SAYIT AGAIN

DEMONETISATION: HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND DISILLUSION PEOPLE

After his recent trip to India, THE MUMBAI MUMBLER was unimpressed with Modi's demonetisation

Vlkas Kesarwanl wrote: I think a de cision of such a big magnitude requ ires time to make its effects known, and it is too early to make final decision for or aga inst it. There will be troubled times expected with such decisions at large. This decision itself will not increase corruption as has been mentioned in the article.

What is foremost important is that the people who are opposi ng the issue t he most in the media are the people who are not the big chunk of direct tax payers. They are the businessmen who transact a l ot in cash, that too in millions of rupees (even the writer of the article is a businessman as it appears) Or they are the bunch of politicians who would be happier if t his was a big b lunder on the part of t he government, but are t he ones who have gone to the High Court and Supreme Court to get the ordinance back, which is a t estimonial that they are badly effected to their roots and appear t o be lost complet ely.

We have seen that the Indian media has tried hard to get people to speak bad words about the government's decision but failed. The opposi t ion' s t ried to call for an all India bandh , but they failed. This shows the mood of the public who is largely incorrupt and wants India to change at any cost. At least it now appears that India is alive and t here are discussions of curbing corruption and people are supportive in what so ever way. Let's wait and watch fingers crossed.

Uday Mitra wrote: I have read you r article on the demonetisation issue. I entirely agree with the author on the points made. I was in India during 8 Nov to 20 Nov and experienced firsthand the havoc it caused. The money I withdrew from the airport ATM upon arrival on 8 Nov proved to be va l ueless as soon as I stepped outside. The motive was noble, but the execution was poor having no regard for the plight of the ordinary Indians and small businesses. This does not even count the loss GDP for the count ry as a whole during the process. I could not believe that a highly intelligent, sophisticated country with its intelligent public service could prepare so poorly for such a significant step.

H.S. Subbaramalah wrote: Good review on demonetisation by The Mumbai Mumbler. Whether the purpose of t he demonetisat ion of 86% of Indian currency achieves the target of our Prime Minister or not, one thing is definite, there wi ll be a greater loss to the Indian national exchequer in the shape of lost man hours by bank employees and extremely co-operative citizens of India. They had/have shown the utmost faith in the ability of our Prime Minist er by standing for hours, undergoing all the inconveniences mentioned above article. There is also the cost of printing the devastated currency as well as the new currency being printed with transportation and other overheads.

Apart from that, over 100 people have died while standing in the queue, about 53 bank st aff risked their jobs, t he income tax officials are on their heels t o catch the bulk depositors, an police are on watch to seize bulk money transporters. With all this, the city corporations and municipal councils got back longstanding arrears, along wi t h some banks. A few money laundering persons made news on TV channels which are totally busy in showing the hardsh ip of the honest ci t izens of India struggling to restore their faith in an individual of their devotion.

Kala Raghunath wrot e: Well , discomfort was a part of the deal but is not the entire story. I was there in India when this happened and my father was just out of hospital. I too found it very difficult, but the t ruth is most of us Indians do not really believe in fol lowing rules and they need to pushed down upon us by certa i n force to be implemented. The idea is bri ll iant but yes the implementation could have been better, but remember t hey had to keep this whole thing a secret so people suffering was always expected.

Klrltl Mortha wrote: Here' s more ammunition to count er people with ' Modiblinders ' on!

When I watch how Glenn McGrath is using the Sydney test to raise big monies for cancer, I ask myself: when will an Ind i an celeb do likewise?

Rajdeep Sardesal

In Australia for the New Year. And it's a lready 2017 here. Love you all. Thanks for being with me. Have a good year full of great changes!

Chetan Bhagat

WELCOME TO OZ!

We welcome the new High Commissioner of India to Aust ralia HE. Dr. A.M. Gondane [ pictured here presenting his credentia ls to the Governor-General, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd )]

A Win For Iffm

PREETI JABBAL spoke with Mitu Bhowmick Lange, Festival Director of IFFM, after they won the 2016 Melbourne A ward for Contri bution to Multiculturalism by a Corporation lndlan FIim Festlval of Melbourne wrote: A big big big shout out to Indian Link and Preeti Jabbal for th is article. It has been days since we won and we still pinch ourselves sometimes to check if it wasn ' t a dream.

