2014-12 Melbourne

INDIAN LINK

PUBLISHER

Pawan Luthra

EDITOR

Aajni Anand Luthra

ASSISTANT l:DITOR

Kira Spucys-Tahar

MELBOURN!: COORDINATOR

Preeti Jabbal

CONTRIBUTORS

Usha Aamanujam Arvind, Swathi Bhargav, Jyoti Shankar, George Thakur, Dhanya Samuel, Nancy Jade Althea, Ritam Mitra, LP Ayer

Modi photos: Raka Mitra; AAP

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IACF, take a bow

wo rked diligen tly beh ind the. scenes, unflappab le as he got things do n e with cl arity in execution Balesh Singh

D ha n kh ar is the m a n who wo rked tirelessly with the medi a. \Y/e at lndim1

We r an in o ur Sydney iss u e an edi torial p iece about the passio n w ith whkh

IACF (I n dian A u strali a n Co m munity Forum) carried out t h e m am m oth task of organis in g the Community R ecep tio n o f the Indian Prime ~fin iste r Nare n dra Mod i in S ydn e y

Never h ave \Ve repea ted the same theme in successive edito rials, b ut chi s tim e, we h ave co make an exc eptio n

O ur analysis of t h e event: absol utel y brillia n t.

T hose w h o put togeth er the

A Uphones Arena eve nt, t ake a bow. Yo u have l )ee n magnifice nt i n what yo u d elivered, n or only to all chose who a t tended t h e h is to r ic occ as io n , b u t a lso to t hose who in te ra cted with you in t h e lead up to the show.

Nihal Agar as the ch airman was a t rue. l ead er - a brillia n t d elegat or, he dem o n stra ted a great abil ity to c o mmu n ica te and lead with id e as The very quiet achiever San jeev Bhakri

Li11k ma d e sure h e was \VO r ked bard - be it for media pa sses for our p h otog rap hers a nd repor ters or access to a Li ve feed to broadcast Prime Jvlinister

Modi 's speech Live o n India n Li nk R adio.

Ne\' er was a request too di ffi c ult; nev e r did a re x r or m essage go u n answered San jay Dulloo, Mohan Vijayragh avan and od1e r s o n the org anis in g committee were quick ro respon d and i m p r essed with the ir e ffi c iency

To the 400- p lus volunteer s, t h e I ndian co mm u ni ty, and in d eed India n govern ment o f ficial s, owes a de b t of gratitud e for t h e won d e r ful work they did in ma king 17 , ove mb e r trul y a mag ical Mo n day Thei" r sh ee r h ard work and unbelievable com mitme n t saw this event li ve up to expec tatio n s. It s howc ased our sm all community to the res t of A u stralia, to our ho m e co u n t r y India , and to our cousins in tl1e diaspora O n e won de r s, n ow tbar th is h as bee n d o n e, w h at other wonderfu l work c a n be done toge tl1er as a com muni t y - an l n di an A u stralian re tire m ent village, ad opti ng a v iUage o r two in In dia, fu n di n g a trust fu nd fo r Indigen o u s

educa ti on in Anstrali a Jet's keep the m o m en rum goin g le w a s also p l easi n g to see th e publi c ga lleries at the Australian P arliam ent o ve r Aowing with In dia n s d urin g Prime M inister M o di's ad dress co the joi nt hou se. For t be 450 -p lus people it was in deed a proud occas io n to bear th e fi rst ad dress b y an Indian P rime i'vlinister to law ma kers in ou r n ew ho m e. T h e ir respect for bim was clearly o n show W hat was also p leasi n g was n oti n g tl1e estee m with w h ich the business o rgani sation Australia I ndi a Business Council is held, as its Natio n a l. Ch air D ipen R ughani and V ice C h air S h eba N andkeolyar were actuall y in rb e C h a m be r it sel f in a special sea ting. T hat t h e o rga n isation has established i tself in the hearts and minds of die cu rrent gove rn me n t is in deed a credit co the m T h i s was furthe r evide n t at Gove rn ment House i n Melbourne, wher e at a functio n h osted by AIBC, the top busin ess lead ers of both countries interac t ed with each other and with PM Mod i an d bis rea m seamlessl y. A mi rabh Matmo o f tl1e Austra li a India Institute impressed in hi s states m a n - li ke role at the for m al eve nts

AII in all, th e Allpho n es Are n a eve nt for Prime ~finis t e r arendra Modi has shown that as a co m rmmi ty, we ca n in deed mu t e a nd de liver

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Everyday 10:30a m - 12:30p m, 6:30p m - 8:3 0pm

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PUBLIC TALKS

Chai and Conversation

Tues 9 Dec 3.30-4 30pm

The Australia India Institute presents Prof Monika Arora speaking about government tobacco control and the effects of tobacco use on health outcomes in India. Held at the Upstairs Seminar Room of the All University of Melbourne, 147-149 Barry St, Carlton.

The Ideas Soiree

Tues 16 Dec S.30-6.30pm

The Australia India Institute presents Bridging gaps in engineering

WBA.T'SON

education, with Dr Ashis Jalote Parmar If India wants to compete with the world's best in developing innovative products and technology, it must harness the strengths of a multidisciplinary education system Held at the Upstairs Seminar Room of the All , University of Melbourne, 147149 Barry St, Carlton

STAGE

A Tribute to the Legend Rajesh

Khanna

Fri 12 Dec 6.30pm

Au st ralian Associat ion for Indian Culture and Education Inc presents an evening In tribute to Rajesh Khanna wi t h golden songs from the 1970s Held at Visy Cares Hub Aud itorium, 80B Harverster Road, Sunshine

Tickets: $15 adults, $10 cone

Contact: Amitabh 0422 028 076 or Plyu 0413 156 139 or visit http://www.aaice org au

MISC

Free English courses at Universal Institute of Technology

UIT are offering free courses in Certificate I in EAL Access (English Addit i onal Language), Certificate II in EAL (Access) Certificate Ill and Certifica t e IV Further Study Al l English courses are open to people 17- 90 years old. Courses run for six

months. Check website for eligibi l ity. Held at UIT, Level 4,398 Lonsdal e Street, Melbourne

Details: www uit.edu au

I mple mentation of Bi om etric Data

Collect ion in Australia for all types of I ndian Visa

The Government of India is presently rolling out Biometric Data Collecti on for Ind i an Visa globally and also already impl emented this in several countries This is part of the larger IVFRT Program (India Visa and Foreigners Registration and Tracking System).

Applicants seeking to appl y for a visa from 1 October 2014, will need to have an appointment made on line at www vfsglobal.com\ region\austra lia and wi l l also need to complete th e application process on line The appointment process is in l ine with streamlining the submission process at the India Passport and Vi sa Application centr es managed by VF S Global across Aust r alia Walk in appl i cants will therefore

not be accepted from 1 October 2014 and all applicants w i ll need to have an appointment made pri or to su bmission Biometr ic Data coll ection wil l be a mandatory req u i rement with effect from 1 SOctobe r 2 014

As Biometri c Data including fi n g erpri nt data and fa cial imagery will need to be collected, all visa applicants will need to be physically present (mandatorily) at a v i sa appl i cat i on centre.

Submi ssion for all other applicati ons including Passport, OCI and miscell aneous consula r services will also require an appointment to be made onlineat www vfsglobal. com \ reg i on \ australia with effect from 1 October 2014

Diplomatic Personnel are ex empt from applying at a vi sa application cent re and may lodge th eir applications directly at the High Comm ission of In d ia in Canberra or Consulate General of India i n Sydney, Melbourne or Per th

For any fu r ther i nformation please contact: MC Bhagat 03 96826203

Shaping India's destiny

Modi blew us all away. But then, we always knew he would

aviJlg captured the imagination of ffiillions back home with his radical ideas and \7 isionary beliefs, India's charismatic ne,v Prime 1-finiscer Narendra Modi aka NaMo, finall y touched base with expatriates as Sydney rolled out d1e red carper for a rock stat reception, uni ting the heterogeneous d iaspora in a show of strength.

It was a magical Monday chat will be etched in our memories forever. Even the Australian dignitaries gathered on the o ccasion watched on in awe, lapping up the thuodemus applause and freezing the moment wid1 their mobile phones.

As I hopped off the train at Strathfield en roure to Allp hones Arena, an excited CityRail attendant lee me rbrough the electronic gates. "You must be going to meet your Prime Minister," he quipped.

The humble chaiwallah's rags -co- riches tale, scripted to perfec tion, like a Bollywood extravaganza, has clearl y struck a chord witb more tban just tbe deshis and videshis There had been media frenzy all week both on the domestic and international front. Expectations tao high, the mood was electric and Modimania gripped Sydney O lympic Park as 20,000 Indian Australian s congregated to finall y meet the man himsel f. The repercussions were felt far and wide And the show di dn't disappoint.

The doomsday prophets were nowhere tO be seen and naysayers we re clearly in the minority, drown ed out by the overwhelming exuberance.

Tapping into d1eir extensive resources, the Indian Australian Community Foundation unveiled an impressive performance. The arrangemen rs were impeccab leright from the free shurtle ro ticket distribution, crowd management co cultural showcase. A Modi -fied vegetarian menu was up for grabs to o in honour of the teetotaller. A large network of vo lumeers ensured the b ig night out unfolded without a glitch.

Every ethni c miuority was well represented including the Tibetans and Dawoodi Bohras, conspicuous .in their traditional attire and proud to be a part of celebrations. Religious differences were put aside, despite attempts b y some sections of media to harp on about unsavoury incidents of INDIANLINK

the past. India was .in the limelight and nothing else mattered.

The euphoria was palpable, rising to a crescendo when Modi finally took centre stage. And the g lobal audience listened in rapt attention.

Much has been written about his firebrand rhetoric and consummate showmanship but what d1e Allphones Arena witnessed on the historic occasion was simplicity of his vision and genuine desi re to uplift India, quite along t he lines of our freedom fighte r s. Hoping to ernulate Mal1anna Gandhi and Swami V ivekananda, Modi's grand plans are firml y centred on "s1naU" 1nen

''Many peop le hold dreams of doing many great jobs. Good luck to them, what I have to do is small jobs for smaller people and [make) the small peop le big. That is what I want to work for," he reiterated.

His vision of India is fmmded on egalitarianism and meritocrac y. "\Y/e weren't forrunate enough co fight for the country 's freedom, we didn't have the good luck to go to jail for India's independence. We couldn't die for the countr y, but at least we can live for the country. If we fight, if we struggle, it should be for our country," he further stated passionately, whipping up the spirit of nationalism for the first rime in post-colonial India.

\Xl hile nuclear power, clean

energy and regi onal security, figure prominentl y on 1v[odi's agenda, his immediate priority is a clean India - an India that we can all be proud of. Borrowing heavily from our traclitionaJ belief tlrnt cleanliness is next to godliness, Swach Bhaarath Abhi)'aan is not only his pet project, but one thm dominated hi s Sydney address.

"After so man y years of independence, not getting clean drinking water or electricity is so mething we are n ot proud of," the Prime Ministe r admitted with brutal honesty. "Basic sanitation and h ygiene are pressing issues. If we can make rhe countr)7 clean, it will be d1e b iggest service for poor people," he continued. " If you have any feeling co save rour country, tl1en you can clean up rhe image that the world has of L1dia."

E arlier, acknowledging the traditional owners of Australia, Nfodi spoke of shared valu es and common inheritances. O u tlining the extensive contributions of Indian Australians to their 'kar111q hhooml, he complimented them on rheir culture of hard -i.vork and dedication.

The role of rhe Anglo- Indian legacy in shaping the h istory of Australia did not go unnoticed "Australia is a beautiful country witl1 bountiful resources, but your biggest asset is yo ur peop le," he added.

But what struck Modi most was rhe dignity of labour. '1 have

always admired this concept. Here, a research scientist also works as a cab dri ver. There is no shame in hard labour," he noted , saluting the egalitarian spirit.

Pay ing trib u te co the strength of democrac y in tbe two countries, he firmly believes India would o nce again lead the world, as a young and energetic nation with "2,500 million arms".

" Democracy is a wonderful concept. I am here because of Indian democracy. Eve n a common man can climb greater heights in a real democracy like India."

Speaking personally to eve r y member of the gathering, he stated "I know many of you took great in terest in the Lok Sabha e lectio n s of 2014 I know that for you, it was not abo ut w ho wins or loses, it was about wanting co know w hen India will become like th e country that you are residing in."

Working closely with the diaspora, Modi hopes to deli ver on the herculean promises he has undertaken on common's man's beh alf. To chis end, he has alread y begun dismantling bureaucratic red tape and g.irganruan hierarchies that have sti Aed econo1111c progress

" Please let us open the window and let some fresh air in Let us breathe and live for the first time and savour the new found freedom," he added poignand y An astute leader, l\fodi is also

acutely aware o f the strength of youth power and is engaging with them as never before.

''\~'e want to achieve new heighrs of development, m y dear yotrng friends, and India has decided to concentrate on the you ng people," he h ighlighted "On the confidence of the ir t.alent, on d1e confidence of their capacity, they would become competent to help tbe whole world. I wish mat rhe whole wo rld shou ld come to India. The man u facmring sectors, mey sh ould come in because I wish that the youth of India should get emp loyment. I have decided that 100 per cent foreign investment will be allowed in tl1e railways I'm inviring everyone - please come, please come and invest in India's future."

The emerging superpower is cl early open for business, as l\fodi time and time again declared, and Australia will no longer be at rhe peripher y of it.5 visio n. Perhaps Indian Australians can play a greater role in shaping rhe destiny of their 111ath111hhoot11i.

1anme 1a oves

The Indian students' crisis lies all but forgotten by the very people that started it all

Just over five years ago, the lndian media mrned its b lowcorch on A u stralia and in one broad brush, painted the country as racist and unsafe for Indians. With little research o r analysis, the attacks on Indian students were loudly den ounced as rac ist and headline after headline screamed that the re was a jihad agafost lndians in Australi a Tirnt most of the racist claims were unfou nded and the prob lems random was soon clear, b u t the media had moved on and Australia was another story of tbe past.

Now six years down the track, the Incl.iao m edia descended on Australia to report not only o n the G20, but al so the great Modi mega event w hich now seems set to follow the new Indian Prime Minister wheneve r he goes overseas. If there are over a 100 TV channels in Incl.ia, it seems more than half were in Australia tr yi ng to find tl1at special story about Australia and Australians that could make good coverage.

Fortunately, tl1e time difference was such tl1at the scories filmed in Australia at midday could be televised live duri ng the next mornfog's peak viewing hours

Whi.le some TV channels sent ooJy one crew, tl1e anchor and the camera man, a number sent two crews, one each for their Hindi and English platforms.

A nd so, for four days running, vi ewers in India saw tlie front of tl1e J\Jl phones Arena, with TV reporters pointing excitedly to the posters behind tl1em of Kary Perry who was slated to perform tl1ere only days after PM Modi spo ke at the venu e.

