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editorial

INDIAN LINK PUBUSHER .

- - - · - -- - - . . Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra.

ASSISTANT.EDITOR Kira Spucys-T�h�r .

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MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Usha Ramanujam Arvind, Dhanya Samuel,· Vish Chilumkurti, Sai Narayan, Grahak Cunningham, Rajpal Sandhu,.

Nancy Jade Althea, Sanam Sharma ADVERTISING WA Sales Manager Ram Naidu 0435 581 571 National Sales Vivek Trivedi 0292621766

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

T

Al>VERTISING ASSISTANT Preeta Nair 02 9279 20·04 '

Keeping calm in turliulent times

'

Indian Link is a monthly newspaper published in· English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be ·reproducedCin part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian.· Link. AU corre�pondence should.be addressed to'

Indian Link

Level 24/44 Market St, Sydney 2009 or GPO Box 108, Sydney 2001

Ph: 02 9279·2004 !=ax: 02 9279·2005· Email: infc.@indianlink._com.au ·

he financial markets have had a rough start to the year and the volatility in various sectors has worried investors. Even the darling of most investors, the real estate market, is facing challenging times. With cash rates and term deposits floating around the 2 to 3°/,) mark, there seems to be little hope of maintaining a positive real rate of return. \Vhat triggered the market downfall was concern about China and the falling oil prices. The spectre of anotl1er global financial crisis, as evidenced in 2008, has raised its head. Furthermore, as tl1e US Federal Bank raised its interest rates by 25 basis points late last year, it also worried investors tliat there will be capital outAo\v from the vulnerable economies of Asia as investors moved into US funds. All this and fears of underlying weaknesses in tl1e markets, spooked investors who have been on more of a

selling spree than a buying one.

Looking at all these factors in isolation, the Chinese market has indeed been growing at a very rapid pace and any correction now gives the market a chance to clean itself. As to how much more needs to be done is anybody's guess, but the important part is tl1at while the economy may not grow at 8 or 9%, it needs to grow at over 5-6% simply to sustain itself. If 6% growth becomes the new paradigm, then the markets will need co move from mere.

Interestingly enough, China's woes have become India's boon as Indian GDP growth hovers over 7%. India seems to be the only brick standing in the BR1CS economies of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. The investment sentiment will be in favour of India over the shore co medium term.

The oil crisis is a self- inAicted one, with Saudi Arabia bringing down tl1e prices co put pressure on not only Iran, but also the United States. There are a \vhole lot of religious and political factors for the oil war beLween tl1e Saudis and me Iranians and other issues about £racking, against the US and while the prices continue to come down, the boon to Australian households is a

saving of about $14 per week on petrol costs as opposed to two years ago.

Those with a more 360 degree vision are fully a,vare mat the oil price downfall is more cyclical rather than long term and permanent.

The biggest driver of the world economy is tl1e US economy. After its meltdown in 2008, the interest rates were down to almost zero ru1d over the past few montl1s, the underlying indicators such as housing, employment and growtl1 in the economy have been strong, such that the Federal bank increased rates i n 2015, a decision which was not w1expected. The markets, always nervy about rate increases, have reacted negatively to this decision.

What is indeed encouraging is that the world's biggest economy is growing.

India is taking its rightful position on the global platform as another super economy to China. For investors, tl1e opportunities are there if they keep their nerve and keep in mind the long term value of investing. As a famous investor has said, investing shot1/d be like 1vatchi11g paint d1y; ifJ'OII like spem/ation, try the casi110.

Canny investors will make money in these turbulent times, the naive ones will be the ones losing real wealtb.

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YOUR SAY

I••••••••••••••••••" •• • •••••• ••••••• •••••• ••• ••

V

HINDI CRICKET COMMENTARY

,....

Indian Link has partnered with Cricket Australia to bring you all men's and women's KFC T20 /NTL Series matches live In Hindi! @rajlnder_ravl wrote:

@CricketAus @indian_link wow that's great news. India and Aus are growing in cricket relations and as countries ...Great to be part of it! @BrlttanyCarter:

TRAVELLERS AID AUSTRALIA

Brenda Stott wrote: I love our Travellers Aid - a blessing for older people

like me - Thank you, guys!

Viv Moss wrote: You helped me out when I needed it the most. Thank you,

Travellers Aid is a fabulous service.

Judi Viti wrote: Thanks Travellers Aid Australia, you have helped me out a few times now!

INDIA NEEDS A CHANGE OF MINDSET

The citizens of India need to protest their treatment by elected officials, wrote Sanam Sharma

Deen Parast wrote: It is amazing that you have totally overlooked the biggest issue in India - over population. The population is exceeding all natural bounds and the government needs to address it as a priority. Over­ population breeds extreme competition, and that competition - the desire to get ahead of others - breeds corruption. It is a vicious cycle.

Ganesh K. Nathan wrote: People deserve the politicians they elect.

Unless the voters are prepared to fight hard and change the political culture, they will get the same corrupt, incompetent politicians.

Cricket Aus recruited @indian_link to call #AUSvlND T20 game five in Hindi today, trying to promote multiculturalism. Heard on @702sydney. @DeepuManna17 wrote: We need Hindi commentary! @CricketAus @shahkrlsmashal1 wrote: Aussies trying to make Indians happy :) Good on you, mates!

Shallnl Dubey wrote: Enjoying cricket with Hindi commentary! It's like Pizza with a hint of Desi Masala Nallka Padmasena wrote: This is great news. Congratulations to all.

Jayant Sharma wrote: Well done team Indian Link! Exciting times.

Sanam Sharma wrote: I heard the Hindi commentary and reckon the guys did a stellar job. Please pass on my congratulations. More power to them!

Praful Saparla wrote: This made us nostalgic indeed ...we muted the TV and were listening via apps. Reminded us of the olden days of the Harsha Bhogle era. So proud of you!

CRICKET LOVE

Angadh Singh Oberol wrote: Thanks to Indian Link for these shots from

the T20 series across Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney

Swami Army wrote: Thanks Indian Link for some great shots of Swami

Army members across Australia for the T20 series!

Surlt Sethi wrote: Great album. Brings back all the memories of a

wonderful night.

WHAT THE IPL CAN LEARN FROM THE BBL

Sanam Sharma wrote about the need for the BCCI to improve the image of the IPL and make it a more family-friendly sporting league

Dharmendra Raj Damanpur wrote: My Virat Kohli, best khiladi!

Kala Raghunath wrote: Bowling and fielding was amazing! 3 cheers to

Indian female cricket team!

Blggerfan wrote: The BBL will overtake the IPL as the premier 20/20

tournament in the world in the next two years. Why? Because top players respect the game will tire of being part of a circus.

Crlcketfan wrote: Great views, but don't agree with you. IPL is rich as it gets money from endorsements, that doesn't mean BBL is good. Who are the overseas players in the BBL just SL, WI, SA. BBL is better labelled as domestic cricket while IPL is international level.

This isAloo Aloo goes with everything palak, methi,

gobi, mater,

Aloo is Easy Going.

#BelikeAloo

THE GREATEST GIFT

A Sydney boy on holiday In Mumbai saved four lives in India after his family donated his organs following his death from a brain clot

Harslmran Kaur wrote: Hats off little champ, RIP. You are a great soul who made other people go on to live Savi Venkat wrote: Salute Urmlla Sumeet Kaur wrote: Leaves me speechless ...

4 FEBRUARY 2016

SUPPLY, DEMAND AND REVOLUTION Indian Link's Chltra Sudarshan reviewed several books whose authors provide various perspectives on unlocking the secrets to a successful global economy.

I envy Chitra Sudarshan who gets to read such good books for her column, particularly those with a strong Indian flavour like To the Brink and Back - India's 1991 Story. Narasimha Rao's great contribution is not well-known to the general public, probably blinkered by the adulation Indians have for the Nehru-Gand.hi family.

No doubt that both Pt. Jawahar1al Nehru and Indira Gandhi were great leaders of their era. Manmohan Singh too deserves credit for some of his achievements in the nuclear fuel area, but was cramped in his later years by political forces around him. Atal Behari Vajpaye was another Prime Minister who deserves great accolades. If anyone cares to remember, Lal Bahadur Shastri, belying his diminutive figure, proved a strong person during the 1965 war and a man of high integrity resigning as Railway Minister after one rail accident.

Books like Rebooting India by Nandan Nilekani can be a great inspiration to the younger generation, like the works by Abdul Kalam, another great Indian. My efforts to get books like these bought by the local public library systems don't meet with much success since they don't receive many readers' requests to justify their purchase. If some of your readers take the effort to put in requests at their local library - after all we support them with our taxes - we may be able to see some of them on the shelves. Local Indian associations too can build up niche collections.

LP Ayer, Thorngate SA

www.indianlink.com.au

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----·�········································ WHY I CHOSE ROBOTICS

Nikita Kulkarni wrote about her study of mechatronics and being a woman in STEM. The article was shared and liked by Swinburne University, Nossa/ High Careers, Australian Education Connect and Australian Robotics Programs and Courses among others.

James Anfruns wrote: Congrats, Nikita - such a great piece! Keep on

designing things to make my life easier please!

Cemre Olcer wrote: Nikita Kulkarni, I'm SO proud of you! I'm so lucky to call you my friend. You are one of the best people I know, and your perseverance and struggles have brought you exactly where you belong.

I know you are going to be such an excellent engineer and I believe with everything in my heart that you will make a difference to the world.

Theophanls Zarkadas wrote: Nikita Kulkarni, congrats. Remember the little people when you're famous!

ON SOCIAL INCLUSION

Pawan Luthra wrote about how what it means to be 'Australian' is an ever­ changing concept

VIRGIN INDIA?

Richard Branson went back to his roots on a television show and discovered he's of Indian and Australian descent!

Krishna Siva wrote: To me Richard Branson Is like his native countryman, of no distinct origin or identity he can strongly relate to!

The island has been conquered and re-conquered without any standing characteristics or DNA Salen Sharma wrote: There you go... virgin madras now jamming Indian skies Vick Singh wrote: He is an artificial character, he can do or say anything to make money!

Well stated, Pawan. Yes, 'inclusiveness' must be at the heart of any attempts at peaceful co-existence.

Being 'Australian' does not mean that we should take on Aboriginal culture (the original Australians). Nor does it mean that we should take on the Anglo-Saxon culture, nor any other culture.

Instead, we should focus on being good citizens and good human beings, first and foremost. Being Australian means that we develop in ourselves, a deep affinity for this country, we develop a feeling in our hearts that this is 'my country', my chosen country.

Being Australian means that we look for commonality among all cultures.

Being Australian means that we inculcate core values such as hard work, compassion for the less fortunate in our society, respect for all cultures, equality, justice and fairness in all our dealings, honesty, generosity etc.

Being Australian means thinking less of what this country can do for me and thinking more of what can I do for this country? How can i contribute to a country which has given so much to me?

Above all learning to live in peace and harmony with all cultures is quintessential to being Australian.

Dr Ahad Khan

VEGEMITE CHICKEN!

@lndlan_Unk wrote:

IKEA TO LAUNCH IN INDIA

"India is a huge market with big potential to grow the home furnishings market. We are in India for the long term," said the Ikea India CEO.

Bharti Sheth wrote: Not supporting this as big corporate companies can

kill small businesses!

INDIAN AFL FANS

Combine quintessentially Australian #Vegemite with Indian spice masalas for this tasty dish by @vanyadhanya #recipe Vegemite wrote: @indian_ link @vanyadhanya Yep, #wegowitheverything!

AWESOME AUSTRALIA

AFL Dlverslty@AFLdiversity

wrote: Great to see @aflnswact meeting with government reps, Red Cross & Indian Link Media Group over lunch with Swans stars! Another great activation discussing all things AFL

Results of our holiday poll are in, with more than 100 votes received. We asked, where would be your dream holiday?

*Travel around and see Australia (32%) *Visit Disneyland, California and meet Mickey! (27%) *Go for a cruise in the Caribbean (18%) *Hop over the ditch to NZ (13%)

"Yaar Yuvraj ka time khatam ho gaya hai" One four "MAIN BOLA THA YUVI IS BACK'' Love, love T20.

Terrific batting from India but 'chak de Aussies!' #nationaldayvrepublicday Barry O'Farrell, Australla lndla Councll

Tanmay Bhatt, AIB

A chance to do a bit of exploring in Punjab with a visit to the Chandigarh Gurudwara with expert commentary from my mate, Karan Anand - a member of both the Australia India Youth Dialogue and the Young Sikh Professionals Network (Australia).

nm watts MP

INDIANLINK

A very Happy Republic Day to all who are celebrating it around the world!

Brett Lee

.f

I!]

+ JOIN THE CONVERSATION > LOG on to your own Facebook or Twitter account > TYPE "Indian Link" Into the search box at the top of the screen and click on the link that comes up > CLICK 'Like ' to join the Indian Link Facebook community or 'Follow' @lndlan_Unk on Twitter

FEBRUARY 2016 5

cover story

WOMEN AS LEADERS Dr Rashmi Sharma, OAM

T

his year, Dr Rasluni Sharma of Canberra became the youngest woman of Indian origin to be honoured with the OAJ\,f.

She was felicitated "for service to medicine, and to professional organisations".

As a clinical practitioner, as a medical educator, and as a member of many advisory committees, Dr Sharma has impressed in many and varied roles.

"It is a great unexpected honour," Dr Sharma tells Indian Link. "I have held public roles where I have tried my best to advocate for my profession as wel.l as build up a successful general practice and teach the future generation of doctors. It is very humbling to have this work recognised by the community I have served. I will continue to work co the best of my ability in my current roles which include national representational roles where I will try and inAuence health policy makers co ensure health policy meets the needs of the community and clinicians."

Her honour comes at a time when a spate of women from our community have been winning acclaim for cheit role in the sciences, and she joins an exclusive club of tbe likes of Veena SahajwaUa, MinotiApte, Ranjana Srivastava and Nalini Joshi. Luckily for us in the Indian community, many of our young women do take up science as careers, nor only in medicine but also engineering and robotics. StiU, there's no doubt we need more women in the sciences.

But for Dr Sharma, it's breaking through chat glass ceiling that is most motivating.

'1 chink we do pretty well in women pursuing science, there are more women studying medicine in Australia than men, but I chink the issue is the recognition of women in these senior roles," Dr Sharma observes. "We know chat there is a lack of female representation in leadership and governance roles, and chis is magnified when you then look at women of Indian origin. I think d1is reAects onAustralian society as a whole where we know gender equity is still an issue and then from an Indian cultural perspective we are stiU breaking down issues of family expectations and stereotypes. Finall)', I thinl, as women we are often too modest when celebrating our successes which means we are often the quiet achievers i n the corner. I hope my OAl\if encourages Indian women to tread into the world of

6 FEBRUARY 2016

leadership and national roles - we have a lot to offer and need to push our way forward into this scene."