Mltumlndblowlng @mi t ublange retweeted Indian Link: Thank you for this wonderful write up @LordMayorMelb @MartinFoleyMP @IFFMelb # Melbawards2016 # Magicofmovies # diversityRocks

#BESTOF2O16 SERIES

Why Ignorance Is more dangerous than Musllm Immigration

This piece from RITAM MITRA sparked much debate on the dangerous ignorance and intolerance displayed by Sonia Kruger 's comments

Aashath Kaamll wrote: Well written article. Full credit to the author Ritam Mitra.

Bikinis as well as blndls

Perth beauty Chandrika Ravi spoke with our MIMA Young Journalist of the Year NAM/TA GOHIL about her path to stardom

Chandrlka Ravi wrote: What a fun interview this was! Definitely one of my best of 2016' s!

Trevor Pritchard wrote: So awesome! You 're beautiful and a ro le model for others, Chandrika

Chura llya l

She's still got it! RAKA SARKHEL on how Asha Bhosle rocked her Melbourne and Sydney concerts

Mahesh Berwal wrote: One of the best concerts I have been t o. Love Asha

What the IPL can learn from the BBL

SA NAM SHARMA on what BCCI can learn from Cricket Australia about nurturing, managing, and promoting cricket

Aussie Phll wrote: I feel for you Sanam. It must be frustrating to see cricket bastardised as it is now in the IPL and at the same time see how it can be run if only the BCCI could come out of their bunker and sniff the a i r. I bet they are very well paid but is it value for money spent? Hang in there though, with shrinking viewers these stick- in-muds may have to shape up or ship out. Time will tell.

High School, Check!

Year 12 finishers from 2015 shared their experiences with RADHIKA BHATIA Rusequlth e wrote: Thanks for sharing these inspiring experiences of learning, Radhika. I was so impressed how you showed some individua l experience for each person who just graduated on from their course.

Spectacular f ireworks lit up the Sydney sky

#happynewyear2017

Blpasha Basu

INTRODUCING A 24x7 TOURIST HELPLINE IN 12 LANGUAGES 1 Languages Supported E""l"llh,~A,lhlic, fflKlt.a.-,i,,..,._~~l(~~lft (CluNw~~ •1wui..

1800-11-1363

A 24X7TOURIST HELPLINE

........

1363

The government of India has launched a 24x7 toll free tourist h elpline in 12 international languages to provide information relating to travel and tourism in India for domestic and international tourists. The helpline will also be able to advise callers during times of distress, if any, wh i le travell ing in India and alert the concerned authorities, if required.

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Truth is Om Puri and Naseerudin Shah were truly the greatest actors of their generation and we never gave them that recognit ion.

Prltlsh Nandy lndlan PM Narendra Modi

Glad to see new energy, keen desire and strong drive among our diaspora to connect more extensively with India's socio-economic transformation.

TAAi marks its Silver Jubilee

BY PREETI JABBAL

In honour of its 25"' anniversary, the Telugu Association of Australia Inc. (TJ\Al) announced a series of special even ts, with the celebrations expected co continue well into the month of June this year. The Silver Jubilee celebrations commenced with their Aagship event Janaranjani which was held Jare last yea r.

TAAi is a non- profit community organisation, incorporated in July 1992, with the objective of preserving, maintaining, and perpetuating the heritage of people of Telugu origin and upholding the secular nature of Telugu communities. Their aim is to collaboratively p romote culcurnl and social integration between the Telugu community and local mainstream Australian population

" Th is is a special year for TAAI," said Sharma Madiraju, Treasurer. "Since 1992, TAAI bas been promoting Telugu literature, culture, educational, social, economic, and community affairs of the Telugu-speaking people. There is much to celebrate and a lot of goodwiU to be promoted."

The annual Janaranjan.i event, h eld at

Besan Centre, Burwood, showcased 25 years of T AAI and was attended by nearl y 900 patrons from ac ross Melbourne. Janaranjani is T.AAI's annual event, p roviding an opportunity for its members to showcase their talent in various art forms.

Over 200 participants of all age groups celebrated their vibrant culture through performances in various genres of music, dan ce and drama The audience was captivated with some exceptional talen t that explored the rich heritage of South fodia and other contemporary creative expressions.