The TV-wallahs were busy scouting fo r ideas to fill in tlieit time - and no doubt to justify to their bosses in India that their trip was money well spent. Thi s of course al.lowed a number of lndian Australians to get their 15 minute s of fame on Indian television. While the Modi event organisers had run up a number o f activities for them, such as a

visit to Sanskri t schools or a walk down Little India in Harris Park, the visi tors down tmder wanted their own sro.ries.

One c rew spent a few hours on tbe harbour o n tl1e Sydney

Showboat filming tlie breathtaking cabaret show by the Moulin Rouge girls in their full dance costumes and feath er headgear. Weaving these shots through interviews of guests on what they e11.-pected from the Modi visit, would have made for great visuals no doubt, but we wonder what the staunch Hindu allies of the BJP thought of this.

Another crew got a group of local Indians togeth er w ho recited poems about tl1e Indian Prime Minister.

Another spent a day filming at the local racl.io studio with talkback about tl1e PM Mocl.i visit.

And even as restaurants witl1 a Mocl.i Aavour me nu were visi ted, the Australian ga rbage collection system (with different b ins for refuse, recydable bottles and paper) were explained to viewers in India as a supp lement to l'v[odi's swatch bhamt campaign. In fact, by hook or crook, the Mocl.i- /ication of Indian Aus tralians, or of the Australian li festyle, was grabbing prime time in India.

Not a single TV crew t h ough, decided to relook at the stude n ts ' issue with a fresh perspective: why did you not hunt down Saurabh Sharma, the Melbourne youth who was brutally attacked on a train, and whose CCTV footage you aired all -day lo n g on a loop, creating the d ipl omatic impasse between the two countries tlrnt h as take n years to rebuild? If you had, you

woul d have found out tl1at be is happ y and healthy, and travelled b y the same train at t h e same time of night each n ight, long after the in cident, and that a compassi onate A u stralian dentist actua11y paid all of his medical costs Now would that not have been a sto ry?

And while all of tliis was on, expe r ts we re paraded on split screens in India as they spoke about mumal oppormnities between t he two countries. While tlie concept was good, it was painful to watch so -called experts who had little idea about ground realities. According to one 'expert', ther e are over 700,000 Indians in Australia curren tl y, and numbers will be up to 1,000,000 in three or four years. Sure, inflate tl1e initi al number b y 40 per cent and be out by over 10 years in your analysis, as long as the facts do not get in the way of a good story! (Post tlie ev ent, one 'expert' even claimed that Narendra Modi had staged

t he entire AUphones Arena event himself by fl ying planeloads of people &om India to Australia.)

TI1e anchors on India's many news channels threw to their reporters in Australia frequently, but too often mouthed tlie words "lndo- An1ericao relationship", perhaps by sheer fo rce of habit, instead of "Indo-Australian " , and neatly all of them referred to the Australian PM as Ton y 'Abort'. Let's just hope tliis does not trans late inro actio n as far as the renewed relationship between tlie two countries is concerned!

Meanwhile, for Indian viewets tl1emselves, tl1e news segm ents were sometimes sketchy, and man y people actually believe that the "Modi Express" is a regular train ch at now runs between :Melbourne and Sydney, inaugura ted to coincide witl1 Mod.i's visit.

As for the local lncl.ia nAustralians, eve ryone claimed repeatedly that they were 'excited' about the PM's visit, b u t failed

to say why or to elaborate any fi:trther.

But on 'J'v[odi magic Monday', the TV-wa!Jahs did their job well, taking up posi tions around Allphones Arena as hordes of Indian Australians found their way to the stadium Local media al so joined in with four channel s - 7, 9, 10 and ABC - also hav ing tlleir teams at the venue. \Xfitl1 p lenty of co lour and with the clashing of the garba sticks and me drums and the exuberance of the people, there were some fantastic filming optio n s J\nd as the crowds moved into tl1e arena, the TV crews followed and a lot of Australia beamed its way into the living rooms o f Incl.ia. Friends and families seeing their loved o n es froiu down under on the ir TV screens were busy cal.ling up or Whats -appi ng.

The media filled its role to inform a n d entertain and tl1e ches t beating about racism and student v io lence were a thing of the past.

The Modi Express was a train journey with a twist

' BY ,, __ i PREETI JABBAL

Ddhi hoJ'a A hmedahfld, Nm1mdra lvlodi Zilldflbad chanted the people ab oa rd the famous 'Mod i Express' as it trundled towards Sydney to afford a rous ing welcome to Indian Prime l'viinister Narendra Modi.

D ecorated w ith garla nds and festoons, draped in Ind ian colours, the Modi Express transported 220 passengers to Sydney to witness a histo ric ad dress by the Indian Prime l\{iniscer at the Allpho n es Arena.

Much bas been said and w r itten about the train that was flagged off, amidst great ceremony by Victorian Multicul tural Nlinister Matthew Guy, from l\1elbourne's

So u thern Cross Station

Io an attempt co capture the mood and excitement, we spoke co some passengers about their experien ce on the Modi Express.

Dharmenclra Patel from Ah m edabad was one of the supporters on board the train.

"The crowd was exultant from the moment we left Melbomne No one woul d have slept for more than a coup le of hours as we danced and sang through the entire trip,' Patel said

"There were arrangements for dhol and ocher m u s ical instrw11ents and an enormous amount of ta len t to keep th e entertainment going," he continued. "I am a big fa n of Prime Mi nister Modi and so were a lot of other people chat I met on the journey. Our common respect for him created the foundation for new friendships as we exchanged contact5 and made promises to keep in cou ch."

According to Patel, who is the

M anaging Director of Auss izz Group, the Modi Express added g reat weight to d,e welcome that the Indian Australian community wished to offer to the Indian Prime Minister Aloke Kumar from Mumbai Spices provided the catering for the trip. "It was in honom for us co be i nvolved in any way wit h this experience of a life time," Kumar said "We w ished co pay tribute to the Pri me :Minister by offering food of h is choice Vegetarian food was provided including vadt1 }flil, vegetable hi1ya11i, paneer /Jl{Jkhani, salad and g11/,1bj11t11tm For breakfast we had Kha111at1 Dhokla We a lso got special p ackaging c reated for me Modi Express." Kumar continued, "\'(/e were so proud to be on that train. It was wonderful to see so many people come together for the san1e cause.n

The train's journey was a symbolic tribute to PM l\fodi's humble beginnings as a tea vendor at a railway statio n , Kumar said

It also reflected on the Indian diaspora's love for me Prime M inister.

_Molina Aschana, Principal Solicitor at d1e V ictorian Governmenr's Solic itor's Officer agreed. "It was an interesting experience and it was good to be pare of the euphoria and connect with l.ike minded peop le," sh e said ' 'The journey reminded me of d1e train trips in India that involved food, famil y, friends and lots of fun I particularly enjoyed t he discussions we had on India and its fumre as well as the singing and dan cing all the way," Asd1ana con tinued. "\'v'hilst there was no official welcome party for us when we arrived in Sydney we received a lot of media atcention and it was good to be involved wi d1 something so big " Sharing her experience of the expedition, Monica Raizada from Ramon Consulting and Financial Services said, " It was a very well organ ized event b y the Overseas Fr ien d s o f BJP Australia (OFBJP) w ith positive energ y all round in suppo r t of a good leader."

According to Raizada, the trip was like be ing part of an Indian weddiug procession (bamat) with endless good food and non- stop

enrertainment

"\Xlhile the trip was lots of fun there was also a sense of community interest, with t.a.lks on how the commu nity can make a difference uuder an inspiring leader," Raizada continued. "Ptime Minister Modi has made a clifference with his new government and clean up campaigns offering great hope to India. He has also been instrumental in creating a better relationship with Australia and od1er parts of the world I t was a delight to be pare of his welcome co Australia." For unbelievable low

Aussizz Group proud sponsors of Modi E xp ress would like to thank all supporters for Modi E xp ress.

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On the road with Namo

Trying to keep up wi th a man who barely sleeps is exhilarating as well as exhausting

•

' I , BY l PAWAN LUTHRA -·

Never did I imagine that I would be in three c ities in two days tracking the Indian Prime Minister.

I was there as he entered through the metal doors at a private reception fo r the Indian community, prior to his historic address to over 16,000 delirious fans at the rlliphones Arena in Sydney. I also bel.i eve that I was the onl y person who captured h is final wave as he wallced away through the glas.s door at the side after the state dinner hosted b y PM Tony Abbott ar the MCG.

M y humble camera captures bodi these moments, albe.it badly. Between these two moments, 1 followed d1e fre n zied build -up to his visit co Australia as hordes of Indian media descended on Sydney, for an event expected to. surpass the Indian PM's American address at the Madi son Square Gardens. The morning of 17 November dawned bright and clear, and I am sure the organisers could have filled out the 50,000 p lus seats at the Sydney Cricket Ground with people wanting a glimpse of this man known for his winning oratory.

After finishing late at night at the Ailphones Arena in SycL1ey, 1 took a n early morning Right to Canberra co w itnes~ Prime Minister Modi receive the guard of honour from the Australian Federation Guard made up of members of the Royal Australian Navy, Australian Arm y and Royal Australian Air Force. The canons boomed in die front court of the Parliament H o use as Australia's finest honoured the Indian Prime Minister, v,;-lule hordes of Australian Indians cheered on from the sid es

The public gallery at the Australian Pacliame n t Chamber

was overflowing w ith invited guests who sat quietl y waiting for the official p roceedings to begin at 10 05 am.

As P1,[ Modi entered, escorted by the Sergeant at Arms, d1e gallery could not restrain their applause.

Mr Modi spoke eloquently in his third language of English (after Gujarati and Hindi). While his address had ligh t- hearred moments, which had die Parliamentarians laughing politely, he also hardened his tone as he made clear that all countries, including China, have to Jive peacefully in the East As ia region. Ir bodes well for the Australia-India relationship that he got mobbed by the Australian MPs on his way out.

Later, as T crisscrossed m y way to Me lbourne via Sydney (as all flights to l'v[elboume &om Canberra had been booked out) , I could see Air India One (also referred to as Al- 1 or AIC001 ) on the tarmac at Canberra airport Thought abom asking for a lift (hey, fellow Indian to fellow I ndian, why not?), but decided against it as I saw the heavy Special Protective Group (SPG) out in full force.

M y d1ird c i ty in a day got me to Melbourne for a business leaders' meet and then a community meetand-greet at Government House The Grand Hall was overflowing again, and it seemed the Modi Express had travelled in reverse, bringing Sydneysiders south to Melbourne.

While PM Modi was being feted by the corporate gurus in a private session, other stalwarts such as those &om the field of sports got a chance to do so at d1e less fo r mal community meet. The chants of " Modi! Modi!" were heard yet again from the crowds, even though d1is tinie rmmd, Modi appeared more subdued.

\'v'as it a deliberate attempt to show less bravado an d more restraint, to fit the occas ion? Or was it a to uch of exhaustion, given the hectic schedules of the past few days?

Perhaps in Sydney the ability to talk in H.indi gave him a natural flow, and the sheer occas ion of Canbe r ra brought o u t the orator in him But the tank seemed a bit empty in Melbourne.

Yet at the hallowed grounds of the MCG, PM Modi cook some time to "examine" the pitch. I almost expected him to take d1e ke ys out of his pocket to rest the softness and dampness on the pitch to g ive the Indian cricket team a heads - up as what to expect when they p lay there on Boxing Day But in the spirit of fair play, or perhaps in fear of being shirtfronred b y Tony Abbott on this unsporting gesture, he resolved instead to simply enjoy the n1C>ment.

At the reception that followed, one could hear the quiver in the voice of Prime 1'Iini ster Abbott. Wonder if the Indian TV stations played Dire Stea.its' 'Brothers in Arms' as Tony Abbott and arendra Modi gave each other a hug Modi's demeanour also cracked as he felt the genuine affection in the room.

The Private Members Dining area was anytb.ing but private as die State Banquet hosted by PM Tony Abbott brought out the corporate e lite, the Indian Australian community, academics and business leaders The evening went imo wind-down mode wi th entertainment from The String Divas and Circus Oz.

To bon our tlie Indian Prime Minister the trio from The String Diva belted out the tmofficial national anthem of India, '.Jai Ho' And while be no doubt enjoyed this number, it was the ABBA

song 'i\famma M ia' wh ich had his host Tony Abbott d o a jig 011 his seat. One almos t expected him to ask Modi to join .in a b it of a dance, but tmfortuuacely there were no garba sticks availab le to create this ABBA - Falguni Pathak fusion.

Mr Modi had a quizzical look on his face as the medley of ABBA songs continued (yes, my camera did capture that) and he was thankful for tlie diversion by Estelle Parker from DFAT who got his attention. She had bee n in charge of raking care of Mr Modi when he vis ited in 2001 and wanted to say hello Much to her delight, he r emembered her and warmly rook both her hands in his as he introduced her to Mr Abbott.

Even as Mr Modi expressed his gracimde to a friend from 13 years ago, Australia's r ichest person and the world's sixth richest woman, Gina Reinhardt stood patiently b y co talk ro the two Prime :Mi n iste rs.

While politics and business minds interacted , tlie two 'Can Do' Prime Ministers (perhaps Commonwealth Bank needs to trade mark ilieir slogan) aho posed for photos w:ith not only Gina Reinhardt but yours truly as well. Noc far from chem sat cricket legends from both sides such as Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, VVS Laxman, Steve Waugh, G lenn McGrath, Michael Kasprowi cb, and business figures such as Ashok Jacob, Maw:ice Newman, V is hal Sikka and Manoj Nagpaul. And seemingly the full front bench of the Abbott go\Tetomenr.

And then it was time co go. Show ing amazing dexter ity for

a 64-year-old man, and with a puffing PM Abbott struggling to keep up (note photo) , Modi, with a wave of his hand, was gone. And so it was veni, vidi, vici - Modi came, saw, conquered - tlie hearts and minds of people down under

IS eran I

PM Modi's highly anticipated visit to Melbourne was a grand success for the business community

Drawing attention to his economic agenda, Prime Ministe r Modi's one- day trip to Melbourne was set to cast a pos itive influence on the advancement of bil ateral ties and promotion of mutual trust between i\ustralian and Indian businesses

Dm·ing his vi sit the Indian Prim e l\llinster met CEOs of Australia's top indu stry companies including BHP Billiton Linfox, Hancock Prospecting Group and Visy lndustries.

Accompanying PM i\fodi were CEOs from leading Indian industry organisations including Gautam Adani of the Aclani Group, Anand Mahindra of multinarfonal automobile manufacturers Mahindra & Mahindra, Vishal Sik.ka of Infosys Ltd and Shashi Ruia. chairman of Essar Group.

V ic torian Gove rnor A.lex

Chernov hosted the round table conference at bis residence wh ere the Indian PM chose to address the .leaders in Hindi whicb was tra nslated into E nglish for everyone's benefit.