Dr Sharma moved toAustralia in 1993 after finishing med school in UK where she was born. Today, her expertise has seen her con tribute in senior roles with the Australian MedicalAssociation, Medical School Advisory Board, GP leadership and training groups, hospital nerwork coilllcils and government committees. She is also currentlyAdjunctAssociate Professor at cheANU. In many of these executive roles, Dr Sharma clain1s she is often d1e only brown face at the cable.

"There just aredt enough of us in high-profile positions. Perhaps because we think we won't get them? Bue we are definitely capable of influencing policy

www.indianlink.com.au

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and changing ir."

She herself does not shy away from Aauncing her Indian heritage.

"I have always enjoyed being able to inAuence the national scene \Vith my Indian side, for example, insisting on pure vegetarian food at my meetings at government deparanencs, declining invites to Parliament House events because they dashed with Diwali, and attending formal events to give our prizes wearing traditional Jndian attire. I have only ever experienced appreciation from my fellow Australians when they see me proud of my culmral background."

W

hat would she say, though, ro the oft-quoted lament about the draconian laws about ad.mitring Jndia-qualified (or overseas-trained) doctors?

"Australia has one of the best health systems in the world and part of that is attributable co the high standards it demands of irs health professionals. I myself had to sit the Australian Medical Council exams when I migrated from rhe UK. The standards are there to protect the community rather than shut our doctors from a particular country - we see doctors from India being very successful

With husband Stuart and kids Rishabha and Anuradha

commlmity, some people would want to bide such illness or not get help, or bold it against people.

It was also educational in other ways.

"I learnt that patients can feel very disempowered, not being able to make informed decisions. Having been on both sides of the table, I feel I have learnt how to look after my own patients better."

Clearly, Dr Sharma is an unstoppable force, turning each of her life experiences into valuable lessons and building on them for wider benefit.

W

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\"' With pet cow Nandi �

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in Australia and I have had the privilege of teaching some of them. l agree the process of navigating the system to get through the relevant exams and get qualifications recognised can be complex, but I think people need to persevere, link into local help and see how they go."

There are many instances when doctors don't make it in the fuse go, bur these are probably because of cultural issues, Dr Sharma notes. "During my rime in Canberra I've seen more and more Indians get through and they're doing well."

To young doctors from India who are unable to get a job here easily, Dr Sharma has a few words of advice. "Keep trying.

But remember that there are now large mm1bers of local graduates entering the market and the need is in regional and rural Australia rather than big cities. Life

INDIANLINK

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in regional and rural Australia can be very rewarding though so certainly worth considering."

Her own early placement was in rural Queensland, aged 23-24. ''I was replacing a senior doctor called Karan Sengupta in a smaJl town with a population of 250. It was a great litde place - very welcoming."

A

n increasing trend amongst successful clinical practitioners in the Indian diaspora, are regular forays back to die home colmtry to provide medical intervention in areas that need them desperately.

Dr Sharma has been doing such work herself.

"I think we all have a duty to help those less fortunate than us. Ar the moment we collect a lot of stuff from our surgery

in terms of medical supplies to rake to charitable hospitals in India. I n addition we have a patient who has sewn 20,000 (yes, twenty thousand!) dresses for a school in India for underprivileged girls, as well as knitted thousands of jumpers. She is Australian, aged 83, and all the cloth and wool is donated by patients in our surgery."

Dr Sharma has herself sponsored a girl in the school, taking upon herself the care of her educational and medical needs.

Dr Sharma got a unique perspective into what it means to be a patient, when she was herself diagnosed with not one but two forms of cancer, the fust one as an adolescent. "It was particularly interesting to note how the older generation dealt \vith it, especially the implications that had in terms of marriage prospects!"

It was an eye-opener that, within the

hat's a typical day like, for someone so busy? "l have an unusual li£e," Dr Sharma laughs. "I live in Murwillumbah in northern SW with my children Rishabha and Anuradha, husband Smart and my parents on my farm. I commute to Canberra for work. So I spend three days away from home, either in Canberra at my surgery or government departments, and/ or in Sydney and i'vfelbourne doing my government work, and then spend four days at home where J head up GP training for the North Coast region. It's a bit nutty, but 1 enjoy irl I think l get the best of both worlds - a high-powered career as wel.l as fam.ily life - and have managed co create balance. So there is no such thing as a typical day. I love all parts of my job - the joy of looking after my patients, running a private business, teaching the next generation of doctors, assisting in the development of health policy and advocating for my profession."

The farm life, complete with cows, is something Dr Sharma always wanted. "The cows are our pets - we got our fuse cow andi years ago for a tradi rional g1ih1qm111esh (housewarming) ceremony. \Ve want to build a cow sanctuary." o doubt the extended family bad, in India's UP state (Rae Bareli and i\foradabad, to be precise), will be impressed.

To yom1g women in the Indian communil-y, Rashmi Sharma is an impeccable role model, forging bold new pathways at both the professional and personal levels.

Rajni Anand Luthra

FEBRUARY 2016 7

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cover story

THINKING BIG

BY TH INKING SMALL Dr Chennupati Jagadish, AC

I

n 1 990, when Chennupati Jagadish accepted a two-year contract with the Australian National University (ANU) ro starr up a research program in the field of optoelectronics and nanotechnology, Little did he know that he was embarking on a prestigious trajectory one that would .lead to the nation's highest civilian honour, a Companion of the Order of Australia.

The Vallurnpalem lad, who studied by a kerosene lamp and walked miles to his nearest high school in Khammam district of rural Andhra Pradesh, has been recognised for eminem service to physics and engineering; ro education as a leading academic, researcher, author and mentor as well as pivotal roles with national and international scientific advisory instimtions.

His research interests encompass compound sernkonductor oproeJectronics, nanotechnology, photovolraics and materials science.

From humble beginnings, tbe Nagarjuna and Andhra University alumnus went on to get his doctorate from the University of Delhi, where he was later appointed lecturer iu Physics aud Electronics before being invited for a fellowship at Queen's University, Canada in tl1e late eighties.

As a distingLtisbed professor of physics at the AustraLian National University, he heads a $20 million cutting-edge research facility, has five international parents, 40 PhD students, 45 post-doctoraJ researchers from Australia and overseas, and has 850 papers and several books to his credit. Currently Vice-President of the AustraLian Academy of Science, he fow1ded the Australian Nanotechnology Network and helped initiate tl1e international conference on nanoscience. He is also serving as Director of the AustraLian National Fabrication Facility, besides holding honorary positions at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu, the University of Tokyo, Anna University and Nanjing University.

Wei.I recognised as a pioneer in the exciting ne,v world of nanotechnology, Prof. Jagadish's particular expertise is energy efficient nanofabrication which has huge potential in the field of communications, data storage, solar ceJls and medicaJ appLications.

"It is very rare for a scientist to be bestowed this award, particularly someone

INDIANLINK

from a developing economy, so I am humbled, honoured and grateful," Prof.

Jagadish told Tndi,111 Link. "This is a wonderful recognition of the work, my research group at the Australian National Universit)' in me field of semiconductor optoelectronics and nanotechnology undertakes."

Prof. Jagadisb has dedicated this award co his two high school teachers, who wholehearted.I)' embraced me motivated student into their lives, inspiring a lifelong passion for science and technology while also instilling core values of simple Living and high tl1inking.

"They taught m e self-discipltne, perseverance and dedication. The)' shaped my character and moulded me as a person," he acknowledged.

Never, ever give up, is his sound advice

to aspiring scientists. As a post-doctoral student seeking to widen bis horizons, his appLications were constantly knocked back. So when an opportunity arose in Canada for a new resear. cb experiment, he immediately seized it. Since then, mere has been no Looking back.

Championing the cause of science in AustraLia, Prof. Jagadisb sees himself as an academic father who finds pride and joy in working with bright young minds.

"Science, particularly physics, allows us to discover how things work. lt is very rewarding. It teaches innovation and entrepreneurship, logical thinking, critical reasoning and problem solving - essential quaLities tlrnt ser you up for any future career patlnvay. Today, my students are scanered everywhere and have found success in many unexpected areas," he remarked.

Prof. Jagadish firmly envisions STEM­ enriched education as the future of any knowledge-based economy. While emerging nations value science and technology, it is too often taken for granted in developed economies, he lamented.

Working closely witl1 Australia India Strategic Research Fund, Prof. Jagadisb and bis wife Vidya have set up an endowment fund to help support students and researchers from developing countries to visit ANU's physics and engineering department.

He hopes to continue ro be a strong statesman and mentor for the next generation of scientists, and is preparing for the 93rd International Optoelectronic conference, from 2-11 February, which will host more than 2500 delegates.

Usha Ramanujam Arvind

FEBRUARY 2016 9

cover story

M

elbow:ne's Dr Sajeev Koshy has been felicitated by the Governmenc of Australia for his outstanding contributions to the field of dentistry and public oral healthcare in regional Victoria. "l am extremely elated but deeply humbled," Dr Koshy told Tndia11 Link.

"This award is recognition of what we have achieved and the services that I and my team have been able to provide to public dentistry. But above all, I consider it to be inspirational to perforrn beyond one's call of dmy."

10 FEBRUARY 2016

Currently Head of Endodontics at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Dr Koshy is passionate about improving the commuruty healtl1care system and accessibility to timely dental care, especially in regional Victoria. Apart from offering his clinical expertise to several public demal clinics across the state, he also serves as the Director of Dental Services at Boore District TIealtl1 and Clinical Director ac Plenty Valley Communiry Health. He is also the Clinical Accredi tation Surveyor for the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards, and a cw:rent member of the Victorian Oral Health Promotion Advisory Group.

Dr Koshy has been strongly committed to comnrnnicy and public dentistry. A native o f Trivandrum, Kerala, he completed his graduate studies in dentistry from the Trivand.mm Demal College and almost immediately plunged into the public healtl1 care system of the state. He has served as the President of the Dental Council of Kerala and was an active member of Rotary International through which he has carried out several community projects, both in lndia and abroad.

Providing compassionate care to tl1e disadvantaged has been Dr Koshy's prioriry. As a Rotary Dental Volunteer,

he bas worked on many international projects, including an UNHCR projecr with Vietnamese refugees, Project Amigo with orphans in Mexico, in Guatemala wiili Quechi Indians and with Kikuyu tribes in Kenya. Ir was during this time abroad tbar he began entertaining ilie idea of further specialising in dentistry. I-Te moved to t ew Zealand with his young family and trained in endodontics at the University of Otago. \Vhile there, he also got himself an J\.IDA degree, and became one of the first Australasian doctors to hold a business qualification.

Why would a demist w1dertake an J\.IDA degree? "It has helped me to bridge the gap that exists between clinical practice and tl1e economics of tl1e heal thcare system," Dr Koshy revealed. "It's a decision that has helped me irnmensely by allowing me to Lmderstand the public healili system better and thereby execute effective strategies and change management policies."

Moving to Australia, he was appointed Director of Dental Services at Bairnsdale Regional Health Services. During this time, tl1e average waiting period for a patient in regional Victoria was 57 months. Dr Koshy assembled a highly functional. team and implemented several cost effective and innovative healilicare models whicl1 brought tl1is waiting period down from 57 months to seven months in just two years.

Dr Koshy is no stranger to awards; an entire book wi.U have to be dedicated to the meritorious services that he has performed so far, positions he has held and honours he has received. He was the first recipient of Victoria's Public Healthcare Award in 2007; he claimed the Dentistry Achievernent Award of the Australian Dental Association in 2008, and also went on co receive Victoria's Multicultural Award for Excellence in 2012 for his commendable contributions co the multicultural commmiit:y.

A visionary par excellence and a keen believer in social justice, Dr Koshy's prioriry has always been to provide compassionate care to young children, the disadvantaged, survivors of tortme and bushfire-affected patients. He has also worked extensively to improve the oral healthcare of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. \X7hat advice would he give co new migrant doctors and medical professionals arriving in Australia?

"Ado pr best practices, keeping commitment, service and delivery in mind.

Integrate and adapt weU into the Australian way of life while keeping the vast heritage and culmre of lnd.ia alive in your heart. "

Dhanya Samuel

www.indianlink.com.au

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EYE-CONIC! Dr Jay Chandra,

AM

arly on the morning o f 26 January this year, as the nation was reading througb tbe list of the Australia Day awardees for the yeat, Dr Jay --- Chandra was doing what be loves best - fixing someone's eyes.

He had been called in to work at Sydney's Wesrmead Hospital ro deal with an emergency case.

It was midday as he walked out of the operating theatre and cbecked bis phone, only to read many messages of congratulations from family, friends and colleagues.

"It's a significant honour conferred upon me, and I'm grateful," Dr Chandra told liidian Link.

His honour came for significam sen,ice to medicine in the field of ophthalmology as a clinician, and co the international community through eye care programs.

Dr Chandra came to this country in 1964 when his family migrared here, but went back to India to go to medical school. In 1970, he undertook ophthalmology training in Australia, and went on co specialise i□. vitreorecinal procedures here and in the US. He worked at Westmead Hospital where he established, in 1985, a virreoretinal surgical unit, and a fellowship training program.

He also worked at the Nepean Hospital tu1til 2011, and ju private practice which he set up in Penrith in 1980.

He continues to work ar Westmead Hospital to this day, leading the hospital ro become the second centre, only after the Sydney Eye Hospira!, which provides rhese specialised services.

"Only recently in 2013, I was happy co be able ro re-equip the unit with state­ of0the-art technology," Dr Chandra said.

"This came .about after some struggle, thanks to budgetary constraints, bur Jillian Skinner, NSW Minister for Health and Dr Geoff Lee, Member for Parramatra, were invaluable in their support."

Throughout bis career, Dr Chandra bas kept his eyes open for opportunities where he can use his special skills for improving the lives of others.

Back in 2002, Dr Chandra spoke ro Indian U11k about his charitable work in India. At free eye camps organised in the holy ciry

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of Rishikesh, Dr Chandra led a group of doctors and technicians in cataract surgery for people who could not otherwise afford the treatment. The initiative was supported

by Vision Beyond ADS (Piducian Group Limited and Rotary Club of Sydney).

In 2006, his team conducted a similar program in Fiji, working at the Laucoka Hospital. This became an annual program known as the Fiji Eye Care Program and has received support from the Sr Clair Uniting Church in Australia and the Methodist Church Fiji. The region is home to many underprivileged people, many of the.n1 of Indian origin.

Some d1ousand people so far have had d1eir eyesight restored by Dr Chandra's reain.

"This year marks the tenth anniversary of the Fiji program," Dr Chandra remarked. ''Through the years, we've also donated much equipment co the hospital, such as microscopes and examination gear." l t comes as no surprise that Dr Chandra's life and career have been greatly inspired by tl,e legendary Fred Hollows, a dearly loved son of Australia and visionary oph d1almologist.

"I am indebted to Fred," Dr Chandra re,7ealed. "He gave me my first training position at tbe Prince of Wales Hospital."

Working under rl1e man got him hooked on the idea of taking his expertise. straight to the most needy in the community.

"I drove with Fred ro B=ke on many an occasion, to work at bis camps for Indigenous patients. He was a generous, charitable person, not interested in _material gains for himself."