The highlight was the presence of popular Indian comedy actor Dr Rajendra Prasad. He was felicitated w.itl1 the Ha!ya Ratn,i in recognition of his contribution to rhe Telugu film industry. A poem was written and presented to him by Jl..fallikeswara Rao Konchada.

Member for Chisholm, Julia Banks MP was the guest speaker for the evening In her address to rhe audience s he commended TAAi for its contribution to the community and for its commitment and respect in promoting Telugu language and culture.

The audience was enthusiastic in their app lause, particularly for the young ones as participants as young as three years old were encouraged to gain confidence on stage Hours of wholesome entertainment were provided through the efforts of man y community volunteers.

"After such a fantastic start to our Silver Jubilee yea.r, tl1e T.AAI Comm ittee have planned many more programs and events over me course of the coming montl1s," said President, Rama Ra.o Munuganti. " Th.i s will include R asa Raga S11dbt1 (a Telugu music concert), Abhi11tmda1um1ala (awards night) and a special outdoor free event on Sunday 19 March where we are expecting an audience of up to 5000 people."

"I'd like to emphasise char T AAI continues to work closely w itl1 affiliated bodie s, otl1er Telugu speaking organi sations and local forums for the betterment of our community," Rama Rao continued.

" 'if(/e are committed to sttengrhening our operational mani.rity and endeavom to reach members o f the communi ty more frequently man before. \Ve intend co wo.rk witl1 the TJ\Al Board where we w ill begin to address a long-term strategy to cater for the growing needs of our community."

Students from the community who completed Year 12 with outstanding results share their insights

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Name: Jaya Gaillard

ATAR: 98.55, VCE

Subjects: English, Mathematical Methods, French, Chemistry, Physical Education, Physics School: Siena College, Camberwell

Name: Mohak Malhotra

ATAR: 96.05, VCE

Name: See rat Oh ri ATAR: VCE

Subjects: English, Mathematical Methods, Chemistry, French, Health and Human Development and Business Management School: Balwyn High School School: Genazzano FCJ College

Subjects: Mathematical Methods, English, Information Technology, Physics, Business Management, Software Development

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W ha t was yo ur overall exp e rience of Yea r 12? What were your exp ecta ti o n s going into the year?

Jaya G a illard: Before the year b egan, I expected it to b e extrem ely stressful. \,Vhils c som e weeks were very hard ro manage, there ate more positive asp ects throughout the year tban l iiij tially thought. There ar e many opportwu cies to cele b rat e, particularly with m any close friends turni ng 18, so 1 felt my week wasn't always just school work.

M o hak M alho tra: Year 12 was a fun and challenging year. I t assi sted m e in realising my tr u e potential and academic in terests I honestly expected treme n dous ly di fficulr studies, tremendous mental pressure and a poor social life, but Yea r 12 rud n ot prove co be a 'Mission I m possib le' Scurues we re challenging b u t fun whe n you ar e derucated and do ing the subjects you e njoy.

See rat Ohri: I had a lot of fun in Year 12 le was very stressful, of course, however 1 had a good balance which made d1e year a little bit easi er. I loved m y sub ject s and had a lot of support by my friends and family throughout tli e year too. Honestl y, my ex pectations were ma r die year would be impossible A t the beginning of cbe year it felt like an extre m e ly hard journey diac would never e n d. H owever, as tlie year went o n , 1 r ealised it was n' t li ke that. T here are man y o pponrnu ties to give sturues a break an d to enjoy thro ug h out t he yea r. O f course, ch e year was difficul t and stressful, but i t was defiiu tely not impossible So h.il Chh abra: It was a pretty h ard slog, but overall a g r eat year filled w ith new e:Kperie nces witli frien ds and fanuly. I cried not to have too many exp ectations h earung into the yea r - I just tried ro do my b est. However, I had to make sure l got die resul t I n eeded to get into die c ourse l wan ted Besides this, I also wanted ro m ake sure I didn't sacrifice othe r aspects of my li fe, such as sport or o che r extracurricul ar activities.