The forum comprised of business leaders, d elegates from India, journalists and m embers of the Australia. India Business Council (AIBC).

Arnirabb Mattoo, Director of the Australia India lnscimce, was the moderator of the round table event The Victo rian Governor lacer d escribed Australia India

Instin1te as the primary credible think- tank in this country on Australia India relations hi ps.

Du.ring the private event, Treasurer J oe Hockey co mmented briefly o n how, along with minin g, educatio n and the financial sector, it is paramount to focus on smal.l and m edium size emerprise.

According to i\fr Hockey the business- to-business oppomulities will play a key role in helping to further the trade relationship between lndia and Australia.

The business leaders unanimously acknowledged the extraordinary growtli tliac India is poised co e"-perience This will create several opportunities for Australian s to engage w ith India wh ilst forgi ng a bond based on common strategic interests, trade and economic ou tlook.

Responding to tlie suggestio n s put forward to hin1, tlie Indian Prime Jvlinister said he was personally committed to looking a t environm entally- friendly ways of furtlie ring d evelopment.

According to Modi, India requires a substanti al amount of energy

to con tinue its growth. Wit.Ii tl1e push co make India a gasbased econom y, any package that combined these t\vo sectors wo uld be of interest to] ndia

Praising the V icrorian Government for its initiatives in promoting ed ucation, the lndian Pcime Ivlitlister shared his two main areas of focus in the educatio n se cto r. O n e was co encourage young people from India an d Australia to collaborate and conduct b etter quality research , and the o tlier was for selec ted schools from both countries co coordinate wit.Ii ea.ch otl1e r, through student exchanges, co create q uality education opportt1ni ties.

The PM also drew attention to the tourism sector and i ts tre m end ous possibilities. According co Modi, India has a l o ng coastline and the required clientele co sec up a su ccessful business in cruises. He invite d people to invest in developing touris m infrastruc ture i n India and in finding new aven ues to dev elop relarionsllips tbrough tourism.

According to the PM a large

number of Indian students have come to smdy in Au stralia and have belped co create a better understandi ng of India am ongst the common man in Australia. Thi s people-to- people contact has generated confidence an d as a result Australians are more willing to take cisks by investing in an d trading witb India.

Prime i\fo1.ister Modi concluded his address by inviting Austr alians to explore the many possibilities in lnclia and renlinded them of his promise co implem ent, very soon, a vi sa on arrival service fo r all Australians - including people making business tri ps to India

on

PM Modi outlines potential for Australian opportunity in India

After a full day of activities - addressing the Australian parliament, meeting witb business leaders - the popular Indian Prime Minister Narendra :Modi was whisked co the hallowed grounds of the iconic 161 - yearold Melbourne Cricket Ground (tvfCG)

There he was joined by Australian Prime M inister Tony Abbott as well as cricketing legends from both India and Australia, including Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and V.V.S. Laxman, Steve Waug h , Gle nn McGrath and Alan Border, for a tout of the turf.

Later, at the gala dinner hosted 11 y PM Abbott, Prime i\liinister l\fodi sought Australia's assistance in acce lerating lnclia's urbanisation process.

"A successful India will be a vast opportunity and a force o f good for the world. We look forward to closer parrnership with friends l ike Australia," Modi said at the dinner.

" lnd ia is experienci ng urbanisation at a rapid pace Studies suggest that by 20 3 1, 11 per cent of the world's urban populatio n might be in Indian cities "

He added that India already has more than SO cities with a p o pL1lation of o v er one million. ' 'U rbanisation can be an enormous oppottunity," Prime i\liinister Modi s aid.

He spoke of his plans to build 100 smart cities, revive heritage cities, bu.i.l d modern solid waste management and waste water treaanent systems in 500 cities, and clean up the cou n tr y's rivers.

"This is part of our larger vis io n of a sustainab le future for our countr y, and rransforming the quali ty of life of our peop le in cities and villages alike," the Prime i\liin ister said He hoped tbat India coul d learn from A ustralia's experie nce and benefit from its expertise and noted that Melbourne is regarded as rhe best city i11 the world to liv e in.

Modi $aid he wanted to bu.i.l d a future in which ev er y Indian can say tbat his life has improved and his environment has become better.

'1 am confident rhat we will

achieve it with the support of the people of Inclia, and th rough tbe talent and energ y o f 800 million yourh, below the age of 3 5 years," he said

"

(It is) a generation that is eager for change and committed to work for it ," the Prime i\liinister added.

Modi also s tressed oo the importance of relationships between people.

" One thing we all agree on. The bonds between the countries are made strong b y the jo ined hands of o ur peop le."

The Prime i\liinister also

areas too. "We have decided ro collaborate on a spo rts univ ers ity in India," he revealed " Our exchanges in sports, tourism , education and culture are g reat sources of streng th for our relationship," he stated. The Prime Minister thanked his Australian counterpart Tony Abbott for being " truly gene ro u s with your hospitality and warmth".

P Jvl Modi concluded, " M y m em orable visit ro Australia ends toni g ht, but a new journe y of our relationship has begun."

spoke about the love for cricket that both India and Australia share "No business is serious enough t o keep an Australian and an Indian from discu ssing this great game," be said

He recounted lndia's glorious cricket triumph at the MCG in the Champions Trophy in 1985 and said rha t the Ground woul d

b e a deserving venue for the final of tbe Cricket Wo rld Cup in 2015

"I bope that om· t\vo team s will play that match," Mocli said.

The Prime Minister also said that India can learn from Australia's famous sporting skills in other

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India's Narendra Modi charms Australia's Parliament as the two nations rebuild their relationship

arendra :Modi is offic ially tbe first Inclian Prime Ministe r to address the joint h ouses of .Australia n Parliament. O n 18 November at approxi mately 10.20 am, Modi rose to sh are his views on a wide rn nge o f topic s incl udiog the shared mi.Ji tar y history, democratic systems in the rwo countries, an d security in the region.

That it was a historic occasion was evident from the packed - totbe- rafters chambe r and tbe pin drop sile nc e as Mr Mocli spoke. In a most refreshing way, the Ind ian Prime Minister commenced his address as he did in Sydney the day before, with a special acknowledgetnenr of Incligenons Australi ans. Very early on, he made sure be bad the attentio n of hi s auclience by cleverly incorporati ng a new term in politic al parlance, o n e coi n ed by

Prime 1vlin.ister Tony Abbott onl y weeks ago. Modi had the House smiling when h e acknowledged their e ndura nce in hearing a third international leade r speak in as many d ays : "Maybe this i s Prime Nlinis rer Ab b ott's way of shirrfronting you," he suggested w ith a sm.ile.

The ir interest capmred, PM Modi went on co spea k about the common bond between the two countries which is etched deep into history. He spoke of the soldiers fro m both countries who d ied at Gallipoli; the architec t of Can berra, Walter Burley Gciffin, who lies buried in the old city o f Lucknow in India; and of Australian novelist and lawyer John Lang who foug h t the legal battle for Indian freedom fighter, the Queen of Jhansi, Rani Laxmi B'<li against the British East India Compan y in India's fitst War of Independence 150 years ago, and who n ow lies buried in Musso rie

Bnr wh at PM Modi highlighted was tbe princjple of democracy binding the two nations. ln a full frontal attack on China, whose Premier was still in Australia, Mocli said, "Today, as 1 stand in this cem p le of democracy, 1

consider natio n s such as ours co. be blessed, because democracy offers tbe best opportunity fot the human spirit to flourish , because we have the freedom to choose, the right to speak and t he power co remove - and, for us in politics, witl1 no optio n but to leave with gra ce."

Warming to the them e, Modi spoke abour the need for Australia and Inclia to work rogethe r to m aintain stability in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions \-X1e lc o m .ing Australia's ro le in the prosper ity and security of this region, Modi further said, "\Ve should collaborate more o n maintain ing m ar itime secur ity. \Ve should work togetl1er on the seas a nd collabo rate in internationa.l forums And, we should work for a universal respect for international law and global nor m s." The message was clearly sent to China that tl1ey n eed to be aware of India's d esire for a pace with Australia and Japan co counter their growing naval strengtl1

W itl1 the security issue on the table, Mr 1vlodi then bui.l t a case for greater econom ic engagement between the two countries.

Dangling the carrot of India's gro\ving economic middl e dass, 1viodi urged Australia to en gage more w ith India. He said , "I see Australia as a major partner in every area of our na tio nal priority. In prov.icling skills and education to our youth; a roof over eve ry head and electricity in every household; the most affordable healthcare fo r the most difficult diseases; the next generation of infrastructure that does n or take a toll o n our e nv ironment; energy tlrnt does not cause our glacie r s to melt - clean coal and gas, renewable energy or fuel for nudea r power; cities d1at are sma r t , susta.inab.le and liveab le; villages d1at offer opportunities; agriculture th ar y ields more and farms tha t are better connected to markets; practices and techn ology time save water " He also pro m ised d1at "Australia will nor be at the periphery of our vision, but at th e centre of our thought. So, we stan d cogeth er at a moment of enormous opportunity and great respo n sib ili ty. 1 see a great future of partnership between Inclia and Australia an d, a sh ared co mm itment to reali se it."

Tbe message ,vas clear. Inclia seeks Australia's h elp to counter balance the growing influence of China in the region. At the same ti m e , India is open for business, something which PM To n y Abbot has himself said about Australia. It seems d1at both are singing from tbe saine hymn sheet. The r efe r enc e to cricket, but of course, found its way i nto Mr Modi's address to highlight t he shared passions as well as the spo r ting rivalry between the two nations.

As l\fr Mocli concluded wi th a simple "Thanks a lot", it was clea r th at a watersh ed m oment in the history of the t\Vo countries had occurred

Amitabh Mattoo

CEO ofAustralia India lnstftute at the University ofMelbourne

No o n e had imagined that Australia's relations with India would almost transform after just one v isi t. Prime Minister Modi took tbe Aus tralian East Coast by storm, from Brisbane to MeJbourne through Sydney and Can berra, and he struck a chord wherever he wen t. Prime M inister Modi wowed his audienc es with h is formal E n glish speeches as well as his masterl y Hindi oratory Bue i t was not symbolism_ a lo n e, this was o n e of the most substantial visits ever undertaken b y an Indian leader.

Clearly, there is today a clear convergence of values and interests b etween India and Australia in almost ever y spher e: economic and trade; security and geo -strategy ; and peop leto - people. Bue it required the statesman ship of Modi and th e bonding of Ton y A b bott and Modi to translate a potential partnership into a genuine fri end ship. This has h appe ned I was given the honour of moderating the CEOs rou nd table with Mr Mod i at Government House in Mel bou rne on 18 November Australia n businesses have, in the past, been bearish a nd cautious about In dia and found i t difficul t to work with India.

Not so on this o ccas ion The creme de la creme of Australian businesses were there including Andrew Mackenzie, CEO of the world's lar gest resource comp any, BHP Billiton; M ike Smith, CEO of ANZ Banking Group; Sam Walsh, CEO of Rio Tin to; Anthony Pra tt, CEO of Visy; and Gina Rinehart, CEO of Hancock Prospecting Limited. They were tremendously excited by Mr Modi and his vision for t he Indian economy.

J\,[r Pratt annou nced the setting

up of a high level Leadership Dialogue between Australian and Indian business, p oli tical, and civil society lead ers. The Australia India Institute will run this dialogue.

Ancbo n y Pratt will be the founde r patron and Ross Fitzgerald o f V isy and l will co -chair th e dialogue. The Prime Minister blessed the d ialogue w hic h will take place annually beginning with Delhi next Octo b er.

All in all, we could uot have expected more fro m a vis it which h as, w ithout exaggeration, changed the course of Australia India relations, in every sen se of the word

Alex Hawke Federal Member far Mttche/l Chair ofthe India-Australia Parliamentary Network

I was extremely im pressed with the enthusiasm and admira tio n of the crowd at All p h o n es Are n a w h o came co see Prime i'vlinis cer Modi sp eak To have so many people attend an event for a world leader is truly exceptional. You woul dn 't get

30,000 Brits celebra ting David Cameron i f he visited Sydney, so this demonstrates the Indian communi ty's respect for Mr Modi as a man o f great stamre.

l was privileged co get co spend

a few m oments in conversation with Prime l\1liniscer Modi. He is a really good person - ordinary, down to earth and without hubris. It was lovely co meet with him. The m ost important fa cet of t h is v isi t for both the Ind ian and Australia n governments is the demon stra ted commitment tO accele rating the pace o f our relationship. There ha s always been a fu ndamentally good relat ionship, w ith our shar ed language, history and strategic interests, but there's potentia l to go further. \}.7ith two n ew governments, and two new Prim e Nlinisters ;vho seem to lik e each ocher and get on well both personall y illld policically, it is time for an acce lerated relationshi p. Both gover nm ents are keen co sign a Free Trad e Agreem en t as so on as p ossible. There is su ch a good Indian diaspora community h e re, es p e cially where m y electorate is in Weste rn Sy dney. The communi ty is thriv ing. People are running grea t businesses, settling their fa milies here, and the Indian migrant story is overwhelmingly successful. It's a great s toryIndians are peacefu l, commercially successful and have great fam ily life here in Australia.

Above

Amitabh Mattoo with PM Modi after the CEOs Roundtable; Above

Steve Waugh and cricket greats with PMs Tony Abbott and Narendra Modi

Steve Waugh

Former Australian cricket captain, 2 004 Australian of the Year, Officer of the Order ofAustralia

Prime Minister Modi is very positive, basically saying ' India is open fo r bus iness' It's the fastest growing eco.nomy in the world and I chink Australia would be mad n ot to do bus iness with India. We h ave a lot of similarities w hich are mentioned, a lot of similar interests, an d I don't think ,ve've don e enough in the past to build chose b r idges Cricket, is one commonality, obviously, but there's a lot of bus iness connections we sh ould foste r and Prime "/vlinister Modi certainly encouraged that coday.

I 'm launch ing a business today call ed Waugh Global Realty a nd I'll be looki ng co sell real esta te to NRis and also Iadians in India. I'm partnering up with some top devel o pers, so I'm starting a new bus in ess Bue Prime l\,finister Modi also spoke about education, sci enc e, agricul ture, i n frasrrucmre - there's a lot o f skills in A u stralia we can export ro India.

I think i t's a genuine war m th betwee n P rim e i\llinis ter Modi and Prime "/vliuister Abbott. We should strengthe n ties, perhap s more than we have,. I think Ton y Abbott realises we have a lot in com m o n , we can benefit a lot from the relationship with India, India can ben efit fro m a relatio n ship with us, and it's just smart business t ha twe're a ligning ourselves m ore closely

Gina Rinehart Chairwoman ofHancock Prospecting Group

It is such a n h onour co have your Prime l\1liniscer visiting us here i n Australia I am very taken with his qu ote, ·with hi s whole altitude, 'from red tape to red carpet' We have a loc to learn from your Prime Nliniscer and I hope our red carpet i s our co him

A lready som e of the steps that Prime l\i1inis ter Modi has taken make a lot of sens e. He's gone o u t there an d s aid he will be doing more for the mining industry to see it develop more in India I su spect chat means it w ill happen.