Dr Chandra is supported bj" his wife Shailaja Chanirvedi in his charitable endeavours. As a clinical psychologist, as an executive officer at die Australian Indian Medical Graduates Association (AThfGA) and as a Hindi poet, Dr Chan1rvedi is well­ known in Sydney's Indian community herself.

"I'm no culntre-vulture like my wife," Dr Chandra admitted. "I'm a mechanical­ minded person, and so her backing has be.en matchless."

"My only regret is my mum is nor here ro share this most tecent award with me," Dr Chandra said, wistfully. "My brother and sister both said the same to me, that Mum wottld have been so proud."

Meanwhile, Dr Chandra's charitable work continues. A new passion he is about to embark upon with his wife Shailaja: establishing a retinal surgery unit at Sitapur Eye Hospira! in northern lndia.

Rajni Anand Luthra

tors Practicing at t

Dr J Dr E Dr ( Dr I\

�oss Baillie >eter Baker Janice Buttsworth Kim Murphy

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Judith O'MalJ, Steve Har

A HEALTHY LOVE FOR LIFE Dr Thakordass Babubhai Patel ,

0

OAM

n his first day at Brisbane Grammar School, way back in 1953, a young Thal<ordass Patel was taken aback ro see the students dressed in cadet uniform. '1 don't want to go to military school," the shy student &om Fiji cold his guardian. "I want to be a doctor when I grow up."

True ro his word, after graduating from Brisbane. Grammar in 1959, Thakordass Patel went on to smdy medicine at the University of Qneensland and later went on to become qualified as a general practitioner.

On Australia Day rl1is year, Dr Thakordass Babubhai Patel was bestowed rl1e Government of Australia's OAJ\1 for "senrice co the community for a range of volunteer roles". He is a weU-respecte.d and much-loved GP at tbe Ked.ron Park Medical Centre serving a grateful community in tl,e Greater Brisbane area, and actively participates in many comnmniry roles such as rhe Rotary Club, Indian Culn1ral Association and Interplast to name a few. ''\Vbat an honour to be chosen for the prestigious award," the quietly spoken Dr Patel told lndian Liuk.

He added., "Of course 1 am not going ro rest on my laurels. l have a seven-day working week and I am not planning on retirement despite my 78 years. I intend co keep working as it keeps me engaged and I love seeing the patients in my practice. as they come from a \vide range of backgrotmds."

Dr Patel was born in Lautoka, Fiji. His grandfather Apabhai Patel had migrated from India and established the trading post AJC Patel Bros. The death of his beloved grand.father due co pneumonia fuelled young Thakordass's ambition to become a doctor.

Of course, Australia took some getting used ro, especiallr for a young lad away from his family.

"Jt didn't help that 1 was vegecariai1," he recalled laughingly. "I remember trading the meat from my meals for the other boys' butter!"

But his ultimate goal always remained close at hand.

After graduating with an :NIBBS degree

and completing his medical training, he rernrned ro Fiji in 1964 and opened a surgery in Lautoka. His deep love for community projects was born here. One of his major projects was the formation of tl1e Gujarat Education Sociery of which he became the Founding President.

This organisation established a school for children ro meet their needs for primary education. He also participated in voluntary services for the Lamoka Crippled Children's Hospital and was ai1 Honorary Medical Officer for the Lauroka branch of rhe Red Cross and St John's Ambulance.

In 1969 Dr Patel moved to Brisbane and scarred his own medical practice in Windsor. Alongside bis busy general practice, Dr Patel founded the Indian CL1ln1ral Association and launched an Indian language program on tbe ethnic radio station Radio 4EB. He is also a qualified Justice of Peace and a life member of Royal Australian CoUege of General Practitioners.

Dr Patel is nor new to awards, having won tbe Ethnic Service Award, Citizen of tl1e Year Award from Brisbane City Cow1eil, Australian General Medical Practitioners Award, Patti 1-lai·ris Fellowship Rotary Award and life membership of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO).

Dr Patel is also known for bis fundraising efforrs as Chairman of the Australian Rotary Healrl1 Re.search Fund to support research into specific health issues, and for speaking up about the need for a greater representation of overseas origin doctors in the training programs for credentialing of new trainees.

Talking about his most recent honour, Dr Patel remarked that he owes credit for aU the support that he has received from his pee.rs, the conmmniry and most importantly his family.

Dr Patel is also passionate about encouraging new migrants to assimilate.

"Look beyond your regional and language cliques, and try and broaden your horizons. Give volLtnteering a go - you will find it ro be immensely rewarding."

He's come a long way from the reluctai_1t young teen he was when he first came to Brisbane.

Vish Chilumkurti

FEBRUARY 2016 11

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community

Renewed lie Renewable energy and climate change expert Dr Dilawar Singh is preselected by WA Labor for the Australian Senate

A

s we wait for the announcement of the federal elections thjs year, the lnruan community in WA will be happy to know that one of their own will be seeking to become an elected representative.

A successful entrepreneur in the field of susc.'linable energy for over twenty years, Dr Dilawar Singh is now keen to contribute his knowledge, expertise and experience for the betterment of the nation. ''I would like to be part of decision­ malcing process in matters that affect our lives," he told lndian I..i11k.

With hjs technical and business experience in the field of energy including energy efficiency, solar phorovoltaics and solar thermal, wind, and mini and micro hydro power, he will be eager co influence policy in the new energy sector, and advocate for his industry.

It is an area where he has some 35 years of experience as a researcher, poUcy maker and business manager.

Dr Singh's company Sun Brilliance Group, where he is Chairman and CEO, suppUes and integrates solar power systems.

He has consulted on rene,vable energy projects in developing countries for UNDP, UNECAP, UNIDO ,rnd UNESCO. As well, he has served on industry boards, delivered addresses at national and international conferences, published in scientific journals,

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and been conferred the title Adjunct Professor at Murdoch University.

Dr Singh is just as passionate about youth affairs and education.

"There is some degree of distress in t h e post-mining economy, especially among the youth," he observed. "There are 100,000 jobless, and no government plans about what to do. We need to build industry to increase GDP, bring in manufacturing to provide employment."

Investment in his own indL1stry, large­ scale renewable energy, has floundered in the last two years, thanks to a lack of long­ term poUcy in the Abbott years. And this despite the fact tbat Australia has some of the best renewable energy resources in the world.

Still, drnnks to strong entrepreneuriaJ acumen, Dr Singh was able to estabUsh a subsiruary company in New Delhi recently, co take advamage of the growing solar energy market in India. (It was where he founded the Bio Energy Society of India (BESI) way back in 1983, the Renewable Energy and Environmental Development Society of India (REEDS) in 1991, where he developed the world's first solar powered 'bio-milets', and where he received the UNESCO You ng Scientist Award after he finished his PhD at IIT Delhi).

Dr Singh's impressive track record in R&D, inventions and innovations has

, , With his technical and business experience in the field, he will be eager to influence policy in the new energy sector , , already helped improve Ufe for many consumers, some in tl1e poorest sections of society in India. Today, his intimate knowledge of climate change science, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon footprints can help do the same for Austra}jan society.

Dr Singh joined the ALP three years ago.

"My own values have for long fit well with those of Labor," he noted, adding, "I also think the ALP has a betrer record in reaching out to multicultural communities."

The North Coogee resident is wel.1known in Perth's L1ilian community, of which he bas been a part since 1992. A life member of the Indian Society of WA,

and the fow1der of Hindi Samaj of WA, formerly known as Hindi Academy, Dr Singh also has a keen interest in community work, especially cultural and literary activities.

We've begun to see Indian-origin candidates on the election scene in increasing numbers in recent times. While a small handful have made it at the local council level, so far only two have got to parUament, Lisa Singh in tl1e Federal Parliament in 201 "I and Daniel Mookhey in the NSW Parliament in 2015. That both are from the ALP might be a source of much motivation for Dilawar Singh.

Rajni Anand Luthra

l=EBRUARV 2016 13

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technology

New app to revolutionise treatment of cancer Digital technology will help in information delivery and patient care management

BY USHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

S

haring a common ideology and the desire to trigger global change, a team of young Australian doctors has developed a new app that could soon overhaul cancer care.

Over the past 14 months, Nikhil Pooviah and Raghav Murali Ganesh of Chris O'Brien LiJehouse, in association with J\kshar Saxena from Liverpool Hospital, have been working closely to deliver an innovative product that targets cancer patients, caregivers, clinicians and healthcare institutions worldwide. The trio have reamed up with Melbourne-based entrepreneurial digital product development company Paperc.loud, to create a prototype, while Lucy Andrews, Marcus Lock,'lrd and I<astoori Hingorani have provided strategic support for the digital platform.

The brainchild of Pooviah, CancerAid seeks ro address inefficiencies in information delivery and patie□r care management by creating a low-cost, high­ \7alue digital tool, thereby saving vital healthcare dollars and improving quality of life. The primary aim of the tool is to help patients feel more connected. Available across all device platforms including web,

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iOS, Android and \Xlindows smartphones

by August 2016, estimates indicate that CancerAid could potentially benefit 25 million cancer patients and 8000 institutions worldwide.

Besides increasing access to care and support, the app seeks to achieve better patient understanding and compliance through in depth clinician-patient interaction and dialogue. ''Being diagnosed with cancer is a long, lonely and disorientating journey and we ,vant to offer all manner of support possible. Free to users, we believe CancerAid has the potential to be the gold­ SL'lndard oncology resource and hope to drive change by empowering patients with knowledge and assistance," Dr PoO\Tiah told Indian Link.

"The prernise for CancerAid began when I discovered the absence of a digital platform (in patient support). Along with my ream, I believed we had the creativity and e.xperience with technology ro design a solution to improve issues that we, as cancer specialisrs, see day-to-day at work."

Each member of the development team has brought unique skills and expertise in oncology to the different aspects of the appLication. Pooviah said, "Our vision revolves around providing a digital health solution that revolurionises cancer tberapy information delivery and management."

"1 have become ver}' passionate about our project to the point where the development process ro date has motivated me to pursue a career in developing applications for

patients," Dr Pooviah added.

"Digital solutions are clearly the way to go in future. They can significantly improve the Australian healthcare system and lower the fiscal burden as a whole," said Raghav Murali Ganesh.

Witl1 an ageing population, health expenditure currently accounts for 9% of Australia's GDP. After cardiovascular diseases, cancer is the largest cause of chronic illness, affecting one in three AustraLians at an estimated cost of $4.5 billion.

This is where tl1e new generation of doctors can help. "By implementing digital solutions, we can definitely drive change and empower patients and carers with knowledge and assistance," Murali Ganesh said. "Having lived, studied and worked in Australia, the UK, New Zealand and India provides me with a multidimensional understanding of the global burden of chronic disease, and l view digiral health tools as an opportunity to overcome this issue. i\,fy passion for implementing this has led me to direct my fellowship training in 2017 cowards patient advocacy aud co=ence further research leading to a higher qualification in this growing sector," he added.

The patient's journey is the focal point of Akshat Saxena's passion for oncology. "Oncology patients are unigue in the mental, physical and psychological clrnllenges that they face. Patienrs from outer metropolit,w areas, rural communities, even tl10se within big cities, have difficulty in accessing care and processing the

complex overload of information," he explained. "Ir was a no-brainer for me to involve myself in a project tl1at has the potential to revolutionise the patient experience and to offer meaningful support during rough times. I am committed to realising our vision of becoming the gold standard cancer application. le allows me to help patients in a way that I never could have as a clinician."

Named in tl1e top 10 ar the Australian­ Shell lnnovation Challenge and runner up in the Health Roundtable Innovation Awards, CancerAid has already made significant inroads by securing venture capital funds and governrnent grants. Endorsed by many specialists, it has also begun collaborations witl1 healthcare organisations and cancer charities. Further negotiations are Lmdetway witl1 a view for equity share.

A research study surveying information­ seeking behaviours, as well as testing the Canceri\id application prototype in a randomised controlled trial, is being carried out in a hospital environment to validate the application and identify improvements prior ro full version release later th.is year. CancerAicl was also accepted as a presentation at the NSW Digital Health Capacity Building Symposium last year.

The team's competitive edge is centred on their expertise and traction within the rnedical fraternity. A telemedicine service for ongoing medical and psychological support, as well as expansion to second­ generation healthcare appLications for other chronic diseases are also in tl1e works.

FEBRUARY 2016 15

I

DOWN LOADS

16 FEBRUARY 2016

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photography

Vijay Chelsea combines his photography skills with a passion for birdlife

BY SAi NARAYAN

W

hen it comes to d1e Indian community and our links ro all things Australian in d1is great country, we sometimes forget indigenous flora and faW1a. The native flora and fauna mal<e Australia unique from the rest of the world. Focusing on bird life alone, there are 814 species of birds i.n Australia and many are under threat.

Coastal areas are impacted by urbanisation and have no·w resulted in a vastly different ecology. Some of d1e bird species d1at are endangered include the orange bellied parrot, southern emu wren and Carnaby's black cockatoo. The habitat destruction, feral animal and plant invasion all have knock on effects. Many small bird species are struggling, like me superb fairy wren, striated pardalote, red brad finch, white brad find1 and scrub wren. Adding ro d1ese

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problems for native species, is climate change. A report by \X!\XTF Australia says, "The early signs are that climate change is likely to make all of me existing threats to species worse."

Vijay Chelsea of Perd1 is an avid bird watd1er who has decided to do someth.ing ramer than stand by. Combining his Jove of photography with a passion for wildlife conservation, he has produced amazing ·wildlife calendars for the last couple of years. The proceeds from the calendar sales are donated ro Bird Life Australia and other wild .life conservation organisations in Australia and lnd.ia.

"Conservation is the responsibility of every human being to give back to namre," Vijay tells Indian Link.

Habitat destruction, he adds, is essentially taking away someone's home, and creates "a huge imbalance" in the ecosystem.

Vijay's passion for wild.life has taken him to remote parts of Western Australia.

"I've always wanted to see a wedge tailed eagle in the wild," he recounts. "l followed all the tips, notes and spoke to other birdwatchers but always seemed to be in me wrong place at d1e wrong time".

He 6naUy saw his dream come true on a

,, The best tip for budding bird watchers is, "Respect, give space and observe" ,, trip to Bluff Knoll in 2013. After climbing 3600 ft, with equipment in row, he saw a

female wedge tailed eagle soaring above the mountain top. Vijay believes that me best tip for budding bird watchers is ro "Respect, give space and observe". Learn.iog about habitat is essential to explore and have fun at the same time.

What can you do to help? To start wim, if you have a backyard, you can get an attractive bird bath. Even a simple terracotta dish wirn water wiU do. Place it in dappled shade .and refiU regularly. Pick a spot for ir near shrubs and trees so birds can escape easily i f needed. In heat wave conditions, all too common in Australia, a small bird bad1 wid1 water can make a big difference to our feathered friends.

The second aspect, is create a habitat attractive to native birds. Plam local native plants based on the soil aud conditions of

your suburb. A layered garden wid1 some shrubs, smaU trees and grasses with thick grouping is an ideal habitat; birds like silver eyes, cliamond firetails, red brad finches can hjde in mis undergrowth.

