, 16-year-old Phillip McClean of Queensland became the only person to be killed by a cassowary. The bird was spotted by McCl ean and h i s younger brother on their l awn, prompting the teenagers to attack it with a bat. The third largest flight l ess bird i n the world, this cassowary was not amused. It landed a brutal kick on Phillip's neck, knocking him down and opening a gash on his main blood vessel. The youngster soon succumbed to severe blood loss and died. Lesson: Don't pick on birds your own size.

9. Water water everywhere

As a participant in a radio show contest i n 2007, al l Jennifer Strange had to do to win a Wii console was to hol d her wee. The 28-year-ol d Californian mother of three drank large quantities of water without urinating to bag the prize But, since all that water couldn't go down, it went up to her brain causing water intoxication resulting in death The fami ly sued KONO 107 9 'The End ' radio station winning $16.5 million in damages. Lesson: Too much of a good thing can be too much.

8 Killer roach

Edward Archbold of Florida was another casualty of a game contest. In 2012 the 32 -year-old entered a cockroach eating challenge and won a python, but he died soon after of accidental choking on arthropod body parts. His airways were found to be obstructed by cockroach bits that had travelled down the wrong pipe. Lesson: Exercise caution when trying new ways ofpest control as sometimes the exterminator can end up being terminated.

7 Fatal selfie

Just this year, Oscar Otero Aguilar of Mexico fatally shot himself whi l e attempting to take a selfie with a borrowed, l oaded gun The 21-year- old had been drinking with friends when he was struck with the bright idea of taking a photo As he was waving the gun around, it accidentally went off - planting a bullet in his forehead. He passed away on the way to hospital. Lesson: When drinks, guns and cameras collide, you can only say cheese and die.

6 Bovine blow

If someone told Joao Maria de Souza that he was going to die in h is sleep as cows fell from the sky, he would have laughed at the ridiculousness of the prediction. But that 's exactly what happened in 2013. The 45-year-old Brazilian and his wife were asleep in bed when a 1.3 tonne cow fell through the roof and crushed him. While the wife and the cow were unhurt, Joao died of internal bleeding within hours of the incident. It is believed that the cow had escaped from a nearby farm and ended up on the roof which leaned on the side of a steep hil l. Lesson: If it's darkness that's bringing the cows home, better leave the lights on.

5. In the line of duty

In 1871, ClementVallandigham shot himsel f whi le trying to prove a point. The American lawyer and politician was defending Thomas McGehan against murder charges. Whi l e demonstrating how the victim could have shot himself, he drew a gun and the weapon accidently went off. Lesson: Going beyond the call of duty is sometimes not worth it.

4

Self-ignition

In 2013, Danny Vanzandt was found i ncinerated in his Oklahoma res i dence. Since the surroundings and the floor beneath him were all unscathed, the coroner delivered the verdict that the 65-year-old had died of spontaneous combustion For a human body to self- ignite, temperatures of around 3000 degrees are required. In spontaneous combustion, the person's body emulates the'inside out' candle effect where the body fat becomes the wax and clothes act as a wick Lesson: Drinking eight glasses of water a day might keep combustion at bay.

3 . The glass half glued

Canadian lawyer Garry Hoy met his end when he fel l from the 24th floor ofthe Toronto Dominion Centre in 1993 He was trying to prove to a bunch of visiting students that the g l ass window was unbreakable and, in doing so, threw himself full force at it. He had performed the stunt many times before with no consequences, but apparently the glass had enough When Hoy lunged at it that day, it didn't break, but just popped out of its frame, plunging the 38-year-old 300 feet to his death Lesson: Beware window 'pains'

2. Greased lightening

In a b i zarre incident, all 11 members of a visiting footba ll team peri shed when a flash of lightning struck the pitch during a match in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998 Surprisingly, the home team was totally unharmed, raising speculations of witchcraft and fou l play Lesson: Lightning doesn't have to strike the same place twice, it often finishes the job first time.