I think our Treasurer today in the earlier me etings expressed very well that he'd like to see a lot more happening between s m all business and medium b u siness as well W / e know about the big t hings, we know about L t P, we know about some of the commodities, but I think our Treasurer expressed very well that we should also see m ore happen between s mall to medium b u siness in Australia and small to medium business in India because there could be an enormous growth between tbe two.

Prim e Minister Abbott and Prime J'l'liniscer Modi seem very cl ose Th ere is a lot o f understanding, also, of course, sharing a democratic back groun d Th ere is an increasing Indian presence in Australia, there is increasing trade between our two countries. I hope, although it is alread y a warm relationship, chat it will get deeper at every level.

left:

right:

A powerful partnership

India and Australia agree on a new security cooperation framework

Inclia and Australia marked a new synergy in bilateral relations as they agteed on a framework for security co o peration to boost defence, c ivil nuclear and economic ties even as pj\,f N arendra 1fodi ended h is hectic five-day, four-city v isit of Australia.

The cwo countries .signed five agreements, including one on exchange of sentenced prisoners, whil e Modi also addressed die Australian parlian1enc, me first lndian prime minister to do so. After talks w im Prime :Minister Abbott in Canberra, both countries agreed to seek early closure on their civil nuclear agreement and co speed up negotiations on a b ilateral trade pace.

lnclia and Australia also agreed o n a framework for .securiry cooperation to reaffirm me bilateral strategic partnership. le calls

international fora ys like the East As ia Summit, me G20 and me

lnclian Ocean association.

Abbott said after the bilateral talks that Australia "will export uranium to India under su itab le safegnards, of course".

In a take -off on their

close sporting links, Abbott referred to die BJP goverru1iem's strong niajority in parliament, "Modi has the runs on di e board for getting the bureaucracy working (to get an y job done)."

In Melbourne, Mocli addressed business honchos, includ ing mining magnate Gina Rinehart, saying mat bis

cover other transnational crimes, including ongoing cooperation on illegal rnigra tion.

Both prime minister s directed that an equitable, balanced, mutuall y beneficial and high quality Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement be brought to an early conclusion. It said the Framework for Security Cooperation showed ''the unshakeable resolve of the two countries in combating and defeating terrorism, inducting threats posed by foreign fighters joining extremist groups".

The Aus tralian government will a lso relax visa restrictions for skilled migrants, in an effort to make die country more competitive A temporary work v isa, the 457 visa allows skilled workers to come to Australia and work for au appro ved business for up to four years.

Prime Nlinister Tony Abbort, a.long wid1 Trade

while not p lacing unnecessary ad ministrative burdens on business," the statement said. In a separate development, d1e government will introduce a new Premium Inv estor Visa (PlV), which offers a faster 12-month pathway co Permanent Australian residency than the existing Significant Inves tor Visa.

government was nnderra.lcing reforms to enhance die ease of doing business i n l nclia.

J\ joint statement said that the existing Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism would be renamed to

:t:,,[inister Andrew Robb, and Immigration and Border Protection Minister, Scott Morrison, announced several measmes wh ich will make i t easier for Australian businesses to employ skilled migrants.

"The 45 7 program must be a means of filling genuine skills gaps in die local labour market

for annual prime minisceria.l meetings, regular defence ministers' meetings and annual defence policy talks, and regular bilateral maritime exercises.

Both sides will cooperate to counter-terrorism. Australia will support Indian membership of d1e export control regin1es. Ir also calls for " early operationalisation of civil nuclear energy cooperation and Australia's support for strengthening India's energy security by supply of uraninn1 for India's safeguarded nuclear reactors".

Mocli said the t\.vo counu·ies had agreed to speed up negotiations on a Comprehensive Economic Paru1ership Agreement.

He sought easier access for lnclian business to the Australian market and quicker investment approvals.

Modi said both sides need to strengthen their security cooperation to combat terrorism and cooperate closely in

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More than 20,000 people gathered for a Community Reception in Sydney to see PM Narendra Modi

Young and talented Bollywood singer Arijit Singh performed his hit numbers

The crowd was restless.

The evening began wi th the dance troupe

Ja!iJJa performing to a fu sion of B-Town hits, but the audie nc e. wanted to see the musical genius.

As MC Sunny V interacted witl1 the audience, a spotlight foc u ssed on the stage and someone seemed

to appear out of nowhere. lt was tl1e man himsel f - Arijit S ingh.

Festival HaU in Melbourne indeed turned 'festive' as Singh's a:acks ec h oed throughout ilie venue wi th e1n1bera nce.

Arijit !mows his fa n s well, and his repertoire comprised a selectio n of his m ost popu lar songs. The show started with Tum bi ho the 'Love An th em' that fetched him h is enormous success

There was h ooting, cheering and thunderous app lause as he continued singing all his recent h its li ke Hai dii]eb 111Crt1, Sa11ffhavaa11 an d Kabbijo hadai harse

"/lap kn !Jrics)'aad kaise rebte hai, 1J1ain aksar bbooljaata bu," he said modestl y to tile audience iliac sang

a lo n g w ith him

After a series of e m otionstrung melodies, there came a sudden s hift co some foot-tapping numbets quite different from his forte of b reezy, so ft songs

A string of numbers foll owed in clnding tl1e likes of Be i11tcbaa11, Senorita, ]!)'a re and Tllahi The western influences made t he renditions by Arijit Singh a lot m ore enjoyable for the contemporary audie nc e in Aostralia

Besides being an acclaimed

singer, d1e remarkably talented guitarist came ro the li m elight after d1e 2005 reality show f">ame G,m1k11!

After an initial struggle, Arijit's career rook a leap with his debut Pbin11ob,1bhal in 2011 - 12. After th e stupendous success of Aasbiq11i 2 in 2 013- 14, t here has been n o looki n g back fo r d1is yo ung singing sensation.

Ar ijir performed n on-stop, ent!Jrallin g fans wi d1 his smile mroughout the evening, without a ny dip in h is seemingly e n dless

ene rgr

He surprised d1e audience with a spo ntaneous medley of so m e aU- time favouri tes in cluding Pehla 11a.sha, Jo waada kfya wo, Teri deetJJani, La,igi t11111se 111ar111 ki l11ga11, Knbbi aana t11 by Euphoria and many other yesteryear classi cs, while me audience. joined in wiili en tlrnsiasm and sang along.

A glowing p layback singer, Supriya Pathak, lent h er melodious voice to the duets

Organiser Rup esh Sing h , music direc tor Aadesh Srivastava and

Ed u cation Ce n tre of AustraLi a, together turned the event in to a grand success.

Spea king at me event, Sr ivastava announced iliac an Indian music college is in tl1e pipeline to en courage fresh talent in Melbourne.

Arij it sang the soulful Kabirn to e n d the show, receiving a gran d standin g ovation He left the stage b lowing kisses an d bowing to the audience And then, as swiftly as he had appeared, he was gon e.

Swathi Bhargav

Know Thyself as Soul

Sant Mat is a practical and natural path to self realisati on

The meditation on the inner Li ght and Sound combined with an ethical lifestyle builds the foundat ion to experience and stre ngthen the connection with the inner core of our being , the soul.

Sant Baljit Singh teac hes this meditation to people search ing for a deeper meaning in life.

Week ly spiritual gatherings (satsangs) are availabl e in most me tro politan areas.

Know Thyself as Soul Foundation is a non-profit incorporated associati on It offers i ts services free of charge

reatest • I

A new campaign encourages Australians of all backgrounds to enlist as organ donors

t any one time, more than 1500 Austral ians are on official transplam ,vai ting lists, hoping they'll be one of the lucky ones to receive an organ transplant before i e's coo late.

Dr Gopal Taoci, an intens ive care specialist originally from Maharashtra but practising in A u stralia for t he past ten years and currently wo r king for the Monash Health Network, is a pass ionate advocate for organ d onation

"I see both sides of the scory," Dr Taori says. "I see tl1ose with organ failure who are on a long waiting list, patients dying while waiting. On the other hand, I see families who are going through a difficul t time, w ith a potenti,1cl lack of knowledge abo u t organ donation. I feel it is imp ortant to help facilitate organ and tissue donation, to help people better understand the process."

Dr Taori says the most common questions about organ donation come from grief-stricken family members who want co e n sure their loved ones are n ot harmed and do not experience an y suffering. " T he organ donation process usually ta kes place after a catastrophic eve n t or accident, and everything occu rs in a short time. People need co know we are crying t o keep the patient alive as our first priority, but after death, t heir organs can help so m eone e lse."

Dr T aori says families in a state of shock often use re ligion as an

excuse, with o rgan donation the last thing on their minds. But each person who d onates their o rgans can save up co ten lives

Hindus believe that the ph rsical bod y is mortal and perishab le, while the so ul is immortal and imperishable. Dr Taori, a follower of Hinduism, does not see any conAict between religion and organ donation

" There is a culture of fear and misunderstanding around the organ donation process," he says. "When it is explained ro people, eithe r in a hospital environment or the community, people are exceptionally receptive ro the in formation."

President of d1e Hindu Council of Australia N ih al Agar confirms organ and tissue donation is compatib le wid1 religion "The Hindu texts do not provide specific guidance or direction 011 this matter, " h e says. ''There is no moral or ethical dilemma for Hindus wishing to donate their organs."

"Support for organ donation is inferred in man y of di e texts and in Hi n du mythology where there is support for organ donation for the beuefi t of otl1ers," Professor Agar continued. "We can say then, from a Hindu perspective, organ donation is a spiritually advantageous deed provided the

decision is made with th e kn owledge and agreement of the donor."

CEO of d1e Organ and T issue A u thority (OTA) Yael Cass said the authori ty recognises faith is an important aspect o f how people live t heir lives and make important li fe dec is ions. "The OTA understands the significant roles chat faitb can play for many people," she said. " In reaching out co the major religious leaders t hrough d1e Doflate Life the greatest gift campaign , we have gained a mutual understanding about organ and tiss u e donation and forged cl o se partners hips "

Dr Taori encourages everyone to talk more openly with their family members and friends about organ donation "There are concerns, especially froin members o f tbe Indian co mmunity, about di e process. People want to make sme there isn't some 'black market', tha t t h eir lm7 ed one's organs go co the rig ht person," he says. "Th ey're u sed to the Indian healthcare system, often a corrupted process, so they have m isgivi ngs, bur here in Australia organ and tissue donation is highly regulated."

When asked if he has had tl1e conversation with his own family, Dr Taori replies, "My whole family are listed as organ donors I wouldn't get into chis if I didn't believe in it myself."

Kira Spucys-Tahar

Nihal Agar and Pandit Ji Samir with OTA CEO Yael Cass and their sign e d Statements of Support for organ donation. Right: Dr Gopal Taori is a passionate adv ocate for organ donation

The coal gamble

With India's clean-energy industry booming, does India need coal exports from Australia?

who will suffer.

Indian_g!ant Adani Gro u p's p lans _ for the $16 billion Carmichael Coal Proiect, the largest in Australia, has stirred up environmental groups in India and Australia

Founder of India's Conservation Action Trust, Debi Goenka recently travelled to Queensland to file legal

objections to the approval of this coal mine on behalf of the Indian community. T h is is the 6.rst time that a case has been filed by an ovetseas party o bjecting to a coal mine in Australia.

T he Adani Group's foray into Australi a began in 2 0 10 with the purchase of the Carmichael Coal Niine in cl1e Galilee Basin of Central Queensland an d the port of Abbot Point in North Queensland. Their aim was to operate on a vertically integrated model - the coal from the

''Instead of

ln 2011, [(arnataka state's Lokayukta, the anti - corruption ombudsman, investigated complaims of profiteering through illegal exports of iron Ore. It fou n d that "officials of Port Department, C11stoms, Police, K'>PCB, CRZ, 1\1i11cs, Local politicians and others are involved in receiving the bribe JJJ01U!)' fro111 M / s. A drmi Enterprises'~ and Adani and other mining companies were ''fam1d to he active!J involved in large scale illegal expmts".

Adani began construction of the port at Mundra in the late 1990s, wicl1 commercial operations commencing in 2001. The Indian government asked the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE) to investigate complaints of environmental degtadation in Mw1dra, and a 2013 report found destruction

supporting India in building its renewable energy capacity, Australia is trying to be its friend by palming off dirty fuel

Carmichael l\fine would be transported by rail to Abbot Point, and then exported co India and other offshore m arkets.

Australian federal and state governments have both approved the GaWee Bas in project. At capacity, this mine will produ ce 60 million manes of steaming coal every year, w ith a predicted lifespan of 60 to 90 years Most of this coal i s destined for India. Instead of supporting India in building i ts renewable energy capac ity, Australia is trying to be its fr iend by palming off

of mangroves, blocking of creeks and disregard for local pollution, among other environmental concerns

Organisations such as Greenpeace and GetU p have been campaigning hard co bri ng such reports from Indi a to cl1e knowledge of the public

''and financial institutions in Austra lia. They bave proved successful to some extent. Quite a few financial i nstitutions have shied away from the project.

Deb i Goenka has been working with GetUp in raising awareness of these issues. He is sceptical about the financia.J viability of the project and says that it may well be a non-starter. The Queensland government has approved the project, albeit with 190 myriad environmental condi tions, as it i s rel ying on

it to hel p rum around its economy Goenka rues that destruction of cl1e rurcy fuel.

A 2013 Centre

'

'The livelihood s and health of fishermen, salt pan ners and small farmers in cl1e port of Mundra , Gujarat, where the Adani coal is headed for, will

environment has not been faccored into this economic decision malcing "Do be ruined," says Goenka witb regard to why be bad to take the legal route co stem the inAtL'l of coal into India.

Adani claims the high quality in1ported coal will he lp to light the lives of 100 million Indians Studies, however, show the contrary.

of Science and Environment report found destruction of mangroves, blocking of creeks and disregard for local pollution among other environmental concerns at the Adani port in Mundra

''they realise that many of the jobs will actually go co imported labour from India? That ground water and rive rs in the area will be destroyed? Have they considered ,vhat will happen to cl1e wild life dependent on water? Or what will happen to the Great Barrier Reef? Or h ow their approval will affect the poor in Gujarat?"

