2016-06 Adelaide

Growth, jobs and sandbagging

large part of the funding canbesourced from shelvingthebudget proposal of loweringlargebusiness company tax to 25%from thecw-rent 30%.

BYPAWAN LUTHRA

Thiselection may well be decided by one dichotomy: delayed vs instant gratification. TheTmnbuli-ledCoalitionis chantingthe mantraof 'jobsandgrowth' and promotinga concept whichcanbe aligned cotrickle-down economics.Bill Shorten andhis Labor teamarebuilding ontheir credentialsof findingsolutions to the problems in education and health today rather than putting theseon hold for a better tomorrow.A prime e.xample is theCoalitionannouncementinthis month'sbudget to freeze theindexation of Medicare rebatesuntilatleast 2020, whichdoctorshave warned willlead to lessbulkbilling,whereas theLabor Partyhas declaredthat if elected, it will spend$12 billion to unwind this freeze. \Vh.iletheLaborpolicy is populist,it will addto thecurrent$150billionannual health budget. Labor believes thata

Loweringthistax ratewillallowfor the so-called trickle-downeffect,the termwhicl1,accordingtosomepundits, originated withUSPresidentReagan. Inanmshell,taxbreaks atthetopend (individualsandcompanies)canspur economicgrowth.Companiespay lesstax andtheninvestthemoniesin productive activities,whichcanincreaseeconomic growth,creatingjobsand oppormnities. Therewill bea trickle-down effectto thoseinlower ta_xbrackets. Onecan wellsee thelogicin this,buttheconcept of loweringtaxhasbeen criticised by manywhobelievethatitdrainsawaythe revenue from theTreasury totake careof thecountry'sneedstoday.USPresident Obamahasbeenopenlycritical of this theorywhich wasputinpracticeby RonaldReagantostimulate theeconomy. But then believers inhis theory advocate thatthispracticeactually gave people anopportunity to earnmore,as there wasa large increaseinproduction and emplo}mem.

However,itcakestime tofilter

throughtheeconomy,and thequestion for Election2016 is,istheelectorate patientenough togivethis theory a cry, or does it prefer instant grati.fication of daily needs?The challenge is that w th coday's lifestyle trends, we do want inseam solutions to problems.Labor will no doubt build on thisneed asthenext few weeks of campaigningprogress.

According tothe polls,as to which way will the votego on2July,cw-rently it looksclose.The latest Newspollhas bothpartiesnecktoneck,withLabor havingnarrowed the gapwiththe Coalition.Attl1isscage,it seems that theCoalitioniskeenerto "sandbag"its currentseatsratherthan go to war over thosewhichit feelsmay take awayits resources from theonesinhand. An example was the Prime 1.-finister's day in\XlestemSydney recently: he raced to theCoalition-held Lindsay seat of Fiona Scott and decided to thenmakehis way to theReid seat of CraigLundy.That hedrovethrough witbomstoppingat thetwo Labor-held marginalseatsof Parrarnatta andGreenway, wasaclear sign of his strategy.

Growthandjobsis themantra; sandbaggingis the game plan.

YOURSAY

DEEPIKA ANDRANBIR4EVA

Results of our favourite celeb couple poll are in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan 23% Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie 27%

Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor 37% Beyonce and Jay-Z 13%

WRITINGSTORIES,RIGHTINGHISTORY

Indian Linkreported on the unique event Literary Commons! which brought together Dalit and tribal writers from India andIndigenousAustralian authors to share and discuss stories of oppression, violence, injustice and lost identity

DrMrldulaNathChakraborty,ConvenorLiteraryCommons wrote:

A HUGE thanks to Rajni and the entire team for this wonderful coverage of Literary Commons! It is so comprehensive and catches some of the most powerful and poignant moments of the gathering. I love the soundbites you have captured. Please convey my heartfelt gratitude to Chitra Sudarshan, Aparna Ananthuni and Dipanjali Rao.

AneetaMenonwrote: This was a greatread with manynew book recommendations. Thanks, guys!

Debayan Sarkhel@DSarkhel tweeted: Much more to learn from the Aborigines around the world

ANINTERNATIONAL APPEAL

A 35-year-oldIndian-originmother of one in the US, diagnosed with Lymphoma (cancer of the lymphatic system), is in urgent needof a bone marrow transplant to survive.

Whocandonate? People of South Asian origin (18-44 Years of age) for the best possible match

Howwould youdoIt? Read more at www.donateblood.com.au. Visit any branch of RedCross in NSW to be tested. With your consent you can then be registered on the National Bone Marrow Registry.

Important to note: Once you go on the registry, you will be contacted if you are a match for anyone who may require bone marrow/stem cell transplant. What Ifyou are amatch?You can donate through blood in the form of stem cells or through the marrow. Both are simple procedures at no cost to you. You could be 1 in 20,000 to save her life.

For more information please visit: http://www.abmdr.org.au/

If you do register please drop a line to hamsavenkat@gmail.com or jarcot@gmail.com

LOVINGRAYS FROMBEYONDTHESUN

RaniJhala wrote a heartwarming shortstory, basedon reallife events, on the power of a mother's love

Rani Jhala wrote: The article looks lovely and the double page spread makes t look so perfect.I think Arun must be smiling.

CORRECTION

In the article Anzac Day 2016 in our April issue, the image of Lt Col Jimmy Passan (Retd) was incorrectly captioned as Col Subroto Ghosh (retd). The error occurred inadvertently and is regretted. Lt Col Jimmy Passan (Retd) is President of the South Australian Defence Veterans Association Inc (SAIDVA), the body that organised the Indian veterans' participation at this year's Anzac Day parade and commemoration. Ed.

BEYONDINFINITY

Usha Ramanujam Arvind wrote about academic Sydney Srinivas' fascination with the mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan, the subject of a new movie starring Dev Patel

T.RAnantharamu wrote: A commendable job indeed.

Dlwakar Somathanahalll wrote: Quite a comprehensive review. Congratulations.

SamreenFatima wrote: Great knowledge comes from the humblest of origins.

T.Valaljl wrote: Well written Usha Ramanujam Arvind. Your writing style makes our eyesrun over the words easily and ourminds comprehend what is said in your writing.

Anu Shlvaram wrote: A well-deserved recognition to the mathematical genius Srinivas andhis namesake and equally talented SydneySrinivas. Your enthusiasm is infectious, Srinivas. May your tribe increase!

DrNagavenl wrote: Dr Srinivas, I just read the Link article. Congratulations on your excellent painstaking work regarding the great Ramanujan. It is not only inspirational but delightful and a pleasure to read. Your time and effort is very well spent. You have made a great contribution to information regarding the great man. The Link article is written in a flowing manner giving a glowing description of the great Ramanujan. It holds the reader's attention until the end. I rememberreading something regarding him being supportedby a scientist/mathematician in England in a police case.The book was either the bio of CV Raman or Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar. Chakravartl Madhusudana wrote: A well-written, detailed article.I enjoyed reading it. I think Indian Link is wrong in calling you Ramanujan's namesake inasmuch as Srinivas was Ramanujan's father's name. Also the equations have not been printed out correctly. Congratulations once again on your considerable efforts to bring this movie for the benefit of the greater Sydney audience.

ShubhaChandra wrote: Srinivas, I wanted to write to thank you for all the trouble you took to organise the special screening of the movie. The thing that impressed me in the movie was not just Ramanujan's intelligence and the tragic life, but Prof. Hardy's character as well, the way he not only recognises Ramanujan's gift, but how he gets him to do it the logical way and show the 'proof' so that today there is something that has become useful forfurther studies. As tragic as Ramanujan's life was, there is the work that he has left behind which will be usefulforever. By the way, the article in IndianLink has made quite a few people aware of the movie and they are planning to see it at their convenience. Well done.

ATALE OF TWO CITIES

PawanLuthra wrote aboutmaking the choice between Melbourne and Sydney

PetraO'Nelll wrote: I have justreturned from a few days in Melbourne prompted by the recent editorial on Melbourne vs Sydney.The food is a knock out in Melbourne - Brunetti's on Lygon Street for cakes - I feel the people are more relaxed and more patient. Bourke street mall hadsome great buskers, including Kate Ceberano who just decided to perform there with some of herband!

+JOIN THECONVERSATION

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VOTING RULES HAVE CHANGED?

Make your vote count this federal election.

At thisyear's federalelection, the way you vote for the Senate has changed and it'simportant that you understandhow to vote correctly.

On thelarge white Senate ballot paper, you can choose to vote either above orbelow the line.

If you choose to vote abovethe line, you now need to numberat least 6 boxes. Put the number '1' in the box for the party orgroup that is your first choice, a '2' for your second choice and so on until you've numbered at least 6 boxes.

Ifyou choose to vote below the line, you must number at least 12 boxes, from 1 to 12, for individual candidatesin the order ofyour choice.

Voting for the House ofRepresentativeshas not changed. On the green ballot paper, you must number every box, starting with the number '1' for yourfirst choice, 12' for your second choice and so on until youhave numbered every box.

'How to vote' instructions will be clearlydisplayed on your ballot paper. Don't worry if you make a mistake-just ask for another ballot paper.

This federal election your vote will help shape Australia.

AnAdelaidetribute toanoldmaster

Shankar Kandasamy's Bharatanatyam piece is highlight at Thyagaraja Aradhana

BY LP AYER

The anniversary of the legendary coa1poserStThyagaraja is marked asThyagarajaAradhana, and is celebrated whereverSouth Indianswithimerestinclassical (Carnatic) music,settle downin numbers. Athis birth place inThiruvaiyar inTanjore district,.itis held inJanuary, coinciding with the dayof his sr1111adbi,whenhundreds of musicians sing hiscompositions en mas.re.Shruthi, Adelaide's carnaticmusic outfit,has been conductingthiseventin February-Marchforthe past 23 years. In tl1etypicalformat followed elsewhere, tl1eeventinvolvesthe singingof manyof hiscompositions,partirnlady fiveof his famous compositions !mownas 'panchan1tna k1iti', meaningfive gems.

Departingfrom tradition,tlus year's amdha11t1was heldinmid-May since Sh.ruthi presented a music and dance extravaganza inMarchas part of Adelaide Fringe Festival,joiningthe bigleague. Amajor featfor the new committee indeed. Witl1 many of theregulars having movedinterstate for employment and a few others currently overseas,tl1e singing was mostly byroungsters - from tiny rots to teens.This alsohelped co fulfil theorganisation's current missionto promote youngsters and showcasetheir singingskills. Understandably,the very yonng ones,tutored by Smvmya Anand, who herself isnewtoAdelaide,gave their bestshoeand scored points just for tl1eir courage incomingto the stage.The teenagers,manyof whom are turorecl by RajiKrisbuamoorthy,showedremarkable improvement,proving theiryearsof trainingarewortlnvhile.

Theopeningitself wasa departure from tradition.Suma,SowmyaandAbishek, all talentedsingers,eachrenderedin rotation, acoupleof stanzas from seven differentkritisinas many ragas. Geetl,a Sadagopanperformed a brilliant piece of Bharatanaryamcombiningthreeof Tbyagaraja'sktitis.Thatwason mpof her presidentialduties inorgaiusingtl1e whole

event. I wonder where she gets the energy from.

A very traditionalitem of tl1e aradha11t1 tl1ough, therendering of 'pm1chamtnt1kritis', wasmissing, perhaps clue to theabsence of manyregulars. ltwas romy dismay.But this feeling wasdispelledby ilie last itemof the evening - a scintillatingBharatanaryam ballet onthe lifeof Hanuman byShankar Kandasamy, dai1cedirector of Templeof FineArcs International,headguarteredin KualaLumpurwith branchesina few cities includingAdelaide.lewasShrutl1i's good forrnne hehappened ro visit hereas chief examiner of theAdelaide chapter's students.

If anyonehad doubts howHamunai1, the monkey god, could form thesubject of a ballet, that dissipatedinamatter of seconds once Shankarsteppedon mestage. He gave a brief prologueof the ballet spanning

the birthof Ha.numan,his grabbingtl1e Sun, boppingacross tl1esea to SriLanka in searchof Sita,challengingRavana and settingLai1ka ablaze, uprooting tbe mountainto bring the herbSanjeevani to reviveLakshman and eventually becoming theever-presentdevotee of Ram. The balletinfourepisodeslasted45 minutes and consisted of non-stop dancingto the accompai1imenrof Tanllisong'Ad!Jarkellam

Adi1y11' meaning devotee of the devotee. Shankar Kandasamy's footwork was fast andfurious,'mudras' meticulousand masterly, andfacial expressions Aawless. His seamless progressionfromone episode to theother wasinterspersed withavigorous bout of 'jt1thir111am11lthat drewrepeated applause from tl,eaudience. Although the background music was inTamil,his earlier introduction helpedthe audience

understandbis movefromoneepisode to thenext.

He glided gracefully likeagazelle,leapt like a leopard, twirled and tweaked likea twister. Hehardly stopped for asecond throughouthisvigorousand vibrant dancing, with pearlsof sweat addinga glisteningsheen tohis slitheringframe. He reminded me of two of India'sfamous male dancersof yore, Rai11 Gopal and Uday Shankar (brotherof RaviShankar). Perhaps tl1e nameShankar hasa magic spell of its own. The show wasindeed spellbindingand awesome.

That theaudienceenjoyed Kanclaswamy's performai1ce greatly wasevidenced whena few spectators rushed to touch hisfeetin reverence,tohis embarrassment- andmine too.There wereothers whopreferred a selfie,and he happily obliged.

Food for thought

Tamil Feasts is a unique opportunity to welcome asylum seekers while experiencing tasty Sri Lankan Tamil cuisine

Nirmawas released, t11ey got rogether to exploreif this might bea feasible venture andtl1e rest, as theysay,is hisrory.

BYDHANYASAMUEL

EveryMondayandTuesday evening, NLrmachan (Nirma) Murugamoorthyjoins hands witb his friendsS�,ligechan and Niro,alongwitha groupof kind-heartedvolunteers,at the Centre for Education andResearchinEnvironmental Strategies (CERES) CommunityKitchen. Together, theyproduceTamilFeasts,a three-course traditionalbanquetshowcasing the Aavours of SriLankauTamilcooking.

Tamil Feastsisa socialenterprise chatwas set up ro support recentlysettledasylum seekersinMelbourne bysharing their food,heritageand culmrewith thewider community. Theproject is supportedby CERES EnvironmentPark,anot-for-profit sustainabilitycentre and urban farmlocated in tl1eheart of EastBrunswick.

TheideaforTamilFeasrnwasbornwhen Nirmawasreleased fromdetention.\'7hile spendingtimeat thedetentioncentre, Nirma and severalocherasylumseekersused to cookforthemselvesandforvisitors.That's howhecametomeetDoriEllington,who used to visit irma and ochersin thecentre.

Dorisawa real opportunityfor tl1e men toshowcase tl1eir talent and gain employmentin thecommunity.So,when

Receivingimmensecommunity support, the dinners always soldout inamatter of dayswhich gave mem theconfidence requiredtorake theprojectforward.Today, Tamil Feastshoststwodinners aweek (MondayandTuesday) outof the CERES

Community kitchen,withmeals servedat communal-style, longtablesinanintimate setting,emphasisingexchangeof ideas and culture.

"Foodisapowerful mediumforsocial changeandit'saprovenmeansof bringing peopletogether,"Project Coordinator Molly cold lndit111Link. "That'swhatTamil Feasts is all about. Ir provides areal oppormnity forpeople to come togetherand to sbow supportfor those currentlygoing through the difficul[circumstancesof seeki11g asylum - allthewhileenjoying three courses of taSC)'Tamilcuisine!"

Tamil Feastsisa self-funded project.The proceeds generated from ticket sales go cowardkeepingthe feasts happeningeach week,coveringcosts,payingwages,and investinginanyitemsneeded to keepthe enterpriserunningsmoothly.

"Sri, Nirma,Nigethan,andNiroare reallyspecial individualswith agreatsense of humomand playful personalities,it's not hard ro fall in lovewith chem!"Molly said."Theyare theheart of TamilFeasts, butwithoutthesupportof thelocal commu.nity tl1eenterprisewouldnot be possible. Withsomuchnegativityintl1e

media surroundingtl1oseseekingsafe[), hereinAustralia,Tamil Feasts has been a welcome,positivemeans of connecting and supportingpeople presently seeking asylum."

The food,of course,is thehighlight and theprimaryreasonwhytl:usenterpriseis so successful. Whilel'vfondaynightsoffer both vegetarian and non-vegetarian option, Tuesdays arereservedfor onlyvegetarian and veganmeals.Themenuvaries each weekso youcankeep experiencingthis deliciousfeastwithoutever gettingbored.

Fromascrumptioussalmoncurry to devilledmussels,or tl1eirinfamous lamb and chicken currytochutneys,dahls, kormasand masalas,TamilFeastsis

aculinaryextravagance of spices and flavours. or tomentionthedelectable sweetsand dessertsprepared lovinglybythe team.

Completingits firstyear thismonth, tl1is communityinitiativeis notwithout its fair share of challenges. "\Whilewe continuero see greatsupportfromtl1ecommunity,it's important thatweattractnewand different people to thefeasts,"Mollyexplained.

"Spreadingtheword aboutwhat these men aredoingand encouraging morepeopleto comealongto aTamil Feast is something that weare alwayslooking for!Wehope togrowand expandin thefun1rebut dus willnor be possiblewithout thecontinued andgrowingsupport of tl1ewonderful l'vfelbournecommuniC)r."

Sri, Nirma,Nigetl1anand Niroare still in the process of seeking asylum. Ir's been seven years butthe government stillhas not grantedtl1emanylegal recognition as refugees. Butthatdoes not deter them. Theycontinue to cook and sharewitl1 usa taste of their homelandwith a bigsmileon their faces.

TamilFeastshavealimitedcapadtyand arepre-bookonly. Youcanbookonline atceres.org.aultamil-feasts

Spucys-Tahar and Rajni Anand Luthra speak with three candidates who have links to the Indian community

It'soneofthelongestelectioncampaigns in50years,butthe2016federalelection lookstobeawarofattritionand competingideologiesaspartiesattempt cowooswingingvotersLmderthe constantscrutinyofthemedia.

\X'itnessestotheentirehullabalooare theIndianvoters,manyofthemmigrants withnoparticularaffinitycoanypartyor sentiment,fallinginthecategoryofswinging voters.Theyseektocutthroughtherhetoric andanalysetheunderlyingissuesinorderto makeaninformeddecision.