1 The last laugh

Greek philosopher Chrysippus died of laughter in 206 BC. The 3rd century thinker found a donkey eating his figs and he ordered a slave to give it some wine to wash them down. Chrys ippus found the spectacle of a donkey eating and drinking, so funny he started l aughing uncontrollably. This caused strain to his heart resulting i n his death Lesson: He who laughs last is often an ass.

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TA n QTPR~DICTIONS FOR SEPTEMBER ~_...._.. K

By NANCYJADEALTMEA

ARIES March 21 - April 19

This month will sizzle with love and passion. The cards are clearly indicating that you will be entering a new phase in your love life. Also, interestingly, you may be sitting next to your future partner at your workplace. Either a new love or an existing friendship looks like it will blossom. Work will be stressful and demanding, but you will find time to relax and enjoy. A check up at the dentist could be called for, though.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

Nights of passion and sensuality are indicated by the cards. There could be plans to increase or start a family. Work will go extremely well and you will have a chance to explore new ideas and make a great impression with the main bosses. You will be looking at redecorating and changing things at home. There is a feeling of complete rejuvenation in all areas of your life this month. A wonderful time to plan a romantic trip away too.

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

This month is going to be a month of movement as well as increased stability. This is a good time to strive towards your dreams. The cards are indicating a strong change in your attitude, with strength, determination and motivation all increasing. There will be matters relating to family that will need sorting out, as there seems to be some misunderstandings with older members. Travel is indicated towards the end of the month. A family get together or wedding perhaps.

CANCER June 21 - July 20

This month the cards are indicating a time when you need to speak up for your needs. You have been trying to make plans to progress in many fields of your life and now is the time to act. There are some interesting aspects to work and finance. The cards are indicating a time of spring cleaning in your life. Your love life will feel refreshed and you will be at peace, after making some decisions to change things.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

This month the cards are showing that you will bethinking a lot and there will be times when your mind goes back to past events. There is a good chance that you will be sorting out matters related to the purchase or sale of a property. You will be making plans to capitalise on your assets and acquiring more assets in September. You could also be enrolling in a course of study or hobby. You are feeling very energetic.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

The cards are indicating a time when you will gather your thoughts and bring together plans. You have been working hard lately and you will be looking to expand in work and business. Financially you have made some interesting plans to increase your earning. Your love life is harmonious to a point, but you are trying to make changes there too, as you and your partner are not spending enough time together. The health of a child is concerning you.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

The cards are indicating a time when you will be keepi ng yourself busy with many different activities. You may even decide to take time out from work and rest. There is an indication that you may have to get medical advice on some recurring illnesses which you have not always looked after well. You seem to be feeling a bit weak and your immune system needs a boost. Take time out to meditate; cleanse your body with a new diet.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

This month you seem to be stressed and anxious. The cards are indicating a time when you are feeling that you are not gaining the rewards you desire. Finandafly you will be expecti ng an increase at work, and, if in business, things are not going as well as you would like. This is a time to go with the flow and not alfow tension and • worry to cloud your judgment. The second haff of the month is better for you.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

The cards are indicating a successful month for you i n your career and finances. You will be making a great impression with those who matter this month; reward and recognition are high on the agenda. You will be socialising a lot so your calendar may be quite full. Your partner will also be coming to you for advice as they may be facing difficulties in their job. You are planning for 2015 and decisions around work and home are being made.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

This month is going to be exciting and prosperous. Contacts and associations may lead to a romantic liaison. Communication will play an important role this month, and you will be meeting influential people who will appreciate your qualities. Financially you are entering a time of more stability and foundations are being set. The cards are indicating a time of increased travel and overseas ventures.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - !=eb 18

This month will be an exciting and rewarding month. You may be asked to conduct seminars and talks which will increase your popularity in your field of work. There will be an increase in your finances. Do not enter any projects without looking into each and every detail as you will have a tendency to rush in this month. Romantically you will be feeling a little neglected and stressed out with how things are going. Take time out to talk.