Ashn a P ra sa d: As one would expect, Year 12 consisted o f many u ps a n d down s Fr eq u en tly, I would notice m y stress .levels increasing, feelings of anxi ety, a nger and also being utterl y overwhelmed. However, I have come to die realisation di ar Year 12 was o n e of t h e b est years o f m y Life The relaciousrups l developed with fellow students, teachers a n d family allowed m e to p e rsevere through these djfficulties and achieve above a nd b eyon d m y goals Rh ea Singh: Coming into Year 12, I was quite nervous a n d appreh e n sive of the workload and the stress o f the 1oomillg exams I i magined that I would h ave n o social life or time for m y hobbies and wo uld have to be stud ying for h ours. H owever, while a lot of effort an d hard wor k had ro be put in, I found mac in re ality, th rough orgaiu satio n and ti me management I had a lot m ore time o n my hands. Because of the b alance I was able to mruntain between s ru dyin g and odier activities, Year 12 was h onestly one of di e best yea.rs o f m y li fe that I got to enjoy witb my friend s and farnily. What did you learn abou t yourself?

Jaya G aillard: I learnt chat I was able co b alan c e a lot m ore than l ini tially thought. As Co-College Ca ptain, m y schooling li fe was always busy and I k.n ew I h ad to persi st with all di e various demands at band. Mo h ak M alh otra: I l earned chat I c an ac hieve q ui te a lot if l am dedi cated enough

Seera t Ohri: I learnt d1at l am n ot a stressful person, ra ther, I am able to stay calm in b u sy tim es, s uch as during exam period or w h en I had mul tip le SACs wi thi n a sm aU tim e frame.

Soh.il Chhabra : I lea rnt char i f I reall y pm m y m ind to ic a nd remain orgarused and m otivated, I can achieve g r eat things w ithom having to s acri fice m y social l.ife and hobbies

A s hn a Pra sa d: Year 12 was undoubtedly the hardest year of m y academ ic career to date, presenting challenges and obstacles d1at wer e djfficult ro overcome. What surprised me and allowed me ro grun a better insight to who I am as an individual w as my ability and capacity co rise to d1e o ccasion, d1e internal drive tbat a llowed me to co ntinue m y hard wor k di rough out Year 12 and to not falter in die seemingly overwh elming challenge o f receiving a high AT AR B y forcing m yself to continue alo ng t he path o f study and ro r es trict m yse lf of social events (such as all the 1Stlis) a nd leisure activities, I realjsed that tenacity and motivation can go a long way in life, and that 1 a m able to con tinue betteri n g m yself for new c h alle nges mat may come du ri ng uruv ers ity or when I'm in the workforce

Rhe a Singh: From Year 12 I thmk I learn t tlrnr i f I rake the time and e f fort to push myself, 1 can acrueve m ore th an 1 m ay believe. Through out tlie year there were many stressful ti m es whe re I woul d just want co give up, however by comnu tcing myself and having a scrong su pport syst em a.rornid m e I learnt chat you can reach yo ur full po ten ti al.

Wh a t was your s tudyi n g te chniqu e?

D i d you have an y a dd e d s uppo rt fro m a tuto r or at ho m e ?

Jaya G ailla rd: I studied between diree to four honr.s ever y school 1ughc, b u t e n su red I took reasonable breaks, inclurung after school sp o rt or exercis ing with m y cousins. On tbe weekend s, I woul d study during die day but cake d1e night time off to go out. I had ad d ed support from two tutors, one for E ng lish and one for Mediod s, who I saw

Into Surviving The Final Year Of School

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Name: Sohil Chhabra

ATAR: 99.95

Subjects: English, Biology (2 015), Chemistry, German, Maths Methods, Specialist Maths School: Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School

Name: Ashna Prasad

ATAR: 96 (International Bacc alaureate)

Subjects: Chemistry, Maths, French, Biology, English, Business and Management School: Carey Baptist Grammar

Name: Rhea Singh

ATAR: 99.85 (International Baccalaureate)

Subjects: Language and Literature, Psychology, Chemistry, Biology, Japanese, Mathematics School: St Leona rds College

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• before SACs What 1 found m ost beneficial was seeking assistance from my subject teachers outside o f class tim e as they were always more than happy co help Moh ak Malho tra: I only had tutor for Mecbods because I knew I was weak at it and I needed external suppo r t. I did nor have a s pecific ' technique' in my studies b ut one thing I always had was con sistency. Ir is important co kn ow that b ei ng consistent is critical if you wane co succeed in Year 12

See ra t Ohri: I usually studied o n m y own o r in study groups with friends at school. So hil Chhabra: For all of m y sub jects, it became quickly appare nt to m e tha t the mosr important part of stud ying is practice and nor the rote learning of conten t.