The "Birds i.n Backyards" website at (birdsinbackyards.net) is a great resource for more information.

You can join and contribute to groups like Bird Life Australia like Vij ay. Encourage your cluldren to join in local conservation activities like tree planting. There are a number of groups in Perm for children to join, learn abour the environment and take part in conservation activities. One such group is me Canning River Eco Education Centre or CREEC. Children aged 6 - 14 years can join CREEC's Cockatoo Kids Club for a nominal roembershjp fee and are then eligible for a range of fun, interactive learning activities tluough the year..

l=EBRUARV 2016 17

indian news The Lunar New Year is marked at Kolkata's Chinatown, 8 February 2016. Photo: AP

Why India has the world's most stillborn babies

Shanta (she uses only one name) recounted how her baby, a boy, was born dead. When she felt labour pains, sbe travelled by auto rickshaw 20 km to the nearest district hospital at Hunsur (Karnataka) where they told her the baby had died in her womb, two days ago. Shanta - in her mid-20s was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, a condition that endangers the baby if the mother is not diagnosed and treated.

A bony woman called Ambika, also in her mid-20s, saw her baby born dead - a stillbirth in medical parlance - as a midwife and her mother-in-law attended to her.

When Bhavna Ni.ranjankumar, a doctor with Mysore's Public Health Research Institute of India (PHRII), an NGO, asked Ambika why she didn't go to the hospital for the delivery, she replied: "It happened very quickly."

Ambika and Shanta are Jenu Korubas (literally, honey shepherds). Like .Ambika, most women of the tribe give birth at home. Their dead-at-birth babies are part of the 592,000 stillborn in India, the largest of an)' country in 2015, according to research published lase month by the L ancet a global medical journal.

A stillbirth is a "baby born with no signs of life at or after 28 weeks' gestation", according to the World Health Organisation.

Worldwide, the rate of stillbirths decreased to 1 8.4 per 1,000 births in 2015 from 24.7 in 2000. In I11dia, the stillbirth rate fell from 33.3 to 23 over the same period, the same as Uganda, Ghana and Mozambique, ail poorer countries.

The global average annual rate of reduction of stillbirths at two percent is slower than either maternal (three percent) or post-neonatal mortality of children younger than five years (4.5 percent). In lndia too, the annual rate of reduction for maternal (5.7 percent) and neo-natal mortality (4.6 percent) was better than that of stillbirths (2.4 percent) .

Among the risk factors: Lack of timely and quality antenatal monitoring and care; non-communicable diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes; nutritional factors, such as maternal anaemia; biomedical factors, such as congenital abnormalities, infections, and lifestyle;

18 FEBRUARY 2016

environmental factors, such as drinking and smoking; and social determinants, including poverty, transportation and general living conditions.

Disadvantaged women are twice at risk of having stillbirths, the Lancet smdy said, a factor evident in Nagapura and across India.

Physicians who refuse to touch tribal women - and other reasons for poor health.

Among the reasons that makes Jenu Koruba women shy away from organised healthcare is - they complained - the discrin1ination they feel at health clinics, both government and NGO. They are made co wait for hours, and physicians often refuse to touch them, they said . "When I went to the district hospital for the 20-week scan, no one attended co me. I waited for more than two how:s, no one called me and so I came back without getting a scan."

For a people without public transportation, traveling to a hospital 20 km away is not eas)', and to make the journey, they rely on husbands, who are often away at work in the neighbouring hill district of Kodagu, where they work as daily wage labourers on coffee plantations.

Over che last few )'ears, NGOS, such as PHRII, and government workers have run health camps for pregnant and post­ natal women and infants, handing out information on maternal and child health, and have encouraged tribal women to be regularly checked at primary health centres.

They don't come though, and when they do, the discrimination does not help.

Stillbirths are reducing across India, but there are still too many. States that pay attention co maternal health reduce chances of stillbirths.

The Every Newbom Action Pla11, explained in the Lancet smdy, ain1s to bring the global stillbirth rate to 12 or lower per 1,000 births by 2030 (India in 2014 adopted the India Newborn Action Plan with the aim to reach a single-digit s tiilbird1 target). That will require empowered women, better healthcare and progress checks.

The dividends are obvious. Indian states that focused on maternal heald1care also had healthier children, IndiaSpend recently reported. Programs such as the Janani Suraksha Yojana OSY), launched in 2005 co ensure safe motherhood, successfully offer cash incentives to encourage instimtional deliveries, the rate of which- to

ail deliveries-increased from 56.7 percent in 2006-07 to 78.5 percent in 2010-11, according co government data.

Karuataka had 94 percent institutional deliveries according co data released recently by the National Family Health Survey.

Uttarakhand and Meghalaya were the worse, with 61 percent and 58.4 percent respectively. The rest were home deliveries, most without trained-health-worker supervision and possibly in nuhygienic conditions. The reported reasons for home delivery were convenience, fear of stitd1es, unavailability of transportation and the inability to afford hospitals.

JSY beneficiaries, since it launched a decade ago, increased from 0.74 million to 10.4 million in 2014-15. But this government review revealed drnc only 15 percent of JSY institutions were equipped to deal wid1 .institutional deliveries.

IT-Delhi alumnus Soumitra Dutta to head Cornell's new business college Soumit:ra Dutta, an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technolog y -Delhi, will become d1e dean of a new integrated College of BL1siness being launched by the Corneil University during the 2016-17 academic year. Dutta currently is dean and professor of management and organizations in the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.

He is considered an authority on the impact of new technology on the business world, especially social media and social networking, and on strategies for driving growth and innovation by embracing the digital economy.

The Ithaca, New York based Ivy League institution aimotmced that d1e new college was aimed at cementing the university's position as a world-class centre of teaching and research for business management and entrepreneurship.

The new College of Business will comprise Cornell's three accredited business programmes: the School of Hotel Administration (SHA), the Chru·les H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, and d1e Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management.

Each school will maintain its unique identity and mission, while their collective capabilities will be strengthened by bringing

together faculty, curricular offerings, and programmes within a cohesive College.

The establishment of the College, through a change in the university's bylaws, was unanimously approved by tl1e Cornell Board of Trustees at its meeting on January 30.

The Cornell College of Business will be one of the most comprehensive business schools in the US with 145 research faculty and nearly 2,900 1mdergracl uace, professional, and graduate students.

"At the heart of Corneil is a mission to apply knowledge for public purpose and educate the ne.'<-t generation of professionals and entrepreneurs co solve some of tl1e world's major challenges," said President Elizabeth Garrett.

"Being able to leverage Dyson's strength in international development: and agricultural economics, SHA's expertise in hospitality, entrepreneurship, and real estate (through d1e Baker Programme in Real Estate), and Johnson's depth in economics, finru1ce, and executive training will naturally lead to a College of Business chat stands om for its unparalleled breadth of instructional e.xceUence," said Dutta.

"A more prominent and collaborative platform will elevate opportunities for faculty to conduct innovative research and be at the forefront of their fields."

"Bringing cogether Cornell's three business schools will also establish an effective administrative structure that will be immensely beneficial to d1e University's ability co continue to attract the best and brightest faculty and students," Dutta said.

DNA barcoding can lower bird strikes, enhance safety: Indian scientists Identification of bird species helps in understanding the behaviour of birds in terms of its habitat, diet and the like. "This data helps in the management of birds for air safety management and could lower bird strikes," Yogesh Shouche, a senior scientist at i\ficrobial Culture Collection (MCC), ational Center for Cell Science (NCCS), Pune, told IA S. J use as shopkeepers scan the similar­ yec-different zebra stripes (barcodes) on products to keep track of what d1ey sell and what is in stock, exam.in.ing certain ubiquitous generic sequences can differentiate one species from another with high accuracy.

For bird strikes, extreme accuracy is needed since the impact destroys the bodies beyond recognition and few remnants are left co work wid1. Here comes DNA barcoding's precision from a pin-head size sample.

Using tl1is, a DNA barcode database could be built for Indian birds, according to Shouche. ''A database of DNA barcodes is generated using authenticated, well identified bi.rd samples. This helps in easy and quidt identification of remnants obtained after a bird strike. These are in the form of feathers, bloodsta.ins and tl1e like and accurate identification using d1is is not possible od1e1wise.

"Currently we do not have any such database in India, but there are global databases which may not have entries of bird species endemic to India," he added.

According to the Directorate General

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The women's unit of India's Central Reserve Police Force participates in the 67th Republic day function in New Delhi, on 26 January 2016. Photo: AP

of Civil Aviation (India's aviation safety regulator), from 378 bird strikes recorded in 2010, incidents of coUisions between birds and planes increased to 719 in 2014.

Bird strikes not only result in financial losses, they also lower mission capability of the crew, Joss of flying hours, permanent damage ro the aircraft and, importantly, are always associated with the risk of mortality, tl1e researcher stressed.

Shouche and his colleagues analysed 52 bird-strike samples received from the Indian Navy from 2011 to 2014.

"We identified '16 different species and barn owl and red wattled lapwing were the most common species found, probably because they nest on buildings and due to grassy land near airstrips, food availability is better," he explained.

The procedme also helped the researchers in detecting non-bird species: they found three bat species in the bird strike sampies.

Identification of birds involved in strikes was not a regular practice in India.

"However, such identification is difficult if tl1e body of the bird is not found. Feathers give Limited identification and if there are only bloodstains, no identification is possible. Hence barcoding has advantage," added Shouche.

Cold is gold for tourism industry

Micro Light flying in Mysore, heli-skiing in ALili, scuba diving in Netraui Island, dune bashing in Jaisalmer, zip lining at Neemrana Fort, spelunking in Meghalaya, bungee jumping in Rishikesh ... AU this and more!

The harsh winter is no more an in1pedimem to a great holiday.

The tourism industry comes alive in winter, offering a wide range of adventure activities for those who do not shy away from experimenting.

Winter travellers are by no means rare species any more. More Indians are finding winter tra\7el exciting. That is perhaps the reason why men and women, with children in tow, make a bee.line for the Himalayan spots for a glimpse of the first snowfall, or just to brave the chiU. "A winter break has become al.most as mandatory for Indians as vacationing in the summer. In fact, Indians have started exploring not only domestic but also international destinations during the shorter winter breal,," Sharar DhaU, president, Yatra.com.

The popular travel portal claimed thar its bookings were 132 percent higher tlrnn the previous year in the winter season.

Added Ranjeet Oak, Chief Business Officer-Holidays, MakeMyTrip.com, India's leading online travel companr "Winter tourism as a concept has picked up in India.

"With ilie growing popular.icy of adventure tourism in India, winter snow sports have become a hot tourist attraction.

Gulmarg (Kashmir) is considered one of the best skiing destinations in the world."

Yatra.com offers special packages like "Allming Gangtok" (starting from Rs.10,650) to "Manali Super Saver" (starting from Rs.5,999) and "Hilly Escapades in Himacha1" (srarting from Rs. 10,900) to woo travellers.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) acknowledges that winter is the best season for tl1e tourism

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industry's growth.

Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat told IANS that winters were ideally the best season across India.

As per Assocham estimates, over 15 lakh domestic and foreign travellers would have visited tourist attractions across India in ilie winter (December-February) .

Most demand has been for Himachal Pradesh,Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Those going abroad prefer Dubai, Hong Kong, Malaysia, tl1e Maldives, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Singapore and other affordable destinations.

"Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore were among the popular international destinations for Indians in wimer," said Hari Nair, founder and CEO of Holiday IQ. Indians on an average spenr Rs.82,000 in 2014. This rose to Rs.100,000 in 2015, said Nair, adding that average trip length of an international destination has gone up by 1 4 days.

Adventure travel is tbe biggest attraction among couples. Nair said 52 percent of advenULre travel business goes to couple­ travellers. Families comprise 21 percent and only nine percent are single rourists. He said d1e mp 10 wimer activities included trekking, wildlife safaris, paragliding, skiing, rock climbing, jet skiing, river rafting and surfing.

Scientists replicate folding human brain in 3 D in Jab Researchers at the Harvard University including an Indian-origin scientist have replicated a folding human brain in 30, revealing for the first time a simple mechanical framework for bow it folds.

Understanding how the brain folds could help wunck its inner workings and unravel brain-related disorders as function often follows form.

It shows that while many molecular processes are important in determining ceUular events, what ultimately causes the brain co fold is a simple mechanical instability associated with buckling.

Highly folded brains are seen only i□ a handful of species including some primates, dolphins, elephants and pigs.

In hmnans, folding begins in foetal brains around the 20th week of gestation and is completed only when the child is about a year and a half.

"\Y/e found that we could mimic cortical folding using a very simple physical principle and get results qualitatively sin1ilar to what we see in real foetal brains," said L. Mahadevan, professor of applied mathematics, organismic and evolutionary biology and physics from Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

The number, size, shape and position of neuronal cells during brain growtl1 all lead to tbe expansion of the grey matter, known as the cortex, relative to the underlying white matter.

This puts d1e cortex under compression, leading to a mechanical instability that causes it to crease locally, said the team d1at included scientists from Finland and France.

"This sin1ple evolutionary innovation aJJows for a large cortex to be packed into a small volume and is likely the dominant cause behind brain folding, known as Gyri6cacion," added Mahadevan in a paper published in the journal Nature Physics.

The team made a 3D, gel model of a smootl1 foetal brain based on MRI images.

To mimic cortical expansion, d1e gel brain was immersed in a solvent time is absorbed by the outer layer causing it to sweU relative to tl1e deeper regions.

Within minutes of being immersed in liquid solvent, d1e resulting compression led to the formation of folds similar in size and shape to real brains. The key to those simila.ricies Lies in the unique shape of the human brain.

The research shows d1at if a part of the brain does not grow properly, or if the global geometry is disrupted, we may not have the major folds in the right place, which may cause dysfunction in d1e brain, the authors noted.

Indian-origin scientists develop hack-proof chip A team of Indian-origin researchers have developed a new type of radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that is virmaUy impossible to hack, thus preventing your credit card number or key card information from being stolen.

According to ChiraagJuvekar, graduate student in electrical engineering at Massachuserrs Institute of Technology (MD), the chip is designed to prevent so­ called side-channel attacks.

Side-channel attacks analyse patterns of memory access or fluctuations in power usage when a device is performing a cryptographic operation, in order to extract its cryptographic key.

"The idea in a side-channel attack is that a given execution of the cryptographic algorithm only leaks a slight amount of information," Juvekar said .

"So you need to execute the cryptographic algorithm witl1 the same secret many, many tin1es to get enough leakage to exttact a complete secret," he explained.

One way to thwart side-channel attacks is to regularly change secret keys. In tlrnt case, the RFID chip would run a random-number generator d1at wotud spit out a new secret key after each transaction.

A central server would run the same generator, and every time an RFID scanner queried the rag, it would relay the results to the server, to see if d1e current key was valid.