PISCES !=eb 19 - March 20

This month, it is time to follow your heart and indulge in your hobbies and interests. You seem to put others first; you need to look after yourself now. The cards indicate a time of happiness and contentment in relationships. You will need to take adequate rest and change your diet as high blood pressure can be a problem for you. Take time to give your mind and body complete relaxation. Go with the flow and worry less.

Tl-IE SCOURGE TI-IAT IS CI-IILD TRAFFICKING

MARDAANI

STARRIN G: Rani Mukerji, Tahir Bhasin, Jisshu Sengupta and Anil George

DIRECTOR: Pradeep Sarkar

Astellar ca st only adds to this accomplished film's sense of creative propriety

Mardaani is a film that makes all the correct noises about child trafficking And by "correct noises''. I do mean the soundtrack, which is among the most evocative, provocative and sati sfying in recent times

Normall y in Bollywood, when films are done with live sound, the effect is scratchy and at times inaudible Mardaani cleans out the noises and yet retains a high decibel of authenticity in the complementary relationship between sight and sound This is a fi lm that knows its job

This, then, is the worl d of Pradeep Sarkar's derel ict people. Posh pimps and "cool" flesh traders gnawing at the fabric of our society by playing with the lives of the most innocent and vulnerab l e

With the least fuss, director Pradeep Sarkar (so eloquent in his last film outing w ith Rani in Laaga Chunari Mein Daag) provides us vivid glimpses into the life of the cop-hero Shivani (Rani).

Rani's Shivani is a mixture of the feminine and the mardaani Displaying exemplary economy of expression, the narrative puts forward Shivani's very articul ate attitude to home and profession through brief but lucid encounters with various characters

Towards the end, the film's elegant pace slackens, sags and almost collapses But somehow, Sark ar manages to keep the proceedings from getting dragged

down by the drama, no matter how unru ly they progressively gets

The narrative is we ll -stocked with signs of conscientiousness Human trafficking is evidently not a p retext to assemble a thril ler here Rather, it's the other way around Out of the vast expanses of the film's sens i tivities, there emerges a very engagi ng thril ler, replete with si ncere efforts to demonstrate the harsh reality of child prostitution into a cinematic currency.

Shockingly, the fi l m's world of flesh trade is contro ll ed by a cool urbane corporate type of dude named Walt (excel l ently played by the almost-new actor Tahir Raj Bhasin)

Walt operates his prostitution racket with the blue-toothed p recision of a corporate enterprise. He is on h i s playstation in his free time and lives i n a Delhi flat with his evil mother (Mona Ambegaonkar, scaril y coquettish) . It's al l stunning l y normal and urbane

The film's biggest triu mph l i es in showing the murk that resides under g l eaming surfaces. Girl children are so ld for sexua l gratification to men old enough to be their grandparents while the piped music plays soothingly in the background There is a kind of unassuming veracity in the narration that quickly sucks you in We are inescapably drawn in to Shivani's dark and desperate mission.

You can't come away unaffected by the brutal wor ld that Shivani cracks after a girl she loves goes missing The cat-andmouse game b etween the cop-heroine and Wa lt is defined by some excellent dialogues The words which colonise Pradeep Sarkar 's worl d are constant l y weightier than the casual tones suggest Mardaani lays open a world of crime and heartbreak Scenes of unimagin able

tortu re an d h u m il iatio n meted out to young girls are p l aced against the screen h eroics of a heroi ne who is neither Chulbu l Pandey nor Singham and in m any ways gutsier than both.

Rani Mukerji brings in a level of credibility to the character. Her action scenes are never larger than life She is not a show- offy cop. And that's a blessi ng Mardaani is a film that is carpeted w ith competent actors Al most every character, big or small, is p l ayed

by actors who don't believe their performances need to scream thei r skills

This film believes in what it has to say about the ki lling of i nnocence.