Generalelectionsareheldeverythree yearstoelect150membersoftheHouse ofRepresentativeswhichstandforan electoraldivisionwithinastateorterritory. CandidatesfortheSenatestandforan entireStateorterritory.Thereareatotalof 76Senators:12foreachstateandtwofor eachterritory.WhenaDoubleDissolution electionisdeclared,all76positionsare madevacant.

IndianLinkspokecocandidatesDr DesmondSoares(NXT),SenatorLisaSingh (ALP)andAllanThomas(???)tofindout whattheyhopetoachieveasrepresentatives ofthepeople.

Lisa Singh

ALP-Tasmanian

Senator

Why didyou join the partyandbecome involved inpolitics?

1joinedtheLaborPartynearly20years agonm\cItwasthepartythatIfeltheld thevaluesmostsimilartomine,thingslike, compassion,equalityofoppornmity,and respectfordiversity.Iwasatuniversity andhadastrongfocusonsocialjustice.I wasinspiredbyPaulKeating,particularly intermsofhisstanceonsocialpolicy, thingslikewomen,migrantsandindigenous AustraliansIwasalsoinfluencedbythe workofmygrandfather.Hewasapolitician inthe1960sand1970sintheFijian Parliament,uidwasreallypushingforFiji tobecomeindependent.Ireallyadmired hisadvocacyand1alwaysknewIwanted coworkinsomeformofadvocacyrole,so policieswasanaturalfit.

You come from an lndo-Fijian background. Whatimpact has that had onyourlife inAustralia? Did you experience racism growing up? Have you experienced racisminpolitics? Growingup,Hobartwasnotthe multiculnLralplaceitistoday.Atschool, thereweredefinitelymorepeopleof amoreEuropeanbackgroundthanan Asianbackground.Ididfeelakindof subconsciouspressuretoneedtofitin.l ne\7erexperiencedanyexplicitracismperse, butthereweredefinitelyinstancesofcasual racism.

I'veneverpersonallyexperiencedracism

inpolitics,butsomeverydearfriendsand colleagues,suchasNovaPeris,definitely havebornethebruntofracism.Ihave beenveryvocalagainstallformsofracism inAustraliansocietysuchaswiththe 'Racism,itstopswithme'campaign Andespeciallywithattemptsbythe federalgovernmenttowaterdown theRacialDiscrinunationAct. Iconsidercombattingthose attemptsagreatvicroryasthey wereforcedtobackdownand reconsidertheirposition.

Youworked in Tasmanian politics before being elected to the Senate in2010. As the first person of South Asian descent to be elected to theAustralian Parliament, did you feel a sense of responsibility, or a sense of burden on your shoulders, to represent SouthAsian and migrantissues?

Itwascertainlynotaburden.I / actuallydidn'trealiseuntilIwas electedthat1wasthefirstpersonof SouthAsiandescentinParliament.Itwas acnrnllyrevealedtomeinaninterviewwith SBSPunjabi.That'snotmybackground, butpeopleoftenchinkwhentheyhear thesurname'Singh'thatitmustbe.Butit mademethinkthatwehavemuch.-nore workcodotomakeparliamentmore reRectiveofAustraliansociety.Ihave becomemuchmoreengagedwithSouth Asiancommunitygroupsandfaicb-based groupsandhavecometorecognisethat theyregardmeas'oneofthem'andthat I'manimportantfactorforthem.Ihave takenthisroleveryseriouslyandIliketo thinkofitlikethis;Imaybethefirst,butI certainlydon'twanttobethelast

How canwe betterencourage new Australians to become involved in politics?

Rolemodelsplayanimportantrole,but1 thinkit'salsoaboutagenerationalchange. Formyparents,itwasnotaseasy.They hadeveryright,ascitizens,tovoteand bepartoftheprocess,buttheyregarded themselvesasnotfittingin.Thenextstep ismygeneration,wherewehavelostthat feelingofnotbelongingtoth.iscountry. IhavespokenwithRaceDiscrimination CommissionerTimSoutphommasane aboutthismanytimes,abouttheideaofthe bambooceilingandwhywedon'tseemore peopleofdifferentculturalbackgrounds inleadershiproles.Ihopewiththenext generationmorewillhappen,morewill changeandmorepeoplewillbecome involved.OurParliamentwillnotbea trulystrong,robustdemocraticinstitution withoutmoremulricu.lturalmembersin Parliament.

Inyourview, whatare thethreekey issues facingAustralians this election? 1thinkinthiselectionthethreekeyissues areMedicare,educationandjobsoraccess toemployment.Thosearen'tjustissuesI've pickedfromd1eair,thosearetheissuesdrnc comeuptimeandagaininmydiscussions withpeopleinthecommLmity.

HealthespeciaUyisthenumberoneissue. Alotofmoneyhasbeentakenawayfrom hospitals,thereistheproposaltofreeze theMedicarerebateandbulkbillingwhich willleadtoaformofprivatisationofthe system-somepeoplewillnolongergoto thedoctorasadirectconsequenceofthat. Laborwaschepartycointroduce!v[edicare andthat'ssomethingwe'reveryproudof,l donotwanttoseeanAmericanisationof ourhealthsystemandtbeseproposalsare thethinendofthewedge.

Intermsofeducation,Laborispushing theneedforAustraliatofocusonSTEM andtoimplementtheneeds-basedGonski fundingmodel.Inthisway,fundingwill bedirectedwhereitisneededmost,and withoutSTEMtherewillbenojobsinthe future.Withregardtohighereducation, we'reanti-deregulationandseechangesto fundingmodelsandstudentloanpayback schemesasanattackonoureducation systemasawhole.

You have been relegated to the sixth position on theTasmanian Senate ticket,a spot thatis widely considered 'unwinnable'. What do you thinkof your chances?Are you campaigning to win or is this more of a farewell?

1amdefinitelycampaigning-1am notgoingtogodownwithoutafight. ObviouslyIamdisappointedwithhow thingshavenunedout.Itwouldtake somethingspecial,sometbinghistoric, formetowin.Ihavealwayswantedco giveTasmaniansachoiceaboutdiesort ofLaborvoicetheywantintheSenate. Whetheronrefugees,health,orthe environment,Ihavealwayssoughttospeak withconviction.Iamcampaigningand hopetogiveLaborthebestchanceforas manyspotsaspossibleintheSenate.

You were pushed downthe ticketin favour ofJohn Short, state secretaryof theAustralianManufacturingWorkers Union, a move blamed on factional deals. Do you regret not playing a great part in theLaborparty's factions?

Iamapartofthenationalleft,whichis moreofanon-binding,largelydiscussion basedfactionalenvironment.Factions exist;lamnornaive.lhavenotplayeda roleinthatandhaveinsteadfocusedon policydevelopment.lthinkthereshould bemorefreedomforindividualstospeak

Kira

ALLAN THOMAS

our onissuesand supportcommunityviews as theysee fit.There isnothingwrong with factions, butwhena fewpeople,or powerbrokers,controlhoweveryoneelse should vote,rather thangivethem the freedomtochoose that isproblematic. Thoughthosepowerandcontrolissues e.'list acrosspartylines.

I have always been apassionatelistener, accessibleandapproachable. I havewanted to focusonwhatwe couldachieverather thanonfactionalmachinations.There is stillalot IwanttodoasaSenatorandit's disappointingthere's achance I maynot get codo that.

You have signedthe'Pollution Free Politics Pledge' backing calls for the Laborparty to wtch fossilfuel subsidies, which is against national Labor policy. Why?

Thereare varyingviews in the partywhen ircomes to fossilfuels. Labor hasa strong positionon climate change andI am highlighting that ifwewant comeetour targetsoutlinedinvariousinternational agreements,weneed toensurewe're investing in renewable energy

andmovingaway from areliance on fossil fuels. Of coursewecancontinuetoprotect farmers butweshould notbehelping larger multi.nationalcorporations. We need to end subsidieslikethe diesel fuel rebatethat incencivisepolluting behaviours.

In a pamphlet wstributed inTASyou said you will "remain a strong and independentLabor voice for more compassionate refugeepolicies"- do you agreewith the Labor party's acceptance of boat turn-backs?

I agreewith the Party's policyonrefugees. l workedcloselywith(Labor immigration spokesman)

RichardMarles to formulate ourpolicywhichincludes increasingAustralia'sintake and greater oversightof detention centres. Iwas nota voting delegate at the LaborParry Conferencewherethe motionwas put regarding boat rurnbacks. I have been outspokenin the fact that I donot support turnbacks. I hopewiththeLabor policyand regional frameworkwenever havetouseboat n1rnbacks.

Whatis youropinion on preference deals?

I am for anything that gives more power torhepeople. For the first time, at dus election,peoplewill be able to direct their ownpreferencesin the Senate. Reform ofSenate vocingwherepeopleareableto have theirownchoice is apositive step. Democracyisnorperfect andit canand should be reviewed from time totime. I was in]ndiainMarch towitness the exiledTibetan governmentelectionsin Dharnmshala.Thereisa small, newdemocracytbat

DES SOARES

wecan relate to our countryandwhat can beimproved.Democracycan'tbesracic,it must beope_nand transparent.

You had a strong connection to the republican movement prior co politics and have maintained this connection throughoutyour time as a Senator. Is that somethingyou would like to pursue further?

I will always be arepublican. I was very much inspired byKeatiog's stand on the issue.\'\Tecan learn through whatIndiawe.m through -itisaveryproudcountry due to itsindepende.nce from Britain. It definitely holds usback interms of policiesin the Indo-Pacificregion.I have nothingagainst theQueen, she's a lovelylady,butwe needourownheadof state,we need someone to standstrongand be led byone us.

Tell usaboutahighlightfrom your dealingswith the Indian community and your travels to lnwa

Itwas anincredible honour to receive thePrnvasi BharaciyaSamman. Inmy timeasaSenatorI have taken pride inbuildingfriendly relationshipsbetweenIndia andAustralia,focusingon softpower. Iwentonavisit toIndiawithourShadow Ministerfor ForeignAffairs andInternationalDevelopment (DeputyOppositionLeader)

Tanya Plibersekwhichwasa reallymeaningfulexperience.All myvisitshave beenspecial;Indiaand Australiahave alotincommon,butour reJationshipisstill developing.There is a longhistorybutwe havefurd1er togoto becomesttongerparmers;thatre.quires good leadership,commitmentand understanding thatoursimilaritiesgobeyond cricket.

What do youenjoy mostaboutpolitics?

Thepeopleyoumeet.Beingin politics has opened doors I nevercouldhave imagined.One dayyoutalkwithpensions about howthey'regoingtogetthrough a coldwinter.Thenitwasaprivilegeco meet withIndia'sPrimelvlinisterNarendral\fodi inpacliamentinCanberraandon stagein Sydney.I haveseenthefuligamut. Ihave alwayswantedtobeadvocatingforpeople, representingthem andthethings that matter tod1em,ingovernment.

Whatmight people notknow about you?

I am always running late! (Laughing) That fitswithmy culturalbackground Also, I haveapet cat,Ben,he'sa black shortbair, part Burmese. I'malwayssharingphotosof him on myphone to people in the office!

Dr Desmond (Des)Soares

NXT-SeatofMoreton

What convincedyou to join the partyof your choice?

ickXenophon strikes me as agenuine carerfor theunderdog,and forthosewho haveno voice.I was particularlyimpressed byhisworkinthefield of gambling reforms andsupportfor dairyfarmers. Theparty called for expressionsofinterest frompeople keentojoin. Iapplied - along with some450od1ers! Allcandidates wereputthrougha vettingprocessthat eveninvolvedpsychologicaltestingand presentations. Ourwr:itcenapplications were analysed, and background checks were carried our Four candidateswere finaUy picked for mystate, Queensland, two each for Senate and Houseof Representatives. I'vealwaysbeen interescedinpolitics, but never cookanactivepare before this. florthepastfivetoten years,I've been depressed bythepoliticsinourcountry. Labor and Liberals have both disappointed, and I'vealsobeen dismayedby the slogans and d1e bad behaviour. Rather than grumble, I dioughcI shouldpmmy hand up,and seeifI cancontribute meaningfull)'

,, There is still a lot I want to do as a Senator and it's disappointing there's a chance

I may not get to do that ,, Lisa Singh

LISA SINGH

for a11 ,, DesSoares

What are the three key issues facingthe people of Moreton?

Wehave 95,000 voters, with some 40 per centbornoverseas.There'sa high multiculmralelememhere.We have Indians, Chinese,Africans,we are very diverse. The age spanis also large. In termsof small business,wearethe fourth largest,with some15,000individual entities.Other industries,weareheavyonhealth care,and there is some manufacmring.

The keyissuesin our area are transportation, employment, health and education.

Why should the people vote foryou?

I've never been apolitician,so I hope to bringa freshperspective. I'vepromised peopleIwillanswer theirqueries anddeal withchemwithbonesryandrespect. I'm neither rightnorleft,buta sensible middleof-the-road.I'm notbuilt byideology, but myown doctrines. Ihopetobe avoice for thosewhohavenone.

Mypassionsareeducation., opporttuiity, equalityand fairness. I believeinaccessible educationfor all:weneed toensure that everyone has access to the same qualityeducationregardlessof wealthor backgrow1d.

lwantto helpthepeopleof Moreconto rediscover theirvoice.Weneed tobecome engaged and speakandbeheard on the issues that matter co us.Weneed codefine what type of communitywewant tolive in and the servicesweexpecr governmem toprovidefor us.Weneed to speak up anddefinehowwewant ourlocalmember co behave bothin Parliament andin the community.Weneed tobringback respect in thewaywe dealwitheachother inour civicLife.

The campaign trail is arough and challenging one, which certainly needs thebenefit of strategy to reach out to as many voters as possible. How are you dealing with this?

I'vedomknocked atsome1000 homes already.You'll/indme atrailwaystations andbus stops talking topeople. I'm also activeon social media,Pacebookand Twittermostly.Ilike reaching out and talking copeopleat events and barbecues. TheIndiancommunityI've metwith extensivelyin therecentpast,aswellas theFijian-Indiancommunityhere. We've recentlyhad thenewyearcelebrations in manyIndian communities;1enjoyed meeting manypeopleatthe Kerala celebrationsparticularly! I have many ludian-origin patients in mypractice, from across the diaspora,butparticularlySouth Africa. SoI'd sayyes,I amwell acquainted

withthe Indiancommunityin myelectorate. What is your understanding of issues concerned with the multicultural community in Moreton and how are you best placed to address them?

As anoverseas-bornAustralian - I moved here fromIndiaas a 15-year-oldwith my mum - I th.ink I understand verywellthe issuesfaced byfamiliesas theysettlein. I also treat manyoverseas-bornpatientsand haveovertheyearscomein closecontact withmanyfamilies atvarious stages of integration.Iremember verywellhavingto learn awholehostofnewskills,atschool andoutsideof school,simplyin order to fw1ctionwell.Butwe allworkhardatout studies,and.inoutprofessions, to give back co thesociety thatwelcomed us in.As an ortl1opaedic surgeon,Ihavepaid back400 times, intax, over and above caring for thoseinneed.Australiaowed menothing, but gave me everything, soI want co give bade

How can we better encourage new Australians to become involved in politics?

ln theIndiancommunity, Iwould saywe have .norreallystepped up,we are too busy earningaLiving!But I di.inktheawareness is growingthatif wedon't participate,we willniissom.Would youl.i.ke to simply complainwhen things arenot satisfactory, or get up and tryto help? Indians make upabout 2-3per cent - or isit 4per cent? - of thepopulation,andwe should have representationto thatnumber.\Xie contribute significantly to the economy,and as a community,wevalueeducation,family ties,aged care,all of which are vitaltotl1e widercommunity. Sowe should standup andmake an effort.

What do you enjoy most about politics? Meetingpeople. Talkingcothem,and equally,listeningto them. I'vejust come off a discussionwhereI wastold,yoLJguys want toputa scop to allpoker machines.I listened closely,and thenreplied thatin fact we don'twant to,we justwantto findways tominimise the harm theycause. l think the message got home!

Whatmightpeople not know about you?

That1wentto schoolin the northern suburbsof Sydney,andstudiedmedicine atSydneyUniversity.That afterworking in NS\'v'for a numberofyears,mywife andI moved coNepal toworkwith aninternational charity that provided holistic medical careandrehabilitation to peopleand faniilies affected byleprosy. That1workedin Kolkaca andMumbai withMotl1erTeresa's organisation.That I continue to teachcoday, for thePacific IslandsOrthopaedicAssociationin Honiara.

Andyouuiight notknowthis,but my mumtl1inkspoliticsis a dirtybusiness!

Allan Thomas JLN - NSW Senate

What convinced you to join the party of yotu choice?

I wasborn in Fijibut I'm an Australian citizen.I have Uncles andAw1tieswho areof IndianoriginandHinduism has alwaysbeena part of ourfamilysetup. In the1970s,I migrated toAustraliawithll1)' parents.They sawoppormnitiesfor us here. Ijoined tl1eJacquiLambie Network OLN)

becauseIcanseehowherpolicies havea benefit wmyfamilyand ourcow1try. We celebrate PijiDayand all the majorf{indu festivals,I'm all for multiculturalism,it's one of the biggest valuesinthis country.Jacqui Lambie's policiesai·e aboutcelebratingour differences but norimposingonAustralia.

BeinganAustraliancitizen,I want to see jobs remain inAustralia, Iwane to stop theFfAs and impose heavierforeign taxes co reduce the deficit. lhave nodisputes regardinginrniigration,as longaspeople's values are genuine and theywane to bepare of the Australian wayof life.

I spent 14yearsin the Australian Defence Poree.SinceI leftthe armyI havehelped provideresourcestohelpthose veterans receiveadequate benefits. I have seena lot of changesin legislation to the financial benefitsof veterans.These soldiers put their lives forward toprotect this great countryand tl1eyshould be significantly rewarded and not have to justifytheir benefitsgiven tl1erigoursof defence force life. I have been lobbyingataMinisterial leveltohelplowerandmiddleclasspeople who are findingit hard to makeendsmeet. There'snorewardsforthem,no trying to getahead. lc's about helpingpeople by keepingAustralian jobsinAustralia.

The campaign trailis a rough and challenging one, which certainly needs the benefit of strategy to reach out to as many voters as possible. How are you dealing with this?

Ihave beengetting out thereand talking topeople. rhavegonetotheAustralian Workers'Unionmembers at PortKembla (inNSW)totalkabouttl1eSouthAusrralian submarineannouncement.\X7ehavea manufacturingplant inNewSoutl1Wales making steel, sowhyaren'twe usingthatin theproductionofAustralia's submarines? Whyarewe usingforeignresources?Ihave been speakingwith themabout theirissues. JobswiUbe lost.Moneyisgoingoverseas andwe're los.i.ogour. I havealsospoken withNSWl\faritimeEngineersabout emTironmentalprotectionand theirissues.