Such a system would still, however, be vulnerable to a "power glitcl1" attack in which d1e RFID chip's power would be repeatedly cur right before it changed its secret key.

An attacker could d1en run tl1e same side­ channel attack thousands of times, with the same key. Two design innovations aUow the MIT researchers' chip t0 dnvan power­ glitch attacks.

One . i s an on-chip power supply whose connection to the chip circuitry would be virtually impossible to cue and d1e otl1er is a set of non-volatile memory cells that can store whatever data d1e chip .is working on when it begins to lose power.

For botl1 of d1ese features, Juvekar and Anantha Chandrakasan, professor of electrical engineering and computer science and od1ers used a special type of material known as a ferroelectric crystals. Texas Instruments and otl1er chip manufacturers have been using ferroelectric materials to produce non-volatile memory or computer memory tl1at retains data when it's powered off.

Along with Texas Instruments that has built several prororypes of d1e new chip, the researchers presented their research at the "Internacional Solid-State Circuits Conference" in Sai1 Francisco recently.

IANS

FEBRUARY 2016 19

special feature

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The KFC International T20 AUSvlND 2016 cricket series gets a Hindi make-over by Indian Link

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA Ba/mt hi d,mhr111el[yt1prr!Jaas mhaa. . .

Bahut hi 11mda shot!

Chaturai bham shot.

Kaaji k.aat1te ka 11mqc1bla hai.

Cati aur di.rha tllmon meinpmivart,111 . . . .

F:,k atirikt nm.

D011ot1 ballebat1z mc111hm1a km'fe hue . . .

[V'ahaanpar koi k..shetm mkshak (fie/de,) nahi11. . . . see11N1 rekha sepaar aasaani se!

Balle ke androo11i edge se lagi boll.

Ballebaazon ka nirantarprabam-f Vimt Kohli bal/e balle, baaki saare thalle thal/e!

MCC ek soji h11i du/ban . . . . !

S

ome wonderfol gems of Hindi crid,et commentary were heard at each of. the matches held during the recent AUSvIND KFC International T20 series.

A Cricket Australia and Indian Link Media Group collaboration brought to

20 FEBRUARY 2016

the ai.twaves the armkhon dekhrt hr✓al (live commentary) Erom Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The broadcast went live to Australian audiences via the CA Live App and cricket.com.au.

Presented by a team of six commentators - Saojiv Dubey, Mukesh Madaan, Shriram Iyer, Gopal Ganwani, Chitrang Trivedi and Manish Raj - each took turns at the mic in different cities. Indian Link CEO Pawan Luthra joined in at regular intervals, while i\llichael Jones provided technical support.

They called the women's games as well as the men's games on all tbree match days, seeing series wins for both, and five out of six games won.

T

he common ground between the commentators, it was interesting to observe, was not only that d1ey all had a great love for the game of cricket, but that they were passionate about the language as well.

Sanjiv Dubey, an fodian Linker Erom way back on born radio as well as in the newspaper, has established himself as a Level 2 cricket coach in Sydney's Indian community. As a physical education teacher and founder of the Footwork Sports Academy, Sanjiv bas had many young cricketers pass through his hands at various stages in the past seven years.

His intimate knowledge of the game came through brilliantly in the commentary box, and he shared anecdotes from his rimes in bowling practice wid1 the visiting Indian national team in recent years. The respect that the listeners and the od1ers on the commentary team had for bim, became

obvious by tl1e end.

"Cricket is a way of life for me," Sanjiv cold Indian Link later. "I began as a player and then furthered my love for it with higher education in sports and then through my invol\7ement in cricket coaching and sports teaching. I have also showcased my ability to analyse the game by my writings in both Hindi and English. I do have a talent for Hindi commentary which few people are aware of! I wanted to be a part of tl'Jis show at the KFC T20s and I knew I could make a difference wid1 my presence."

Shriram Iyer, well-known in the music circles in Melbourne's Indian community, is a namral performer and clain1s to have been a 'couch-commentator' for as long as he can remember.

"This exercise was new to most of us but all of us adapted quite quickly," he told Indian Link. "Presence of mind is a crucial trait that I have picked up while performing live, along with other transferable traits.

This was an extension of that and my extreme passion for cricket helped me through."

The Canberra-based Mar'Jish Raj brought to the table much exper:ience with con11mtoity radio. "Add to tbat, my love for my matra-bhasha 1-llndi, and a passion for cricket. A winning combination!"

Melbourne's Gopal Ganwani also confessed a love for bod1 d1e game as well as the Language. "Cricket is tl1e only outdoor sport I have ever played, and I have remained in touch through umpiring, coaching or scoring. Literary activities in Hindi, my favourite language, have included writing creatively and participating in d1eatre and

stand-ups, and MCing at Indian events."

Sydney's Chitrang Trivedi is always up for new experiences. "I like to push myself to try things outside my comfort zone. I am an avid cricket fan and this was a perfect oppormniry for me to connect with the game d1at I love so much."

Mukesh Madaan, also from Sydney, claims be found this a wonderful way to channel his love for the game as well as take part in a broad commm'lity activity.

To find the best Hindi-speaking commentators, a nation-wide search called ·Who wants to be a Hindi cricket commentator?ff was launched by Indian Link Media Group and extensively publicised across its print, radio, online and social media channels.

Entrants presented commentary based on a provided clip that was intentionally left mute.

After receiving a number of high quality entries, one from as far as Gurgaon in India, another from a 14-year-old cricket enthusiast, a shortlist of 12 people were asked to undertake a final live audition.

The finalists were judged on their clarity, command of language, technical knowledge and ability to convey atmosphere and ambience.

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ichael Jones shares the same passion for tbe game as the commentacors. '1 love cricket. I played from the age of 11 until 35 and still play the odd social game. I'm also a keen spectator and you'll find me somewhere in the SCG Members enclosure any time there's an international match on at the SCG. Tbe cha.nee to combine my job in broadcasting and cricket was roo good to knock back."

Of course, he didn't understand a word of what the commentators were saying. \X1hy for instance, were there so many "ugly" balls? He knows now, that ugfi is tbe Hindi word for "next'' .

"The high point though, was that everything came together so smoothly," Michael recalled later. "Usually, in an outside broadcast, there is some sort of technical hitch and this time it just didn't happen. Another high point was the energy and enthusiasm of all the commentators.

They \Vere all great to work with."

As an avid Australia supporter, Michael provided the balance within the team for all the euphoria at India's performance.

Shriram's interesting tidbits of information (such as women's star Niranjana Nagarajan's nickname "Ninja") kept tl1e audience entertained throughout, as did Gopal's attempt at Sindhi commentary when the game was stopped clue to rain. Manish's deep-set bass, put to good use in the exciting moments in that second half of the final Sydney game, muse surely have suffered the next day! Mukesh's faithful reporting, mamre in style and faultless in delivery, could have matched the best in tl1e business.

Ch.icrang's smdiecl analyses, and Sa.njiv's

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expert comments at each pivotal moment, enhanced tl1e listener's enjoyment of the games. Samaha11el!)'<I (commendable)!

"Primary among Pawan's guidelines were ch.at we should have fun while in ilie commentary box," :Mukesh remarked. "\Y/e definitely did, and we hope that carried across che ai.rwaves co our listeners."

CaJJers were able co cing in as well, and chipped in with their own contributions about predicted scores, strategies and so on.

P

awan Luthra was quite pleased at the way the elite team shaped up.

"They did superbly and we were able co get a real 'brotherhood' going," he revealed. "I had fuJJ faitl1 that w e would find our commentary team from within the community - there is great calenr out there. The migrant psyche is such that we come here and delve straight into work, co prov:ide for our families. In doing chis, often we have co squash down our real passions, or put them away for a while. :Many of our commentary team would probably have gone on to bave media careers in India, but here they might be in IT or whatever else. But when they are somewhat 'settled' and when an opportunity crops up, rhey jump at ic eagerly. I thinl that's where smaJJer, communitj' platforms Like Indian Link Media Group can play a significant role." lt has been in the past eight to ten years chat the Indian community here has really grown. While the older settlers, who have been coming here since tl1e 1970s, may not crave char much Hi.nd.i commentary, the newer migrants miss tbe Hindi cricket scene, which, of course, has grown by leaps and bounds in India the past ten

,, Shriram's interesting tidbits of information (such as women's star Niranjana's nickname "Ninja"), Sanjiv's expert comments at each pivotal moment, Mukesh's faithful reporting and Gopat's attempt at Sindhi commentary, were alt simply saraahaneeya ,, years or so. They've left that behind, and are no\V lapping up this new service that lndia11 Liuk has offered.

Cricket Australia has been keen to reach out co the Indian community in recent montl1s. "Providing our Indian community witl1 a locaJJy-produced Hindi broadcast will add to their cricket experience, connecting them more deeply with Austrnlian cricket," Ben Amarfio, Cricket Australia Executive General Manager of Media, Communications and Marketing, said.

About the CA-Indian Liuk partnership, Luthra said, "It's a natural fit. They're all about the game - we love ilie game!

1 think Australia knows chat the Indian community can be very good consumers.

At last year's World Cup for instance, rhe stadiums were 'bleeding blue', we had that many Indian spectators in rhe stalls. So I guess you could say we are surprised why this relationship with CA did not bappen sooner."

I

n a wonderful coincidence, just ahead of the T20 series, news came in from India that legendary Hindi commentator Sushi) Doshy had been picked for the prestigious Paclma. Shri, a

rare Indian Government honour. The news made for an added sense of excitement as the Tndia11 Link commentary team was finalised for the exercise, and \>10rd got around about the venmre.

Cricket Australia and Indian Link Media Group sent out their own media releases and the story was picked up and reported

by ABC Radio, ABC Online, 3A\Y/ and The Awtmlian here, and back in India by Hi11dmtan Times, DNA, Deccrm Chronicle, Business Standard, lVn/1 fndi,111 Express, ewsX, ABP Live, Sports Kreeda Cricket and The Sports Campus.

Calls began to come in about how to gain access to the commentary, a.nd various social media poses went up about how co download the Cricket J\us Live app.

Sushi! Doshy w.iJJ be pleased to know chat the generation that grew up listening tO his inimitable aa11khon dekha hard, alongside other greats like Jasdev Singh and Ravi Chaturvedi, a.re carrying on che traditions in a land far from home.

To Indian Link's Hindi commentary team, we can only say, paraphrasing their own excited words "Darshakon 111ei11 harsh­ o/la(ls!" as India won each time - you helped create m1111e/Jlaa/011 111ein harsh-0//{1(1S, and thank you for doing so.

l=EBRUARV 2016 21

community

■

1n

carr 1n on ■

Iconic restaurant continues to operate despite strife

F

BY GRAHAK CUNNINGHAM

inally Elizabeth Quay is open in the Perth CBD. It is exciting having a new place to visit in the city, but ic isn't without controversy and it isn't really finished. Costing $440 million at a time when the state government is racked with debt, it may not have been the best spend.

Initially, Elizabeth Quay was certainly a development that most Perth residents didn't really want, but people with power did. "Perth is very dull and we need a precinct on the river like our eastern states brothers and sisters," ,vas a common theme that was heard in the media at the time. Of course, money talks and the developmem proceeded. Roads were redirected, the river scape altered, parking spaces ripped up. \Xlith office vacancy rares in the city at around 24% and rising, and Chevron delaying die onset of their new office building at die Elizabeth Quay, the bulk of the development, its towers full of office workers and luxury apa.rm1enrs, is yet to be

22 l=EBRUARY 2016

built or even designed. This means litde has come back into the government coffers.

It also means more tmcerraimy for already established businesses in the area.

Some special places have suffered during the development, namely Annalaksmi.

The entirely vegetat:ian restaurant is unique - you eat del.icious food, dine with million-dollar views of the Swan River and no bill is brought co the table when you

premises in d1e Perd1 CBD and was upset one day when I went to dine there and it had gone. "I guess not having any set prices isn't the best way to survive as a restaurant," 1 thought to myself. 1 was very wrong. They had moved to an incredible, sought after spot near the Barrack Street Jetty.

Annalaksmi was born under inspiring and guiding principles and d1e restaurant depends on volunteer cooks and workers

,, Annalakshmi's reason for existence is spiritual not commercial. This certainly isn't the priority of developers ,, complete your meal. Founded under the inspiration and guidance of the group's master Swami Shantanand Saraswathi (1 934-2005), Annalakshmi operates with the ethos of "Eat as you like and pay as your heart feels". This allows the ones who can to share with the ones who can't. At any time you can walk into the restaurant and see high class city business men and women dressed accordingly and talking shop or travelling bad:packers enjoying the ambience. l rernember the restaurant's original

and the patrons and their generosity.

AJ1.L1alakshm.i certainly has bills to pay.

It was 2012 when the City of Perth commenced construction on Elizabeth Quay. During construction around 250 guests were served every day at Annalaksmi, well down on irs usual. 600. Operating on prime real estate wid1 rents diar reflect this, times were tough and I am sure it has only survived through the generous self-giving of the group's members.

The timelines for construction projects are huge. \'i,'hen die former developments

do eventual.I)' start in Elizabeth Quay it wil.l mean more excavation, more traffic problems and more parking difficulties.

I don't have a problem with progress.

Elizabeth Quay is spectacular and will, I believe, eventually bring more people to the restaurant door - the area is chi.Id and tourist friendly, and easily accessible by train and bus, bur sometimes d1e smaller people and important groups are forgotten in sin1ations like this. Annalakshmi's reason for existence is spit:imal not conm1ercial. Th.is certainly isn't the priority of developers.

The management of Annalakshmi have been extremely happy since the Quay opened. It is probabl)' as much as relief as it is the upmrn of visitors, as large munbers of tourists and locals have flocked to me area. I sincerely hope the development interruptions are over.

Patrons can continue to support Annal.akshmi in several ways. Utilise the space for special functions like birthdays, weddings and fundraisers and give accordingl y. Attend when you need co meet colleagues and ear there. Dine regularly and give generously or spread the word amongst your friends. Annalaksmi is an important cultural and spi.cimaJ precinct for Perth ro have and \Vill really hel.p visiting people experience Lidian culture. Its closeness to Elizabeth Quay has added to its importance.

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food

Bring in the Chinese New Year with th is sty/ish Inda Chinese dish

BY DHANYA SAMUEL

W

e Indians love fusion food; it is our way of embracing tl1e food of another country and making it our own. Indo-Ch.inese cuisine, also known as 'Chindian' cuisine, is a great example.

During the times of the Sino-Indian war, a lot of migrants from China came across the border and settled in the North Eastern srate.s including West Bengal. The community soon realised that food can be a source of livelihood but the traditional Chinese cooking would not work in India due co lack of certain ingredients and also preference for bolder Aavoms given tl1e obsession with spices.

This ,vas the beginning of the modern fusion cuisine which came to be known as Indo-Chinese or 'Chindian'. The earliest Indo-Chinese restaurants opened in Calcucra and oilier parts of \Vest Bengal and soon tl1is cuisine spread like wild.fire ail across the country. Today, lndo­ Chinese food is \"ery popular and restaurants serving this cuisine can be found far and wide, Australia included.