"Ravaging the Opposition and young gir ls come easily to me;' leers a po li tician.

Right. And India is shin ing.

SUBHASH K. JHA

Indian Link A much awarded media group

PC PACKS IN A PUNCM AS MC!

MARYKOM

STARRING: Priyanka Chopra, Darshan Kumar, Zachary Coffin, Robin Das, Shakti Singh DIRECTOR: Omung Kumar

It's that life-d efining moment when a character on screen transforms totally into a real life personality. We' ve seen Seema Biswas, Ben Kingsley and Farhan Akhtar metamorphose into real life characters in front of our bewildered eyes.

Now it is Priyanka Chopra. She virtually transforms her physicality before entering the spirit and the soul of boxing champ Mary Korn (MC}.

And what a grand entry!

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Priyanka as the gritty volatile boxer from Manipur who won't take no for an answer, even from God. Penetrating a male domain like boxing in a genderdefying swoop, Priyanka's MC takes us on a voyage of self-discovery where a plucky, poor girl from rural Manipur goes right to the Olympics. It's an incredible story filled with sound and fury, signifying something deep and seductive, just waiting to be told.

Hats off to debutant director Omung Kumar for bringing us one of the most inspiring biopics to have ever reached the silver screen.

Mujhe bronze pasand nahin aata," barks MC's coach. I don't like bronze.

As we see Mary's dreams come true in front of our eyes, we know she was born to win.

The narrative has a soaring quality and texture. It simply takes off with scarcely any room for breathing space. The breathless quality of the storytelling

goes well with the protagonist's stormy mercurial nature.

As MC's story unravels in flashback, we meet a woman who is not affected by the gender rules and the discrimination that governs our society.

Very early in the tightly clenched narrative, we see MC get into a fullfledged scuffle with a school bul ly. Later she takes on another far more dangerous bul l y who threatens to destroy her boxing career In and out of the arena Mary never stops fighting.

"The rest of the world may be round But your world is this square ring," her coach reminds her pointing to the boxing arena. The struggle, as depicted in the stunning unspoilt north-eastern terrain of Manipur, captured with mesmeric intensity by cinematographer Keiko Nakahara, is manifold. Here it is a curse to be born a girl. And to be born a girl who wants to be a boxing champ! You have to be kidding.

Admirably the narrative doesn't oversentimentalise MC's struggle This is "Mother India" without the glycerine and melodrama. As played by Priyanka, MC is both gritty and giggly, plucky and precocious, a ferocious fighter and a tender mother.

Priyanka expresses every shade of her character with a p itch-perfect bravado. Her north-eastern accent could easily have become caricatural. But she controls, curbs and quantifies every component of her character's personality without losing that basic element of spontaneity without which Mary would have become mechanical.

I dare any other actress to p l ay MC the way Priyanka has. With her mysti cal mix of the girlish and the aggressive, Priyanka gets the point.

My favourite sequences are the ones where MC shares tender marital

moments with her husband.

If it's vital for a career woman to get a supportive husband, it is equally essential for a film starring a female hero to have a co - ac tor who can play yin to her yang. Newcomer Darshan Kumar suffuses the screen with such supreme spousal sensitivity He is a talent to watch

Predictably e nough, a lot of the opposition to MC's dreams is shown to come from w ithi n her home The ski rmish es between MC and h er father (Robin Das) and MC's gender battle with the slimy executive ofthe boxing federation (played with diabolic relish by Shakti Singh) are exceptionally 'filmy: and I use that word in the truest cinematic sense

The picturesque narrative, the richly flavoured music composed by Shashi Suman and Shivum (watch out for the poignant l ullaby sung by Priyanka), the rapid fire editing, the framing of the shimmer i ng shots and the incredibly aesthetic use of rich co l ours, all bear the unmistakable stamp of producer Sanjay Lee l a Bhansali, who is billed as Creative Director.