I have been usingsocial mediatoreach out wpeopleandattending rallies all aroundAustralia for veterans' affairs.

I Jivein Ballina(in regionalNSW). I am a memberof a minoritytryingcoget my nameoutthere.

Why should people vote for you?

\Xieneed co electpeople witl1 good values whoarenot from tl1e majorparties.The Senateisaboutindividuals,especiallythose from regional areas,pusliingthe concerns of their community.

Whatare the three key issues facing people this election?

Firstly,employment and howwego aboutsolvingchis problem.Weneed to backourselvesandimposeheavier taxes onforeigncompanies. Wehavegrear tradespeopleinAustraliaand weneed toinvestinupskillingand put greater investmentintoourresources, forexample, the foodindustry.

Thesecondissue isuseof ourprime agriculturalland. Over the decadeswe've seen the loss of our land to foreign investors. \Veneedtoput moremoneyinto researchinghowwe canprotectourprin1e agricultural land anddevelopour crops. \Y./e shouldbeprovidingsubsidies to farmers to helpthem through droughtand todevelop theircropsimoresources to be used by Australians.

\Xieneed toback ourselvesand protect the vulnerable.The pensioners, the unemployedneed to be helped. Politicians are getting regular payincreases andwe can'tafford to helpthosewhoneed it most and tliat needs to change.

What is your opinion on preference deals?

Thecurrent coalition has backed itself intoacorner.Theywant more seats in the Senate,buttheindependentswill get more seatsin this election.The independentswiU have more of a chance to change tl1ingsand make things right.

What is your understanding of issues concerned with the multicultural community in Australia?

1don't thinkracism is actuallya bigthing in[hiscountry.As someoneof dark colour intheAusrralian Defence Poree, Iwould have felti[up front, but the dynauiicof chiscountrymeans weprovideassistance topeoplewhoneeditmost. \Yleneed to embrace and acceptpeoplefromother countries just as foreigners need [()accept theyhave a dutyof careto abide bythe constitutionof Australia and havean understandingof English. Australiansare a veryembracingpeopleandnew niigrants arerewarded bypeoplecelebratingtheir cultures.

How can we better encourage new Australians to become involved in politics?

Iwould encourage people ro see how open parliament in Australiais.When workingonveteransissues, I cook timeto readparliamentaryreports and the moreI readof government reportsandparts of Hai1sard,the greaterw1derstandingI had ofpoliticsin Australia. I thinkyouhave a better understandingdoingthatthan readingwhat (Rupert)Murdochand his newspaperswantthecommunitytosee. lt's alsoimportant formoremulticultural membersof the communityto get involved. Watchdebates on television, get a better ideaof what itisyou'revotingfor.

What do you enjoy most about politics? Beingin theAustralianDefenceForce,I reallyexperienceda sense of camaraderje thatI have also foLmd intheJLN. Senacors are there to take your issueson, they're genuinepeopleand havingworkedwitl1 them in the past,beingpartof thatgroup wouldplltmeingood stead.

What might people not know about you? Speakingto me on tl1ephone, people wouldn'tknowI'm F'ijian. r was born d1ere butwasbroughtupin Australia. Lookingat myname people wouldn't guess.

,, My passions are education, opportunity, equality and fairness. I believe in accessible education

,, Jacqui Lambie's policies are about celebrating our differences but not imposing on Australia ,, Allan Thomas

Treeroot sha ed anc ors

In an engineering breakthrough, researchers discover tree root-like structures are stronger than traditional anchors

BYUSHA RAMANUJAM ARVIND

arure's skyscrapershaveJong intrigued geotechnique expert Dr Pierre Rognon,particularly the innate capacity of trees to stay anchored through varying weatherpatternsandi.ndiversesoilsystems.

Takinginspirationfrom theefficacyof its complexroot system,DrRognonis leadingaworld-firstSydneyUniversitystudy on thepullour capacityof treeroot-like anchorsfor applications ind1efieldof civil engineering.

Withaninterest in soil srabiliry,structural dynamics and earthquakeengineering, Indian researcherShivakumarAtbani,who sharesDrRognon's fascination for tree roots,hasrecentlyjoinedd1e study.

Preliminaryinvestigations at theSchool of Civil Engineering'sparticles and grains laboratory revealroot-like strucrurescould provide greater stabilitywhilealsobeing morecost effective toproduce.

The researchers have found d1at anchors modelled onthefractal-shaped rootsof trees required much less material tobuild, makingthem morecost-effective compared to traditional shaped anchors.

Their findingswill have far reaching implications for me constructionindustrr.

Transmissiontowers,offshoreoil rigs utilitypoles, submerged pipelines aswell

as tunnels,whichare highly dependent on effective soilanchoringstrategiescould be mademore stablewith fractal-shapedroot strucrures.

"Thequalityof anchoringis characterised by me pull-out capacity,FO,whichis me maximum tensileforce ananchorcan sustainbefore moving upward," said Dr Rognon,whoseresearch aims topredict conditions nnderwhichsoilmoves, including landslides or avalanches.

"\'i/e are me first to produced1etreeroot designand hopetouseour knowledge coconvertmeconceptinto engineering solutions.Wehavealreadyworkedout severalmodels topredict the pull-out capaciryof shallowanchorsin granular soils.The next step is toassessthe effectivenessof different fractalgeometries when used invariousshallowdepths inthe soil,"he told Tndia11Link.

"Pull-our capacity is governed by the weightof mesoilthatwould be mobilised

,, Anchors modelled on the fractalshapedroots oftrees required much less material to build, making them more cost-effective compared to traditional shaped anchors ,,

when tl1eanchor moves upward Thisiswhy even small trees planted in shallowsoilcan be very difficult to uproot wimouttheproper equipment,"Dr Rognon explained.

LikeRognon,Ad1ani developed a love for gardening asa schoolboy. Hisgrandmother, a schoolteacher inHattaragi,wasa towerof inspiration.

"Nature hasso many tlungswhichwecan explore,"saidArna.tu,whohasaBachelor of CivilEngineeringfrom theBasaveshvara Engineering CoUege,Bagalkoc and a MasterofTechnology (SoilMechat1.ics and FoundationEngineering) from meSV National Instirute of TechnologySurat.

"Treesarea great exampleof adapting toadverseconditionslikewindloading. If youexamine tree rootscarefully,you will observe that thoseon awindward side developdeeplyand profusely,offering natural resistance.Likewise,in sloping terrain,roots are strongerwheresoil is naturallyweak.'i,'.qhat fascinated mewas, though theroots of smallplants arenot deep, sometimes itwas very hard topull

mem outand weneeded thehelp of some tools ro uprootit complete.ly,"he added.

AccordingtothePhD student,part of me breakthrough in biomimicry comeswith realisingmatsoilisnot concrete.

"Roots arenor homogeneouslike steel. Sometimes soil canhold metrees very firmlyand canoffer enormousresistance for uplift,"Athani said.

lncorporatingbranchingand tortuosity, the study is closely lookingat,vays ro improve anchor capacities by integrating novelstrategieswim numericalmodelling.

"\'Ylealsowant toformer explore design options and understandwhy somedesign shapesworkbener tooptimise ourresults," DrRognon clarified.Three-dimensional printing,currently unsustainable because of operational costs, is also in hissights.

Meanwhile,DrRognon'steamisworking with industrypartnerAnchoringRopeand RiggingPtyLtdtodevelop uniqueanchors for georechnical applications.

"Researchin mis areaof construction is vital toprovidinginnovative solutions andwe are delighted to have commenced workingwid1 d1e University of Sydney civil engineers," aspokespersonfor thecompany said.

Snatchinglifefrom thejawsofdeath

It's all in a day's work for emergency surgeon Dr Vineeta SinghAradhana

BY NISHA JOSEPH

Thenewspaperscalledher'a womanwhodiedandcameback tolife'.

TheArmadalewomanwas rushedrohospitalb)'herhusband afterafreakaccidentwhileshewascooking. ShearrivedattheArmadaleHealthService incardiacarrest,hadnopulseandwasnot breathing.ThedoctorinEmergency,Dr AshMukherjee,thoughtshewasdead.But hiscoLleagueDrVineetaSinghjoinedhim toliterall)'snatchherbackfromthejawsof death.

"Theladywasclinicallydeadfornearly 28minmesafterlosingmorethanfivelitres ofbloodinafreakkitchenaccidentthat severedherfemoralarter)'andveinsinher rightthigh,"DrSinghdescribedtoIndian Link.

Thepatienthadcompletelybledoutand thedoctOl'Shadro6llherheart\\�thblood againastheteamworkedonresuscitating her.DrSinghwasamongtheteamof surgeonsthatperformedasix-hourcutting edgesw:gery,successfullycontrollingher bleedingandsavingherlife.

AftertwodaysinLntensivecare,the patientbegantoshowremarkablesigns ofrecoveq',withnobraindamage."It wasveryrewardingtowitnesssucha positiveoutcomeandthisincidentistrulya testimonytotheskillsofeveryoneinvolved intbeteam,"DrSinghremarked.

Thankfultobealiveonceagain,the younglad)'trulyconsidersthistobea medicalmiracleandisextremelygrateful cothedoctorswhodidnotgiveuponher. Shewasdischargedfromthehospitalafter eightdays.

ForDrSingh,thereisnothingmore enrichingthanseeingapatientleave hospital,allwellagain.

"Everyday,weseeindividualswhocan't leadanormallifeforwhateverreason,get betterandgoontoleadafulfillinglife," shesaid."Tc'sgreattoseepeoplerecover aftersurgeryandgainindependencefrom supportsystems."

Surely,everysinglecasedoesnottolead rogreatresults?

"Ofcoursethat'sthesaddestpartof myprofession-therearepooroutcomes atrimes,"shesaid."Anumberofpatients don'tdowellevenafterthebestpossible treatment.ButIseeeachfailureasa learninglesson."

ItisclearthatforDrSingh,surgeryisnot yourregular9-to-Sjob.Itisquiteliterally awayoflife.Emergencysurgery,where shecanuseherskillstorumaroundd10se much-and-gosituations,iswhatattcacted hertothisfield.

Ageneralandoncoplasticbreast surgeoninAustraliafor10years,DrSingh

specialisesinemergencysurgery,general openandlaparoscopicsurgeriesandbreast cancertreatments.ShepracticesatRoyal Perth,ArmadaleandMountHospitalsin Perth.SheisalsotheHeadofDepartment andDirectorofSurgeryatArmadale Hospital.

Herdailyscheduleischoc-a-blockwith clinic,operatingsessions,administrative meetings,teaclungandmentoring(besides

beingmumtoa13-year-oldandwifeto anothersurgeon)."Butd1ebestpartofmy professionisthegratificationIreceivewhen patientsdowell,"shesays.'1amindeeda patientadvocateandwhentheoutcomeis favourable,itliterallymakesmyday."

DrSingh,whohailsfromAzamgarh inIndia,obtainedhermedicaltrainingin UctarPradeshandMumbaiinLidiaand j\{inneapolisintheUSA.

"Withhardworkandtheblessings ofyourparents,anyonecanchased1eir dreams,"sheremarked.

PhysiciansfromIndiafacehurdleslike culturaldifferences,gapinphilosophiesand beliefs.Withheractiveroleind1escience andpracticeofmedicine,DrVineeta Singhhasshownhowthesegapscanbe minimised,sothatd1elargerissuesinthe professionaresuccessfullyaddressed.

b the Australian Gove Authorised Y ital Hill, Canberra. rnment, Cap

Adelaide'sown Vedanta Centre

The Vedanta movement has been around for 35years, but nowitgets a place to call its own

Vivekananda,GautamaBuddhaandJesus Christ.Thisissymbolicofrespectingall religionsandacknowledgingthattheyall leadtothesamegoal.

BYVINAYA RAI

AdelaidenowhasaVedanta Centre,aplacewherevedanti11s cangathertopray,meditateand reRectupontheteachingsof SriRamakrishnaParamaharnsa, SwamiVivekanandaandallotherspirimal leadersoftheworld.

Whatsmrtedasadreamintheminds ofanumberoffollowerssomeyears agohasnowcometofruition.Swami Shridharananda,PresidentoftheVedanta SocietyofAustraliaandNewZealandwas thetorchbearerandguideinachievingthis goal.

WhatisVedanta?Asexplainedbythe Swamiji,Vedaliterallymeansknowledge, andantainthiscontextmeanspinnacle. Together,Vedantameanspinnacleof knowledge.Swamijiemphasisedthe teachingoftheVedantathattheworld weseeandliveinisdiverseinnaturebut thereisonerealitybehindthisdiversity. Differentfaithscallitbydifferentnames -God,J\Jlah,JesusChrist,Brahman.In VedantaCentresthroughouttheworld, fiveportraitsarekeptontheshrineand worshippedthroughdailyprayers-theseare SriRamakrishna,SriSharadaDevi,Swami

ThenewVedantaCent.reinAdelaide waslaunchedwithabeaucifu.ltwo-day programencompassingspiritual,religious andculturalaspects.Thefirstdaysaw

B!J11111iP'!/a,Vastupujaandp11jatothe HindudeityGaneshawhichiscustomary atthebeginningofanyeventoroccasion. ThiswasbeautifullyconductedbySri SkandarajahKurrukkal,thechiefpriest oftheGaneshaTempleofAdelaide. Thiswasfollowedbybhajansandkirtans anddistribucionofprasadaslunchforall thosewhoattended.Therewasalsoan eveningprogramwithhhajansandameal. On21May,fortheinauguration,Swami Am1eshanandaofBrisbaneVedantaCentre andBrahmacharisfromtheSydneyCentre conductedthep,ynceremonyintheVedic styleandthefiveportraitswereofficially installed.Thateveningtherewasacultural programheldattheGoodwoodInstitute beforeagad1eringofapproximately200 people.Apleasingmixofclassicaldance andmusicperformancesrepresentingall majortradicionsofIndiawerepresented. SwamiSluidha.ranandaspokebrilliantly abouttheVedantaphilosophyandasked d1epeopleofAdelaidetojoinhandsin promocingd1eVedantamovementin Adelaide.

EnquiringabouttheVedantaSociety,I learntfromafewvedantinsthattheVedanta

movementinAdelaidehasbeeninexistence forover35years.Variousmonksofthe RamakrishnaOrdervisitedAdelaideand presentedteachingsofSriRamakrishnaand SwamiVivekananda.SriSh.ridha.ranandaji hasbeenvisitingAdelaidesince2001on amonthlybasisandhasbeenpresenting discoursesontheBhagavad-Gicaand PatanjaliYogaSutras.

Theysaidthatduringbismonthly discourses,SwamiShridharandandajiwould

oftensaycharspiritualitydoesnotmean thatyouhavetorenounceeverythingand becomeasat111)'asi11.Instead,concinuewith whatyoudo,onlydoitwithanatricuclinal correccion.

"Converteveryactionasanofferingto God.Thiswillgraduallytransformyou frombeingego-centrictodivinecentric," hesays.

Duringhisaddresscothegad1eringat theculturalprogramSwamijiexplainedd1at Vedantaassertsthattherearemanywaysto reachGod.Thepracticeofmusic,danceor anyperformingartisoneofthose.i\rcists p.raccisetheira�ttosuchanextentthatthey carrytheaudiencewiththemtoadifferent level.Forashortcime,weareonewid1 themusicorthedancewhichisaspirimal experience.

TheVedantaCent.reislocatedat506 GlynburnRd,Burnsideandwasbought throughthegenerousfinancialsupportof rhedevotees.

Electiontime atAIBC

What it's going to take to lead the premier business council between India and Australia

Narendral\fodi whenhevisitedAustraliain November 2014. AIBC also worked closely withAllto organise meCEO forum for :!\frModi.

come tOus with newinitiatives andideas.

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

Thefederalelectionisjust around the corner,but ic is also time for national electionsattheAustralia

IndiaBusinessCouncil (AIBC), anorganisationfosteringbi-lateral [radebec:ween thecwocountries.

Havingrecently celebrated its 30th anniversary,AIBC hasactive chaptersin Sydney,Melbourne,Brisbane,Adelaide, Perthand Canberra.Theorganisation's nationalleadershiprests witl1 meChair andVice Chair, who takeresponsibility for medirectionof theCouncilwhile working withchestatechapters tobuildastronger relationship between thevarioussrncesand tl1eIndian governme-nt andbusinesses. This couldwell be awatershed momentforAIBC.While tl1ere are great opportunities emerging witl1tl1epotential implementationof theComprehensive EconomicCooperationAgreement(CECA) betweenIndiaandAustralia, the end of me mining boom and drop in coal prices could seriously scale back the economic activities intl1etraditional areasof trade between d1e cwocountries.

Sheba Nandkeolyar andJasbirSingh arecontestingmepositionof AIBC National Chair, whileJim Varghese and PaulMcKenzie arenmningfor theposition of ViceChair.IndianUnkasked the four candidates theirviews on whereAIBC is currently positionedand where mefurure opportunitiesare.

How do you thinkAIBC has performed as the premier business council between India and Australia over the past 30 years?

Sheba Nandkeolyar (SN): I believe AIBC has performedvery wellin recent years andhasgrowninstaturefroma loosely heldorganisation, toa limited company scrucmte with stronggovernance and accountabilityin place. As me National ViceChairI worked closely with the ChairDipenRughanitoorganiseavery successful business leaders'address by PM

TheAIBCChair andl wereinvitedby PMAbbotttojoin hisCEO delegation whenhevisitedIndiaand wehad the opportunityco brief himone-on-oneprior cohis business trip.

AIBC haspresented severalwhitepapers ondoingbusinesswimIndiaandhasalso beenprovidinginputs to CECA discussions.

Last year, 2015 sawAIBClead tl1e VibrantGujarat delegation,comprising over 45 AIBC memberswho were former joinedbyAustralianIndianBusinessWeek delegates, making up a delegationof over 100 plus.

AstrongachievementforAIBChas been tl1is ongoingpartnership wimVibrant Gujaratfor the past SL'(years, an initiative largelyled by thecurrentChairof AIBC.

Morerecentl)7 ,AIBC has been at the forefront on many nationalinitiatives includingorganisingthefirst evernational conference in conjunction withme Australian FinancialReview which was a brilliantinitiative AIBC ChairDipen Rughaniand1 workedvery hard tomake this happen. Ir was an inclusiveconference wherein ourobjective was to dial up business interestinIndiaand bringtogether diversegroups of stakeholders interested in workingwichIndia.