Tbe legal case lodged pro bono by Environmental Justice Australia on behalf of Goenka, is expected co be heard early n ext year. The Carmichael pro ject is also slated to begin nexr y ear afford the price of imported coal and it would in fact double the price of electricity

Accord ing co cl1e Institute for Energy Economi cs and Financi al Analysis i n Australia, India will not be able to

Other consequences would be inAation, current acco u nt deficits a n d implications for Inrua 's energy security. It i s ironic t h at while coal may meet the energy need s of the r ich, it will be the poor, residing around clw port,

''While on the one hand India is clamouring for coaJ to meet its increas ing ene rgy needs, Goenka is convinced that India's ener g y needs cou ld best be served through renewable energy sources "Anybod y thinking of investing in coal power is li v ing in cl1e past," he conclud es

The new FIAV committee outlines the organisation's course for the future

f it's worth doing, it's goc to be done now! Adopting this pbilmophy, the newly elected committee of the Federation of Indian Associations of Victoria (FlAV) is raring to contribute to the con1lltuiiry, according co FIAV Presidem Thomas Joseph.

A dinner event was held recently ar Tandoori Junction lndia.J1

Restaurant in G len Waverley to outline FIAV's current invo lvement within tl1e community along with its course for the future. As part of the event, FlAV's new commi nec members were also introduced to Indian media in Melbomne anJ other community rep resentatives.

According to Joseph, plans are afoot to support an upcom ing Ethno-Specific Aged Care project in MelboLLrnc, 1m aged care facility specially constructed and designed for Indian -origin Vicrorians, raking into consideration the cul tural needs of seniors.

The FIAV also wishes to continue its volLLntary work wid, assisting victims anti families affected by domestic v iolence and od1er community related issues.

While FIAV will continue to undertake projects that were initiated under past Presidem Vasan Srinivasan, it will also seek new opportunities in its aim co effectively engage with and support the community.

The FIAV committee is particularly looking at encouraging youth to take an active role an<l participate in a variety of communicy- based activities in order to build a stronger community.

"We wish to focus on recognising the value, contribution and positive potential of youth and foster a sense of social responsibility to become contributing members of society;' said Thomas Joseph.

As the MC for Lhe evening, Ambarisb Desbmukh spoke at length about Fli\V's action p lan

including partici pa tioo and organisation of upcoming events like me 1--loli festival, 1.he Australia Day Parade and lndian Music and Dance Festival. He invited people to join the Fl.AV members in celebrating these events and asked them to provide feedback and suggestions that mar he lp FIAV to make irnprovemems where required.

Discussions continued over a sumpmous meal provided by Karan Gandhok of Tandoori Junction. Karan was formall y acknowledged for his ongoing support to FIAV over the years. A special thanks and appreciation was offe red to Vasan Srinivasan, past President, who successfullr completed his five-year tenure at the helm of FlAV. Vasan is currently chairman of the Confederation of Indian Australian Association lnc.

According to Jospeh, under Vasan's leadership FlAV has made

inroads in its goal to serve as an umbrella organisation for all the fodian community organisations in Victoria, bringing togetl1er all me individual organisations as a Linilied body in order to strengthen the community and provide iniproved services ro the Indian origin population in Victoria. Thomas Joseph expressed h is hope in being able to do the same over his tenure.

T he newly elected FlAV Committee is: President: Thomas Joseph; V ice P residents Sh arad

Gupta and Sudes h Singh; Secretary Jay K1m1ar; T reasurer Ambarisb Deshm ukh Surya P. Soni and Supriyo Sin h a will serve as Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Secretary respec tively. Co-op ted members include Usha R avi (Editorial sub-committee), Goldy Brar (Chairman Youth and Sports), Kazween Boika (\'(/oman's Affairs), Vernon Franklin (Mem b ers hip), Moni ca Sharma R aizada (Events), Usha Gullapalli (Seniors Affairs) and Krishna Arora (Catering). Preeti Jabbal

uare

ICelebrate India brings to life a cultural extravaganza

0ver the years Diwali has emerged as the dominant Indian festival to be celebrated around the world This year, over 35,000 people converged in the UK city of Leicester to celebrate the major Indian festival. In the U S, the Oba.mas extended their warm wishes and lit diyas to celebrate Diwali in the Wh ite House, whil e closer to home the sail s of Sydney's iconic Opera House were illuminated to celebrate the fes tival of lights.

In Melbonrne one of the largest events was held at Federation Square where Celebrate India brought to life d1e traditions, food and celebration rituals of Diwali.

D uring the main event me crowd surged through the Squar e as many savoured Indian deli cacies from the array of food stalls, whilst omers shopped for traditional Indi an crafts, fashion and jeweUery. Festival staples like henna applications and face painting vied for attention with free photo oppor runities w ith the 2015 ICC Wo rld Cup.

The biggest crowd puller was the ongoing entertainment on the main stage as m yriad dance forms from varied regions of Indiaand the ever- popular Bollywood - created a fine synthesis of movement, expression and rhy d1m. Weaving together the d iverse dueads of Indian cul ture, artistes dep icted both classical and contemporary v ariations and combinations of art, dance and music.

Exotic flavours from across the globe wer e also co be found through representation fro m Fiji, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Larin Amecica and C h ina. A laughter yoga session added joie de viv re

mat made you want to mrn to their neighbor and smile. A broad range of activities kept the audience e n gaged and there was something for people of all ages. Extensive contemplation and planning, extending over quite a few mond1s, ensured that me event ran smoothly. A dedicated team of 35 volunteecs coordinated countless detail5 and dealt with a.11 aspects of planning, promotion and execution w1der the able guidance of Arnn and Jaya Sharma. This year, Melbourne's major public transport provi der Metro promoted the festival in several languages. Through the ir rq,,ular announcements d1ey informed commuters about d1e Festival and the signifi cance of Diwali prior to me event.

People at Melbourne's Tullan1at.ine Airport also witnessed the magic of Diwali as t he Celebrate India team decked out the terminal in festive decor, distributed trad itional sweets to passengers and presented Boll ywood dances for entertainment. Travel weary passengets were taken b y surprise with chis display of spectacular co lours, fun and vivacity. This year also saw me addition of the Celebrate India Essay Competition, a cross -cul rura.l ini tiative t hat en couraged primar y

schoo l srudents in Victoria to participate in an essay writing competition with an aim to increase awareness of India and its culmre

Leading up to me main Federation Square event popular BoUywood movie s were screened in collaboration

;vitb Mind Blowing Films The Diwali message was con stantly encountered in the form of co lourful banners at Finders Street station, as well as through t he sou n d of Indian music being played in beautifull y lit carriages as mey trRvelled the streets of 1vfelboume.

An im pressive list of dignitaries including Premier of Victoria Denis Napd1ine, Opposition lead er Dan Andrews, Deputy :Mayor of the Ciry of Melbourne Susan Riley, and Con sul- General of India in Melbourne Manika Jain were in attendance. Speaking at d1e o ccasion , Arnn Sharma, Festival Director, expressed his dream that Diwali wou ld be declared as a public holiday in V ictoria someday soon

Putting the big bang into the Diwali at Federation Square festival, d.1e day's events culminated in a spectacular fireworks display. The explosive pyrotechnics electrified the night sky with a riot o f colours as people observed d1e

display from whatever vantage point they could find.

With d1e backdrop of the 'most livable city in d1e world' me sparks shone on people's upturned faces and it was a befitting end to a joyful day

Thanks to Celebrate India's creative choreography, Diwali was celebrated as authentically and enthusiastically as it is back home.

More photos on our Facebook page: wwwfacebook coml lndianl inkAustralia

assortment

With a. lavish assortment of music, dance and activities, me event upped d1e grand scale of entertainment for me audience to enjoy. The rush and jostle was all part of the experience as me event drew a large crowd. Thousands of reveUers v isited the Fed Square cultural precinct mroughout d1e day to be pa.re of ilie extravaganza.

\X/im creativity and innovation, the Celebrate India team has taken this festival from strength to strengtb since its la m1ch in 2006. Each year the organisers add another interesti ng e lement to d1eir list of activities

It's a union of cultures amid a vibrant festival atmosphere, writes SWAT/ BHARGAV

he Wyndham Diwali was noth ing shore of a carnival as up to 20,000 people gathered at President's Park in Wyndham Vale, near Werrjbee, to celebrate the Indian festival of lights. Thanks co daylight saving, the sun sho ne bright late into the evening, before the festive lights and uaditional lamps lit up the vast grounds

Wyndham D iwali scaled greater height~ this year as innumerable peopl e from across Victoria, and all parts of rhe world, came together - paving the way for a muon of culrures. \XThilst the crowd was predominantly Indian, there were also people from Pakisra1li, Bangladeshi, Sr i Lankan, Somalian, Maori, Italian, Russian and Australian backgrounds.

After a prayer to Lord Ganesha, the day-Jong 111eld in cl uded an artistic program filled with high magnitude performances and inventively choreographed dances with dazzling, colourful costumes.

The festival organisers, Wyndham Diwali Inc, believe in promoting tmi t:y t hrough cultural partnerships and exchanging traditions. At chis D iwali festiva l, using the medium of performing arts, more than 235 participants came together to promote the theme of 'Jl,fany culmres, one nation'

The atmosphere came alive as hit songs from Indian movies p lay ed loudly in the background Some amazing performances on stage added to the an1b ience. The culrural presentation included Indian classical, regional fo lk and Bollywood dancing as well

as a fashion parade attended by well -known models and contest winners including Miss India Australia and Miss World Australia.

Anod1er festi val favourite was local rock band The Fifths, who regal ed the audience with a modern take on old classic Indian songs. The leading performance this year was the Rarnayana ballet based on the theme of the festival.

Other performances included a traditional edmic Maori group, a Tongan group, a versatile Russian group and die Din.ka African g roup, Bollywood dancing by Rachana Natyalaya, Shiamak,Jalwa dance company and many talented others.

Vibrant attire was the norm as people came dressed up for a day out. Wi[h multipl e stalls selling clothing, jewellery and handicrafts, the women got to pamper d1emselves with shopping and

app lying intricate henna designs on their palms

Many v isitors chose to enjoy d1e variety of Indian food on offer as there were several stalls serving moud1 -watering Indian delicacies. The kid's activ iry area proved quite popular as children made a beeline for the slides and rides.

The Wyndham D iwali 111e/o received support from across the po litical spectrum with Wyndham City Council Mayor Bob Fairclough, alongside popular local councillor Heather Marcus and councillors Peter Maynard, Glenn Goodfellow, Gamam Gupta and Intaj Khan all in attendance an d supporting the event

The Prime iWinister was represented b y Sarah Henderson, Federal MP for Corangamite. Other d ignitaries present were Vasan Srinivasan from the Confederation of L1dian Australian Association

(Clf\J\), Andrew Elsbury (MP Western Meuopolitan Region) , representing Victorian Premier Denis Napdiine, and Telmo

Languiller (Shadow Parliamentary Secretary), Tim Pallas MP and Tim Watts MP.

The Of6ce of Multicultural Affai.rs and Citizenship was a princ ipal sponsor of [he Festiv al, and Victorian Multicultural Commiss ion Cbidambaram

Srinivasan addressed the gathering and extended the Comnlission's support to [he WDI tean-1.

" The \Xlyndham Diwali team sincerely diank Ol'vlAC, me Office of Multiculrural Affairs and Citizenship, Wyndham C ity Council, the sponsors, stall ho lders , media partners and visitors who contributed to the overw helming success of tl,is event," said Wyndham D iwali Inc. P r esi dent Ragh unandan Kuncha Koorthy.

Pronlising to come back with a bigger bang next year, D iwali at \Xlyndha.rn ended with fireworks tha[ decorated die sky wjth different co lours. In the midst of an authentic 111elo atmosphere, di e sparkling pyxotech,lics display heralded a new ray of hope and light for tl1e future.

Warm Indian hospitality marks Hindi Niketan's Diwali event

Approacb.ing Clayron. Hall to atren.d rhe Hindi iketan Diwali event, strings of colourful lights, quite like the Jadis that are commonly found adorning houses in India during fes rivals, greered revellers. You could hear the disram hnm of people's conversations, and as soon as I walked in, r was transported back co India. le was with a feeling of deja vu thar 1 saw the men huddled rogethet in earnest conversation, women chatting in groups and children running around l o oking for rheir mates The atmosphere was full of colour, joy and vibrancy as the community came together to celebrate.

Hindi Niketan is one of the o ldest not- for- profit Indian organisations in Melbourne, formed with an aim to promote Hindi language and celebrate Indian culture.

Hindi Nikecan initiated the addition of Hindi language at

"

VCE (Victorian. Cenificare Of Education) level in Victoria.

\Xie have raised the bar to such an extent, that there are Hindi classes held aU over Viccorja and man y people are now aware of the language," said Sharad Gupta, Presiden t of Hindi Niketan. Attending the Hindi Niketan D iwali this year was a trip down memor y lane. Everyone enjoyed the delightful cultural performances and the delicious food presented wirh warm Indian hospitality. PoUowing Indian tradition, guests were greeted with laddoos at the entrance, and rhe evening began with a LaksbmiGanesha prayer followed by Kathak performance as a prayer to Goddess Saraswati.

Hindi r iketan is strong on promoting amateur ralent, especiaUy youth, as many young children and reenagers presented the entertainment for the night. Culture should nor only be celebrated it should be shared and passed on co future generations.

A brief address from Consul General of India in Melbourne Manika Jain, Hong Lim (M'P for Clayton), President of FIAV Vasan Srinivasan, and Victorian Mul ticul.trual Commissioner Chidambaram Srinivasan took up the formal proceedings, foUowed by community awards ptesenred to Sanrosh Kumar from Northern Region Indian Seniors Association and Dr Rani Mahajan, one of the oldest members and supporters of Hindi iketan. Sharad Gupta a lso shed light on other activities that Hindi Niketan is invo lved with during the year.

"Each year on Australia Day, which coincides with the Republic Day in India, we organise a family p icnic. Apart from celebrating major Indian festivals, we also confer awards co students who hav e comp leted their VCE wirh Hindi as a subject. This is to reward and appreciare their efforts

and to promote Hindi as a language." Bes ides tbe cultural and community events Hindi Niketan is also involv ed in campaigning against social issues like domestic violence and dtug abuse

Inga Penlich. State Member for South Eastern J\,fetropolitan Region anJ Vicrorian Cabinet Secretary, arteoded rhe Diwali event and had nothing but praise for the organisation "I've had a very long association with Hindi Niketan," Peulich said.

"I always look forward to their events. Apart from the promotion of Hindi as a language , I admire the optin1istic, hard -working and asp irational namre they possess. The sky is a funir for them." Hindi Niketan should be commended for rheit exemplary job at bringing peop le rogether and celebrating the culture and traditions of India.

Swathi Bhargav

Bringing cultures together

It's a traditional Diwali for Bendigo's Indian communtiy

The Australian Association for Indian Culture and Education (fWCE) Inc's annual Diwali celebration, Diwali - The Festival Of LightsBringing Cultures Together, held in Bendigo at the St Andrew's Uniting Church, proved to be a grand success.