Mary Kam i s a motivational masterpiece. From first frame to last, it grips your senses and irrigates the

KASMMIR, RAW AND REAL

IDENTITY CARD

STARRING: Tia Bajpai, Prashaant Kumar, Furqan Merchant, Vipin Sharma, Brijendra Kala, Saurabh Shukla, Shoib Kazmi and Raghuvir Yadav

DIRECTOR: Mohit Suri

ashmir, without a Shakespearean tadka- that's the world inhabited by debutant director Ra hat Kazml's small-big film about three innocent civilians who get picked up by the Special Task Force in Srinagar.

What follows is a nightmare of Shakespearean proportions oops, here we go! There's no getting away from Shakespeare in the Valley of the Dal, is there?

Rahat Kazmi creates almost unbearable tension within the confines of the space where the three victims - a wannabe

TV journalist (Tia Bajpai), her Kashmiri Hindu friend Ajay (Furqan Merchant) and a hapless local tourist guide Raju (Shoib Kazmi, don't miss the tribute to Vijay Anand) are huddled in a hectic ritual of farcical interrogation.

The narrative is enormously stagy. Wo rd s qualify the drama. The written line is never crossed What keeps our interest level from flagging is the cornucopia of credible characters created by actors who know what they are doing and saying. The Specia l Task Force is, well, forceful enough to make them look human and almost vulnerable in their desperation to get confessions out of suspects who may or may not have anything to suspect.

These cops are on a mind-bl owing rampage - savage in their ambitions to fill up their senior 's compl aint books, but reluctant to carry the victimisation too far. Saurabh Shukla (with his impeccable Kashmiri accent) and Brijendra Kala as

squabbling cops are uniformly excellent. These two bring to the table a bracing u r gency to what cou ld easily become a wordy duel of rhetoric and sermons

There's a sequence outside a mosque where Kala and Shukla explain to one another, and to themselves, why they find it hard to keep their spirit alive as the Valley burns. There is sheer genius at work between these two actors Such moments allow us to forget to fi l m's g l aring weaknesses such as an abysmal background score, uneven camera work and abrupt editing which sometimes leaves the narrative gasping for breath

But then, there is so much warmth and genuine concern for the l oss of humanism in Kashmir that this film leaves us w ith.

Vi pin Sharma as the senior-most police officer gets into his character with the ease of a pro His character is the most problematic, as its graph goes from disgustingly authoritarian

parched corridors of your heart like very few biopics i n recent times Kumar weaves seamless l y in and out of Mary's remarkabl e life creating a work that is as dramatic as Mehboob Khan's Mother India and as inspiri ng as Richard Attenborough's Gandhi. Priyanka's powerhouse performance knocks the breath out of our solar plexus. She yet aga in proves herself the best actress of her generation.

Hereafter there will be an eternal confusion about whose face goes on the hoard ings announcing Mary Kom's boxing events.

PC or MC?

Subhash K. Jha

to something bordering on the empathetic. But the surprise is Prashanth Guptha.

As the junior-most and therefore deliberately the biggest bully among the khaki interrogators, Guptha's restless body language, his loud whispers on the phone with his newly-wed wife who wants to go on a honeymoon, are unnerving l y satirical in a film that slaps us w ith the grim reality of Kashmir's decl i ning faith in governance.

"Think funerals, not honeymoon;• Prashanth Guptha's senior reminds him

In a film swathed in the aura of doom, there are flashes of tremendous humour and warmth

A brave, bold, thought-provoking sensitive thriller Strongl y recommended

SUBHASH K.JHA

TOUGI-IIE PRIYANKA READY TO TAKE ON A FIGI-IT

No, Priyanka Chopra is not talking about the box office competition, but about actually beating someone up phys i cally! And the actress strongly feels that every woman should learn some form of self- defence Priyan ka may have now lost all the muscle she built up for her role as five-time boxing champion M C. Mary Korn in her forthcoming film, but she says she's now fitter and stronger to give a tough fight to anyone