TheinauguralAustraliaIndiaTradeand InvestmentAwards announcedat the 30'" gala eveningrecognisedmeimportance of thisbilateral relationship.AIBC is the only businesscouncil that has extensive Australia-widepresence andeach of the state chaptershas extremely capable managementcommittees.

AIBCindustry chaptershavemade great contributionsto sectorsincluding mining and resources,renewable energy, ICT, education, women inbusiness and young professionals amongothers.

Whatcouldwedo better?We could contribute wim greater policy inputs fromAIBC,especially now tl1atCECA discussionsare inprogress. l would like to seeAIBCinvitedtobea moreactive participantin CECA discussions andwork verycloselywitl1botl1 governments.I wouldlike to seebigbusinesses inAustralia moreengaged witl1AIBCandSMEs to

Jasbir Singh GS): India isAuscralia's 12th largest tradingparmer and bilateralrelations havebeengivensignificant imponanceby borncountries withvery high levelvisits fromPrimeMinisterof Australia toIndia andreciprocalvisitfromIndian Prime Ministerto Australia. Australian trade ministerAndrewRobbledtl,elargest e\7er Australianbusinessleaders (about 450 delegates) toAustraliaBusinessWeekin India in 2015. Similarly annual meeting betweentl,eforeign ministershas taken centrestage for advancingambitious bilateral agenda includingdefence,finance, water andculrural affairs, including ComprehensiveEconomicCo-operation Agreement (CECA)negotiations.There is a pri1-iciplecommitment fromborn thegovernments to complete CECA negotiationsat the earliest.

Thereare stillmajor tradebarriers, despite many complementary trade oppornmities.Two-way tradeisabout $1415 billionandinvestn1ent is alsoabout $1011 billion. Australianinvestmentis sectors like manufacturing, telecommunications, hotels,mineral processing, foodprocessing, oiland gas and automotive sector. Indian investment ismainlyconcentratedinthe energy and resourcesector.

AIBC,formallysecup in 1986,basa key role toplay in therejuvenationof the bilateral trade relationship.Duringits thirty-yearhisrory,AIBChasseenmany troughsand highs. With India emerging as the fastest growing majoreconomy in the world,AIBC is now ac me cnsp of a big oppornmitycoestablish itself aspremier businessadvocacy bodyfor its members to facilitatestrongbilateral tradeand invesm1ent.AIBC can alsoleverageme strongcultural andsportsrelationshipsfor complementary business relationship.AIBC needs to strongly parmer with government bodie,5likeAustrade,Indianand Australian consulates andHighCommissions, and federal aud state agencies for policy advocacy for its members.

PaulMcKenzie (PM): Havingbeen a veteran memberof J\JBCforover 15 years, AIBC hasfor far toolong struggled in performance,andnow mustmoveinto che right direction,for the sake of members, stakeholders,andforAustralia-India trade relations. lnvesm1ent isnegligible.

However,discussionslike tl1e recent Enaging wimIndiaconference area good start,but now mustturninto "action", if AIBCis co growin good profile and credibility after 30 years

Failingsfrom thepastinclude too much talk oncommonwealth,curry and crid<etformostof mose 30 years,and commerceis nota new word sincePM Modi's Australianvisit in November 2014. Asa proud memberof theAIBC, I see usas a business organisation havingtoo much bilateraldiscussions and notmuch action.We need to stop the criticslabelling us the "Australia IndiaBusinessCocktails" association.\Xieneed togrow witl1 unity, success,resulcs and pride, as me peak body inteamwork spearheading talksinAustraliaIndia business,trade andinvestmems We must get the Australia-India Economic Agreement negotiated well andfinalised, tocover"allbases",so that noindustry, group orconsiderationare leftout. I wane allAIBCmembers,tl1eAIBCindusu-y chapters and all stakeholdersinvolved,to have a say and to cover all thebases,for tl1e Australia-IndiaAgreement.The "koife and fork" approachinside me AIBC muststop. Unity and tea1m.vork is needed for usto startwim action,tohavegood profile and credibility, to bring inresults.

Achievements, toAIBC'scredit, mey broughtPrimeJvlinistersModi and Abbott togemer in 2014, tl1e firstti.me twoleaders got togemeronAustraliansoilin28years.

PrimeMinisterModiat dieSydney event in ovember 2014, said 'Tmsorry ittook28 years for anIndianPc:imeMinistertovisic Australia,butI promise, ir won't be 28 years whenI rerurnnext."

Now thechallengeis to make che Australia-Indiaagreementintoa realty witl1 prideandsuccess,and to ensure itisnot discussed for a further28years, waiting for anIndian PrimeJ\,fioister torenimto Australia.

1haveseenAustralia-Indiatraderelations growfrom $3.3 billionin 2000 toover $15 billionin 2013. Nowthechallengeis toget tl1esedata updated and toimpro\Teon mem into me future.

JimVarghese (JV): I believemeAIBC has performed really well as thepremier business council.

The 30�' anniversaryEngagingwid1India conferenceand dinner,runin collaboration

Sheba Nandkeolyar

withAFRwasan excellent success sroryand agreat exemplarof strategic positioning, engagernem,effectivenetworking,high qualityinformation andanalyses. Similarly, the twojointAIBC/Ail NationalEnergyand Resources Forums heldin2015 inBrisbaneand2016in Perth were alsosuccessful strategiceventsthat helped Australian and Indian companies explore serous business opportunitiesin this mega billion-dollar industrysector. State brancheshave also run.very successfullocalevents.

Whatwillyou doto improvethe deficiencies and build on the strengths ofAIBC?

SN: Buildingonstrengthsandimproving on deficiencies areinterwoven. Myfirst observation is thatabrand is known by the involvement of its people. 1 would Like to see more passionatenewmembers joinAIBC and tobuildon agreatlegacy created bypastAJBCleaders. TwouldLike tbeleaders tomentoryounger members to positionsofleadership for funire years. Thisisimportantforbuildingfuture sustainability.

1wouldLike tO seeAJBCbeingled in states andnationallybyindividualswho arepassionatelycommitted tOcreating a difference. AIBCneeds costeer clearof personalvendetta$ andpolitics. Fortunatelywe have movedawayfrom pettypoliticsandhaverolledoverthese recentyears toamore transparent style of functioning. Iwouldlike to strengthen this evenfurther.

Secondly,AIBC needs more funds,

grams or sponsorships tostrengthenthe ,5ecretariatservices at the nationaland state level and1wouldverymuchliketoworkon this.Thiswillleadtomore benefits available tomernbers too.

Third,more policy-level inputs from AIBCwouldbewelcomeand amore national presenceof its national team too In this contextJimVarghesewhois based in Queensland if elected willprovidefor a trulynationalream.

FinallyIwould like toworkona collaborativemodelwhereinweworkwith diversestakeholdersfromGovernment and industry,toensurewe aUwork towards that one commongoalof diaUingupthis bilateraltrade relationship.

JS: AIBCcan playavitalroleand provide platformfor its members foradvocacy for federaland state policy makingin both countries,networkingformembers, facilitateparticipationin bilateral trade missionsandingeneral become an information hub forhowto navigatethe business challenges in bothcountries. As NationalChair, Iwouldlike to provide a visible leadership in establishingcorporate governance,strategic andoperation excellenceand expandingbilateral business relationsinnewhorizonsorenvironments for members. Buildingand managing businessesin cross cultural boundaries are someof mystrengthsonwhichAJBC members canleverage.

As Chair, myendeavour wouldbe to promoteAustralia-Indiabusinesstieswith a focused approach for eachbusiness sectorandmorespecifictomembersfrom SMEs. Asa successful professionalwith

nearly28yearsof industry experience in Australiaand India at seniorlevel,I have worked withgovernmentagencies,nonprofitorganisations and business partners ingeneral.

PM:Welllrnown.tothose inside AIBC, first of all,we need toaddressour membership, ie,membership retentionand newmembers.\Y/e needco target ourselves towards 1,000members, cateringfor those involvedwithAustralia-Lidiarelations in.business,tradeandinvestmem, from individual business/professional people, toSMEs,corporations,organisations andright upto multi-nationals. Havinga dormantbaseof 500members for toolong is notacceptable and also notacceptable, is for toolong,manyarenotjoining. Secondly,AIBC needs to showactionand leadership on theAustralia-Indiaeconomic agreement/free trade agreement.Thirdly 1want betterAIBC/corporaterelations, toimprove sponsorshipand support in business, trade and invesunent.

JV:Improvingdeficiencies andbuilding strengths is aboutwhatwe like to seemore of andless of.

1would like to see more of the AIBC asapowerfulnational business council that significantlyshapesandinAuences theeconomicand business relationship betweenAustraliaand India.

1wouldlike to see moreof theAIBC asaneffectiveadvocate that encourages theAustralian andIndiangovernments to engagewiththe private sector and businesscommunityto ensurethatthe imminent Comprehensive Economic CooperationAgreement drives future trade

andinvestment. l would also like to see theAIBCrecognisedinanynegotiations as partners,notpassive observers-with auniquerole to playin fosteringcloser economicrelations intbe contextof trade barriers,impediments to investment or lad, of cultural knowledge

In this context, itwould begood to have yourChairand Vice Char coming from different states butworkingas a complementary team harmoniously empoweringstate branches withinthe AJBCgovernanceframework.

1would liketosee lessof tl1eAIBC gettinginvolvedand mired in the politics of personalityand ego,or providingabreeding ground topursuingpersonal agendas.

The passioncertainlyruns deep. The responsesindicatea desiretobringthe governmentof thetwocountries closer butalso thegrassrootsof AJBCtogrow the membership with abettervalue-add for all. While of the fourcandidates,only Sheba has bad theexperience of working atthenationallevelthroughher past tenure asVice Chair, theothers bringto r\he table strongexperienceof workingwithin AJBCand in their professions. BothJasbir and Paulareopentoworkingwithany successful candidate,whileSheba andJim haveshowna stronginterest inworking morecloselywitheachother asa tean1. Withelections opennow, it isimportant for the members toelect astrong team,giventhatchallengesaswellas opportunities l.ieahead for theAIBC.

Readmoreatindianlink.com.au

GR

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13citieswinfast-trackSmart Citycompetition

TheUrban DevelopmentMinistryrecently announced 13winnersof the fast-track SmartCitycompetition,withLucknow toppingthe list.Thesecities cannow compete to be a"Smart City" in the next cycleof "IndiaSmart CitiesChallenge".

Announcingthe list,Un.ionUrban DevelopmentMinisterM.VenkaiahNaidu saidLucknow,which could notmakeitto thefirstlist of20missioncities lastyear, hadimprovedthe qualityof its Smart City plan.Twenty-three cities participatedin tl1e fast-track competition.

Theothercities thatmadeit tothenext roundareWarangal(Telangana),Shim.la, (HimachalPradesh), Chandigarh,Raipur (Chhattisgarh),NewTownKolkata(\'<Test Bengal),Bhagalpur (Bihar),Panaji (Goa), Port Blair (Andaman&Nicobar lslands), Imphal (Manipur),Ranchi Qharkhand), Agartala (Tripura) and Faridabad (Haryana).

The minister said these 13citieswere selected onthe basisof marks scoredby themin the fast-track competitionand the benchmarks set bythe topperformers in the firstcycleofthe challenge.

Naidu said these l3 cities have substantiallyimproved their Smart City plansbyaddressingthe deficiencies .identified inthefirst round of tl1e competition.This ensureda better profiling of the cities in terms ofinfrastructure gaps and baseline service levels,whicheffected consistencybetweenthecitizens'aspirations andaction plans, morefeasible resource mobilisationplans,and coordinated and integrated picn1re ofhowindividual projectswillcontribute toarea-level changes.

Only 12 states and UTswererepresented in d1e firstlist of20 mission cities announcedinthefirstcycleof"IndiaSmart CitiesChallenge" onJanuary28.

Othercitiesthat participated in the FastTrack Competitionwere arnch.i in Sikkim(ranked 14);Aizawl in1vlizoram (15);PasighatinArunachal Pradesh(16); Dehradun inUttarakhand (17); Kohima in Nagaland (18); Oulgaretin Puducherry (19);Sih7assainDadra&Nagar Haveli

(20); Kavarartiin Lakshadweep (21);Diu inDaman&Diu (22);andSh.iUongin Meghalaya (23).

These cities can submittheir revised Smart Cityplans for evaluationinthe second roundof regular competition underwaybytheend ofJune.

Thefirst20citieswere selectedfrom98 missioncities.

aidusaid tl1e tieberweeni\'1eerut and RaiBareli,inUttar Pradesh, andJamrnu andSrinagar,inJ&K,will beresolved by allowingthem to participateintheSmart Citycompetition andonecityfromearn of d1ese two stateswiUbe selected on d1e basis of thequalityof their respective SmartCity plans.

Other capital cities that areleftout oftheSmarrCityMissionwillalsobe allowed toparticipateinthecompetition. Thesecities include Patna, a)'aRaipur, Itanagar,Amaravati, Bengaluruand Thiruvananthapuram.

Givingan accountof tl1e gainsof new initiativesandapproaches,Naidusaid thatfor thefirst timeinthecountry,98 Smart Cities and497AtalMissioncitiesaccountingfor over70percent of urban population - currentlybave long-termfiveyearactionplans basedon comprehensive analysisof infrastructure gaps.

Onthe occasion, Naidu released a publication titled 'Urban RenaissanceMay 2014-May2016' giving a derailed accountof paradigm shiftin artimdesandapproaches co urbanplanning and governance,and the major drivers of urban revival and transformationsetin motion duringd1e last twoyears.

Pakistan rakes upKashmir issue with mapsbill protest Bemoaning lackof.internationalsupport forits cause,Pakistanhas tried torake up tl1eKashmirissue at theU byprotesting againsta draftIndianmapsbillthatseeks ropunish"wrongorfalse"depictionsof India's boundaries.

1n a letter roUNSecretaryGeneralBan Ki-moon andSecurityCouncilPresident AbdellarifAboulattaof Egypt, Pakistan's Permanent RepresentativeMaleeha

Lodhiwroted1atIndia'sdraftGeospatial Information Regulation BiU was"contrary toSecurityCouncil resolutions" and asked for UN intervention.

"Sadly, theinternational community and theUn.ired ations have failedto rake noticeof tllisactionof India"in depicting allof Kashmir as Indian territory,she said inthe letter releasedtothe media bythe u

Earlier reactingto a Pakistani Foreign Office press releaseon tbe maps bill, India's ExternalAffairsMinistry said the matter "is au entirely iurernalJegislativematterof India, since thewholeof the stateofJ&K is an integral part of India. Pakistanor anyother parryhas nolocus standi in the matter."

lndia "firmlyrejects Pakistan's repeated and increasing attempts to imposeon die internationalcommunitymatters that lndia has alwaysbeenopentoaddressbilaterally wid1Pakistan,"said tl1e statement.

Thecl.raftof Geospatial Information RegulationBill,whichhas notbeen introduced in Parliamentbur only circu.lated for feedback, proposes fines andimprisonment for "anywrongor false topographicinformation ofIndiaiJ1clud.ing internationalboundaries".

Whi.leLodhi asserted that Pakistan's positionof showingKashmiras disputed territory"is alsoreflected in theofficial mapsof theUnitedNations", arandom checkbyIANSshowed thatmapsby theUNandinternationalagenciesare inconsistentin howthestateis displayed.

A UN mapof thephysicalfealllresof India tried toskirt controversybyframing .itwithout thetopportionwhereKashmir won.Idappear.

TheUnited NationsMilitaryObserver Group inIndia andPakistan(UNMOGIP) showsJammu and Kashmirwiththe "Line ofControl aspromulgatedinthe 1972 SimlaAgreement''.

OneUNlCEFmapshowed allof Kashmir asa part of India, another displayed Kashmir separately, andyet anotherhad thePakistan-occupied portion outsideIndia.

U Industrial DevelopmentOrganisation

Themonsoonbringswelcomerelief fromtheoppressiveheatwavethatsaw temperaturesacrossIndia reach 50 degrees celsius. Photo:AP

(UNIDO)left our thePakistancontrolled Kashmir fromIndia,wbi.leUN Development Programme's(U DP)India page showsallof Kashmirasa part of Indiaonthe page logo.

Canadian Sikhswant Komagata chapter in school curriculum

Even as PrimeMinisterJustinTrudeau apologisedtod1eSikh communityinthe Houseof Commons inOttawafor tl1e 1914 Komagata incjdent, CanadianSikhs have demanded that theepisode should be made partofschool curriculaacrossthe country.

The KomagataMarnwas aJapanese ship thatwashired byMalaysia-based richSikh BabaGurdirSingh tobring376Indians, mostlySikhs, to Canadato challenge the racistlawsof thetime in 1914.

Since both IndiaandCanada wereBritish dominions at that time,d1eIndians shou.ld havehad theright toenter Canada. But tbe Canadian government of that rime put in placevariousclausesinlaws tobar Indians fromenteringCanada.

The KomagataMarn,whichentered Vancouver harbouronMay23, 1914, wasforciblysent backtoIndiaafter ti.VO months. On reachingBudgeBudgein CalcuttainSeptember 1914,thepassengers were subjected tofiringbyBritish Indian policeinwhich19 ofthemwerekilled.

In hisapologyin the Houseof Commons this month,Trudeau said, "Canada's governmentwas,without question, responsible for thelawsthat prevented thesepassengers fromin1migrating peacefullyandsecurely.For that,and for every regrettableconsequencethat followed,weare sorry."

"Today- while knowing that nowords can fullyerase tl1e pain andsuffering e.xperienced by the passengers - I offer asincereapologyon behalfof the government for d1e lawsinforceat the rime that allowed Canada to be indifferent tothe plightof the passengers of the Komagata 1vfaru."

TheCanadian prime minister said, "The KomagaraMarn incidentis a stain on Canada's past. Burthehistoryof our cmrntryis one inwhichweconstantly challengeourselves,and each other, to extendourpersonal definitionsofwho is aCanadian.We have learned, and will continuetolearn, from rhe mistakes ofour past.\'<Temustmakesuretonever repeat them."

Welcoming theapology, advocacygroup WoddSikhOrganisation demanded that aKomagata chapter be included in school curricula across Canada.

Its presidentMukhbirSingh said,"Prime Minster Trudeau's apology n theHouse of Commons rodayis ahistoricmoment for CanadianSikhsand recognises thedark chapter the KomagataMaru tragedymarks inCanada's history. WhileCanada istodaya modelof multiculturalism andinclusiviry,it isimportant forus tounderstand that itwas nor always so."