Although this content must be learnt, the b est way to consolidate it i s ro complete as many practice exams, tasks and questions as possible I had tutors for l'vfaths a nd Chemi stry. The most useful thing they provided was n otes

A s hna P rasad : My stud ying technique varied for each subject For science based s ubjects, and also Business and Managem en t, cue- cards were reall y helpful in learning co ncepts and consolidating weaker areas o f knowledge. I would make the cue-cards based off mark schemes from past IB papers. This ensured that I was answerin g questions the way the IB wanted me to. D uring my actual exam, there were m an y repeated / similar questions to m y cue card sets! As for Maths, Engl ish and French, 1 we nt throug h every past paper from 2009 ro 2016 Althou gh this was time consuming, it was very ben eficial a nd prepared me well fo r m y actual exams Rhea Singh : My stud ying tech niq ue was all about organ isation. Every night I would plan what I wanted to do and \vhich work I had to finish off. I wou ld always make sure after a class, es p ecially for the sciences, that I wou ld review m y n o tes to make sure that l und erstood everything completely As I was learning a la nguage, Japanese, I had an a d ditional tutor at home who mostly helped me \vitl1 conversatio n a s ID has a great focus o n c onver satio n al orals rather t han pre- prepared. I found flashcards also wo r ked well for languages. 1 also took fuU advantage o f tl1e student tutors that m y school had to offer in the li brary on the weekends, as well as t eachers who made t h em selves available at lu nch time or during the week w h o wo uld help if I had any questio n s

H ow did you d eci d e w h at s u b jects to pick a nd why?

Jaya Gailla rd : I chose th e sub jects r.hat I was interested in and enjoyed, particularly French a nd Physical Education I also kept in mind p rerequisite subjects fo r U n iversity It's impor t ant ro choose subjects that you like as yo u spend so much ti.me and effort learning about chem tl,ac i t is necessar y to stay focussed rathe r than being bored b y subject s you dislike.

Mohak M all1otra: I had a clear direction of regarding career from a very young age, so I chose m y sub jects in accordance with chat. I d id n ot look a t the scalin g of my des ired subjects, I chose them b ecause l enjoyed them.

Seera t Ohri: 1 wanted to keep my option s o pen and d o a range of s ubjects that in terested m e

So hil C hhabra: I was always a mathsscience kid and so my subject selection wasn't a difficult process. The o nl y tough choice 1 had to ma ke was between accelerated biology and p hysics. I chose to do the accelerated subject as l was ad vised b y my school's career counsellors t h at i t i s quite diffi cult to do six subject s in year 12

Ashn a P rasa d : For IB stud ents, it is compulsory to stu dy six subjects chosen fro m six s ub ject groups (Language A l , Language B, Indiv idual s and Societies, Experimental Sciences, M athematics and the Arts). \'\1i thin these six sub-gro ups, I chose subjects that I was m ost passionate about because it allowed me to be tr uly interested whilst stud ying - and this also h elped m e excel in eac h subject - because finding an interest whilst studying ensures productive lea rning.

Rhea Singh: Th r o ugh doing ID 1 was alread y slightly Li mited in m y subject selec tion as yo u have to pick a subject out of each g roup (eg i\faths, Science, H umanities, E n glish, Language, Arts). From here though, I sh ortlisted subjects that I thou ght I would be genuinely interested in learning about or we re prerequisites for unive rsity. I also talked to form er srndenrs and teachers w h o had experienced the classes and asked for their opinion in regards to the teachers, the in tensity of the subject and w h ecl1er tl1e y enjoyed it. Personally, I Jove scienc e so all m y su b jects were based around that area as clrnt is what I hope to do i n tl1e fu ture.

Did you f eel the re was m uch competitio n wi thin you r cohort?

Jaya Gaillard : All cl1e ocher gi rls at school were always extremely supportive rowards each other but of course cbere was healthy competition in o rder for aU of us to s ucceed

M o h ak M alho tra: Yes Balwyn High is o n e of the best schools in V ictoria, meaning competition is always high because every student aims high.