"Today, I can beat anyone up, it feels great," Priyanka , one of the Hindi film industry's most indomitable actors exclaimed whi l e she was on the move for her promotiona l commitments for Mary Kom

Building the muscles for the movie, which brings to screen the inspirational story of Manipur- based boxer Mary Korn, made Priyanka "very tired''. But it was definitely worth it, she says

"Today, I may not be able to beat another boxer in a boxing ring, but I'l l be able to give her a tough fight I've l earnt that much"

The experience has also led to the realisation that women must learn some form of self-defence

Given the way Indian society is changing, viewers are beginni ng to expect Bollywood films with strong female lead roles Priyanka, like some of her contemporaries (Rani in Mardaani or Madhuri -Juhi in Gu/aabi Gang), is happy to lend a hand Or a fist!

I think girls should be able to do what they want, be free and not be worried about protecting themselves But I think that in the wor l d that we live in today, unless the l aws that have been made to protect us have been implemented well enough, we should learn some form of self-defence just for confidence

"You may not be able to beat a guy who's coming at you, but you'l l be abl e to put up a fight. And that can really scare some people off. So, with that, you wil l be able to say, 'You cannot take advantage of me"'.

All that toughness has definitely been showing in the last few weeks, as the 32-year- old has been tire lessly promoting her latest film wh il e still working on her new project Oil Dhadakne Do, battling the flu, and managing to fit in some h igh-profile partyi ng such as with the President of India at Rashtrapati Bhavan or mock-spa rr ing with mega star Amitabh Bachchan on the sets of his KBC. Mary Kom , directed by first-timer Omung Kumar, wil l prem i ere at the Toronto International Film Festival on 4 Sept.

The film has been given tax-free status in many Indian states

Kapoor sisters are besties for life

They are more than just siblings Actress Sonam Kapoor and her producer sister Rhea are best buddies too, with Sonam seeing her sister as a phi losopher and guide

The duo had worked together i n the 2010 release Aisha; their next project together i s Khoobsurat a remake of Hrishi kesh Mukherjee's hit 1980 movie of the same name

"When we worked on Aisha she was 2 1 and I was 23,"said Sonam. "For that film PVR be l ieved in us as a team, and now Di sney has"

"Rhea and I are partners in whatever we do and this is another project that we felt worked and it's a new way of showcas ing something She i s my business partner and my best friend We work and live together," she added However, she admits that, being two very different personalities, they can h ave differences of opinion - even sisterly catfights, but it's al l part of the game and no harm is done.

Directed by Shashanka Ghosh, Khoobsurat marks popular Pakistani actor Fawad Khan's Boll ywood debut

"The film is an ode to Hrishikesh Muherjee's films We are fans of Mili, Guddi and Khubsoorat. The basic premise is the same, it's about this young g ir l coming into the fami l y and making their li fe khoobsurat but the story is completely different," she sa i d

Bipasha for Honey Singh

Actress Bipasha Basu is so impressed with rapper-singer Yo Yo Honey Singh that she is keen to work with him

"I will be foolish if I don't want to;' Bipasha said on the sets of Honey Singh's singing reality show India's Raw Star "I wou l d l ove to work w ith him because his songs are very popu lar. People love his songs and you can rea ll y dance to them He has got a great groove to al l his songs''. Further praising him, the 35-year-old said: "Honey Singh has the magic touch He is the Midas man of music today"

With i n a short span oftime, Honey Singh has become quite popular in B-town Right from superstar Shahrukh Khan to megastar Amitabh Bachchan, he has composed and sung for most of the top-notch actors His biggest hit was Lungi Dance for Chennai Express Recent ly, Sonakshi Sinha featured in the music video Desi Kalakaarfrom his upcom ing al bum

As of now, Bipasha i s looking forward to the release of her fi l m Creature 30 on Sep 12