"Webelieve itis essential that the KomagataMaru incident, as weU as the anti-immigrant sentiment tl1at fuelled this incident, bemadeapartof our provincial

educationcurricula. It isimportant that weas Canadiansteachour yow1gsters toconfrontissues suchas racismand xenophobiaandlearningabout the KomagataMaruincidentisanexcellent oppornmitycodo so."

Meanwh.ile, Indiahasappreciated Canadian PrimeNliniscerJustinTrudeau's gesture of apologisinginthe Houseof Commonsin Ottawa for theinfamous KomagacaMaru incidentof 1914.

"\V/ewelcomeand deeplyappreciate thegesnireof Prime11inisterof Canada co deliver a formal apologyinthe Honse of Commonsfor theKomagataMam incident,"ExternalAffairs Ministry spokesperson VikasSwarnpsaidin a statement.

"TheIndiandiaspora in Canada has contributed immenselycoCanada's gro\vth and development andactsasa bondbetweenour two nations. Prime NlinisterTrudeau'sgestureconstitutes an acknowledgment of thepositiverole of the Indian diaspora,"hesaid.

77 percent Indian parents expectto live withsons in old age

Almost77percent of Indianparents expecttolivewiththeirsons in oldage whilesevenpercentwantcoJivewith their daughters, according to the India Human DevelopmentSurvey(IHDS), conducted jointlybyresearchers fromUniversityof Maryland and NationalCounc.ilof Applied Economic Research (NCAER), ewDelhi. These are thefindings from theIHDS-2 (2011-12) data-sec,coveringarepresentative sampleof 41,554 householdsacross33 states andunioncerricoriesinbothruraland urbanareas.

1nHaryana,the statewithIndia's lowest child sex ratio (834females per 1,000 males),90percent of respondents said they would preferto livewith tl1eirsonsin old age ratl1er than tl1eir daughters.

Maharashtrawasnext,with85percentof parents sayingtheyexpectedsupport from sons.

Regarding tl1e sonsvsdaughtersissue, manyIndianswant atleastone daughter

While73percent of thepeoplesurveyed said theyshould ideaUyhaveone daughter, 11 percent said tl1eyshould ideallyhavetwo daughters.

Whileas manyas60percent saidthey ideallywantedoneson,26percent said they wantedtwosons.

Whilemorepeople (73 percent)waneat leastonedaughter,when askedpreferences foranextrachild,onlysi..x said theywanted daughters.

Tbesurveywasbased onindirect questionstorestpeople'sattitudes.Some quest.ions asked: Howmanysonsor daughterswouldtheyideaUyprefer ro have? If theywerecohaveanextra ch.ild,what sex would theyprefer?

Maharashtrahasalowchild sexratio (894femalesper 1,000males) and ahigh preference for ason (39percent) for an extrach.ild.

The main reason Indianparentsprefer sonsis thatIndians expect to dependon chemin tl1eiroldage.Morethan three-

India'sfirstindigenouslymadeand reusablespacelaunchvehiclelifts offfromthelaunch pad atSatish

Dhawan SpaceCentreinSriharikota, inthesouthern IndianstateofAndhra Pradesh,on23May,2016.India successfullyflighttestedamodel Re-usableLaunchVehicleTechnology DemonstratororRLV-TDinitsbidto developreusablespacecraft.

Photo: IndianSpaceResearchOrganisationviaAP

fourths (77percent) of therespondents said theyexpectco livewiili theirsonswhen old. Only16percent Indians said theywould considerJivingwitl1 their daughters.

Statesin the south seehigherpercentages tban cbenational average.

Tripurahas tl1e highest percentage of parents (12percent) preferringcolivewith daughtersintheir oldage,foUowedby TamilNadu (17 percent).

The perception thatparents canlivewitl1 daughters hasimprovedover thelastseven years.Askedif theywould consider living withdaughters, 14percent said yesduring asurveyin 2004-05; 16percentsaidyesin 2011-12.

Asmanyas74percentof Indiansexpect sons to support themfinanciaUyduring old age. Only 18percentsaid theymayconsider takingmoneyfrom daughters inold age.

Indian descent Congressman's re-election in the USputatrisk byfather's

illegalfinancing

The 83-year-old father of AmiBera, tl1e onlyIndiandescentCongressman,has pleaded guiltyto illegallyfundinghisson's election campaignswith atleast$260,000 puttingat risk his re-election in November.

AssistantAttorney GeneralLeslieR. Caldwellannounced recently that Babula! Beraadmitted tomakingcontributions toAmiBern's twoelectioncampaigns fraudulentlyin thenamesof otherpeople and over the legal limit.

Prosecutorshavecleared ArniBeraof involvementinthecampaign fundingscam, buritmakes his re-electionprospectsharder as heisalreadyfacingopposition in his constituency fromtradeunionsinhisown DemocraticParty. Hewasre-elected to a secondtermin2014 by less than 1,500 votesafter a bruising campaign. The race was thecostliestHouseof Representatives campaign thatyearwiththetwoparties together runningupacabof $21 million.

Federal prosecutor PhillipA.Talbert cold reporters tlrnt therewas "noindication" thattheDemocraticRepresentativeorhis '5taff wereinvolvedintheillegal election financingand chattheyhadcooperatedwitl1 theprosecutors.

AmiBera,amedical doctorwho representstl1efrom the7tl1 California Districtin thestatecapitalarea,cold The Socmrm//toBeenewspaper that hehadno idea that his fatl1er hadillegallyfinanced hiscampaign. He said thathehas sent the money contributed byhis fathertothe US government.

ln 2010 AmiBeralost his firstelection campaignfor tl1e Houseof Representative forwhich his father,aretiredchemical engineer,contributed $240,000.The successful2012campaign received $40,000 from his father.

Accordingto theFederalElection Commission, thema,"illnwn an1ount an individualcan contribute toa candidatewas $2,400 in2010 and $2,500 in2012.

Babula! Berawaschargedinthe federal court for theEasternCalifornia in Sacramento beforeJudge TroyL. Nunley, wbois co sentencehim inAugust. He faces amaximum sentence of 10yearsontwo

charges,but is unlikel)' get the harshpenalty given his age. TheLosAuge/esTi111CSreported that theprosecutorsarerecommendinga prisontermof upto30 months.

Courtpapers said tl1atBabula! Bera asked about90 friendsand relatives rosendover 130 contributions to his son'scampaign in tl1eir ownnames and then he reimbursed themso that hehimself will notappearco haveexceeded thelegalfundinglimits.

Heis thethird person of Indian descent co runafoulof theelection lawsinilie past two years. Conservative author Dinesh D'Souzawas convicted in 2014 of illegally contributing$20,000 cothe unsuccessful RepublicanSenatecampaign of his college friend,WendyLong. Although NewYork federal prosecutorPreer Bharara sought aja.il term,iliejudgegavehim a$30,000 6.ne and eightmonthsof community confinement thataUowedhimco continue working.

SantSinghChatwal,ahotelier, pleadedguiltyin2014tomakingillegal contributions of $188,000to three candidatesru1dwas fi.ned $500,000 and sentenced to 1,000 hoursof community service. In an unusualmove, thefederal prosecutor inBrooklyn at that time,Loretta Lynch,didnotdisclosewhoreceived Chatwal's illegal contributions. Media reports, however,identified one of the recipients as HillaryClintonwho received themwhen sheran forSenate. Lynch is

nowtl1eUSAttorneyGeneral.

ThescandalcastsashadowonAmi Bera's re-election bidinNovemberwhen he will facethe Republicru1SacramenroCounty Sheriff ScottJones. Heis up against serious oppositionwiiliin hisown parrybecauseof hissupportfor President BarackObama's Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP)Agreement, which tradeunionsconsider anti-labour. Becauseof tradeunionopposition hewas unable get theendorsement of hislocalparty unitco run for re-election and hehadcoget the backing of tl1estatepartyconvention. Unionshaveheld protests against himin his district ru1dvowedco defeat himas d1ey say 12-nation TPP willlead tolossof jobs and lowerwagesintheUSbecauseof the cheaperimports itwillallo-\r.

AmiBera's 2014victorywasanail-biter. On electionnighthewasabout3,000votes behind RepublicanDougOse, but as postal and other baUotswere tallied overa twoweek periodhe emerged the\vinnerbyjust 1,432votes.

Accordingtomedia reports,Beraraised $3.7millionandoutsideorganisationslike the DemocraticCongressional Campaign Committee spent $6.5 million promoting himin the 2014 election. Ose raised $3.2 million and the National Republican Congressional Committee and otl1ers contributedalmost$7million to campaign for him. IANS

BYSANDIP HOR

The people of Samoa, a tiny nation in the South Pacific, are always happy. When in 201 l the nation jumped over the international dateline, they lose 24 hours of theirlives, butdidn'tlose any glee. Rather they burst into celebrations at midnight on Thursday 29 December as the calendar bypassed Friday and Aipped over to Saturday due to their switchover from the US time zone to that of Australasia.

Theywereelated co be, since then, the first nation in theworld to welcome a new year.

Visitors are thrilled ac the thought of being in a land where each new day on earth begins, particularly at sunrise when enjoying the glorious crack of dawn while the rest of the world is scill in bed.

Positioned in the heart of Polynesia, somewhere midway betweenAustralia and Hawaii, Samoa comprises of ten islands, which were formed many miJlenniums ago as result of massive basaltic shield volcanoes rising from the seaAoor of the western Pacific Ocean. Upolu and Savai'i are the two main islands where the majority of thenation's 194,000 people live.

Samoa's international in1age is chat of a tropical paradise, surrounded by turquoise blue water, filled with sprawling coconut

plantations and inhabited by visitorfriendly, Aower-wreached people, attired in colourful Aoral tops and dark ski.rtlike bottoms with various tattoo designs marking their bodies.

The history of the place spans more than 3000 years. According to legend, Samoans believe theirancestors descended from the heaven and made their way across the Pacific in canoes thousands of years ago. European and American whalers and traders began arrivingon irs shores soon after Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen discovered che islands in 1722.

The Americans and European colonisersDutch, British and German - foughtmany batdes among themselves co lay claimto the cerricory.

In 1899, after years of civil war, the

islands of the Samoan archipelago were divided - the Germans talcing the islands to the west and the Americans taking the ones to the east. After WWI, New Zealand became the administrator of German Samoa in a military occupation driven by Britain and held power until 1962 when Samoa became the first Pacific nation to gain independence. The other part, called American Samoa, is still under the US regime.

Today Samoa is a destination where outsiders arrive co seize fromwelcoming locals some of their endless happiness and to dip into the "Samoan way" a lifestyle focused on acti,Tities that relax, unwind and soothe urbanised souls.

Enchanting Upolu is the epicentre of Samoa, home to thenation's capital

Clockwisefromtop left:Tropical Samoa; atthe localmarkets; catchingtheferrybetween islands; common hazards; man power; a midmorningnap; in theirSundaybest

Apia. Dotted on anaturalharbmu:,chis coastal townshipis40km away from FaleoloInternationalAirport where annually around 120,000 visitors,mainly fromAustralia, NewZealand,US and neighbouringPacificnations, arrive fora blissfulvacation.

Apia, asexpected,isnor a bigplace,its lengthand breadthcaneasily be e.,""<plored by foot, chough ajourney inoneof the colourful localbuses can be fascinating. Old world and new collideherewith traditionalSamoanhouses standingside by side with colonial churches,buildings and some 21" century additions.The central clockroweris surrounded byshops, markets, bars, restaurants and nightclubs addingsome urbantouches toSamoa,it is aa goodplaceto getacclimatised to the island'sAair.The best waytoexperience thisintroductionis at the lively local markets,abuzzwith hordesof stalls selling almosteverythingfromlocalproduceto handicrafts.

Cultureisundoubtedly central to PolynesianIi.fe.Samoa'sstylesof music,dance,andvisualarthavegained renownthroughout the Pacific islandsand the world.A visit to theSamoaCultural Villageprovidesa worthyunderstandingof howSamoansleadtheirlives bycelebrating andembracingtraditionalvalues,culture and environment.Forhistorybuffsavisit

co theMuseum of Samoaisa mustto gatherknowledgeaboutthe land'sheritage. However,peoplerarelytravelto aPacific mopiato hangaround in city sprawl;the appealforvisitors toSamoaisintimate engagement withnamreand,in this respect, the rewardsare endless.

Samoais aplace of great natural beaury hostingsomeof the SouthPacific'smost stunninglandscapesfromrainforestcoveredvolcanicmountains,vastvalleys, cascading waterfallsand steep cliffs to spectacularwhite-sandcoastlines.The riot of colourinnaturedisplayed by the Rowers, leavesand fruitsbestow a feast for theeyes.Anidealholiday here involves amixtureof easy-goingrelaxation and activitiescateringtoone'sad,1enturous appetite.

Beingan islanddestination,oppormnities for surfing, fishing and sunbathing at a white sandystretcharein abundance, alongsidesnorkellingand diving inone of the iridescent lagoons todiscover spectacularunderwater scenery.

Whenfinished witb the water, many goinlandforawalkthrough lush green rainforest,cry horsebackrides,treat themselves to ajungle river kayakingsafari, jumpintoa luscious waterfall for acooldip orsir insidea chopper fora bird'seye view of theislands.

Many catcb theferry toexploreSavai'i fslandwhich hasbecomephysically bigger insize thanUpolo after gushing lava froma volcanicexplosionintheearly20thcenmry pushedtheocean away.

VillagesdominateSamoa,itssocial governance and way of life.Mostrural settlements are very clean and tidyand

dottedwithrypical Samoan housescalled "fi,ics". Every village hasa church where experiencing massand choir onaSunday isinvigorating. Villagers on Sundays are generally attired in white,perhapsreAecting theirloveforpeaceandpurity ofmindson theday of communion with divinity.

Freshair, warm water,lushgreen surroundingsand engulfingseren.irymake Samoaan idealdestinationtoliveahealthy life.

ThisinspiredfarnousScottishauthor RobertLouis'sStevenson to spendthe final

years of hislifein thisparadise His home inApiaisnowa museum where the fusr editioncopy of hisepical Tret1s11re Ts/andcan be seen. Hewrotethis withanimaginary island in mind,butafterarriving inSan1oa maybehe d10ughr thisis the treasuredland. Helived theretill his lastbreathand had hismortalremainsrested in irs grounds Thehealing effect of thedestination can be sensedin ashort time by visitorsaswell. When leavingSamoa,you feelenergised with mind,bodyandsoul soothed and filled withfeelings ofbliss.

FijiAirways (www.fijiairways.com) offersfullserviceflightstoApiaviaNadi.

Thereareplentyofhotel and resortstyleaccommodationoptionsofvarying standards, located in Upolo and Savai'i. Millenia, SaletogaSands, Seabreeze, Savai'i Lagoon, CoconutsBeach Club,TanoaTusitala andSheratonSamoaAggie Greynearthe airportare afewfromthe long list.

ContactSina WorldTravel(www.sinaworldtravel.com)fortailormadetoursto Samoa

SamoanTala, 1AUD = 1.90Tala

Australianpassportholders don'trequirevisatoenterSamoa

Checkoutwww.samoa.travel

Aussie election

campaigns are missing the masala

This federal election seasonis lacklustre compared to India's colourfulpolitical campaigning

BYSANAM SHARMA

The poLitical battlelines have been drawn; Australiagoesro the polls on 2Ju1y 20'16. The country's major politicalparties havegone into election overdrive, furiouslycampaigning across the nation, as the people of Australiaget ready toelect tl1e federal government for the next three years.

Talkback radio is goingwild with political opinionsand primetimeTV has political Aavour to its programmingacross aUmajor channels. Australiais abuzz with election fever.

Yet,someof us whohavehad the

experience of growingupinIndiamay find thiselection season in Australiaabit dull. Comparedtoelection campaigningin India, tile Australian version of this mega political event is rather bland.

Let's start witl1 the election slogans of the various political parties. Australia's current Prin1eMin.isterMalcolmTurnbull recentlybegan theLiberal Party'selection campaign under tl1eslogan"OurPlan for a StrongerEconomy". That seems more Like astatementthana slogan. "Abki hoar, lviodi Sarkaal' is a slogan.A cleverly crafted, rhyming,social media friendly,hashtagable, contemporary slogan.

Slogans aside, the emblems of Australian political parties also lack creative Aair.

Brooms, lotuses, palms, elephants, sickles,

announcements is if you happen to be hidingin an underground bomb shelter. Arguably,it's a far more effectiveway for apoliticalcand.idate to reachour co people in tlleirconstituency. Especially when you compare it with alonely Australian political candidate bravingthe early morningcold whilehandingout election leaflets at a suburban train station,only to be mistaken by commuters as a volunteer for the Jehovah'sWia1esses.

Then, as 2July draws closer, political rivals acrosstile major parties will faceoff in prime tin1e tele,7ision debates. The debates willbe strictlymoderated, with professional decorum maintained by the politicians,TV hosts,panels and studio audiences. Peopleathome will tune in andlistenimentlywitha view to deciding whicb way they aregoingto vote. How boring!

Picture the lively Indian alternative: A

prominent city street is dug up and turned into an electionp,wd,u,Itohostan election rally for apoliticalcandidate.The adjoining streets and roads are blocked off while the rallyis held and truckloads of people pour in to listen to their candidates. In a seaof top-notch security, Aoralgarlands and rousingslogans people welcome the politicians to a lavishlydecorated stage for rheir public address.As soonas they are finished ralk.ing, thepoliticians are briskly whisked away. Over the next few days after this megaevent,lifeinthatcity slowlycrawlsback conormalcy - and then, anotllerpolitician decides to hold a raUy. J\nd so it rolls on.

Billboards, roo, telladifferentstory between theAussieand lndian election

weighing scales,bicycles, arrows, and many such innovative emblemsadorn the ballot papers in a typical Indianelection. Now, imagine votingona mundane Australian ballotpaper that merely lists the party name, completely devoid of a colourful coUectiouof electionemblems. One must compliment theAustralian SexParty for lendingsome much-needed spice to the Aussie ballot paper.

InIndia,anelection campaign is best delivered through a slender loudspeaker, moumed on top of a modestautorickshaw tliat slowly crawls throughtilecity streets. The campaign slogansand policy man.ifestos, are deafeningly shouted across the entire city dayandn.ight.The only way you can miss hearingtllese political

campaigns. Australianbillboardsare rnodest, sparselyplaced tlirough cities, oftenfeaturingaphotoof the relevant candidate witl1 a succinctelectionmessage Listedunderneath. How banal.