The spicy, sweet and rangy chilli garlic sauce is an aU.-tirne Indo-Chinese favourite. Usually chicken or an assortment of vegetables is used in this dish, but here we are using oats co make delicious kofras co dunk in this sauce.

The crucial part of the dish is handling tlie koftas - some tender loving care is called forl Since there is no heavy coating, tlie koftas have ro be shallow fried with care co avoid breakage. And like all other lndo-Chinese dishes, tliis one too has to be served warm immediately after preparation or tlie koftas will disintegrate in the sauce.

If you do eat egg, then you can coat the kofras in an egg wash, followed by breadcrwnbs and tl1en fry them instead of rolling in Aour and shallow frying.

So come along and celebrate the Lunar New Year with this delic.ious preparation. May 2016 be a prosperous year for you with lots of happy tidings!

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1 ½ cups raw oats 1 large potato 1 medium onion; finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped/grated ½ inch ginger, finely chopped/grated 2 green chilli; finely chopped 1/4 tsp turmeric powder 5 raw almonds; finely crushed 2 tbsp cornflour 3 tbsp all-purpose flour Salt, to season ¼ tsp red chilli powder 6 tbsp vegetable oil, to shallow fry the koftes 12 medium garlic cloves; finely chopped 1 inch ginger; finely chopped 6 long dry red chilli 1 ½ tbsp red chilli paste ½ tbsp Kashmiri chilli powder 1 tbsp soy sauce 2 tbsp tomato sauce 1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce 112 tsp sugar 1 large onion; cubed 1 yellow bell pepper; cubed 1 tbsp cornflour, dissolved in ½ cup cold water

Salt, to season 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 spring onion, both white and green part chopped

I

Boil the potato, mash and keep aside.

In a flat pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and saute the onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies along with the turmeric powder till the onions are lightly browned.

Add the crushed almonds and oats; mix well and saute on low heat for about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt.

Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add the cooled oats mixture to the mashed potato and mix well to combine.

Shape into small koftas; keep aside.

In a plate, mix the cornflour, all-purpose flour, chilli powder and season lightly with salt.

Coat the koftas lightly with the flour mixture (it should be a light dusting on the koftas; excess flour will affect the taste of the koftas making it doughy).

Heat the remaining oil in a flat pan and shallow fry the koftas; make sure you turn the koftas carefully to avoid breakage.

Drain on a kitchen towel.

I

Heat oil in a large wok and add the cubed onions. Stir fry on high heat for a minute and remove.

Next, add the cubed bell peppers to the wok and stir fry for 30 seconds; remove and keep aside.

In the same wok (add more oil if necessary), add the dry red chillies, garlic and ginger. Saute on low heat till the garlic is just starting to brown. (Do this on low heat to infuse the oil with maximum flavour from the garlic).

Next, add the red chilli paste and Kashmiri chilli powder, saute for about 30 seconds and then add all the sauces along with a pinch of sugar.

Mix well and taste. The measurements given for the sauces must only be a guidance as the taste can vary according to the brands used. So taste and adjust balance of flavours.

Next add 1 cup water and bring to boil; add the dissolved cornflour and stir in to thicken the sauce.

Add the onions and bell peppers and mix well.

Finally add the koftes and mix through without breaking. Season with salt if necessary.

Remove and garnish with spring onions.

Serve warm with fried rice or noodles.

t=EBRUARY 2016 25

fiction

An original short story by Rajpal Sandhu

I

n that freezing cold night, even the trees seemed co be giving an illusion of the paranormal. I'd just finished my studies and started driving a cab once a week. The Samrday night's take helped cover my entire week's expenses.

It was 2AM. St.ill an hour CQ go before my shift ended. I was hoping that I'd get someone who lived near rny base so I could drop them off and finish my day. That one last passenger every caxiwala wants and dreads at the same time. Lost .in thought, I turned the cax.i cowards the railway station.

Any taxiwala will cell you that passengers at the station rank are needy and police. As opposed to oucside pubs and clubs: mainly pesky drunks and young fellows. Doing 'a runner' without paying. Misbehaving and sometimes even beating up the cabbie.

The ,viudows were fogging up. Despite three layers of clothes, I ,;vas still shivering.

I checked and once again clocked all AC knobs co the full 5PM. le still took me few seconds co feel the warm air on my feet.

In the Ta.xi course, U.rtad taught us to always remember cwo ch.iugs to stay alive. First, if a passenger did 'a runner'- never chase them.

Two, never go to 'K' street of 'R' neighbourhood.

Cruising by, I glanced towards the ta.'li rank at the railway station.

Three-four passengers. Not one \Vas swaying or dancing. Drunk young fellows always created a racket at th.is hour. But this lot looked like a good deal My night had been profitable so far. I would just drop them, go home, have a hoc shower and off to sleep. I had co visit the gurudwara next morning to help in the community kitchen. Working the streets at night was sure to restore your faith in god: snuggled in a cosy bed in the comforr of your own home, the warm breath of your woman next to you, man has no need for god.

Hooking a right mrn, I eased towards the rank. Now I was trying to suss out the four passengers. Ustad had taught us that tax.iwalas have to be psychologists.

Doctors, comedians, thugs, sometimes poets and philosophers coo. I think there is little difference between this profession and prostitution. Ta."'<iwaJas have to gauge the risk factor and S\viftly read tl1e expressions, gait, stride, colour and clotl1es of potential passengers. l've tried the theory many times. Have had to control many a difficult passenger, sometimes by joking, by aggression, sometimes threatening co call the police, and sometimes just sin1ply appealing ro tl1eir fear of god. Poeu·y doesn't work after midnight.

I slowed down fifty metres from the rank.

They sure looked aboriginal. Black skin, small eyes, broad nostrils, tl1.ick lips, high gums. A skinny lor, tbey were all wearing track suits, slacks and shirts. You seldom see people clad in such clothes on Saturday night. Tonight is the night to step into your

26 l=EBRUARY 2016

best duds.

Ustad had also advised us to never pick 'them' up. They create a ruckus, and police does nothing. l'vioreover, tl1ey never seemed to have any money. I had heard endless scories of drivers returning with broken ,vindows after a u·ip to tl1e 'K' streets. They would be greeted with bottles and bricks.

Though this had never happened to me or any of my fellow drivers. It was part of the ta.'lilore.

I was still vetting tl1em when I was startled by the ringing of my mobile phone.

A fellow driver had texted: Don't go to the station! J turned it off and pm it in my pocket. Ac the least I didn't want to lose my phone. My mobile has become a human limb in recent years.

It was a one-way and I couldn't turn around. Seeing me stopped, the four had started walking towards tl1e cab. Two of them had their slacks folded co the

hie the automatic buccon, lowering the pane.

I was so frightened that my balls came up to my throat.

I looked up like a goat does cowards a butcher.

As a gust of cold air rushed in th.rough the open \\'lndow, I became acutely aware of the freezing temperature outside. This man was wearing just a flin1sy cotton shirt.

That coo half-sleeved, printed with some words. No ordinary hwnan being could wander about in tl1e cold like that!

"Brother, you cake us home, will you?"

His voice had entreaty in it, a shiver too, and a whole lot of pain. But the trouble would start once they were in the cab.

I had only two options ahead of me: gee my vehicle totalled now, or later. I calculated chat later was better: th.is place was too deserted. Noc a man or animal in sight. Sometimes even the shadow of a dog or car allows you to believe tl1at there

knees on one leg. Despite the rolled-up windows, l could hear their voices clearly.

They didn't look well built. Being from a wrestling fanuly, I could easily lift a hundred kilograms. Knew a bit of boxing too. But trouble averted is tl1e best option. Secondly, I was still on a smdent visa and didn't wanr anytl1ing on my police record.

I locked the doors and slipped all the cash from my pockets into my socks. Now they were walking about 30-40 metres from the cab, right in the m.idclle of the narrow road.

Petrified, I mrned off che 'For Hire' light and floored the accelerator. le didn't take even a second to reach them. They didn't budge an inch. I had to slam on tl1e brakes.

The taxi skidded to a stop. My breath was ragged: I saw myself robbed and beaten and tl1e taxi burnt.

I was wondering if I should push tbe emergency button, when one of chem tapped che window on the driver's side.

Frozen in fear, my left hand .inadvertently

is life around. I could always signal a fellow taxiwala furtl1er down. Or drive straight to the police station. Bue fuse, I had to get out of here.

I unlocked the doors. He came around and sat next to me. The rest got into the back seat. The moment a drunk gets into your cab, tl1e smell of booze pervades it.

Taxilore had it that all aboriginals were alcoholics and drug-addicts. But I couldn't detect tl1e slightest drop on them, noc even tell-tale whiffs of petrol. Now I feared they were high on sometl1ing more serious. ''lvfy name is Mungo. Jv[ungo 1\fan."

Laughing, he extended his rough hard cold hand coward mine. Reluctantly, I put my small warm hand imo his, with a false smile, ''\X'here co, brother?"

"Look . . . he's a brother. Ha ha ha . . . " Laughing maniacally, he turned around, and kneeling on the front seat, poked the rest of them. "He is our brother." ow I was the only sad one in the cab.

They were still laughing, when one of them yelled the su·eet name. Something exploded in my brain.

Four aboriginals. 'K' street of 'R' neighbourhood. 2AM. I started looking for reasons for this m.isformne. What sin had I committed to face this?

"Where you from, big fella?" asked Mungo Man in a scratchy voice. I couldn't tell if his accent was full blood, half caste, or one-fifth aborigi nal. You can't just carry a calculator everywhere to work out the hw11an race.

"India . . . . Ptmjab." 1 wanted to prolong the conversation, so they could get distracted from their plan.

"Punja?" he repeated.

"Yeah. Ptmjab-meaning five rivers." I felt around for my phone. If I had co stop the taxi and run, at least I should have my phone by me.

"I too come from river country. . . near the Darling. The one that meets the J\,[urray, near Wentworth. We used to call the Murray, Mille\va and the Darling, Barka," he said happily.

I remembered all of a sudden that the spot where tl1e Sutlej meets tl1e Beas is where my people go to ritually immerse the cremated remains of their beloved departed.

I was linking all kinds of improbable and unthinkable things together tonight.

"Brother, we been standing here for a long time. Noc one taxi come near us." Jvfungo Man warmed his hands by che heater. ''Aah, how cosy th.is .is.

Kiddos, warm yourselves up."

"It's cold, a)re?" He looked at me questioningly.

I kept mum.

"Brother Punjab, tomorrow is our grandfather's deatb anniversary. We gather aroLLnd bis burial grounds. Us mob has to. \Ve come every year.

Today we miss che train from our town. It was hot there, we bring no warm clothes."

Meandering abouc deserted streets, ,ve soon arrived at a quiet 'R' neighbourhood.

'K' street was on my mind constantly. I was trying to engage them in conversation and make friends out of them. 1 had long given up on tl1e possibility of money. I had just one wish on my mind: to somehow return to safety with my taxi.

Taxiwalas tal.ked about how once some tlrngs had locked up a driver in the boot and set fire to the taxi. Since that incident, every t.'L'l i was equipped to open the boot from inside. I was now \Vondering if mine worked or not? Taxiwalas often usedj,�aad parts in their vehicles to save money.

I stole a look towards Mungo Man at the red light. Printed on his bright half-sleeved shire was the picture of a bearded old man.

Some words coo, which I could not read in the dark. I could ac least describe them for the police later.

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,, What about you?

Look, your and my colour: it is the same.

We look brothers."

He compared his arm to mine and burst out into laughter ,,

0

"]\,fungo, chat's a nice shire, brother!"

Unable to conjure up anything else I said, in an attempt to keep the fear at bay.

"Yes, my sister gave it co me. She has two children. Fair as milk. She took up with a white man after running away from home young. Look brother, Whiteman came and stole everything. Orn language, our traditions, our women, our land. Goe us addicted to the drink." Mungo Man turned red. "I have never once touched a drop. I swear by the Red Rock."

This was news to me chat an aboriginal wasn't an addict.

"Punjab brother, they stole our land as if it belonged co their fathers. Our ancestors fought them everywhere. We had spears, they had rifles. They were soldiers. You tell me, what were our chances?"

What could I say!

"Well, lee it be. \Vilar about you? Look, your and my colour: it is tbe same. \�e look brothers." He compared his arm to mine and burst one into laughter.

I glanced at the taxi metre. It was over twenty dollars already.

"We have to go co our grandfather's grave tomorrow. He was fishing when the Whiteman picked him up. Beat him up brutally. Asked him where all the sweet water holes were. They destroyed many of

INDIANLINK

0

our sacred water holes, where our ancestors used to pay homage to their ancestors since the dreamtirne."

"They were on horses. Dog-collared him and dragged our grandfather and bis brothers two hundred kilometres to their station. Jvlade them chop firewood for hours. Then they mixed rat poison in their food. When they became unconscious, Whiteman cracked their skull with sticks, shoe all of them and hid the bodies in the bush. They say chat they killed my grandfather because he had speared a cow.

Although the cow was found alive Later."

I stole a glance at him again. Mungo l\fan was leaning his head back on the seat now. l was dead scared by his story. Just imagining the scene was enough to give you the shivers.

I now remembered the adivasis (original inhabitants) of India. True, where is the match between a spear and a machine gun?

"For long rime my grandmother could not know about my grandfather. Then a good \�hiceman pushed for the case to be brought co the courts. Know what the judge said? 'They seem like black monke)7S to me, animals, these brutes! The sooner they vanish from the face of the earth, the better. I know chat our white brother committed a cr.ime, bur I would never want a Whiteman to be

hanged for the murder of a black monkey."'

Mungo man looked at me pitifu.Uy. "Our grandmother used to tell us all these stories. Till today, we enact the tortures perpetrated on our grandfather during our last rites corroborees."

I turned right at the 'K' street sign. This was a different world. The walls were painted with graffiti. A few burnt car shells.

There were no Lights on the streets. Old sofas and broken chairs everywhere. Four­ five people were gathered around a fire in front of a ramshackle weatherboard.

The minute they saw the car, they started walking towards u s . More joined them in seconds.

Mungo Man popped his head out of the taxi window, shouted something in his own language and looked at me.

"I told them you are a brother. How would they know if it is one of us mob or a white pig?" nfongo Man again burst out into laughter.

"Look, drop us off here. How much is it?" Mungo man asked politely.

I looked at the metre, and then at Mungo Man. What kind of a joke was this?

I had completely banished aU thought of money from my bead. I just wanted one fare: co get out of here alive.

Mungo Man pushed his hand into his

pockets. Could .it b e a knife? Or a syringe?

A couple of days ago, a passenger had pushed a syringe against a driver's arm and said, "The syringe has AIDS virus in it.

Give me all the cash or else I'll inject it."

The poor tax:iwala had to give up his entire night's earnings.

I started co work out an escape route. lf I n1rned the wheel towards the left and gave ic full gas, the taxi would be straight in a minute. U turn was the safest way in my mind.