Big B trends on Twitter with 10 million

Megastar Amitabh Bachchan, an avid user of socia l media has amassed a following of over 10 mi llion users on Twitter His target is to double the figure "Thank you all that follow me! Next target 20," Amitabh tweeted recently

K.APOOR

The most followed Twitter user in India, the 7 1-year-old is known for h i s versatility on the p l atform

He keeps h i s fans entertained by frequent ly tweeting about issues of national and i nternational importance, sharing moments from his personal and professiona l life, and connecting with his fans personally by replying to them directly on Twitter, through over 33,000 Tweets t ill now

The actor is also known for initiating new trends on the platform and recently launched an initiative called #BachchanBol via which every Wednesday, the actor shares fun and interesting facts with his followers. Go Bi g B!

Mardaani-style policing not ideal for police: Human rights body

Impressed by Rani Mukerji 's new movie Mardaanl, which sees the actress playi ng a po lice officer on a m i ssion against trafficking of girls, a top police officer in Bihar had requested district chiefs to arrange shows for al l policemen to take inspiration from i t for the fight against chi ld trafficking

The Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has written an open letter urging that this shou ld not be allowed because the styl e of policing in the film promotes "violent" and "encounter- style" pol icing i n the name of"efficiency"

The CHRI says, "No doubt the heroine of Mardaani, Shivani has certain qualities that every police officer must uphold Honesty and corrupt ion- free po l ice conduct is what the public l ook up to police officers for However, Shivani's conduct invol ves gross violations of the Constitution, cr iminal procedure, and fair tr ial rights of the suspect. The i ncreased emphasis on violence as the so lution to solving al l probl ems re-emphasises bad practice, wh ich the po l ice i s everyday being accused of"

The organ isation commends the film for cr itically examining and continu ing the

soNAM

debate on tackling sex trafficking

However, it notes, "Your endorsement promotes violent and 'encounter-style' policing in the name of'efficiency'.

Criminals must be brought to justice through legal and responsible policing, el se we risk losing the distinction between criminals and the police service"

Do take note, Rani and YRF!

lndiawaale will become dance anthem: Shekhar

Shekhar of composer duo VishalShekhar says their song lndiawaale, which they've composed for Shahrukh Khan's forthcoming film Happy New Year, will become a dance anthem.

Vishal-She khar, who performed at a Bangalore Ganesh Utsav event recently,

WI-IO

rocked the charged crowd with their hit numbers, but it was lndiawaale that brought the house down Shekhar said they got goose bumps when the crowd of 30,000 began singing along to the new song

The song was re l eased on 3 Sept.

Di rected by Farah Khan, Happy New Year is scheduled for Diwali release

Sridevi is a hit in Japan!

Sridevi's comeback vehicle English Vinglish has registered a box office collection of $1 milli on in Japan. The veteran actress is elated The movie, backed by Eros International, cont inues to perform wel l at the box office after hitting theatres in Japan June 28

After releasing in 33 screens i nitially, the

WORE IT BETTER?

film opened to audiences in another 17 odd screens additiona ll y, taking the total screen count to SO in across 20 cities in Japan

Sridevi is happy with the dream run of the movie, which tells a moving tale of a home-bound woman who doesn't know English and how an overseas trip hel ps her to bring out the best in her

"I am flattered with all the love and affection the film continues to receive and thank the director Gauri Shinde for making such a wonderful fi lm;' she said

Finding Fanny will ORen avenues for English films:

Karan Johar

Filmmaker Karan Johar, who is associated with Hindi commercial blockbusters, is hopeful that Engl ish language movie Finding Fanny will open avenues for more such cinema

The film narrates the story of five oddballs who venture out in search of a friend called Stefanie Fernandes On their journey, they find meaning to their otherwise pointless lives. Karan 's good friend Homi Adjania has directed it.