Travelthrough an Jndian town duringan electionand wtness tl1eentirecityplastered with election billboardsof all shapesand sizes.The billboardsarecolourful and busy,led by asmilingphotoof thepolitical candidate anda featuringa supportingcast aslongasacomet's tail.Thesupporting ensemble comprisesof the,vell-wishers of the candidates - their neighboms,children, friends,even petdogsand cats!

East is East and West is West,as tl1ey say,and it seems federal elections are no exception.

,, One must complimentthe Australian Sex Party for lending some much-needed spice to the Aussie ballot paper ,,

,, In India, the only way you can miss hearing political announcements is if you happen to be hiding in an underground bomb shelter ,,

ocare

Can teachers step in between students and their parents?

take a breakto doanotherevent, comeback andcontinue change shoes jump change shoes run

She said,"Mylegs hurt."

Shesaid,"Ihavesrun splints."

blood onherhandsand arms.It haddried msmears.

TheteacherwaJJ,ed over to her.

"Mynosebleeds when I amundertoo muchpressure,"shesaid.

As al,vays happensin thesecases, the motlierthen turned to her daughter and said, "\X/hat doyouwant?You knowI alwaysjust wantyou to do what )'OU want to do."

Thegir.lreplied,in halting words,"I. I. want wa.ntco jump."

Theteacher looked onandsaid,"You don'thave to do this."

Thegirl looked at her mother who was staring at herdaughter.Themothersaid, "Shesaid she wants to jump. Good girl."

Theteacher looked aroundtothe otl1er teachersi.n thearea.Theylooked uncomfortable, and a couple of them turnedand looked away. The teacher looked at the girl. Looked attlie blood. Watched her limp to thehigh jump, sit on the ground tochangehershoes.

The teacher thought abouthow scared children will act to protect theirparents. Theteacher tl1ought about themother. \Xlondered whather own lifewas like.

Recalled a conversation a dayearlier with someod1er parents who kepttalJ;:ingin frontof theirsonabout how important "nextyear'sexam"is,despiteitbeing 16 montlisaway.

BYMOHAN DHALL

She ran in the openingrace. Shecame first.She jumped, initiallyqualifying without apparentlytrying. Shethrew, the javelin travelling almost perfectlystraight. Sheranagain.And again. Andagain.The 1500metres, 100m,200m 400111 threw again hoppingbet\veea events.Mum, shesaid, had made her run sinceshewast\VOyears old.

Theteacher watched as sheranthefirst race,noting herstrength and poise.The teachersaw her comeand go from thehigh jump,competingtherebetweenapacked schedule of events.Theystrucrured the highjumpcompetition inorder for herto change her shoes, markher run up,jump,

"i\lfybackhurts and tl1e doctors tellme thatI will needmyvertebrae fused if I keep doingthis."

Stillshecompeted.

Hermotlierhovered close,watching eacheventclosely.Whisperingwords with hand gesrures. Thegir.lnodded. Competed again. Steppeduptothrow thejavelin. Held it correctly, adjusting herhand just as she knew sheshould. She stepped forward and gave it her best. The javelin wobbled,lost theintended form and skimmed along tl1e surface.

Backco tl1estartline.Astaggered stare. Theteachersaw tliesecond lapof the800 metreraceas she swept pasttl1ehighjump venue.This ti.me though, shewas touching hernoserepeatedly.

\Xlipingherfingers onher shirt.Theteacherknewshe wasin trouble. At theend of this racetherewas

"Please, don't sayanytl1ingtomymumas 1 ,villcopitat homelater."

Shortlyafterwards hermother wasasking howrugh herdaughterwouldneedto jump inordercocomef:irst.Thegidhadmissed mostof thehigh jump roundson account of allof theotherevents shehad competed in. Nevertheless, the teacherhad heldher placeopento finish thecompetition.

However, seeingthedried blood, the teachersaid,"She probablyneeds arest." Themother'sbody stiffened forafight and she said,'1tisonlyonejump.Tell me- how high?Can youjust tellme what sheneeds to jump to win?"

The teacher replied, "Hernose hasbeen bleedingand she issore-I thinkshehas had enough."

Themotlierreplied, ''It's her decision. l neverpressure her."

The teacher recalled a 14-year-oldboyhe had metyearsearlier.The boyhad come back to schoolafter ninedays away.The student had said abouthisbruised eye, "Myfather tlirew atennisball tome-but I can.notcatch."His fatherbadin fact punched tliisboy'seye,fractncing his eye socket, ina drunken rage.Theteacher recal.led another teacherat the time saying, "What didyou do tomake himangry?"

The teacher thought about thestudent getting20% in3-unit matliematics because tl1e parents said, ''Maths matters"and pressure leads to success. The sn1dent's an_detyand self-harmdid notlookW,e pressmeleading to success.

Theteacherconsidered the issueof negligence and tliedutyof care. Whatrole wastl1e teachertoplay?Anactiveoneor a passiveone?

How farshould the teacher'sobservations beused to initiate action andcaJJthe parents co account?What was theroleof onlookers? Of teachers whoturned away? Of doctors who might fusedisks- when rest and recuperationcouldhelp?

Howshould it manifest- mis dutyto care?

,, The mother turned to her daughter and said, "What do you want? You know I always want you to do what you want to do ,,

Business awards recognise Australia-India collaborations

InauguralA/BCAwards set to become a regular event fostering greater trade ties

Businesses and individuals whohave madesignificant contributionstoprogress tradeand investmentbetween Australiaand Indiawere recognisedwiththe inauguralAustralia IndiaBusinessCouncilTradeand InvestmentAwardsrecently.

TheAwardswere pareof theEngaging with lndiaForum, heldby theAustralia lndia BusinessCounciland the Australian Financial Reviewin Sydney over 16-17May.

TheForumtookstockof thestate of affairsin theAustralia-L1diabusiness sphere.The messagecameoutloudand clear: Australianbusinessneedsanudge along initsengagementwithIndia.

Bueformnacely,interestremainshigh.

Attendees heard froma variety of high-profile speakerssuchasIndianHigh Commissioner to Australia avdeepSuri, ConsulGeneralof lndiainSydneyB. Vanlalvawna,AustralianTradeMinister SteveCiobo,AustralianSpecialEnvoy for TradeAndrewRobb,former Premierof VictoriaTedBaiJJJieuand S\XfMinisterfor TradeStuartJ\yres.

Businessleaders includingAshokJacob, Lindsay Fox,NevilleRoach,PawanLuthra, Michael Kasprowicz,Di.lipChenoyand many morealso gave presentations and offered theirinsights.

Tophonoursattheawards eveningwere given to Infosys andDeakinUniversity for theiroutstandingcontributionsineach

country.

DeakinUniversity,which received the OutstandingContribution by anAustralian Organisationin lndia,was the first international university toopen anoffice inIndia in 1996. Since then, it has invested $10million dollars,producedthousands of job-ready graduates and established numerous partnershipsbetweenacademia andindustry.

Technology consulting firm lnfosys, whichcookouttheawardforOutstanding Contributionby anIndianOrganisationin Australia,established itsAustralian presence in 1999 anddraws40percent ofits3100 strongworkforcefromthe local community.

DipenRughani,AIBC National Chair, waspleased toinaugurate these special awards created toacknowledge the exceptional contributions of companiesin advancingtheAustralia lodia relationship.

NevilleRoachAO recei\Ted theLifetime AchievementAward.Overanillustrious careerspanning many decades, evillehas been honoured by both theAustralianand Indiangovernments for his dedicationand commitment to fosteringbilateral relations.

Penelope Street, founder of Narrowcaster,received theWomenin BusinessAward. Narrowcasterproduces multilingualself-guided audiotours for fores,palaces and templesinIndia,helping visitorsexperience thecountry'srich culcuraJheritage.Sheba Nandkeolyar,AIBC NationalVice-Chair&Chairof Womenin

Business,wasproud tospearhead the first award acknowledgingthe contributionof successful businesswomenintheAustraliaIndia businessenvironment.

CricketAustraliareceived theSpecial RecognitionAwardfor contributionto Australia L1diaRelations for collaboration withits Indian connterparts in bringing the competition tomillionsofIndian fans.

Businesseswere also recognisedin categoriesincluding excellence in goods, servicesand invesonent sectors.

Cochlearwonthe Excellence in Goods Export for anAustralian Company toIndia Award.The company hasinvestedmore than$USlOmillion inIndia since beginning its operations and through innovationhas made hearingimplants more affordableand accessible to a greater number of people in India.

TataGlobalBeverages(fGB)wonthe Excellence in Goods Export for anIndian OrganisationcoAustralia.TGB hasbeen bringingunique IndianteatoAustralian consumerssince 1963 nnder thewellknown Tetley brand.

SMECwasawarded Excellenceinthe ServicesSectorfor anAustralian company in India.SJvfEChasdeliveredprojects to clients in Indiawithintransport, hydropowerand energy,waterand eiwironment and urban and social sectors since 1975.

Excellence in the Services Seccor for an Indian Organisation in Indiawasawarded

toSPJain Schoolof GlobalManagemenr which uses innovative practices to delivers its educationservices acrosscampuses in Sydney,Dubai,MumbaiandSingapore. Logisticscompany Linfoxwas awarded Excellence in Invesanemby anAustralian Organisationin lndia.The company providesmodernsupply chainlogisticsin Indiaandemploys2500people.

High-techaircraftmanufacn1rerMahindra Aerospacewasawarded Excellencein lnvesm1ent by an lndian Organisation inAustralia.The companyhas bee.11 operating in Australiasince2010 and serves customersfrom30 countriesaround tl1e world fromitsAustralianbase.

TheGeorge lnstinue for Global Health wontheaward for Excellencein Research andDevelopment betweenAustralia and India for itsresearchandadvocacyworkto develop affordableandscalablesolutions toempower people to improve their health and hasbeen operatinginIndiasince2007.

Theindependent judgingpanel for the Awardsincluded highlyrespected business leaders Kumar Parakala,Di.lipChenoy, ik Senapati and was chairedby Grame Barty of Austrade.

lewas awonderfuleveningof celebration spearheaded by AIBC'sNational Chair Dipen RughaniandVice ChairSheba I andkeolyar. InAIBC's 30" year, these awards demonstrate theprogresswhich Australianand lndian businesses have made incontributing to bilateral relations

Sanskritjazz, an ne?

Vikram Hazra brings his brand of spiritually uplifting music to Adelaide

Vikram Hazra,oneof lndia's leadingdevotionalsingers,was in Adelaide recently. He performed on 16Mayat the Plympton CommunityCentre ina show organised bytheArtof Living,Adelaide.

A man with ready humour, he laughed and exchanged pleasant banter with the audience and the full hall soon resounded with a heavenlyharmony.As he beganto sing, he wieldedhis electricguitar as if it werean extensionof him.

The halJhad roughly 250 people and packed, withpeople even sitting on the floor right in front.

He began with a Sanskrit chanton LordShiva, wrircen byDivya Prabha of NovaScotia. Divinevibrations filled the atmosphere andbathed tl1e listeners in a clean spring flowing somewhereinMount Kailasa.

Vikram got tl1enon-Indianaudience comfortable byletting them know that not manyin theaudience understoodSanskrit anyway.

He travelled the ruralparts of India whenpossible, gathering music and lyrics that had been passeddownthe generations.Thesehethen practiced andimbibed and carried them alJover tbe world withhim. No less than twelve

albums have resulted,and Vikramhas seemingl>7touredup to47countries.

It was fascinating to hear him singanold song fromAssam,ina language none of theaudience hadheardof,Brojaboli.

Another favourite of mine was composed byrenowned poet-saint Kabirdas'sstudent Dharamdas. A beautiful soulfulrendition, the rural lilt andVikram's complete voice made iteven more uplifting. The lyrics were of ayoung womansearchLngfor a groom,a metaphor for the individual soulyearning for the Divine.The tale of her incessant search, findingthe groom and reaching tl1e bliss of being united,Liftedthe audience as one being, high above tl1e physical realm.

Some lead-and-follow bhajans came on next,and thesewere unabashedlyand loudlysungbymostof theaudience.

Sri Krishna and GuruNanakDevsongs mesmerized all and drew participation, witl1followingof tl1e chorus parts. Afew more songs anda question and answer session later the evening drew to aclose. Awriter,philosopher,social activist, corporate traLner and a media producer, Vikram certainlyknows how to reachout to people.

Ananecdote he recounted when be first met the spiritual master Sri Sri

Ravishankar wasmemorable.Sri sri once asked him, a student of Quantumphysics, what the crux of the discipline is Vikram answeredshakily, "},fatter and energyare interconvertible." Srisriwaspleased with the answer, he said.

Another tl1ingchatVikramsaid strongly resonated with me as a practitioner and teacherof meditation. "Meditationis a gift every humanbeing needs to give him or herself."So true,and so important.

Muchof the work of Vikram andhis actress wifeTinaParekh are devoted to

theirGuru,spreading peace andloveintl1e world.

We had averyspecialguestfor the evening, namelyShriDbaya BhaiShastri Ji (DadaJi), Pad.ma Shree Awardee 2016, whosat straight in his chair in front at 91 years,seeminghappyandkeen ro be present for theexperience. He is the pioneer of Brahmarshi Sanskrit Mahavidyalayain Gujrat and hasdevoted his whole life for 'Sanskrit' and 'Sanskriti' (languageand culture).

SunilaVig

INDIAN LINK SOCIAL MEDIA

·betoourchannel

LeveragingtheIndian diasporaforbusiness

PAWAN LUTHRA's address at the 'Engaging with India' conference organised by theA/BC and AFR

Consider, for a moment, yourown self- where you came from, where you livenow,che kindof work you do,how youdefine yourself.

You'requite a"mixedup"personreally, aren't you.

1 know. BecauseI am just as "m.ixed up" as you are.

Thatis the crux of my presentation today, celebratingour"mixed up" nature and seeinghow wecanput it tosome use.

Transnationalism

WhenI look around this room,I don't seeIndiansandAustralians,or fodianAustralians,or any other kindof hyphenatedAustralians.

Byvirtue of ourorigin andourwork, we are allreally "transnationals".\Y/e transcend thenational space as the referencepoint for our activities, and indeed,our identities.

\'(/eareconnected toseveralplaces at once. Our multi-sited livesinvolve interactions acrossborders.These exchanges may be physicaland/or economic,butcouldalsobe ideas, values andpractices.

The manynewmodesof communication, rapidtransport,and easy-ro-acce.ss trade.and-informationnetworks,have all strengthened otu:connections to twoor moreplaces,at anygiventime.

It's awonderfully enrichingframeof reference,in which we arecontributing

(hopefullysignificantly!)to twoor more different ethnosystems.

' either herenor chere"is aphrase chatonce typified us as migrants,but not anymore(Hindispeakersmay know this as "11agbt11·k"nagb,1t kd').And noonereally uses tl1eterm''ABCD" anymore: "ArneticabornConfused Desi"or "Australia-born confuseddesi",,vhere"desi"is theIndian word for"Indian".

lf anything, the term should nowbe ABCD, "America/Australia-born connected desi"I

Tomy mindatleast, the ideaof such rransnationalismisnow even overtaking thatof multiculturalism.

Only recently,we allbecame acquainted witha brand new world figure, aPak.israniborn UK-resident, wholooks settobein che news over thenextfewyears. London

Mayor SadiqKhanis the new faceofa "mixed upworld" - letmenowrephrase chat as a"transformed" world - tl1at is setting awholenew agenda.

Last month,highrankingAustralian diplomatHarinder Sidhuofficially took upher newposition, HighCommissioner in NewDelhi. She becomes the second Indian-origin personinth.isoffice,after PeterVarghese not solongago.Ms Sidhu countsas hercontemporaries,an IndianoriginUS Ambassadorco India (Richard Verma) and anInd.ian-originCanadianHigh Commissioner Nadir Patel.

Their respective governments have,

amongstotl1erqualities,leveraged their Ind.ianbackground to helpoil thewheels of diplomacy. In fact, NadirPatelhas said that he enjoys talkinginGujaratiwith Prime MinisterMod.i,adm.ittingthat beingof Indianbackground does give himan edge.

AsI interviewed HarinderSidhu onInd.ianLinkRadiorecently,she agreed."Thereis a genuine advantage in comingcoch.is posting with a readymade understandingof cross-cultural relationships," she rold me.

Astransnationals,diasporiccommunities comenot only with such "ready-made Lmderstanding"of two culmres,bur ahost of other strengthsthatcanhelpnudge along the bilateralequationin multiple ways.

Global Indians

TheIndiandiasporaisthelargestin the world.There's astaggering30 million of us, spread across215 countries.

Thinkof the"dias-power"of ir!

NarendraModi cert.'Uilly does.

Theastute Prime1tinisterof India (picturedright)hasplayed to thestrength of the Indiandiaspora likenone of his predecessorsever has.Hereachesout to theminhigh-voltage, massive-arena, theatre-style, sold-outevents.

Hismessage to the "NRis"as they are called in India,is thatthey are a"bra.in gain, not abra.indrain".

Hepraises themas part of Ind.ia's "soft power", and it is clear that for him, they

are aconsolidatedand viable vote-bank, and as TheHi11dusa.id,"aredeemable, interest-bearing, asset thatis merely parked offshore."

Back inIndia, your poster-boy diasporans may wellbe Sat:ya Nadella,or Russell Peters, or Salman Rushdie. Outside of India,the quintessential Indian is theITemployee, the taxi driver, the cornershop owner, the motel operatoror the petrolpumpowner.

Of course,both categories of "Indians" are making theirmark in theirown way. The Indian commun.icyin theUS is the most influential of allthe diasporic communities.

TherearemorefodianCEOs thanany othernationality afterAmericans,inthe S&P500compao.ies,finds astudy by Egon Zehnder.

Timemagazineoncetermed CEOs as India's leading'export',claiming that thesubcontinentcouldwell be'the ideal traininggroundfor global bosses'.

Tndia-bornCEOsSatyaNadella (i\ficrosoft),IndiraNooyi (PepsiCo), Sundar Picha.i(Google,right), and Anshu Jain(DeutscheBank),are someof the personal.ities inspiringa whole generation ofMBAandIT sn1dents in Ind.ia.

Ontheother extremefromthese highend executives, youalso have smaller-scale success stories such as thePatel commmuty wlucb dominates the budgetmotel market. Therehave been successful forays in state and national level politics aswell (Bobby

Jindal,Nikki Haley).