The event started with Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi aarti (prayers) From rhen on , rhe spel1born1d audience observed a fanfare of activities and culrura.l representations including a rangoli design workshop, henna and saree workshops, singing, music, and Bollywood -inAuenced Latin dances

There were food stills selling Indian, as we ll as multicultura l, dishes, toy stills, and magician Mister Jvlike, whose p lace spinning exercise kept t he young kids amused and bus y

Event ambassadors Rashi Kapoor (Miss India Melbourne) and Roshni Sharma, a well- known community personality, p layed the ro le of MCs.

AAICE Inc. expressed irs grati rude and congratulated

the Vicrorian Multicultural Commission for taking the lead in supporting AAICE Inc.'s initiative of bringing cul tures together in regional Victoria and celebrating multicultural ism. The Mayor of the C ity of Greater Bendigo Barry L yons and Cr Rod Fy ffe also p ledged their support for the coming years.

In her speech, Senator for Victoria Bridget McKenzie, who represented the Prime Minister of

Australia Tony Abbott, read out a message from the Prime Minister, in which h e congratulated AAICE Inc. for its fantastic efforts in celebrating multiculturalism in regional

Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne He also acknowledged the contribution of Indians co the general wellbeing of Australian society and mentioned his warm relationships with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pres ident of India Pranab Mukherjee.

Amanda Millar J\,fLC represented Mard1ew Guy, Minister for Multiculmral Affairs and Ci tizenship, whiJe Janice Maree E dwards represented the Leader of the Opposition in V i ctoria, Daniel Andrews.

All the digni caries present expressed appreciation for the hard -work and efforts of Amirabh Singh, the Chai r person of AAICE Inc., and his team of executives for raking suc h great initiative.

1wa 1, sen 1or s

Community buzurgs celebrate the season

Sewa International

Multicultu ral Sen io rs Association

ln keeping with the Positive Aging (50 years plus) Community Leadership Program, and to promote Indian culture, cuisine, and arts, the C ity of Wyndham received a grant from the Victorian government to entertain the fast growing Indian c o mmunity by ce lebrating Diwali, the Festival of Llghts.

A rangoli g reeted those of various faiths as they arrived and the four-hour long program began with a prayer - song: 't!J maalik tere b,mdc hulll'. The dignit-aries present then joined hands in lighting cbe festival lamp.

The day began with Jarasivati va11da11a which Aninya Gaur presented tlu:ough the mediLUu of a Katl1ak dance. She also offered 1Ja11da11a to Lord Ganesha.

Madhavi Vasa gave us an Indian class ica l song while Ananya Bose presented Bbaratnatyam. Kamaljeet Singh, of Sut Sangh Australia sang Heer, a poignant Punjabi folklo re, which caused members to rise on meir feer. The prograrn continued with other sp i rited dance and musical performances tlu:oughout the day.

The program organise r s were Dr Gurdev Singh Rattan, (President of MSA) and Mrs Samer Pa l Kaur. Mrs Prem

A ry a was the MC and me program was conducted in traditionally captiv ating style at the Community Ce n tre in Poim Cook, so uth -west lvfelbourne.

Joanne Ryan :MP, opened proceedings, a n d tl1e event was attended b y Lord Mayor Bob Fairclough, Telm o Languiller MP, and CS.Srinivasan, Multicultura l Commissio ner.

Featuring an abundance of talent from young and old, the day was a culmral feast. For more information, pl e ase contact Samer Kaur on samerkaut3@gmaiJ.c orn

T o celebrate Diwali, the Stonnington C ity group was overjoyed to join members of Sewa Internacional for a picnic in me holida y city of Sorrento further down south -east. A 57- seate r bus collected members at die Commrnuty Hall jn East Malvern, th en at C layton and finally from Dandenong, and was on its way Unfortunate as it was, we left man y dishearrened aspiring picnickers behind.

Animated members wished one another good tidings of the festival, and took a break at Aromas Restaurant in Rye for a lunch

Hospitable Harry, me owner, was deli gh ted to meet our group and wished ro caUt all tilings India. But we needed to hurry as we a Sorrento- to -Queenscliff and back ferr y awaited us, tl1e sun-god clement on the day

On our journey back home, we cracked jokes, ro ld srories, sang Bollywood songs, danced around, and demanded that s ucil fun outings were more frequent.

T o reminisce this wonderful outing, check our their YouTube page or for more inform ation, please c o ntact Anand Shome on ashome@gmail.com

Indian Seniors'Forum

In the monthly program Indian Seniors' Forum organises in Camberwell, yo ung and o ld wished one another the blessings of the festival and took to the Aoor to danc e. Vegetarian lunch arranged by Temple Management was both SLU11ptuous and delicious, and pre -packed festival sweets though formed the attraction of tl1e day.

For more in formation, please contact Mr S. K. Auplish, Chief

Coo rdinator, Indian Seniors Forum, on auplishsk@yahoo. com.au and also organiser Ms Jaya M a nchikanti on Jmanch.ik@ stonningcon.vic.gov.au

KISCA

Kingston Indian Senior Citizen;; Assn. Q<ISCA) hosted a Diwali festival lunch at The Fiji Restaurant in L ittle India, which they ratl1er imaginatively decorated w ith live banana plants and lndjan decor.

We began w im homemade vegetab le samosas with very Fijian green chutney. 111e difference in the Fijianlnclian lamb curry, altl1ough mjnjmal, was d istinct. j\,fy initjal impression, mat they tenderised me meat with raw papaya paste, (common practice in Indian cujsine), was erroneo u s

Centuries ago, as Fijian members ela borated, mey did n ot find Indian spices in abundance in Fiji, so they resorted to improvising. This involved using .less onions and a concentration of coriander powder.

Another typical sabzi a Fijian Indian home/ restaurant must serve i s pumpkin mash, traditionally treated ;v itl1 a cha,mka of methi-dana. We noticed the fried rice served was treated with b u tter rather ma n desi ghee They spice the daal a bit more than Indians normall y would and tl1ey are also not tandoorcrazy, but insis t upon larger tawa rotis tha n tbe pht1/kas of n orth India. Festival v1ithai in abtrndance was most welcome. A gra tifyi ng afternoon.

As President Nagaya is changing house, please call Secretary Mona Raju oo 9782 8973.

ISAW

A steadily growing membership of Indian Seniors Association West (ISAW) also celebrated Diwali in Sr. Albans, and wished tl1e other tidings of the festival. Many cook to me floor to dance on tl1e mesmerising Bollywood so n gs After tl1at, we related our experiences of the festival in our respective towm back in India. We men shared in breaking bread together. A n abundance of fo;rival 111ith11i was d1ere to sba re. For more in for mation, contact President Arjan Tuli on 9390 2818

ISCA

Tbe Indian Senior Citizens Association attracted neatly 200 people who wished to celebrate Diwali togemer Secretary Dinesh Sood truly needed to yell to restrain animated members so tl1ey would give him an ear.

Commencing tbe day, Vice

President Jasbir Bedi invited 13-year-o ld Akansha to the stage, who delighted us witl1 a fast l\faratbi dance. Self-taught, the m oves and gestures calented Akansba presented enthralled us all. Later, s he also presented a BoUywood dance.

Young Kajal and Krishna gave us a Bhangra performance whi le regttlars at ISCA, Llsa and Eddie absorbed our attention w ith a captivating jive. Later, Li sa danced with Sandy to a Bollywood rune_yaad kjya di! ne kahan ho tum. Tavreen and avreen , 7 and 11 years o ld, gave us a well-re hearsed Bhangra.

President Prem Phakey w ished members me b lessings of tl1e festival and tl1anked Victorian Mulciculniral Commission

Chairman Chin Tan for tl1e grant he sanctioned for me festival. Th.is, inc id entally, being his tenth Diwal.i function of the season , Chairman Tan prai sed the community for maintaining our culture, which secular Australia encourages.

While we expacs maintain me culture of India, with equal gusto we celebrate tbe festivities of our adopted l and as weU

Jennifer Yang e:>,.'te nded Dhvali greetings from Anna Burke l'vfP, who could not attend. Prem Phakey introduced ex -Monash Councillor Robert Davies, w ho hopes to enter Parliament after me el ection, who asked members ro vote him in. 11ichael Gidley, our local MP, wished Happy Diwali to all presem and pledged his government's continuing support to ISCA. For m ore informati o n , p lease contact President Phakey on 9803 3 989

A little touch of Nepal

Federation Square was unrecognisable as Nepal's flags, food and business stalls dominated the heart ofAustralia's most liveable city

111 a proud m o ment for the Nepali c o mmmiicy, the No n Reside nt Nepalese Associatio n Au stralia (Stace Coordin atin g Co uncil, Victor ia) o rgani sed a wee ke nd program featuring a series of busin ess and culmrnl events, r eAecting the theme 'Embrac e culture. E nr ich Li.fe' as part of t h e Nep al Festival 2014

A fl ag hoisting ceremony by Rudra Kumar epa~ Ambassad or of Nepal to Australi a, was followed by a colollfful p arade of community leaders an d pe rforming artists, w inding from the Stare Li brary of V ictoria to Federation Square.

A showcase of Nep ali talenc, there were stand out performances by local artists &om ac ros s V ic coria rep resenting the culmre, e rbnic icy, h eritage and diversity of Ne pal. Th ere was stro ng feeling that the Nepal Festival, uni que ly Ne p ali in spir it, will co ntinue to help foster cultural imegration. Organisers were thankful that th e wider MeJbourne community embraced the event so warm ly.

T he culmral sh owcase featu r ed artists in cluding l"vlilan Lama, Sabin Rai wid1 h is Elecrtix band, and Dibya Subba who rocked d 1e crowd with their so ngs, as well as traditio n al Nepali dance and a children's dance presentation.

T he Samrd ay program featured a tourism and invesrmem promotio n for l e pal wor ks h op and gal a dinner. The whole day workshop was hosted b y D r C handra D ee pak P okh arel.

" Th e ob jec tiv e was ro explore, advo cate and lobby for potentia l investment projects between e pal "Rn d Australia," said D r R aj u Ad hikaci , C hair o f the Workshop Committee.

Th e gala dinner was addressed by several distinguished guests .including Consul General o f Nepal to Vic toria C h andra Yonzo n.

The formal program of the

EXCESS LUGGAGE, ELECTRONICS, GIFTS

DOCUMENTS Ei MOREi

festival on Sunday was attended b y leaders fro m boili the Governm ent and Opposition, as well Chin Tan, Vic to rian Multicn.ltllfal Commiss ione r. Addressin g a c rowd of m o re than 20,000 people, Bruce Atkin so n (P res ident, Vi c to r ia P arliament Legis lative Coun cil) and Telmo Langi.tiller (Shad ow Minis ter for Multicultural Affair s) affirmed the highly v alued c o n rtibution of the epali c o mmunity to Australia and said th ey would continue to suppo rt

ADVERTORIAL

ilie communi ty in every way possib le

The o fficial program was graced by Shesh G h ale, chief guest o f the eve nt and N RNA ICC Presidem, w ith remarks on RNA's global activi ties such as Nepa.I Festival, a n d a n eed for more c ooperation and suppoct fro m the Govern m ent of Nepal.

Nepal E'estiva.l Coordinator Ris hi Kandel th anked d1e Government of Victoria for their support and tbe NRi'\J V ictoria team and volu nteers for their hard work and m o nd1s-long p reparation to make iliis p rogram such a success.

MoneyGram expands money transfer services in Australia

Additional s elf-service kiosks to be made available through selected United Petroleum locations

Aust ralian-based customers looking t o transfer funds to fami l y and friends overseas now have access to more easyt o- use kios ks as part of a new agr eement between MoneyGram, a leadi ng global money transfer company, and Austra l ian fuel company United Petroleum, one of the country's fastest growi ng independent compan i es.

The self-service k i osks, which have mult i-lingual capabi l it i es, will allow customers to make transfers w i th the cl i ck of a button. Through MoneyGram's dedi cated ki osks, consumers can easily send money at retai l, petrol and convenience stores that were not previously equi pped t o offer such products.

Th i s move i s part of MoneyGram's strategy to revolutionise self -service money transfer through innovati ve channe l s like kiosks and mobile services

With consumers sending over $5 billion AUD annually across border s, Australia is an i mportant remittance market for MoneyGram t o expand its selfservice platform.

"MoneyGram is committed to provi ding cust omers with innovative ways to quickl y send and receive funds, and by work ing with Unit ed Pet roleum to provide user-friendly kiosks, we are placing customer accessibi lity first;' said Gran t Lines, MoneyGram's executive vice president of As i a Pacific, Sou t h Asia and t he Middle East.

Bringing Little India to Sandown

he piece de resistance at the recentl y held AIIl Diwali Fair in Sandown was without doubt the turban sporting chef Harpal Singh Sokhi. The popular Indian n r chef was in Me lbourne to launch Sahrini, a new brand of Indian food products, in association with Sabi Foods. A major draw card to tl1e event, T-Iarpal Singh did not disappoint his innumerable fans as he whipped up delicacies on stage, putting on a s ho,v witl1 lots of 11a111ak, shamak and ood les of fun Harpal- scyle.

This was the I 3'h year of celebrations organised under the banner of Alll. Ove r the years there have been many changes in the agend a, presentations and sponsors for the event, however che underlying objective fo r observing Diwali remains a constant. Alil aims to replicate the authen tic experience of the most anticipated of all Indian festivals in Melbourne and open it to the public so chey can enjoy and participate.

Putting an event of thjs scale together involves months of pla nning, effort and innovatio n ,

INDIANLINK

said Hari Yellina, Vice President of AIIT. "It's like bringing Little India to Sandown," Hari said

"Wi m over 80 stalls offering Indian fas.l~on, food and fun there is an enormous amount of coordination required and the AilI team does a commendable job learning from previous experience and improving wirh every year."

Besides the formal function that was held in the evening, a crowd pleaser was the \Xlestern Union Talent Show, thar saw participation from various individuals and groups - and boy, does Melbou rne have talent! One vibran t item succeeded another a nd it would have been a to ugh task to pick any winners

Premier Denis Napch ine graced the event wi th his presence along with man y dignitaries and AIIl commjttee members. A sizeable crowd from diverse multicul niral backgrounds milled around die vast grou nd s relishing tl1e streetstyle food and beverages inclurung freshl y squeezed suga rcane juice (ganne ka an all- time favourite amongst Indians.

There was never a dull moment from the time attendees entered

the gates. People were invited to meet local politician s representing both Labor and the Liberals All major Indian media were present in strong numbers including an outdoor broadcast from SBS. MuJtiple businesses promoted their produces and there were showbags galore on offer. Am.idsc a riot of colours

and promotional material, p len ty of efforts we re made co attract attention.

Ir was a mela in the true sen se of the word, a gathering li ke no othe r, \vith a kaleidoscope of activities co keep the senses engaged. The day-lo n g event

culminated in spectacuJar firework - the carefully orchestrated p yrotechnics tran sporting many 'back home' where D iwali is traditionall y celebrated with fireworks in almost every Indian househ o ld.