Seerat O hri: There is always a lit tle b i t of competi tion, however it was more sup p o r tive dian c o mpetitive. Withi n m y cohort, we had a good amount of competition, whe re we all helped each other become better students, rather than t he type of competition that brings each other clown

Sohil Chhabra: Not at all. I had a real!)' tight-kriit and large group of friends, all with similar interests I fee l like I can attribute my result to them, as we have been helping and pushing each other since the first day of high school.

Ashna Pra sad: Unlike VCE, in 1B, students do not compete against each other IB students have to reach a certain percentage during their exams, as opposed to being ranked against each other i.n order to score, so competition was fatle co none within our cohort.

Rhea Singh: There is always an element of competition and I believe that in some ways it is that competition that pushes you to achieve your full potential. However, through do ing IB, where you are not ranked against other srndents as explicitl y as in VCE, there was a larger element of team work. I feel and I developed close relationships with my otl1er classma tes tl1rough study groups which helped my understanding in many subjects by getting another perspective.

What extra- c urricular activi ties o r hobbies helpe d you m aint ain a b alance b etween wo rk and play?

Jaya G ailla rd: Ever y term I participated in one or two extracurricular sports including Cross Cmmtry, Netball, Athletics and Swimmi11g through school which ensured I maintained a balance between m y school work and own life. I still found the time and energy to see my family and friends on the weekend

Mohak M alhotra: Every v.reekend I watched movies in order to relax and relieve my stress. I exercised weekly to keep fit.

Seerat Ohri: I was involved in organising a few school events in year 12, however most of my free time was spent catching up on lost time with family and friends.

Sohil Chhabra: Throughout the yea.r 1 played cricket, tennis and hockey, while also debating, taking pan in the school Social Justice program and readi11g.

A s hn a Prasad: Balancing the demands of a busy lifestyle was not an easy thing to do during ID. However, l played basketball with a group of school friends. This aUowed me to get active as well as socialise.I

Rhea Singh: Throughout Year 12 it was my aim to still take part in a wide variety of extra- curricular activities as that balance is so im portant. Also, as part of the IB course you have to fulfi l Creativity, Action and Service components. I was part of the Student Council for my school and was one of tl,e leaders in organising our school formal, tl1e annual philanthropic Bangladesh Dinner to raise money for schools in Bangladesh and other Year 12 events. I also took part in Noble Park English Language School where I volunteered to help refugees and other migrants learn Englis h, Sacred Heart Mission volw1reecing to serve meals to die homeless and was a part of the teams for Amnesty and International Women's Day. I also love music so continued with m y piano lessons, choirs and songwriting workshops.

What i s your most memorable Year 12 experience?

Jaya Gaillard: There are so many I could choose from but my most memorable would be our ver y last d ay of school. \Ve had so many celebrations which truly swnmed up an incredible year together.

M o h ak Malhotra: B y far, m y Year 12 formal was the most memorable moment in Year 12.

Seerat Ohri: I would have to say my school's Year 12 Valedictory Dinner was the most memorable experience. It was a day of celebration for all of our hard work throughout tbe year, and co celebrate the end of our high school journe)', It was a lovely night spent with our parent.5, friends and teachers, and was definitely a night to remember for the whole cohort.

Sohil Chh abra: The parties afterwa.rds!

Ashna P rasad: I have been really lucky to have several memorable experiences during Year 12. I will never forget the Carey swimming carnivals, athletic days and the organised food trucks on the oval!

Rhea Singh: My most memorable Year 12 experience is probably the last clay of Year 12 where the whole yea.t level arranged to gee together at the beach in the morning and then walk down to school together fo r a final brunch where we got to open our time capsules from Year 7 and say our final goodbyes. It was great to be all together with all the people who were part of your fina.l year of schooling and it was a nice goodbye from school.

What wo uld you do differe ntly ?

Jaya Gaill ard: Overall I am happy with how things went but if I repeated the year, I would tell m yself to stress less!

Mohak Malho tra: The only regret 1 have is that I did not do Hindi as a language sub ject in Year 11 If I did, my score would have been even higher.