Mungo Man looked at me. Seeing the terrified look on my face, he put his hand over mine. I was now ready to throw all the money l had hidden in my socks at him.

"Brother, you take care!" He slapped his left hand on the dashboard and jwnped out in one move. He walked around the front of the ta.xi and came towards the driver's side. Tapped on the window: I couldn't automatically lock the -vehicle because the back door was open. His hand crept under his shire. My heart was in my mouth.

The next minute, he had taken off his shirt. In that chilling night, he was now only in his slacks. Shaking it out, he folded the shirt. The other three were next to him now. The people from the house were also moving towards us.

"Here, brother, cake ic. A present for you.

My sister gave it to me. 1 wore it coday for the first time, to come to the city. I give it to you for safekeeping. You liked it, it's yours."

He slipped the shirt in through the slit at the top of the window.

Now they were all greeting each other.

Mw1go Man brought them to me.

"Come on brother," they pulled me out of d1e car.

"Look, another brother. Decent man.

He lee us warm ourselves in the t.'lxi ." In sheer happiness, Mungo Man seemed to be oblivious to d1e cold ourside.

They aU hugged me and started to dance.

We were all dancing. I was dancing in the 'K' street of 'R' neighbourhood with my Aboriginal brothers. \Y/e danced like an Emu. We hopped like a Kangaroo. We travelled to Dreamtime.

When 1 got back to d1e car, die seat was strewn with five and ten dollar notes. I pocketed them without counting.

When I got home, I tried on the shirt. \Vritten on my brodier's shirt were die words: "0-i.XTNER OF LAf D-SINCE TIME BEGAN." ln between the two sentences was the photo of the bearded old man.

It's been ten years. I still have that present.

Original story by Raj Paul Sandhu, translated herefrom the Punjabi original by Mridula Nath Chakraborty, via the Hindi translation by Rajendra Tiwm·i. Puhlished in "Samkaleen Bharatiya Sahitya" (Contempo1·ary Indian Literature), a Hindi Literary]oumalpublished by the Sahitya Akademi (India's National Academy ofLetters) Nov-Dec 2013.

English translationfirstpublished in Peril Magazine, 2015.

l=EBRUARV 2016 27

celebration

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FEBRUARY 2016 29

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foretell PREDICTIONS FOR FEB 2016

BY NANCY JADE ALTHEA

--------------------------------------ARIES March 21 - Apri l 19 February will be very much about socialising and meeting new contacts and friends. You will be feeling very energetic and may even meet someone special. The cards are indicating a time when you will be surrounded by new opportunities for work and career advancement. A very good month for financial planning and making money. There will be some health issues that you may need to take care of, but there will be no serious issues.

TAURUS April 20 - May 20 This month you will be feeling very energetic and happy with things in your life right now. You will thinking of making changes in your career matters. There will be a heightened desire to start new projects and put your plans into action. The cards are indicating a time when you will be single-minded and putting in a lot of effort to get things done.

There is a feeling of achievement and an increase in income. so be thinking of a new regime to take care of your health.

GEMINI May 21 - J u ne 20 You will be feeling a little delicate this month and unsure of where you are going. You may be feeling as though you cannot trust your partner right now. The cards are indicating a time when you need to try and settle your emotions and take things easy. Your work will be a little demanding so there will be a sense of burdens as well as some late nights and hard work ahead.

CANCER J u ne 21 - J u ly 20 This month you will be trying to sort things out in your life and concentrating on your career. There is a senses of wanting to find a better role and also earn more money. The cards are indicating a time when you will be worrying about finances and your future.

You will be thinking about getting a loan or borrowing money, and it is advisable to think twice about this. There will be good luck with your finances.

LEO J u ly 21 - Aug 22 It's time to decide what you want. The cards are indicating you need to take care of your health as you have been rushing around a lot and so it's time to take it easy. There may be some important news on the way to do with study or a loan. You may be looking at purchasing a new home or car. The cards are showing that you will take some time out for a short holiday.

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22 This month you will feel like networking and sorting out your social diary as you have not had a lot of time to meet people. There will be some interesting invitations. Work will come in and there will be new projects to consider. Your love life will be harmonious and relaxed.

There may be a slight health issue with a younger member of the family. The cards are showing a time of change and new plans.

IHDIAHLIHK

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22 Spending more time with family will be a priority for you this month.

Stay close with your nearest and dearest. There will be some financial issues that you will need to be sorting out and you may be asked for a loan from a relative or family member. The cards are indicating a time of happiness and you are feeling very motivated towards change. You may decide to redecorate or renovate your house or a room.

SCORPIO Oct 23 - N ov 21 This will be a passionate month when you will feel like going on holiday with your partner. A good time to plan a getaway and take some time out. A neighbour may come to you for some help and advice. There will be a new short term work assignment offered to you and it may involve travelling. The cards are indicating a lucky streak, you may have a win or luck may shine on you in some way.

SAGITTARIUS N ov 22 - Dec 21 February is a good month to travel and take time out. You will be looking at new opportunities in your career. There may be some news of a new post at work and you will be urged to apply. The cards are indicating a time when your partner may be feeling a little low and needing some support. There will be some news about a birth or marriage in your circle of friends. Take care of your stomach.

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19 This month you will be feeling motivated towards making headway with your life decisions. There is an indication of travel and an increase in your finances as you will be looking at new opportunities and changes in your work life. Emotionally you will be supporting a friend who has been going through a diffi cult time lately. There will be good news regarding the health of an older member of your family. Take time out to meditate.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18 Your work has been very hectic lately and you will be feeling exhausted. You will be feeling romantic and sexy towards your partner so take some time out and enjoy a relaxing month. There will be some news about a colleague who may be going through some upset at work. The cards are indicating that you may decide to move from your current property. A locality with water and greenery is going to appeal to you.

PISCES Feb 19 - March 20 This month you will be thinking o f going overseas. There will be plans to change your residence and work. You have been feeling a little restless lately. Take some advice and do not rush anything.

There may be some issues around your health which may cause you to make rash decisions. The cards are indicating you need to think and take small steps towards changes. There will be a lot of new oppor tunities and doors opening.

l=EBRUARV 2016 31

. music

Bhakti music for the Grammys Melbourne-based bhajan singer heads to LA. SAHANA GHOSH reports

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or Madi Das, scoring a Grammy nomination for his album of

bb,y,ms Bhakti IWitho11t Borders

alongside the likes of singing sensation Taylor Swift and rapper Kendrick Lamar, is a "completely strange" feeling.

But Das, who spent eight years learning kJrta11.r and hhajm1s (Hindu devotional music) in India, believes it's time the genre gets its due recognition as an important tradition. "le is completely strange, yes (to be featured as a nom.inee alongside Taylor Swift and others)," he admits. ''Bue then again, this music bas so much more history than pop or R&B. Th.is music has been around for centuries; so is ic not time for

32 FEBRUARY 2016

it to be recognised as a rich and imponant tradition?"

Bhakti IVitho,tt Borden is the debut album from Das, a former HoU>wood enterta.inment executive now working in the Australian film and TV industt·y.

He grew up in the Vaishnava tradition of Bhakti yoga.

Up for Best New Age Album (a category of non-Christian sacred music) for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards to be held on 15 Feb, the record marks only the third time chat a kirta11 album has been nominated; the emerging genre has never won yet.

Featuring 1 1 hhajam, it is produced by weU-known ki1-ta11 artist Dave Stringer. Das sings a duet with a different female vocalise

on each track.

"I describe my music as world music with sacred origins, like the Hindu equivalent of gospel music," Das says.

Born in Germany co an American mother and German father, Das's upbringing was an assimilation of different music genres.

At the age of seven, he went to boarding school in India (in Vrindavan and Mayaput). He spent eight years learning kirtans and hhqjans and becoming fluent in Hindi. He subsequently lived in Ireland, where he was exposed to traditional Celtic music. Film school cook him co the US. It is this mixture of lrish and Indian music that comes through in his album.

Western music influences in the US added to his repertoire to create a blend of country and eastern sounds in the album.

But what about the rag of 'hippie music' that is often shoved on western artistes who pick up such spirimal sounds?

"Perhaps because the first influences of Indian music integrating into the West harks

1

back to the Beatles and Ravi Shankar, which cook place during the hippie explosion, tl1ere is a tendency to categorise it like that," Das concedes. "And indeed there are still some strong hippie influences in some practitioners of modern kirt,m".

Bue he also acknowledges there is also a "growing movement of authentic western artistes who bave taken tl1e time to study and learn the eastern traditions".

"And they are now creating something that has strong foundational roots in the East while still adding the more commercial broad strokes appeal to people who like \Xlestern music," he e1'lborates.

Ac the moment, the popularity of ki1ta11 music is "exploding" in the US what with hhakti fesri,,als, radio shows and retreats, says Das, adding everyone can enjoy tl1e 111USIC.

"If we can enjoy each ocher's music regardless of faith or culmre, perhaps we can gain some understanding and empathy for each other. . . then that will put an end to intolerance," he concludes.

Ali profits from the sales of Bhakti !Without Borden are ear-marked for helping underprivileged girls in Vrindavan, Ind.ia, the hometown of Lord Krishna.

IANS

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GHAYAL ONCE AGAIN

1 character.

Ajay Mehra (Sunny Deol) was earlier accused of killing a corrupt business man, Balwantrai. After serving his jail term, he is now an investigating journalist who co-owns a news channel called Satyakam. Though he suffers A superhero action film, Ghaya/ Once from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Again is a sequel to the 1990 released Ghayal. This edition takes off from I Disorder), he is a dreaded man as he goes out of his way to personally clear where the last film left off. Snippets of I out all the maladies that prevail in the the previous edition, used generously as system, especially corruption. flashbacks in this edition, give the film a The film starts off on a tacky note, strong sense of belonging. trying to establish the setting of the The film belongs to Sunny Deol all the story and the characters. As the tale way. It portrays him in a larger than life STARRING: Sunny Deol, Soha Ali Khan, Om Puri and Tisca Chopra DIRECTOR: Sunny Deol �\

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progresses, the film finds its focus when four college students stumble upon a murder. And then, the narrative picks up momentum and

Soha Ali Khan in a restrained and nebulous character Riya, Ajay's psychiatrist-cum-partner, is passable.

Tisca Chopra as Raj Bansal's wife and Zakir Husain as the police commissioner, in one-dimensional, stereotypical roles with limited screen

gallantly strides into the action arena.

As a debut writerdirector, Sunny Deol is subtle yet blatant. He takes pot-shots not only at the system, but also cleverly insinuates the powerfully rich members of the city.

With a plethora of well-etched characters and up-to-date subplots, he delivers a fairly comprehensive tale with moralistic and inspirational messages like, "galat togon se darna, galat

presence, are wasted.

But the highlights of the film are the four new youngsters; Shivam Patil as Rohan Kriplani, Aanchal Munjal as Anushka Kriplani, Diana Khan as Zoya and Rishabh Arora as Varun Jain. They are bright and energetic talent who are dynamic and sincere.

The only light moment in the fi lm is the song sequence 'Lapak jhapak, lapakjhapak /oa', which is decently choreographed.

With a blend of wide angle shots and close-ups, cinematographer Ravi Yadav's camera captures the film in minute details. And his live frames seamlessly merge with the computer generated images.

The action sequences packed with fisticuffs and chases, are well­ orchestrated on the streets, railways and malls of Mumbai. These backed with the motivational drive and adrenaline boosting sound effects, uplifts the viewing experience.

With a decent production value, the film has a believable and a realistic feel in terms of its setting, but fails in terms of the dialogues, which are packed with cliched and outdated phrases.

Overall, Ghaya/ Once Again is a complex tale that is astutely handled.

It will definitely appeal to Sunny Deol's fans and those who enjoy action films.

hai" and "agar hum sach ke saath hain, toh jeetne tak haar nahin maanni chahiye."

Sunny has managed to extract fine performances from every actor. As an actor with brooding eyes, he emits raw emotions with ease. He is agile, brilliant and appealing in the action sequences.

He is efficiently supported by an able cast that includes: Narendra Jha as the business tycoon Raj Bansal; Om Puri as Joe D'Souza, the former police officer who is now an RTI activist; Harsh Chhaya as Aditya Raj Guru, editor of The Daily Herald; and Manoj Joshi as a politician.

Troy Ribeiro

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SANAM TERI KASAM

STARRING: Harshwardhan Rane, Mawra Hocane, Murli Sharma, Anurag Sinha, Manish Choudhari, Divyetta Kaveri and Vijay Raaz DIRECTOR: Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru

H*'· \

SAALA KHADOOS

Sanam Teri Kasam is the intense love story of two diametrically opposite people; Saraswathy 'Saru' Parthsarthy (Mawra Hocane), a Tamilian Brahmin, and her wealthy neighbour lnder (Harshwardhan Rane). While Saru is a bespectacled plain Jane who works in a library, lnder is a cynical rebel who lives

STARRING: R. Madhavan, Zakir Hussain, Ritika Singh, Mumtaz Sorcar and Nassar DIRECTOR: Sudha Kongara

her heart and soul into her character.

Whether it is fighting with grit in the boxing ring, dancing on the streets with gay abandon, being awe-inspired by her

Saa/a K hadoos is an inspirational sports drama, based on some true incidents.

The film revolves around the theme of exalting women to join and shine as sports stars.

Adi Tomar (R. Mad.havan), an embittered boxing coach, whose boxing career is ruined owing to a devious plan executed by his then coach Dev Khatri (Zakir Hussain), has lost all hope, till he spots a poor local girl Madhi (Ritika Singh) in Chennai who sells fish but is keen on boxing. He then trains her to represent India.

Through the lives of Madhi and her sister Laxmi aka Lux (Mumtaz Sorcar), the film highlights issues like politics in sports, girls being discouraged to take up sports by their families and the fact that girls too are equally talented and can become champions.

R. Madhavan essays the title role playing Adi Tomar, the disgruntled boxing coach full of angst against the system, to perfection. His frustration, bohemian lifestyle, passion for boxing and even the determination to make Madhi a champion boxer, are real. With his dishevelled appearance and boxer­ like physique, he looks every inch the part that he plays and emotes with equal fervour.

Ritika Singh as Madhi is the star of the film, not merely because she is the protagonist, but because she puts

mentor, giving vent to her anger, or her disappointment and agony upon losing a match and letting down her 'Master' she slips into her role with convivial ease and portrays the gamut of emotions with spontaneity and restraint, as the scene demands, delivering an electrifying performance.

Mumtaz Sorcar, as Lux, Madhi's elder sister, ambitious, but not talented enough, who is blatantly envious of Madhi, is equally a delight to watch as an actor in an honest portrayal.

Zakir Hussain as the quintessential corrupt and slimy National Women's head coach, indulging in politicking too, is impressive and does justice to his character, making one sufficiently abhor his unethical ways.

Nassar as the junior coach in Chennai, who takes pride in his students and is supportive of Madhi, renders a fine performance. The rest of the supporting cast although with limited screen time leave an impact.