Karan feels that Finding Fanny is a step ahead of the Homi's previous directorial venture Being Cyrus

"I really, really hope the film does well It opens many more doors and windows for this kind of cinema;• he added

Presented by Fox Star Studios, Finding Fanny is produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films The film, a quirky satirica l comedy, releases Sep 12 It features Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur and Dimpl e Kapadia in key roles

Gwyneth Paltrow or Kareena Kapoor in Bibhu Mohapatra?

Share your views with us on our Facebook page / lndianLinkAustralia

The film has been picked for the Busan Internationa l Film Festiva l in South Korea in October, where it will be screened alongside other Indian films Haider, Margarita With A Straw, Labour Of Love, Goli Soda and Zahir as part of the 'A Window on Asian Cinema ' category at the festival.

BIPA S HA BA S U

AMITABH BACHCHAN

RANI MUKERJI

Trials an tri ulations

As many prepare for their final HSC exams, one student is sad to let go ofsome of the perks

r,BY ANONYMOUS

For all tbe year twelve smd encs reading chis, n ow that trials are over, it's rime t o revise fo r the HSC. Thar mean s countless past papers, revisi n g notes and many lace nights spe nt writing essays. Although I have a lot to do and stress about, and I can't believe I'm saying tl1is, I'm ac tually s ad tbat my HSC year is comin g co an end. Acmally, l t hi n k we have to take a moment to be tbankfuJ for the HSC. lt'.s true, ove r the course of thi s year, the HSC has give n us -

• A free pass from all chores or h ousework o f any kind

• An unquestionable excuse to get ou t of any relarive's party

• An excuse to prevent an y annoying relarives coming to our h ouse (ParticuJacly tl1o se wi th young children w ho barge into my room and m ess everytl1i ng up)

• An excuse to leave an y irritaring guests in the living room so I can go watch Youtube in peace in m y bedroom

Ok, I admit it, I m ight have a prob lem w i th m y family; J 've had m y room messed up one too many ri m es

But the re's more, the HSC has given me -

• Co untl ess trips to KFC and Ivfa ccas at a moment's norice

• A d oting mom who is always understanding and willi ng co clean m y room

Hey, rega rdless of wh o actually keeps m y roo m clean, I like it neat ok, it's tbe princip le!

It has also gi\7en me -

• Ao excuse to waste, I m ean use, thousan ds of dollars ~1f my parents hard earned mone )' on tutoring an d textbooks I will never look at again

• A n excuse to eat baclly, sle ep b adly and not do any exercise at all (besides my desperate walks between tl1e cupboard, fridge, cupboard, fridge)

• An excuse to not learn how to drive, get a jo b or contribute in any meaningfu l w ay to society

• A hig h speed internet connection, which 1 always use for, let's face it, Yourube

• A n overseas trip to India at the encl o f the year

• Most importan tl )', an exc u se to not give my mum back m assages o nce every two days W hil e there will be re.lief when tl1e HSC is finally over for me at the encl of October, it's acmally quite a bittersweet moment, I can no lo nger bluclge off my parent's money, and I

have to acrually go outside an d talk to people. I don't knm,v about you, but I wouldn't mind a couple extra mo n ths of sd1ool. I guess tl1e o nly problem I have now is finding a discount wood chipper to rent Hey, I'm never going to read those text books again, I might as well assist in tbe r ecycling pr ocess!

I wish yo u all the best for your HSC and I hope you enj o y the final weeks of school - they'll be over before you know it.

INDIAN LINK: NEWS ON Tl-IE GO!

Booking a holiday? To keep up with the different ways we now book holidays, travel agents no longer need to be licensed Whether you're booking on line or with an agent, you have rights under the Australian Consumer Law . And there are a few things you can do to make sure your holiday goes as planned.

IIJ Book through a reputable agency or supplier

Look for an agent accredited through ATAS or another scheme

ft

Look for basic security features when booking online

0 Always read the fine print before signing anything

If you use a credit card, you may be able to seek a chargeback if you don't get what you paid for

Booking a holiday?

PACK SOME PEACE OF MIND.

Find out more at packsomepeaceofmind.gov.au