Seerat Ohri: 1 would definitely have got Maths mtoring sorted earlier in the year Sohil Chhabra: Well, I can't re.a.U y complain about how things rurned out, but I would have loved to study phys ics.

Ashna Prasad: If I were to repeat year 12, I would try to stop procrastinating! le was so difficul t for me to get myself to study sometimes and I would find myself on YouTube or Facebook

Rhea Singh: I don't think I would do anything differently in terms of studying as I balanced my time well a.nd although I was nervous d1at all those rimes I had spent rel.axing or having fLm would potentially affect m y ATAR, in the end it is very in1portant to get that balance. Howeve r, 1 think I would try and explore different study techniques earlier in the year as i t took me a while ro find what worked for me. I would also try and get less distracted while studying as I often found that TV s hows or YouTube would aid my procrastination and I wish 1 was more disciplined in keeping focused.

What perks did you enjoy (either at sch ool or a t h ome)?

Jaya Gaillard: I would go clown co the clog park and walk around because I absolutely love clogs so I found d1is time reall y relaxing.

Moh ak Malho t ra: I have to say, I really enjoyed being a senior to all d1e year levels below me!

Seerat Ohri: I enjoyed the usual Year 12 festivities, such as schoo l events. I enjoyed the sports carnivals, the swimming carnival and inter school activities. It was a really good break from studies and allowed us to express our school spirit one last time together as a )'ear level.

Sohil Chh abra : Having the excuse of smdies roger me out of chores at home, despite m y brother's con1plaints!

Ashna P rasad: At Carey, the school provided an endless amount of extracurricular activities, which J pursued I was a part of the debating team, basketball team, several orchestral groups (symphony orchestra, baroque ensemble etc.) and musicals! These perks allowed me to extend my friendship circle as well as take m y mind off the stresses of year 12.

Rhea Singh : Ar school we had a common room for the Year 12's which was a great place to chill and have some down time as well as get the Year 12's together for pancake breakfasts or o ther activities

We also had a study centre a.ncl rooms specificall y for Year 12's which were nice quiet areas to study in. Another perk of Yea r 12 is d1at the teachers almost always make themselves available to answer your questions and really are invested in making sure that you understand concepts and they can help you as much as possible.

What does the future hold for you? What are you hoping to s tudy at uni?

Jaya Gaillard: I am raking a g ap year n ext year, in itially travelling to N iseko,Japan to snowboard in January. After this, I am spending the rest of the year in France with my dad's s ide of the family, particular ly my gr:andmother in the South of France. I am planning to enrol into Biomedicine fo r the following year.

Mohak Malhotra: 1 hope to run m y own software company in the future. I am hoping to do a doub le degree in Engineering (Honours) and Commerce Seerat Olui.: I'm not sure wha t I want to study yet. There a.re so many options a.nd now I have the tirne to foc us on researching a munber of fields to really see what 111cerescs me.

Sohll Chhabra: I'm still a little unsure, but I'm currently fascinated by th e prospect of a career in medicine.

A s hna Prasad: My ATAR guarantees me entry into Commerce at Melbourne Unive rs ity, which is my first preference.

Rhea Singh: At university I am hop ing to srudy in tl1e area of science, in particular Medicine or Biomedicine. Science has always been one of m y favourite sub jects and I am very interested in this area as well as the contact with patients and the work etl1ic that a career in medicine wo uld provide.

What would your advice to future final year s tudent s be?

Jaya Gaillard: Ensure you get enough sl eep every night as schooling life in Year 12 can become rather exhausting Don't forget that going out to see your friends and family on the weeke nds is beneficial as it help-s you take rime out o f you r busy week Most of all, believe in yourself a.nd trust your own insrinct wi rh everything

Mohak Malhotra: T he only advice I would g ive to students is that you should perceive Year 12 optimistically and see it as an oppornmiry for you ro gain i ovaluab le hle experiences. l.n terms of sn1dies, l would advise that you srarr your end-of- year exam preparations weU in advance. I wish you al l the best for your future studies!

Seerat Ohri: Honestly, just to have fun in year 12. Ir is such a stressful year but ir was reall y fantastic. There are a lot of fu n tin1es during the year a.nd it is really great ro bond as a yea r level in your final year Take every opportunity you're given and make time for family and friends.