Acrosstheglobe,there aremany other names from theIndian diaspora [hathave spurredyoung people in [hehomeland into new careers,inthe sciences,space exploration,creativewriting, film-making, contemporarrart, andin many ocher fields.

InAuscralia,Indiansettlement beganin the 1800s.

The first Indians arrived with theBritish whohadbeen livinginIndia. Fromthe 1860s,Sikhsand 'Afghans' wererecruired as workersinoutbackAustralia (pictured below). Many 'Afghans' actually came from lndia (as well as Iran,Egypt andTurkey). They workedas cameleers tooperatecamel trains as 'pioneersof theinland'.

Itwasbusiness migration charbrought the secondlotof Indians over.They travelled therowns selling food andother wares outof cares

The 1881 census records 998people who wereborninIndia, but this bad grownco over 1700 by 1891.

Todaythereareover450,000peopleof Indianorigrnhere,spreadacrossvarious industries. While there wasa waveof medicalprofessionals who migra[ed here in tl1e I970s and'80s,tl1ere arenowIndians in almost every fieldof endeavour,from cornershop owners ro wiiversityacademics, fromITprofessionalsm lawyers,even film makersand Booker Prize winners.

A special skill set

Now what is it about che migrant experiencechatpropelspeopleto get ahead (mind you,this is the desire for getting aheadwhichbusinessesneed ro tap into for tl1eirown growth).

As migrants,weare used tochange - perhaps even drawnmit.Weare risk takers, which is whatbroughtmanyof us to Australia, givingupthecomfortof our solid support scructures.Weareflexible, innovativeand constantly seeking to reinventourselves,and ro find new waysin everything wedo.

This set of personality craits,coupled witl1corporate success inmany instances, can seeus become development partners witl1thehomecountryinsignificant ways,inareas such as business creation, tradeLinks,investments,remittances, skills circulation,exchangeof ea'l::periences and even impacts on social and cultural roles of menandwomeninthehome society.

So wheretofrom here?

TheIndian diaspora will do wellmlearn fromthetwoochermajordiasporas- the Jewish and theChinese, in tl1eir attempts at engagmgwiththeirrespectivehomelands.

TheJewish diaspora is considered the most"classical,archetypalandmobilised diaspora"wim a greatsense of solidarity tliat has sustained over the years,and which bas exertedmuchcultural, social, economic

andpolitical influence.

The Chinese diaspora is more Like the Indian,much morediverse within itself, the powerfulattachmentm the homecountry overridingregional differences. It is alsojust as widespread as ours, with students making upa large proportionof rneirnumbers roo. As theChinesegovernment Rexes its economicmuscles, ithassoughtquite successfully to establish closer economic and cultural ties.

ChinaandIndiahavepursued radically differentdevelopmentstrategies, wimIndia perhapspayinganeconomicpriceforits democracy,burithas beensaid,"There wouldhave beennoChineseeconomic niiraclewimout tl1e helpof theoverseas Chinese."

lnan interesting trend we are seeing inrhediasporaof born ChinaandIndia, STEM(sciencetechnology engineeringand mar.hs) seemsto be theway ro go.Both governmentshavemade huge efforts m incentivize areturn-to-homebyscientists.

InChina,theremrn of scientists,in for example rbeir"ThousandTalent" program, has beencoupled with anoutpouring of uwestmenrby botl1 government and private industry. InIndia,collaborative research projects withuniversities abroad have flourished;Australiahasalsoparticipated extensively.

Astransnationals, how can the diaspora help?

Whilethediasporacanbeleveraged for business, tl1eir power can alsohelpinoilier areas:

1. Influencing governments \\("le've talked of 1vfodi reachingomto thediaspora, bur tl1e engagement wirn chediaspora really began witl1 RajivGandhi,tl1e first primeministerrorecognisethe growing cloutof thediaspora. His economic Liberalisationin me 1990s openedIndia like neverbefore.But thecreditfor ucilisingchediasporamost effectively mightactually sit withManmohanSingh, when the US-Indianuclear dealcame throughin2008.After he and George WBush first agreed on tl1e deal in 2005, America's India□community,oneof themost educatedand afAuent ethnic groupsthere,lobbied hard forCongress to pass the bill. Before this, the 1974 Pokhrannuclear tests, me 1998nuclear tests and theKargil conflict wereotl1er occasions duringwhich diasporan communities- evenroa smalle::-..'1:ent hereinAuscralia -were ab.le tolobby witl1their goverruuents.

2. Crisis response In meeconomiccrisis of tl1e 1990s (ata timewhen India was facingirs worst balance of payments crisis,its foreign reserves weredwindlrng andirwas about to defaultonits

internationalpaymentobligations), the Indiandiaspora pulledits resources to help me country throughbondssuchas ResurgentIndia.

3. Bringing innewbusiness \'{lhen economic liberalisationin 1991 opened newbusiness opportunities,diaspora members in high tech development began cooutsource to India, oftenat low cost, providing technicalandmanagerial knowledge.

4. Importingbestpractices Diasporans rake best practicesof me rest of me world backhome. Nehru,Subhash ChandraBoseandVallabhBhaiPatel werealsodiasporansatonepoint and returned home armed witl1 tl1e specialisedexperiencemarhelped lndia win Independence fromBritish occupation.ManmohanSingh was at tbeLondo□Schoolof Economics prior tobecomingtheFinancei'vlinisterof India andopening up the economy. Personalities likeSam PitrodaandSabeer Bhatiacontributedgreatlyin thelaunch of IT as majorindustry. Many business schoolacademics fromoutside India continue ro tl1is day coadvise meIndian governmentonvariousissues.

Whichspecificplatformslend themselveseasilyto being leveraged by the diaspora?

Thediaspora can play a significantrole because tl1ey know

• \"Where thecusmmers are

• Howto deal witl1 the localculture

• And in terms theybothunderstand

Tourism,healthcare,financialand educationservicescan begoodplatforms.

Health Care: The diasporahas helped establish someof India'sleadinghospitals suchas Escorts,Apollo, PrasadEyeCare. areshTrehan forexample,wasaL ucknow lad whomovedto NewYork, worked tl1ere for anumberof years as acardiacsurgeon, and returned to lndiau1 thelate '80s to launch Escorts Hospitals.

Today,India'ssecondaryandtertiaryhealm careservicesnotoaly providecare,buralso addtohealmtourism.\XiithcheAustralian healtl1care system strugglingto keepupwith tl1edemandsof anagingpopulation,thiscan beaninterestingopportunity.

Science and technology:JuseasTaiwan and Israelhaveleveraged their diaspora to take advantageof highly trained experts and scientists u1fields such as IT,biotechnology andnanotechnogy,Indian-origin scientists canhelp develop India as anR &Dcenn·e.

Over tl1e past few years, the Indian community i.nAustraliahavebegun tomake memark in tbesciences.

University departmentssuch asMaterial Sciences and Nanotechnologyhave strong representationfromour community,Dr VeenaSal1ajwalla fromU SWhaving become the poster girl for women inSTEM in chis councry.

TndianLinknewspaperhasrecently been carryinga spateof articles reportingon scientificadvancesmadeby Indian-origin scientists in cancer research,dairy,crops,pest control, wildlifeconservationandtl1elike.

Education; Aninterestingexampleof how aworldclasseducationinstitution wasset upleveragingtl1eIndiandiaspora,isme IndianSchoolof BusinessinHyderabad. Launchedin1996byRajatGuptaandAnil Kumar(botl1 senior executivesatMcKinsey) incollaboration,\�thinternational business schools\X/hartonand Kellogg,roday it ranks 33rd inthe,vorldinrhe2015 Financial TimesGlobalfl.IBARankings.

Thediaspora wasusedtOfacilitate academicexchanges,collaborationand twinning arrangements between Indianand foreigninstimtions.

There areothermore basicways in which diaspora can helpin facilitating businessin their home counn-y:

Remittances; Theremittances from the Indiandiasporaareestimated at$70billion, the highest u1 the world. Remittancesare suchahugeindustrythat wehave largescale companies vyingfor the business -such asMoneyGram. (Andcreating,in theprocess,other rnterestingformsof cross-nationalreferences such as putting BollywoodbadshahShah Rukh Khan on the backsof Sydney buses!)

Tourism: Tourism is the4tl1 largest induscry in the world.When diaspora "return"home,connections arebuilt with thelocal economy.

Diasporans alsohelp bringrn tourism. Plenty of us cake omfriends back home for weddings or just showingtl1em ar0tmd. I've acted asmurisrguidemyself many times and havealsodevised elaborate itineraries for my Aussie friends.

While thebig playerswillinvolve themselves with major industry, the service sector in lndiais poised for stronggrowth which willhavefurtl1eropportunitieswitl1 the follow throughof CECA.

Lee'snorforgerthatir was the return home of one diaspo.ra personalitychatcrea[ed an independentbusiness environmentinIndia. MohandasKaramchandGandhileveraged hisknowledge fromoverseastO get Indiaits independence.

Fastforward69odd years,here weare, discussinghowroleverage theIndian diasporaforbusiness success\

Laughingatourselves

It's comedic gold and cultural commentary as All India Bakchod take the stage in Sydney

Hindi readers,itis that rude.

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

ComedianTanmayBhat was hilarious as heripped into Indianjournalists' behaviour towardscelebritiesascompared to their westerncounterparts.

"Journos on aHollywood red carpet are like,'HiBrad, HiAngelina,you look lovely whoareyou wearing ?' Indian journos onaBollywoodred carpeton theotherhand,lose everyinchof their dignity(c1ct.rlikehe'stc1kiugoffhisclothes), AISHWARYAPHOTO!! AISHWARYA BYTE!! AISHW1\RYAPHOTO!!

AISHWARYABYTE!!"

Of course hewastryingto be funny, bmitwas almost as if he wasrecountinga recentreallifeSydneyeventat whichIndian journos descended wildly ou a bewildered Aishwaryaas shearrivedcoJauncb her signature watch atLongines.

Buethat is exactly whatTanmayand his partners-in-crimeinAllIndiaBakchod (AIB) do - lampooncontemporaryIndian societyand showit off for how ridiculous it can be.

Andas hisimaginarylushwarya walked off the stage,Taumaywas stillin character, shoutingafter her, "Bachchakiskahm?" o, wearenot goingtotranslate thatfor non-

Rude, that'stl1eotherthingtl1atAIB do. Andtlieydo it so well tliat rudewould actuallybeapoliteword.Indeed,they themselves would9ualify"rude" with an adjective beginning withf.

AIBwas attlieir rudestbestastbeytook cotliestageinSydneyrecently.

Tan.mayBhat,Gursimran Khamba, RohanJoshi andAshishShakya rose co fameinInclia in2013asYouTube

in their 20s and 30s they were seeking entertainment not tradicionallyofferedby community providers and lapping up every minuteof it..

AIBtooktbemickeyomof anybodyand everybody•politicians,Bollywoodscars, cricketers,journalises,homophobes,dieyouth, theb11Z!"l!/,theirownparents, themselves, Indians,Aussies,Americans,Koreans,the French,evenPakistanis, andadmittedlyonly omsideof India,theSh.ivSena!

proclaiming: F-l1111JPhirBhiKh11shThe(But111e ll'Crehcippyandcontent). Yeah,righcl Abishi'vfactliew wasbrillianc with his takeontoilethabitsi.npublicand what the nonverbalbehaviour of cricketersreally means.

1nan .interview onIndianLiol<Radio in thelead uptotheirAustraliatom,Ashish Shakya unabashedlyadmitted RussellPeters wascl1eir majorinspiration. (Russellmust feel ciclded pinktohavebecome theSalman Rushdieof thestand-up world inIndia, inspiringa generationof comics in a new careerjust.like Rushdiespurred onyoung writers).

comediansbuc hittl1enational headlines with theirinfamousRoastwhich the Sanskaris took umbrage against. Ulcimately, theprotestors ate humblepieasAIB's popularitywenttbrougb tberoof.Today, they areIndia'sbestknowncomedyace, courageous in their attempt to lampoonthe deshin timeswhenallkindsof unnecessary boundariesarebeingdrawn.

OntheSydneystage,AIB werejoinedby AbishMatthew, another emergingscarin Indian comedy.

Thesell-out audienceat theEnmore Theatrewasalsoarevelation.Largely

Rohan took onhis peoplethe Gujjus; .Lot.refGujaratisi11theaudience?Oh,so1JJeare giving011!co111pli111entc11ytickels.

AndIndiansarethe011!ypeople011 thep!at1ef 111hotraveltho11.rand.sefmiles tobe1vithother Tttdi,ms.

Kha.mba did the same forSikhs:AraSikh IhavetoSt£)'Man111oha11Singhhasreal!)brought o,n-com111tmi!J'd01vn especial!)' afterct!/thegood 111orkMikaSinghhasbeendoing.

AshishShakya channel.led hisownand all parents in theirnever-endingreminiscences abouttheirimpoverished childhood,despite their currentlycomfortablelives, andyet

Theirmentor thoughwould probably givethem a few morelessons onaudience interactionastlieypickedonthose front seaters somewhatless successfully,but, hey, we'rejustnit-picking here - ina show mat otherwise wenc off superbly.And while we're nit-picking,AIB, we expected a bit moreAussie content. Soyouhad the mandatory convictjoke,vegemite, Masterchef andSydney/Melborune rivalry but perhaps tliere's morematerial outtliere -Jobnny Depp and tbe dogs,tl1eAussie cricketerswell knownin India thatshoot off atthe mouth

As comedians, tlieywereno doubt playingfor a laugh. But as social commentators, whichis ultimatelywhat theyare - whethertheyadmit it ornot, tliey were reaUyholding upa mirror romoderndayIndia.

#WeAreLike1hatOn!JJ

,, India's bestknown comedyact, AIB are courageous intheir attempt tolampoonthe deshintimeswhen allkinds of unnecessaryboundaries are being drawn ,,

A'nextwave'IndianoriginYouTuber

Shyamali Sinha's popular YouTube channel Foodie's Hut chosen for the 'One Million Views' project, as part ofthe Next Wave Festival

BYDHANYA SAMUEL

Next \'<lave isan experimental arts festival that has been runningbi-annually in Melbourne for thepast 30 years. Established in 1984, thernainideologyof the festivalhas been to provide career developmentand presentationopportunities to artists, particularlyemerging artists. The festival va.lues ideas chat are risk-taking, and also emphasises onthe inclusionof artists from diverse genders, sexualorientationsand cultural backgrounds

'Onel'vlill.ion Views' is the debut

collaborativeprojectofXanthe Dobbie andTiyanBaker,awardwinningdigital artistswhosharea commonloveforvideo portraimre,popular culture,newtechnology and the internee.

According to socialmedianews.com.au, AustraliansloveYouTube,with 14miUion unique visits inMarch 2016 alone. Baker saysthatAuscral.ia'sYouTube consumption habitsonl.ine reflect a loveof celebrities andpersonalities that play intimate rolesin theirprivatelives,andyetare almostwholly unacknowledgedbeyond the internee.

"ThroughOneMill.ionViews,wewanted co investigate this culm.ralbl.ind spot byusing portraituretoaskwhoareYouTubers,why do they make chis content,whowatches this contentandwhy?"

Tiyan and Xanche believethat YouTubers areanamazinglot of people and it takes aton of creativity, bardwork and courage to start and keep a channel going.So OneMill.ionViews is also about legitimising this face and celebratingthese YouTubers as true creators. "One of our other major goals withOne1v[illion Views' was co integrate two major audiences: art audiencesandYouTube audiences. As

artistswho loveYouTube,wewanted to see what happenswhen d1ese two worlds get mixed together."

And that'swhere Poodie's Huecomesin, createdby aMelbourne-basedBengali chef celebratingherJoveandpassionforIndian/ Bengali foodinher adopted country.

SbyamaliSinhawasbornand brought upin Kolkataandmoved toMelbourne in 2011 withher husband.Shehasalwayshad apassionfor food,wantingcolearnand experience allkinds of tastes,whichmake her a bit ofa travel aficionadocoo.

Butwhatreally drivesheris herpassion forBengaliandIndian food,wanting to cakeit to aglobalaudience and showing theworldthat Indian cuisine ismore than just curry and butter chicken masala. And thiswas the main motivation behind her YouTubechannel, Foodie's Hut.

ThemovetoMelbournemadeSinha homesickfor alld10secomfortingRavours andtastes frombackhome,and she actively begancothinkof doingsomethjngabout it.Sbealsonoticed d1erewere very few YouTubechannels focusingon the cuisine ofBengal.Coupledwith her husband's motivation(also her technicalexpert),she

launched Pooclie's Huton Bengali New Year'sDay in2012.

Shecook a briefhiatuscohave a beautiful littlegirl and rem.med toMelbourneand Pooclie'sHut.SpeakingtoIndianIiuk, Sinhasaid, "Homecooked food is not just aboutfeeclingyour hunger,itis alsoabout feecling and nourishingyour soul,igniting memories of family and homewhichcan bea ratherstrongemotionwhenyouare Livingina differenccountry.Younot only want cocookfamiliar tastes but also learn traditional recipesandre-create these in yourown kitchen,eventually passingondiat knowledge cothe nextgeneration."

ApartfromBengali delicacies, Poodie's Hut is alsoaboutsimpleIndian and international recipes that aresuited for chosewhoare rnshedfortime,and also chosewhoarejuststarting colearncooking.

Shyamali is excited about being a pare of theOne Million Viewsproject.Shesays

itis ahugerecognition for her passion and hardwork,beingfeatured alongside other creativeYouTubers Italsoprovides Poodie's Huewith a globalaudienceand a bigger platform co showcaseherpassion for food.

TonewbiesorwannabeYouTubers, d1e onlythingshe has to say is that thejourney is a longone,and only hardwork,passion and dedication foryour craft will helpyou be successful Onel'viillion Views presented six diptych portraits of theYouTubersin shop front windowsalongErrolStreetinNorth Melbourne,from5 to 22May.Alsoincluded was awalkingtour of the exhibition locationswith the artists themselves,and a HowtoGoViralYouTuberworkshopon Sunday 8May atArts House.

There isalsoanonlineportalwith essays, videos and interviews tharwill bereleased soonatonemillionvie,vs.com.au

,, Home cooked food is notjust aboutfeeding you1'hunge1', it is also about feeding and nourishing you1' soul, igniting memories of family and home which can be a rather sb'ong emotion when you a1'e living ina different country ,,

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Wehelpyouachievea betterlifeandpursueyourdreams

demands them to do so.