A simple story, well-told, in a linear narrative, with well-etched characters and right amount of drama, Saa/a Khadoos, is brutally honest. Sudha Kongara's writing and direction is praiseworthy, as she has dealt astutely

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INDIANLINK

life in the fast lane.

Leading a sheltered life, under the aegis of her strict disciplinarian father, Saru's marriage is the biggest bone of contention in her family as she is always rejected owing to her dowdy appearance and staid personality. One day, in her desperate attempt to transform herself, Saru inadvertently changes her destiny.

With a well-written screenplay and powerful performances by the debutant duo in Bollywood, the film tugs at your emotional chords and makes you empathise with Saru and her plight.

Their love story is credible and their onscreen chemistry is strong.

The dialogues, befitting the characters who mouth them, are not the regular cliches in a love story and offer depth to the narration.

Harshvardhan Rane as lnder, delivers a controlled and poised performance, giving vent to his angst, love, frustrations and sorrow with restraint.

He lights up the screen with his strong and well-chiselled physique and emotes superbly through his eyes. He is equally at ease as the silent lover, as he is in an emotional outburst.

Mawra Hocane, the Pakistani VJ, model and actor, is a delight to watch as Saru. She slips into the demure character with ease and her get-up certainly adds

to her persona. She is confident and her innocence is endearing. You are at one with her in her unrequited love, as in her hour of grief.

Manish Choudhari as Saru's stern father performs his role competently and brings alive the character of the Tamil Brahmin authoritarian patriarch on screen. Murli Sharma as the policeman who is a sucker for love stories performs well too. Anurag Sinha as Abhimanyu Shastry, Saru's colleague and crush, offers a sincere portrayal.

The powerful background score is apt and uplifts the tenor of the scenes. The music by Himesh Reshammiya is soulful and one of the highlights of the film. The songs are penned well and bring out the mood of the film, especially 'Haal-e-dil' and 'Bewajaah'. The only unwarranted song is perhaps the one focused on Vijay Raaz.

With brilliant production values, Sanam Teri Kasam manages to draw you into the lives of Saru and lnder and moistens your eyes too.

Perhaps it is the last 15 minutes of the film which drags a bit and, given the few cinematic liberties that the directors have taken, becomes a little mawkish.

But theirs is a love story that will touch your heart without a doubt.

Troy Ribeiro

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with the subject with no major deviation.

The screenplay is extremely measured, well-presented and captures the essence of the subject and the relationship between Madhi and her mentor aptly.

With minimal sound design and constrained camera movement, the film offers a realistic feel. The music is nothing to write home about by way

of melody, yet the powerful lyrics by Swanand Kirkire, depict the emotions of the characters in that context flawlessly.

With a thumbs up to woman power, coupled with a strong subject and good performances, Saa/a K hadoos is bound to strike a chord with a cross section of viewers, irrespective of being sports lovers.

Troy Ribeiro

l=EBRUARY 2016 35

entertainment

---------------------------UP-TO-DATE NEWS ON WHAT'S HOT AND HAPPENING IN BOLLYWOOD

MAKING THE MOST, SAYS 'BLESSED' PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Meanwhile Priyanka Chopra has even more reason to feel #blessed, because not only has she gained a chance to present at the next Oscars, she has also added another achievement to her profile by giving voice-over for an animated character in Marvel Comics, as the voice of Miss Marvel in the online game Marvel Avengers Academy. #Makingthemost, she added. Of the hay while the sun shines, one would expect... You're certainly having a good year, PC - People's Choice, then Padma Shri, then presenting at the SAG Awards, now Oscars and Marvel.

What a marvel.

SUNNY TIMES FOR SUNNY TOO

FACI NG YOU R FEARS B

ollywood marketing is being taken over by some truly creative trends.

Example, the latest fad created by Sonam Kapoor's team for her upcoming biopic on PanAm hostie Neerja Bhanot. So Sonam's asking her besties and her fans to share info about their biggest fears, using the hashtag #FearVsNeerja.

Everyone's jumping on the bandwagon. Salman Khan talks about his father Salim Khan's advice to him which became a famous line in a famous movie: Jo darr gaya, samjho mar gaya. Hmmmmm....

Priyanka Chopra, Shahid Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Anushka Sharma all share their fears and phobias, but comedian Tanmay Bhatt truly nails it: •My biggest fear is that one day Coldplay will ask me to be in their video and I'll be in it for exactly 3 seconds ....'' LOL! Wonder if the ploy will help. Sonam's PROP dubsmashes in the lead up to that film's release certainly did, so who knows?

Neerja releases on 19 Feb. Meanwhile Alia Bhatt's team is trying desperately to do something similar for her upcoming release Kapoor and Sons. In her task, you've got to record yourself attempting a tongue-twister from the film. Go on, give it a try.

36 l=EBRUARV 2016

OK, it's Deol we're talking about this time, not Leone....

Actor-filmmaker Sunny Deol's action directorial Ghaya/ Once Again, which marks his return to the silver screen as angry man Ajay Mehra, collected over Rs.23 crore in its opening weekend alone.

Ghaya/ Once Again which released on February 5, has found. appreciation by critics and audiences alike.

Sunny, who wowed the audience with his role of Ajay Mehra in 1990 film Ghayal, is seen in a similar avatar in Ghayat Once Again, which he has also written and directed.

Praise comes this time round also from estranged step mum Hema Malini who has described it as "a wonderful film".

"Sunny is a beautiful director," she said, and added, "He is very nice human being with a clear heart just like Dharam ji. He has made a very nice film. I want people to watch the film and I wish and pray the film works at the box office."

Her daughter and actress Esha Deol chipped in as well, •1 am happy that the film has got great reviews."

Meanwhile Sunny himself is pleased.

"I'd lost connect with the audience, and would like to reconnect now. I'd like to make maybe three films a year."

Well, the introverted star has certainly proven he's got what it takes, and it will be nice to see him back in action more frequently.

SWARA GIVES VOICE TO WOMEN'S STORIES

Swara Bhaskar is coming up with two releases shortly based on women­ centric stories. In Nil Bate Sannata the young actor stars as a much older woman, the mother of a 15-year-old girl. While most of her peers would

shun such a role, the plucky Swara took it on because it was "a challenging role in a beautiful film", which has already won her the Best Actress award at the Silk Road Film Festival in China.

"You've got to watch the film to find out what the title means - it's very interesting," Swara said recently.

The film, to be released in late April, is presented by Anand L. Rai, who brought Swara into the spotlight with his film Tanu Weds Manu. He went to cast her in all his next films like Raanjhanaa and Tanu Weds Manu Returns.

Swara will also be seen very soon in a film called Anarkali Aarawali. "This is the story of singer whose work is based double meaning songs, presented in small town Bihar. It is about an incident which turns her life upside down. This is another beautiful story. It keeps women's issues at the centre and it showcases the world which we haven't seen in Bollywood - nautanki and the world of orchestra parties."

Swara was last seen in the Salman Khan-starrer Prem Ratan Ohan Payo.

ALSO WORTH WAITING FOR

A teaser of the short film Tandav featuring Manoj Baj payee was released recently. The film is based on the life of a police constable who is torn between following the righteous trail and being seduced by the dark path of dishonesty. It shows the struggles and frustration police personnel go through every day on the job. Sounds intense.

Meanwhile, Bhandarkar's next project is said to be based around Bollywood wives. After framing the dark side of fashion world and glossy pages of celebrity calendars for the silver screen, it seems Madhur Bhandarkar will take his camera into the households of Hindi film stars - or so suggests the title of his next film Bol/ywood Wives. The National Award winning filmmaker, who will be conferred the Padma Shri honour in April, made the announcement on Twitter. Going by his cinema slate, one can expect him to infuse the turbulence in the personal life of big Bollywood stars to his film. The movie announcement comes at a time when much news is coming out of tinsel town about relationship breakdowns. And of course, there's always been much www.indianlink.com.au

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intrigue about 'the real housewives of Bollywood'.

The makers of Fitoor meanwhile are trying hard to do their own promotions currently, with the film releasing end of this week.

No major social media campaigns here, but other gimmicks have ensured the film stays in the news. These include having the lead male star Aditya Roy Kapur serenade the female star Katrina Kaif with a truckload of red roses (yes, a truckload), on International Rose Day recently (did you know that was even a thing?) Made for some pretty photos in the newspapers and online... Oh, and they also got the stars to go street shopping at Janpath in Delhi. The cameras followed closely of course, and we got to know that he bought her earrings and bangles and she bought him a scarf.

Anything to get the people talking about the film.

Fitoor is Abhishek Kapoor's Indian adaptation of the popular Charles Dickens' classic Great Expectations and also stars Tabu.

BOLLYWOOD Kl PATHSHALA

Fancy yourself as a Bollywood actor?

Something you want to tick off on your bucket list? Then try this two-day event called Bollywood Ki Pathshala.

It is an event aimed to give young talented aspirants a chance to enter

showbiz.

It will bring together casting directors, producers, directors and celebrities.

Actors Radhika Apte, Satish Kaushik, Omkar Kapoor and Rakesh Bedi along with filmmaker Anees Bazmee will be mentors at Bollywood Ki Pathshala.

Started by ClapsnSlaps.com, an online portal dedicated to the entertainment industry, the event will take place in Mumbai starting from April 9.

To take part in the event, aspirants will have to register on the Bollywood Ki Pathshala website. Depending on their task performance and position on the site's leader board, the best will be shortlisted for the final event.

These aspirants will be further asked to perform a final video assignment.

The candidates with the best video assignments will be invited to Mumbai, where they will get to perform a 60-second act during the event and will be judged by the casting directors.

Those shortlisted thereafter will be asked to perform a live task in front of the mentors.

Here's your chance, you dreamers.

RIP NIDA FAZLI

Renowned Urdu poet and Bollywood lyricist Muqtida Hasan Nida Fazli, died in Mumbai on 8 Feb following a massive heart attack.

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

SONAM KAPOOR or ELIZABETH OLSEN in VICTORIA BECKHAM?

+ Share your views

with us on our Facebook page /lndianLinkAustralia

INDIANLINK

He was 78 and is survived by his wife and a daughter.

Fazli was awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in 1998 and conferred with the Padma Shri in 2013.

Born in a Kashmiri family in Delhi in October 1938, his parents migrated to Pakistan after Partition, but he chose to stay back in India.

He went to Mumbai in 1964 hoping to make a career in Bollywood and also wrote for certain top Hindi magazines of that era and later started penning lyrics for Hindi film songs.

His soulful ghazals include the evergreen Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin mi/ta (Ahista, Ahista), Tu is tarha se meri zindagime shamil hai (Aap To Aise Na The), Hoshwalon ko

What's PRIYANKA CHOPRA saying here?

Send in your responses to win@indianlink.com.au and win a surprize prize

khabar kya (Sarfarosh), Aa bhi jaa, (Sur). He also penned for films like Razia Sultan, Nakhuda, Harjaee, Yatra, /s Raat Ki Subah Nahin, Tamanna and

many others.

Fazli published collections of poetry which include Laf zon Ke Phool, Mor

Naach, Aankh Aur Khwab Ke Darmiyan, Safar Mein Dhoop To Hogi, Khoya Hua Sa Kuchh and Dun/ya E k K hilona Hai.

Australian aud.iences will remember Nida Fazli from his stage appearances with the late ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh, who collaborated extensively.

WHAT TWEETY BIRD TOLD US THIS WEEK

Match the tweets below to the following stars: Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Akshay Kumar, Salman Khan The Westin Chennai prepared this special Wazir cake as a welcome ...

Many thanks...

Hello Kolkata. The first Being Human clothing store in ur city is now open. At Acropolis Mall.

Still galloping !!! #BajiraoMastani Proud moment in a father's life, when the Prime Minister pulls your son's ear in jest & calls him a good boy ;) Say hello to Ms. Marvel - I'm her voice & she's my alter ego in MARVEL Avengers Academy!

What's the chitchat here between SHABANA AZMI and AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN? AISHWARYA: I'll do anything to get some more work with you.

SHABANA: How about some acting lessons, then?

Aseem Bharadwaj lnnaloo, WA

Aseem wins a ticket to Hindi film Fitoor

l=EBRUARV 2016 37

backchat

Ready or not, getting teased before a big birthday sets one up for facing a mid-life crisis

L

BY SANAM SHARMA

ater this year I will be mnung 40.

I had been so looking forward to it. I had even been working on a few distinguished strands of silvery grey in my side burns to match this milestone. Each rime I bLtmped into a billboard featuring George Clooney, turiung 40 seemed extremely promising.

Not that it bears any resemblance in my case, but there is hope.

In the past few months, though, people around me have bmst my bubble about mriung 40, by robbing me of an entire year of my life. My current age, my 39th year. l n their heads l have already nuned the big 4-0. Now I am more intent on avenging my 39th year and living it up. 1 refuse to be 40 when I am technically still 39. And it's not just a number, it's a fact!

My dear wife is the biggest culprit bere.

In tl1e past few months, each time I have behaved like a typical man or husband, she has not rnerely told me off, but has made it abundantly clear that I must 'start acting my age'. The age that she keeps referring to is 40. Well, tlrnt's not true. I an1 not yet 40, I often protest, I am 39! She just retorts, "See, that is exactly what 1 an1 saying. You are not bothered about the more serious things I say." So 1 have to apologise for 'not acting my age', even if it's the wrong age . . .

How can I forget my friends, whom I adore? In all their affection, they so politely make it their priority to label me 40 years old in om conversations. I shared with one the otl1er day that I have some sore of niggle in my left knee. "These things happen when you are 40, dude!" was his compassionate response. Another close friend labelled me 40 for a random eyesight lapse while I was rry:ing to read a distant street sign. And any memory fades on my part are aU of a sudden attributed to me being '40' as weU.

,, Over the past few 111onths, people around me have burst 111y bubble by robbing 111e of an entire year of 111y life ,, Then there was a gentleman reviewing my passport a few weeks ago. In lus attempt to afford me a compliment, he too messed it up. His kind observation was that I didn't look 40. Dear Sir, tlrnt is because I am not 40 just yet, l am 391 I felt like clarifying, but I left it at a vague snule back.

My gym instructor had to pitch in to this saga too. "We have a program starring for members who are 40 and above in a few weeks. It is tailored to the Iifestyles

and capabilities for that age group," he responded when I requested a review of my current trai1ung program. "I won't be eligible for tl1at for another seven months," 1 clarified, once again, with a vague, open­ ended smile.

Last, but not least, you know you are doomed when your own mother lets you down. ''\Vhen did you grow up from cl-us coddler into a 40-year-old man?" she recently exclaimed. I thought of a

comeback co this one, but couldn't possibly conjure one. So I held myself together and ,vall<ed on, that vague snille conung in handy, yet again.

So, friends, romans, countrymen, for the next seven montl1s to come, I am 39 and not 40. And if you wouldn't nund, I would like co Live the rest of this time as a happy and healthy 39-year-old. At the end of which, I will happily embrace the George Clooney phase of my life.

I N D IAN LI N K

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38 l=EBRUARV 2016

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