Sohll Chhabra: Stay organised and don't n eglect your social life or hobbies. If you put in hard and efficient work, you'll definitel y exceed your own expectarions.

A s hna Prasad: It i s fundamental, even if there is a huge 30%-of- final -grad e assignment due around the corner, to take control over stressful s ituations. Do not fr eak o ut. It is very importauc ro relax , b reath e, think, prioritise and then strategically deal with tl1ese s ituations. Secondl y, sleep is cruciall I made sure thar I had ar least 7- 8 hours of sleep each nigh c. It is not only physically beneficial, but is also helps to operate the mind more productively. One way of maintaining ad equate sleep is to have a study timetable co ensure no lam studying/crammin g!

Rhea Singh: I think my advice would be to mal<e sure tl1at you make the most of your time in Year 12 by raking advantage of the oppornmities available and building relationships with you r classmates, teachers and friends While studying is very important chis year, make s ure you give some ti.me for yourself and other soc_ial activi ties as without these yo u will burn out before the exam period.

Parents Reflect

Wha t expe c tation s did you have for yom child?

Kiran and Pascal Gaillard: W/e never placed any set expectations on Ja ya. She has always been a motivated student, acad emically a.nd in sport. We have done our best to foster and culrivare her passions and been there as her support system, rather t han place expectarions.

Rajiv Malhotra: We as parents always wa n t our children co perform better and better, but every child has his or her own potential. W'e were very real istic a.nd we expected h im ro gee an ATAR of 92 co 95.

Jasmine Ohri: All I ever wished for was for Seerar to get into the course of her choice at the uaiversity of her choice. I know that Seerat is a very hard-wo rker, and so I didn't have set expectations for her so lo ng as she tried her best.

What was you r experience parenting a child in Year 12? Was this y our first child to g o through the proc ess ?

Kiran and Pas cal Gaillard: We went i nto this year knowing it would be a stressful rime for Jaya so we ensured that she took regular breaks a.nd had some balance in her life. We are a very close fam il y so there were plenty of discussi ons around the dinner tabl e about how s he was coping. Om elder daughter, Shayana, completed h er VCE in 2014 so we h ad a fair idea of the work load i nvolved and the stress of exam ti.me.

Rajiv Malhotra: We as parents did not have so many challenges as th is is our yo unger child. Our elder son finished his VCE lase year with an ATAR of 97.3 so we wer e very well aware about rhe stress levels fac ing a child in th eir VCE year. lvlobak reall y worked ha.rd and we as parents helped h im b y providing tl1e right e nv i ronment for his sn1dies

Jasmine Ohri: It wasn't the first rime as m y older daughter went through Year 12 six years ago. I was a stress- buster for her. Ir was a ve r y tough year for all of us, espedally with the ups and d owns tl1.roughout tl1e year, however i t was so rewarding seeing her succeed at tl1e end Simmi and Navjot Chh abr a : Soh.i.l was our first ch.i.ld to do the VCE. We did not really have ro wo r ry about his studies as he stayed organised throughout. We just tried to be there t o support him in whatever way we could.

Singhs: As Rhea was our first child ro go through Year 12, we didn't really know what to expect Tl1.roughout the year, at times Rh ea was stressed from tl1e ID workload and dead lines and i r was important that as a Year 12 smdent's pare n ts we would l isten, s upport and create a stress free environment.

Did yo u do anything differently to support y our child, for example, taking time off work, relaxing chores for your child at home ?

Kiran and Pascal Gaillard: W/e asked her elder si ster ro take over Jaya's share o f the chores during stressful periods. Other tlian that, we gave J aya space when she needed it and continued to function as a normal household.

Rajiv M alhotra: My wi fe and I took a couple of days off work o nl y durin g exams. The most important thing was we tried maintaining a balanc e We had to cut down on inviting friends at home and participate i n social gatherings, bur we definitely cook our chil dren on ourings co take breaks from their routine Jasmine Ohri: I took ti.me off work this yea r to support her. I became her "punching-bag" and we spent a lot of time together, however it was a jo in t effort between our family a.nd friends that supported her throughout the year.

Si.nghs: We made sure s he had nutritious, home cooked meals and g iven full pri o rity when needing ro be p icked up or dropped t o school. We also made sure if she had a busy night she d idn't have to do chores such as washing the dishes.