"Ir may nor be as much fun as being able to light them ourselves, but it is delinfrely safer in t he bands of profes sionals," remarked someone in t he crowd

The new Sachin Tendulkar autobiography depicts events without providing much fresh analysis

It may have ruffled a few feathers in Australian media circles, but to any follower of Indian cricket over the past three decades, Sacl1in Tendulkar's recently released autobiography Plqying lt lv!J1111/'qy is, lamentab ly, more recount than reflection. While it is interesting co read about his somewhat brartish childhood adventures, and reveali ng tl1at he played a large maj ority of his career in significant, apparently unbearab le pain, in his book, Tendulkar manages co maintain the detached, almost mundane streak that characterised his off- field persona tlu-oughout his long and illustrious p laying career.

The book, co-wri tten by prominent cricket historian and scholar Boria Majumclar, takes us through 28 chapters, each dealing with various stages of Tendulkar's career. Although tl1e series- by- series recounts soon become tiresome , and he fail s co anal yse some important i ssues that must have resonated with him in a certain capacity, Tendulkar does provide a few fascinating in sights in to his world.

Childhood

Surprisingl y, Sachin Tendulkar the child "vas fa r removed from the mild-mannered and s_oftly -spoken man many came to admire.

For instance, Tendu lkar would regularl y p lay annoying pranks on others in his neighbourhood - locking neighbours in the ir apartments, pouring water on passers- by, and disguising deep ly-dug hol es in the sand on a construction s ite, wa iting fot unsuspecting v ictims.

It wasn't just the pranks By his own accounts, Tenclulkar's unreasonab le behav imucaused h is parents a lot of embar rass m ent. When m o s t of his frie nd s got their own bicycles, Tendulkar's stubborn artimde led to him getti ng his head smck in the g rille of the apartment 's balcon y - while s ul king and refusing to go outs ide co play in an effort to guilt- trip hjs parents into bu yi n g a new cycle for him

The Chappell brothers

Much of the hype surrounding Pla]ing It My [V'qy are Tendulkar's "explosive" allegations t ha t one- time Indian coach, former

SAC\\\N DUl

Australian captain Greg Chappell attempted to overthrow Rahul Dravid from t h e captaincy, threatened to remove Ganguly and Laxman from me team and aspired to "co n trol" Indjao cricket witl1 Tendulkar. Unfortunately, there was not much more to the chapter than what was already leaked to me press in advance by Tendulkat's wily PR team.

Indeed, while commentators such as Robert Craddock have absurdly suggested that Tendulkar's book reveals a ruthless political mastermind who pulled the strings of Indian cricket for two decades, it js widespread knowledge char Greg C happell comprehensively fai led to tmdersrancl the culture of cricket in India, espec ially the reverence with which the senior player s were held.

It is certainly in Ceres ting ro read about the confrontation between Tendulkar and the oldest of the Chappell trio, Ian Chappell. The exchange between the pair took pl ace in Durban in 2010, almost tlu-ee years after the

debacle of me 2007 World Cup, following which Ian Chappell bad called for Tendulkar' s reti rement. After commenting favourably on Tendulkar's weight of recent runs, Chappell must have been surprised co hear Tendulkar tell him that he had "convenientl y changed bis stand", and that "critics like him change with the wind" \'<'hen tl1e conversation moved to h is younger brothe r, Tendulkar advised Ian tl1ar he did not want to share a dressing room with Greg Chappell again.

The declaration

Tendul kar devotes three full pages to explaining his anger and disappointment at Rahul Dtav id's declaration in Multan , 2006 , when Tenduikar was batting on 194*. He spares onl y a couple of lin es confirmi n g bis "camaraderie" with D rav icl Tendullrnr recow1ts his dressing-room conversations w ith coach John Wright, injured captain Sourav Gaoguly and team manager Ratnakar Shercy, during which each of tl1em conso led hjm, telling him the declaratio n was Drav id's alone

He also e),.--presses hi-s frustration witl1 San jay Manjrekar, who told Tendulkar that Drav id's dec ision was "brave" Sach.i.t1 retorted char Sanjay didn't know what he was talking about, and that hi s opinion was not appreciated.

T here is no doubt that Tendulkar and Dravid remain friends - however, it is clear that the i ncident did damage their relationship, and highligh t s cricket's frequent tendency to transcend friend s h ips.

Overwheliningly tho ugh , Tendulkar's autob iography is a missed opportunity to finall y shed some light on a number of deeper, more sign ificanr aspects of his experiences. What is i t like being rev ered l ike a religious figure? What are his thoughts on tl1e science of batting? \Vhat did h e make of rh e match - fixing scandals tl1at threatened co bring cricket to an encl in the 1990s?

U nfortunately, just as fans learned during tl1eir 25 -year love affair with the perennial bo y genius - Tendulkar a lways leaves you wanting more.

Pork burger, Ind • 1an s

Nothing says summer like barbecue Here's to a smoking hot grilling season!

The barbecue cul mre is one of the first things chat all Indian expats adapt to their A u ssie lifestyle. It is deep-rooted in our community to gather with fr ie n ds and family, celebrating with d electab le food. And that's what a barbecue parry i s all about - good food, good friends, good times!

It is also an extension of our love for tandoori (grill ed) Though the Aus sie ba r becues are far from the ta11doori style of preparation, there are several similarities coo. Like in most Indian househo lds where the ta11rlo01· (clay oven) is usually mann ed by the men, the barbecue pit is also a male bastion.

The second , and the more important re ason, is our love for grilled food. The lanrloo,is and tikkas feanire among the best loved Indian foods and th ere are ample recipes, both vegetarian and non- vegeta rian

Now, let's tw ist things up a bit. Instead of grilling Oz style burgers this summ er, let's try our hand at this hearty, indulgent pork hurger wi th an Indian tw ist

Pork a nd pineappl e is a classic comb in ation, a match made in heaven! And just to sp ice th ings up, let's incorporate so m e famili ar Indian flavours to the dish.

The secret to a deli cious, succul ent, juicy burger lies mainly in the quality of meat. Instead of going for a store-bought mince, it is best to get good cuts of meat from your loca] butcher and ask hi m to mi.nee it u p for you. This way you get to c h oose how much fat goes into the mince. For this rec ipe, choose the pork s h o uld er and the ratio of fat to meat in the mince is 1:4.

Minced onion, aromatics and a freshly roasted and ground spice mix is added to the pork minc e to infuse the class ic Indian flavours. The caramelised pineapple add s a hint of sweetness and bri n gs the spices to life.

The best thing about homemade burgers is that these are healthy, as you are in control of all the ingr edien ts that go in and is a great way co get your faniily to eat veggies too.

Tliis is an extremely versari.le burge r r ecipe; if you do not eat pork, use a n y meat that you want or even t r y out a vegetarian vers ion making th e mince using niixed vegetables and potacoes

Makes about 8- 10 patties (these freeze well so you can make batches and stock away for later use; another idea is to make meatballs and use it the next time you make spaghetti)

For the burger:

1 kg pork mince(use any meat that you want)

1 large red onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 inch ginger, finely chopped

1 large green chilli, finely chopped

Indian spice blend:

2 tsp coriander seeds

2 tsp dry chili flakes

1 tsp cumin seeds

Salt, to season

1 egg

For the final sandwich:

Burger buns

1 pineapple, cut into thick slices

Cos lettuce, shredded

1 tomato, sliced

½ red onion , sliced finely

A few sprigs of fresh coriander leaves

Barbecue sauce

..

To prepare the spice blend, dry roast the coriander and cumin seeds. Cool, add the

chilli flakes and grind to a fine powder. I used the entire blend as I was wanted a good kick of the spices but you can add just enough to suit your taste preferences.

If you are using a food processor, throw i n all the ingredients for the burger including the spice blend; or finely chop the onion and aromatics and then mix aJI ingredients together for the burger patties.

Form the mince into circula r patties and keep aside. Again, the thickness of the patty is entirely upto your preferences; I make thick ones and for a kilo of mince, I got 1O patties.

Heat a grill pan, brush with oil and grill the patties till done;flip around after giving a couple of minutes to each side to get those char grilled marks. Leave them to rest for at least two minutes before preparing the burger.

Grill the pineapple slices (make sure the grill is smoking hot to instantly caramelize the sugars which keeps the crunch intact and seals the juices inside; on low heat, the pineapple slices go limp and soggy).

Cut the burger buns inte half and grill for that extra crunch.

To assemble the sandwich, place shredded lettuce on the bottom half of the bun and layer up in the order of patty, barbecue sauce, pineapple slice, tomato, onions and coriander leaves.

Gorge and get transported to burger heaven!

SEEKING BRIDES

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SEEKING GROOMS

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ARIES tv1arch 21 - April 19

As t h e year comes to an end, you will be making decisions abo u t a trip and peacefu l getaway with your partner. You need to spend some quality time together. There will be some news with regard to you r job with hard work and planning finally paying off. Financially you will be feeling more settled. You need to keep yourself physically fit and mentally strong. Any matters that have been upsetting will be re l eased with positive thoughts for the year ahead

TAURUS April 20 - tv1ay 20

You will be feeling very relaxed and happy with the way your relationship is going Things are more settled and balanced. There wil l be some excellent news with regard to finances. The cards are indicating a time need for rest and relaxation, as you have been overdoing things lately. Take time out with your family and loved ones. As the year draws to a close, you need to make some solid plans for next year Make su re you eat healthily.

GEMINI tv1ay 21 - June 20

The year has been quite exhausting for you in many ways. There will be a lot of plans and thoughts of new ventures and moving home You will have a new love interest, whom you have either just met or will be meeting very soon. Make sure you keep your health in tip top condition, as you may be feeling a little run down and your immunity could be low. The cards are indicating a peaceful time a head

CANCER June 21 - July 20

This month you will be concentrating on your rel ationship. You will be feeling very romantic and in the mood to spoil your partner. The cards are indicating a fantastic time with regard to work progress and career. You will be feeling appreciated and all your efforts from the past will be rewarded You will be feeling very secure and happy financially. Be carefu l you do not overspend during the festive season A good end to the year

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

A fantastic end to the year! You will be feeling confident, happy and at peace There is also a side to you where you will be feeling sexy and ready to mingle Someone is keeping a close eye on you, so be careful who your friends are. You will be in peak form and your fitness levels will be high. Avoid the tendency to over indulge or give in to temptation. The cards are showing your magnetic personality shining through.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

This month you will be feeling as though you would l ike to retreat on your own somewhere and hide There will be a feeling for the need to spend some'metime'. There will be pressures from family commitments and you may have some difficult times with a male child. The cards are i ndicating a time when you will be looking at increasing your income. The year is ending on a note of positivity and plans Don't lose faith.

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

You will be feeling i n a very positive and happy mood this month Your spirits seem to have lifted somewhat. The cards are indicating a time of romance and feelings of contentment. You have p lans to travel this month, meeting with lots of d ifferent friends and family Your social calendar will be packed for the festive season and you will be on a natural high The cards are indicating a time of fun, excitement, socialising, relaxing and making p lans.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

Your life is running the way you want, and there is success in work and love You have been working hard to bring someone close to you, and now you are both want to take things to the next level. This month you will be feeling blessed and happy. The catds are indicating a time of financial stability and abundance There may be some upset around the health of a member of your family. Tests and examinations are needed.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

You are bursti ng with sex appeal and making time for that special person in your life. If you are single, you will be in the mood to flirt and make your intentions clear to that special one. Work w i ll be stressful and there will be extra jobs put on your shoulders. Nothing you cannot handl e. Take care of your health, you have been under a lot of mental stress lately. You will be looking at buying a new car

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan

19

You will be assessing the year that has passed and be feeling quite nostalgic. There are plans to travel next year, and you will be l ooking at dealing with property matters. You may be relocating or moving home The cards are indicating a time when you will be putti ng a lot of energy into the future of your career and forging ahead with plans that have been on your mind for a while. Take time out to re l ax and meditate.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - f=eb 18

This month you will be planning to spend more time with your family and spouse. If singl e you will be thinking of someone who has caught your attention. The cards are indicating a time of great promise and adventure. There will be new work coming your way, but you must take time out to focus on what is important. You have a tendency to take on more than you can handle to please everyone. Your fitness levels will be good

PISCES f=eb 19 - fvlarch 20

You will be feeling very energetic and looking forward to meeting up with family this season You wil l be planning some surprise meetings with loved ones whom you have not seen for some ti me There is a strong feeling of love and powerful influences of contentment. Work will take a back seat as you take some time out. There are some personal goa ls that you have firmly placed in your mind to achieve in the coming year.

INSIPID GUNS-AND-ROMANCE SPREE

KILL OIL

STARRING: Govinda, Ranveer Singh, Ali Zafar, Parineeti Chopra

DIRECTOR: Shaad Ali ~ X';{

Kill Di/ is one of those misfired gun shots of masala cinema that reads like a fun-fest on paper I am sure everyone must have been ROFL (Ranveer's semi-illiterate character doesn't even know what RO FL means, teehee!) while shooting and enacting the scenes, and even before that there must have loads of laughter while reading the script

In principle these unprincipled characters who live and die by the gun must have seemed interesting. On screen Kill Di/ is as flat as the midriff that Ranveer loves to flaunt whenever the script permits Not that the scr ipt here is too particular about what goes and what doesn't

This is a free -for- all guns-and -romance spree where Guizar Saab's poetry slyly meets Ranveer Singh's buffoonery. Half-way through the narration you realise director Shaad Ali has run out of designer cool tricks

Enough of those chic shots of our two heroes riding down busy highways gunning for unsuspecting victims Yes, our heroes Dev and Tutu are assassins. You could've fooled me! They look like a couple of petty pick-pockets But God and the screenwriters (three of them, actually what's that they say about too many crooks sorry, cooks?) have l ofti er plans for our heroes who eat, laugh, cry and kill together But never sleep together

The heroes are assigned boarding

school double- decker beds, just so that we don't get any homosexual ideas Th i s is Jai and Vee r u from Sho/ay without Jai clambering on Veeru's shoulder on the motorbike. They sing together but the lyrics are about assassinati on and jubilation Yash Raj films went into similar turbulent territory of dosti versus love in the recent Gunday I have to admit Kill Di/ i s a smaller disaster than Gunday.

Ranveer, who played one of the two buddies in the earlier film as well, i s far more entertaining here He's still way over th e to p. But here h e is h ammy in a pleasa n t way.

Trouble starts and the ki llin g s fo r hi m end when Ranveer's character Dev falls in love with the neighbourhood femme fatale, a weirdly freelancing heiress played by the forcibly glammed-up Par ineeti Chopra, who seems to have her hands in every single pie that she can lay her manicured fingers on

Just what she sees in the ruffian Dev is something only the scriptwriter can answer. The romance which over takes the Ranveer-A l i Zafar bromance is among the many inexplicable mysteries that squeeze and smother the life out of this trite -and-teste d action-comedy masquerading as Tarantino's distant cousin

Another mystery: why does Guizar Saab's voice - over show up in three places to remind us that violence

be g et s o n ly violen ce? Why bring t he man of such indomitable refinement into a film that ree ks of r aw rancidity? And why the songs? Good l ord, they burst out of the narrative's seams l ike a fat man's paun ch in a shirt several sizes too smal l for him.