Akshay Kumar exhibits his physical prowess with his over-energetic performance of a dual personalityand a crippled bound to a wheelchair, he is dynamic and is aptly supported by equally talented co-stars; Riteish Deshmukh whose tongue often slips and Abhishek Bachchan who often breaks into a crass rap. The trio have excellent onscreen

HOUSEFULL 3

STARRING: Akshay Kumar, Riteish Deshmukh, Abhishek Bachchan, Jacqueline Fernandes, Lisa Haydon, Nargis Fakhri, Boman Irani, Jackie Shroff and Chunky Pandey

DIRECTOR: Sajid and Farhad Samji tt-;c,· I��

A classy film for people with crass taste, Houseful/ 3 seriously blows your sensibilities away.

The film is without a doubt creatively designed with quirky character traits, good locales, glamorous images and incredible gags that hit the zero denominator much too often.

The narrative starts off as an afterthought, with a confusing and inexplicable heist that takes place in central London, which occurred six

years earlier.

We are then transported to presentday London where we are introduced to Bhatook Patel (Boman Irani) and his three daughters Ganga aka Gracy (Jacqueline Fernandes), Jamuna aka I Jenny (Lisa Haydon) and Saraswati

I aka Sarah (Nargis Fakhri). At a party, Bhatook vehemently declares: "I'll never get my daughters married." And he has his reasons.

Bhatook finds excuses to prevent his daughters from getting married and how three guys - Sandy aka Sundy (Akshay

I Kumar) a footballer, Teddy (Riteish Deshmukh) a car racer and Bunty

I (Abhishek Bachchan) a rapper - corner him into accepting them, forms the crux of the tale.

There are other minordigressions too, which complicate our prospective trio's

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chances.

The directors - who have also written the story, script and dialogues of the film - have whipped up all the tropes of the comedy genre to give us a mishmash of palatable entertainment.

With dialogues like, "Will you be my tawaif Err wife", or "Suck the ants from my pants" with metre and rhyme, there is poetry in the dialogues as well as the lyrics, too. Also, transliterated dialogues like; "Hum/og bachche nahin bana rahen hain ", which means, "We are not kidding", prompts a chuckle. But too many of such transliterated jokes over-eggs the humour.

The actors, except for Jackie Shroff, indulge in buffoonery to the hilt. They all are loud, over-the-top characters who go overboard with their exhibition and that's because their characters

"buddy" chemistry. with perfect comic timing. Though the actresses have nothing much to offer in terms of histrionics, they are equally charming.

Chunky Pandey as the restaurateur Akhri Pasta with his recycled line, "I am joooking" is staid and stereotyped.

Jackie Shroff as the Don of Mumbai, Urja Nagri urf Urja Bhai, lacks energy. And, Boman Irani, though a talented actor, fails to leave an impact as Bhatook Patel.

With songs like "Nachenge sari sari raat, tanguthaake", "Pyar ki ma ki puja" and a rap number like, "Teri maa behen teri maa behen", the music and background score is loud and elementary which does not help the narrative.

Overall, Houseful/ 3, with few seriously funnymoments which are few and far between, is a huge let-down.

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

SONU NIGAM: ROADSIDE USTAAD

The latest hit newsmaker is definitelySonu Nigam, Bollywood's golden-voiced boy, who sanghissongson Mumbai streets completely unrecognised.

Itwas only months agowe read about Richard Gere going unrecognised bythe crowds in NewYorkone morning. No one gave a second glance as hesat around like a homeless person, all scruffy, atAstor Place.

Thistime around, in Bollywood's version, the high-profile personalitydid managetoget attention, but onlyforthe sheertalent hewas displaying. No one recognised him forwho he really was.

Sonu sangformore than three hours on theside ofsome of Mumbai's busiest streets. He was in disguise, dressed as an old man and in shoddy clothes, but with a pairof dark glassesprotecting his eyes as he played on an old harmonium. Passers-bystoppedtoenjoy his music, even ifbriefy,someevenwalkingupto have a quick chat ortotell him he had a beautiful voice.

The experiencewas caughton video, asix-minute film goingviral, collecting 3.3 million views on YouTube in lessthan a week.Alongwith sending a message across offinding happiness with the present, the video is also a marketing featureforSonu's newsingle 'Crazy Di/', launched this month.

About people's reactions, Sonu said later, "People didn't recognise myvoice. Theyliked myvoice, and itwasgood that I could actually attractthem simply through mysinging."

He admitted thoughthat he dreaded beingcaughtout, as he didn't have his usual entourage ofbodyguards and managers beside him.

Karl Katgara, creative directorat Culture Machine's Being Indian platform which launched thevideo, said ofthe intentbehind the exercise: "Theidea wasto inspire people totake a moment outoftheir busylives and appreciate the beauty ofmusic. To do this, who betterthan Sonu Nigam, one ofthe mostsought after singers in the country, and the most recognisable voice."

Sonu,forhis part, said, "We had no idea that people would like itso much and makeitso huge. What learning canwegive others,we ourselves learned a lot."

Continue to inspire us, Sonu!

TROLLS HAVE FIELD DAY OVER TANMAY BHAT VIDEO

And sostand-up comicTanmay Bhat continuestobe inthe news.

Atfirst he raised ire with his spoofof SachinTendulkar and Lata Mangeshkar. The controversial Snapchatvideo used the app's face-swap featuretoliberally ridiculethetwo icons.

And nowa reportbyThe New York Times ontheentireepisode hasthe trollsbreathingfireyet again.

ThereportdescribesIndian icon Lata Mangeshkaras a "so-called playback singer", and seemstohavegarnered the ireofTwitterusers,who perhaps misconstrued the meaningof"socalled".

A description ofthevideo in The New YorkTimes report reads: "Playback singers record vocalsforsong-anddancenumbers,towhich actors and actresses lipsync."

Despitethe explanation,the "so-called playback singer" phrase didn'tgodown toowell with some people, whotookto Twittertoslam the newspaper asthey took it as an insulttothe 86-year-old, whostarted hercareerin 1943 atthe age of 13 and has been regalingmusic loverswith hermellifuousvoiceoverthe decades.

In reaction tothetrolling, Ellen Barry, SouthAsia bureau chieffor The New YorkTimes, explained in a tweet: "A note on 'so-called': UsedherefornonIndian readers unfamiliarwiththe term 'playbacksinger'. In noway a commentary."

Even the article's co-writerSuhasini Raj clarified quotingthedictionary: "'Socalled: used to introduce a newword or phrasethat is notyetknownby many people'."

Meanwhile, weleave ittothecerebral film-maker Hansal Mehattophave the lastword on the Bhatvideo: AIB is usuallyfunny, sharp and clever.The #TanmayBhat video is none ofthose. Question is, does a bad joke deserve punishment and/orabuse?

FARHAN, SHAHID TO RETURN AS RAJU AUR PAPPU AT IIFA STAGE Actors Shahid Kapoor and Farhan Akhtarwill return asthe hostsfor17th editionofthe NEXA International Indian Film Academy (IIFA)Awards in Madrid, Spain.Theywill beintheir'Raju and Pappu' avataron stage.

IIFA Weekend and Awards will take place June 23-26.

Farhansayshe can't waittosharethe stagewithShahid, withwhom he shares a greatrapport and has hostedthe 13th aswell as 15th IIFAAwards in Singapore and Tampa Bay respectively.

Shahid had previously admitted that he had the mostfun hostingthe 13th edition of IIFAAwards in 2012 with the Wazirstar.

BOLLYWOOD FUNNY-MAN

RAZAK KHAN NO MORE

Razak Khan, who played comic roles in around a 100 movies in the past 25 years, passed awayfollowinga heart attack.

Tall,thin and lanky, with a hippiestyle haircut, Razak Khan wasfirstseen in Roop KiRani, Charon Ka Raja in 1993, and later appeared in comicrolesin many movies.

More than his real name, hisscreen characternames- Lucky Chikna, Keshav, Manikchand, Fainku, Babu Bisleri, Popatwala -became his trademarkas he enacted memorable comicscenes besidessomeofthe biggestactors.

Among his notable roleswere in movies likeKyaaKool HainHumseries, don Kabira'ssidekick in Baadshah, Raja Hindustani, Hello Brother, Hera Pheri, Phir Hera Pheri, Bhagam Bhaag, Ankhiyon Se Gali Mare, Pyaar Kiya To DamaKya, Loha and lshq

LOOKING

FORWARD

TO National Award winningfilmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming period drama Rangoon will release in February nextyear. Thefilm, whichstarsShahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and SaifAli Khan, isset inthe1940samidstthe turmoil of India'sindependencestruggle and will feature some epic historic references.

Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur's OKJaanu (directed by Shaad Ali and produced by KaranJohar) revolves around the lives oftwo young lovers and depictsthe issueoflive-in relationships. This remakeoftheTamil super hit OK Kanmani (helmed by Mani Ratnam, and featuring DulquerSalmaan and Nithya Menon in the lead) is slated to release on 13 January nextyear.The on-again off-againleadpair are expected to revive theirAshiqui2 magic.

After his 2002 film Everybody Says I'm Fine!, actor Rahul Bose has returned to direction with Poorna, a biopic about Malavath Pooma, a tribal girl from Telangana. Pooma created history on 25 May 2014, by becomingthe youngestgirl in theworld toscale Mount Everest. Aditi lnamdar, a girl hailingfrom Telangana, was chosen to playthe role offemale lead after Rahul auditioned

109 girls. Rahul plays the role of her father. Swara Bhaskarwillbe seen in a neverbefore avatar in her upcoming film AnaarkaliAaraah-waali.The gentle actor will transform herselfinto a foulmouthed, feisty andfiery orchestra party singer from the volatile town of Aaraah in Bihar. The film speaks of her travails as an artist in an openlymasculine and feudal world.

ANDANOTHERKAPOOR SON

Harshvardhan Kapoor, Anil Kapoor's son,makeshis Bollywood debut with RakeyshOmprakash Mehra's Mirzya in October this year.Inspired by the legend of Mirza-Sahiban, the film is pegged to be an epic action-romance that plays out in contemporary times. It will have heightened drama and action-packed sequences in the visually rich terrain of Rajasthan, juxtaposed withf ashes of the fantastical universe of the folklore set inthebleakness of Ladakh.Thefilm also introduces Saiyami Kheralong with AnujChaudhary.

Actor-producer Anil Kapoor is all set to see his little boy on the bigscreen. "It is an extremely special year for me as my son is making his debutt he said recently. "There is a lot that I have from my own experiences to share with him." He also shared that his son is a quick learner. "It is surprising that he already hassuch a deep understanding of things. He is a quick learnerwho is

enthusiastically waiting to explore this world. I hope thatmy advice comes handy to him in his journey."

SAFETYMEASURES FOR OUR STUNTMEN

We all know Akshay Kumarspends a fairbit of his time working on charitable ventures and onfringe issuesrelated to the industry. This time round, the action star hastakenup the cause of safetyfor stuntmen.

"Safety is not great here in Bollywood," he said. "We'vefinally got ambulances and medical personnel on set now, not onlyforstuntmenbut also for all cast and crew. However, it's surprising that there is no insurance in place forstuntman yet in our industry.It's something we've got to act on."

Someone had to do it. Akshay, we hope you see this through.

ABOLLYWOODTHEME PARK IN DUBAI

Bollywood Parks Dubai, a frst-of-itskind theme park showcasing the true blue Bollywood experience laced with drama, action, music and dance, is poised to give tourism in Dubai a big boost when it opens its doors in October this year.

It will host of a melange of cinematic rides inspired by Hindi movies like Zindagi NaMilegi Dobara and Don,

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

NAOMIE HARRIS or KANGANA RANAUT in BURBERRY PRORSUM?

+ Shareyourviews with us on our Facebook page /lndianLinkAustra/ia

thrilling attractions and live Broadwaystyle shows.

Located half an hour away from downtown Dubai, just before the DubaiAbu Dhabi border in the United Arab Emirates, Bollywood Parks, spread over 1.7 million sq ft, is a part of the mega $2.7 billion Dubai Parks and Resorts project, an attempt to add to the tourism portfolio of the city.

The theme park's area is spread across five zones: Bollywood Boulevard, which houses Rock On!, a restaurant with a live band; Mumbai Chowk, which will have a 3D immersive tunnel ride called Don The Chase inspired by Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Don: The Chase Begins; and Rustic Ravines, featuring entertainment options around Lagaan, Sholay and Dabangg.

There is also a "Bollywood Film Studios featuring Hall of Heroes", where visitors can get a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes of a Hindi movie production. This will also house Ra.One Unleased, a virtual 4D multi-sensory ride; as well as Krrish Hero's Flight, a f ying theatre experience recreated from the movie Krrish.

A key attraction of Bollywood Parks is its majestic Royal Plaza, which the team describes as the "Disney castle of our theme park".This houses an 850-seater Rajmahal Theatre that will be home to a Broadway-style Bollywood-themed musical.

The October launch maysee a plethora of Hindi cine stars, but no names can be confirmed yet, officials said.

WHATTWEETYBIRD TOLD US THIS WEEK

Matchthe stars to the following tweets

Amitabh Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor Salman Khan,Tanmay Bhat

DekhnaJaroor. #SultanTrailerOnSONY

Dear @thetanmay, being your friend I know whatyou sayand do is never to offend, but to make people laugh

Please pay me @Snapchat

Meeting the Press the entire day almost and admired their questioning on cinema andTE3N

What's JAYABACHCHAN thinking here? ?

Send inyourresponsesto win@indianlink.com.au and win asurprise prize

What's the chitchat here between newlyweds BIPASHA BASU and KARAN SINGH GROVER?

Cuddle for the cameras ??

Sunita Singh Sharma Strathfield North, NSW

Sunitawinsaticketto the film Sarbjit

plahenTrump yshis hand

A humorous look at what life would be like in America under Donald Trump

byonetough guyforanotl1er.

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Itis lateJanuary2017.The farnous house at .

1600on PennsylvaniaAvenue wearsatotallydifferent look. J\new shinybrassshingleatthefront gate loudlyTrumpetsto theworld whothe flamboyantnew residentis. Justpastthe maingateoneithersideof thefrontlawnare twola.rge cages,holdingcaptivetherestlessly pacingSiberian whitetigersCruzyandBushy. Itisrw11ouredthattl1erare cats are gifts to the new resident fromacertainMoscow machismo.A show of grudgingadmiration

Outsidethe gates alarge groupof Americans, mostly whites,arewavingplacards reading'Trumptriumphs.'111eyhavetheir hair colouredandcoiffuredjustlikethenew OvalOfficeoccupant.Ou01rn11beringchem isalarger mishmashof ethnicgroupswaving banners'Trump tragedy,' mirroringtheclear divideof tl1eco1mtrycausedbytl1eelection of DonaldTnm1p,foi:mer developerand casinomogul.Oops,sorry,he doesn'tlikethat wordanymore.

onetheless,the entireexteriorof the White House is nowfittedwitl1 streams of flashingcolouredlights; the domeis illuminatedwith mega strobelightsrivalling the bigcasinosof LasVegas.Yes,thisis nowtheworld'smost famous casino.At the PennsylvaniaAvenue entrance, tl1e beefy securityguardshave now been replacedwitl1

cheersquadchicks inskimpyskirtswaving pompomsto welcomethe Chinesehigh roUers.If the arrivinggambler isa billionaire, a fireballis fired justlike theone that follows a sixerinaT20 game.

Besidesmakingmillions asadeveloper in NewYork,Trump's earlyambition was to own casinos outstrippingVegason theease coast.AndsohebuiltTrumpTowerand Taj MahalinAtlantic City. Now\\�th tl1eirgloss gone,\Xlash.ingtonis where theDonald will roll the dice to decide d1efutureof America, evenmeworld.

Onthesouthernsideof tl1eWhiteHouse, tl1e lush green lawns, wherevisiting world leaderswould address membersof the press in bygonedays,are now markedwimwhite Lines and pegged forsub-division to house prestigious mansions. Donald's developer DNAisnowon full display.

After agabpresidentialinaugurationchat resembled aglobalglam-fesr,mingsseem tobe movingaccordingtoplan. Bucnot forlong.Reports from secretariesof key departments like Finance,Defence,lnland Securityetc.listunexpectedproblemsarising fromhisthreecorepromises- banthe Muslims,blocktheHispanicsandbanishtl1e Indians - parroted during the campaign Arrival loungesinmanylargeairports that were oncecrammed,now look desolate Flightsfrom thel\1iddleEast have ceased altogether foUowingDonald's decision todenyentrytopeople from tl1atregion. Etihad and Emiratesdon't liketoflyempty planes,evenas spendtlu-iftsheikhsstayput duetoshrinkingoil wealth.

On tlieotl1er hand,departurelounges arepacked,witnessinga masse.xodus. Dejected withthe President'sofficeturned intoa prestige poker machine palace,pious Muslims,averseto gambling, areleavingin droves Specialprayerroomsbui.ltatmany airports,havingnotmuchusenow,are convertedtominicasinos expectingbigtime gamblers from South-EastAsia.

SmartIndiancomputergraduateswho oncesawAmericaas thesoftware meccaare headinghomewitl1manyof d1em denied HB visasandno greencardsinsightin thisonce greenerpasnu:e.TrumphasdecbredtheIT fieldas tl1epreferreddomain foronlytl1ose guyswhoareasAmericanascherrypie.

Lengtheningtheexit linesof leavers includepeople from Mexicoand countries fi.u:thersouthasHispanicsdon't command muclirespectfrom tbenewCommander-inChief. Sincetheydon'tpossesspropertravel documents,theytrudgemroughthe secret n=elstheyonceused tocomein.

Acrisismeetingisheldin tl1eSituarion Roomasmajorbanl,sand financial institutionsare grindingtoahalt, witl1 many of theirspecialist software staff havingleft theco1mtry.SamestoryatNASA,where Indians form a large partof thesea.ff,wirn spaceshuttles stuckonthelaunchpads.The President issues an urgent order tostop the flightof Indians.Backflip one

The loudestpromise made atTrump's campaign rallies-buildingawaU along witl1 Me.xicotostoptheHispanics-hascometo astandstill becauseof shortageof labour, mostof whom areilioseamigosfrom d1e adjoininghndwho, rakinglowwages,helped tobuild tl1eeconomy.Anotherpresidential edict'blockthe nmnels' goesour. Second card turnsupdud.

"\'(/illyouallowLondon'snew mayorto comein?' asks ajournalist. Donald ducks for cover.

'Heis trtm1ped,ohmyGod!' I shouc.

"CallingOLttGod;had abaddream?" mywife wakes me up. I feelsheepish.The Americanelectionisstillseveralmontlisaway.

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