Undoubtedly some of the purportedly funny situations h it the mark. When Dev falls i n love and refo r ms from a hit-man to an i n surance agent, his ca ll er tune changes from Pankaj Udhas's 'Chitti ayee hai' to Lataji's ' Ra henna rahen hum'

The characters, includ i ng the supposed l y sinister villain Bhaiji, break into dance without a ca r e about who's watc h ing I can un d erstand the scri pt's eagerness to make the villain dance as he's played by Govinda The actor par excellence is not only back in form here,

he imbues his u ni-dimensional part with unexpected humour and charm.

Welcome back, Govinda Wish we could say t h e same about the director.

Is this the same filmmaker who once made the endearing Bunty Aur Babli? Shaad Ali brings down with him some of our very best techn i cians l i ke cinematographer Aveek Mukhopadhyay and ed itor Ritesh Soni who have done their most p atchy work in this fi l m His first fi l m in seven years, and this is what Shaad comes up with?

SUBHASH K. JHA

Tl-IE BIG FAT BOLLYWOOD WEDDING

Salman Khan's little sister, Arpita Khan's wedding took the internet b~ a storm with posts ofthe grand parties, Abu-Sandeep lehengas and kisses from Shah Rukh Khan. The wedding even got its own lnstagram account, with videos of the party preps!

The week-long celebrations began with a ha/di ceremony at the Khan residence, Galaxy Apartments in Mumbai, followed by mehendi and sangeet. All friends and family then headed for Arpita's Punjabi-style wedding to Delhibased businessman Aayush Sharma, at the Taj Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad on 18 November.

The big ice-breaking moment came when arch rivals Shah Rukh and Salman Khan came together in the same frame to bless baby sister. SRK had said that he would definitely be a part of the celebrations and he sure kept his word by attending the mehendi, though he could not attend the wedding.

The event kicked off with the baraatis, Salman, the men of the Khan family, and many male guests wearing saafas.

Partying it up with the Khans were Katrina Kaif, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao, Karan Johar, Mini Mathur, Priyanka Chopra, director Kabir Khan, celebrity trainers Deanne Pandey and Yasmin Karachiwala, and tennis player Sania Mirza, along with family members Alvira Khan and Amrita Arora, to name a few

Highlights of the event were Salman singing Jumma Chumma, and also stepmom Helen, sister-in-law Malaika Arora Khan performing to popular numbers. Mika and Yo Yo Honey Singh charged up the after-party.

The wedding feast was a scrumptious Hyderabadi spread with dishes like Haleem, Kachche Gos ht Ki Biryani and Double ka meetha. And a towering six-tier cake made by Le 1S Patisserie's Pooja Dhingra added to the splendour!

The young bride looked stunning in the red ghagra by Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla and a white Swarovski embellished lehenga at the after party.

Arpita also wrote an adorable speech for her family and wanted to go up on stage to read it out, but got so emotional that Priyanka Chopra had to read it out on her behalf.

Big B, who was wrapping up Piku in Kolkata, was unlikely to attend the wedding. It's not clear if any of the political bigwigs attended, though President Pranab Mukherjee was invited, as was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was, of course, here in Australia then

Star friends made sure to congratulate the couple on Twitter too, and big brother Sallu happily replied on their behalf.

DDLJ : 1,000 weeks

Now this tidbit from Bollywood is sure to make you feel old Come 12 Dec, evergreen hit Di/wale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) will have run nonstop in the cinemas for a full 1000 weeks.

A slew of activities is being planned for the day, but for now a special trailer has been launched by the film's producers YRF.

Shah Rukh Khan, who played Raj Malhotra in the film, said about the new trailer on Twitter, "My favourite line in a fi lm ever Nahin main nahi aaoonga DDLJ (ver 2.0 trailer reloaded) I am so happy".

The film, which is said to have redefined romance in Hindi cinema, marked filmmaker Yash Chopra's son Aditya Chopra's directorial debut and featured SRK, Kajol, Amrish Puri, Farida Jal al and Anupam Kher i n key roles. It released on Oct 20, 1995, and ever since has been playing in Mumbai's iconic Maratha Mandir cinema, making it the longest running film in the history of Indian cinema.

As part of the celebrations, SRK and Kajol, who were last seen together in My Name Is Khan, will appear on the television show Comedy Nights With Kapi/to celebrate the occasion.

The film won 10 Filmfare Awards, including Best Film, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director at the 1996 edition of the ceremony.

Priyanka supports another young cousin

Hollywood may have its Baldwins, and Bollywood has i ts Chopras.

The Chopra family is bursting with pretty young things following in the footsteps of big sis Priyanka.

Parineeti Chopra has gone on to create an identity for herself away from under the chhatrachhaya of Priyanka, and now it is the turn of another Chopra girl Mannara, whose film Zid is all set for release Priyanka Chopra is all praise for Mannara's debut Bol lywood performance, claiming she has l ived up to the "challenging" role.

"Mannara is not conscious of herself at all," 32-year-old Priyanka said at the music launch of the film "Her role has a lot of complications but I think, from the first film point of view, Mannara is fantastic."

The film generated much hype and curiosity when its first look was released recen tly. Mannara is said to have shot some extremely bold scenes.

Directed byVivek Agnihotri and produced by Anubhav Sinha, Zid also features Karanvir Sharma.

In th e Baldwi n family, the younger brothers never quite came up to the same mark as big brother Alec; so far at least, the Chopra sisters have

suRVEEN CHAWLA

proved there is talent flow ing down the chain. Will Mannara keep up the trend? Let's wait and see.

Sultry Surveen to do a dance number in Welcome Back

The Hate Story 2 actress Surveen Chawla has been roped in to do a dance number in Welcome Back, the sequel to Anees Bazmee's hit comedy Welcome.

The sequel also stars Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia, John Abraham, Shruti Hassan, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar and Paresh Rawal.

Accord i ng to sources, Huma Quereshi was initially approached for the dance number but things didn't work out. Were there some weighty issues?

Sonakshi to debut with tha/aiva

After jiggying with Action Jackson 's Ajay Devgan in the fun song keeda, Sonakshi Sinha, will now be seen with superstar Rajinikanth in the Tamil film, Lingao.

"I'm a newcomer here. Not many people know me. But I'm happy being introduced as Rajinikanth 's heroine," sai d Sonakshi, excited to be a part of this big film

Speaking at the fi lm's audio launch, she even crooned a few lines of Lungi dance, much to the joy of the superstar 's fans. The film is directed by K.S, Ravi Kumar and.has music by double Oscar-winning A.R. Rahman. And unlike her funky avatar in Action Jackson, Sona will play a village belle in Lingao. The actress sure is a versatile talent!

Happy New Year script lands at the Oscar 's

After the bumper success of t he Shah Rukh Khan star movie Happy New Year, filmmaker Farah Khan has one more achievement to celebrate. The movie's script has been included in the prestigious Oscar Library.

The Oscar Library will add the screenplay, which will be accessible to

A

students, filmmakers, writers, actors and other s from the field of cinema, for the purpose of research.

The film, which released this Diwali, has minted over Rs.350 crore worldwide so far.

This is actually a hat-trick for King Khan since it's the third fi Im after Devdas and Chak De! India that 's been selected for the Oscar Library.

Ileana's Aussie boyfriend in Happy Ending

Actress Ileana D'Cruz, who is reportedly dating Australian photographer Andrew Kneebone, said she prefers not to talk about her personal life with everybody. "I have never said anything about my personal life. I am sing l e until I am married I like to keep my personal life

ILEANA D'CR UZ

very private As long as my family is aware about it, I am fine with that. I don't want everyone to know about my personal life!'

Wonder what happened to those love confessions on soci al media where the Aussie bloke tweeted, " Ladies love a man who can make a decent Latte, cook a meal and do single arm pushups." I leana replied, "Ha ha ha, i s it any wonder why I love you?"

What's interesti ng is that Andrew will also be sharing screen space with the actress in the upcoming Bollywood flick, Happy Ending.

Ileana, are you having second thoughts about your Aussie mate or shoul d we hope to see you walk down the aisle soon?!

WI-IO WORE IT BETTER?

Anushka Sharma gains 35 kilos

The downright sexy Anushka Sharma dons a 35kg emerald and gold gown i n her upcoming film Bombay Velvet. So don't fret! The actress still has that bikini bod, but was weighed down by the elaborate gown which she dons for the role of a jazz si nger in the film

The jewelled green and go l d dress is designed by Niharika Bhasin Khan, for her opening song in the period drama And according to sources, Anushka needed plenty of help to carry off the heavy-duty number, literally

Anushka did you thank your lucky stars that you didn't have to do a maar daalaa like Madhuri d i d in that 10-kilo anarkali in Devdas?

You can't dupe Pritam

Renowned music composer Pritam, who will be seen judg i ng an d mentoring a digital reality show Fame Websinger, says technology can enhance the quality of the song, but not the voice of a singer

"In today's age with technology ther e are many ways to enhance the quality of the song, even fine tune the sing i ng but what the singer's voice brings to the song no t echnology can manage!" he said in a statement

So contestants gear up as Pritam da has certainly raised the bar for this compet i tion

Tiger to romance Saira Banu's 18-year- old grand niece

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Hayden Panettiere or Priyanka Chopra in Herve Leger?

Share your views with us on our Facebook page / lndianLinkAustralia • •

Veteran actor, Saira Banu's beautiful grand-niece, Sayessha, who is set to debu t in the Ajay Devgan- directed Shivay, has already bagged her second role opposite nger Shroff.

Ekta Kapoor, who is known to promote new talent, has fina l ised Sayessha i n Remo D 'Souza's untitled superhero 3D film. Wi ll Sayessha win a million hearts like her grandmother? We'll have to wait and watch!

S ONA l<S HI S INH

SAYESSHA BA NU

Justice the Jayalalitha way

Is it triumph or tragedy for India's most controversial and colourful politician?

movem ents, ranging from ridiculous to religious, ro demand her release.

BY ,. LP.AYER

Amma is the most pervas ive palindrome in Tamil Nad u

Unless you are totally blind, there is no way of miss ing that wo rd and i ts owner, moon- faced m atronlylooking Jaya lalitha, plasteted on every wall in the poster- poUuted provincial capital, Cbennai With the populace of chis state neatly divided into two political camps, any excuse is good enough to start wall- towaU coverage glor ifying their l eaders. So i t i s ouly normal to expect Chief l'Vlinister Jayalalitba's achievements ro be public ised in l arger than l ife format on eve r y street corner.

But w hen I arrived in Chen nai ear ly October, the texts had a twist. I saw a variety of posters wi th a single message - demanding her release from prison.

Jaya lalitha was convicted on 27 September in a Bengaluru special court on charges of accumulating assets worth Rs66.5 crore, disproportionate to her earnings and en ti tlements.

That sum works out at one crore and a bit for every year of age for this 66- year- o ld former movie star. She was sentenced to four yea rs imprisonment and given a Rs1 00cr fine. T h is judgemen t cam e 18 years after the case was filed thanks co her legal team successfuUy seeking so man y ad journments

Amma applied for bail to appeal against the judgment, but the Dussebra holidays delayed the hearing So her loyal party men conceived vario u s ptotest

First the posters accused the judge of getting even with Amma because of her successful fight against Karnataka over the Kaveri water iss ue. Some of them even had an u ndertone of threat

This did not cut the mustard witl1 the judiciary and drew some cond emnation Some of the Members of the Legislative Assembly, being lawyers, should have known better In their eagerness to exhib it tl1eir loyal ty t o Amrna, the party's big-wigs vied with each other ro organise b igger and more bizarre protest marches, man y of them with religio u s overtones.

To mention a few, special 'p1gas' were held at rnany temples praying for the bail heai:ing to be speeded up. These prayers may have prevailed upo n the divine Lord, but not the special court lo rd. Next they sta rted holding hava11s at famous temp les in large cities attended by hundreds. Trying to send some smoke s.ignal?

Not to be outdone b y temple throngs, some churches and mosques held mass prayers. Crossing the caste barriers?

For women supporters, tl1eir l oyalty for Amma went to their heads, li terally. Some 3000 women took ouc a procession carrying pal kI1da111 (pots of milk) to offer to a l ocal temple in Madurai

Women 's support for Jayalalitha comes not only out of gender affinity, but also due to a number o f freebies offered to tl1em on her birthdays - saris, grinders, maternity packs containing goodies for newborns and much more.

Bm men too went head over heels in their support. Thousa n ds of them had their heads shaved in a mass tonsure event. Some men pierced their cheeks and tongues

with thin sh arp metal lancets as they do at the 'Thai Poosam' festival. Some i\fLAs u n dertook four- hour fasting - not eating between lunch and dinner!

Every event was given extensive coverage on Jaya TV (Amma's own) to the excl u sion of any othet news. O n the otber band, it was cotal sunset on the Oppos ition's Sun TV

The star attraction for tl1e former movie queen was due co her new ve n tures like Amma Cafe where a p late of idli (typical Tamilian breakfast) i s sold for five rupees as opposed to Rs60 in an y res taurant; while Am.ma Salt and Amma Nlineral \Xfater are among other low- price offetings

And to cement her place in public esteem, the latest ventu re is Amma Cement offering a few

Hol\) CA~ Sl-\i PAY Rs.100 CRoRE 9

hundred bags at half tl1e standard price to encourage t he poorer sections of the community ro build a house.

At lase when the bail application was being heard, one reporter p r ematurely announced it had been successful On hearing th is, women well past tl1eit fi fries danced in the streets a l a Bollywood and l oads of laddoos were dished om But when the offic ial ann oun cement of bail refusal came a few minutes later, the dancing women felt so desolate tl1ey started rolling on tl1e roads beating their chests. A few days later the issue was taken to the Supreme Court which alJowecl bail albeit with some stiff co ndi tions. Minutes later, loads of Jaddoo trays reappeared fo llowed by deafening

firecrackers A U those prayers seemed to have been answered But not for the 1 73 peop le who lost their lives Amidst all tl1ose frivolities there was a very sad chapter i u this saga of w cophancy

Grieving over Anuna's arrest, 7 5 people comm itted suicide, 17 of them set tliem selves abl aze, a n d some poisoned themselves or jumped in front of heavy vehicles Others we re reported to have died of heart attacks, shocked by the sentence Coming om on bail , Amma ann ounced a reli ef amou nt of R s3 lakhs for eve ry victim's famil y None of them belonged to tl1e coterie of ministers, MLAs or their family members. Commo n folks consumed by passion for their Jeadet. Is it realJy wortb it.?

"I used to think that all mortgage brokers are the same until I met Swati" - Koma/